Adapting to the New Format: Blackwings

3 Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
3 Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame
3 Blackwing - Bora the Spear
3 Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
2 Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North
2 Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor
1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
1 Dark Grepher
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Morphing Jar

2 Black Whirlwind
2 Book of Moon
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 My Body as a Shield
1 Brain Control
1 Gold Sarcophagus

2 Icarus Attack
2 Royal Oppression
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Mirror Force
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Trap Dustshoot

Of all the top decks of the previous format, Blackwings were arguably the least hit - only losing a single black whirlwind and a single allure of darkness (which will be compensated by the release of Black Feather Treasure in a few months). Naturally, this has led to a buzz of hype surrounding the decktype in the upcoming weeks.

Above is a build of Blackwings I have been testing recently, and after removing the newly limited cards, I considered how to strengthen the deck to keep it on par with how it ran throughout the previous format.

The first card I opted to add to the deck was Dark Grepher, coupled with a second copy of Blackwing - Vayu. This switch aimed to add more raw attack power to the deck, which was cut slightly with Black Whirlwind limited.

I opted to keep Royal Oppression at two in the deck, as it has a plethora of uses in the new format. I forecast a large amount of Cat variants and Gladiator Beast decks in the upcoming weeks, and Royal Oppression is a perfect counter to those decks. As well as this, Royal Oppression is able to completely negate Starlight Road (which helps Icarus Attacks go off), as well as Battle Fader (a popular card in monarchs and stall decks).

Due to the problem of Starlight Road, I chose to cut Icarus Attack down to two copies until the meta becomes more defined. As is the case when any new card is released, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to run Starlight Road. As a result Icarus Attack has become a risky card at times. Although the chances of running into a Starlight Road are relatively low, the consequences of when it does happen can be devastating.

Morphing Jar is a great card in the deck, not only compensating for the lost draw power in Allure of Darkness, but also allowing you to dump excess Vayus and Siroccos, enabling you to Grave-synchro. As well as this, Morphing Jar has great synergy with Trap Dustshoot, a combo which can heavily swing a game in your favour instantly. Morphing Jar is even a one-card-out to Consecrated Light (Morphing Jar is an earth monster), which even makes Jar slightly more versatile than before.

Finally, I decided to add a lone copy of Gold Sarcophagus. Gold sarcophagus fits perfectly with the new, slower format. In a deck like Blackwings the card can be game changing, allowing you to reach you Heavy Storm, Dark Armed Dragon and Black Whirlwinds much earlier in the game. Once again, Gold Sarc helps compensate for the draw power lost in Allure of Darkness, and the reduced availability of Black Whirlwind. Gold Sarc has proved to be an excellent addition to the deck, and has ended many games.