Guide to Side Decking and Teching

Ok, so I'm sure many of you know about this thing called a Side Deck. But what I'm not sure about is if you know how to use it. Here I will teach you what a Side Deck is and how you can use it.

What is a Side Deck?

A Side Deck is a pool of 0 to 15 cards that you can put into your deck in between games of a Match. To put a card(s) in, you must take the same number of card(s) OUT. That means if you have 40 in your Main Deck, and you side in 3 cards, you have to take out 3 cards so that you still have 40.

Some rules of thumb regarding the Side Deck:

Recognize that no matter what deck you are running, you WILL want a 15-card Side deck.

Depending on what deck you are running, there may be some good side cards that conflict with your deck's strategy. NEVER side those cards.

Out of the cards you CAN side, choose some that work against many decks, and choose others that work against your bad matchups. If you're playing a popular deck, plan for the mirror match.

Most of your side deck should cover ONLY your bad matchups. If there are cards that work well against many decks, and the deck you want to counter is on the list of decks that card counters, use it before anything else, UNLESS the card doesn't do as good a job as more specific cards.

Now what is Teching?
Teching is maining a side card that is considered a semi-staple due to its ablility to counter most of the meta. If you don't know what "Meta" means, get out (lol jk). Follow the rules of side-decking when using techs.

To conclude this lesson, I would like to give you a list of generic side cards for the September 2013 format:

Thunder King Rai-Oh, Mystical Space Typhoon, Prohibition, Forbidden Lance, Effect Veiler, Mind Crush, Trap Stun, Droll & Lock Bird, Compulsory Evacuation Device, Stygian Dirge, Vanity's Emptiness, Deck Lockdown, Maxx "C", Psi-Blocker, The Calibrator, Flying "C", Xyz Encore, Book of Moon, Malevolent Catastrophe, Fiendish Chain, Breakthrough Skill

This list contains some of the best tech choices around. Be sure to read up!

As for siding against more specific meta decks:

For Dragon Rulers:
Gozen Match, Soul Drain, Imperial Iron Wall, Electric Virus, Debunk, Messenger of Peace, Prohibition, Bottomless Trap Hole, Deep Dark Trap Hole, Crimson Blader, Mind Drain, Deck Devastation Virus, Mind Crush, Chaos Hunter, Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, Metaion, the Timelord, D.D. Dynamite, Jowgen the Spiritualist, Lava Golem, Necrovalley, Forbidden Graveyard, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, Royal Prison, The End of Anubis, Lightning Vortex, Discord, Victoria, The Transmigration Prophecy, Angel O7

For Dragunity:
For Dragunity:
Poisonous Winds, Eradicator Epidemic Virus, Deck Devastation Virus, Macro Cosmos, Skill Drain, Memory Crush King, D.D. Crow, Closed Forest, Chain Disappearance, Breakthrough Skill, Forbidden Chalice, Shiny Black "C", Dust Tornado, Wild Tornado, Twister, Discord, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, Abyss Dweller, Rivalry of Warlords, Spell Shattering Arrow, DNA Surgery, Summon Limit, Summoning Curse, Cloak and Dagger, Zombie World, Really Eternal Rest, Dimensional Fissure, Power Filter, Over Capacity, Fairy Wind

For Prophecy:
Eradicator Epidemic Virus, Macro Cosmos, Deck Devastation Virus, Anti-Spell Fragrance, Dark Simorgh, Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell, Magic Drain, Dark Bribe. Great Shogun Shien, Archlord Kristya, Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, Imperial Iron Wall, Debunk, Puppet Plant, Soul Release, Curse of Darkness, DNA Surgery, Zombie World, Summon Limit, Closed Forest, Spell Canceller, Chain Disappearance, Chain Energy, Magic Deflector, Last Day of Witch, Heavy Slump, DNA Surgery, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, Sage of Silence, Retort, Mirror of Oaths, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8, D.D. Crow

For Evilswarm:
Prideful Roar, Injection Fairy Lily, Neo-Spacian Grand Mole, Breakthrough Skill, D.D. Warrior Lady, Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror, Magic Drain, Messenger of Peace, Night Beam, Morphing Jar #2, Cloak and Dagger, Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell, Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, Dust Tornado, Soul Exchange, Penguin Soldier, Electric Virus, Mischief of the Yokai, Chain Disappearance, Snowman Eater, Skill Drain , Black Horn of Heaven, Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, Rivalry of Warlords, Consecrated Light, Summon Limit, Summoning Curse, Metaion, the Timelord, Genex Ally Duradark, Jowgen the Spiritualist, Royal Decree, Trap Stun, Heraldry Record

For Mermail:
Soul Drain, Macro Cosmos, Dimensional Fissure, DNA Transplant, Debunk, DNA Surgery, Shock Troops of the Ice Barrier, Abyss Dweller, The End of Anubis, Kaiser Colosseum, Summon Limit, Summoning Curse, Skull Meister, Rivalry of Warlords, Seven Tools of the Bandit, Banisher of the Radiance, Banisher of the Light, Lightning Vortex, Jowgen the Spiritualist, Forbidden Graveyard, Tualatin, Vanity's Fiend, Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, Night Beam

I hope you enjoy this resource. Use it to your heart's content! Comment on any cards you want added, and just add why they should be added.

~Rai

Oo, I like. Perhaps you should do tier 2 and 3 as well? Just a thought.

! Prince wrote:Oo, I like. Perhaps you should do tier 2 and 3 as well? Just a thought.

I did Tiers 1 and 2. I can do 3 too.

Just asking, how do you get these cards? How do you even know what your looking for? I guess you've been playing yugioh long time or been looking up cards and learning. Nonetheless, this is a brilliant article, I'll be sure to use it. Thx buddy.

darkphoenix wrote:Just asking, how do you get these cards? How do you even know what your looking for? I guess you've been playing yugioh long time or been looking up cards and learning. Nonetheless, this is a brilliant article, I'll be sure to use it. Thx buddy.

No problem! And as a matter of fact, I've been playing YGO since Phantom Darkness was released.

What do you suggest siding against Fire Fist?

This is a really nice article. I encourage you guys to read and do the lesson.

I like the guide, its a pretty useful one.