Quick Article #7: Scientist Control

I’ve been having some interest in the Scientist Control deck I’ve been posting in my latest tournament reports, both online and in person. One player in particular emailed me directly to ask me some very good questions regarding how the deck plays, combos, match-ups, siding, and then some queries about specific card choices (such as Number 56: Gold Rat and Evilswarm Ouroboros). Since I don’t think it’s too much of stretch to assume there are more people interested than just the few who have talked to me, I’ve decided to use the quite detailed answers to the aforementioned player for the basis of this short article, describing how I play deck.

Its main goal is to get out Scientist – the heavy tendency in the construction towards drawing, searching and Special Summoning is primarily geared towards finding Magical Scientist and putting him on the field. For a first turn play, I’m going to be trying to lock the opponent out of their first turn (a second turn play will obviously be more intent on creating the best possible response to the opponent's first turn set up); depending on what the opponent is using (that is, what their Spell/Trap/Monster ratio is like, what their play patterns and possibilities are, etc.), and depending on what I’m able to find and create, some combination of Number 16: Shock Master, Photon Strike Bounzer or Evilswarm Ouroboros, backed up by my Spells and/or Traps – Imperial Order, Crush card Virus, Delinquent Duo, etc. – and/or Effect Veilers, is going to be my final set up. The aim, again, is to lock the opponent out of their turn, so the pilot needs to be able to read what they're playing, and what they'll be trying to, and able to, accomplish.

That said, though, the deck has many other options. The Chaos monsters, as well as being discard/removal fodder for the draw engine, can also be Summoned when needed. By the same token, Light and Darkness Dragon, again primarily a discard target, is also a very powerful option to be Summoned when Scientist isn't available, and is quite easily done with all of the Special Summon options. Other Monsters make Crush Card Virus live, the Extra Deck does contain a couple of Synchro Monsters which can be summoned with Effect Veiler, the Magical Scientist/Dark Strike Fighter FTK is possible, and even just Elemental Hero Stratos with some control cards can be a decent opening play. It all depends on the opening hand – the pilot will need to be able to gauge the amount of stuff he or she can do, which only comes with experience. When I play the deck, I can see my final set up from my opening six cards, and plan what I'm going to do anywhere from the second possibly play up to the twentieth possible play in advance.

If I’m going to be playing against FTKs, I'll need Hand Traps; Effect Veilers are already Mained, so the Side Deck will generally consist of Droll & Lock Birds, Hanewatas, Neko Mane Kings, Maxx "C"s, Elephant Stature of Disaster, depending on what I expect to play against. Battle based matchups are quite good, although I may want to Side more battle based cards – Snatch Steal, Dark Hole, Heavy Storm and Harpie's Feather Duster, that sort of thing. Also, some Hand Traps, such as Maxx "C" and D.D. Crow, can be good for battle based match ups – Dark World, heavy Special Summoning strategies – so I’ll consider Siding those, as well. The Side really depends on what I expect to play, and then changes accordingly. My Side, even for the same deck, is different at every tournament.

On the subject of Number 56: Gold Rat: during my turn, I quite often end up with Destiny Hero – Disk Commander and Magical Scientist on-field, and, in this scenario, rather than making a few exceeds (which obviously cost Life Points with Scientist) and leaving those two, low ATK Monsters susceptible to attacks, I summon Thousand Eyes Restrict and overlay the three for Gold Rat. I then get to draw another card, shuffle back a dead card (or my second Malicious, always helpful), put Disk Commander (by detaching him to activate Rat's effect) back into the Graveyard for another revival and draw, and have a LIGHT target if Rat hits the Grave. It seems like an odd choice, and I got a bit of crap for it at the time, but it really is very good here.

Evilswarm Ouroboros is for when I have Imperial Order. If I've drawn the Trap Card, I don't want to Summon Shock Master and call Spells – I'll already be cutting out Spells with Imperial, and doubling up on effects, except when making a fancy surprise combo, is useless. Therefore, unless I need to cut out Monster effects (which I'm most likely going to be doing with Photon Strike Bounzer or Effect Veiler anyway), I'll make Ouroboros to take another card from the opponent's hand instead.

I hope this clears up some questions that might have formed around this deck, especially since I unfortunately never got around to writing any others pieces about it.

Deck Analysis #25: Chaos Control

If there is one specific deck that the majority of people associate with the Traditional Format, it would be that widely and variably known as Cookie Cutter Chaos, Chaos Stun, Chaos Control, or any number of differing titles. While I have covered many, many Chaos variants (this is Traditional, after all, and one cannot deny the power of the archetype), I have been wholly unwilling to commit myself to the particular playstyle, it not being compatible to my own, necessary for a discussion here; furthermore, with so many players posting decklists of Chaos Control (which we will simply call it from now on) to the various message boards and other websites devoted to Yu-Gi-Oh!, as well as, recently, the overabundance of such decks in my own tournament results, I have been starved of different approaches to showcase. However, after a brainwave a few weeks ago, in which a selection of lesser-used cards, one almost never-used, presented themselves to my mind, I began building, testing, rebuilding and retesting for a possible deck analysis. Here, we have the result, a decklist of Chaos Control highly stylised towards my personal predilections, focusing on some irregular yet powerful combinations.

 

As with any Chaos variant, the overall goal of the deck is extremely simple: place LIGHT and DARK Attribute Monsters into the Graveyard, use them to summon a Chaos Monster, finally attacking with said Chaos Monster. Beyond that, the possibilities are nigh endless: some use Lightsworn Monsters for drawing and extra attacking power; some Synchro Summon to create One-Turn-Knockouts; some play Destiny Heroes for more draws and any one of the huge number of other uses they present; and so on. Here, however, in pure Chaos Control, one is trying to do only a single, very simple thing: that is, trying to present, through the use of tech cards, a gamestate in which the opponent is unable to make optimal plays, or indeed any plays at all. Through employing a series of single, utility-based, control-centric Monsters, Spells and Traps, some of which are typically seen in Stun decks (hence the previously-mentioned name, Chaos Stun), this build of Chaos aims to slowly grind the opponent into a state of submission wherein one can summon a Chaos Monster to attack for game.

 

The Monsters: 16

 

3 Thunder King Rai-Oh

2 Tour Guide from the Under World

1 Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning

1 Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End

1 Dark Armed Dragon

1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness

1 Magical Scientist

1 Cyber-Stein

1 Destiny Hero – Disk Commander

1 Dark Magician of Chaos

1 Witch of the Black Forest

1 Sangan

1 Sinister Serpent

 

I shall begin by discussing the core of the control line-up found here within the list of Monsters. Firstly, we see a full set of Thunder King Rai-Oh, a card typically played in such decks; a first-turn Thunder King, with its high ATK and pair of effects, can be one of the most devastating plays imaginable in the Advanced Format, and Traditional is no different: its ability to prevent a long list of commonly-played cards from ever being activated – think here, Painful Choice, Toon Table of Contents, Witch of the Black Forest and Reinforcement of the Army, to name a few – as well as the further ability to negate Synchro Summons, Exceed Summons, Chaos Summons, etc., makes it a forbidding sight from the opposing side of the table. Furthermore, its status as a LIGHT Attribute Monster simply adds the icing to the cake, so to speak, since, upon eventual destruction (or tributing for its own effect), it becomes fodder for a Chaos Summon of one’s own.

 

From there, Tour Guide from the Underworld, played here in its now-allotted pair, comes in to control the game the old fashioned way – with high ATK. Access to Number 17: Leviathan Dragon and Number 30: Acid Golem give not only their ability to attack as most players know quite well, but also, though it may only appear a tiny nuance, their ability to prevent an opponent from committing to their own plays; such ATK as these two cards boast acts alike to a roadblock, a stop-sign, forcing the opponent to deal with them instead of executing the play they would rather make in order to advance their own game position. In addition to this, the Tour Guides also grant access to the Wind-Up Zenmaines from the Extra Deck, unleashing its extremely powerful effect, while also, if needed, having the possibility of bringing one’s Sangan to the field for a search.

 

To complete the core control-based Monster contingent, we have the single allowed copies of both Magical Scientist and Cyber-Stein. The former is undoubtedly the more powerful of the two, Special Summoning as it does a full field of threats at once: for example, one can bring out and overlay the three copies of Darkfire Dragon for Number 16: Shock Master, detaching a material to render one type of card useless during the opponent’s turn: or, one can bring out and overlay just two Level 4 Fusions for either the Number 39: Utopia, to negate attacks, or the Steelswarm Roach, to negate Special Summons (as with Thunder King); or, one can bring to the field and overlay the two copies of Flame Ghost for any of the Rank 3 Exceeds; or, indeed, one can accomplish any two or three of these summons at once. The Scientist is all about versatility, here, while the Cyber-Stein, not to be outdone or forgotten, grants the possibility of summoning Naturia Exterio, undoubtedly one of the most powerful options in the Traditional Format owing to the reliance on Spell Cards. Each, of course, can also summon Thousand-Eyes Restrict, as usual, if required.

 

The list of Monster Cards is completed by win conditions, general aiding and consistency options, or choices one might term ‘staples’: the two Envoys quite clearly check in, but as does Dark Armed Dragon – the deck is able to place enough DARK Attribute Monsters into the Graveyard for its summon, owing primarily to the Exceed mechanic, but, since it operates at a far slower pace than many others, also has to time to build that infrastructure required; Gorz the Emissary of Darkness prevents battle-based (and sometimes burn-based) One-Turn-Knockouts; Dark Magician of Chaos and Destiny Hero – Disk Commander turn Monster Reborn and Premature Burial into draw or Spell-retrieval cards; Sangan and Witch of Black Forest can search, depending upon which, for any Monster one might require save only a few; and Sinister Serpent becomes an easy inclusion when the deck packs so many discard-costed Spells and Traps (more on that in the following sections).

 

The Spells: 15

 

2 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Mirage of Nightmare

1 Pot of Greed

1 Graceful Charity

1 Allure of Darkness

1 Painful Choice

1 Monster Reborn

1 Premature Burial

1 Raigeki

1 Harpie’s Feather Duster

1 Snatch Steal

1 The Forceful Sentry

1 Delinquent Duo

1 Confiscation

 

One will see taking centre stage in the above list of Spells the card alluded to in the introduction as ‘almost never-used’ – that is, Mirage of Nightmare. With so much of the strategy herein accomplished by simple cards which require very little or even no interaction whatsoever from others, there was a surplus of space to be found whilst designing the deck. This allowed me to lean far more towards my eccentric tendencies than usual, including a long list of cards that are so close yet so far from being viable, this example being the most singular one. Quite simply, Mirage of Nightmare has the potential to be absolutely amazing; since the deck can commit so many cards at once (a Monster, some hand control, and then some Traps), the opportunity to activate Mirage of Nightmare, draw four new cards, and then chain with Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying the Mirage in order to keep all cards drawn, was simply too tantalizing to pass up. That play is a plus two (+2) in card presence (not to mention the access to fresh options), which, when the opponent is already under constant pressure, can be devastating. Only two Mystical Space Typhoons have been included, for, while it is a decent choice in its own right, chaining to Imperial Order to force through Spells or pre-empting Ring of Destruction, I think it not quite good enough to warrant the third (space was not quite that surplus).

 

The remainder of the Spell Cards are all rather ordinary inclusions (more interesting choices emerge in the Trap line-up), and is a combination of regular additions for drawing, searching, summoning, and field and hand controlling: Pot of Greed and Graceful Charity sit alongside the only specific draw Spell, Allure Darkness, as a means to find new and/or extra options; Painful Choice comes in to set up the Graveyard for the entire game, as it does in most others, although I will admit that I was hard pressed to keep it here – with only three optimal targets, and combos few and far between, it is rather risky in my opinion, but it has been listed for this analysis; Monster Reborn and Premature Burial allow either the recovery of a needed Monster or potential plays with Dark Magician of Chaos and Destiny Hero – Disk Commander; Raigeki, Harpie’s Feather Duster and Snatch Steal all check in for their arguable status as the best of the ‘big six’ field control options (the other three being Dark Hole, Heavy Storm and Change of Heart); and, to round out the list, the full hand control suite is present and accounted for – the massive swings in advantage The Forceful Sentry, Delinquent Duo and Confiscation create, not only by removing powerful cards but also by the knowledge gained to play around others, has rightly been considered one of the most powerful effects in any Trading Card Game, not just Yu-Gi-Oh!, and are almost given additions to a control-centred deck.

 

The Traps: 6

 

2 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast

1 Crush Card Virus

1 Imperial Order

1 Ring of Destruction

1 Trap Dustshoot

 

The selection of Traps round out the listed Main Deck by continuing its most prominent feature – the fact that cards one might ordinarily find in such a deck proudly sit beside others which very few people would have considered. Here, specifically, we see in the former category those three Traps which, through the past years of constructing and playing within the Traditional Format, I have found are the most consistently powerful in a battle-based strategy: Crush Card Virus and Ring of Destruction do so much in terms of controlling the field and hand that, when presented with the space (and, while considering the Virus, the Tribute potential), it would quite simply be a crime to omit them. Similarly (though, if possible, more so), Imperial Order is without a doubt the best Trap Card to open with, as I have alluded to many times before, for the ability it grants to shut down, more often than not, the opponent’s entire gameplan can easily be translated into a first-turn victory.

 

With these three obvious choices set in place, we discover then, as aforementioned, the final three cards occupying the realm of technically interesting. Owing to the speed at which Life Points are depleted within the Traditional Format (including, noticeable here, by the player’s own cards), as well as the need for chainable and versatile defence, I have long held the view that Phoenix Wing Wind Blast is a superior card to others we might use in its place (Solemn Warning, Bottomless Trap Hole and Dimensional Prison all spring to mind); the amount of possible discards, and even one that can be retrieved (Sinister Serpent), also aid in this decision. Moreover, the ability to further disrupt the opponent’s plays by placing the targeted card on top of their deck instead of destroying it, forcing them to redraw it a turn later, makes it preferable in my opinion to other, similar cards such as Raigeki Break. Finally, the list is completed by the single allowed copy of Trap Dustshoot, continuing the overall goal of control and the sub-goal of hand control by offering one more chance to remove a needed Monster from the opponent’s repertoire, also granting, as with the Spells discussed previously, important information as to further plays. 

 

+ 3 Tech cards

 

I have left the above decklist at only thirty-seven cards, allowing the last three slots to be chosen by the individual wishing to test the deck in their own environment. One might play a set of Effect Veiler, a set of Droll & Lock Bird, a set of Doomcaliber Knight, or any combination of such cards or others; it merely depends upon the specific circumstance.

 

The Extra Deck: 15

 

3 Darkfire Dragon

2 Karbonala Warrior

2 Flame Ghost

1 Thousand-Eyes Restrict

1 Naturia Exterio

1 Number 39: Utopia

1 Number 16: Shock Master

1 Steelswarm Roach

1 Number 17: Leviathan Dragon

1 Number 30: Acid Golem

1 Wind-Up Zenmaines

 

The entirety of this list was discussed while talking earlier of Magical Scientist and Cyber-Stein; I record it here merely for reference purposes.

 

I stated quite plainly in the introduction, and then alluded to many times throughout the remainder of the analysis, that the deck herein was a build of Chaos Control heavily modified to suite my own penchants – that it contained many of the commonplaces of the strategy intermingled with more unconventional choices, choices which may not be considered up to scratch by some. Obviously I disagree with this latter notion; while there are undoubtedly bad cards, ones which should never under any circumstances be played in a competitive environment, there also exists a lazy attitude by subpar players towards making that decision (or the reverse) for themselves. It is my fervent position that such risks need to be taken in order to fully understand the intricacies of deck architecture and construct the fastest, most powerful, most consistent decks imaginable. Through this desire for understanding, I have come to present this wholly unusual control-based Chaos strategy which arguably has the potential to outstrip the norms in terms of speed, power, consistency, potential plays and versatility of plays, while never sacrificing, for the most part, the stability of a simple, single card-oriented deck. Such would not be possible without observing what other people are saying about particular decks and individual cards, and then saying to oneself: “I think that’s wrong”; “That could be better”; or “I’d like to try that and see if it really works”. There is no harm in trying, and sometimes the results are worth it.

Deck Analysis #23: Fusion Control

I should like to begin this analysis with a quote – one of my own, in fact: “It is true that in the Traditional Format, many cards long since forgotten in the Advanced Format become playable; this is due to the abundance of effects that have been deemed too powerful for Advanced Format game-play (and subsequently Forbidden), and with Cyber-Stein, Magical Scientist and Metamorphosis, Fusion Monsters are just one group of such cards. Through the three aforementioned cards, immensely powerful Monsters such as Thousand Eyes Restrict, Cyber Twin Dragon, Dark Balter the Terrible, and Ryu Senshi – just to name but a few – become highly playable in the Top Tier. While it would be plausible for me to illustrate how to build around any of these cards (and that is something I will indeed do at a later date). . .” – and yet, inexplicably, I never have. This quote comes from the Absolute Zero analysis I composed all the way back in 2010, only the second ever to be published after the construction of the Traditional Format Academy, and, while I made this statement so long ago, I have since failed to make good on the promise it contained.

Now, I should point out that this is not, in any part, due to my inability to do so, nor is it due to a changing of opinion regarding that specific idea. Nay; neither of these reasons even comes close to explaining the problems encountered hitherto. In truth (which is far less interesting than it might sound), I have instead merely been far too interested in – and, therefore, too busy exploring – other possibilities within this amazing format. However, I recently decided, after reviewing my quite frankly enormous list of potential featured decks and undertaking some subsequent research into promising builds, decided that the time had finally come when Fusion Control would be the unhindered subject of a full discourse. Thus, in the following paragraphs, I will be expounding upon a strategy that discovers its win condition through the use of those Monsters highly underutilized – or, at the least, not utilized to their fullest degree – in the format of Yu-Gi-Oh! that can bring out their full power – those Monsters that have been slowly but surely bolstered into competitive viability through extremely strong additions to their numbers since the beginning of the game (and, specifically, a very notable one just recently).

The Monsters: 16

2 Tragoedia

2 Destiny Hero – Malicious

1 Destiny Hero – Disk Commander

1 Elemental Hero Stratos

1 Dark Magician of Chaos

1 Dark Armed Dragon

1 Cyber-Stein

1 Magical Scientist

1 Sangan

1 Witch of the Black Forest

1 Yata-Garasu

1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness

1 Magician of Faith

1 Sinister Serpent

The deck is essentially a combination of the remaining allowable parts from the four most infamous, most powerful Fusion-based decks in the history of this great game. Those are, in no particular order: Goat Control; T-Hero (or Destiny Hero Beatdown); Cyber-Stein; and Magical Scientist. Although this single deck can and must be classed as an amalgamation of several, consistency has in no way been sacrificed. Instead, each and every element seemingly disparate on first glance overlaps to create a degree of synergy almost unheard of in control-based strategies. For this reason, it will be extremely difficult to discuss each component on its own, so instead I shall note every card and its uses as they come up.

To begin with, I should like to give explanation on the inclusion and uses of the Destiny Hero engine, for it brings possibly the most complicated and interesting synergy to the deck (as is quite often the case). Not only does the prospect of extra drawing power through the use of Destiny Draw stand out, as well as the extra deck thinning afforded then by the necessary copies of Reinforcement of the Army and Elemental Hero Stratos, but the actual Destiny Heroes themselves, as they should, find special uses – namely in the prospect of using their Special Summons, essentially free of any costs due to their effects, to Tribute for Metamorphosis: Destiny Hero – Malicious, clearly included at its allowed two copies, provides fast and simple access to the admittedly short but essential list of Level Six Fusion Monsters in the Extra Deck; and Destiny Hero – Disk Commander, in addition to the extra drawing potential prominent in other strategies, also gives, through the activation of the aforementioned Spell Card, the ability to access the Level One Fusion from our list of win conditions. I would dearly have liked to include a fourth Destiny Hero (thus giving three discards for the two copies of Destiny Draw), but I was simply unable to find room or further justification.

From there, we find what might be to some a rather surprising two copies of Tragoedia. Now, the Monster Card is most definitely good – there is no doubt in anybody’s mind about this fact – but it is most often reserved for decks that can maintain hand presence in order to increase its ATK, through its own effect, to a substantial size. While this is entirely possible in the Traditional Format, there is no such goal, here; instead, the copies of Tragoedia are for the express purpose of Tributing, as with the Destiny Heroes, for Metamorphosis: its status as a Level Ten Monster (and a relatively easily to Summon Level Ten Monster, at that) makes it prime fodder for the Special Summon from the Extra Deck of Naturia Exterio, the card noted at the end of the introductory paragraph. There is a possible argument here against the running of Tragoedia – namely, the card is too low on utility and, most especially in the First-Turn-Knockout match-up, can be completely useless in a number of situations. I find this to be a valid point; however, I also find that through careful play (and siding them out when facing an FTK) the two copies of Tragoedia are rarely dead weight, and are in fact a powerful option.

The quite obviously included Cyber-Stein and Magical Scientist are found here at their single allowed copies. While the latter only grants a one-time use of a certain Fusion (I say ‘only’, but this is still an invaluable resource in the situations where its need arises), the former, although with an effect attached to a hefty Life Point payment, is the real star of the duo; with instant access to every single Fusion Monster within the perfectly constructed Extra Deck, the versatility Cyber-Stein offers is unparalleled: fear of an opponent’s Spells, Traps or Monster effects; facing down too many Monsters, or too big a Monster; a defence position Monster lying between oneself and chance at game – all are solved. I will, of course, make note of the very necessary immense amount of thought that should go into activating the effect, for, with the cost being so high (and, furthermore, with its own ATK so low), the probability of backfire if activated at an incorrect moment is likewise great. This statement also applies to Magical Scientist, if slightly less.

The list of Monsters cards is thence rounded out by primarily generic picks, some for their effects in aiding the central strategy and number of Level stars, others merely their effect: Dark Magician of Chaos, of the Level Eight, retrieves a needed Spell Card (quite often Metamorphosis in this case); Dark Armed Dragon, with seven Levels, becomes a clear inclusion with the amount of DARK attribute Monsters present to offer another win condition; Sangan and Witch of the Black Forest (of unimportant Levels) search for any needed small Monster Card; Yata-Garasu continues the control of the game, locking out the all-important Draw Phase; Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, with seven stars, prevents OTKs while also giving a free Token (again, Level Seven) which can then be Tributed for Metamorphosis; Magician of Faith, another Level one, can again retrieve a Spell Card for a second or third use; and Sinister Serpent, a further Monster of single Level, provides free discard or Tribute fodder for the various such cards played here. 

The Spells: 18

2 Destiny Draw

1 Pot of Greed

1 Graceful Charity

1 Allure of Darkness

1 Painful Choice

1 Reinforcement of the Army

1 Monster Reborn

1 Premature Burial

1 Scapegoat

1 Metamorphosis

1 The Forceful Sentry

1 Delinquent Duo

1 Confiscation

1 Harpie’s Feather Duster

1 Snatch Steal

1 Dark Hole

1 Raigeki

The list of Sell Cards is constructed in such a way that three distinct categories become apparent, each one offering something special to the strategy: draw and search cards; specific Fusion-aiding cards; and hand and field control. They all do, of course, share one goal in common – that is, their overall ability to power the strategy through its game plan as quickly and consistently as possible.

To begin, we find a group of seven cards within the first category. The two copies of Destiny Draw and single Reinforcement of the Army, already mentioned, complete the Destiny Hero engine, adding desirable speed to a deck otherwise relying on simple, generic forms. The same can be said of the single allowed copy of Allure of Darkness, permissible due to the large DARK count. Pot of Greed and Graceful Charity can be found here as most obvious inclusions, requiring little justification, although the latter does require, as is always the case when running Graveyard-centric effects, the note of being able to discard such cards for later use. The last card in this category, Painful Choice, is one I must admit I was sceptical about adding: while there is no doubt that the Spell is absolutely incredible in many strategies, I was for a long time (and still am, to be completely honest) of the opinion that, with only four prime targets for its effect (the fifth spot then being filled by either a piece to a combo or a card functionally dead), the slot would be better off spent on something else. I have included it in this analysis for its overall power and status here as ‘good’, but would urge the reader to make their own decision regarding its validity.

Next, we come to the suite abovementioned as ‘specific Fusion-aiding cards’. Made up of three Special Summon cards and Metamorphosis, the set is focused on creating a Monster which can then be Tributed to the named Spell Card in order to bring to the field the necessary Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck. Monster Reborn and Premature Burial, two of the three Special Summon cards, are no doubt the most versatile, being able to create any Level that one may require (given the correct Monsters in the Graveyard, of course), but also clearly contain other uses beside merely this. On the other hand, Scapegoat, the third, really only has this application (outside of a possible roadblock in the OTK match-up): Tributing a Sheep Token in order to Special Summon Thousand-Eyes Restrict was the central basis of the Goat Control deck cited earlier, and, although several other tricks from that strategy are dropped for space and modernity issues, this aspect is most definitely a powerful and worthy addition to this deck.

Completing this section of the examination, the final category of Spell Cards is compiled from both hand and field control options, the most powerful available. Confiscation, Delinquent Duo and The Forceful Sentry most notably aid in forcing the opponent into the desired state of inaction, limiting their hand size and removing options before they have a chance to become threats. Conversely but complimentary, the field control cards – namely, Harpie’s Feather Duster, Snatch Steal, Dark Hole and Raigeki – remove those threats already posed in order to regain one’s grip over the game, forcing the opponent back into the mentioned state to subsequently end in defeat. While these are mostly obvious picks, the lack of Change of Heart requires a note, I think: with only Metamorphosis providing an easy route to the full removal of a Monster (Tribute Summoning being extremely rare), the card is simply too high a risk to think about running here, and so its slot has been given to something far safer and better in the long run.

The Traps: 6

3 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast

1 Crush Card Virus

1 Ring of Destruction

1 Imperial Order

Half – or, at the very least, a third – of the above list of Trap Cards requires little to no justification: Imperial Order and Ring of Destruction are quite simply the two most powerful controlling Traps ever printed, while Crush Card Virus, possibly the only choice to be annotated, is no doubt of equal – and, in some cases, greater – strength when the option to play it presents itself (as the high number of possible Tributes does here). However, the full set of Phoenix Wing Wind Blast likely stand out as a potential oddity, and thus conversation is needed to explain its addition. I have made this somewhat questionable decision for the primary reason of versatility: with other potential cards only removing Monsters, and only destroying them, the ability that Wind Blast offers, in the shape of sending any card to top of the opponent’s deck (thus manipulating their draws, as well), is far more desirable in the simplified gamestate that the deck aims to create. Having the facility to also include a retrievable source of discard fodder (Sinister Serpent) helps to makes this a far simpler decision if the Traditional Format.

Extra: 15

2 Naturia Exterio

2 Ryu Senshi

1 Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon

1 Cyber End Dragon

1 Cyber Twin Dragon

1 Cyber Ogre 2

1 Gatling Dragon

1 Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill

1 Dark Blade the Dragon Knight

1 Dark Balter the Terrible

1 Fiend Skull Dragon

1 Reaper on the Nightmare

1 Thousand-Eyes Restrict

Now, for the purposes of this theoretical representation of a Fusion-based control deck, I have taken the necessary direction in constructing the entire Extra Deck out of Fusion Monsters (this might not be the case in a practical, tournament-designed deck, hence I am making this point). A Full range of Levels, all the way from Ten down to One, has been included in order to create the most versatility across the board of possible gamestates that one might face; the effects of some might appear to be rather rare candidates for use, but, with no other potentialities to utilize the Extra Deck in another way, I figure the space is far from wasted.

These Monsters and their uses appear thus: first, a pair of Naturia Exterio and a pair of Ryu Senshi, Level Ten and Level Six, respectively, each negate Spells and/or Traps, and find inclusion at two copies for being essentially the stars of the control show, more or less shutting down an opponent’s entire gameplan when played correctly – Fiend Skull Dragon and Dark Balter the Terrible are also a part of this most important group for their effects, negating Monster effects and Spells, respectively, although both are only played at a single copy due to their relative difficulty in being Summoned (only Cyber-Stein and Magical Scientist have access to them, there being no Level Five Monsters to Tribute for Metamorphosis); next, single copies of each Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Cyber End Dragon, Cyber Twin Dragon, Cyber Ogre 2 and Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill function to control the field using their ATK scores and battle-based effects; and, lastly, single copies of each Gatling Dragon, Dark Blade the Dragon Knight, Reaper on the Nightmare and Thousand-Eyes Restrict come in to fill those previously stated, somewhat random yet most definitely required applications that undoubtedly rear their heads in competitive play. 

It must be said that, in a competitive setting (although I have indeed used that word throughout the analysis), it would be very rare to come up against a deck based entirely around Fusion Monsters, as this one is; while it does boast many amazingly powerful plays that are extremely difficult for an opponent to break (especially in the FTK match-up), such a strategy is inherently slow and inconsistent due in simple point of fact to the inability to run more than one copy of each Fusion-creating card. The case most often will be a Cyber-Stein, a Magical Scientist or a Metamorphosis splashed into another deck, along with a small but carefully chosen selection of the most powerful Fusions slotted into the normal Extra Deck of that particular strategy. Having said that, I feel it necessary, during my in depth exploration of the Traditional Format, to look at all the possibilities, and, as stated in the introduction, a control deck centred solely on Fusions was something I had been meaning to do for quite some time. I admit the tone of this conclusion might seem like I am not happy with the result – this is not true: nay, I have spent a great deal of time researching and testing, then researching and testing again and again and again, in order to design the fastest, most powerful, most consistent Fusion Control I could, and I am extremely happy with the results. Whether it can be a contender in the modern Traditional Format, however, will require further study.

Deck Analysis #21: Norleras Control

When considering the vast realm of obscure yet highly promising decks in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game (which I myself, quite clearly, am very fond of doing), there is no doubt that the one known simply as Norleras Control is the strategy just hanging on the fringe of being competitively viable. It is, indeed, the one deck which, time after time, rears its head at mostly random intervals on internet forums and local tournament floors. To the best of my knowledge, however, only a single premier-level Day Two showing can be attributed to its name, that made by James Laurent at the 2009 Shonen Jump Championship in Orlando; and yet, despite this somewhat troubling fact, it boasts one of the most powerful effects known to almost any similar card game, is capable of utilizing one of the fastest and most consistent engines imaginable, and can easily and swiftly create one of the most difficult gamestates to come back from. Without further ado, I shall, in this analysis, spend the time to revisit, reconstruct and discuss this seemingly long-lost strategy, transporting its simple, strict structure and burgeoning potential into the Traditional Format where it will, as is always the case, realise its full power.

If one reading this should be unaware of the single win condition that the Norleras Control deck attempts to create, I will find it necessary to now describe it: through using a number of cards intended to send the eponymous Monster, Sky Scourge Norleras, to the Graveyard without involving the single allotted Normal Summon for the turn, one then Normal Summons a copy of Phantom of Chaos, subsequently activating its effect to mimic the aforementioned Sky Scourge Norleras and send every card on the field and in both players hands to the Graveyard. Since the player who accomplishes this plan of attack draws one card upon completely resolving the borrowed effect, that player thus finds him- or herself in a state of card advantage, and, with the remainder of the deck designed with the express purpose of forming desirable top-decks, said player is able to execute manoeuvres which, while in a complicated gamestate would be considered weak, are instead here extremely powerful – eventually game winning. Now, there have been numerous attempts, I am well aware, to formulate decks which employ other, supplementary strategies once the field and hands have been wiped clean (those being Graveyard-based, such as Zombies or ones centred on Blackwing – Vayu the Emblem of Honour), but I find that such alterations, while undoubtedly impressive when they work, only decrease consistency. I will, therefore, be running with the proven skeleton of the deck, forgoing any fancy tricks to create a build of Norleras Control which is fast, consistent and precise.

The Monsters: 22

3 Phantom of Chaos
3 The Dark Creator
3 Dark Grepher
3 Sky Scourge Norleras
2 Dark Nephthys
2 Destiny Hero – Malicious
1 Plaguespreader Zombie
1 Yata-Garasu
1 Dark Magician of Chaos
1 Destiny Hero – Disk Commander
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Sinister Serpent

One will find the Monster line-up (and, indeed, the entire decklist) to be a delicate balance between cards which aid in achieving the desired gamestate, and cards which function within said gamestate. To begin with, I will discuss the former, the set of options which, in one way or another, create the set-up that the strategy thrives on.

There is, of course, the distinct requirement for cards that can send the needed copy of Sky Scourge Norleras to the Graveyard. I have, in order to accomplish this goal, made the inclusion of a full three copies of Dark Grepher. I have chosen this over Armageddon Knight for two reasons, one vastly imperative, the other not so much: firstly (and most importantly), it does not, when utilized correctly – that is, when activating its Special Summon effect, which I should note can be done very easily here, owing to the large amount of Level 5 or higher DARK Attribute Monsters – use up the single allowed Normal Summon for the turn; and secondly, it also has the ability to send, through both of its effects in unison, a total of three needed Monster Cards to the Graveyard, as opposed to the mere single that Armageddon Knight allows. One is able, in this way, to search for other cards (notes of which will be given presently) required to create combos once the field and hands have been cleared.

From there, a full three copies of Phantom of Chaos, the Monster that allows the pilot to execute Norleras’ effect once it has been sent whither it needs to be, have been included, followed then by the obvious set of Sky Scourge Norleras itself. Three copies is quite essential, for there are some troublesome situations to warrant such a concentrated addition of an otherwise dead draw: for example, the opponent may Removes from Play one’s Norleras before it can be used; or a second or even a third use may be required if an opponent is able to re-establish control of the game after the first. I was, in conjunction with these reasons, very keen, early in my testing, to include also the single allowed copy of Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End, but I was simply unable to find the room. While it would indeed have been a welcome inclusion, functioning, in this instance, as a pseudo-Norleras, I could not discover any reason for justifying the removal of another card for it, and thought that, under the circumstances, any position where it would be required would be far too rare. It is, while a nice idea, not necessarily crucial to success here, and was thus easily omitted.

Next, we come to the group of cards which function within the created gamestate – that is, the Monsters which become, for all intensive purposes, one’s line of attack once the effect of Sky Scourge Norleras has successfully resolved. To begin with, we find a full set of The Dark Creator; with the fact that every Monster already included is of the DARK Attribute, and the ease with which one can load them into the Graveyard, The Dark Creator becomes an easy fit here while also boasting large ATK and DEF points and an immensely powerful effect in a simplified gamestate. It can also be discarded for the Special Summon of a Dark Grepher. From there, a pair of Dark Nephthys comes in as another excellent top-deck with its effect, size and ease of summon; it is possible, of course, to also activate its effect prior to clearing the field and the hands. Furthermore, it can also be discarded for the Special Summon of a Dark Grepher. We find then a pair of Destiny Hero – Malicious, for it can easily be discarded with a Dark Grepher (either through the cost for its second effect or, as with the previous two Monsters, to Special Summon it) or any of the Spell Cards to be annotated later on, and can provide some free field presence. The single allowed copy of Plaguespreader Zombie also finds its way here, both for its simple ability of coming back from the Graveyard and the additional use of placing a combo card back onto the top of the deck prior to activating the effect of Norleras, thereby creating an optimal draw with which to create card presence.

Finally, this section is completed as Dark Armed Dragon and Yata-Garasu fall into line each in their allotted single copies, being so amazing as they are as top-decks in the first place but, here, functioning even better as such in the desired drastically simplified gamestate. The former, of course, can also be discarded for the Special Summon of a Dark Grepher if drawn before one has executed the win condition.

The full list of Monsters Cards is rounded out by the three options which cross the proverbial border into both components of the strategy. Dark Magician of Chaos, Sinister Serpent and Destiny Hero – Disk Commander all, in their way, either aid in the setting up of the win condition or, alternately, as a way of boosting one’s card presence (and also, in the case of the first, one’s attacking potential) after the effect of Norleras has been achieved.

The Spells: 18

3 Upstart Goblin
3 Hand Destruction
1 Pot of Greed
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Graceful Charity
1 Card Destruction
1 Painful Choice
1 Foolish Burial
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 Monster Reborn
1 Premature Burial
1 Dimension Fusion
1 Snatch Steal
1 Raigeki

We will find again, here, no doubt, the distinct feature of the deck being split into two almost completely separate categories – that is, pre-Norleras and post-Norleras. In terms of the Spell Card line-up, one can see that both Hand Destruction and Upstart Goblin have been included at their highest possible amount, three copies. The former grants the ability of not only drawing more cards, but also that of placing required into the Graveyard to facilitate combos; I have chosen Hand Destruction for this purpose for the simple reason that, while generally constituting a minus one (-1) in card presence, it allows the pilot to discard other, needed Monster Cards (such as Disk Commander and Sinister Serpent) that it would be otherwise impossible to accomplish (such as with, for example, Trade-in, the other most logical choice given the sheer number of Level 8 Monsters). It can also, furthermore, turn dead, unneeded cards into live ones, and the minus becomes moot upon resolving Sky Scourge Norleras, anyway. The latter (Upstart Goblin) provides a single draw, plain and simple, making it a fantastic card during either gamestate by either drawing one towards more set-up cards or towards more attacking cards.

From there, the remainder of the cards within this category are what we might indeed term the ‘obvious inclusions’: namely, Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity, Allure of Darkness and Card Destruction to draw (and discard) more cards, and Painful Choice, Reinforcement of the Army and Foolish Burial to search, in their own individual way, for Monster Cards for future use in combos.

I should say, before I go any further, that I dearly would have liked to include Trade-in, even though I did seemingly disregard it earlier. With a total of nine Level 8 Monsters, there is no doubt in my mind that it would have been incredibly consistent, although only prior to executing the win condition; it would only prove, therefore, to be a dead draw once the effect of Sky Scourge Norleras had successfully been resolved, which would, in this way, decrease consistency in the second half of the gameplan. For this reason, as well as the fact that, through testing, I found that the deck functioned well enough without it, in most instances, I decided it would be better if the card was omitted.

With that taken care of, the second grouping is begun and concluded by the addition of Monster Reborn, Premature Burial and Dimension Fusion for Special Summoning Monsters, and Snatch Steal and Raigeki for preventing an opponent from fighting back. Although the first three cards can, of course, be used to initiate or facilitate the summon of the Magician or the Disk Commander to draw more cards, or a Phantom of Chaos in order to execute the win condition, the last two are effectively the only Spell Cards that function solely in the simplified gamestate; they are undoubtedly amazing top-decks, either instantly destroying any field an opponent may be lucky enough to produce from their reduced card presence, or, alternatively (and superiorly), stealing that field for one’s own use.

Note for me, please, the absence of Harpie’s Feather Duster. I had been running this card in many of the preliminary versions of the strategy, but it was one of the very first cards to be removed on the way to the above completed decklist. I will admit that it is a welcome draw in the early game (that is, before one has cleared the field and the hands) should one be playing second, in order to destroy any counters to the strategy in Spell or Trap form, but I find it is too much of a dead top-deck in the post-Norleras gamestate. There is already enough possibility of that happening without inciting it further, so I ultimately decided it was better off in the Side Deck, and its Main Deck slot used for something more synergistic in the long run.

I can find but one simple reason not to play this deck at a high-level tournament: and that is the fact that it is so easily countered in the current position of the game. With the heavy reliance the deck possesses on the Graveyard and the use of a face-up Monster (to the point where the strategy is literally unable to do anything at all if the single win condition is prevented), a timely Effect Veiler or D.D. Crow, both of which are very common choices in triplicate in Traditional Format Side Decks, denotes the most horrible doom ever imaginable – which is, basically, an instant loss. Having said that, however, I would in no way decry the Norleras Control strategy as a useless oddity, for, despite this flaw (which I will admit, nonetheless, is rather a large one), it is extremely fast and extremely consistent, and, once the field and hands have been wiped clean through the effect of Sky Scourge Norleras, a very difficult deck to combat against. I feel the need to disclose its weakness, as I do with every similar deck, only for the reason of a disclaimer, so that readers will not think that I am declaring the deck herein to be a flawless, premier tournament winner, but instead a continuation of my journey through this amazing format. In the science of Yu-Gi-Oh! (or, indeed, any card game), there is always – always – something new to be seen, different to be considered, or old to be reanalysed, and, although that thing might not prove to be the most amazing thing ever accomplished, it is still worth the time and effort to explore.

Deck Essay #18: Chaos Monarchs

Within the Traditional Format, there is, due to the vastly increased number of options permissible by additional cards unavailable in Advanced, some strategies which, while fallen out of favour in this latter format, are still very much alive and well – this is true, and is something I have noted many times. However, not only do specific, famous decks become playable, but individual engines also discover extra potential here; and, with Magician of Faith being not only a legal card, but also a highly playable card in the Traditional Format (a format governed, for all intensive purposes, by Spell Cards, to which the Magician extends its ever useful recursion effect), Apprentice Magician is no doubt one such engine. Wishing to explore, as I do, this amazing format in the greatest depth possible, I have come to this facet as my next port of call, so to speak, following classical conventions to reconstruct a deck which has not, to the best of my knowledge, seen the light of day for quite some years now: I am talking, of course, about the Apprentice Monarch deck.

I must first declare that it was, of course, by no vast stretch of the imagination that I arrived at Monarchs as a suitable win condition to pair with the Apprentice Magician engine. However, I was very quickly clued in to the fact that there was also the potential for the addition of an extra, supplementary set of powerful Monsters; this possibility struck me from almost the very first instance, when I no less noticed, in the very early stages of testing, that Apprentice Magician, a DARK Attribute Monster, searches the deck for Magician of Faith, a LIGHT Attribute Monster. It was then that more and still more support for the inclusion of Chaos Monsters began to reveal itself to me, and that I continued to postulate not only the distinct opportunity to create a deck playing two synergistic win conditions, but moreover the distinct opportunity to run two immensely powerful win conditions within one immensely synergistic deck. Through the utilization of a free Monster generating engine that comprises both LIGHT and DARK Attribute Monsters, as well as the addition of the oft-forgotten Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, the two disparate themes merge flawlessly to create something that I had hitherto not considered.

The Monsters: 20

3 Caius the Shadow Monarch
2 Zaborg the Thunder Monarch
2 Raiza the Storm Monarch
2 Cyber Dragon
2 Apprentice Magician
1 Magician of Faith
1 Crystal Seer
1 Old Vindictive Magician
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
1 Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning
1 Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End
1 Dark Magician of Chaos
1 Destiny Hero – Disk Commander
1 Treeborn Frog

Now, while I would never declare (and would never attempt to deceive people thus) that Monarchs are a viable deck type in a large-scale, professional-level tournament, I have found, through not only playing them multiple times, but also writing about them multiple times, that they are more than capable of holding their own, and, in the hands of a skilled player, very capable of winning, at the local-level of competition. Furthermore, the Monarch deck also presents to us, from the academic point of view, the extraordinary prospect of studying governing theories, both in terms of deck architecture and in-game decision making. That kind of tool, and especially when it be attached to such a practiced deck, is invaluable.

I shall begin by discussing the Monarch Monsters, which are, by and large, the central win conditions (the Chaos Monsters, while obviously extremely powerful, shan’t be drawn each and every game). In the past, I have taken the approach of reducing the line-up of Monarchs in favour of either extra acceleration or extra Trap cards; here, I have done no such thing, instead choosing to embrace the established principle, in classical architectural educations, to play seven Monarchs. Without the aforementioned extensive support in other areas of the deck, this number (which has been proven time and time again throughout history, most notably by Adam Corn’s victory at the 2007 United States National Championships) is both achievable and welcome.

A note on the decisions behind individual Monarchs: for mostly obvious reasons, Caius the Shadow Monarch has been included at a full three copies; not only does it boast by far the greatest of the Monarch effects, being able to completely remove a threat from the opponent’s side of field, no matter what type of card it might be, but it also holds one of the two needed Attributes that facilitate the proper functioning of this deck; furthermore, while not being immensely powerful, the possible burn damage is still worthy of note, especially in regards to a format during which Life Points are exchanged at such an alarmingly fast rate. Thence, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch has been included as the primary thread which ties the two themes together; in addition to this aspect of being of the other needed Attribute, however, Zaborg, of course, stands upon its own two feet with its destruction effect, which, while clearly not as powerful as that of Caius, is still exceptionally strong, warranting two copies. Finally, the ensemble of Monarch Monsters is rounded out by the addition of two copies of Raiza the Storm Monarch, which steps in either when the previous two are unavailable or contraindicated by the game-state; on occasion, the spinning effect of Raiza can be far more the powerful option than the removal effect of Caius or the destruction of Zaborg – for example, if one were to return an opposing Chaos Monster to the top of the deck at a time in which the opponent cannot summon it again, causing them to draw it dead.

I should now like to discuss the Apprentice Magician engine, the driving force behind the deck – the very foundations upon which the remainder of the deck was constructed. Firstly, two copies of the engine’s namesake, Apprentice Magician, have been included; one would only generally find two copies, as opposed to three, necessary, due to the fact that search targets will not always be available, having been drawn or searched already, creating dead draws; in addition, there is simply not enough room to run three, should such a thing be so desired. Next, the three search targets have all been included at a single copy each, owing to the allowance to only play one or the necessity in keeping the spread of effects as versatile as possible: Magician of Faith, the central reason for playing this engine in the first place, allows the retrieval of Spell Cards from the Graveyard, and (as aforementioned), in a format defined by its extensive list of powerful Spells, is very welcome; Old Vindictive Magician, which is another DARK Attribute Monster, brings with it the distinct opportunity to search for Monster destruction, being thus able to deal with two Monsters at once when followed by the summon of a Monarch; and, last but by no means least, Crystal Seer is included as a searchable form of drawing power, granting access to an extra card when flipped, which is, all in all, a potent option should the previous search targets not be desirable. Each of these is also, of course, useful when drawn by themselves.

To further enhance this suite of tribute-generating Monsters, two copies of Cyber Dragon and the ever-important Treeborn Frog have then been included. The former, while setting up for the instant summon of a Monarch, as it always does in such strategies, also stands out as being one of the necessary two Attributes, creating yet another synergistic support for both win conditions. The latter, on the other hand, boasts no such feat; however, what it loses there it more than makes up for with what it does do, by acting as constantly revivable tribute fodder for the seven Monarchs. Only the single Treeborn Frog is permissible, for the deck neither needs nor has the support for more copies.

The list of Monster Cards is completed with what one might rightfully term general additions: that is, Dark Magician of Chaos, Destiny Hero – Disk Commander and Gorz the Emissary of Darkness. As they have been doing in almost all strategies in the Traditional Format, Dark Magician of Chaos and Destiny Hero – Disk Commander present the opportunity to turn Monster Revival into extra cards; while this effect is discovered to its fullest extent in combo-oriented decks, instead here they propose the distinct advantage of then being subsequent tributes for the summon of a Monarch. Dark Magician of Chaos itself can also be Tribute Summoned quite easily, owing to the large amount of tribute support herein. Finally, although I generally omit the card in faster strategies, owing to the fact that it disrupts the flow of such decks, Gorz the Emissary of Darkness finds no such detriment here, and is, of course, very useful for preventing large attacking turns. The fee token is also simple tribute fodder.

The Spells: 15

1 Pot of Greed
1 Graceful Charity
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Painful Choice
1 Foolish Burial
1 Monster Reborn
1 Premature Burial
1 Dimension Fusion
1 Raigeki
1 Dark Hole
1 Heavy Storm
1 Harpie’s Feather Duster
1 Change of Heart
1 Snatch Steal
1 Brain Control

With the deck very much focused, as it is, with the Monster Cards, there is very little in the way of interesting Spells (and even Traps, for that matter) to be discoursed on. Everything here, barring only a few minor tweaks for the specific strategy, would be found in almost any competitively constructed Traditional Format deck. To begin with, Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity and Painful Choice have been included for their acceleration through the deck, and, in the latter two cases, their ability to set up an ideal Graveyard. Allure of Darkness, one of the stated few, also comes in as extra acceleration with the large amount of DARK Attribute Monsters present, and Foolish Burial, being another, also helps to set up the Graveyard.

From there, Monster Reborn, Premature Burial and Dimension Fusion have all been included, for the obvious reasons of Special Summoning more Monsters to either be tributed for a Monarch, or to simply create more points with which to attack. The latter, however, needs possibly some discussion, I think: with the deck playing Caius the Shadow Monarch in triplicate, and said Monarch’s effect frequently aimed at Monster Cards, one will often find an opponent with Monsters in their Removed from Play area; ergo, one will need to exercise caution when activating Dimension Fusion. I did indeed consider dropping the card entirely, but, with Dark Magician of Chaos, Allure of Darkness and both Chaos Monsters Removing cards from Play (or, of course, being Removed from Play itself in the Dark Magician’s case), it was simply too tantalizing as a possible alternate win condition.

To conclude this section of the discussion, one shall find a full set of Traditional Format field control options: namely, Heavy Storm and Harpie’s Feather Duster for destruction of the opponent’s back row; Raigeki and Dark Hole for the destruction of the opponent’s front row; and Change of Heart and Snatch Steal for the ability to remove a threat from the opponent while creating one for oneself. These latter two cards, while by no means unique to the Monarch strategy, do bring with them some extra dialogue: this is for the distinct reason that each also acts as a producer of tribute fodder – a simple and free way of obtaining a Monster to then be tributed for a Monarch. It is an effect well worth noting, and the single allowed copy of Brain Control also finds its way here as a result (with, in addition to that, the higher number of Monarchs present).

The Traps: 5

1 Mirror Force
1 Crush Card Virus
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Ring of Destruction
1 Imperial Order

Continuing with the subject of universal, uninteresting support, we are now come to the list of Trap Cards. While I do use the adjectives ‘universal’ and ‘uninteresting’ to describe the Spells and Traps that I am running here, I do not mean such terms in a derogatory manner: each and every card is essential, creating a highly stable, versatile deck, but I digress. Mirror Force, Crush Card Virus (permitted by the high number of suitable tribute targets), Torrential Tribute, Ring of Destruction and Imperial Order have been included as the most generally powerful Trap Cards in the game. All have wide-ranging effects over a duel, with the only possible exception being Ring of Destruction (although, as well known by many a player, the card can, on occasion, end a game on the spot), presenting the pilot with immense control over what an opponent can do – nothing more and nothing less.

In conclusion, I should like to reiterate, if I may, that it is unfortunately not possible to consider the Monarch deck one to be placed, for the Traditional Format, into the list of Top Tier strategies for premier competition. There is no doubt that this is true, but there is also no doubt that Monarchs are exceptionally powerful at smaller, local tournaments, during which one should not come up against many turbo-based decks, thus allowing one the time necessary to build infrastructure and gain control of a duel. I also think it is true that in order to gain a complete understanding (or, in the very least, something resembling a complete understanding) of this wonderful format, it is essential to study every possible contender for the top spot, even if it be only at the lower levels – such deserves our respect, no matter where they sit, and doing so opens the mind to previously unconsidered ideas. Here I have shown one such idea, which came about simply by noticing the massive potential the Apprentice Magician engine holds in the Traditional Format, and building upwards. The result is a powerful, consistent, versatile strategy, and one which I personally would definitely consider when playing in such competitions. In all, a little bit of lateral thinking, backed up by sound techniques and decision making, goes a long way.

Deck Essay #16: Dark Armed Control

If I were to meditate upon the many guiding aspects of the Traditional Format, there is a single prevailing characteristic, I think, which far outweighs the others: and that is the speed of the game – the overall short period of time during which one has the opportunity to claim victory. Whereas in, by comparison, the Advanced Format, whither one has numerous turns to not only claim victory but also change a losing situation into the opposite, there is simply no such luxury in this format. With the amount of set-up possible in only a single turn, most of which is achievable on the very first turn, a strategy must be able to win, essentially, by this time, or else not win at all. By this statement I do not mean simply taking the game on the first turn; nay: while it is the position of some decks to accomplish this, it is by no means the only course of action. A strategy which can set up a win condition to then be carried out a turn, or even two, later is still quite able to compete in the modern Traditional Format. With that said, I will be using this essay to take a close look at a Dark Armed Dragon-centred control deck designed to answer the opponent’s moves with necessary speed, but, in this case, a form of such I have little explored thus far.

It can be thought, by processes not altogether unimaginable, that it is not only drawing extra cards which constitutes speed, but also the general usefulness of individual cards across a large number of situations, therefore balancing hands and allowing better overall draws, can be considered a form of speed. The dedicated DARK deck has a superior access to many of the most powerful single cards in the game, and, while some of them have been abused to a great extent hitherto, some others have been left by the wayside – but no more! While the drawing capabilities have been thoroughly explored by myself, I feel it must be said that any exploration of the DARK School of Duelling would be grossly incomplete without showcasing, to something resembling its fullest extent, at least one example of the theme’s immense potential for versatility. The deck presented herein will do such, effectively remedying, at least to some degree, the situation. Following is a strategy which not only boasts the obvious power and card drawing of Traditional, but also illustrates the relatively untapped potential of versatility as a form of speed in this format.

The Monsters: 16

3 Armageddon Knight
2 Caius the Shadow Monarch
1 Elemental Hero Stratos
1 Destiny Hero – Fear Monger
1 Destiny Hero – Disk Commander
1 Destiny Hero – Plasma
1 Tsukuyomi
1 Magical Scientist
1 Sinister Serpent
1 Necro Gardna
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Dark Magician of Chaos
1 Witch of the Black Forest

With the deck primarily constructed for versatility, one will clearly find the inclusion of individually useful tech cards; furthermore, with a large number of such cards occupying a Limited status, single cards will undoubtedly be a recurring, dominant presence. In fact, only a grand total of four cards are played in multiples. While this fact is something that is, for the most part, quite common in the Traditional Format, it is something worth mentioning during discussion of a strategy such as this; for, with the deck diversified across its range of options as much as possible, versatility, in and of itself, also contains within it an inherent inclination towards unpredictability. Premier-level Duellists have the ability to predict plays their opponent will execute two, three or even more turns in advance, and then prepare accordingly. A deck such as this looks to deny this opportunity, and, in the hands of a skilled player, can be a highly dangerous weapon.

To begin with, I shall discuss the large Monsters with which one will primarily be claiming victory. While the win condition of the strategy is controlling (either by preventing or by answering) the opponent’s plays, it is still necessary to include a retinue of high-ATK Monsters, all of which also boast some sort of synergistic effect. Firstly, the namesake of the deck, Dark Armed Dragon, has been included at its allowed single copy. While some would argue that to construct a deck primarily around a single card is foolish, I would counter with the following reasoning: the plethora of drawing effects to be herein included will give a fast and reliable access to the one copy of Dark Armed Dragon, thus allowing, combined with the relatively low DARK Monster count and the exceptional regulation of already in-Graveyard DARK Attributes, a consistent Summon of the Dragon. Its effect – that of destroying cards for free – perfectly fits the control theme, for it allows a simple elimination of an opponent’s developed field, although I will stress that one must show due caution before committing it to play; in this instance, Dark Armed Dragon should only be Summoned when doing so will turn the game directly into one’s own favour, and not when the opponent should still have a chance of a come-back.

Next, to directly support the eponymous card, a pair of Caius the Shadow Monarch has been included, along with a single Destiny Hero – Plasma and the ever-important Dark Magician of Chaos. Each boasts the high ATK necessary to become a problem for an opponent, but thence also brings something specific to the control strategy: the former, upon being Tribute Summoned, instantly removes a card from the opponent’s field, simply and easily dealing with any threat; the middle is an option made possible by the utilization of a Destiny Hero drawing engine (about which I shall talk in greater depth later), and brings not only a form of removal for any troublesome Monster, but also negation of any and all face-up Monster effects the opponent may have been hoping to use; and, finally, the latter is included in almost every Traditional Format deck, with only a very few exceptions, for its ability to retrieve a Spell Card from the Graveyard, finding its use here to reuse a controlling Spell Card – there will be, of course, a diverse toolbox to choose from, and a second use of any one will most often make game. All Monsters are also, of course, of the DARK Attribute.

From there, a group of small control-based Monsters is included, for various reasons: Tsukuyomi brings with it the ability to turn any troublesome Monster Card into its vulnerable DEF Position, at which stage one can simple declare an Attack over it – it can also combine with Destiny HERO – Plasma at times, turning the Monster face-down to then be re-Summoned to take a second Monster with its effect; Magical Scientist, a card which has been Forbidden in the Advanced Format for quite some time now, makes a showing here in order to Special Summon Fusion Monsters from the Extra Deck, which will then be used to exercise control over the opponent – Thousand-Eyes Restrict can act as a quasi-Plasma, removing an opponent’s Monster from their field; Ryu Senshi can negate Trap Cards should one fear such; Dark Blade the Dragon Knight can eliminate Monsters with Graveyard-based effects (up to three at a time) from the opponent’s Graveyard; and one can simply Summon a number of a Fusion Monster to then Tributed for the Summon of Destiny Hero – Plasma; lastly, Necro Gardna has been included to negate one Attack, and is easily fed into the Graveyard through discard effects in the Spell and Trap line-ups. All of these are, yet again, DARK.

The final section of the Monster Card list is a series of cards designed to power the deck through its game-plan. As has been aforementioned, a draw engine of Destiny Heroes has been included, which is principally centred on repeated Special Summon of Destiny Hero – Disk Commander; I shall discuss this individually: firstly, a full set of Armageddon Knights is used to give the most consistent access possible to the copy of Destiny Hero – Disk Commander, instantly sending it to the Graveyard whither it can be revived for extra cards – the Armageddon Knights also, should one draw copies after Disk Commander has been used, have extra targets (for example, the Necro Gardna, the Dark Magician of Chaos, or simply a DARK for the Summon of Dark Armed Dragon); the single allowed copy of Elemental Hero Stratos has also been included, allowing the search of any needed Hero at any given time; a single Destiny Hero – Fear Monger has then been included as not only a potential extra Special Summon of the Disk Commander, but also a second discard for the Destiny Draw; finally, Destiny Hero – Plasma has already been mentioned, and acts as a third discard for the draw Spell.

Last, but by no means least, the engine is completed as Witch of the Black Forest and Sinister Serpent find their way into the strategy: the former has the distinct ability of searching the deck for any needed Monster at any given time (save only Dark Magician of Chaos, but this is of no consequence), creating an almost flawless toolbox of control effects; and the latter stands out as a way to replenish the hand from the discarding the deck needs to do, acting as an endlessly retrievable fodder for such effects.

The Spells: 13

1 Destiny Draw
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Pot of Greed
1 Graceful Charity
1 Painful Choice
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 Monster Reborn
1 Premature Burial
1 Snatch Steal
1 Raigeki
1 Harpie’s Feather Duster
1 Scapegoat
1 Metamorphosis

I shall begin the discussion of the Spell Card list by simply stating that many cards, although fitting the theme of control perfectly, do not require any special exposition or justification. Snatch Steal, Raigeki and Harpie’s Feather Duster are all obvious inclusions in a deck such as this (and, indeed, any battle-based deck in the Traditional Format), and it is indeed no surprise to observe them in this line-up. The only facet of importance to a Deck Essay they may have, if any at all, is a brief note upon the distinct possibility of using the effect of Dark Magician of Chaos to retrieve them in order to continue the domination of the Duel, instead of retrieving draw Spells to continue the stream of cards, as is the norm in the generally accepted meta decks of the Traditional Format. Monster Reborn and Premature Burial fall into a similar category, having previously know uses while also functioning, in this strategy, to Summon a control-based Monster. The intricacies to this deck come from the Monster line-up and the Trap line-up, with only a few interesting cards to be found here – I will, of course, discuss these.

The first is Metamorphosis, which grants, in a similar vein to Magical Scientist, access to the Extra Deck as a toolbox of versatile effects: combined with Destiny Hero – Disk Commander, Sinister Serpent, or the Scapegoat, one can again unleash Thousand-Eyes Restrict, the uses of which have already been expounded upon; combined with a copy of Caius the Shadow Monarch, one can Summon Ryu Senshi or Dark Blade the Dragon Knight, the uses of each having also already been mentioned; and, combined with Dark Magician of Chaos, one can Summon Cyber Twin Dragon which one can use to destroy two Monsters at once. The second is Scapegoat, a card included for its primary use of acting as fodder for the Summon of Destiny Hero – Plasma, but does find extra utility, as aforementioned, and also as a simple Attack blocker. The last few interesting cards from the Spell line-up make up the draw and search suite. While there is no surprise to find Pot of Greed and Graceful Charity in a Traditional Format deck, it is also nice to note the synergy the latter has in a Graveyard-based strategy; Painful Choice is also an obvious inclusion for this very same reason. Thence, Allure of Darkness adds an extra level of card drawing thanks to the DARK Attribute theme, and, finally, Destiny Draw and Reinforcement of the Army round out the Destiny Hero draw engine by drawing even more cards and searching for a Destiny Hero, respectively.

The Traps: 11

3 Limit Reverse
3 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
1 Call of the Haunted
1 Imperial Order
1 Crush Card Virus
1 Ring of Destruction
1 Solemn Judgment

This deck makes use of a large line-up of Trap Cards, which is something, for the most part, entirely unheard of (and oft-maligned) in the Traditional Format. However, from my extensive studies I have discovered that, contrary to the popular stigma about this format, Trap Cards do indeed have their place within the correct strategy. Here, the opportunity is rife, and begs for a versatile group of cards usable during the opponent’s turn in order to disrupt their plays. We have, therefore, the obvious inclusions of generic control cards like Imperial Order, Solemn Judgment and Ring of Destruction, backed up by four strategy-specific options: the first is Crush Card Virus, which, due to the fast and reliable access to Destiny Hero – Disk Commander, a DARK Attribute Monster of 1000 ATK or less (and, of course, boasting a rather high number of other suitable Tributes), is a simple inclusion; the last three of such cards are a set of Phoenix Wing Wind Blasts, which present the pilot with an amazing opportunity to interrupt and upset almost any given play the opponent would be likely to make, and finds many appropriate discards here including one – the Sinister Serpent – which is retrievable. There is very little to discuss in terms of essay content about these cards, but their importance to the deck cannot (and should not) be understated.

We are come now to the very end of the discussion, at which point the draw engine is completed and the decklist finalised. In order to ameliorate the drawing capabilities offered by the already included Spell Cards, four Trap Cards, all granting the Special Summon of Destiny Hero – Disk Commander, have been added: they are the single allowed copy of Call of the Haunted, and a full set of Limit Reverse. Each, while primarily being included for their abilities to draw cards through the Summon of Destiny Hero – Disk Commander, also maintains the general theme of versatility present throughout – and, of course, versatility within the DARK Attribute – by giving access to fallen control-based Monsters: Call of the Haunted, in the same vein as the staple inclusions of Monster Reborn and Premature Burial, can revive any of such Monsters, whereas the scope of Limit Reverse is slightly narrowed to the smaller Monsters.

I had within my mind, while designing this deck and composing this essay, a hypothesis to the effect of versatility being not only an underexplored facet of the Traditional Format (and I would never feign myself innocent of such), but also as a form of speed appropriate to the modern format. This concept is something well understood in the Advanced Format, and has been since the beginning of the game, but, for some reason or another, has failed to correspond into this aspect of Yu-Gi-Oh!. Players I have seen, on message boards or in person, seem to imagine that including all six forms of Spell-based field control constitutes a versatile line-up, but have failed to take into account the essential ability of a control deck to execute its ideal upon the opponent’s turn. (They have also unanticipated the problematic outcome of dead draws, but I digress.) However, by implementing the necessary extensive Trap Card line-up, and a spread of flexible, multipurpose Monsters, a deck such as this can have an untold, relentless grip over a game without ever relinquishing a single opportunity for supremacy. There are primarily two ways of playing this game (or indeed, perhaps, any card game): control, and aggressive. The Traditional Format, by its very nature, lends itself very well to the latter, but, in this essay, I have revealed an excellent example of the former.

Deck Essay #14: Dark Armed Dragon PACMAN

It is the mark of a true expert, to my mind, when that person is able to apply his or her knowledge, experience and skills to something considered wholly outside the norm in their respective field. The ability to consider an idea previously unknown (or, in the least, not known to any great degree), and indeed the ability to mentally strike upon an idea completely unconsidered up until such point, and observe within that design a course of action which will produce successful results is, without a doubt, the definitive display of the genius. I am not giving this seemingly disjointed discourse for the purpose of affirming my own brilliance, but rather I merely begin this essay in such a way so as to illustrate the common flaw amongst the majority of the Yu-Gi-Oh! player-base: and that, in a simple phrase, is the lack of lateral thinking accomplished in the modern game, and, even more so (and as such even more saddening to myself), in the modern Traditional Format. It is astounding how little players apply their own thought processes when considering this great game, for it is unquestionably the innovators whom enjoy the most accomplishment here. Well, in this essay I will be breaking from the proverbial cast to display this fact, presenting a stunning deck rife with unorthodox card choices: Dark Armed Dragon PACMAN.

To understand the win condition of the PACMAN deck, one must first understand the acronym given as the deck’s name; the full label runs thus: Pure Advantage Camels Munch All Noobs. It is possible then, having disclosed the admittedly ineloquent title, to surmise that the strategy is centred on the use of Des Lacooda, affectionately known simply as ‘the Camel’, to gain enough Card Advantage over the opponent that it is impossible for said opponent to make a successful move. Now, the decks of old would also have included many burn cards, such as Stealth Bird, to whittle away the opponent’s remaining Life Points, but the Booster Set Phantom Darkness offered players another supplement to think about. With the capability to alter accordingly the strategy’s already versatile Monster line-up, it is possible to include Dark Armed Dragon as the necessary extra fire-power needed to claim victory. With an immense amount of drawing and searching granting access to a plethora of control cards, and the facility to Summon one of the most absolutely powerful Monsters in the game with a moment’s notice, the Dark Armed Dragon PACMAN deck is a force to be reckoned with, albeit a highly unexpected one.

The Monsters: 11

3 Des Lacooda
2 Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive
1 Cyber Jar
1 Sangan
1 Witch of the Black Forest
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Night Assailant
1 Magician of Faith

While I was constructing this deck, it became apparent to me in the very initial stages that many cards considered staple in the Traditional Format would be useless: for example, Destiny Hero – Disk Commander and Dark Magician of Chaos, both of which are included in every deck without a seconds’ thought, would serve this particular strategy no purpose. If one should skip ahead to the Spell Card list, and read its contents, one would also discover the absence of Monster Reborn, Premature Burial and Painful Choice. These cards are simply incongruous with the aim of PACMAN. What we have here instead is a decklist designed solely to retain Card Presence. There are no fancy tricks as in other decks, where a single turn might last as long as ten or more minutes consisting of complicated, ostentatious manoeuvres.

The list begins, as one might expect, with a full three copies of Des Lacooda, the archetype’s namesake. Three copies are absolutely essential in order to gain access to one, if not more, as quickly as possible. Des Lacooda, backed by a defensive card to prevent the opponent from destroying the Monster, will be one’s ideal opening play; the result will be two cards drawn on the following turn, as opposed to only one, presenting the pilot with access to new resources earlier than the opponent while also replacing used cards. The Des Lacooda will then be flipped face-down again through its effect, and subsequently re-flipped during the next turn to draw yet another card, thus creating a nigh endless loop of draws over the course of many turns. Eventually, through this, along with the other +1s included herein, one will find a distinct gap between one’s Card Presence and the opponent’s. It goes without saying, of course (although I will say it, just to be safe), that one should not commit a Des Lacooda to the field without adequate protection, particularly if that Des Lacooda is one’s only Monster. Cards are exchanged at an accelerated rate in the Traditional Format, and this strategy should be gaining extra cards, not throwing them away unnecessarily.

Next, the only other Monster Card included in multiples is Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, seen here at two copies. Not only is Dekoichi of the DARK Attribute, it also achieves much the same aforementioned purpose as Des Lacooda – that is, being flipped to draw another card. A Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive backed up by a defensive card in order to gain the +1 is also an acceptable opening, although, of course, it lacks the further use of reusing its own effect and should only be done when a copy of Des Lacooda is unavailable. An ATK of fourteen-hundred also provides the deck with some offensive capability outside of one’s Dark Armed Dragon, although a game will admittedly be slow going in such a case. Patience, however, I will say before I go any further, is key when piloting a deck such as this; haste, in any way, shape or form, will be of the utmost detriment and one must exercise a discipline of the highest degree to find success with this strategy in general, not merely where a longer, drawn-out game is concerned.

From there, three more Flip-Effect Monsters have been included: firstly, Cyber Jar is, I will admit, an obvious inclusion, for not only will it provide a huge boon to one’s Card Presence by effectively drawing more cards with which to control the opponent further, it also has the possibility of placing one’s other Flip-Effect Monsters onto the field, face-down, for subsequent use of their effects; secondly, Magician of Faith has been included for its ability to retrieve any one of the powerful controlling or drawing Spell Cards, each of which will present distinct advantages with a second use; and, third and finally, Night Assailant can either destroy a troublesome Monster or retrieve another Flip-Effect Monster from the Graveyard. The latter is, I must admit, a somewhat questionable addition, for only Graceful Charity will grant the retrieval of a Monster, it cannot retrieve a Des Lacooda in such a case, and its Monster destruction effect is of little importance with the amount of other similar effects herein, but it offers other uses to justify its inclusion: namely, it can be removed for Allure of Darkness or tributed for the cost of Crush Card Virus. I stand by my decision to include it.

Lastly, both search agents of Sangan and Witch of the Black Forest have been included. With the strategy not endeavouring to achieve any sort of fast, aggressive win, I see no reason to omit these two cards. In addition, each one offers the search of any needed Monster within the deck: Sangan will be able to add any Monster, save only Dark Armed Dragon, from the deck to the hand, and Witch of the Black Forest, conversely, can add any Monster from the deck to the hand, Dark Armed Dragon included. The consistency both Monster Cards present is indeed welcome.

A quick note on the use of Dark Armed Dragon before I move on to discuss the Spells; with only a single copy of the card allowed under the current Limited Lists, one will need to be very careful when Summoning it: one should not do so carelessly, only placing it on the field when one has sufficient control over the opponent, and the Summoning of Dark Armed Dragon will guarantee victory. Otherwise, it should be kept in the hand until such a time arises.

The Spells: 14

3 Pot of Duality
1 Pot of Greed
1 Graceful Charity
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Confiscation
1 Delinquent Duo
1 The Forceful Sentry
1 Raigeki
1 Dark Hole
1 Harpie’s Feather Duster
1 Snatch Steal
1 Book of Moon

Continuing with the subject of unconventional card decisions, I have deemed it necessary to include a set of Pot of Duality, indeed a card I would shudder at attempting to play in any other deck. However, since, to reiterate, there is no attempt at any One-Turn-Knockout-style win condition, the commonly recognised drawback of Pot of Duality (that is, the condition of not being able to Special Summon during the turn of its use) is in fact of no injury here. The Spell Card offers an amazing consistency through being able to draw one of the three top cards of the deck, in this way granting instant sifting through the deck and access to a better set of options for the given turn.

To complete the suite of drawing Spells, the three other obvious additions have been made: Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity and Allure of Darkness. Out of the six draw Spells, only the last two require some sort of payment in return for their effects, although each will have little trouble in being satisfied: DARK Attribute Monsters can be discarded for Graceful Charity, or simply unneeded Spells or Traps, and six DARK Monsters is certainly enough to warrant the single allowed copy of Allure of Darkness.

The full retinue of hand control options has then been included – that is, Confiscation, Delinquent Duo and The Forceful Sentry. Pre-negation cards have long been considered one of the most powerful effects in Yu-Gi-Oh!, and this thought is of course no different when considered it within the terms of the PACMAN strategy: they offer the chance to remove cards threatening one’s infrastructure while also giving a peek at the opponent’s other cards, providing a much easier game from that point forth. One must be careful of Life Point payments, however; Confiscation and Delinquent Duo both require a cost of one-thousand points, and several of the Trap Cards will also deplete Life Points in some way. One will need to gauge the possible outcome of the game, and how much Life Points will be required throughout the turns, early on and play accordingly, conserving every point possible.

Lastly, the group of hand control cards is followed by a compliment of specially selected field control options: to begin with, the three Spell Cards I personally consider to be the staples of this group – Snatch Steal, Raigeki and Harpie’s Feather Duster – have been included for their obvious power during any situation; however, two other cards have thence been added to the this retinue, the clearly potent Dark Hole and, yet another unorthodox choice, the single allowed copy of Book of Moon. I feel I must explain the latter: not only can Book of Moon shut down an opponent’s play (a Synchro Summon, an attack, etc.), it can also be used to flip face-down and then re-use one of the deck’s own Flip-Effect Monster. Being able to retrieve another Spell Card with Magician of Faith or draw another card with a Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive can, on the occasion, be a correct move, and one should not overlook this possibility.

The Traps: 15

3 Dark Bribe
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Solemn Warning
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Mirror Force
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Crush Card Virus
1 Imperial Order
1 Ring of Destruction
1 Trap Dustshoot
1 Mind Crush

Finally, we are come to what is no doubt the most startling section of the deck (and, indeed, the facet which commanded the most attention during construction due to the level of difficulty presented by the bizarre nature of the overall idea). It is rare for a strategy in the Traditional Format to run more than about four or five Trap Cards, although I have, in the past, published other deck variations with significantly more; however, none have come even close to the fifteen total played here. With the necessity to maintain certain Monsters on the field over many turns, the number of needed protective cards, of which Trap Cards are the most powerful, is far greater.

While it is fairly typical in the Traditional Format to include Imperial Order, even in non-control oriented decks, in order to shut down opposing Spell-heavy strategies, additional negation cards are used here to create a further lock over the opponent’s options: a full three copies of Dark Bribe and the single allowed Solemn Judgment will give the pilot an extensive ability to prevent key cards from ever hitting the field. These Traps will most often be aimed at cards like Painful Choice, Dimension Fusion, or mass destruction cards which threaten one’s back row. Due to the high cost of each card, however, one will need to exercise restraint in order that cards are not negated unnecessarily or prematurely; one will need to analyse the complete possible outcome of allowing a card to resolve, and only negate it if absolutely essential. Good players will attempt to force an activation of Dark Bribe or Solemn Judgment by throwing unneeded cards away, attempting to remove the threat of having their play prevented while also either gaining an extra card with the former or forcing a massive Life Point payment with the latter. Smart play is crucial in such a case.

From there, the remainder of the Trap line-up, while uncommon in the Traditional Format, is relatively simple and requires little justification: two copies each of Bottomless Trap Hole and Solemn Warning, and the one allowed copy of Ring of Destruction, permit the removal of any single Monster (although, as previously noted during discussion of Confiscation and Delinquent Duo, one must use due care of Life Points when activating Solemn Warning or Ring of Destruction); Mirror Force and Torrential Tribute grant the destruction of Monsters on a large scale, and the massive drawing potential of the deck will quickly and easily find one of the three tributes for Crush Card Virus, adding yet more Monster removal; and, to complete the decklist and round out the hand control group, Trap Dustshoot and Mind Crush have also been included.

There is a great potential contained in this idea. Control-based strategies are often overlooked completely in the Traditional Format for the reason that any opponent who has either already won the game, or has already taken control of the game, should they have the opportunity of going first, is almost impossible to counteract. However, I have found, through these past few years of studying the Traditional Format, that the skill gap between mediocre players and good players, and even that existent between good players and outstanding players, is even greater than it is in Advanced. Moreover, decks capable of the aforementioned feats, in addition to being difficult to construct and play correctly, also tend have within them a certain degree of inconsistency. When taking these two aspects into consideration, taking a control-oriented strategy such as this to a tournament can be an acceptable course of action. Through an almost unrivalled consistency, a massive drawing potential rivalling much faster decks, an almost unfaltering control over the game, and one of the most dominant, destructive Monster Cards as its chief win condition, the Dark Armed Dragon PACMAN deck is easily capable of holding its own in the modern age.