It took so much for me to admit this. I've played this game for years and by playing it I've just accepted what was given to me. If you actually examine the game and think about the mechanics you'll understand my assumption however this is purely subjective to what you consider "good". There is actually no strategy/tactics The Game is reliant on combos and effects, but not actual strategy. You just summon strong monsters that are more efficient. Now the game isn't balanced and thats been an issue. However that isn't why this is apparent. Old-School Yu-Gi-Oh Players as I am one myself I think Old-School sucked. You literally had normal monsters with no actual mechanics to add depth to the game. We had weaker useless monsters for what reason? If you use stronger monsters you could easily overpower your opponent which what Old School Yu-Gi-Oh for the most part was at a time. Who had the stronger better cards. You put something in defense mode to defend your LP because your opponent had a strong monster. That was literally it. If you set something that implied it was weak or a effect. It's so basic, but void of any strategy it's just effect monsters or high ATK. There is no "maneuvering". You can set a card and sure it can be a bluff, but psychologically it's worthless because the player has to attack to win. In games many players may use tactics to have a plan and this is used through mechanics of the game that shows "depth" of the design. Heres a example in a game called "Mabinogi Duels" you summon an archer and it attacks monsters however for you don't have to worry about an Archer to attack your life points and can put down a monster to put pressure on your opponent however this allows your opponent to maybe hold a number advantage depending on the situation as it depends on context. That is simple strategy in a game that does not require a combo or a complex effect. The Mechanics hurt the game In Yu-Gi-Oh you can set any number of traps and special summon an unlimited amount of times. This is bad. The amount of cards and copies make this an issue. This is why Monster Reborn had to be banned because you can bring it back with a monster and use it again or use it at any time. You set any traps you want and with the combos and speed of the game you can easily stack the field. Theres no actual critical thinking here. Like I said before when the game was young with Normal Monsters there was an issue with it being about which monster is stronger. There was a design flaw even before the Extra Deck monsters and even so the game would be better if you had a "resource" system because this would have limits on what you play and prevent OTK and FTK plus it would make Level 5-Infinity easier to incorporate not being forced to resort to special summoning. Plus it would give the game STRATEGY because weaker monsters would be reasonable to have. This would control the pace and have each player react and play their own way. Also if you don't do this then you should limit the amount of times you can special summon as this makes any move having to be thought carefully. I think DEF position monsters should be able to destroy if an ATK Position monster with lower ATK than DEF attacks it. I also think there should be a mechanic to tribute a monster depending on position to add on the corresponding position's value. This way DEF can matter instead of it stalling and be an actual strategy. These are just suggestions because there are ways to improve the game without adding a new card. The Game is just Imbalanced In my opinion there is nothing wrong with Synchros. XYZ I am unsure of, but it's literally a way better form of tribute summoning. The Extra Deck Monsters are an improvement of the game to make up for the inconsistent luck-based Tribute summons. You can bring out an Extra Deck Monster easily with the correct materials since you don't need to draw them. However Konami took this idea and destroyed them by making these monsters OP as Aizen from Bleach. If you make cards that are unbeatable and by circumstance since your opponent used all his cards or has none or it's your 1st turn You literally can't beat these cards with their multiple effects. This is being BROKEN. I guess if you make a meta since many don't want a card that can easily be destroyed putting you at a disadvantage they make these cards. This is Konami shooting themselves in the foot. Certain Decks work until they become literal shit. Link Monsters limit the special summoning and the trap and spells by design which I think is better, but at what cost? A more complicated way of summoning? Konami can also screw this up by making these monsters OP or making decks for them. We also still have Pendelums. Also I'll be one to say LET PLAYERS DRAW ON THEIR 1ST TURN! Issues the game has might not be solved with LINK Summoning. Konami is a big offender and the game needs an overhaul from the foundation of it's gameplay.