Well, it's been a while since the "controversial" Waboku essay (which turned out to be the right usage of the card). Since I don't have a "definite" topic to talk about for this essay, it's just going to be several topics that have crept up within the last two months or so. I'll save the biggest of the items for last (it's going to shock/tick off some people what I'm going to say), and concentrate on some of the other things first.

God Cards

Come on, gang. I REALLY don't see what the big deal about these cards are. Here's something all of you need to read:

The God Cards CANNOT Be Used During Games!

The two main reasons this is so are: (1) They have different-colored backs than the normal cards, and (2) THEY DO *****NOT***** HAVE ANY EFFECTS WRITTEN ON THE CARDS! ALL THAT'S IN THE TEXT BOX IS FLAVOR TEXT! Without any definitive effects written on the card, it's one word against another person's if you COULD use the cards in normal games. But you can't. Plus, there are so many contradicting rules on how the card works (they basically changed from day to day in the animated and comic series), that it would lead to more arguments than it would be worth.

I wrote a whole friggin' essay on what they were about, how you could get them, etc., but it seems a lot of people have simply failed to read the essay in its entirety. I can't help that. My opinion is that they are not worth the time, effort and money to track down. I have my Ra in my collection simply from buying the Japanese DM4 game (with the other pack-in cards). But it's not really worth it to hunt down a card that you CAN'T EVEN USE.

Duelist Legacy 1 and Descent of the Union

People have been asking me "Where are the Duelist Legacy translations? Where are the Union translations? I just bought the cards and I need those translations!"

Well, the Duelist Legacy ("DL1") and Descent of the Union ("302") translations were put on hold for a while.

[EDO'S NOTE: Some may be wondering about why I use "Descent of the Union" while others use "Advent of the Union." Literally, the set's name is (in Japanese): "YUNION NO KOURIN". Kourin is used with items of somewhat a religious origin, leaning more toward ritualistic. For example, the Ritual Monsters in Yugioh use the term "kourin", for their summons. Literally, it means to "bring to prominence." I use "descent" as many religious/ritualistic figures have "descended" from their areas of stature. Either is intelligible. Just a little bit of Japanese trivia for you.]

The translations were on hold because there were dumbasses on the 'net who were stealing (read: plagiarizing) them, calling it their own material. There is one site on the Internet (I will leave the site nameless, except saying that "pro" is in their name). who, coincidentally, had ALL of the cards that I listed in my files. Not only that, the site ONLY had the cards I listed -- no more, no less. I confronted the webmaster about this, stating how many of the cards had the names switched around, and that they only way they could have translated it was to have stolen it from my page. The webmaster's response was that it was someone else who had translated them, and that he was "desperate" for translations. Conveniently, the "translator" didn't want his contact information on the site, and was grounded from using his computer for a year.

Suspicious? You bet.

Even when putting EVIDENCE forward toward the fact that the lists were STOLEN from my page, the webmaster wouldn't remove the files. Suspicious, after more prodding, he "got in contact" with his "translator", and the person said that he didn't translate all of them; some of his friends "translated" them as well. Hmmm.

So, how do I know they weren't translated? Well, this was the biggest hint. See, Japanese has three different types of alphabet: Hiragana (shorthand), Katakana (used to write sounds and loan-words from other languages) and Kanji (complex characters). Now, if you're a first year Japanese student, you learn Hiragana and Katakana -- you won't be able to do it fluently, but you'll know the characters and recognize them. Now, on the Yugioh front, Japanese cards often have card titles in English, but using Katakana to write them. This means there is NO way to mistake what the titles of the cards are.

Let me put it to you in another way (the example that I gave the webmaster). Almost all of you know the chemical term CO^2, correct? If you want to write it out, it would be Carbon Dioxide, right? You know it would be written that way, because that's what CO^2 means. However, let's say there is a person who DOESN'T know what it means, and they want the "text" for their own uses. Let's say they write it as Double Oxygen Carbon. You know this is incorrect, as that is not what CO^2 means. So, the only way they could have gotten something like that is to look at someone who HAD the "text," and then just re-wrote it.

So, back on the Katakana topic: the cards that had Katakana in them were BLATANTLY incorrect! There was no way to get them wrong, if there was a standardized way of writing them in the first place!

The problem with the cards on that site is that when they changed around the titles, they also changed around some card text to make it look like it wasn't STOLEN from my page. Unfortunately, this also leads to a difference in the way the cards fundamentally work.

I'm sure some of you could be saying, "Well, Ed, how do you know they stole it from YOUR files?" Well, that's true. I know of only two sites out there that ACTUALLY translate the cards: mine, and Duel Monsters Central (Kelvin Koh). Kelvin had take his lists down until recently (I believe he has them on a password protected area of another site), which was after this incident. The only other site was mine. Considering the fact that many of the card names were EXACTLY the same as mine was the second clue. And finally, the "errors" that I have in some of the card statistics were EXACTLY as I had them in my files. If they were translating them, they would have corrected those errors, now wouldn't they?

See how much shit I have to put up with these translations? People are taught not to plagiarize since elementary school. It's a real friggin' shame that they didn't listen.

Translation is hard work. Ask any bilingual person to translate documents, and they will tell you that. It doesn't need to be compounded by the fact of people taking the work, and calling it their own.

Now that the Duelist Legacy and Descent of the Union translations are up, it is only a matter of time that the leeching sites "magically" get "their" lists magically translated and posted on their sites.

Oh, and yes, the Descent of the Union translations are "copy protected," so if you do steal them and try to re-write them, I WILL know. And I will do everything in my power (and other's power) to make sure you're shut down for good.

Respect other people's rights and work, and don't be a dumbass like some other sites out there.

Rules, Rulings, Etc.

I surf the 'net. Just because I'm not a member of most Yu-Gi-Oh! sites out there doesn't mean that I don't visit some of the other sites to see what problems people are having the the game.

Essentially, those trips are the core of what my English Expert Rules Page (EERP) is about. This is in addition to the problems that people ask me over e-mail.

So, what happens? I make a trip to the Japanese Expert Rules Page (JERP) and look up the situation that is happening, and look for the rulings that will solve the situation. But more than that:

I look at the official Japanese rulings.

There is one thing that people out there AREN'T getting when they look at the rulings that I have stacked in the EERP section:

I don't make the rulings; I only relay them.

Let's just pick a card at random: Reverse Trap. The rulings says that a Reverse Trap after the first one doesn't "reset" things back to how they were. Many people will argue to the contrary, saying that "my" ruling is incorrect. Sorry gang, but it's not "my" rulings; it's what Konami has stated.

People will undoubtedly say "Well, if it doesn't come from Upper Deck, then we look at the cards for the rulings." That, my friend, is one of the most dangerous things that you can do. "Edo isn't an official source, and he's wrong on a number of things." Hmm. Well, the rulings that I have stated are from Konami of Japan, the makers of the game. Upper Deck has also been "revising"...oh skip it...changing "their" rulings on a regular basis. Putting your devout faith in one area isn't the most intelligent of things to do. Why?

• When the game came out, I stated the ruling that Swords of Revealing Light stayed in play for the duration of its effect and I explained why (ruling due to abuse). People screamed "No, no! It's not a Continuous Magic card so it gets discarded! You're wrong!" Then the ruling is released by Upper Deck, stating that it indeed worked as I said... just like the Japanese ruling. Hmmm.
• When the game first came out, I spotted the error on the Lord of D., which stated that Dragons weren't affected by Magic, Traps, etc. I wrote a message to the Mr. Irwin of Upper Deck, stating that it was erroneous, and that it was going against the Japanese version of the card. His reply was that the Japanese cards would be altered to how the American cards appeared. I still believed to the contrary (due to the Swords of Revealing Light ruling), and posted so in the Expert Rules Page. People screamed "No, no! It's that they aren't affected at all! It says so on the card! You're wrong!" About a month later, we get the updated card, stating that Dragons couldn't be targeted...just like the Japanese ruling. Hmmm.
• Upper Deck states on their FAQ that you couldn't discard normal Monsters in some way, then use Monster Reborn on them. I wrote a message to Mr. Irwin of Upper Deck, stating that it was erroneous, and was going against the Japanese ruling. His reply was that is was the way the Japanese makers wanted it. I still believed to the contrary, and posted so in the Expert Rules Page. People screamed, "No, no! It's that they aren't affected at all! Upper Deck says you can't on their FAQ! You're wrong!" The FAQ then disappears shortly afterward. Two to three months later, it appears back on the site, saying that you CAN discard normal Monsters and bring them back with Monster Reborn... just like the Japanese ruling. Hmmm.
• I write a LARGE essay on how Battle Damage works, and how Waboku works, and how it affects Battle Damage. Some people couldn't grasp it, others didn't want to believe it, screaming "No, no! It only prevents damage to your Life Points! It doesn't protect your Monsters! You're wrong!" On the rebirth of the FAQ, it states that it prevents Monster to Monster, and Monster to player damage...just like the Japanese ruling. Hmmm.
• I had on the Expert Rules Page that Ultimate Offering can be used during your Main Phase 1 or 2, and during your opponent's Battle Phase, and that only the person that has Ultimate Offering in play can use it. People screamed: "No, no! It's a Trap card, so you can use it any time at all! And it says 'a player,' so both players can use it! You're wrong!" An e-mail from another individual on the 'net asked Mr. Irwin if it could be used during an opponent's turn, and he said no. Then another e-mai by the same person got it clarified by Mr. Irwin again, stating that it COULD be used during your opponent's turn, but only during the Battle Phase...just like the Japanese ruling. Hmmm.
• To be fair, I was slightly wrong about the number of items that are affected by Waboku (it's ALL of your opponent's Monsters, not just one). But that's great, because it's EXACTLY like the Japanese ruling now.
• But to be fair, I was wrong on the wording of the ruling of Shield and Swords, and the English can works just like the Japanese ruling.
• But to be fair, I was wrong on the wording of Sword of Deep-Seated. But hey, Witch of the Black Forest and Sangan used to be worded the exact same way as the Sword was, but only worked when it went from the Field. Go figure.
• And I know they're still wrong on Flute of Summoned Dragon -- it's supposed to work like the Japanese version, which is if either player has a Lord of D. on the Field.

I went out on a limb about the above cards. I stood my ground on the majority of them, while lots of other people condemned me for being an idiot, and not knowing what I was talking about. I stood my ground, and I turned out to be right. Now, if I make a mistake on relaying the ruling of a card, I am MORE than happy to state that I have been (did so on Waboku and Shield and Sword on the Expert Rules Page). But the majority of the masses of people who were sniding me for going against "the official rulings" didn't come out and state that THEY were wrong when the above rulings were clarified.

Bear in mind that it isn't as if I AGREE with every ruling that Konami makes, but that's the way the producers and creators of the card game have stated, and that's what we should follow. I try my best to make sure that the rulings that are relayed are correct. If you don't want to follow them, then that's your choice; but they ARE official (as I have stated above), and just because it doesn't come from Upper Deck doesn't mean the relaying of the ruling isn't official. I am an unofficial source, but the subject matter that I state is official. Think of it a bit like CNN -- they aren't an official agency of the White House, but they do relay the official statements from the White House.

Come on, guys. I have PROVEN that I am more than reliable when it comes to the rulings. If you want to nitpick errors, then fine; but realize that Upper Deck has been chaning "their" rulings on a regular basis. If you don't want to believe the rulings on the English Expert Rules Page, that's fine; but they ARE rulings from Konami, then makers of the game, and the people that Upper Deck goes to when they need to find out how a card works.

Now, if you wish to have a friendly discussion on a ruling (whether you agree or disagree), that is quite fine. If you feel that I am wrong, you can have me double-check the Japanese rulings page so that I can get a definitive answer. But taking a condescending attitude will get you nowhere when it comes to me. After all, we're all here for the betterment of the game -- and if I am wrong on something, so be it; it just serves to make the truth come to light.

The Status of Yu-Gi-Oh!

Well, time for the shocking essay. Before I start, I want you people to know that I am not TRYING to pick on Upper Deck. That's what I want you to get RIGHT OFF THE BAT. Though I have stated that they have been wrong and changing their rulings as in the above topic, this matter is a bit different. Make sure you grip your chair, as I am going to be rather frank on the issues at hand. I'll start with one statement:

I think the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game is going to die in the U.S.

Now, before a number of you start to foam at the mouth and open your mail browsers to send me mail, you're going to have to read the rest of this to see where the current situation of the game is headed.

The first of the items is starting to be miscommunication between someone at the top levels. Now, when two companies have two different language levels to go through to get their questions answer, there is going to be problems. This is with the rulings above. One week, we have one answer, then another week, it changes, then possible changes again. There needs to be some solid ground that Upper Deck needs to work on between the two companies. Miscommunication can run this game into the ground, especially at the corporate level.

The second is availability of product. As many of you have seen, Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are somewhat hard to find in a variety of the areas in the country. Now, I have to go into a little backstory which involves a friend of mine, who is the manager of a local hobby store, and has been in the industry for over ten years.

I get an e-mail from an upper deck representative, asking about the current status of the game. I responded with the following, length letter.

>
>3. Given that (name) & I are new here, how would you assess the current state
>of the Upper Deck Entertainment Demo Team program?  What are its strengths
>and weaknesses? How can we assist YOU better in the field? Bring me up to
>speed on what's going on, please.
>

Be forewarned that I am going to not only be blunt, but VERY blunt when
it comes to assessing the current situation with Upper Deck and Yugioh.

Right now, I fully believe that Upper Deck will lead to the death of the
Yugioh game as we know it.  This is not only my view, but that of several
people across the Yugioh game-playing community, and several store owners.

I am friends with the manager of the forementioned hobby store, and he has
told me (the very evening that I am writing this letter) that he is only
ordering the next expansion (this appears to be Magic Ruler), and that will
be it.  He will no longer be supporting Upper Deck in its aims with this
game.  He has told me that Upper Deck does NOT know what they are doing in
the distribution and support of the Yugioh game, due to its overwhelming
popularity.

So, what is the main problem?  PRODUCT CAN BARELY BE GOTTEN AHOLD OF.
This is the main wound that will kill the card game.  It's been a well-founded
rumor that Upper Deck has ceased production of the Legend of Blue Eyes White
Dragon set, along with the Starter Decks.  While this may be great for a
set of "standard" trading cards, this does NOT work in the same way for
trading card games.  The whole point of the earlier sets, and starter decks,
is to get people into the game.  If those sets have disappeared, then how
are people going to get into the game?  I know several people across many
message boards that are rather frustrated that they cannot find the cards.
Note that this is not in reference to stores that sell cards at higher
prices -- Yugioh is popular after all -- but those stores the CAN'T get
ahold of it, because the production run appeared to be very limited.

So, what about the tournaments and league centers?  The problem with this
is: WHAT TOURNAMENTS?  WHAT LEAGUE CENTERS?  An application for stores to
become a tournament center has existed on the Yugioh site for X number of
months.  I had the manager (again of the aforementioned shop) submit the
appropriate application for being a tournament center over two to three
months ago so that we could get support for the game so it can be a hit
with players of all ages.  He hasn't heard a word from Upper Deck AT ALL
in response to it.  I have read other sites about stores that would love
to become a tournament center for Yugioh, but it gets back to the fact
that the product can't be found, and thus the stores can't drum up enough
support for the game to even hold tournaments or even a league.

If the game doesn't have enough support, it will die.  The Upper Deck site
has next to nothing to help players with the game.  The last thing that
was updated was the restricted list which included Metal Raiders.  Where's
the official FAQ?  That disappeared several months ago, and has yet
to return.  The reply is "Konami is looking over it."  But as it has been
a while since then, it causes people to wonder if that is what is really
happening, or that someone is being lax in their duties on either end.

At the current time, it is only a handful of people across the 'net that
are actually keeping the game going (one of them being me), and trying to
get some cohesive answers to problems that people are having.  I maintain
a rulings site, and it is one of the areas that people attend when they
have problems.  Though this is good and all, I doubt that it will matter
much as the downward spiral has begun, and Upper Deck may not be able to
recover if they don't do something drastic to save face, and do it soon.

If you can't get the game into the hands of the players, it will die.
Read the above statements about this.

If people are frustrated over finding it, they will decide to forgo playing
the game.  If they can't find the product, they will not only have bad
experiences with the game, they will also have ill-feelings toward the
company that produces it, i.e., Upper Deck.  They will then cease to
purchase not only Yugioh, but Upper Deck products in general.

Now, I realize that you are just for the Demo Team portion of Upper Deck,
but your job will be far easier if Upper Deck could actually GET the game
out to players, GET the answers to people's questions, GET the support
that the game needs.

There is also an issue that I see as a much bigger problem in the game:
Japanese cards.  Not Japanese cards from future sets, but Japanese version
of cards currently released in English.  While it has been stated that those
kinds of Japanese cards can't be used in official Upper Deck tournaments,
I feel that this is an EXTREMELY bad idea.  The concensus on this issue
between several members of the Yugioh community is that Upper Deck wants
you to play with THEIR cards only, and not the Japanese ones.  However,
Upper Deck is forcing players to purchase the Japanese versions over the
English ones.  Why?  Because they cannot find the English product.  Thus,
they need to "resort" to getting the Japanese versions if they want to
play at all.  If need-be, allow Japanese cards in tournaments as long as
their is an English-language version outside of the player's deck to refer
to.

I can only speak as a player of the game.  As I am not a store owner, I
cannot speak for them.  If you would like the insight of the manager of
the store that I mentioned, the contact information is as follows.  I am
sure that he can better put how the current situation of the card game
fares.

Jelly's The Original
Steven Lo
Phone: (xxx) xxx-xxxx
E-Mail: xxx@xxx.net

We live in Hawai'i, so the time difference must be taken into account.

I hope you will take these matters into consideration, as they are dire
problems that need to be solved if the game is going to become a hit.

Thank you for your time in reading such a lengthy letter.

Long, wasn't it? The replies afterward weren't too informative (except for the FAQ page going up the same day that I get the reply), and the standard "Thank you. We'll look into it."

About a week or two later, the manager-friend that I mentioned (Steven Lo, as stated in the bottom of the letter), said "Hey, Upper Deck gave me a call today." My response was, "Well, what did they say?" Well, I'll spare you the obscence hand gesture.

After prodding Steve about the call, he stated that the phone call amounted to the following:

Steve got the call from the Upper Deck Respresentative. The representative then told him all about the League Program, and what he needs to do to get it running (how to give out prizes, etc.).

When all was said and done, Steve's reply was "What good does this do me if the players can't he ahold of the product?"

The representative said, "Well, the product is out there."

"Not according to my distributors." [NOTE: Steve goes through two to three different distributors to get a variety of product.]

"Well, your distributors are pulling a fast one on you."

After a bit more talking, the representative gave Steve a phone number to call to solve his problems. He called it.

No answer.

Steve then got on the phone to one of his distributors, and asked his own representative "Hey, this is the deal that Upper Deck has said. Is this true or not?"

Her reply was "It's not true."

So, on one hand, we have the company that prints the game saying one thing, and the DISTRIBUTORS (who get the game out to people and stores) saying something else.

I'm more inclined to believe Steve on this matter, as he has been in the industry for a while. He's seen games come and go, and knows when to grab stuff, and when to forgo. He told me, "The game is going to die." The basis that he was getting to is: Upper Deck does not know what they're doing with this game.

The thing that needs to happen is that Upper Deck needs to get their act together, get it in gear, and take the printing, distribution, and support of this game SERIOUSLY. We heard the doomsayers beforehand, saying "Upper Deck is a trading card company, not a game company. Look what happened to their earlier card game attempts [NOTE: Wizard in Training, Cardcaptors, etc.]." I'm still debating on whether they're right or not.

Personally, I don't know...I really don't know. I'm sorry to say, but the future looks dismal for this game. I know Upper Deck has a lot of plans for the game, but they need to start treating their involvement within this game with more respect. If you have a hit on your hands, you do what you can to get it out to people -- not limit production.