I also think season 1 yugioh with Egyptian god era was best most fun era. Everyone knew they weren't optimal and could make you lose the game. But summoning them always made the game fun.
Optimized decks made the game boring.
No more Egyptian god, lol, fun and stupid/ridiculous come back, etc..
Good old days.
I was reciting the Winged Dragon of Ra's chant all the time when summoning him. Didn't even cared about winning since losing was fun too at the time.
New staples like Fiendish Chain and Karma Cut are indeed necessary if you join competitive tournament. But if your only goal is KOG, old staples like Floodgate and Canadia can still bring you there easily.
Your ability to join competitive tournaments should solely depends on your personal skill level and not jpeg pictures that you own/bought with an electronic card.