Why I hate Pendulum Summoning

So, in quite a few previous posts, I’ve made it quite that I hate and despise Pendulums with a burning passion, and I build my Decks specifically to make Pendulum players cry as hard as possible. But I’ve never actually done a post, specifically on why I hate Pendulums, and I’m also going to give my counters to arguments that people use when I say that Pendulum Summoning is broken.

My hatred of Pendulums comes down to my purist nature. When the game first started, there were very clear rules on Special Summoning monsters. In general, you could only Special Summon two monsters at most at the same time, not because there was a limit, but because there weren’t any cards like Soul Charge or Return From the Different Dimension (Henceforth simply referred to as “Return”). They’d been seen in the anime, but hadn’t been printed in the TCG yet. In fact it wasn’t until Dragons of Legend in 2014 that we received Soul Charge, despite it appearing in the anime in Episode 176 all the way back in 2005 in the dub. We actually had Return in 2004, but it didn’t become widely accessible until 2008 in The Dark Emperor Structure Deck, after appearing in the movie Pyramid of Light in 2004. Those are the only two cards I can think of from that era that allowed you flood the field essentially at will. As we are now aware, Soul Charge is limited and Return is Banned. Why you might ask? Because Konami doesn’t like cards that allow you to flood the field at will. Well, at least they didn’t until some bright spark came up with Pendulum Summoning, a mechanic which allows you to flood the field at will. And I know you’re going to say: But Big Dub, what about the costs? But Big Dub, they were Banned and Limited because of game-breaking combos. Yes, I hear you guys. I think we can all agree that both cards were, and arguably still are, broken. As for the costs, bear with me. I’ll get to that.

Argument 1- “Pendulum Summoning isn’t broken, the monsters you summon are”

If I drop a glass and it shatters on the floor, am I responsible for breaking the glass, or is the floor? It’s the same logic. Saying that “Pendulum Summoning doesn’t break the game, the monsters do” is the same as me saying “I didn’t break the glass, the floor did” from a logic sense, or should I say nonsense? If the monsters you summon via Pendulum Summoning are broken, then Pendulum Summoning itself is broken, inherently.

Argument 2- “That’s not the same thing though” in response to Soul Charge are Return

This is a common one. Whenever I point out that Soul Charge and Return are Limited and Banned, Pendulum players always come out with “it’s not the same thing though”. Let’s compare Pendulum Summoning to Soul Charge/Return:

Pendulum Summoning	Soul Charge/Return
Inherent Special Summon	Non-Inherent Special Summon
5 Monsters max.	5 Monsters max.
No cost	Has a cost (1000 LP per Monster for Soul Charge and half of current LP for Return)
No restriction on game mechanics	Restriction on game mechanics (Can’t attack for Soul Charge, banished during End Phase for Return)
Special Summon from Extra Deck/Hand	Special Summon from Graveyard/Banished Zone

They seem very similar don’t they? Sure, Konami has made Pendulum Summoning better than both Return and Soul Charge combined, but at its core, it is exactly the same thing. You’re still flooding the field with up to 5 monsters at will, you’re just not summoning those Monsters from the same places. Konami, please. If you’re going to have Pendulum Summoning as a thing, either put Soul Charge at 2 or give us back Return, because it just seems ridiculous to keep cards Banned and Limited for doing exactly what Pendulum Summoning does.

Argument 3- “Pendulum Monsters don’t break the Extra Deck limit, they just add to it”

This argument has the same flawed logic as Argument 1. You typically start with 15 cards in your Extra Deck (which is the limit) and then you get what’s essentially bonus cards on top of that, taking the Extra Deck beyond 15 cards. Saying that’s ok, is like being pulled over for driving drunk and telling the officer “It’s ok. I was at 0.05 (or whatever your legal limit is) when I got in the car” No. It doesn’t work that way. We have limits for a reason. Being allowed to break that limit, just makes Pendulum Summoning even more broken.

Argument 4- “You win or lose on the Pendulum Summon. Negate it and you win”

True. Yes, Pendulum Players usually push for game with a big Pendulum Summon of 3-5 monsters. If you negate that summon, you usually win. But that’s not the point. The point is having the ability to Summon that many monsters at once is broken.

Anyway, comment below either on the post or on Duel Amino if you got here from there. Do you agree with me? Do you disagree with me? I know the game had to evolve to survive, but (apart from hating it) I just think Pendulum Summoning as a whole was badly designed.

Big Dub out.

Summoning Methods

So now that you know what each card does, it's time you knew how summon Monsters to attack your opponent with. There are many kinds of summoning, each with their own ways of being done.

Normal Summoning

The easiest way to summon Monster is Normal Summoning. This is when you play a Monster Card on the field face up and vertically. This is position is referred to as Attack Position (or sometimes "Attack Mode"). The card should be facing so that it is right way up to (i.e. the name of the Monster is at the top of the card, rather than at the bottom). You can Normal Summon Normal and Effect Monsters. Under the current rules, you can only Normal Summon in Attack Mode. You can only Normal Summon/Set once per turn.

Tribute Summoning

The number of stars at the top of the card reveal the Monsters level. Monsters of level 1 to 4 can be Normal Summoned his way. However, Monsters of level 5 or higher require tributes from your side of the field to summon. Level's 5 and 6 require 1 tribute, while Monsters of level 7 or higher require 2 tributes to summon. The Egyptian God Cards and certain other Monsters require 3 tributes summon. If your Monster is one of these, the card description will tell you. Tribute Summoning is a form of Normal Summoning and as such uses your 1 Normal Summon/Set per turn. You can Tribute Summon Normal and Effect Monsters. Under the current rules you can only Tribute Summon in Attack Mode.

Setting

You can summon a Monster face down and horizontally. This is called a Set and the position is considered to be Defence Position (sometimes called Defence Mode). You can set Normal and Effect Monsters. There are two reasons why you might Set a Monster. 1) The Monster might have a Flip Effect which will activate when your opponent attacks it, or 2) The Monster has a high amount of Defence points and little to no Attack points. You can also Tribute Set, but this does not override the tribute rule. If you wish to Set a level 5 or 6 Monster you will need to tribute 1 Monster, level 7 or higher Monsters will still require 2 tributes to Set. You can not set Egyptian God Cards or any Monster that says the card can not be Normal Set (though they can be Special Set through card effects). Setting uses your 1 Normal Summon/Set per turn.

Flip Summoning

Flip Summoning is when you flip a Monster you had set. Monsters that are Set must remain Set for 1 turn before you can Flip Summon them and you can only Flip Summon into Attack Mode.This form of summoning also activates any Flip Effects the Monster might have. Flip Summoning does not use your 1 Normal Summon/Set per turn. Some Monsters have abilities that allow you to reset them in the same turn that you Flip Summon them. This effect also does not use your 1 Normal Summon/Set per turn, but will not activate if your opponent attacks the Monster(s).

Special Summoning

Special Summoning is when you summon a Monster by a card effect, including its own effect. Special Summoning does not use your 1 Normal Summon/Set per turn and their is no limit to the number of Special Summons you can perform per turn (excluding having 5 Monsters on the field already). Special Summoning also breaks the Tribute Rule, meaning you can Special Summon level 5 or higher Monsters without tributes. You can Special Summon in Attack or Defence Mode (horizontal face up).

Fusion Summoning

You can perform a Fusion Summon if you have a "Polymerisation" Spell Card and the required Fusion Material Monsters either on the field or in your hand. The Monsters and "Polymerisation" are all sent to the Graveyard and you place the correct Fusion Monster on the field in either Attack or Defence Mode. Fusion Summoning is a form a Special Summoning and so does not use your 1 Normal Summon/Set.

Ritual Summoning

You can perform a Ritual Summon when you have both the correct Ritual Spell Card and Ritual Monster in your hand. You must also have Monsters who levels at least total the level of the Ritual Monster. You send the tributed Monster(s) and the Ritual Spell Card to the Graveyard and summon the Ritual Monster to the field in either Attack or Defence Mode. Ritual Summoning is a form of Special Summoning and so does not use your 1 Normal Summon/Set.

Xyz Summoning

You can perform an Xyz Summon by overlaying the required number of Monsters of the same level which forms and Xyz Network and then placing the desired Xyz Monster on top of this Network in either Attack or Defence Mode. Xyz Summoning is a form of Special Summoning and so does not use your 1 Normal Summon/Set per turn.

Syncro Summoning

You can perform a Syncro Summon when you have at least 1 'Tuner' Monster on the field and at least one other 'Non-Tuner' Monster on the field. When Syncro Summoning, the levels of the 'Tuner' and 'Non-Tuner' Monsters must combine to equal the level of the Syncro Monster. When this condition is met, you send the 'Tuner' and 'Non-Tuner' Monsters from the field to the Graveyard and place the Syncro Monster on the field in either Attack of Defence Mode. Syncro Summoning is a form of Special Summoning and so does not use your 1 Normal Summon/Set per turn.

Pendulum Summoning

You can perform a Pendulum Summon when you have 1 Pendulum Monster in each of your 2 Pendulum Zones. Each Pendulum Monster has its own Pendulum Scale and you can Special Summon any number of Monsters from your hand that are between those two Pendulum Scales in level. For example, let's say you have a Pendulum Monster with a Pendulum Scale of 1 and the other Pendulum Monster has a Pendulum Scale of 8, you can Special Summon any number of Monsters from your hand as long as the levels of those Monsters are between 2 and 7. Pendulum Summoning is a form of Special Summoning and so does not use your 1 Normal Summon/Set per turn.

Summoning Conditions

Some Monsters require certain conditions to be met before they can be summoned to the field. "Photon Thrasher" (http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Photon_Thrasher) for example require you to control no Monsters to Special Summon (this includes and Set Monsters). It is also a "Special Summon Only" Monster meaning you can not Normal Summon "Photon Thrasher" even if you have not used your 1 Normal Summon or Set. You can not Set this Monster either, but you can Special Summon it in defence mode. Some Monsters, like "Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning" (http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Black_Luster_Soldier_-_Envoy_of_the_Beginning) require you to banish one Dark and one Light Monster from your Graveyard to summon it. This obviously requires your deck to use both Light and Dark Monsters if you are planning on using this card. One more Summoning Condition Monster is "Judgment Dragon" (http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Judgment_Dragon) require you to have a specific number of Monsters in your Graveyard before you can summon it. In the case of "Judgment Dragon", you require a minimum of 4 'Lightsworn' Monsters, while others might require you to have a minimum number of Light Attribute Monsters in your Graveyard. All Summoning Condition Monsters are Special Summon only and so do not use your 1 Normal Summon/Set per turn.