Final Standings & Deck Breakdown (Back to the Beginning)
After three Swiss rounds played under the original May 2024 NeoGoat ruleset, the third online tournament concluded with a very clear picture of what early NeoGoat actually looked like when pushed to its limits.
Below are the final standings, followed by a detailed overview of each deck, ordered from first place to eighth place.
This entry is meant to complement the replay article by focusing on deck identity, game plans, and why each list performed the way it did.
Watch the replays here: https://neogoatformat.blogspot.com/2026/01/neogoat-online-back-to-beginning-replays.html
🥇 1st Place — Luis Gaona
Deck: Chaos Metamorphosis Control
Record: Undefeated
1x Asura Priest
1x Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
1x Breaker the Magical Warrior
2x Chaos Sorcerer
1x Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive
2x Gravekeeper's Spy
2x Magician of Faith
1x Marshmallon
2x Night Assailant
1x Sinister Serpent
1x Spirit Reaper
3x Thunder Dragon
1x Tribe-Infecting Virus
1x Tsukuyomi
1x Card Destruction
1x Heavy Storm
1x Lightning Vortex
2x Metamorphosis
1x Mystical Space Typhoon
1x Pot of Greed
2x Scapegoat
2x Shield Crush
1x Snatch Steal
2x Interdimensional Matter Transporter
2x Jar of Greed
2x Raigeki Break
1x Ring of Destruction
1x Torrential Tribute
Extra Deck:
3x Thousand-Eyes Restrict
1x Master of Oz
1x Gatling Dragon
1x The Last Warrior from Another Planet
1x Dark Blade the Dragon Knight
1x Ryu Senshi
1x Fiend Skull Dragon
3x Dark Balter the Terrible
1x Giltia the D. Knight
1x Reaper on the Nightmare
1x Karbonala Warrior
Gaona’s deck was the most stable and complete list in the tournament. Built around a classic Chaos core, the deck used Thunder Dragon to fuel the Graveyard, Night Assailant for recursion and discard value, and Scapegoat + Metamorphosis to access powerful Fusion monsters on demand.
What made this deck stand out was its ability to recover from losing positions. Defensive monsters like Spirit Reaper and Marshmallon, combined with flexible removal and Fusion threats, allowed Gaona to absorb pressure and then swing the game back in his favor.
In a format defined by volatility, this deck minimized risk — and that consistency is exactly why it finished first.
🥈 2nd Place — Meme
Deck: Chaos Control (Draw-Heavy Variant)
Main Deck:
1x Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
1x Breaker the Magical Warrior
2x Chaos Sorcerer
2x Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive
1x Exiled Force
2x Gravekeeper's Spy
2x Magician of Faith
2x Night Assailant
1x Sinister Serpent
3x Thunder Dragon
1x Tribe-Infecting Virus
1x Tsukuyomi
1x Brain Control
1x Card Destruction
1x Change of Heart
1x Heavy Storm
1x Mystical Space Typhoon
1x Nobleman of Crossout
1x Pot of Greed
1x Premature Burial
1x Snatch Steal
2x Bottomless Trap Hole
1x Call of the Haunted
3x Jar of Greed
2x Raigeki Break
1x Ring of Destruction
2x Sakuretsu Armor
1x Torrential Tribute
Meme piloted a very traditional Chaos Control deck, but with an emphasis on draw density and long-game inevitability. Multiple Jar of Greed, Thunder Dragon, and efficient traps ensured that Meme almost always had access to answers.
Rather than ending games quickly, this deck aimed to out-resource opponents, forcing them to exhaust their threats before taking over the duel. It performed especially well against combo-oriented strategies, where patience and correct sequencing mattered more than raw power.
This list represents the “purest” form of Chaos Control seen in the tournament.
🥉 3rd Place — Trainer
Deck: Fire Attribute Lock / DNA Transplant
1x Breaker the Magical Warrior
3x Command Knight
1x Inferno
2x Raging Flame Sprite
3x Solar Flare Dragon
3x UFO Turtle
3x Ultimate Baseball Kid
1x Big Bang Shot
1x Change of Heart
1x Level Limit - Area B
1x Molten Destruction
1x My Body as a Shield
1x Mystical Space Typhoon
1x Nobleman of Crossout
1x Pot of Greed
1x Premature Burial
2x Reinforcement of the Army
3x Scapegoat
1x Snatch Steal
1x Swords of Revealing Light
1x Call of the Haunted
3x DNA Transplant
1x Magic Cylinder
1x Ring of Destruction
2x Solemn Judgment
Extra Deck:
3x Thousand-Eyes Restrict
Side Deck:
1x Inferno
1x King Tiger Wanghu
1x Heavy Storm
1x My Body as a Shield
2x Nobleman of Extermination
2x Smashing Ground
2x Bottomless Trap Hole
2x Dust Tornado
1x Light of Intervention
2x Mask of Restrict
Trainer’s deck was one of the most memorable of the event. Built around Solar Flare Dragon, Ultimate Baseball Kid, and DNA Transplant, it could create explosive turns where Baseball Kid reached absurd ATK values, sometimes ending games almost immediately.
The deck also showcased how impactful side decking was in early NeoGoat. Cards like Mask of Restrict completely shut down Monarch and tribute-based strategies, while Swords of Revealing Light bought enough time to assemble winning boards.
While less consistent than Chaos decks, this list punished unprepared opponents brutally.
4th Place — Palacios
Deck: Midrange Control
Main Deck:
2x Big Shield Gardna
1x Breaker the Magical Warrior
1x D.D. Assailant
1x D.D. Warrior Lady
1x Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive
1x Exiled Force
2x Gravekeeper's Spy
1x Injection Fairy Lily
1x Jinzo
2x Mobius the Frost Monarch
3x Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
1x Zombyra the Dark
1x Book of Moon
1x Brain Control
1x Emergency Provisions
1x Heavy Storm
1x Last Will
1x Mirage of Nightmare
1x Mystical Space Typhoon
1x Pot of Greed
1x Premature Burial
1x Reinforcement of the Army
1x Snatch Steal
2x Soul Exchange
2x Bottomless Trap Hole
1x Call of the Haunted
3x Dark Coffin
1x Malevolent Catastrophe
2x Sakuretsu Armor
1x Torrential Tribute
Palacios played a flexible midrange control deck that focused on solid fundamentals rather than extreme interactions. The deck relied on steady monster presence, removal, and traps to control the pace of the duel.
His strongest matches were long, interactive games where careful timing mattered more than raw explosiveness. The win against Yahikor, featuring multiple Dark Coffin interactions, was a good example of how this deck thrived in resource-based battles.
5th Place — Yahikor
Deck: Pixie Control
3x Apprentice Magician
1x Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
1x Breaker the Magical Warrior
2x Chaos Sorcerer
1x D.D. Warrior Lady
1x Freed the Brave Wanderer
2x Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
2x Magician of Faith
3x Pixie Knight
1x Sinister Serpent
1x Tsukuyomi
1x Zaborg the Thunder Monarch
1x Bait Doll
1x Change of Heart
1x Heavy Storm
1x Lightning Vortex
1x Pot of Greed
1x Snatch Steal
2x Compulsory Evacuation Device
2x Dark Coffin
2x Dust Tornado
1x Magic Jammer
2x Magical Hats
2x Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
1x Ring of Destruction
3x Sakuretsu Armor
Extra Deck:
2x Flame Swordsman
Side Deck:
1x Asura Priest
2x Bazoo the Soul-Eater
1x Chaos Sorcerer
2x D.D. Assailant
1x Des Wombat
1x Mystic Swordsman LV2
1x Dimension Fusion
2x Giant Trunade
2x Solemn Judgment
1x Widespread Ruin
Yahikor’s Pixie Control deck was one of the most technically demanding lists in the tournament. The entire strategy revolved around Pixie Knight and controlling which Spell cards entered the Graveyard.
Using Magical Hats to intentionally send powerful Spells to the Graveyard, Bait Doll to keep the Spell pool clean, and Dark Coffin to punish attacks and removals, the deck aimed to turn Pixie Knight into a guaranteed recursion engine rather than a gamble.
When the deck was allowed to set up, it could grind opponents into submission — but its slower pace left it vulnerable to highly consistent Chaos builds.
6th Place — Pepe
Deck: Reasoning / Creator Combo
1x Airknight Parshath
1x Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
1x Chaos Sorcerer
1x Dark Magician of Chaos
1x Hand of Nephthys
1x Jinzo
3x Sacred Crane
1x Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys
3x Summoner Monk
3x The Creator
2x The Creator Incarnate
1x Toon Cannon Soldier
1x Book of Moon
2x Card of Safe Return
1x Change of Heart
1x Dimension Fusion
1x Giant Trunade
1x Heavy Storm
1x Last Will
3x Monster Gate
2x My Body as a Shield
1x Mystical Space Typhoon
1x Pot of Greed
1x Premature Burial
3x Reasoning
3x Scapegoat
3x Toon Table of Contents
1x Upstart Goblin
1x Call of the Haunted
1x Ring of Destruction
2x Royal Decree
1x Torrential Tribute
Pepe brought one of the most volatile decks in the tournament. Built around Reasoning, Monster Gate, and The Creator, the deck could generate enormous advantage in just one turn if the engine resolved correctly.
However, the deck struggled in matches where opponents were able to slow the game down or side in hard counters. Pepe’s results highlight both the appeal and the fragility of combo strategies in early NeoGoat.
7th Place — Kztoor
Deck: Monarch Chaos
2x Apprentice Magician
1x Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
1x Breaker the Magical Warrior
1x Chaos Sorcerer
1x D.D. Warrior Lady
2x Gravekeeper's Spy
2x Magician of Faith
1x Mobius the Frost Monarch
1x Old Vindictive Magician
1x Sinister Serpent
2x Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
1x Tribe-Infecting Virus
1x Tsukuyomi
2x Zaborg the Thunder Monarch
2x Book of Moon
2x Brain Control
1x Change of Heart
1x Creature Swap
1x Heavy Storm
2x Metamorphosis
1x Mystical Space Typhoon
2x Nobleman of Crossout
1x Pot of Greed
1x Premature Burial
1x Scapegoat
1x Snatch Steal
2x Soul Exchange
1x Call of the Haunted
2x Jar of Greed
1x Magic Cylinder
1x Ring of Destruction
2x Sakuretsu Armor
1x Torrential Tribute
Extra Deck:
2x Dark Balter the Terrible
2x Dark Blade the Dragon Knight
1x Darkfire Dragon
1x Gatling Dragon
2x King Dragun
1x Ojama King
2x Ryu Senshi
3x Thousand-Eyes Restrict
1x Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon
Kztoor’s deck combined Chaos elements with a heavy Monarch tribute package, using Soul Exchange and Monarch effects to control the board and opponent’s hand.
While powerful on paper, the strategy suffered greatly against Mask of Restrict, which completely shut off the deck’s main win condition. This weakness illustrates why tribute-heavy decks struggled to remain viable without format intervention.
8th Place — Omar
Deck: Warrior Aggro
Main Deck:
2x Berserk Gorilla
1x Blade Knight
1x Breaker the Magical Warrior
2x D.D. Assailant
1x D.D. Warrior Lady
1x Don Zaloog
1x Enraged Battle Ox
1x Exiled Force
2x Giant Rat
1x Gigantes
1x Goblin Attack Force
1x Injection Fairy Lily
1x Jinzo
1x King Tiger Wanghu
1x Mystic Swordsman LV2
1x Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke
1x Tribe-Infecting Virus
2x Book of Moon
1x Change of Heart
1x Heavy Storm
1x Mystical Space Typhoon
1x Nobleman of Crossout
1x Pot of Greed
1x Premature Burial
2x Reinforcement of the Army
1x Scapegoat
1x Snatch Steal
2x Bottomless Trap Hole
1x Call of the Haunted
1x Dust Tornado
1x Ring of Destruction
2x Sakuretsu Armor
1x Torrential Tribute
Omar piloted an aggressive Warrior-based deck designed to pressure Chaos strategies early with efficient attackers and removal. While the deck could win fast games, it had difficulty breaking through layered defenses and recurring threats.
This list represents the type of straightforward aggro strategy that early NeoGoat attempted to support, but which ultimately required later changes to remain competitive.
Final Reflection
Taken together, these standings confirm that early NeoGoat was still a Chaos-dominant format, structurally very close to classic Goat Format despite the expanded card pool.
Most successful decks either played Chaos directly or were forced to build their entire game plan around surviving it.
Over time, NeoGoat had to evolve — not to erase Chaos, but to create space for more strategies to coexist without being overshadowed.
This tournament serves as a clear snapshot of NeoGoat before that evolution took place, and helps explain why those changes were necessary.
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