I expect that we are about to enter a metagame with 2 dominant decks: Shaddoll and its best counter (most likely Utopia). As such, other decks' relative position in the meta should reflect their ability to deal with these new decks.
Tier 1
TPC Comments
Floodgates are back in season with Reign of Shadows . Shaddoll's primary weakness (its consistency} has been completely remedied by its Skill, milling three copies of Loading... for free and searching a Shaddoll card to hand (it even summons a monster from Deck going second to help break boards). In addition to their new Skill, Shaddoll received two new cards: Loading... (negates anything on the field and searches Shaddoll cards when sent to GY) and Loading... (which summons Shaddolls from Banishment, allowing you to reuse Loading... or get another Level 4 body for an Loading... (it's also a triple GY Banish when sent to GY). In addition, they also received Loading... and Loading... (outside of a Skill). On top of all that, the Skill also adds six Shaddoll Fusion Monsters into your Extra Deck (including Loading... ), which gives you additional Extra Deck slots to work with. With the ability to search missing pieces ,the free monster in the second turn, and Loading... by itself, Reign of Shadows has given Shaddoll the ability to deal with many things.
With only a few days of the new BOX being release, Shaddoll has already made its impact on the meta. Reign of Shadows not only solved the decks consistency, but also gave it a better going second play by setting up a free body, while also being able to dodge targeted interruption with ease (since the Skill also sends 3 Loading... to GY for free). Shaddoll seems quite solid, and the perfect deck to dethrone Resonators from its Tier 1 spot, with its strong matchups across the board.
It didn't take much time for Shaddoll to prove its ability to conquer the meta. The Deck received a huge amount of support with a Skill that fixes a its issues with consistency and going second. The deck has good matchups against most of the current meta (especially against Resonators), so it easily finds its way to Tier 1. The deck is much more flexible than it was before, being able to supplement its insane going first board with techs to give it the ability to go through boards going second.
Reign of Shadows is very strong. With the free Loading... and free monster from deck going second, Shaddoll gets way too many resources instantly from Skill alone. The deck's consistency is also insane, making it really hard to brick. On top of all that, it can also play Loading... which is insane against a lot of decks.
The free Loading... s helps you dodge a lot of interaction, making cards like Loading... much less impactful. When combined with Loading... 's constant banishes and Loading... locking out the opponent, Shaddoll can close games instantly. The deck just has tools and techspace to deal with everything.
Shaddoll feels borderline Tier 0, with its existence alone taking competent decks like Predplant out of serious meta contention. Thankfully however, Rank 4 decks capable of making Loading... can do decently against it if they go first.
Shaddoll is a good archetype that previously lacked consistency. With Reign of Shadows giving a free Shaddoll piece while also allowing Loading... and an Extra Deck toolbox, Shaddoll is currently the best deck in the game. Their only issue is going second into the mirror, since the Loading... s start in the GY where they are vulnerable to early Loading... Banishes. Shaddoll should have the upperhand in any other matchup (even having a good chance to win against Loading... counter decks. It might be harder to pilot, but we expect Shaddoll to be a dominant deck of the format.
With Reign of Shadows , consistency is no longer an issue for Shaddoll. The Skill allows you to search any Shaddoll card by revealing 2 Shaddoll cards from your hand. Opening any 2 Shaddoll monsters or a Shaddoll monster and a Shaddoll Fusion spell can lead to a turn 1 board of Loading... , Loading... , and Loading... (and this is just one example of their possible setups). Loading... remains a major problem for many decks, as limiting Special Summons can shut down a lot of strategies. Even if you have a way to deal with Winda, Shaddoll can Link it off with Masq and revive it with Resh, or flip it face-down with Resh and then flip it back up by summoning Loading... and sending Loading... . Even after dealing with Winda, you still have to play through Schism. And if that wasn't enough, the deck can play Loading... , so watch out for that as well.