One of the great things about the Yu-Gi-Oh! Goat Format is its low barrier to entry. Much of the Goat Format Community is online, where every card is free. If you are fortunate enough to be a part of a real-life Goat Format community, it's not too much worse. Decks can consistently be obtained for less than $100, and with a static card pool and banlist you don't have to worry about constantly having to buy new cards to keep up. However, this is a double-edged sword. A low barrier to entry also means a low barrier to exit. You may leave the format at any time without feeling very "pot committed."

​Alt-win, burn, and combo, collectively known as the ABCs, maintain a significant presence in the online Yu-Gi-Oh! Goat Format meta. In most control decks, a large portion of the sidedeck, typically about 10 cards, is dedicated to countering these ABC decks. Having the tools to beat the ABC decks are essential to achieving a high winrate in the format. All of the best counters to each of these hazardous decks are listed below.

Two of the unique aspects of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Goat Format are the ubiquity of the card Metamorphosis and the fact that there is no legal limit on number of cards that you can play in the fusion deck (Yu-Gi-Oh! changed the term “fusion deck” to “extra deck” in 2008). Thus, making sure that you have included the correct fusion monsters in your fusion deck is an essential element of building any deck that includes Metamorphosis. Sorted below by level, we have listed every fusion monster that is a viable choice in Goat Format.

Something that makes the Yu-Gi-Oh! Goat Format unique is its diverse array of powerful cards that are limited to one per deck. On the surface, this might seem unappealing. Is it the case that whoever gets luckier and draws more power cards wins? It turns out that this is rarely the case. Like in poker, having good cards helps, but it’s more about how you use them. Knowing how to use power cards is a key step to transitioning from a beginner into a more knowledgeable Goat Format player.