I'm not on reddit / twitter / youtube / discord / skype / twitch chats or whatever the discussion about this is being scattered so I'll just post this on the dead forum. I heard that there's discussion revolving around the category's names (oooooof course) and which runs should go in which leaderboard. Also, as my personal input, the rule definitions on "card duping" are pretty vague and have to change (before another wannabe-shitposter decides to re-ignite the drama).

On the matter of the Any% run segregation: we all know FM is a unique game for speedrunning, because it's based on random card drops, so we might never see the actual faster routes get faster runs, and slower routes get slower runs. Instead, we have something like this:

• Theoretical route speeds: No duping ~= No THTD > Duping
• Realistic route speeds that will probably hold true in this lifetime: Duping > No Duping > No THTD (god only knows where a pocketstation run would be in this scale hu3hu3hu3)

Fact: Duping is NOT the fastest strategy, it just makes the run insanely more consistent. -- So if someone ever gets a run faster than the duping record, would it be on Any%? Or on both leaderboards?

My suggestion is to segregate both any% leaderboards by their routes (the common sense intention, which, the initial way presented, is technically not clear enough, and can generate doubt and more draaaaaaaaama). I'll use the names "Any% (Single File)" and "Any% (Card Duplication)" for the sake of exemplifying, but they could be whatever.

Option 1: No duping = "Any% (Single File)" ; Duping = "Any% (Card Duplication)" In this option both categories are named by their routes, and the leaderboard segregation stays perfect and coherent. There would be no "Any%" category, but then again this doesnt have to represent an ideal -world speedrun scenario, it has to WORK. And this WORKS.

Option 2: No duping = "Any%" ; Duping = "Any% (Card Duplication)" The traditional category stays as Any%. I don't think there would be any problem on preserving the Any% name as a legacy, but I'm sure other people think differently, and that's perfectly fine.

For better viewing I suggest putting the categories on the following order:

Any% (Single File) - 100% - Any% (Card Duplication) - New Game+

(let's face it, only me and urnator care aboug NG+ (the slow american version route, even) and everyone else doesnt give a shit about it :v honestly it could even be a misc. but thats a whole other story)

Minor things: The 100% leaderboard of course has the single-file characteristic within the rules (I don't think the challenge was made for people to just get the 5 big heishin cards, and copy the starchip-bloated file over and over to get most of the rest, with the option of farming equips+raigeki+dark hole just by doing New Game over and over) No THTD and WT (and other possible Jumpyluff-idea categories, kapap) are obviously no duping. The names dont have to be changed since they are misc-challenge categories, as long as the rules are clear.

Also, regarding to conceptualizing "card duping", here is what would be the detailed ruleset on runs that use the exploit:

• Allows the use of multiple memory cards
• Allows the creation of multiple files by doing "New Game" in different memory cards within the run's real time
• Allows the console feature of copying memory card files
• ¤Allows the trade option between files created within the run's real time, and/or that were only traded within themselves and their copies (both things aaaalso done within the run's real time)

¤(aka no outside pre-made file (s) or trading - even if it's just an empty file made for trades, it has to be new game'd - otherwise it would be NG+ or whatever) (tell me if I forgot anything)

There's obviously a way to compact this into the ruleset that shows on speedrun.com, but those are the bits of information that have to be clear. A run with "duping" is simply one that allows multiple files to be created via New Game, opening the console memory card manager, copying these created files to other memory cards and trading within themselves. It's NOT a glitch, it's an exploit that pretty much every kid that owned the game and played for a few hundred+ hours used.

It might seem like I'm over-circlejerking all this stuff. And yeah I'm probably am :v but since the file copy drama finally started, there has to be some good organization that works, so more drama isn't generated and peace may be restored.

Fact: If someone with some knowledge would want to beat FM as fast as possible (for whatever reason, no need for a speedrun leaderboard), s/he would obviously copy their raigeki and equip with 3 memory cards, as well as whatever good cards they were getting on campaign. It's the consistently fast way, and doesn't require a cheating engine like GS or AR, just the game, console, 2 controllers and 3 memory cards. Technically none of these devices are "cheats". ¤ The "true actual" faster process would be to create several files in several consoles, but for the love of god or whatever you from r/atheism would believe in, let's keep this one-console-only shall we? :D

Fact: NOBODY (okay, ~99.99% kapap) actually gives a shit about the duping run. Any% done within a single file is what people play for now and that most likely won't change. It's the go-to "beat the game" run for runners, fun players and viewers. -- It should show up as the main leaderboards for the game, and the dupe run as the gimmicky multiple-files route that ends up giving the easy-mode to clear campaign from zero.

tl;dr:

• Separate Any% by >>routes<< and be clear with it.
• Specify the nuances of what "card duping" is.
• Any% w/ single file is still and will always be the main thing...
• ...but the run (technically non-cheated) that uses several memory cards, new games, playstation's file copy option, and trades exists and will most likely always beat the game faster in this lifetime. It was just a matter of time before someone brought it up.

I have no intentions of spicing up the drama or showing off some sort of shitposting skills. In this matter, I only want to help the leaderboards to get organized and free of loopholes regarding the dupe run.

Constructive input, discussion and disagreements are encouraged! Peace!

EDIT: I saw that the dupe route was moved to "misc", I think that also works!

I'm not sure how much this forum is used, but can we compile all the information on the pocketstation stuff and how it works? And, you know, all possible version differences...

From what I understood it "permanently" fuses cards or something like that, but I'm still clueless.

Edit: I found this website from a 5yo gamefaqs thread and translated on chrome on how the thing works: http://www8.atwiki.jp/yuugiou_fuuin/pages/34.html

It seems that you can get BEUD and Gate Guardian, and that those were not in the manual. I'm not sure how legit it is.

More useful threads (apparently people who ACTUALLY HAVE the pocketstation can only confirm that you can get beud and GG, so don'tk know why the NG+ rules do not allow them) http://www.neoseeker.com/forums/3085/t1475980-japanese-official-strategy-guide/ http://www.neoseeker.com/forums/3085/t1501192-which-card-should-get-if-win-card-lottery/