From Temple of Ra, HOUDINI Magazine's defunct Goat Format Zine Site, now selected//collected in one piece. Originally published over the course of 2024.
Get Into the Mind of Panda Burn Player Madcap
We sat down with Madcap, who recently placed 9th in Format Library Championship 33, beating out 96 other talented players with his very spicy Panda Burn deck. Any deck that's running a copy of something like Shield & Sword is something we just had to get the scoop on.
Gyaku-Gire Panda
Increase the ATK of this card by 500 points for each monster on your opponent's side of the field. When this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Position monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.
HOUDINI: Panda Burn is often considered to be one of the higher skill ceiling decks in the format, what draws you to pilot this deck?
Madcap:
When I was first getting into Goat Format, I initially started by learning the fundamentals of Chaos Turbo, Warrior, and Goat Control—at least just being able to have respectable win rates playing basic lists on the ladder. This is something I would recommend to anyone new. I really liked playing old Yugioh again, however, I wasn't totally enamored with any of those decks. Now that I had a decent grasp of the format, I began experimenting with playing some other deck types.
At the start of 2023, I began trying out Panda Burn. This was a deck that puzzled me as to why it was prominent in the meta, since I thought if you were going to play a strategy that cares less about card advantage, why not just play something more unfair like Cat? I soon realized consistency was a big reason... just as long as you had the skill to make it so. I also soon realized how much deeper this deck was than what it appears to be on the surface. So often in games, you find yourself in exciting [text cuts off here].
I love how the cards in the deck synergize with each other instead of just simply playing cards that plus or are generically good. Most importantly, I felt the deck suited my skills like no other I had played yet. I find it especially rewards my patience. So I was immediately hooked and, for the first time, truly began to deep dive into learning everything I could about a deck.
I scoured the web for any Panda Burn lists and replays, talked with premier duelists like Puy, watched many ladder matches, and played extensively on the ladder while reviewing my replays.
Additionally, for the first time, I began developing the list I was playing to fit my style and slowly figure out what I like and believe to be optimal. A year and a half later to the present day, you can see my deck looks quite different from any others. Much of it is just me being crazy enough to combine ideas I had seen and then tested together. The only concepts I think I could truly call my own are the lack of any Giant Rats and My Body as a Shield.
My Body as a Shield
When your opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card or monster effect that would destroy a monster(s) on the field: Pay 1500 LP; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it.
HOUDINI: Shield & Sword is an incredible piece of spice, have you had luck with this card?
Madcap:
If you don't know, Shield & Sword is actually a card I started using just a month or so after I began playing Panda Burn. I saw it in lists AlephYa and Delinkquent played. I certainly saw the value in having Panda deal 1800 more damage into Trio tokens. Beyond that, having many of my monsters become beaters while most meta deck monsters lose attack power is huge.
Something that is paramount, I believe, when playing cards that are useful only with other cards is you need to have a sufficient number of cards to pair them with—otherwise, it's too gimmicky. I did think Panda Burn could be a decent home for a one-of Shield & Sword.
Shield & Sword
Switch the original ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters currently on the field, until the end of this turn.
The first tournament I tried it in was one of the free Friday ones, which I ended up winning (with a great deal of luck on my side). I was still very new to the deck and naive about a lot of things. However, one thing I knew for certain was that Shield & Sword was going to stay, and it has never left my deck since. You can see it in my lists from PWCO 3$ and 47.
I can't quite explain the high that comes from using the card. It's such a great bomb and essentially a burn effect that doesn't get weakened by Mystik Wok. It adds further utility to playing high-defense monsters, which I already want to be playing in the first place.
HOUDINI: Do you think there's any other decks that could benefit from the card?
Madcap:
The most obvious choice would be Shield & Sword OTK. Not a deck you see getting talked about much, if at all. There is a deck page for it on the official Goat website. To me, if someone were to build a more optimal list for it—one that's less gimmicky—they could potentially win a small tournament, such as a locals.
Other than that, I cannot think of any other deck where it wouldn't be a novelty or where a card like United We Stand isn't just better.
HOUDINI: What tips do you have for new players looking to pick up a Panda Burn strategy?
Madcap:
I think it's important to have a good understanding of other decks first before trying Panda Burn. More so than some other decks, it's very helpful to know what your opponent is trying to do or is capable of. Making mistakes is very punishing.
I'd say that you should:
I suppose I can repeat myself and mention everything I did to learn the strategy:
This deck isn't for everyone, so if you find that it's not suiting you, perhaps try a different one. I consider patience to be very important if you want to be a great Panda Burn duelist.
HOUDINI: People often hate playing against burn, could you give any tips for those players looking to play better against decks like yours?
Madcap:
Patience is also important for anyone facing Panda Burn. Take the time to fully assess situations. This may keep you from wasting resources that could have been put to better use or keep you from playing right into what they want you to do.
Watch replays of someone using whichever deck you use playing against Panda Burn duelists. See what they might have done right or wrong. A common card that gets kept after siding is Snatch Steal. Very rarely is that card going to be of much help for you. There's got to be something better in your side deck that you could have replaced it with. If there isn't, fix that.
Snatch Steal
Equip only to a monster your opponent controls. Take control of the equipped monster. During each of your opponent's Standby Phases: They gain 1000 Life Points.
HOUDINI: Finally, what tips do you have for handling a loss? How do you keep a cool head when the heart of the cards aren't in your favor?
Madcap:
For myself, I play for the love of the game more so than any need I have to win. Losing - and chiefly losing to sack - is inevitable, and I accept that. It's not a big deal to me, and I'm just satisfied if I get to have some great entertaining duels against skilled opponents.
I'm naturally a very calm person and I'm not easily fazed by anything. If you do struggle with accepting losing in this game, I'd say just take some deep breaths, then perhaps go do something active or another hobby you enjoy for the moment to reset yourself. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and there is likely something you could have learned from it.
HOUDINI: Congratulations on winning GGP Seattle! For those who couldn't attend, can you describe the vibes of the event?
Sevilla:
The event's vibes were very good! I had a great time meeting everyone and playing, all of my opponents were super nice and it was nice that the environment was a lot more relaxed than an official Konami event, we would chat and have a good time and make jokes every time I sat down to play my opponent.
My only complaint was that we were put into the part of the venue with no air conditioning so at the beginning there was a ton of body heat, I was re-applying deodorant between every 2 rounds since I didn't want to end up a statistic haha.
HOUDINI: With a big win like this under your belt, how do you prepare for Worlds? What's your secret to a successful practice session?
Sevilla:
I think I'm going to approach worlds the same way I approached the GGP; my locals held goat this month as our time wizard event and instead of focusing on my own deck, every local I could make I would play one of the other tier 1 decks in the meta to see their strengths and weaknesses since I knew I was always set on playing Warriors into the event.
I would really only practice each of those Wednesdays since too much practice can have diminishing returns and keeping my mentality healthy and not getting stressed out for the event helped me in my swiss rounds a lot, and day of the event I made sure I:
As someone who comes from other games like SSBM, mentality has always been the thing that has been my priority since without a good mentality you can't really focus on learning in any aspect.
Final Destination — Smash Bros. Melee
HOUDINI: What are your thoughts on the World Championship being held online, given the mixed opinions among players?
Sevilla:
I'm a little biased since I'm one of the tournament organizers for the online RBET events held by e3yugioh and his team and it is nice that more people are able to make it online when there's so many of us in the world who love playing retro yugi.
HOUDINI: At Temple of Ra, we recognize the top 4 duelists as highly skilled. Is there anyone in the top 4 you're eager to duel again?
Sevilla:
Definitely sykotic and c_spare, both of them had this aura about them with how strong of players they were and you could feel it in the room, honestly I don't think I was the best player in the room that day and both of them were far better than me and I got incredibly lucky that the sequencing and variance worked out in my favor.
HOUDINI: What keeps you coming back to Goat Format? Where do you see the game in 5, 10, or even 100 years?
La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp
A genie of the lamp that is at the beck and call of its master.
Sevilla:
I've been playing yugi since Yugi Kaiba format is my favorite but Goat is the era where I started to take the game seriously when I was taking other card games I play seriously, so it's always nice to come back to the format where my competitive roots started.
I'll put it down every once in a while to play other formats like Edison, Meadowlands, Vegas etc. but those formats also help me have a new understanding of how to approach Goat and how I could have approached the format differently. As long as we have a community I'll always be playing the formats I love :).
HOUDINI: Who are you, and how'd you end up making waves in the Atlanta Goat scene?
Kerem:
I have been a long-time Yu-Gi-Oh player who really fell in love with Goat format. There hadn't been a GOAT scene in Atlanta since probably the SJC days, so I took it upon myself to build one. I tried initially with local stores, but none were open to the idea. So, I contacted my now-venue host, Charlie of Charlie's Collectible Show, and he has provided me with a top-tier venue to host premier tournaments.
HOUDINI: If someone's never heard of Goat format, how would you sell it to them? What makes it its own beast compared to modern Yu-Gi-Oh?
Kerem:
It is PEAK Yu-Gi-Oh to me. There are only a few handful of formats that pique my interest, let alone the player base interested in past formats. It plays like a finely tuned machine, with intense nuances that may initially deter newcomers. However, sticking with it, growing with the game, its competitive sphere, and learning the ins and outs of the format are some of the most rewarding things.
Modern's issue is that the formats are so unhealthy generally that they push out players constantly—players who inevitably come back to the game later on. There's too much going on, and the matchups feel more like solitaire than a game of deck-building.
Battle Ox
A monster with tremendous power, it destroys enemies with a swing of its axe.
HOUDINI: Out of all the games and formats out there, what pulled you into Goat? What's the spark?
Kerem:
GOAT is pure nostalgia that dragged me in. I was sick and tired of modern and the short games. GOAT offered a balance of:
HOUDINI: These days, everything's online—but in-person events still hit different. What's the magic of IRL tournaments, and why's it worth putting in the work?
Kerem:
I don't know if it's worth putting in the work necessarily, but the rewarding thing is hanging out in a space you built—for others with similar interests to come together and compete.
HOUDINI: Atlanta's got this long history of subcultures—music, art, gaming, you name it. Do you think the Goat scene here taps into that vibe? How does it fit into the city's cultural DNA?
Kerem:
There is a sense of pride that fills Atlanta. The pride and egos of Atlanta and its players drive this. It creates a unique experience of rivalries and drama that fills the air at these events, leading to exciting outcomes and storylines.
Enraged Battle Ox
If a Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast-Type monster you control attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.
HOUDINI: Running events without big corporate dollars backing you can't be easy. How do you keep it all going?
Kerem:
Honestly, just barely. Everything falls upon my shoulders at the end of the day. The thing that drives me, again, is the community.
HOUDINI: In a grassroots scene like this, where the community holds it all together, what's been the biggest challenge for you as an organizer? How have you worked through it?
Kerem:
Appeasing players. There's a fine line to walk—there are players who will always support you and show appreciation, and then there are those who try to be the most vocal and bring you down. A lot of people just don't want to see others succeed and revel in praying on others' downfalls. With anything, you have to block out those trying to bring you down and surround yourself with a core of players who believe in you and your vision.
Rabid Horseman
FUSION: "Battle Ox" + "Mystic Horseman"
HOUDINI: If someone's never checked out the Atlanta Goat scene, why should they? What's waiting for them if they show up?
Kerem:
Because we offer the most and best when it comes to:
We're a destination for players, even collecting a lot of outside travelers who make the pilgrimage to compete in Atlanta.