Theory-Oh: Control Vs. Aggro

The fundamentals of this card game have been debated endlessly since the release of this game. Card Advantage, synergy, F/OTKs, Control Vs. Aggro, consistency, tech, and the Ban List are all major subjects that are constantly discussed. The problem with using these theories is that in practice, they don’t always come out producing results. In this edition of Theory-Oh, I will be discussing a topic that spans over all games and sports. Of course I am talking about Control Vs. Aggro; should we play quickly and throw caution to the wind or should we play with conservation and defense in mind?


Is Offense always the best defense? Aggressive decks have to deal with the possible counters the opponent will have and try to keep a level head to not over commit. The reason aggressive decks are generally favored in Yu-Gi-Oh is generally caused by the card pool being Aggro based. There are less Control cards and Control themes than there are Aggro. Decks like Six Samurai, Tele-DAD, Zombies, Debris-Hime, Lightsworn and Quickdraw Dandywarrior are or were popular Aggro decks when they were prominent. They generate countless card advantage and swarm the field with huge beat sticks. This makes them fast and dangerous, but easy to misplay or over commit.

Switch decks are decks that can be ran as either Aggro or Control. Absolute Zero, Infernity, Hero Beat, and Gravekeeper’s. They have the option of having builds that support either Aggro or Control builds. Currently Gravekeeper’s are being ran as Control by the populous and Absolute Zero is being run as Aggro. Both decks can do very well as the opposite though. Gravekeeper’s have the swarming and card advantage that Aggro decks have, with a great natural Control piece in Necrovalley. Where Absolute Zero can be ran as a Control variant using Paradox Fusion, Snowman Eater, and Reese the Ice Mistress. These deck types tend to move from one play style to another as formats change.


Toolbox decks are famous for always having exactly what they need, when they need it. Warrior Toolbox, Ratbox, Gladiator Beasts, and Blackwings. These decks are always fun and prominent in formats due to their reliability and small learning curve. Gladiators have had many variations since their inception. Ranging from Prisma Glads, Dimensional Glads, Tiger and Tigerless, Counter Glads, and Anti-Meta Glads. All strong decks in the formats that they were used in. While Blackwings have been fairly consistent with their builds, apart from the number of copies of X to run. Vayuturbo, OCG Blackwings, and TCG Blackwings are the variants that they fall into and rarely break those stereotyped deck lists.


Control decks are damn annoying and are the cause of many rage quits. Decks that control the opponents moves and slowly take a hit on the opponent are always popular. These decks include Yata-Lock, Goat Control, Clown Control, Counter Fairies, Gadgets, and straight up Anti-Meta decks. Being able to slow down the tempo of the game and destroy the opponent with a calm and persistent approach. These decks are easily overwhelmed by Aggro decks if you cannot set up fast enough. This is the most common risk of running Control based decks. It comes down to if you can slow the game down before they explode with pluses in card advantage.

Overall the player decides what they best run. I myself run Control decks much more smoothly than I run Aggro decks. You shouldn’t run a deck because it is winning, run it because you enjoy its play style. That is how you should determine which to run.

- Lonefire333