Countering the meta: Yellow WarGreymon

If you've been playing Digimon in BT04, even if you've played only a couple of games, you're likely to have had a similar situation. Your opponent is playing yellow, things are looking pretty good for you, you've likely already gotten a cheeky swing or 2 in on their security, your board is looking alright, and they've only got three memory. As far as being in the mid-game goes, you're doing pretty well. Then it happens: Angewomon digivolves into WarGreymon. Wargreymon swings, and with its effect deletes your blocker, security check. A free BushiAgumon comes out with, security check. WarGreymon unsuspends, security check. Another BushiAgumon, you guessed it, security check! Players everywhere are running into the same question in both their locals and in Bandai official events, what can I even do about WarGreymon!?

Hey, the honest truth is, right now, WarGreymon is a really solid deck. When a deck dominates the meta in this way, there's usually a reason it does. But there are a few things each color can do to prepare themselves as best they can. So, let's take a look at how to hold your own against this Chrome Digizoid clad king of the ring.

What makes WarGreymon tick?

For starters the basic goal of this deck is twofold. For starters, it wants to keep its field as empty as possible using a number of different DP reduction abilities, and secondly, it wants to build into its biggest threat, the dragon warrior himself, WarGreymon (BT4-048). 

Goal A) Using DP reduction to keep your board empty. 

Countering this one can be tricky, to say the least. In part this is because yellow comes jam-packed with so many little ways to reduce opponent DP, and in part, because that DP reduction so often comes in the form of multiple small DP reduction effects which, when combined, total up to removing even your strongest Digimon. The biggest removal combo your opponent is likely going to use against you is (outside of Wargreymon himself) is a WarGrowlmon (BT4-046), using its to reduce one of your Digimon's DP by 4000, and then digivolving immediately into a SlashAngemon (BT1-62) for 3 memory, reducing that same Digimon's DP by a further 8000. I don't need to tell you that a combined DP reduction of 12000 is big and will likely be removing whatever threat you've painstakingly built up just a turn ago. 

Goal B) WarGreymon itself. 

For those who haven't caught on yet, WarGreymon (BT4-048) is the crux of this build. Able to evolve for a cost of just 3, easily achievable with a T.K. Takashi (BT1-87) or a Blinding Ray (BT4-104), WarGreymon has 2 devastating abilities. For the cost of returning one of its owner's security stack to their hand, WarGreymon will unsuspend itself and reduce one of its opponent's Digimon by 6000 DP. That means that, at its base, Wargreymon will be attacking you twice and deleting your blocker before it has the chance to block. The real kicker here is when WarGreymon is evolved on top of a Angewomon (BT3-039) whose inheritable ability allows the WarGreymon player to play a level 3 yellow Digimon from their hand without paying its memory cost each time it attacks. Bearing in mind that Angewomon's inheritable is not limited to once per turn it's easy to see why this might be a troublesome ability. The most common targets for this ability are likely going to be Lucemon (BT4-115) for a recover that easily makes up for the cost of WarGreymon's ability and gets a real big DP on the board, or BushiAgumon (BT4-38) who is going to come out with for that final extra swing or two you may not have expected.

A few notes on countering 

Again, WarGreymon is a powerful deck and stands on top of the BT4 meta for good reason. In general, the deck's weakness (if it must have one) is speed. As I'm sure you've noticed, WarGreymon needs to destroy its own security to attack at its full potential, and a lot of the deck likes to sit at 3 memory to really take advantage of cards like Pulsemon (P-028). Getting in there and smashing through those security fast can help win you the game before WarGreymon has a chance to set up. Nothing wrong with throwing a few of your level 3s under the bus, especially when leaving them on the board will just see them deleted by low-level DP reduction anyways.

Below I'll drop a few quick hints about what each of the other 5 colors might try out in an attempt to counter this sort of deck:

What can a red player do?

Attack! Attack! Attack! Attack! Attack!

You are playing red. Lean into your strengths and smash through your opponent's shields with as many effects as you can muster. A Greymon (ST1-07) into an Aldamon (BT4-016) is already threatening to remove all three of the security that WarGreymon likes to leave itself sitting on, and can be built up with relative ease safely in your raising area. Again, you are playing red, lean into what you know, and hit hard.

What can a blue player do?

The best answer I have for you is Imperialdramon (BT3-031). The sheer number of attacks this deck can pull off is frankly staggering, even to a deck like WarGreymon which is doing a similar number of swings, but slower. Getting into that Paildramon (BT3-027) combo can be devastating. You'll need three things in place to set up: a Paildramon on board or held safely in the raising area, Imperialdramon in hand, and 3 memory. Have Paildramon swing, evolve into Imperialdramon for 3 memory and unsuspend for another swing, then use Imperialdramon's inherited skill to unsuspend and swing a third time. There likely won't be too much in your opponent's security to stop Imperialdramon's minimum 12000 DP besides maybe an unlucky Chaosmon (BT4-091).

What can a green player do?

As a green player, you know what you're good at; You can evolve, and you can evolve fast! If you can get your level 6's out there before your opponent can and being clearing the board with your plethora of suspension options WarGreymon will have little to no chance of reaching to board without its player having to raise him all the way up in the raising area (ignoring a lot of the DP reduction effects along the way). Lilamon (BT4-059) is great at this, and big piercing Digimon like HerculesKabuterimon (ST4-013) will ensure the game is over before WarGreymon can make it out of raising. Don't be afraid to use your Roachmons (BT4-053), and your Kabuterimons

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