The first round of Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series events to feature Battle Pack 3: Monster League Booster Draft have ended, so we’re going to take a look at some of the successful strategies employed by top Duelists from these events! Remember, if you’re intent on winning a YCS event, you have to be well versed in Booster Draft as well as regular Advanced Format Dueling. Once the field is reduced to the Top 16 Duelists, the format switches to Booster Draft using Battle Pack 3: Monster League and the official Monster League Rule: “All monsters are all Types.”

#1:  Draft Lots of Monsters!

You actually cannot win in Booster Draft without monsters. You need them to attack and defend of course, but you also need them in order to use your Spell and Trap Cards. Attack‑pumping Spells and Traps don’t do you any good without monsters to pump up, and neither do Equip Cards or the various monster-destroying cards like Chaos Burst or Hate Buster. Aim to draft between 20 to 25 monsters. Not every monster you draft will be a powerhouse, but it’s better to have a few extra monsters you can cut out of your final Deck than not enough to ensure you draw monsters in every Duel.

#2: Don’t Underestimate Continuous and Equip Cards!

Continuous Spell/Trap Cards and Equip Spells often get a bad rap in the Advanced Format because there are so many different ways to destroy them or the monsters they’re boosting up. In Booster Draft, there are far fewer destruction cards, so your Continuous and Equip Cards are more likely to remain on the field for a long time. The longer your cards stay on the field, the higher your chance to win the Duel, so be sure to grab cards like Pyramid of Wonders or Swords of Concealing Light, or Blast with Chain if you get the chance!

#3: Make Use of Your Graveyard!

Cards that make use of the cards in your Graveyard are a big part of Battle Pack 3: Monster League. They come in a few varieties: cards that count the number of cards in your Graveyard, cards that revive monsters from your Graveyard, and cards that banish themselves or other cards from your Graveyard for effects. Generally, you want to have access to at least one of these kinds of cards to make sure you get the most out of every card you put into your Deck. Reviving monsters is usually the go-to option when possible. After all, you chose those monsters specifically for your Deck, so it only stands to reason you’d want to play them more than once per Duel!

The Dueling season is just getting started, making now the perfect time to brush up on your skills with Battle Pack 3: Monster League!