What is Raiza Format?
Raiza Format is a legacy Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG/TCG Format from September 2007. It's called Raiza format because Raiza the Storm Monarch is a very prevalent and splash-able card in the format.
This format is an extension of the TCG-only format called "Perfect Circle Format", with the addition of OCG cards available from 2002 to November 2007 (excluding Phantom Darkness, and Limited Edition 11) and September 2007 OCG Restricted List, which make it very similar to Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008 Nintendo DS Game (with extended card pool). Decks like Monarchs, Zombies, Gadget and Macro (or D.D.) were popular back in 2007.
This format is an extension of the TCG-only format called "Perfect Circle Format", with the addition of OCG cards available from 2002 to November 2007 (excluding Phantom Darkness, and Limited Edition 11) and September 2007 OCG Restricted List, which make it very similar to Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008 Nintendo DS Game (with extended card pool). Decks like Monarchs, Zombies, Gadget and Macro (or D.D.) were popular back in 2007.
Comparison with Modern Yu-Gi-Oh
Yu-Gi-Oh is an old game. Over years of development and power creep, it can be said with certainty: Old Yu-Gi-Oh and the current Yu-Gi-Oh is a vastly different game. While the fast-paced, and highly complex can be fun, some will miss the old Yu-Gi-Oh they grew up with. Additionally, the old Yu-Gi-Oh is easy to learn, yet hard to master!
In modern Yu-Gi-Oh, most strategies can be narrowed down into "stopping your opponent from playing Yu-Gi-Oh" which makes the game not too interactive at times. Moreover, there are a considerable amount of barriers of entry to play modern Yu-Gi-Oh including having to know many rulings and card interactions, the high cost of cards, learning complex and convoluted combos. Not to mention how the meta often radically shifts after a new ban list/set comes out, forcing you to play another deck and re-learn the meta again. No wonder that many people yearn to play the old Yu-Gi-Oh, or need break from the current format.
In contrast, the game is much more interactive back in the era of Raiza Format. There are no such thing as unbreakable boards or infinite negates in the format. Advantages are built slowly over many turns, giving you and your opponent plenty of opportunities to interact, play mind games, and try to break each other's strategy. In modern Yu-Gi-Oh, the only thing you can do against an unbreakable board is surrender, while in Raiza Format, you can try to buy your time, and maybe with your belief in the heart of the cards, you finally pull that one card you need to save yourself from a seemingly certain defeat.
In modern Yu-Gi-Oh, most strategies can be narrowed down into "stopping your opponent from playing Yu-Gi-Oh" which makes the game not too interactive at times. Moreover, there are a considerable amount of barriers of entry to play modern Yu-Gi-Oh including having to know many rulings and card interactions, the high cost of cards, learning complex and convoluted combos. Not to mention how the meta often radically shifts after a new ban list/set comes out, forcing you to play another deck and re-learn the meta again. No wonder that many people yearn to play the old Yu-Gi-Oh, or need break from the current format.
In contrast, the game is much more interactive back in the era of Raiza Format. There are no such thing as unbreakable boards or infinite negates in the format. Advantages are built slowly over many turns, giving you and your opponent plenty of opportunities to interact, play mind games, and try to break each other's strategy. In modern Yu-Gi-Oh, the only thing you can do against an unbreakable board is surrender, while in Raiza Format, you can try to buy your time, and maybe with your belief in the heart of the cards, you finally pull that one card you need to save yourself from a seemingly certain defeat.
Comparison with Other Legacy Format
You might be familiar with another Yu-Gi-Oh legacy format such as Goat Format or Troop Dup Format. What's the difference between Goat and Raiza format? The obvious difference is the card pool and the forbidden and limited list used. However, more important than that, there is a difference in how the game feels in Goat and Raiza format, even though the ban list is only two and a half years apart. In a nutshell, Raiza format has less broken/powerful cards.
Note: Don't worry if you are not familiar with the cards mentioned in this sections.
The ban list of Raiza format is a rather unique one since there are no free advantage cards such as Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity, or Delinquent Duo available in the format. The three aforementioned cards are often called the "Trinity" of Goat Format decks, since they can be used in any decks, and drawing them will give you a huge advantage in the duel. In contrast to the Goat Format, all cards have their own cost and drawbacks in Raiza format.
For example, one of the most powerful draw spell in the format is Pot of Avarice. While it allows the user to draw 2 cards, it requires a considerable amount of setup. Drawing it on your early turns makes it a brick. Another example is Gold Sarcophagus, a card that allows you to search ANY cards. But it will reveal the card you are searching to your enemy as well, and it takes a few turns, allowing your opponent to make a defensive play against the card you are searching for.
Another major difference between Goat and Raiza format is the non-existence of chaos monsters and metamorphosis. Love 'em or hate 'em, chaos monsters defines the meta. Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning is a boss monster that is not only easy to summon but also very powerful and meta-defining. With a single Black Luster Soldier or a Chaos Sorcerer, you will very quickly snowball advantage within a few turns. With most of the powerful chaos cards being banned in Raiza format, the game's power level is substantially lowered. Furthermore, with Metamorphosis being banned, it effectively removed many strong fusion monsters such as Thousand-Eyes Restrict (which can indefinitely locks you attacking) from being used.
While still having strong boss monsters such as Raiza and Light and Darkness Dragon, boss monsters in Raiza format are nowhere near as strong as the old chaos monsters. Let's take a look at one of the strongest boss monster in the format: Light and Darkness Dragon. A card that will negate any effects (including your own), multiple times per turn! However, if you read more carefully into the card, you will find out that it will wipe its user field if it's destroyed! Another strong monster of the format is Raiza the Storm Monarch. Raiza can return one card from the field to the top of the owner's deck. It is indeed a very powerful effect, however, the only triggers when he is tribute summoned and is hard to abuse repeatedly.
As a conclusion, all cards in Raiza format have their own strengths and weaknesses and even the strongest boss monster has a lot of drawbacks. This allows you to create a unique deck in Raiza format that is still competitively viable. A duel in Raiza format puts less emphasis on what cards you draw, but more on how will you use them.
Note: Don't worry if you are not familiar with the cards mentioned in this sections.
The ban list of Raiza format is a rather unique one since there are no free advantage cards such as Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity, or Delinquent Duo available in the format. The three aforementioned cards are often called the "Trinity" of Goat Format decks, since they can be used in any decks, and drawing them will give you a huge advantage in the duel. In contrast to the Goat Format, all cards have their own cost and drawbacks in Raiza format.
For example, one of the most powerful draw spell in the format is Pot of Avarice. While it allows the user to draw 2 cards, it requires a considerable amount of setup. Drawing it on your early turns makes it a brick. Another example is Gold Sarcophagus, a card that allows you to search ANY cards. But it will reveal the card you are searching to your enemy as well, and it takes a few turns, allowing your opponent to make a defensive play against the card you are searching for.
Another major difference between Goat and Raiza format is the non-existence of chaos monsters and metamorphosis. Love 'em or hate 'em, chaos monsters defines the meta. Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning is a boss monster that is not only easy to summon but also very powerful and meta-defining. With a single Black Luster Soldier or a Chaos Sorcerer, you will very quickly snowball advantage within a few turns. With most of the powerful chaos cards being banned in Raiza format, the game's power level is substantially lowered. Furthermore, with Metamorphosis being banned, it effectively removed many strong fusion monsters such as Thousand-Eyes Restrict (which can indefinitely locks you attacking) from being used.
While still having strong boss monsters such as Raiza and Light and Darkness Dragon, boss monsters in Raiza format are nowhere near as strong as the old chaos monsters. Let's take a look at one of the strongest boss monster in the format: Light and Darkness Dragon. A card that will negate any effects (including your own), multiple times per turn! However, if you read more carefully into the card, you will find out that it will wipe its user field if it's destroyed! Another strong monster of the format is Raiza the Storm Monarch. Raiza can return one card from the field to the top of the owner's deck. It is indeed a very powerful effect, however, the only triggers when he is tribute summoned and is hard to abuse repeatedly.
As a conclusion, all cards in Raiza format have their own strengths and weaknesses and even the strongest boss monster has a lot of drawbacks. This allows you to create a unique deck in Raiza format that is still competitively viable. A duel in Raiza format puts less emphasis on what cards you draw, but more on how will you use them.