By Froylan Carreno
Things in the Yu-Gi-Oh! world have been slow for a while now. Not much noteworthy news has surmised, and I don't see any being announced any time soon. However, some things that were announced was support for several card archetypes, including Lightsworns and Ghostricks. Lightsworns are a powerful deck that rely on sending cards straight from the deck to the Graveyard via card effects, by whatever form necessary. Ghostricks are a new archetype that still has not been released outside of Asian countries. They rely on the power of negating attacks and putting the opponent in a tight, uncomfortable corner. Both decks have potential to potentially become Meta with the addition of these new support cards.
Lightsworns are an older archetype that was actually once considered Meta long ago. The whole point of the deck is to dump as many Lightsworn monsters in the grave as possible as fast as possible, in order to summon their big monsters like "Judgment Dragon," who has the ability to destroy all cards on the field. In terms of new support, they will be getting a strong level 4 tuner monster with no drawbacks that can increase it's own attack by sending cards from the top of the deck to the Grave -- Which only benefits the deck. In addition, they will be getting another level 2 tuner named "Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden", who in my opinion, is even better than the level 4 tuner, "Raiden, Lightsworn Assailant." "Minerva" has multiple useful effects, but her most prominent effect being the ability to search and add "Judgment Dragon" from the deck to the hand, which was a wildfire of excitement for a short time. In order to search "Judgment Dragon," you have to have 8 or more Lightsworn monsters with different names in your Graveyard -- A task that is hard even for the mighty Lightsworns. And to put some last icing on the cake, there is a still a Lightsworn Synchro monster whose effect and stats have yet to be announced! Depending on those traits, Lightsworns could very well be a serious contenter for the top spot in the May 2014 Meta.
Ghostricks are still a new deck, and have even yet to be released in the TCG. From what little experience I have with them, they are a deck composed of mostly small, weak-attacked monsters that rely on their effects to stop attacks and continually re-supply each other with new monsters. To me, they don't seem very capable of holding a high spot in the Meta, even in the foreseeable future with their new support card. The new support card "Ghostrick Mary" is a monster that allows you to Special Summon a monster from your deck at any time when you take damage. This monster, though still unreleased even in the OCG, is considered one of the best in the deck. I can tell this is exactly what Ghostricks needed, but the deck still needs much more if it wants to compete with other future Meta decks.
It was also announced there would be support for some other archetypes, but I don't think those are good or important enough to be mentioned. Overall, we have several things to look forward to in the coming weeks, which I will detail then, and I will also try to squeeze in an extra article to catch up with the six I should have by now.
To be honest, there are times when I wish I had decided to do this blog about Anime, and not Yu-Gi-Oh! Not because I don't like it or have gotten bored of it, but I'm just in an Anime mood recently, and it feels like a shame I can't express my current desires. But for the long term, Yu-Gi-Oh! was the way to go, and it's definitely something that is constantly changing and entertaining -- Whereas I think just re-telling an anime or reviewing it might have been boring to write and even more boring for someone to read. There's a reason for everything I guess. Next week I will be detailing Yu-Gi-Oh! products that are nearing their release date, and give my thoughts on them.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Yu-Gi-Oh! Meta Analysis Week 4
By Froylan Carreno
It's official. The meta has reverted to it's unbalanced state prior to the ban list. Almost everyone on DN are using the decks that are far too overpowered to exist in the game, such as the newly-revived Dragon Rulers, Mermails, and now tons of other annoying decks people are using to counter those exact decks -- Decks that have long been loathed by the Yu-Gi-Oh community far before Dragon Rulers, those being Final Countown, Burn, and Exodia decks. With few decks being able to compete against the competitive decks, people have resorted to using "the cheap decks" to more effectively beat them in a duel.
"Final Countdown" is a card that, once activated, you will instantly win the duel within 20 turns, regardless of Life Points! Until those 20 turns are up, the user will continually stall with cards like Battle Fader and Threatening Roar -- Cards that are incredibly hard to stop, even for the Meta decks. The next deck on this list of "cheap" decks is Burn, a type of deck that relies on inflicting Effect Damage to your opponent, instead of Battle Damage. What makes facing this deck incredibly frustrating is how the opponent would always set 4 to 5 cards in the back row, pass turn to you, and then explode with their face-downs, then proceed to wreck you -- While at the same time protecting themselves with similar cards used in a Final Countdown deck. Before you know it, your Life Points are at 0, and all your attempts to reduce your opponents Life Points become irrelevant. The next deck, however, is probably the most infamous deck of all time, and undoubtedly one of the most despised.
Everybody knows when they're dueling an Exodia deck player, almost as soon as the opponent plays their first card. And when one finds out they're playing an Exodia player, they proceed to point an imaginary gun to their head, especially me. To win with an Exodia deck, you have to draw all 5 "pieces" or cards of Exodia in your hand, which with the right amount of cards and luck, you can literally accomplish without even giving your opponent a chance to play. In real life, no one ever wants to duel an Exodia player, even friends will try everything to avoid playing you. On DN, most people would instantly quit when they quickly realize you're playing such a taboo deck. But all these decks, though immensely infuriating, were mostly brought back into light when it becomes apparent any other deck(s) would have a hard time fighting a new age Meta deck.
Certain aspects of the Yu-Gi-Oh game definitely need to be addressed, but those points are for another day. These decks are only being used more often because stronger, meta decks are becoming more prevalent. I myself am testing a Noble Knight deck -- A deck I am actually enjoying, for the simple fact that I came up with the full deck list myself with no outside sources, and it seems to win somewhat often! Though next week I will probably be using another deck, I feel Noble Knights will still stay one of my favorites.
It's official. The meta has reverted to it's unbalanced state prior to the ban list. Almost everyone on DN are using the decks that are far too overpowered to exist in the game, such as the newly-revived Dragon Rulers, Mermails, and now tons of other annoying decks people are using to counter those exact decks -- Decks that have long been loathed by the Yu-Gi-Oh community far before Dragon Rulers, those being Final Countown, Burn, and Exodia decks. With few decks being able to compete against the competitive decks, people have resorted to using "the cheap decks" to more effectively beat them in a duel.
"Final Countdown" is a card that, once activated, you will instantly win the duel within 20 turns, regardless of Life Points! Until those 20 turns are up, the user will continually stall with cards like Battle Fader and Threatening Roar -- Cards that are incredibly hard to stop, even for the Meta decks. The next deck on this list of "cheap" decks is Burn, a type of deck that relies on inflicting Effect Damage to your opponent, instead of Battle Damage. What makes facing this deck incredibly frustrating is how the opponent would always set 4 to 5 cards in the back row, pass turn to you, and then explode with their face-downs, then proceed to wreck you -- While at the same time protecting themselves with similar cards used in a Final Countdown deck. Before you know it, your Life Points are at 0, and all your attempts to reduce your opponents Life Points become irrelevant. The next deck, however, is probably the most infamous deck of all time, and undoubtedly one of the most despised.
Everybody knows when they're dueling an Exodia deck player, almost as soon as the opponent plays their first card. And when one finds out they're playing an Exodia player, they proceed to point an imaginary gun to their head, especially me. To win with an Exodia deck, you have to draw all 5 "pieces" or cards of Exodia in your hand, which with the right amount of cards and luck, you can literally accomplish without even giving your opponent a chance to play. In real life, no one ever wants to duel an Exodia player, even friends will try everything to avoid playing you. On DN, most people would instantly quit when they quickly realize you're playing such a taboo deck. But all these decks, though immensely infuriating, were mostly brought back into light when it becomes apparent any other deck(s) would have a hard time fighting a new age Meta deck.
Certain aspects of the Yu-Gi-Oh game definitely need to be addressed, but those points are for another day. These decks are only being used more often because stronger, meta decks are becoming more prevalent. I myself am testing a Noble Knight deck -- A deck I am actually enjoying, for the simple fact that I came up with the full deck list myself with no outside sources, and it seems to win somewhat often! Though next week I will probably be using another deck, I feel Noble Knights will still stay one of my favorites.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Yu-Gi-Oh Meta Analysis Week 3
By Froylan Carreno
Things have started slowing down since the ban list was revealed on September 1st. Everyone is getting settled in to the new format like a comfy bed. No one is really upset about it anymore -- Except those few non-conformists who live only to get angry about something. I have personally not been dueling in real life often this week, as much as I have been on DN. There's an ever increasing number of duelists using Plant and Dragunity Rulers, which could mean bad news for Dragon Rulers in general come the next ban list in January -- And since Dragon Rulers are consistently topping small tournaments, more people are starting to resume the nasty habit of "netdecking", which is essentially stealing a complete deck profile from the internet, creating it in real life, and using it as your own. It's the Yu-Gi-Oh equivalent of plagiarism.
Netdecking is frowned upon, but most players think they can avoid the discrimination by simply taking out a card two and replacing them with others. I personally abhor netdeckers because it rips any creative opportunity in a deck. However there is a difference between straight netdecking, and looking up a deck video to see what basic cards you need to put in your deck to make it function. I personally have only netdecked once or twice, and only to try out a deck on DN to see if it was worthwhile to make in real life.
Lately on DN, I have been testing out a Blackwing deck which has yielded mostly positive results -- And enough to make me want to make the deck in real life. I already have about half the cards you need to make the deck, and the rest would not be too expensive to obtain. The deck is powerful now since it was actually aided by the ban list, in which it returned to 3 one of the decks most potent Spell Card, Black Whirlwind. This Spell Card allows you to search a "Blackwing" monster from your deck to your hand when you Normal Summon a "Blackwing" monster. It's a good card but still not nearly as good as other similiar cards like "Wind-Up Factory." Just now, I lost to a "Lightsworn" deck vs. my Blackwings on DN, and though he basically destroyed me I did learn some areas in my deck that could use some improvement. Next week, I will be more or less focusing on my pet peeves in the game, and of course, any new news that might arise.
Things have started slowing down since the ban list was revealed on September 1st. Everyone is getting settled in to the new format like a comfy bed. No one is really upset about it anymore -- Except those few non-conformists who live only to get angry about something. I have personally not been dueling in real life often this week, as much as I have been on DN. There's an ever increasing number of duelists using Plant and Dragunity Rulers, which could mean bad news for Dragon Rulers in general come the next ban list in January -- And since Dragon Rulers are consistently topping small tournaments, more people are starting to resume the nasty habit of "netdecking", which is essentially stealing a complete deck profile from the internet, creating it in real life, and using it as your own. It's the Yu-Gi-Oh equivalent of plagiarism.
Netdecking is frowned upon, but most players think they can avoid the discrimination by simply taking out a card two and replacing them with others. I personally abhor netdeckers because it rips any creative opportunity in a deck. However there is a difference between straight netdecking, and looking up a deck video to see what basic cards you need to put in your deck to make it function. I personally have only netdecked once or twice, and only to try out a deck on DN to see if it was worthwhile to make in real life.
Lately on DN, I have been testing out a Blackwing deck which has yielded mostly positive results -- And enough to make me want to make the deck in real life. I already have about half the cards you need to make the deck, and the rest would not be too expensive to obtain. The deck is powerful now since it was actually aided by the ban list, in which it returned to 3 one of the decks most potent Spell Card, Black Whirlwind. This Spell Card allows you to search a "Blackwing" monster from your deck to your hand when you Normal Summon a "Blackwing" monster. It's a good card but still not nearly as good as other similiar cards like "Wind-Up Factory." Just now, I lost to a "Lightsworn" deck vs. my Blackwings on DN, and though he basically destroyed me I did learn some areas in my deck that could use some improvement. Next week, I will be more or less focusing on my pet peeves in the game, and of course, any new news that might arise.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Yu-Gi-Oh TCG Meta Analysis Week 2
By Froylan Carreno
A plethora of things have unfolded since the new ban list was enforced one week ago. Prices for particular cards have increased or decreased, certain decks are now becoming the new "meta", and duelists in general are starting to get used to the new changes. Duelists online and duelists in real life are all interacting with each other trying to figure out exactly how the meta will shape up to be in the next few months. Me, personally, I see a great meta compared to last one, where only the decks that were worth more than 1000$ could hope to compete in the meta. It was an unfortunate time in the game's history, but this format might just make up for it.
I have been online on Ebay and Dueling Network, just trying to discover any obvious changes in prices or in the meta. Since Dragon Rulers and Mermails topped YCS Toronto last week, almost every card in each respective deck has increased in price. In particular, the cards "Aqua Spirit" and "Dragon Ravine." "The monster card "Aqua Spirit" went from being a 50 cents card to a solid 5$ card almost overnight -- a feat almost unheard of, but not unbelievable since similar situations have happened before. The reason for it's spike in price is likely because it has only been released in older card sets that are extremely hard to find for down-to-earth prices. Also, it is a key part in a powerful combo within the Mermail deck, that allows you to essentially set up a field of monsters that can survive some of the most powerful Spell Cards, such as Dark Hole and Soul Taker. It also works well in conjunction with "Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls," which when it's banished to summon "Aqua Spirit," "Tidal's" effect kicks in to let you search another "Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls." I have personally tested the deck and I can see why it managed to earn 2nd place at an official tournament.
Another card that was previously under the radar is "Dragon Ravine," which has also gone up in price greatly since YCS Toronto. "Dragon Ravine" sees play in the Dragon Ruler deck, and helps it have much more consistency. "Dragon Ravine" sends a card from your hand to Graveyard (usually a Dragon Ruler) to send another Dragon-Type monster from your deck to the Graveyard (usually another Dragon Ruler). A "Dragon Ruler" monster card does not care if it's in the grave, since it can always revive itself by banishing 2 monsters with it's Type, and if you banished a "Dragon Ruler" monster, you can search yet another "Dragon Ruler" monster. This all helps in thinning the deck and putting "Dragon Ruler" monsters in the Graveyard, which all set up explosive plays with Xyz monsters, and gives you a higher chance of drawing useful Spell Cards. Overall, I didn't even have to test the deck to see how powerful it was. I won almost every duel with no hassle or problem. But at times it would be hard to start my explosive plays if I could not draw any of my power cards, such as "Gold Sarcophagus" and "Sacred Sword of Seven Stars."
On DN, rogue decks that did not top Toronto are still seeing play, but to a much lesser extent. Most people have realized that Mermails and Dragon Rulers are the easy way to win, and have resorted to using those decks, especially since they can use them for free online. In real life, most of my duelist friends have not swapped their decks for another because of the ban list or because of Toronto. Most just adapted to the list, or some have not even updated their decks to fit the ban list. The main reason for not switching to a top-tier deck however, is because of the ridiculous cost of making such a deck. Some of the best and most needed cards could run you up to 100$ (just one card). And at this point in the meta, it does not seem the wiser to upgrade to a meta deck, for the simple fact that many decks can now have an actual chance of winning a duel. Chances are next week everyone will know what decks to watch out for, what decks were wrecked by the ban list, and what to expect within the coming weeks.
A plethora of things have unfolded since the new ban list was enforced one week ago. Prices for particular cards have increased or decreased, certain decks are now becoming the new "meta", and duelists in general are starting to get used to the new changes. Duelists online and duelists in real life are all interacting with each other trying to figure out exactly how the meta will shape up to be in the next few months. Me, personally, I see a great meta compared to last one, where only the decks that were worth more than 1000$ could hope to compete in the meta. It was an unfortunate time in the game's history, but this format might just make up for it.
I have been online on Ebay and Dueling Network, just trying to discover any obvious changes in prices or in the meta. Since Dragon Rulers and Mermails topped YCS Toronto last week, almost every card in each respective deck has increased in price. In particular, the cards "Aqua Spirit" and "Dragon Ravine." "The monster card "Aqua Spirit" went from being a 50 cents card to a solid 5$ card almost overnight -- a feat almost unheard of, but not unbelievable since similar situations have happened before. The reason for it's spike in price is likely because it has only been released in older card sets that are extremely hard to find for down-to-earth prices. Also, it is a key part in a powerful combo within the Mermail deck, that allows you to essentially set up a field of monsters that can survive some of the most powerful Spell Cards, such as Dark Hole and Soul Taker. It also works well in conjunction with "Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls," which when it's banished to summon "Aqua Spirit," "Tidal's" effect kicks in to let you search another "Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls." I have personally tested the deck and I can see why it managed to earn 2nd place at an official tournament.
Another card that was previously under the radar is "Dragon Ravine," which has also gone up in price greatly since YCS Toronto. "Dragon Ravine" sees play in the Dragon Ruler deck, and helps it have much more consistency. "Dragon Ravine" sends a card from your hand to Graveyard (usually a Dragon Ruler) to send another Dragon-Type monster from your deck to the Graveyard (usually another Dragon Ruler). A "Dragon Ruler" monster card does not care if it's in the grave, since it can always revive itself by banishing 2 monsters with it's Type, and if you banished a "Dragon Ruler" monster, you can search yet another "Dragon Ruler" monster. This all helps in thinning the deck and putting "Dragon Ruler" monsters in the Graveyard, which all set up explosive plays with Xyz monsters, and gives you a higher chance of drawing useful Spell Cards. Overall, I didn't even have to test the deck to see how powerful it was. I won almost every duel with no hassle or problem. But at times it would be hard to start my explosive plays if I could not draw any of my power cards, such as "Gold Sarcophagus" and "Sacred Sword of Seven Stars."
On DN, rogue decks that did not top Toronto are still seeing play, but to a much lesser extent. Most people have realized that Mermails and Dragon Rulers are the easy way to win, and have resorted to using those decks, especially since they can use them for free online. In real life, most of my duelist friends have not swapped their decks for another because of the ban list or because of Toronto. Most just adapted to the list, or some have not even updated their decks to fit the ban list. The main reason for not switching to a top-tier deck however, is because of the ridiculous cost of making such a deck. Some of the best and most needed cards could run you up to 100$ (just one card). And at this point in the meta, it does not seem the wiser to upgrade to a meta deck, for the simple fact that many decks can now have an actual chance of winning a duel. Chances are next week everyone will know what decks to watch out for, what decks were wrecked by the ban list, and what to expect within the coming weeks.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Yu-Gi-Oh Current Meta and Game Analysis: Week 1
By Froylan Carreno
In a world filled with superfluous amounts of card games, one managed to catch my eye at a very young age. The Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game was fast paced, popular, easy to play but hard to master, and many other characteristics that managed to keep me engaged and invested in it to this day. Perhaps the one aspect that appealed to me most about Yu-Gi-Oh was how often and quickly the meta (short for metagame) could drastically change. For this reason, most of these weekly blogs will cover the ever changing game of Yu-Gi-Oh and will highlight any noteworthy Yu-Gi-Oh news, such as recent tournament winning decks and card reprints that could strongly shift the course of the game. I will also try to find a balance between speaking in the game's jargon and in more common terms most people can understand or relate to.
In the past few days, many important events have transpired in the Yu-Gi-Oh game, greatly affecting every player across the world that may even cause permanent ripples in the meta. The biggest of which is the new card Ban List, which is essentially an official list of cards that may not be used or used in certain quantities. Previously, a ban list emerged every 6 months, one in early September, and one in early March. Now Konami, the official owner of the Yu-Gi-Oh card game, proclaimed a new ban list would emerge every 4 months now opposed to the original 6 months. And if that was not enough, the new ban list banned some incredibly potent Spell and Trap cards, such as Heavy Storm, Monster Reborn, and Solemn Judgment -- All cards that almost every deck ran, but were previously only allowed one copy of before September 1st of this year. To describe the magnitude and impact of this ban list, I have an account on a free website called Dueling Network that allows me to make limitless amounts of Yu-Gi-Oh decks. I had over 50 decks created on the site, and to allow legal play with most of them, I had to go back and painstakingly edit the decks to remove any banned cards and insert new cards to replace them. I have yet to insert new cards, as just thoughtlessly taking cards out took almost an hour, and thinking of what cards to "tech" in as replacements could take an entire night. Some decks had so many cards removed, that I thought it easier to outright delete it to save the effort of trying to repair a deck devastated by the ban list. Rest easy my Macro Rabbit and Elemental Hero Beat decks.
However, the ban list is actually a very important balancing factor to the game that most players appreciate world wide. It neuters decks that are too powerful in the metagame that are always seen destroying the competition in official tournaments, or cards that generate too much advantage for little cost, such as Gateway of the Six and Card Destruction. Until today, one of the top decks of last format, Dragon Rulers, was thought to have been hit so hard by the ban list, it would be unplayable this format. However, it was revealed that it had indeed just topped a YCS tournament in Toronto, earning 1st place overall. This was a personal shocker to me, even though I had seen the new and improved version of Dragon Rulers on Dueling Network several times. Even more surprising to me was seeing another deck destroyed by the ban list, Mermails, nabbing 2nd place. The results of this Yu-Gi-Oh Championship Series (YCS for short), will likely be a hot topic tomorrow at Victor Valley College, including topics about other decks that managed to reach spots in the top 32. Over the course of the week, I will see how the results of this tournament will impact the game, to see if more people will use winning decks, or if for once people will try to be original and use lesser used decks, such as Blackwings and Gladiator Beasts. In addition, I will be on DN (Dueling Network) and seeing what decks are commonly being played and will note any sudden spikes in the metagame. Yu-Gi-Oh truly changes by the week, this week more than ever, but I am looking forward to the calm after the storm for a while. I don't believe even Konami themselves know where this game is headed, for better or for worse.
In a world filled with superfluous amounts of card games, one managed to catch my eye at a very young age. The Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game was fast paced, popular, easy to play but hard to master, and many other characteristics that managed to keep me engaged and invested in it to this day. Perhaps the one aspect that appealed to me most about Yu-Gi-Oh was how often and quickly the meta (short for metagame) could drastically change. For this reason, most of these weekly blogs will cover the ever changing game of Yu-Gi-Oh and will highlight any noteworthy Yu-Gi-Oh news, such as recent tournament winning decks and card reprints that could strongly shift the course of the game. I will also try to find a balance between speaking in the game's jargon and in more common terms most people can understand or relate to.
In the past few days, many important events have transpired in the Yu-Gi-Oh game, greatly affecting every player across the world that may even cause permanent ripples in the meta. The biggest of which is the new card Ban List, which is essentially an official list of cards that may not be used or used in certain quantities. Previously, a ban list emerged every 6 months, one in early September, and one in early March. Now Konami, the official owner of the Yu-Gi-Oh card game, proclaimed a new ban list would emerge every 4 months now opposed to the original 6 months. And if that was not enough, the new ban list banned some incredibly potent Spell and Trap cards, such as Heavy Storm, Monster Reborn, and Solemn Judgment -- All cards that almost every deck ran, but were previously only allowed one copy of before September 1st of this year. To describe the magnitude and impact of this ban list, I have an account on a free website called Dueling Network that allows me to make limitless amounts of Yu-Gi-Oh decks. I had over 50 decks created on the site, and to allow legal play with most of them, I had to go back and painstakingly edit the decks to remove any banned cards and insert new cards to replace them. I have yet to insert new cards, as just thoughtlessly taking cards out took almost an hour, and thinking of what cards to "tech" in as replacements could take an entire night. Some decks had so many cards removed, that I thought it easier to outright delete it to save the effort of trying to repair a deck devastated by the ban list. Rest easy my Macro Rabbit and Elemental Hero Beat decks.
However, the ban list is actually a very important balancing factor to the game that most players appreciate world wide. It neuters decks that are too powerful in the metagame that are always seen destroying the competition in official tournaments, or cards that generate too much advantage for little cost, such as Gateway of the Six and Card Destruction. Until today, one of the top decks of last format, Dragon Rulers, was thought to have been hit so hard by the ban list, it would be unplayable this format. However, it was revealed that it had indeed just topped a YCS tournament in Toronto, earning 1st place overall. This was a personal shocker to me, even though I had seen the new and improved version of Dragon Rulers on Dueling Network several times. Even more surprising to me was seeing another deck destroyed by the ban list, Mermails, nabbing 2nd place. The results of this Yu-Gi-Oh Championship Series (YCS for short), will likely be a hot topic tomorrow at Victor Valley College, including topics about other decks that managed to reach spots in the top 32. Over the course of the week, I will see how the results of this tournament will impact the game, to see if more people will use winning decks, or if for once people will try to be original and use lesser used decks, such as Blackwings and Gladiator Beasts. In addition, I will be on DN (Dueling Network) and seeing what decks are commonly being played and will note any sudden spikes in the metagame. Yu-Gi-Oh truly changes by the week, this week more than ever, but I am looking forward to the calm after the storm for a while. I don't believe even Konami themselves know where this game is headed, for better or for worse.
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