DDS routing notes

watched bits of the DDS routing when I had free time today, just some notes

If you're incorporating fusions in your strats, you kinda have to physically scroll thru your whole hand on your first turn during Tier 1. Very diff from FM, or most other yugioh games where you can see your whole hand at once. Get used to holding right arrow at the start of games, mashing is slower :) Also I find it hard to make proper plays when running emulators at super speed, but hey routing is routing lol

The adjustment between FM and DDS in terms of fusion compatibility is hilarious, for example most females make Queen with Plants, but they make Witch which is much weaker and how Dancing Elf doesn't always make Dark Elf, little things like that are just habits

Mystic Lamp is pretty alright, the only downside is that it's bad by itself (poor stats), and doesn't have a beast or plant fusion. But as a low Shadow card it's good

Getting particular, look at the situation around 38:30 in that routing vid, when you have 2 lower level fusion and a trap first turn. The best play would be to make the higher ATK one in hand (Komouri), then set one of the material for the lower ATK (Tiger Axe). So turn 2, you fuse for Tiger Axe, and summon and attack directly with Komouri. Turn 3, you hope to draw something to pop all of his sets, and just attack, attack.

At around 42:00, you open a trap and a Rock. There's a warrior and a Machine too, but personally I'd set the rock and the trap and end. I hate having to settle for a lower level fusion with a rock, since ideally you top a female or a dragon. It's safer to settle but you have to play risky for Tier 1, easiest place to save time

The traps are honestly great in the early game. Besides being low cost by themselves, when you think hard about the overall damage you're doing, and how many turns it may take to win, you'll realize that opening a trap more often than not really helps. Like, even House of Adhesive is the shit when you realize how good traps are. Just force yourself to play them as you run into them in hand, and make sure to set a monster when you end your turn.

I wouldn't say this to a newer runner, but when you get strats you're comfortable with, really REALLY try to put Catapult Turtle and Anti-Raigeki somewhere. Super helpful cards when they work well and you know what you're doing

Quick note: If you wanna try out Arlownay in DDS, an alternative I've recently thought of is Nekogal #1. Thanks to Froggy's huge fusions document, it seems viable IMO

Pros:
- 1100 ATK is much better than 800, 900 DEF is good too for first turn sets. So serves as a better random draw.
- Gets over everything Mai has, even after using 1 equip (such as a boosted Witch's Apprentice),
- Gets over everything Mako has after using 1 equip or Umi. For example, Melting Red Shadow goes to 1000 ATK after an equip, and goes to 910 DEF with Umi on field.
- Goes for Nekogal #2 with Beasts rather than Flower Wolf
- Goes for Queen of Autumn Leaves rather than Witch of the Black Forest
- Goes for Garvas with Witch's Apprentice

Cons:
- 20 cost, so it would go in the deck a duel later than Arlownay.
- Overall it fuses for less. Arownay can make stuff like B. Dragon, Rose Spectre of Dunn, and Bean Soldier

The reason I prolly won't try it, is the fundamental reason that changing one card kinda ruins ALL your deck edits. Like, for me I could put in Dragon Zombie after 1 duel, then Nekogal #1 after 3 duels, but the way my strats are, the difference between 18 and 20 cost screws me over in places lmao.