Lol, defense ****.
Yeah but back then, Yata locks were the thing to look out for.
Heh, I loved my Beatdown deck. I had all the standard powerhouse monsters and magic (Version 1 featured 7 Colored Fish and Harpie's Brother, which were obviously replaced with the 1900 Attack Monster when available), and I also mixed in "defense" type cards - Waboku, Imperial Order, Solemn Judgment, etc.
I was extremely happy when Injection Fairy Lily hit the states. 12000+ Attack is positively frightening (though I didn't do this very often) - Defense **** Spear Dragon was bad enough.
Come to think of it, Yata-Locks weren't around too long, were they? As I remember it, the ban list came shortly after. I forget exactly what I put in my anti-Yata side deck, but it had a few Offerings to the Doomed (or whatever it was called - it was the Quickplay version of Tribute to the Doomed that skipped the draw phase)
By memory, here was my Beatdown deck before the first ban list:
Monsters (14)
3xGemini Elf
3xSpear Dragon
3xSummon Skull
1xJinzo
1xInjection Fairy Lily
1xSlate Warrior
1xCyber Jar
1xVampire Lord
Magic (15)
1xMonster Reborn
1xPot of Greed
1xRaigeki
2xGraceful Charity
1xHeavy Storm
1xHarpie's Feather Duster
1xPremature Burial
3xAxe of Despair
1xMage Power
1xUnited We Stand
1xChange of Heart
1xMystical Space Typhoon
Trap (11)
3xWaboku
1xImperial Order
1xSolemn Judgment
1xMagic Cylinder
1xRing of Destruction
1xBarrel Behind the Door (I <3 <3 <3'd the Ring+Barrel combo)
1xCall of the Haunted
1xMirror Force
1xTorrential Tribute
