Learn your ABCs: Part 5

Final article of the [Learn your ABCs] article series.

And GeoTheBacon hasn't even got started on the fourth article of D/D yet.

Well, for the final article of the series, we will be discussing about the side deck.

Without considering or speculating future meta, we can start to build ABC's side deck by considering counter-siding/anti-siding. Pot of Avidity & Scramble Union are both options to side in for Game 2 & 3, each saving the deck from different situations. Pot recovers victims of Ghost Reaper, something which other cards can't do.
Scramble saves you from System Down tragedies . Get them back, make Dire Wolf/Castel, clear some threats or backrow. Then make Dragon Buster and proceed to turn the tables.

Burial is a more offensive choice some players choose to main deck. It allows you to get out a second copy of Dragon Buster. You can push for game with the extra 3K damage. It can help the same way Scamble Union does too - rush to end the game.

Mirror of the Ice Barrier can punish your opponent for their D.D. Crow and Cycle Reader plays. But always brace yourselves for a System Down, that is something Mirror can't help you with. Mirror also serves as a check for mirror matches, as you can expect banishing from both sides to take place as Dragon Buster keeps emerging.

Speaking of mirror matches, as far as ABC vs ABC goes. Any non-Imperial Iron-wall seems fine. System Down only hurts one party after all. Mirror Matches are also usually a battle of seeing who finishes up their copies of Dragon Buster. So if you are feeling gimmicky, give Jar of Avarice and/or Pot of Avarice a try.

Fun idea: Mystical Rafpenal.
It can "reflect" your opponent's System Down. And also, it can punish Monarch's Pandiety too. Stealing Pot of Desires could also gain you severe advantage after your opponent is so kind to pay for the cost.

Artifact Lancea is a popular choice for mirror matches, as it prevent your opponent from extending their plays, and it also stops System Down. Note that you can only use it during your opponent's turn, so it can't completely stop Winter Cherries, if your opponent uses it during your turn. And ya, Cherries is also an obvious popular side-deck choice for mirros.

As far as hand traps goes,opt for Ghost Ogre. Target the field spell as suggested here. (link). Also, I prefer the searchable Cycle Reader over D.D. Crow. (Gear Gigant X). Ogre also deals with other decks, such as Metalfoe and D/D/D, and is slowly overtaking Maxx C in popularity and utility as the best hand trap currently in the OCG.

Evidently there are a lot of options. Choose wisely.

Expect to meet plenty of ABC for the first few weeks for our TCG readers. Here in OCG, the hype has slowly died down as other decks adapt and prepared themselves for ABC matchups. The currently most used deck now in Singapore is actually Metalfoes. At least from what I witness from the ranking locations I frequent.

Job here is done. Kthxbye.

Lastly, thank you all for your kind messages and support for this series and I hope it had helped all readers to gain some knowledge, idea, insight on the archetype. I look forward to new interesting archetypes in the future which I can do discussion articles about, and hope that Konami can throw more support for old nostalgic themes.

That's all for now, and thank you once more.

Ken Sir