Sunday, March 4, 2012

Yu-gi-Oh!





Yu-gi-oh is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and several video games. Most ofg card game called Duel Monsters, where each player uses cards to

The basic rules to Yu-Gi-Oh

Each match is best 2 out of 3 games. In between game 1 and 2 and game 2 and 3 players have 15 extra cards called a sidedeck in order to help them counter a deck using cards from there and swapping them with the same number of cards that are taken out from the maindeck. Both players begin with 8000 life points and draw 5 cards. The player who goes first is determined by either a the lowest/highest die roll, or rock,paper, scissors. At the beginning of each turn, the turn player draws one card. He or she can either play a spel monster card, spell card, and trap card. The objective of each turn is to deal life point damage to the opponent by attacking other monsters, or using spell and trap cards that inflict damage as well.
There are several monster cards with a special win condition. If the match continues after 40 minutes, it is then sent into time where each player has 2 turns left and the one with the highest life points wins the game. There are several types of decks that can be used and with the release of new packs every several months, you can fix your deck to make it even stronger. Some cards were too powerful the a limited/forbbiden list was created to even out the playing field. This list is changed on September 1st and March 1st .
Cards are priced depending on their rariety. There is common, rare, super rare, ultra rare, ultimte rare, ghost rare, and secret rare. Chances to pull that card are easier from left to right. Depeinding on how a deck does in tournaments, the price of specifi cards will rise or lower. Also, it depends on the supply of a card and demand of it as well. The game can be expensive sometimes, but the main thing is to have fun. It is very competitve and forces you to bluff, read your opponent and requires a lot of luck.

3 Tips on How to Become a Better Strategic Player

Card Advantage: Card advantage means how many cards the player holds in hand. The best way to hve an upper hand on card advantage against your opponent is by not playing those important cards that you dont need to use at the time. Instead, you can use it later on during the game when you absolutely must. As a rsult, your opponent will be using ost of their resources while you still have cards in your hand, giving you a better chance to win. There is that chance where you have card advantage, but your opponent draws into the one card that can save them. Luck beats card advantage the majority of the time. Or does it?

Thinking Towards the Future, and Reading Opponent's Possible Plays: Luck wont have as much as an impact if you play to counter against any possibility of one card beating you. The better you think aboout what-if situations, the more likely you will be able to counter it. Also, reading opponents facedowns or posible cards in hand, will help you win the game because you can play around thos cards or force them to use it on less important cards. This results in your power cards going through giving you a better chance to win as well. The last tip is one of my favorites and is one that requires the player to have a poker face.

Bluffing: Bluffing can get you out of a posistion from where you are about to lose, to where you can turn the game around just because your opponent did not want to attack, because of the threat of some cards.Setting useless cards can make you opponent waste cards that can mess up your strategy later into the game.Winning a game because of bluffing can really make a difference in the late rounds of a regional or championship series events.

These are a few tips that I have learned while playing competitively for the past years.




For more information on Yu-gi-oh products, events, or questions here's the main site .




Sunday, February 26, 2012

Axis & Allies (Part One)



  Strategic games are a fundamental column toward thinking and enjoyment. Personally, I prefer games with a little more panache in terms of objectives, strategies, and education. One classic game that stands out among the rest is the board game “Axis and Allies”. This game, published in 1984, is one of those games that anyone can enjoy. Designed for five players, it is a long time span, averaging in numerous hours.

The game is set in 1942, at the height of the WW2. The two sides, the Allies (Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States) and the Axis (Nazi Germany and the Japanese Empire), are at war with each other. The game board is a large map of the world, with corresponding territories that are either controlled by the Allies or the Axis. Each region has a “GDP” value to it, which is currency each turn for national production. Armies and Navies cost quite a bit to build, and some regions are worth only 1 GDP while others are worth as high as 10 GDP.
The pieces consist of a variety of land, air, support, and naval pieces (a total of 370 game pieces). The land forces include tanks, infantry, and artillery. The air forces consist of fighters and bombers. The naval forces are much more complex, consisting of aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and transports. The support forces include factories and anti-air guns. Ten dice accompany the set, for attack and defense.
But the most valuable portion of this game is the historical reality involved. If Germany is played, the player finds him or herself surrounded by enemies: Russia to the east, Britain to the south and west, America farther west. To attack in any direction will cause problems somewhere else. And to simply wait will allow your enemies to overwhelm you in numbers. This is where strategy comes into play.
Similar to chess, a player must think turns ahead. They must know the movement points of each piece, attack and defense rules, GDP output, and a prediction of enemy plans. To play as America, a player will find that the US has a great number of GDP points (similar to American productivity during the real war) but small armed forces.
The choices involved are limitless, and each game is different from the last time it was played. Strategic thinking comes into hand. This is where videogames are limited and where board games are masters of: strategic thinking at hand. A video game can be restarted, can be paused, and will usually result in multiple chances. With a board game (with real people around you), there are few second chances. Every move is vital, and to make a mistake can cost dearly.
Therefore, this game is only one of a dozen games that compel a person to think outside the box. To train your mind, in the way chess or crossword does. The CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates, usually has a small crossword puzzle in his pocket whenever he travels. When he has time, he attempts to solve it, and through this, he challenges his mind continuously. Knowledge is a fundamental component of the human existence, and training your mind daily is a major boost to that goal.

Official Website <http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=ah/prod/axis>