Monday, February 26, 2024

Deck Profile: Ninjas

So, this deck list is a week later than I expected. It was supposed to come out first but due to changes to the deck, I released my Skull Warrior deck profile first. At first, I kind of went half-in on this deck. Not because I didn't care about the deck profile or I was trying to "just get a deck profile done" as soon as possible but because I was stuck in "my ways" with certain cards always being in the deck. Once I decided to do some "daring" deck tests, I found a lot of fun and good changes for the deck that may at first seem rather strange but they worked well for the goal I was trying to achieve.

For example, I originally had Electron Ninja, Shiden in the deck because I was just used to him being a staple all the time for the deck and I never questioned it. I was aware of Art of Truancy but thought that that was more for Garga Ninjas because the Tsukikage Brothers can't get the benefit of both of Truancy's abilities and Shiden is for the Tsukikage Brothers anyways. However, I couldn't come up with a good enough reason that Truancy might still be a viable alternative to Shiden. 

Even if the "Anti-DDT destruction effect" would be useless. It's not like Shiden protects the Tsukikage Brothers. After all, no one relies on Shiden's stats anymore to do anything meaningful. Shiden himself is almost a useless card. So, the allure of having a Ninja Arts that does Shiden's job and can discard itself with its own effect (meaning duplicate cards in hand wasn't a bad thing) was a point I couldn't just ignore without some testing and have a justifiable reason to say "No, Truancy is just plain bad in Tsukikage Brothers Ninjas". 

Well, I tested and...Art of Truancy felt good, it felt almost too good. Scary good. So good in fact that I realized Shiden wasn't needed. At least not for this kind of deck. Don't get me wrong he's still perfectly good and I mean heck, run both Shiden and Truancy. The Buddy Police are not going to stop you. 

So, after Shiden, I thought to myself "Ok, am I missing anything else?". Come to find out, I was also missing Art of Getting Fish. I was mainly using Apex of Flashstep, Tsukikage to get back Clear Serenity or Art of Warm Pleasant Happiness and it dawned on me. Using Tsukikage is -1 gauge for +3 gauge back with Clear Serenity or Happiness. Thats a net gain of 2 gauge. You know what other card is a net +2 gauge and is a Ninja Arts? Art of Getting Fish. So I swapped out Apex of Flashstep, Tsukikage for 4 Art of Getting Fish and man, the deck felt even better!

Now, you might be wondering if the there's any point of contention that not being able to use Art of Getting Fish or Art of Truancy for their second effects caused any issues and honestly, I haven't noticed it once. Heck, I can't remember the last time I used the life gain effect of Ninja Arts, Hiding in Fallen Leaves but I still run it at four and think it's a staple for any Ninja deck. 

To be honest, these revelations remind me of back when Demon Way, Arakuyou came out and without playing the card at all in my deck, I thought it was a literal trash card. I mean, 2 Skull Warriors being destroyed to trigger it and a gauge? That's too much of a cost. Yet, here we are. I run at as a 4 of in my Skull Warrior deck. 

I did some more testing. Wondering if maybe I could replace Guardian Electrobeast, Goryou with Secret Scrolls but this is where my testing started to not be as fruitful nor feel so good. I want to do a comparison of Shinobi Scrolls and Secret Scrolls one day but needless to say, I was disappointed in Secret Scroll. Mainly due to how slow the card is. It's almost painfully slow. I realized with this test that Goryou was a kind of "oil" for the deck. It helped the engine get going. If I was struggling to get to what I needed turn 1 (Soarspeed Tsukiage, Byakuya and Gojinmaru), Goryou would help extend my chances and options and it almost always was successful.

So, here we are now. I write this not to say these are the best decks that can be made in the archetype but, if nothing else, at least a good jumping off point for you to create your deck or, maybe give you some ideas on swapping a couple cards around based on my given opinions. Decks can have multiple strategies and techs due to outside forces, so I hate to ever say there is a "best" deck for an archetype. 

Especially Ninjas. They have gotten so much support there's at least a handful of ways you could play them. 

Also, please feel free to check out my YouTube video below of me explaining the deck as well. It's the exact same deck but I know some people like videos more than reading:

Alright! So, let's start with the deck list and go from there:


Main Deck

Alright so the overall idea of the deck is pretty simple. You want to get Gojinmaru out and try to control the opponent's board as much as possible on being set up by nullifying spells they cast. Everything should support the deck to these ends so, the deck needs two things badly. A lot of Ninja Arts cards and gauge ramp. Gojinmaru isn't cheap to summon and his effects aren't cheap to activate. Especially since both require not just "a card" to discard but Ninja Arts must be specifically discarded. Also, if we can thin out the monsters in the deck to make the deck mainly comprised of Ninja Arts, by god let's do it. 

Sure, there is also the aggressive Ninja deck where you summon a million Tsukikages, Byakuyas and Gojinmarus but that's boring. Ninjas have fun control options. Let's making them interesting and fun to interact with your opponent instead of being a one dimensional aggro deck. 

Soarspeed Moonglow, Tsukikage - He costs a life but it's not a huge deal. He's not only a tutor for the Gojinmaru I want to go into but he's also a solid damage boost to Gojinmaru and I think he's the best Tsukikage soul to put into any Gojinmaru. 

Many people may just assume you want to discard some of the discard effect cards like Fuuton for Tsukikage's effect but, might I suggest something else as an option. You can thin out the monsters in your deck a little bit by discarding a copy of an extra monster you may already have in your hand to search for Gojinmaru in the deck. Whether its extra copies of Tsukikage, Byakuya, Goryou or Gojinmaru himself. It doesn't matter. At the end of it, it's still a 1 for 1 so you're not losing anything but you are thinning the deck which is more important. The Ninja Arts spells you'll be discarding for Tsukikage's tutor effect are better off being used for Gojinmaru's spell null effect later one. Especially since you'll have more odds of drawing into more Ninja Arts by thinning the deck down of monsters.

Also, I have this Tsukikage as buddy because you always want him out on the field and there's basically 8 copies of him in the deck since there's also 4 Tsukikage Re:Bs in the deck.

Byakuya, "Shiroyasha Mode" - This Byakuya is the one that gives Shadow Dive to Gojinmaru if he's in Gojinmaru's soul. In my opinion, the only other viable Byakuya for Gojinmaru's soul is Soarspeed Moonglow, Byakuya for the anti destruction effect but, Gojinmaru has 2 souls so he's already beefy as is and most decks don't run card destruction effects nowadays. Plus, Tsukikage Re:B is going to be the usual size 1 monster on the side so you can discard cards to keep Gojinmaru on the field. The deck isn't very aggressive without Gojinmaru having Shadow Dive. On average, you'll have two attacks per turn. Three if you have the luxury of discarding a Ninja Arts to give Gojinmaru Double Attack. You need Shadow Dive to get anywhere.

Nanomachine Ninja, Tsukikage "Re:B" - A great tutor to grab literally any 2 other size 1 ninja in the deck. Helps thin out the deck of monsters as well. You can just grab one card from the deck for free or, if you do need 2, discard a card after you grab it. The discard isn't even a real downside thanks to Fuuton, Sweeping Whirlwind and Ninja Arts, Hiding in Fallen Leaves but, might I suggest to just discard one of the two cards you grab from the deck instead of discarding a Ninja Arts. You need those Ninja Arts much more later for Gojinmaru. Tsukikage "Re:B" is also the card I mainly keep to the left or right for Gojinmaru to basically have more "souls" from the hand.

Guardian Electrobeast, Goryou - Good consistency card for the deck. Especially before you play Gojinmaru. Or, if you have your hand already set up to play Gojinmaru, just play Goryou first to grab a Ninja Arts instead. 

The only time you don't really want to play it is when your board is set up but at that point, you can throw her under Shinobi Scrolls to hopefully draw into more Ninja Arts. I suppose an alternative is Banquet for the Unrighteous even though it's not as good for the deck in my opinion. Mainly because Banquet only grabs a monster and you want to thin the deck of monsters with other methods so the odds of finding a monster with Banquet is quite reduced.

Gojinmaru "Ghoul Deity Arts, Dance of Yashagami!" - The beefy boss monster of the deck. At 2 gauge, and you must put a card with "Tsukikage" in its name and another card with "Byakuya" in its name in his soul, he's pretty expensive to summon. However, there's enough tutor for the brothers and gauge ramp that it's not a terrible hurdle to cross. 

With Soarspeed Moonglow, Tsukikage and Byakuya, "Shiroyasha Mode" in his soul, his stats are 11,000/3/11,000 with Shadow Dive. I rarely discard to use Gojinmaru's double attack effect and usually prefer the spell null effect.

Gojinmaru has two more abilities. The first is, after he attacks, you may discard a Ninja Arts card to give him double attack. I don't use this too often but it's still a perfectly fine ability.

The second ability allows him to nullify a spell cast by the opponent and deal two damage to them by paying 2 gauge and discarding a Ninja Arts card. This is the real point of the deck. Shadow Dive and burn the opponent to death by trying to play spells. Did I mention this is not once per turn?  Some test hands I've had enough gauge and Ninja Arts in hand to be able to pretty consistently nullify 3 or 4 spells in a turn. 

Art of Truancy - This might seem a little unexpected. Especially since I also don't have Electron Ninja, Shiden in the deck but just bear with me for now. Sure, the Deity Dragon Tribe effect is useless but, it has a few other purposes that make it better. 

1. It has the same effect as Shiden of discarding a Ninja Arts and pay a gauge to draw 2. You may think its a waste because you're putting the set spell on the field(-1), discarding a card (-1) and paying a gauge (-.5. Total resource cost of -2.5) to draw two so you're -.5 in resources but, Art of Truancy will be around the next turn for you to use again. Then, you can use the effect again and you'll get .5 in advantage. 

2. By comparison, Shiden, who, for the most part will always be called over for other more preferred size 1's in the deck so the resource loss will be the same -.5 every turn. Also, let's face it, even if you do leave Shiden on the field for the turn, no one is leaving a perfectly good Shiden on the field. At least Art of Truancy is harder to get at since it's a set spell.

3. Truancy synergizes with its own effect. Redundant Art of Truancys in the hand can still be pitched by Truancy itself. Unlike Shiden, where copies of himself can't be discarded to draw more.

4. Unlike Shiden, you can also discard Art of Truancy for Gojinmaru's spell null effect. 

5. You can put Art of Truancy under Shinobi Scrolls and still cast it. Unlike Shiden who would be a dead card under Shinobi Scrolls.

Now, none of this means that Shiden is now a trash card and Art of Truancy is just the "better" card. I still like Shiden and heck, you could in theory play both in the deck if you want. For the sake of this deck though, it needs to be heavy on two things. Ninja Arts and gauge ramp. Art of Truancy just does this better than Shiden.

Clear Serenity - Easy gauge ramp and Ninja Arts. I run it at 4 because you absolutely will need the gauge and it can be played once on each player's turn so you can have 6 gauge and potentially null 3 spells.

Art of Warm Pleasant Happiness - This one was a sleeper card for a long time for me. I sort of dismissed. I saw Garga ninja characters on the art and read the first effect pertaining to summoning size 0 Dragod tokens and just thought it wasn't for the ninja brothers but boy am I wrong! I primarily use it for the easily obtainable 3 life and 3 gauge. You can even cycle copies of itself back into the deck. Also, as far as you potentially decking out, you don't need to worry about that with this card because it's a net 0 loss between adding the ninja arts back to the deck and putting the exact same amount into your gauge.  

The Dragod clone skill is certainly viable if you just need that extra couple hits to finish off the opponent too. It's not something that I think will happen frequently but it's there. Also, at most, you'll probably want to call two clones. One to the left and right of Gojinmaru

Fuuton, Sweeping Whirlwind - The infamous staple for all ninja decks. Need an easy 1 for 1 exchange for a ninja in the drop? Fuuton's got you. Need your hand replenished after discarding the card and gain a gauge? Fuutons got your back.

Fuuton effectively makes Gojinmaru's spell null effect cost only 1 gauge which, for the usual cost of spell nulls, is a crazy low cost requirement.

Art of Getting Fish - Yet another sleeper card for the deck for me. It's secondary ability is useless for the deck since we don't have any Deity Dragon Tribe cards so we'll focus on only the first ability. Also, I'm just going to refer to this card as "Fish" from here on out.

The first ability allows you to gain 2 gauge when the card is discarded by card effects. This makes it so Gojinmaru's spell null effect basically costs 1 hand card. Like I said earlier, the deck needs a lot of 2 things. Gauge ramp and ninja arts and yet again, we have another valid candidate to fulfill both requirements! With this card, you are prime and ready to re-use Gojinmaru's spell null effect after you discard Fish since you'll regain the 2 gauge needed for the next spell null. Or, gain some gauge after using Art of Truancy to be able to call Gojinmaru later in the turn.

Also, how annoying would it be for the opponent to think that you can only spell null one spell only to discard Fish, gain 2 gauge and be ready to spell null another spell? It would make me a little mad.

Not including Ninja Arts, Hiding in Fallen Leaves, I'm honestly torn between which is better for the deck. Fuuton or Fish. Sure, with Fuuton, you're technically getting better advantage because of the draw but, if you're down to only 2 gauge and you use Gojinmaru's spell null ability, you can't cast another spell null ability. With Fish, even with only 2 gauge, you can regain the 2 gauge needed to spell null again and getting Ninja Arts in hand is usually an easier feat than the gauge gain from play testing with the deck.

Ninja Arts, Hiding in Fallen Leaves - From here on out, I will be referring to this card as "Leaves". The least good discard card for the deck in my opinion. While it may be the worst of the 3, it's certainly not bad at all overall. When it gets discarded, you gain 1 life and draw a card. It has a skill that at counter speed, you gain 3 life but that's not the main reason you run this. You run this to hopefully draw another Ninja Arts that you can then use for Gojinmaru's next spell null effect. It could be helpful to survive a game ending impact though so it's not like its completely useless.

I also wanted to mention something in regards to the 3 discard Ninja Arts spells in general. There is a kind of order you will frequently discard cards in. Between Fuuton, Fish and Leaves, you should discard Fish first, then Fuuton then Leaves. Reason being is, if you only have 2 gauge, Fish will guarantee you will have the gauge for another spell null. I understand that you can also not be guaranteed another spell null if you don't have another Ninja Arts in your hand but I rarely find that to be the reason you can't keep playing spell nulls. 

Fuuton may guarantee you another spell null depending on the situation. If you have 3 gauge and discard Fuuton, you will gain a gauge back which means you will have 2 gauge remaining for another spell null. However, if you only have 2 gauge, Fuuton will not guarantee another spell null. 

With Leaves, I understand that you could have enough gauge for spell nulls and hand size is the limiting factor thus, making Leaves kind of the inverse of Fish where you have a lot of gauge but no hand. However, from my experience, the biggest limitation isn't the hand. It's the gauge. 

Katon, Blazing Armors - I struggle with which attack nulls to use in the deck. My favorite attack null is Art of Shadow Stitching but it only works on monsters and the Laevateinn decks are very prevalent and popular so Art of Shadow Stitching does nothing against that deck. Katon, Blazing Armors at least works against everything and with Gojinmaru having 11,000 defense, using this card gets him up to 16,000 defense which is effectively anything that's not a huge monster/item. This card is probably the one you can swap out for other attack nulls you prefer based on what you want your main attack null to be or you can swap sideboard cards out for.

Shinobi Scrolls - It's a set spell that once per turn (per copy of card), you can pay 1 gauge, put one card facedown into its soul and draw another card. If the card underneath Shinobi Scrolls is a Ninja Arts, you can cast it from underneath by paying its call cost. Shinobi Scrolls is basically like a secondary hand except, you can't "discard" cards for card effects from it like Gojinmaru.

I have always found Shinobi Scrolls to be a rather unique and interesting spell. The first time you cast it and use it, it's a -1 from hand. Then, you pay 1 gauge (-.5), put a Ninja Arts under it (0) and draw a card (+1). If used this way, it's a -.5 in resources on the first use. Subsequent uses will be a +.5.

If you cast it, use it and put a non-Ninja Arts card underneath, it'll be a -1.5 but sometimes, that one extra draw can get you where you need to go.

I use Shinobi Scrolls mainly to help cycle out Clear Serenity and Art of Warm Pleasant Happiness out of my hand to draw another card. Then, I usually cast them right afterwards out of Shinobi Scrolls. Also, since Clear Serenity gives you +.5 in advantage. 2 gauge equals 1 card so by getting 3 gauge for 1 card, you regain the -.5 initial loss in resources with Shinobi Scrolls by using Clear Serenity.

I like those cards but they're basically dead end cards. They just do their effect and don't really progress anything further. At least with Shinobi Scrolls, you can pay 1 gauge to get an extra draw before casting them and you get your gauge back from the Shinobi Scrolls effect.

Another option is to put Art of Truancy under Shinobi Scrolls and then just cast Art of Truancy right afterwards! Then use its effect to draw even more! Also, if push comes to shove and you have too many monsters and want to dig for a chance to get a Ninja Arts spell, you can throw monsters in the soul but keep in mind, they're basically out of the game if you do that. 

Or, better yet, Shinobi Scrolls synergizes with itself. You can cast one copy of Shinobi Scrolls, use its effect to put another copy of Shinobi Scrolls facedown underneath the first copy and draw. Then, cast the facedown Shinobi Scrolls onto the field and use its effect to pay 1 gauge, put another card facedown, and draw a card.

Also, I don't tend to leave many, if any, Ninja Arts cards underneath Shinobi Scrolls. I have paranoia that my opponent will use an effect to destroy Shinobi Scrolls which means all the cards underneath are sent to the drop. Remember that because Shinobi Scrolls has no soulguard so if it's destroyed, all the cards underneath go to the drop.

Sideboard

Sword Skill Bare Hand Intercept - Extra attack nulls for weapon heavy decks like Laevatein. Keep in mind the card says "weapons" not "items" in its activation requirement which does matter. When you transform in Hero World, you're an item but not a weapon. Weapons are specifically items you equip from basically any world other than Hero World. If I use this spell, I would probably just slap it into the deck to make it 53. There's enough tutoring in the deck that I'm not worried about slamming 3 more cards in.

Secret Sword, Lethal Formation - Used to play Secret Sword, Dragon Vanquish Formation. I prefer to use the original Lethal Formation over Super Lethal Formation because the 1 gauge is more valuable to be used elsewhere (like Gojinmaru's spell null) and the extra 1,000 power and defense for all ninjas on my field has virtually no impact on the game.

Secret Sword, Dragon Vanquish Formation - To be used with Secret Lethal Formation. Also, the vast majority of decks in the game have the word "dragon" in its attribute so if you know the boss monster they use is a dragon, you can just sit on this until they play it. Sure, they may have another copy in hand but if the boss monster is expensive in cost, that'll be a lot of resources lost just to get on the board. I usually just slap both this and Secret Sword, Lethal Formation into the deck without taking anything out.

Art of Shadow Stitching - The alternative spell null you can swap out Katon, Blazing Armors for. Or you can just slap them into the deck if you want. I don't judge. Keep in mind the spell only works on monsters so if weapons/items attack, you can't cast it.

So, that's pretty much it. Hope the list helps!

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Monday, February 19, 2024

Deck Profile: Skull Warriors

The next deck profile is my Skull Warrior deck. It maybe a little unexpected but bear with me as I explain it and hopefully it makes more sense.

Also, as a heads up, if you're looking for a deck profile that is completely thematically Skull Warrior cards, this deck won't be it. Skull Warriors have been under supported so much that this deck is going to have a little bit of Electrodeity, a little bit of Ninjas and heck, even a few generic cards.

Again, feel free to watch my YouTube video below of me explaining the deck as well if you feel like it. It's the exact same deck just in video format:

 


My Skull Warrior deck list:

Buddy: Freak-Wrist Beast Lord, Ziun


Sideboard:

Main Deck

The strategy for this deck is to get Freak-Wrist Beast Lord, Ziun, Evil in Heart, Yamigitsune "Re:B" on the field. Then, if you're feeling more defensive (such as it being turn 0), have Nanomachine Ninja, Tsukikage "Re:B" on the side or if you're feeling offensive, have Shutting out the World, Yoroinezumi on the field instead of Tsukikage. Then, you can play the impact monster Yamigitsune, "White Fire, Shigaisoshi" to try to finish off the opponent with one more Ziun attack. So, let's do a run down of the cards I chose.

Weaver of Dream and Fate, Miko - Ok, hear me out. This card is used mainly for the attack null effect because Skull Warriors have garbage Demon Way attack nulls. It's also super easy to get cards to the discard pile in this deck and Skull Warriors don't tend to last long on the field. Leaving open centers frequently. Also, Yamigitsune does have move so if worst comes to worst, move Yami to the side during the opponent's battle phase. 

Evil in Heart, Yamigitsune "Re:B" - The main guy of the deck that makes the deck work even without Ziun on the field. He costs 2 gauge but because of how his call cost is phrased, you can turn right around and use those 2 gauge cards for Yamigitsune's soul. He has move, which is kind of pointless, double attack and soulguard. 

Yamigitsune's "To Darkness" skill allows you to destroy your Skull Warrior when they deal damage and allow you to charge, draw and gain a life. The real important skill is that Yamigitsune gives all Skull Warriors shadow dive. This is what makes Ziun's huge crit such a scary prospect to the opponent.

Shutting out the World, Yoroinezumi - Used to give more critical to Yami and Ziun a long with being a gauge ramp card. Even if Yoroinezumi is just called to gain 2 gauge and get called over, I think it's worth it. Also, keep in mind the gauge increase effect is not once per turn so you could call a couple a turn if need be.

Humanoid Beast, Yaejako - This might seem like a strange card out of no where but there's a few reasons. First, you can destroy other cards that you don't want on the field anymore, like Yoroinezumi, to recoup a card from deck and gain a life. Also, you can destroy Re:B Yami when he has a soul or two to draw cards and gain life without losing Re:B Yami on the field. This destruction effect is not once per turn either so it's good cycling. Plus, if you destroy 2 Skull Warriors in your turn with Yaejako, you can use Demon Way, Arakuyou to pay a gauge and draw 3 more cards.

The second, almost more important, reason to play him is his "Pale Fire Circle" skill. You can put any set spell on the field to the drop. Yours or your opponent's. It to not only messes with the opponent's set spells but it also makes anti-resurrections cards that instantly shut down Skull Warrior decks, like Invitation to Death Ground or Cherry Blossom Dance, almost impossible to keep on the field. Even if the cards are protected by some anti-destruction effect, Yaejako puts the card to the drop. He doesn't destroy the cards. Also, not that I have any set spells in my deck but you do run Return to the Underworld or Odd Ritual, Skull Festival, you could sacrifice them to resurrect Yaejako as well. 

Evil Ocular Arts, Yamigitsune - The size 1 resurrection monster for the deck. I dont run Return to the Underworld or Odd Ritual, Skull Festival because if I want to resurrect Re:B Yamigitsune, he won't have any souls because the set spells ignore the call costs. Evil Ocular Arts, Yamigitsune still requires the call cost to be paid. Also, you can use Evil Ocular Arts, Yamigitsune to resurrect Yaejako and then just destroy Evil Ocular Arts, Yamigitsune for a free cycle.

Nanomachine Ninja, Tsukikage "Re:B" - Super nice, consistency card for the whole deck. Literally all the size 1 Katana World monsters in the deck can be searched by Tsukikage. Also, the discard for grabbing two cards isn't even a downside for the deck. You can just grab one card you want in hand and another you want in drop then, because you grabbed two cards, just put the one you want in the drop into the drop. Also, by searching the deck, it allows any Weaver of Dream and Fate, Mikos at the bottom of the deck to be shuffled back into the deck to potentially be used again later.

Yamigitsune, "White Fire, Shigaisoshi" - The impact monster for the deck. I have it as a 1 of because you don't want to draw the card during turn 0. Also, it's searchable by Nanomachine Ninja, Tsukikage "Re:B" so it's still very easy to grab it from the deck. If you don't feel comfortable with only 1 copy, you can play 2 copies but I don't think you should play 3+ copies. It'll start to clog up your starting hand.

Guardian Electrobeast, Goryou - Just a consistency card. Also, if one of the cards is Weaver of Dream and Fate, Miko, you don't add her to your hand. You let her go to the drop and grab some other card and in practicality, you really grabbed 2 cards because Miko is activatable in the drop. Another honorable mention card is Banquet for the Unrighteous if you can't find Goryous. The only issue I have with it is you can only grab monsters which, usually you'll want in the drop anyways.

Freak-Wrist Beast Lord, Ziun - The big man on campus. The big Kahuna. Ziun is size 3 but he reduces in size for each other originally size 1 Skull Warrior on the field so he'll shrink down to a size 1 himself. Also, for each originally size 1 Skull Warrior on the field, he gets 3,000 power and 1 critical so, he can get as big as 12,000 power and 5 critical. 

Add one copy of Yoroinezumi on the field and now he has 6 critical. Sure, you may be able to have 2 Yoroinezumi on the field and Ziun for him to have 7 critical but then you lose the more important shadow dive. Also, when Yamigitsune, "White Fire, Shigaisoshi" is impact called, you re-stand Ziun to have him Shadow dive again for 5 more damage.

Demon Way, Arakuyou - The draw spell for Skull Warriors. I run it at 4 because you can cast it once during your turn and then once during the opponent's turn. The requirement for two Skull Warriors to be destroyed may seem like a hard task at first but there's several ways to easily achieve this:

- Re:B Yami's "To Darkness" skill triggering twice

- Call two Humanoid Beast, Yaejako and destroy two Skull Warriors

- If a Skull Warrior like Evil in Heart, Yamigitsune "Re:B" is in the center and Nanomachine Ninja, Tsukikage "Re:B" is on the side, you can use Re:B Tsukikage's skill to discard a card to keep Re:B Yami a live twice during the opponent's battle phase and then, you can use Demon Way, Arakuyou to draw 3 more.

- Yamigitsune, "White Fire, Shigaisoshi"'s call cost counts as a destruction so, if you were only able to get 1 other destruction during your main or battle phase and his impact call is the second Skull Warrior destruction, boom, you can cast Demon Way, Arakuyou during the final phase.

Hiding Oni - Another alternative draw spell. You can take a soul out of Evil in Heart, Yamigitsune "Re:B" or Freak-Wrist Beast Lord, Ziun to gain a gauge and draw 2.

Demon Way, Sakurafubuki - Best spell null in the game. Sadly, it's limited to 1.

Recover Veil - It's a good gauge gain spell at counter speed so you could keep impact Yami hidden until final phase. It can also be used as an attack null. Also, the first ability that protects your hand is just icing on the cake. Not a lot of decks have discard abilities but at least you know you're safe from them.

Buddy Block! - Some decks can attack so much that Tsukikage's replacement skill, Mikos and Recover Veils just aren't enough to stop the opponent so you just need to play this to stop the opponent's battle phase.

Future Card Buddyfight - This card is to make Ziun easier to get in hand. That's why Ziun is buddy. Without Future Card Buddyfight, it's a little too random for my liking to consistently get Ziun in hand. Even with all the draw cards and Goryou, sometimes I would get through almost half my deck and still not see a Ziun so Future Card Buddyfight fixed that issue for me. Also, the 2 gauge is just really nice.

Sideboard

Before I go into my sideboard cards, I just want to say that Skull Warriors have a lot of flexibility in what sideboard cards they can use because unlike a deck like Ninjas and Ninja Arts, they aren't beholden to Demon Way spells nearly as bad. So, don't take my side deck as gospel because it's really not amazing.

Cherry Blossom Dance - Mainly to help mess with decks that have resurrection abilities. Mainly Oni Assassins, Skull Warriors and MAX Dragons.

Loyalty - Some decks like to call a bunch of monsters for set up before getting their real board going. So, Loyalty can make the opponent have a less than ideal board for a turn. Making it easier to win the game.

Master Clown, Dark Fox - I don't think its very useful anymore but if you come across a deck that has a lot of souls and still has minimal anti-destruction or you hate a certain soul gives a certain buff to your opponent's monster, you could use this to still get rid of monsters. It also can leave your opponent with an ultimatum. Do I let my opponent hit me with a Skull Warrior so they can gauge, draw and life with Yami Re:B on the field or, do I stop the attack and let my monster get destroyed by Master Clown, Dark Fox?

Strength Beckoner, Kotenso - Just a quick FYI, the card's official name is Strength Beckoner, Kotenso. It's promo, first print version was named Strength Summoner, Kotenso. It was just an error in the printing. This is another card that the +2,000 power hasn't aged well but, if you need to shadow dive against a high defense Hero World deck, you can use this to help get over it. This could honestly be replaced with something else as well.

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Monday, February 12, 2024

Archetype Archive: Bladedancer


Bladedancers (and by extension, Excelblades) are a rather unique archetype. They're a purely open center deck with an item but... you don't attack with the item. That's right. It is not a typo. You DO NOT attack with your items. What's stopping you from just attacking with your items? Well, almost every good card in the deck checks to see if your item is standing before it activates. Even the impacts. The good items do have counterattack which is... "nice" (I guess) but counterattack is considered a card effect destruction and not an attack so with all the anti-destruction effects that are rampant, I wouldn't really rely on counterattack. Also, the items have the Excelblade attribute which is important because some cards reference that attribute.

Oh, speaking of Excelblades, the impacts also have the Excelblade attribute and unlike most decks where running impacts are pure optional to try and clinch out games, the impacts in Bladedancers are absolutely crucial for the deck to function correctly. That's because they're not just any plain ol' impact. They are more like attack nullify spell cards but with more devastating effects.

If this all sounds like a weird deck, it's because it is. Let's take a look at the cards to see what I'm talking about.

Buddyfight Ace

Dimension Destroyer

Like any archetype's first printing, I'm going to split up the list between staple/good cards and niche/bad cards. So, first up is the former!

The staple/good cards:

Let's start with the very crucial item that makes the deck run. Excelblade, Godslash KANESADA costs 1 life to equip. Once equipped, you CANNOT call monsters to the center of your field. Effectively forcing you to stay open center. In exchange though, the item cannot be destroyed or returned to hand and all Bladedancers (so both the item and monsters) cannot be rested by the opponent's card effects and it has counterattack. So overall, it's a quality item with protection and somewhat helps protect the monsters and if you can get counterattack to go off, more power to you. Keep in mind this card while thinking of the rest of the cards in the archetype.

Next is the main boss monster from the set. Steelframe Swordsman, KUROGANE costs a gauge and gains a soul from the deck. He has double attack and soulguard. His ability says that art the start of each player's battle phase, if your equipped Excelblade (i.e. your item) is standing, destroy a card on the opponent's field and if you do, deal 2 damage to the opponent and gain 2 life. Pretty solid effect but I don't like that the 2 damage/2 life is dependent on the card being destroyed. That being said, it is "a card" so just choose something that can be destroyed and move on I suppose.

Going in a strange order, next we should talk about the impact Pinnacle of Iai, "Godspeed". Godspeed (as I like to call it) can only be casted if you are being attacked and your item is standing. Pay a gauge and a life. Nullify the attack, nullify the abilities of all attacking cards and destroy them. If any are destroyed, deal 3 damage to the opponent. 

Because of this card's ability to nullify the abilities of attacking cards before destruction, I give this a solid thumbs up for its destruction ability. The only real thing that could be done is if the opponent counters the impacts and casts a spell to give the attacking monsters anti-destruction immunity because then, the anti-destruction isn't coming from the monsters themselves. At this point in the game though, that kind of effect was pretty rare. 

Also, one very obvious thing that I think many people don't think of. This is an impact. It can't be nullified by spell nulls and impact nulls are few and far between. 

So now that we have the big three explained, let's talk about the support cards. First up is Forging - From Fire -. It's basically a draw two spell with a couple minor hurdles to cross. You can draw one card for having a Bladedancers on the field and then, if you have an Excelblade item equipped, draw another card. You can actually fulfill both parts of the card by just having your item equipped since the items are also Bladedancers.

Onto the first tutor for the set! Silver Orchid Swordsman, SUZU is a size 1 monster that costs 1 gauge to play. Her tutor ability lets you put up to one Excelblade from the deck to you hand. Her second skill gives her penetrate and double attack if you have an Excelblade item equipped. Coupled with her first skill, this is not a high ceiling to achieve. Being a tutor, she's obviously a staple 4-of for the deck.

Magnetic Swordsman, NEO is the other good size 1 for the deck. When he attacks if you have your Excelblade item equipped, you gain a gauge and draw a card which is not once per turn. He also has double attack, so this effect triggers twice. 

My biggest gripe with him is his gauge and draw effect are slow (triggers in battle phase instead of main phase). At this point however, due to the low card pool size, he's needed in the deck but, later on, he becomes more of just a viable option you can run if you want. What does help is most if the important things that Bladedancers do is during the battle phase so his delay in advantage isn't as negative as many other decks.

The last staple for the deck is Fusion Style, Steadfast Sequence the First... boy that's a mouthful. I'm just going to call it Steadfast from now on. Steadfast is basically the attack "null" (even though it reduces damage) of the deck. You also get 2 life and 2 gauge regardless of if it reduces attack damage so it's still just a good resource gain card. 

It might seem strange at first that it reduces damage to 0 instead of nullifying an attack but it's pretty simple. You'll want to run damage reducing cards in the deck so your KANESADA's counterattack can still trigger. If the attack is nullified, counterattack can't trigger. It also in my mind indirectly sets the precedent that your monsters are pretty expendable. They do their job and it's not a huge deal if they stick around or not. 

Next up are more niche/bad cards. At this point in the decks archetype, you would probably still need to run some of them but they are usually run at less than 4.

The niche/bad cards:

First up is Alloy Instructor, SHAKUDO which, compared to KUROGANE is just decent. He is 1 more gauge compared to KUROGANE but he provides a good damage boost (3000 power and 1 critical) and penetrate to all Bladedancer monsters if your Excelblade is standing. He's really just going to be run in the deck for consistency sake of getting a size 2 on the field. Once more KUROGANEs and tutors become available later on, he'll easily be replaced.

Rainbow Swordsman, TITAN is more like a spell than a monster. He's free to play but, in order to use his effect to grab two Bladedancer monsters from drop, you have to pay 1 gauge and rest him. 

He's just an ok card. I hate you have to call him because there might be better Bladedancers like NEO or SUZU on the field but, I suppose you could always grab them back with TITAN's effect. However, let's say you do. Cool, you just regained a card you didn't have to lose. So then, you're spending 1 card (TITAN himself) and a gauge just to grab back 1 card from drop? So you're just purposefully losing a gauge. Not every impressive.


The last monster from the set is Heavyblade Swordsman, NAMARI. His first ability can only be used during the opponent's turn and if you have a Bladedancer on the field. You call him to the field, and redirect the attack to him. His second effect allows you to grab an Excelblade from the drop when he is destroyed. Usually, this will occur once you use his first effect to call him to the field.

He suffers from similar issues as TITAN. Only being useful by calling to the field where you may have to call over one of your monsters that already on the field only to do what? Just get an Excelblade (i.e. item/impact) back? At worst, it's a 2 for 1 trade (the monster on the field and NAMARI for a redundant item). The next best outcome is a 2 for 1 trade to get your impact but that's still not a great trade. I'm sure usually you'll grab the impact (if it's in the drop) but now, your opponent knows you have the impact so they can just stall/delay in some other way. 

Of course, I'm nitpicking him at his worst and second worst but his best isn't that much better. At best, you call him to the side with no monster to call over just to grab the impact so it's an even 1 for 1 but still, the opponent knows you have the impact now and just decide to attack the monsters instead of you and end their turn. At this point, he probably would still be run in the deck regardless but he's just a necessary evil at this point.

And that covers everything from the first set!... no I totally didn't forget about Excelblade, Beastcut. It's just that bad. You still want me to mention him? Fine. Beastcut is the other item "option" (using that word loosely) for the deck but compared to KANESADA, its just objectively worse. Beastcut costs a gauge to equip which, I'd rather pay a life for KANESADA because all the monsters already cost gauge. 

Unlike KANESADA, Beastcut can be destroyed or bounced. In the case of it being bounced, cool, now you have to pay another gauge to re-equip it which is expensive. All of this mediocrity for the amazing ability to... still have the "anti-rest" ability and give all Bladedancer monsters 5000 power and 1 critical... great.

I usually try to find the silver lining to this card where maybe it would be a "cool tech" or at least a sideboard card but I really can't. The only thing I could think of was if you couldn't afford KANESADA and needed an item for the deck to run. However, this too falls flat because it's not like KANESADA is a triple rare or higher card. It's a double rare which are still very common and not expensive so, I'm not sure what the purpose of this card is. Maybe just ultimately pack filler.

Perfected Time Ruler

At this point in the deck's life, it was decent but not great. Perfected Time Ruler introduced three new cards that were all absolute bangers. Let's start with Fusion Style, Stance of Staring -Ichi-. I'll just be calling it Ichi from now on. Ichi can only be casted during either player's battle phase and if you have your Excelblade item equipped. Check top 3, put up to two to hand and the rest go to gauge and the card can only be casted once per turn. Because of its ability to be casted both turns, I think its perfectly fine to run this at 3-4 and it wont feel cluttered generally speaking. 

I was very surprised that Bladedancers already got a second impact which was shocking but in hindsight, was probably needed to keep the deck good. Excelskill of Iai, "Kamikaze" is similar to Godspeed but, Kamikaze costs 2 gauge instead of 1 gauge and 1 life so it may be "slightly" harder to pay. In exchange, however, not only does it do the usual "nullify the attack, nullify the attacking cards abilities and destroy them" BUT!... the 3 damage is not dependent on destroying anything AND!... you get to draw 2 cards regardless of anything! 

I tried to see if I should run both impacts in the deck and ultimately came to the conclusion that you should be just fine replacing Godspeed for Kamikaze. Maybe at worst, you could run a couple Godspeed to help with consistency but Kamikaze is just better in any practical way.

Conduction Swordsman, RIN is a new size 1 monster for the deck. She's free to call. As long as your item is standing, your Bladedancer monsters can't be destroyed on the left or right. She has a counter ability that for 1 gauge, she can stand a Bladedancer on the field (so they can attack again) and last but not least, if your item is standing, she gets triple attack.

With her addition, I think some of the lesser size 1's from the first set can basically be taken out of the deck. The size 1 quality is starting to get better at this point. The only downside I can think for her is her stats are pretty weak at 2000/2/1000 so you may not get the most bang for your buck with her triple attack but that's a relatively minimal downside. If you're still running SHAKUDO at this point, he'll help with this downside, but I'd almost rather still use KUROGANE.

Violence Vanity

Speaking of KUROGANE, he got a new card! Stout Gold Steelframe, KUROGANE is similar to the original KUROGANE but I think he's still slightly better but I'm getting ahead of myself. The new KUROGANE also only costs 1 gauge. He has triple attack instead of old KUROGANE which has double attack so that's nice however, the new KUROGANE only has 1 critical instead of 2.

New KUROGANE's destruction effect not only destroys but nullifies the ability of the card THEN destroys it but in exchange, you only gain a gauge and life when successfully destroyed. Unlike the old KUROGANE which lets you gain 2 life and deal 2 damage. I think the nullification of the card's abilities heavily out weight any resource gain/lost or the 1 critical lost. So basically, new KUROGANE isn't as aggressive as old KUROGANE but it more likely to actually proc its destruction effect.

At this point, you have 2 different KUROGANEs. I think most people will either get rid of SHAKUDO and run both KUROGANEs or, replace the old KUROGANE for the new one and keep SHAKUDO so there's still some more aggressive cards in the deck. I personally got rid of SHAKUDO from my deck at this point. 

Bladedancers also got a new set spell this set! Fusion Style Training Grounds, KAZIBA is a pretty straightforward set spell. All Bladedancers (including the item) get 2000 power and their abilities can't be nullified. Also, if a Bladedancer on the left or right is destroyed, you gain 2 life and the opponent loses 2 life. For a minus 1 card in hand, I think it's a pretty solid card. This card basically makes RIN pointless from the previous set too so if frees up some space for other options. Bladedancers aren't really swimming in options anyways. I'd run KAZIBA at 4 since you want it and there's no tutor for it.

Buddy Ragnarok

Buddy Ragnarok, the last set of the game, gave us... another KURAGANE?! Weird but not unwelcomed. This one is called Steelframe Swordsman, KUROGANE "HAYABUSA". To keep it distinguishable from other KUROGANEs, I'm just going to refer to this one as Hayabusa.

Hayabusa costs 2 gauge but, it does get 2 souls so I would say its justified. This version also gets to keep his 2 critical. Hayabusa prevents your Excelblades from being destroyed or leave the field by your opponent's card effects. Hayabusa also has penetrate, triple attack and soulguard. All solid effects. Hayabusa's main effect completely gets rid of the destruction effects the old KUROGANEs had. Instead, at the start of each player's battle phase, you gain 2 life, burn your opponent for 2 life and the opponent's cards MUST attack if able. 

This doesn't sound like a special effect but in the past, people would sometimes just stall the game by not attacking the Bladedancer player and just destroy his monsters in hope that the Bladedancer player would just deck out since the deck wasn't very aggressive anyways. So yes, this mandatory attacking is much more useful than it may initially sound. Sure, they may decide to still attack the monsters first but then they have to attack the player and that's when you can use Kamikaze.

Young Alloy Swordsman, SHAKUDO is a surprisingly welcome addition to the size 1 lineup. I didn't realize this until writing this but he is the younger version of Alloy Instructor, SHAKUDO. He has a slightly strange call cost of putting a Bladedancer from drop to his soul but its not a high bar to reach and it has soulguard for that soul.

His first effect makes the opponent burn for 1 more damage when your Excelblade (so, just impact in this case) deals damage to the opponent. So that's 4 damage now from your impact. 

His second effect is that when you deal damage to the opponent by card effect (so either the KUROGANEs or the impacts), you gain a gauge... and this is NOT once per turn so it helps recoup the losses from the more expensive cards. Overall, real solid for the deck.

― KABUKI MAI ― is a pretty straightforward tutor spell. Pay 2 life to grab a monster with KUROGANE in its name and up to one Excelblade and add it to your hand. The 2 life cast cost is super nice to keep the gauge available to call KUROGANE. The Excelblade tutor works for both the item and impact so you can grab whichever one you're missing. 

If you're missing both, grab the item first. If you have the item but not the impact, grab the impact. If you have both, just get another impact! Also, now that Hayabusa forces the opponent to attack, it doesn't really matter that they know you have the impact.

Last but certainly not least from the set is Excelblade, Godslash KANESADA -SIN UCHI- which is basically a straight upgrade to the original KANESADA. For clarification purposes, I'm going to refer to the original as KANESADA and the new one as SIN UCHI.

SIN UCHI has quite beefy stats at 13,000 power, 1 critical and 10,000 defense! It costs 2 life (instead of 1 life like KANESADA) but you also can put up to two Excelblade or Bladedancers from drop into its soul and it has soulguard. Like KANEDASA, SIN UCHI doesn't allow monsters to be called to the center and all Bladedancers (including itself) can't be rested or have their effects be nullified. 

I do want to note that SIN UCHI doesn't have the anti-destruction effect like the origianl KANESADA does but it does get 2 souls and Hayabusa has the anti-destruction/anti-bounce effect so very rarely will you struggle with it being messed with. 

Lastly, it has counterattack but its more than just counterattack. Normally with counterattack, when a link attack happens, you can only destroy one card in the link attack. When SIN UCHI's counterattack triggers, all monsters in the link attack are affected by counterattack. At this point, counterattack is a pretty weak effect because despite its name, it's an effect destruction. Not a battle attack destruction. Regardless, its a nice little bonus but I wouldn't rely heavily on it.

Promos

There's only one promo for Bladedancers and that's Fusion Assist. Fusion Assist can only be casted your item is standing. Pay 1 gauge and choose one of the follow two. The first is that for the turn, Bladedancers on the left and right cannot be destroyed. The second ability is to give a card on the opponent's field -3 critical. 

Overall, I'm pretty indifferent about this card. It's not straight up bad but doesn't make a huge impact for its cost. The issue I have with the first ability is that your monsters can't be destroyed for the turn at all. Whether by battle or effect which, if Hayabusa is on the field, is a detriment because instead of the opponent attacking the player directly and giving the Bladedancer player the chance to use Kamikaze, he can just keep attacking the indestructible monsters and nothing bad happens. I think protection against effect damage is more crucial than protection against all forms of destruction.

The second effect isn't bad but, by this point, you're already at least running 4 Fusion Style, Steadfast Sequence the First and 4 Excelskill of Iai, "Kamikaze" impacts. I'd rather use the Pinnacle of Iai, "Godspeed" impact if I really, really needed more defense than Fusion Assist. Even then, there's also a few other defensive options that I think are better than Fusion Assist and Godspeed if you truly needed another defensive card which you can look at below.

Honorable Mentions & Staples

Alright, next is the honorable mention cards. These are cards that are not directly Bladedancer support but still work at least decently well. Whether as a spicy tech or a staple card in the deck or somewhere in between.

Honorable mention cards in no particular order:


End of game staples for any Bladedancer deck style in no particular order:

Keep in mind, for the staples list, I try to keep it limited to just Bladedancer/Excelblade specific cards. Do I think Guardian Electrobeast, Goryou is a staple for the deck? You bet I do but I don't like to truly recommend staples outside of the archetype itself because decks can be built a million and one different ways and I don't want to overwhelm people with a super crazy list of staples from all across the game to make players feel like they HAVE to get certain cards. If you see my recommendations, read the card and agree, that's fine. If you disagree, that's fine as well. I know people tend to look at cards with a competitive lens but some people just want to have fun so I try to accommodate as many people as possible. 

I personally am someone who doesn't like to tell people to do things. I want to give you the pieces of the puzzle with maybe a small reason on what I think of a card and I want you to have fun putting the pieces together to see what fits and what doesn't for your deck and playstyle. Plus, everyone's locals and meta are a little different so what I say works for my locals might be pointless for yours.

That's about it. Due to the limited number of cards for the deck, I think this is a more simple/straightforward deck to build but still enough options to make it fun and see what does and doesn't work. Hope this helps you and have fun building and testing your deck!

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Monday, February 5, 2024

Archetype Archive: Electrodeity

Unlike Oni Assassins, Electrodeities is is pretty straightforward archetype. Also, side note, many points here may be repeats of what I said in my Miracle Fighter set review so if you want more information, check out that post. I'll try to keep the repeated information brief to avoid too much redundancy. 

The deck revolves around the Kagura-bell of Worship. Basically, the Kagura-bell on its own is a weak 3,000/1 item but it's not meant to be used on its own. It's possession effect allows the player to "equip" a size 3 electrodeity at the start of each player's main phase for free (since call costs aren't equip costs). Then, at the end of each player's turn, the Electrodeity player re-equips the Kagura-bell and the size 3 monster goes back to the player's hand. This allows for a flexible, turn-by-turn playstyle every turn for the deck. Play more defensive size 3s during the opponent's turn and play more offensive size 3s during your turn.

Some Electrodeities also have a more utility based ability but usually, these effects aren't very sought after. Usually, ranked from best to worst, people prefer defensive skill > offensive skill > utility skill.

Also, you can run a build of Electrodeities that works on getting to Lost World. I call this build Lost Electrodeities and is a pretty simple deck build. You build mainly defensive Electrodeities to gain life and draw until you can find Lost World. Then, all your aggressive monster cards are in Lost World to finish off the opponent. So, if I mention Lost Electrodeities below, this is what I'm referring to.

So, with that in mind, let's start with the first set!

Buddyfight Ace

Miracle Fighters

Alright, like any first archetype set, a lot of cards are printed which makes it tougher to neatly talk about them. I like lists, so, let's start with a list of the Staple/Good cards and the Niche/Bad cards and we can go deeper from there. 

Staple/Good cards:

First up is the main size 3 electrodeity card you'll possess into. Electrodeity of Light, Amaterasu costs 2 gauge to summon as a monster but you won't be summoning her as a monster often. Instead you'll possess into her which doesn't require the call cost to be paid. 

She has two abilities that you can choose to use once per turn. You may either gain a gauge and she gains 8000 power and double attack or, you gain 2 life, draw a card and gain 4000 defense (for a total of 12000 defense). 

Over, she has an ok offensive skill and a great defensive skill. Maybe almost too good. Many time's, I've decided to use her defensive skill even during my turn just to get a little more draw and life for survivability during my opponent's next turn. 

Next up is Amaterasu's brother, Unruly Electrodeity, Susanoo. Again, if you want to call Susanoo to the field, he costs 2 gauge. Also, at this point, I'm going to skip over the size 3's call costs since that's not their intention.

So anyways, if you pay 1 life, you can either give Susanoo triple attack and penetrate or, you can destroy all spells and items on the opponent's field. The former ability is used way more than the later. At this point in Buddyfight, there's too much anti-destruction effects to even feel like the latter skill could be used viably so most of the time, you'll be giving Susanoo triple attack and penetrate. I believe even at the end of the game in North America, he's still the most offensive size 3 Electrodeity.

Next up is CHAOS Darryl Berck... I-I mean Guardian Electrobeast Goryou. Goryou has 2 very simple abilities. She can only be called once per turn which is, whatever, and the other ability is when she enters the field, you check the top 3 cards of your deck and put one from those 3 into your hand. Also, because she can grab any card, you do not have to show your opponent what card you chose. Unlike Banquet for the Unrighteous where, because you can only choose a monster, you must show the opponent what card you grabbed. She is amazing for consistency. She's quite literally in all my Katana World decks minus Oni Assassins and even then, I'm trying to think of a way to add her to that deck. Electrodeity wise, I think she's an instant 3-4 of in the deck.

Next up is the tutor for Electrodeities. Miracle Fighters is a pretty basic tutor. Pay a gauge and choose an attribute of a card on your field and grab either an item or a size 3 with that attribute. It's used to mainly grab the Kagura-bell or size 3 card you need.

Electrodeity of Water, Mizuhanome is next up and she's actually deceptively good since both skills are defensive skills. She can either rest a monster on the opponent's field and gain 2 life or, bounce an opponent's monster and burn for 1. What is nice is neither the 2 life gain or 1 burn are dependent on the rest/bounce being successful.  

She's a good financially cheap alternative if you're struggling to pay for copies of Amaterasu. She's also just good for consistency's sake. Sometimes, you just get bad luck and can't find Amaterasu but Mizuhanome's skills can still help sufficiently survive the opponent's turn. Also, her bounce is pretty useful since anti-bounce isn't super common at the point this set has been released.

Ritual, Harvest Prayer is the draw spell for the deck and it too is pretty straightforward but there's actually a little bit of nuance. You can only cast it if there's an Electrodeity on the field. Draw 2 and if your item has a soul (which means your possessed), draw 1 more. 

As good as it is, I tend to run only 2-3 copies because if your hand gets clogged with this card and you can't call anything to get going, this card is a dead card. When I ran it at 4, this happened a few times. Also, its more preferred to get this card on your second turn since you'll get to draw 3 so, you'll want to
see it a little less often. I think it being a 1 of is a little too low so 2-3 seems like a healthy amount.

Onto another staple! Electrodeity Festival has two abilities. Either you can grab an Electrodeity item from your deck (i.e, Kagura-bell) or at counter speed, you can stand an Electrodeity on the field so it can attack again. It's a solid 4 of at the time this set came out. It's debatable if people want to run it at the end of the game. It's ultimately based on personal preference, but we'll get there.

Next up is Kagura-bell of Worship. I've already talked about this card up above, so we'll just move onto the next card.

Electrobeast Emissary, Otora is the next card and it's basically a staple 4 of. If it enters the field and there's already another Electrodeity on the field, gain a gauge and draw a card. Super simple, super good resource gain and cycling.

Electrodeity Return is a good card but I wouldn't say it's a staple. You pay a gauge and you can grab 2 different Electrodeity monsters or items from the drop. Keep in mind you can grab the card you paid the gauge for. If you do run it, I'd say it's fine at around 2 in the deck. It's not something you need early game. You might even want to run this as a 1 of.

Next is a staple that's actually pretty unique. Kagura, Electrodeity Welcome costs 1 life, you gain 3 gauge then, you check all your gauge and put 1 card into your hand. If you can get a couple Otoras played before hand, you could choose from a decent 5-6 card gauge selection. Real nice for consistency and resources.

I'll combine both Ceremonial, Fire Mirror and Ceremonial, Water Mirror in the same group since they're both just attack nulls but one gives 2 gauge (fire) and the other give 2 life (water). I personally liked Water Mirror more but both are good and viable for different reasons. Fire mirror is nice if you're running Lost World and need that 2 gauge. Water mirror has been nice to help absorb an aggressive attack phase from the opponent. 

Regardless of the mirrors, Ceremonial, Execution of Divine Punishment might be the best defensive spell in the set even if you don't gain resources. It can only be played if your item has a soul (so you're possessed). Its first skill is it gives all your opponent's cards -3000/-1/-3000 which can really neuter your opponent's field for the turn. This is the main skill used. I don't think I've ever used the second option of destroying a spell or item on the opponent's field but it's there.

Last but not least is Wind Arc Deity, Uzu-Ikazuchi. I would put this card under the "good" category and not necessarily a staple. It can only be played if you're possessed. The critical of all Electrodeity cannot be reduced by card effects and when the item attacks, destroy a card and burn 1 to the opponent. The burn is also independent of the card destruction so if there are no viable destroyable cards, it doesn't matter. As the art kind of suggests, it's best used with Susanoo and his triple attack/penetrate. 

It's real strong but depending on what you want the deck to do, you may not even run the card. If you're doing a Lost Electrodeity build, for example, you wouldn't run it because all your aggression is once you go into Lost World.

Up next is is the more niche/bad cards so, let's start with the list!

Starting from the top, we have Electrodeity of Wind, Amatsuhikone. His two abilities is, you pay 1 gauge and he can either gain 2 critical and double attack or, all Electrodeities on the field get 4000 power. 

He's not bad, per se, but when you have Susanoo that can do:

- 3 damage in 3 attacks (9 damage total)
- Has penetrate
- 3 activations for Uzu-Ikazuchi 

versus Amatsuhikone that can do:

- 5 damage in 2 attacks  (10 damage total)
- No penetrate 
- 2 activations of Uzu-Ikazuchi

 I think I'd be willing to sacrifice one less critical for one more attack and Uzu-Ikazuchi activation with Susanoo. Also, the gauge cost for Amatsuhikone's skill is more detrimental than paying 1 life with Susanoo's skill. Life gain is super easy with Amaterasu's and Mizuhanome's 2 life gain and then you don't have to worry about slowly decking yourself out more by needing to gauge ramp harder for Amatsuhikone.

Next up is Electrobeast Emissary, Shuto. He's kinda teetering between low staple/good tier and high niche/bad tier. He costs 1 gauge and put an Electrodeity into his soul (but it cannot be the gauge you pay). Right off the bat, he gives the Electrodeity item 3000 attack and defense. Then, if the Electrodeity player's life is 6 or less, the item also gets 1 critical and he has move and soulguard.


I actually used him for a while as a 2-3 of because making Amaterasu 15000 is an absolute pain to get over. I don't believe I ever moved him to center because that just makes activating penetrate easier and I honestly don't think I've ever taken the "6 or less life, gain 1 critical" into consideration. Especially since Electrodeities has so much life gain, you're usually not going to be low on life. 

Guardian Electrobeast, Mizuchi is more of a tech. It has shadow dive and double attack. Also, when your electrodeity item attacks, it gains a critical and that's not once per turn. So, in theory, it could be a 4 crit with Susanoo on the field. This card is mainly for big, beefy size 3 center decks that you struggle to get through so, he just lets you go around with Shadow Dive. Can't say I've ever used him but in theory, he's not bad but, not a consistently needed card.

Guardian Electrobeast, Komaji might at first, seem like a better Otora, because you can get a gauge, 2 life and a card but, if you do run it, you'll want this card on your second turn because the main goal is to draw an extra card and you're not doing that on the first turn without your item having a soul. That's the major downside with the card. I'd rather get a gauge and card with Otora on the first turn than a gauge and 2 life with Komaji. Electrodeities already has enough life gain through other means.

Guardian Electrobeast, Hakuro provides the opposite resources that Komaji gives (2 gauge and 1 life) but it also doesn't have a way to draw a card so, overall I think its worse than Komaji.

Guardian Electrobeast, Inamaro is one of those cards where, nothing is wrong with it technically. It only costs a gauge, can give other Electrodeities penetrate and can get double attack along with move and soulguard but, there's just so many other good cards that its tough to find a spot for him. Plus, Susanoo already has penetrate for 3 attacks and the need for more penetrate is usually pretty low. Overall, just lackluster and not enough space in a deck to need it unless you need to sideboard it in.

I gotta say, I love the art on Guardian Electrobeast, Kiun but his stats and effects are just bad. At this point, anti-destruction is super common and prevalent so his destruction effect won't usually activate and other than that, he has move which makes the Electrodeity player susceptible to penetrate damage so overall, Kiun's a hard pass.

Comeback Electrodeity, Bright Future is the impact card for Electrodeities and it's an ok impact. I'm not much of a fan of impacts that give cards another chance to attack during the final phase because there's many more ways to work around that (such as re-resting the card/reducing the damage to 0) than an impact that just does X amount of damage that can't be nullified or reduced. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly not a terrible impact but, it leaves too many opportunities for the opponent to counter the impact. Especially since it costs 3 gauge which isn't cheap.


Guardian Electrobeast, Komaichi's problem is similar to Komaji. To maximize its effect, you want to get the critical bonus but, not only is it not possible on turn 1 but, even if you could, having one attack have 1 extra critical isn't that worthwhile of an investment to lose a hand card so, if you do run it, it'll be probably a 2-3 of but even then, remember, it's fighting for space in a deck that has a lot better options to make the deck work well. 

If I can give it one positive note is that it's stat boost isn't once per turn so if you are on your 2nd or more turn, you can spam call this guy a few times to get a good damage boost. Conversely though, in order to do something like that, at best, you will have not have had to wait any turns to get a few copies of him in hand by drawing the second+ turn but on average, you would probably at least have 1 copy in hand on your first turn which will have been a dead card the previous turn.

I wont spend much time on Ceremonial, Worded Breath. It's another card that sadly isn't good due to the high amount of anti-destruction in the game. I'd say it's even a waste being in sideboard.

Ceremonial, Winged Arrow is similar to Double Loss. At counter speed at anytime, you can drop a soul from an opponent's monster then, if your item has a soul, destroy it. It sadly falls into the same category as Worded Breath. The meta can just ignore effects like this easily so it's not worth running.

Last but not least of the set is Electrodeity City Center, Takamagahara. It's a set spell that prevents your Electrodeity item from being rested or bounced to hand and the item's abilities cannot be nullified by the opponent. That's pretty worth while for a minus 1 card in hand. This one is actually a decent side board card. Helps with protecting your field and if the card itself gets destroyed, you can grab an Electrodeity monster for free. I would say put this in sideboard.

Dimension Destroyer

The Dimension Destroyer set only had one new card and that was Radiant Electrodeity, Ameno-Wakahiko. It has a passive that if you're possessed onto him, he cannot leave the field by the opponent's card effects. This was a nice counter to Vile Demonic Dragon, Vanity Husk Destroyer's "put" effect. He unfortunately only has one active effect to choose from. For 1 gauge, you draw a card and 1 card on the opponent's field loses 3000 power and defense and 1 critical. So it's like a mini Execution of Divine Punishment. Not the worst defensive skill since you at least get to draw a card but compared to


Mizuhanome and Amaterasu, it's not as good. On the other hand though, his passive effect does pull its fair share of weight so he's nothing to completely write off. I tend to switch back and forth between 1 copy in main or side board.

Golden Garga

The Golden Garga set brought us not one but two cards! Wooh! We're rolling in support! Affectionate Heavenly Deity, Amaterasu's ability costs a life but you get to draw and either make her more offensive (+6000 power and triple attack) or more defensive (+6000 defense and Counterattack). Either way, you draw a card and feels more balanced out on which should be chosen compared to Electrodeity of Light, Amaterasu where it felt like her +2 life/+1 draw ability was just the better option.

Sol Aurora is, in my opinion, a staple attack null. It nullifies the attack, prevents the card from restanding and you gain 1 gauge and 1 life. Super solid overall. It could probably replace the Fire/Water mirrors you were using in the deck.

Blazing Overclash

Weaver of Dreams and Fate, Miko has a small misprint. On the card, it says her name is "Mico" but her real card name is "Miko". This card has 2 abilities. The first is where if your item would leave the field, you can send Miko to the drop instead to keep the item on the field. It's second ability is much more unique and is the real reason to play the card. If you're being attacked and she's in the drop zone, you may pay 1 gauge and put her from the drop zone to the deck to nullify the attack and gain 3 life. Pretty crazy to basically always have this card "in hand". I think it's an absolute 3-4 of in the deck because of the basically free attack null from the grave.

I also feel like this is a sleeper card for other decks with open centers. For Skull Warriors, its easy to chuck in the drop and block attacks. Blade Beasts/Japanese Blade decks get use out of it since they are open center and focus on getting cards to drop. You would think it would be nice in Bladedancers as well and while it's not a terrible choice, Bladedancers rely more on cards that reduce damage to 0 (because of the counter attack on the sword). Not attack nullifies but, if push comes to shove, it can be used.

Ace Re: Collection Vol.1

There's not much to say in Ace Re: Collection Vol. 1 other than Electrodeity of Light, Amaterasu and Miracle Fighters got reprinted which I'm sure was super helpful for many. Oh, and Miracle Fighter's art is full art on the card instead of boxed art so it looks nicer in my opinion.

Perfected Time Ruler

Perfected Time Ruler introduced enough cards to create a new way to play Electrodeities. With the help of Great Electrodeity of Freedom, Izanami, you could potentially get two turns in a row! That's at least one of Izanami's skills as long as you can discard 5 differently named size 3 electrodeities from your hand. Her other skill (which I think is better) is to call a size 3 Electrodeity from the drop without paying its call cost and it becomes a size 0 until it leaves the field. Izanami also has built in triple attack.

I tried to build a deck around her extra turn effect and while I was able to pull it off a couple times, it felt more like 1 and a half turns. It felt like it took so much resources to get the 5 different electrodeities in hand that the first turn was a little stunted but the second turn felt fine. Ultimately, she's still a great card because of her second effect being the much better option in general. Free size 0 Amaterasus/Mizuhanomes and free resources!

Kagura, Blossom Dancer is the other viable, alternative option to Electrodeity Festival. It can be played only on the opponent's turn to equip an Electrodeity item from the deck. This allows you to have a fully online field, ready to go on turn 1. Alternatively, its other ability reduces the next time you take damage to 0.

Kagura, Blossom Dancer's second ability is also a viable option for Blade Dancers since it reduces damage to 0 instead of nullify although, I personally prefer Recover Veil more but, both are viable options.

So, between Electrodeity Festival and Kagura, Blossom Dancer, which would I prefer? It depends. I think Kagura, Blossom Dancer is more for pure Electrodeity decks to help get more attacks off while Kagura, Blossom Dancer is more for if you either need more defense or are running Lost Electrodeity and want to just survive to get to Lost World. They're both good and roughly balanced. They just fit slightly alternate niches.

Freed Flower of Yosen is another staple attack null in my opinion. You can use if anytime you're being attack to nullify the attack and then, if the opponent has attacked 3 or more times and your item has a soul, their phase ends. Keep in mind that this also works if the opponent is attack in the final phase as well. 

Technically, its attack null portion is generic enough to go into any deck but, I don't think any Katana World archetype is struggle that badly with attack nulls that the only viable solution is to use a single attack null effect with no other upside.

I'll be honest, I haven't tried to use Electrobeast Emissary, Shino in my deck but she doesn't look to be a bad card at all. She helps them be more consistent on grabbing size 3s and helps protect your Electrodeities in general. Sadly, you do have to discard 1 card if you grab a card but that's a fair trade. Heck, maybe I should try switching back off from Lost Electrodeity and try the extra turn strategy with her in the deck. Regardless, she's a solid card as long as you can find space for her.

Electrobeast Emissary, Kouki is the least impressive card out of the set. He fits into this weird place where there's other better cards to prevent your Electrodeity item from being messed with but, he does protect all Electrodieties in general on the board so he is a little different. His second effect is a nice way to recover a size 3 from drop so you can work on getting to 5 different Electrodeities to get an extra turn however, you probably don't want him turn 1 with no cards in drop so he's a little bit of a hot mess. I honestly would prefer just to use Electrodeity Return. I don't know. Not unique of a tech to be played in sideboard but he also doesn't seem to warrant the main deck either.

Buddy Ragnarok

The last set for english, Buddy Ragnarok, gave us a new Amaterasu. Sol Trilight, Amaterasu "Wisteria Dance" and I honestly have mixed feelings on her. Let's look at the skills first. Her ability is counter however, it can only be activated during either player's battle phase so it can be a little slow. You draw 2 nice (which is nice) and you pick either the offensive or defensive skill. The offensive skill is you gain a

gauge and all Electrodeities gain 8000 power. Her defensive skill option is to gain 2 life and get 8000 defense. She also has innate penetrate and double attack. 

My biggest issue is that it can only be activated during the battle phase. During the opponent's turn, its not usually a big deal but I hate the idea of missing a useful card to play during the opponent's main phase like Demon Way, Sakurafubuki to hinder the opponent's turn. Like wise, during your turn, I'd hate to miss being able to either gain more advantage cards during the main phase or miss the chance to activate Uzu-Ikazuchi to have a better aggressive battle phase. It just feel slower and I don't think the extra card draw justifies this slowness.

So, due to Demon Way, Sakurafubuki having such strong synergy with the life gain and draw that Electrodeities offers, it was limited to 1 however, Bushiroad made a more balanced spell null for Electrodeities called Cross Manner. It can only be cast when a spell is cast and your Electrodeity item has a soul. Pay 2 gauge, nullify the spell and no more copies of that card can be played this turn. Pretty strong but severely gimped compared to Demon Way Sakurafubuki. I've tried running it and I'm honestly torn on how good of a spell null it is. It seems like too much if you run 1 Sakurafubuki and 4 Cross Manners so maybe there's a happier middle ground taking 1 or 2 out. I haven't tried myself.

Electrobeast Emissary, Mashiro is the last card from the set. Its first ability is like the Takamagahara set spell's first ability. Helps to reduce interference to your Electrodeities on the field. The second effect is like Miko's drop effect but costs a life and helps prevent your item from leaving the field. I'd say its a decent tech card. Not really sure if you would mainboard it but a respectable sideboard card.

Promos

Guardian Electrobeast, Micott is the only Electrodeity promo to be released. She costs a gauge and gets a soul from the deck. She redirects the opponent's attacks to her which is nice and she gets 5000 more attack and defense if you have an Electrodeity item equipped. To top it all off, she has innate double attack and soulguard. Nothing is bad with the card but I think a high defense (10000+) size 3 Electrodeity item can hold its own pretty well without needing help from an 8000 defense monster. Also, with Izanami, you're working on getting a field of size 3s and not really worrying about summoning size 0-2 monsters other than maybe Otora but even that is just for easy advantage and Otora doesn't need to stay on the field.

Honorable Mentioned Cards & Staples

And we're done! Like my Oni Assassin Archetype Archive post, I just want to list some honorable mention cards that could work with Electrodeities that aren't Electrodeities themselves and just list cards I think are absolute staples regardless of the kind of Electrodeity deck you want to make.

Honorable mention cards in no particular order:

Use this card or so god help me...
- Demon Way, Sakurafubuki (limit of 1)
- Recover Veil
- Grace of the Sun Deity
- Cherry Blossom Dance
- Loyalty
- Banquet for the Unrighteous (alternative option if you can't get Guardian Electrobeast, Goryou)

End of game staples for any Electrodeity deck style in no particular order:

I'm not going to say any certain size 3/2/1/0 monster is a staple other than Otora because I think that's more based on how you want to run the deck but I just don't see how Otora can be a bad card no matter what you do in the deck.

That's about it! Hopefully that helps. Compared to Oni Assassins, this deck certainly feels much more straightforward but still has a few alternative play styles. Whether you want to play more aggressive with Uzu-Ikazuchi, try your luck at extra turn Electrodeities or play Lost Electrodeities.  

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