UG Previews WCQ: Europe

On June 30, 2015 by Kyle Schrader

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We just closed out WCQ: North America with a shocking Burning Abyss win. There were also some very interesting things coming of the Asia Championship. WCQ: Europe is just a few short days away and competitors from across the continent are filing into Ireland for their chance at a trip to the World Championship in Kyoto. As usual, you can follow the event on the Konami’s Official Coverage site as well as on their Twitch stream. In preparation for Euros, some of the United Gosus members attending the event as well as recently crowned WCQ: Central America Champion Galileo De Obaldia held a roundtable to offer some insight on what to expect in Dublin.

Nekroz is the clear dominant strategy of the format, what versions or nuances of Nekroz do you expect at Euros?

Tom Paine: I would expect to face a bit of the Shaddoll Nekroz. After Burning Abyss won the NAWCQ, I think a few players will just put the Shaddoll side deck into the main to strengthen the matchup.

Soner Güngör: I will expect very standard versions of Nekroz with main decking Shared Ride.

Umut Serin: My nats Nekroz plus some current metacall changes.

Patrik Rieder: I think that most Nekroz versions will be influenced pretty heavily by NAWCQ.

Luca Chetoni: I don’t expect some strange Nekroz, just normal version, with some add of side cards in main deck.

Galileo De Obaldia: I don’t think I need to say anything else about Nekroz that hasn’t been said already but I can’t state enough how good the Hands (Fire Hand and Ice Hand) are.

We haven’t seen the Premier level in Ireland often, but every region has its quirks. For example, Chain Burn in Germany and Samurai in Latin America – what do you think you will find in early rounds, X-1, and X-2 brackets in Dublin?

Soner: I think you can’t compare Euros with a usual YCS in a certain country. Mostly decent / top players with top tier decks will fly to this event. So I still predict decks like BA, Tellar, Qliphort, Shaddoll and Nekroz in the first rounds.

Umut: It’s Euros, not a random event, but maybe more Ritual Beast than before nats.

Merlin Schumacher: The UK and Irish love to play what their respective National Champion used. I’m not sure what won in Ireland but we should definitely be on the watchout for those. Also, I expect Ritual Beasts to be played a lot more in Europe than in WCQ: NA/CA.

[Editor’s Note: Luke Smythe won WCQ: Irish National Championship with Nekroz maining Denko Sekka, Effect Veiler, Mystical Space Typhoon with no Book of Eclipse. Moreover, Necrovalley, Dark Hole and Mind Crush in the Side Deck. Elsewhere, Oliver Newton won WCQ: UK National Championship with Satellarknight maining Thunder King Rai-Oh and Chaos Trap Hole.]

Patrik: I think that Burning Abyss and Ritual Beasts will be seen more.

Tom: I’ve no idea what the Irish players like to play.

Luca: This is a European Championship, so I think that even at X-1, X-2 you will find meta decks. Like Nekroz, BA, Qliphort and now that Spiritual Beast made a great appearance at NAWCQ, even some of this.

A good way to lose a premier event is to only think you’ll be playing Nekroz mirrors all day – what other decks are you most worried about facing?

Galy: Spiritual Beasts are good.

Patrik: Qliphort, this deck is so annoying. Therefore I advise everyone running Nekroz to play Hands in side.

Soner: Infernoids are an underdog deck, in my opinion, which you shouldn’t underestimate. So I suggest people to be familiar with them before facing them.

Luca: Other decks that you should worried about it are Anti-Meta decks that play Mistake and a lot of trap like BA and Qliphort, so have a good side deck vs these will be very important.

Tom: If you are running Nekroz, it’s not the other decks you need to worry about really, it’s the floodgates that stop you playing. You’d likely lose to Blackwing deck if you couldn’t kill their Mistake. I think it’s important to know what floodgate cards you expect to see and how you can out them. Having said that, other decks you might expect are B.A and Ritual Beasts, given their success at NAWCQ.

Galy: Tom is right! 3 Decree 3 MST 3 Ice Hands!

Umut: I am well prepared, my deck is good, only I can beat me. I still have 3 Denko Sekkas in side and Necrovalley.

Galy: Denko is too risky. It doesn’t answer a lot of commonly played stuff and needs a good hand alongside it. Royal Decree plus Hands are stand alone cards that have almost as much impact and deal with established boards.