Gagaga Cowboy

[Blake]

 

Do not scoop before you see this card. Especially not Post-PRIO.

 

Pre-PRIO, you still shouldn't because people will try to bluff that they have it when you have ≤800 LP, without actually running it. "Cowboy GG?" is a scrub baiting tactic.

 

Post-PRIO, this card's not even essential. It's a good card, but it's no longer staple because there are so many good R4 options you can choose and metacall with that this is, honestly, just a bit wasteful of space for a 1/15, 1/20~ win. And most games you'd Cowboy into a win, you'd win the next turn anyways, unless you were stupid and overextended without a backup plan.

 

So really, just don't ever scoop because you think they have .Cowboy, because there is a good chance they're bluffing you.

[goddamnit names are a pain]

I don't usually scoop for reasons like this.

It's paid off quite a few times.

 

But really...this card seems bland now. I'd still run it as a generic over things like Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk.

 

Different things, really. I just prefer Cowboy when I have to run generics.

[Blake]

I don't usually scoop for reasons like this.
It's paid off quite a few times.
 
But really...this card seems bland now. I'd still run it as a generic over things like Number 80: [/size]Rhapsody in Berserk.
 
Different things, really. I just prefer Cowboy when I have to run generics.

Generic 2M R4s in ABC/Numerical Order:
Abyss Dweller
Daigusto Emeral
Dark-Line Warrior Caingorgorm
Diamond Dire Wolf
Evigishki Merrowgeist
Evilswarm Exciton Knight
Gagaga Cowboy
Gem-Knight Pearl
Kachi Kochi Dragon
King of the Feral Imps
Lavalval Chain
Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
Number 18: Heraldic Progenitor Plain-Coat
Number 39: Utopia
Number 44: Sky Pegasus
Number 50: Blackship of Corn
Number 52: Diamond Crab King
Number 55: Gogogo Goliath
Number 58: Burner Viser
Number 79: Battlin' Boxer Nova Caesar
Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk
Number 82: Heartlandraco
Number 85: Crazy Box
Number 101: Silent Honor ARK
Number 103: Ragna Zero
Number 106: Giant Hand
Outer God Nyarla
Photon Papilloperative
Princess Cologne
Queen Dragun Djinn
Steelswarm Roach
Wind-Up Zenmaister
Zubaba General

Now let's cut the cards that aren't completely generic. Do note, I give special note to King of the Feral Imps who is more-or-less usable anywhere. Not 100%, but still.

Abyss Dweller
Daigusto Emeral
Dark-Line Warrior Caingorgorm
Diamond Dire Wolf
Evigishki Merrowgeist
Evilswarm Exciton Knight
Gagaga Cowboy
Gem-Knight Pearl
Kachi Kochi Dragon
Lavalval Chain
Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
Number 39: Utopia
Number 44: Sky Pegasus
Number 50: Blackship of Corn
Number 52: Diamond Crab King
Number 58: Burner Viser
Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk
Number 82: Heartlandraco
Number 85: Crazy Box
Number 101: Silent Honor ARK
Number 103: Ragna Zero
Number 106: Giant Hand
Outer God Nyarla
Photon Papilloperative
Steelswarm Roach
Wind-Up Zenmaister

Now, let's take THAT and seperate the staples/near staples from the rest. Technical format calls are still in the non-staple.

Non-staple:
Abyss Dweller
Evigishki Merrowgeist
Gagaga Cowboy
Gem-Knight Pearl
Kachi Kochi Dragon
Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
Number 39: Utopia
Number 44: Sky Pegasus
Number 50: Blackship of Corn
Number 52: Diamond Crab King
Number 58: Burner Viser
Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk
Number 82: Heartlandraco
Number 85: Crazy Box
Number 103: Ragna Zero
Number 106: Giant Hand
Outer God Nyarla
Photon Papilloperative
Steelswarm Roach
Wind-Up Zenmaister

Staple/Near Staple:
Daigusto Emeral (Walking mini-Avarice)
Dark-Line Warrior Caingorgorm (Ruins cards like Fiendish/Compulsory, 2450)
Diamond Dire Wolf (Toolboxable, cheap removal)
Evilswarm Exciton Knight (...)
Lavalval Chain (One of the best set up cards in the game that any R4 deck can abuse in some fashion)
Number 101: Silent Honor ARK (...)

So we're left with 6 "staples". Fittingly, one for each attribute. Now let's dissect a bit further.

Non-staple:
Gagaga Cowboy
Kachi Kochi Dragon
Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
Number 39: Utopia
Number 44: Sky Pegasus
Number 50: Blackship of Corn
Number 52: Diamond Crab King
Number 58: Burner Viser
Number 82: Heartlandraco
Number 106: Giant Hand
Outer God Nyarla
Photon Papilloperative
Wind-Up Zenmaister

Staple/Near Staple:
Daigusto Emeral[/size]
Dark-Line Warrior Caingorgorm 
Diamond Dire Wolf 
Evilswarm Exciton Knight
Lavalval Chain
Number 101: Silent Honor ARK

Format Calls (at least technically):
Abyss Dweller
Evigishki Merrowgeist
Gem-Knight Pearl
Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk
Number 85: Crazy Box
Number 103: Ragna Zero
Steelswarm Roach

We've thinned it down even more now. We have 7 cards you use as a format call and/or tech and/or build your deck with in mind cards, in addition to 6 "staples". Do note these 7 are not necessarily good calls, just potential.

Merrowgeist because it can spin s*** that likes battle destruction (it was used to troll sangan at a point).
Pearl is there because it's used as an Ophion Answer/Fiendish Chain dodger, though there are better cards for each of these purposes on their own, just not together.
Crazy Box is anti-Skill Drain OR EEV fodder, if not both.
Roach answers Synchros and such hard.
Ragna Zero is anti-things like Bujin, Fire Fists, sometimes Madolche, sometimes Chronomaly, etc. She's a decent generic card, though, because 2400 that works nice with Lance and things like Burden of the Mighty, which the OCG has taken to siding to make her better. I'm not sold just yet, but it's there.
Abyss Dweller... do I need to say it?
Rhapsody is a harder answer than Abyss Dweller most times, but is more limited in how it can stop it. However, things like LS/Madolche/Dark World/etc. can be forced into a total loss situation if it's timed properly. 3300 SHArk isn't bad, either. nor is 3K Emeral. Etc. just the boost is not the main attraction, just versatility.

Now that we've thinned that much, let's set the staples and near staples aside, and focus on what's left.

Gagaga Cowboy:
A versatile card that can win games, but it really can be a waste of a deck slot a lot of the time. Exciton has a similar issue, but it's a nuke. This is Ookazi. You can usually win the next turn without it, anyways.

Kachi Kochi Dragon:
A weak double attacker that needs to kill something to reattack. Meh.

Maestroke the Symphony Djinn:
Good stallwall, has that BoM effect albeit as ignition, all around solid card. Not the staple it used to be, but still a very good card.

Number 39: Utopia:
It's not terrible, really. It's 2x Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, it's 2500, but... most decks would prefer other stall or other beaters for the same job. However, it does have the benefit of Xyz Change Tactics... but that makes Utopia a variant, thus defeating the generic point.

Number 44: Sky Pegasus:
 Mediocrity. Plain and Simple.

Number 50: Blackship of Corn:
Decent card that can take out annoying stall and help make pushes. Not as good as it once was, but because it sends it is still a good card.

Number 52: Diamond Crab King:
3K beater. That's it. It's not bad, it's not great, it's just average. Not the worst use of space if you have it, because 3K can very easily win games.

Number 58: Burner Viser:
OTK or bust, basically.

Number 82: Heartlandraco: 
Mediocre direct attacker with a protection condition that's kinda laughable. Not terrible, but I'd call it budget at best.

Number 106: Giant Hand:
Very solid card. Not amazing, not bad, just decently powerful. Downside is that it can only efficiently answer fair cards, or Bear/Yamato/etc. Upside is that backrow is real.

Outer God Nyarla:
Um... gimmicky? It's technically generic as can be, but...

Photon Papilloperative:
Decent card for pushes/outplaying flip effect monsters. Also helps against that randy Redox, though Corn does, too. It's not a bad card, but time got away from it a little bit.

Wind-Up Zenmaister:
Again, technically generic but gimmicky as hell. Worms use it, iirc.

SO NOW LET'S THIN ONE. MORE. TIME!

Gagaga Cowboy
Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
Number 50: Blackship of Corn
Number 52: Diamond Crab King
Number 106: Giant Hand
Photon Papilloperative

We're left with just 6 decent cards.

So you have 5-6 used Staple Slots, probably 2-3 call/tech spots, and then that leaves you with 6-8 free spaces. Now, this looks like a lot, but then think about the deck. There are powerful specific cards that give you a reason to run a deck.

LIGHT has Paladynamo, Omega, and Tsukuyomi. DARK has Eswarms Nightmare + Thanatos and Key Beetle. WIND has Plover. WATER has Bahamut Shark.

Then you break down into types and archetypes, and you're left with maybe 1-2 slots left if you're lucky. Many decks can and do run 3M R4s because Masquerade, Amaterasu, Deltatellos (DUEA), and Ouroboros are good cards. Ama's not 100% generic due to its size, Deltatellos is generic.card, Ouroboros is versatile but a bit restricted and 2750, and Masquerade's a tech/call choice.

You end up with very little space for those last 6 cards, and you can't really compare the free space to tech/call space. They're used differently for different reasons.

[evilfusion]

So Ragna stole Masquerade's Number value?

 

Cowboy is a solid card that's nice as a finisher. But only in R4 Decks that can drop a 2 Mat Rank 4 on a whim, like Heraldics/Gogogo/etc. Otherwise, most other Rank 4s are simply better.