Well, I have played YGO for the past 7~8 years and this subject never really cross my mind once. I really learn this the hard way on how important card advantage really is in this game. Heck, this coming from someone who rather use polymerization instead of Fusion Gate just because its cooler sounds stupid.
Well, although I have played YGO for a long time, I didn't start playing competitive until 2~3 years ago. And I don't understand card advantages till I guess what you could call ... last year.
Because I had my Gladial beast deck back then and everything was 1 for 1, so naturally I don't think this matters. And because I usually draw awesome hands when playing E HERO, I don't mind spamming. It was really until I played BF (believe it or not) that card advantage really became clear to me. After DDB was banned, BF became a deck that you would have to control your opponent to win the game, and by controlling, means making sure you have the card advantage. Playing BF, really made me re-learn the importance of playing with card advantages. This help me really much.
Till about a year ago, all my decks are highly aggressive, with minimum cards that slow me down and spamming was part of my plays. But I never win anything big. Now, my decks are considerably slower, BUT a lot more efficient and can counter plays easier (unless Trishula comes out and strips me of any remaining cards ... well, card advantage man!!).
I'm not an expert in top tier decks, so I won't use them as an example. But playing against them, really help you build up your skills and your understanding of card advantage. I know this is common knowledge, but we never know when a newbie is reading this!!
Different decks have different methods of saying their in the lead. 1 or 2 face downs for METAbeat isn't anything. But 1 or 2 facedowns and more than 3 hands for BF decks, means that you better be prepared for something. For GBs, handless isn't a thing to be afraid of, while you don't want that to happen often, GB really depends on Field advantage or rather, backrow advantage. For Flamvell Cats, you often see them with 1 facedown at each zone, BUT their hand is almost always at a steady 3 to 4 cards, when your facing cats, their advantage comes from YOUR play, summoning the wrong monster against them is a very dangerous move.
I never play or played against Infernity with Trishula, so I can't comment about this.
back to the deck I'm extremely familiar with : E HEROs!!
Advantage doesn't come in hand, its the field. When playing E HERO, you wanna make sure your opponent wastes as many cards as possible to take out your Fusions. Basically, just summons something big and make them wastes 2 to 3 cards just to take it out and you summon something else next turn.
In a way, E HERO (the way I play at least) focuses not on your card advantage but stripping your opponent's.
I just come into this understanding not so long ago, January I think, when I was playing against Karl Lim and his BF, I was super tense and really focus on how many cards he had left, field and hand (sometimes, even the grave). When I summon ZERO, he has to waste at least 2 cards just to take it down. While I lost that match, I really learned a lot that time, although my EGO doesn't allow me to turn my deck into something else!!
While people usually talk about 1 for 1s or 1 for 2s when they come into this topics, I don't care much about these trades. I understand that they are there for a reason, but I just don't like the idea of calculating that much, guess that why I never win anything BIG ...
OK!! That was a long wall of text ... but the thing I was trying to say ... type, was rather simple. Card Advantage, as I look at it, doesn't always comes from 1 for 1s or 1 for 2s. Every deck has its own way to gain its own advantage, while some focuses on taking their opponent's away. Again, like I always say, playstyle is important. You don't tell what a guy should do with his deck and what you shouldn't, you can give advice, but in the end its all up to him. While this seems off topic, I'm trying to say, everyone has their preferred way to get advantage, just because that way doesn't suits you, or even worst, doesn't suit the deck, doesn't mean that the player of that deck has to follow.
This card is the living proof that Card Advantage is something you must learn to win games. Trishula virtually strips your opponent off any remaining card advantage, it win games. Thats why ... ITS SO BLOODY EXPENSIVE!!...
That ... was long!!
