Vortex Gaming

· In early January 2024, immediately after the Duelist Cup, Chaos Ruler the Chaotic Magical Dragon and White Dragon Wyverburster were banned.
· As a result, Dragon Link lost two key combo pieces, suffering a major blow, and this ban was seen as a measure to curb budget-friendly decks, similar to Adamancipator in Master Duel's early days.
· In stark contrast to the previous Duelist Cup where efforts were made to save Kitkallos, duelists were shocked by the severe restrictions that directly banned core components.
· Ultimately, Dragon Link, which was the best counter to Tearlaments, fell out of the tier list. Tearlaments, later combined with cards like Horus, became one of the three dominant decks alongside Queen Yubel in the World Championship.

· Snake-Eye was expected to receive pre-emptive restrictions due to its powerful performance even before release, but all its core cards were released unlimited, astonishing duelists.
· Despite the presence of powerful combo decks like Superheavy Samurai and Mathmech, ranked games were dominated by Snake-Eye, to the extent that recipes preparing for Kashtira Unicorn became popular.
· Konami imposed restrictions two months after the sales period, but only semi-limited key starters Snake-Eye Excel and Diabellstar the Black Witch, which had minimal effect.
· Consequently, Snake-Eye continued to dominate ranked games the following month, leading to unprecedented direct restrictions for two consecutive months in Master Duel's history.
· Although pure Snake-Eye weakened after its key starters and discard resources were limited, it continued to maintain its top-tier position by combining with Rescue-ACE, Millennium, and Demigod Smith.

· After the World Championship concluded, restrictions were placed on Queen Snake-Eye, Yubel, and Tearlaments.
· The most controversial decision was the ban of Primeval Planet Perlereino. It appeared as though the director sacrificed numerous generic cards and core Tearlaments cards to save Kitkallos.
· While Perlereino itself was a powerful card, banning only Kitkallos could have resolved all issues. This 'save Kitkallos' policy, which had been ongoing since Tearlaments' release, once again raised questions among duelists.
· Restrictions outside of Tearlaments, which removed cards that provided unpleasant experiences, were well-received. However, the inexplicable reason for not banning Kitkallos for Tearlaments further solidified Director Kataoka's image as a 'madman'.

· In the March 2025 banlist, Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal was banned due to Demigod Smith's powerful performance.
· Master Duel showed a swift response by banning Beatrice just two months after Demigod Smith's sales period ended.
· This garnered significant attention, especially when compared to the offline OCG, which endured the Demigod Smith and Beatrice ban for a staggering nine months.
· Particularly in a situation where OCG's 'power play' bans, such as the semi-limit of S:P Little Knight, had led to poor public sentiment, Master Duel's decisive banlist actions further boosted favorable views towards Director Kataoka and Master Duel.

· A peculiar relationship has formed where users can't quite grasp what the director is thinking.
· Considering that Konami and Konami game directors rarely communicate, some analysts suggest this might be an intentional strategy to 'divide and conquer' to reduce troublesome situations.
· Now, users themselves are creating memes like 'madman' to react to the director's actions.