Crystal Beast Deck List

I've been meaning to build this IRL for a while, as it's a ton of fun and people don't expect the plays that come of it. So I built it with Genma and another friend in a day, and ran it at locals on Saturday. I top 8'd with it, and lost 1-2 to heroes, thanks to Skill Drain. It has become a lot more usable now that xyz are out, since it makes rank 3s and 4s extremely easily.

Monsters x17: 

x3 Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle
This card is arguably the best CB, it can be special'd with beacon, monster reborn or other methods to spam the backrow CBs, but usually I put both in the backrow and wait to summon it with rainbow ruins. It can be used to make Leviathan, or more commonly Acid Golem. Before I'd go for 1 in backrow, focusing on tiger and pegasus there, but now I usually bring 2 to backrow, lowering my chances of drawing it and thinning my deck. Also can be set in the case of drawing it.

x3 Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger
Tiger is a level 4, 1600 or 2000 beatstick, basically in here because it's the third decent CB. I prefer going for pegasus over it, but it's nice to get over opponents low level monsters, and makes for good xyz'ing.

x3 Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus
Amazing CB, it replenishes the backrow when it's summoned via carbuncle's effect, and maximizes rainbow ruin's, and other CB card's potentials. Usually an opening move will be to summon this guy or summoner monk and then this guy and place carbuncle in the backrow. It can be summoned with beacon as well, giving you an easy pegasus and 3 backrow CBs, letting you use the rainbow ruins negation effect. 

x2 Summoner Monk
The deck runs copious amounts of spells, I've never drawn monk when I don't have a spell to pitch. Usually I'll go for pegasus with this, putting a CB in the backrow and getting a pegasus to the field. Usually I will leave pegasus at this point, but sometimes I'll make Utopia, this works well in tight situations to defend or fill back row.

x1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
Gale was in here in place of a second Dragon Queen (couldn't find one), but I found it worked really well. It won me a game against heroes by letting me get over their shining, I may keep it in. I didn't sync with it once, but it keeps the option open to make brio/armed wing or black rose/armor master if needed. 

x1 Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings
Online I ran 2 of these and I still intend to do so, I just need to find a second. They're hard to come by, since they're not something people really think about, or put in binders... This card is great. It's good defense, and extra draw power, plus the deck drops it really easily. It thins out the opponent's hand, and comes back really easily. 2 is almost essential.

x1 Gravi Crush Dragon
May put this in the side deck instead of main, it was essential to get around big monsters or ones that can't be destroyed by battle, but now, with xyz monsters, I don't really need beatsticks like this, and I really only used it once. I'll test without it.

x2 Malefic Cyber End Dragon
This guy is obvious, a 4k beater that doesn't care about skill drain (and in fact likes it). The field spell protects itself, and though my other monsters can't attack, I can keep CBs out and negate stuff that would get rid of cyber end with rainbow ruins. 


Spells x20:

x1 Crystal Tree
Really good early on to quickly fill the back row, and late game I can drop it for summoner monk. I've never really had any problems with drawing it when not needed, and CBs have enough draw power that it wouldn't matter too much anyways.

x3 Crystal Beacon
Brings out an easy pegasus or carbuncle, filling a space in the backrow or letting the deck go off. Extremely useful.

x3 Rare Value
A +1, especially useful when combined with crystal blessing. Often easily usable turn 1, and it's really easy to replenish the backrow. Helps cycle through the deck very quickly.

x2 Crystal Blessing
I'm probably going to bump this up to 3 with xyz, as they hit the grave a lot more now. Before I was using this card a lot less, but with xyz out it's way more useful. Very useful after an opponent's heavy storm, or after a rare value. 

x2 Terraforming
Thins the deck, can be dropped for monk, and effectively increases the odds of getting a rainbow ruins a lot. Never a dead draw when combined with monk.

x3 Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins
The heart of the deck, it would not be runable at all without this. Draw power, negation, reduces battle damage and spams CBs all at once. Plus it protects itself, preventing MST from working at all on it after its activation. Saves it from heavy storms, as well, since destruction would be simultaneous. It is succeptable to opponent's field spells, but that's usually not too big of an issue.

x2 Pot of Duality
This also helps make the deck usable, adding a pegaus or field spell is extremely useful, and the deck only really special summons when it's going to make a major play.

x1 Monster Reborn

x2 MST
Usually saved for things like skill drain, as the deck deals with most other spells and traps very well. Torrential and mirror force don't phase it at all, since after a major play it can negate with rainbow ruins, and while poking before that, the monsters just go to backrow or come back easily in the case of dragon queen. 

x1 Dark Hole
Clear the opponent's field and get CBs to backrow in order to make plays? Yes please.

x1 Heavy Storm
Early game or with blessing in hand it doesn't really hurt, as the field protects itself, and late game it can be used with monk.


Traps x3:

x1 Torrential Tribute
Works like dark hole, doesn't hurt the deck at all. When I get to 4 CBs backrow and no space left, I'll often summon one and activate TT to clear the opponent's field, fill the backrow for plays and then combo off.

x2 Solemn Warning
Obvious, usually doesn't hang around long enough to waste backrow space.


Extra

Number 39: Utopia
The level 4 CBs can do more damage separate, but when necessary, Utopia is a beater and stalls opponent's attacks long enough to combo off.

Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction
Usually used to make a game ending play or doesn't stick around too long, and does far more damage than 2 carbuncle alone. Gets over opponent's big monsters, an issue that the deck used to have dealing with before xyz were released.

Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
Helps get over things that even Utopia couldn't get over alone, like stardust or other utopias, and gets around effects. 

Photon Papilloperative
New addition as of Sunday, we'll see how this goes. I figure it can help get around opponents stalling with set cards, and will force moves.

Cyber End Dragon
For malefic cyber end.

The rest of the extra deck stuff is generic xyz and level 6 and 7 synchros. I don't have a side yet, I'm going to build that now. Thinking of siding turtles and a few other things, any suggestions with that? The issue with a CB side is that it can't include continuous traps or spells, since they waste backrow space that I need for rainbow ruins.

Deck Profile Video - HERO Drain

What, a video Deck Profile? Why yes, I've finally started actually using them. Here ya go:

Custom Ban List

Okay, so like a lot of people were when the new list was announced, I was less than impressed with it. Suffice to say, I saw it as Konami railroading the game. 3 of the 4 Banned Cards were Tuners or Synchro Monsters, and both Limited Cards were Tuners. Reborn Tengu got pushed to 2 because it helps Synchros, but Tour Guide gets to stay at 3. Not to mention they hit the less powerful parts of engines; why are Spore and Glow-Up Bulb more ban-worthy than Dandylion? Why is TG Striker worse than Warwolf? And my favourite; banning Trishula over Brionac (the one Synchro I really don't like). Then they kept BLS back, so... yeah...

So, like many people, I've come up with an amendment to the Ban List, one that I think would be better for the format:

The Following cards are FORBIDDEN:

Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (One of the most broken cards ever, it joined the list a year after its Dragon brother and should have stayed there. I'm fixing Konami's mistake).

Dandylion (THIS is what should have been banned. This thing is what let those broken Synchro Summons with Spore and Glow-Up happen, and made first-Turn Lonefire into a +2. Even as Xyz Material, it does the same thing. No, just NO.)

Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier (This card combos with so many things it's not funny, and it wins games.)

Monster Reborn (A free monster from either Graveyard is one of the reasons the format got so fast. That's no longer acceptible.)

The Following cards are LIMITED:

Dark Magician of Chaos (With Reborn gone, and Raigeki. Dimension Fusion and Feather Duster never to be seen again, this card is nowhere near the threat it once was.)

Glow-Up Bulb (This card was NEVER Ban-worthy on its own, and with Dandylion gone it never should be again.)

Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World (This and Snoww are why Dark World became good. This is the worse of the two; an unstoppable destruction of 1 card and a summon that's a +1? NO.)

Master Hyperion (I heard people say this should have been hit instead of Earth. I agree; Earth is nowhere near as bad as this. Most of the time, the Field Spell isn't out and it searches Venus. Hyperion is like Dark Armed for Fairies, and Dark Armed is limited.)

Rescue Cat (This thing is nowhere near as powerful as Rabbit. It can only make up to a Rank 3, whereas Rabbit can make Laggia. Now, I realize you could make Leviair with this to get Rabbit back, but that's addressed later on the list. Besides, now you actually have to run BEASTS to sustain this thing, beasts that overlap with Rabbit. Yes, you must run Silver Fang...)

Spore (Same story as Glow-Up Bulb, and this thing can help with Xyz as well so it makes sense.)

Wind-Up Rat (Behold, the cause of the Wind-Up loop that's caused many a-rage quit. I for one say Enough is enough. If Wind-Ups wanna kill your hand now, they have to work for it.)

Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier (We get our Trish back for losing Brio. This takes 3 materials, where Brio is 2. This uses its effect once, brio indefinitely. If this gets Veilered, it's a beatstick; if Brio is Veilered, that's one turn's wait.)

Premature Burial (This card was banned because of Brio, as it made for a full field. With Brio, Reborn and Trunade gone, never to be seen again, this can come back. Yes DMoC can fetch it, but not if you summon him with it; and with the amount of destruction out there this won't last. Also, this, unlike Reborn, cannot dodge DD Crow by taking an enemy monster; and, oh yeah, it's not FREE.)

The Following cards are SEMI-LIMITED

Chaos Sorcerer (In keeping with the "slow the meta down" theme, BLS' little brother goes to 2. Not enough to kill him, but enough to slow things up.)

Inzektor Hornet (Inzektors are pretty damn annoying, but I figure even taking 1 Hornet reduces the likelihood of that combo by a little bit.)

Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (Between Hieroglyphs and Chaos Dragons, this guy's year is here. I don't see either becoming Meta so he's not Limit-worthy, but he's dangerous at 3.)

Rescue Rabbit (This NEEDED to happen. YCS Atlanta featured 10 Dino rabbit Decks in the Top 16, all running 3 of this guy. Now you must run 1 Cat instead. So cute...)

The Agent of Mystery – Earth (With Hyperion at 1, this card doesn't need to be as well; but at 3 it's still a Stratos par excellence, so I think 2 is safest.)

Tour Guide from the Underworld (If Tengu is at 2, so too should this be. Now, you need to pick a 4th Level 3 Fiend besides Sangan, or risk pulling a dead Tour Guide, which I think is much more fair.)

Mystical Space Typhoon (3 of this card is asking for an aggressive Meta, something I for one think is too dangerous at the moment. 2 of this card isn't nearly as bad.)

Call of the Haunted (Same as MST above, this card should NEVER be at 3.)

Royal Oppression (Yes, a card straight back from 0 to 2. Now the Meta will become VERY slow, or else Trap Eater will be sided at 3; basically all Meta Decks lose out to this thing at 1, so 2 should keep things docile.)

The Following cards are NO LONGER RESTRICTED:

Solemn Warning (A third of this plus 2 Oppression should keep things fairly calm in the Meta scene.)

The theme of this list is to slow down the Meta, because many people feel it's gotten way too fast. I agree, and think this list does that job very well. Combos still exist, but with less back-row removal and more summon negation you have to be careful...

Until next time I'm M signing off and saying play hard, play fair and play it safe...

Volcanic Xyz

Okay, so let me say first of all, sorry for the long absence; I've been doing other stuff. Secondly, at first glance this may seem like it flies in the face of my previous philosophies on Xyz, but they don't run the show entirely here; no, this Deck is about maintaining card count.

There's a very simple setup here in the main combo. Summon Summoner Monk, pitch a spell for Volcanic Rocket, add a Blaze Accelerator to my hand. Free LV4 monster. Similar to the Monk-Sacred Crane combo, but specifically fishes for a spell. Now, it lose Chaos compatibility, but gains the ability to kill scores of monsters.

Volcanic Shell also gains a new trick in this Deck. Making Lavalval Chain lets me mill a Shell, pay 500 to add one to my hand, and pitch it for the cost of an Accelerator. It also gains the ability to be run with Debris Dragon, who is here for the 8 targets it has (3 Shell, 3 Scattershot, and 2 Maxx C) or in case I need another Summoner Monk target. By the way, I'm Maining Maxx C instead of siding it for one simple reason: the format is so Special Summon heavy that one can provide enough draw for this whole deck.

Tour Guide is here to kickstart the process. I may open into a Zenmaines, but more likely I'm fishing for Sangan to set up a Summoner Monk Combo. Verz O' Wisp is an odd choice, but he qualifies for both Blaze Accelerators, is a wall and a Monk target, and it food for Dark Armed Dragon. DAD and Volcanic Doomfire are the biggest trump cards here; while Doomfire is just a tech at the moment, he does serious damage by virtue of his high ATK and destruction/burn effect.

Finally, the Deck only mains 3 Decree, enough to prevent annoying traps messing me up. However, it sides MANY traps against the format's main hitters (more on that later). Extra Deck is standard, except for the 2 Lavalval Synchros (easily made with Debris for extra beat) and 2 each of Chain and Emeral (one sets up Shell, DAD, etc. while the other is extra Pots of Avarice).

The Deck is currently in the testing phase, but it works wekk because of the hand-maintaining cards. One Maxx C can draw 4 cards easy in this format, and is an ideal counter to the Wind-Up Hunter Loop (for every card they make you pitch, you draw 3!), and Rocket maintains the hand whole being Xyz food or just a 1900 beater.

Well, I'll be back later for a session of this format's must-haves, but for now I'm M saying play hard, play fair, and play with fire! Wait, that's not right...

Tech Synchro

Anybody else noticing a pattern with my decks (besides the fact I've been the only one to post decklists in a while)? Yes, I just can't let Synchros die. I steadfastly believe they did more for the game than Xyz ever will, so I will continue to build decks with them as long as I play.

This deck is very simple, using mostly tech cards with the exception of a few specific cards. Momonga is a great stall card in a battle-heavy format, giving me extra life, thinning my deck and getting Synchro or Xyz fodder right away. Hamster, by extension, nets me either Momonga or Ryko, and most of the time my opponent doesn't kill Hamster either - with a Junk Synchron or Birdman, instant Trishula. Speaking of Birdman, he combos very well with Junk Synchron; revive a Maxx C or such, return it to the hand for Birdman, and get Leviair (one of only 2 Xyz I run, and only in case I sorely need it) OR add an existing monster for Synchro power.

This deck also does well for hand count. It costs very little for most moves, and axx C just rocks house. Earlier today I use it against Fableds, and got it first-turn. They Dropped Lurrie for Chawa, then made Formula Synchron; I got a +2 for their breaking even. Next turn, I dropped a second one (that I actually drew with the first), for a more humble +1; however, that's still great. Just ask Decsilentenigma; Maxx C is a great card, especially against high-summon Decks like GB or Rabbit Xyz.

Extra Deck is fairly standard, though more Synchro-heavy than most decks; I'll likely remove Gachi Gachi because it simply isn't useful, in favour of something better. Frozen Fitzgerald is an Amazing Synchro, I'll say it now; he can be made as a break-even, he's a beater AND a wall all in 1 (few cards can say that anymore), and he's safe when attacking. I've actually gone into him more times than Librarian, just because he's that useful.

As always, I'm open to suggestions and will likely tweak the Deck. Until next time, I'm M saying play hard, play fair, and play ball! (Wait, that's not it...)

RaiDa Synchro

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my RaiDa Synchro Deck, a piece I've tinkered with a bit and I think have finally reached a level of playability with. The Deck can either summon Monarchs, RaiDa or occasionally D-Hero Plasma to control the field, or Synchros to Spam it.

A few neat tricks for this build, including the Spy-Birdman combo. Back when Monarch Decks were first popular (pre-Frognarch), Gravekeeper's Spy was a favourite for them. An opponent rams it, they take damage AND you get another spy. I borrowed on that here, and added Birdman. It's simple: Spy is flipped (how is irrelevant unless it dies), I get another Spy. Bounce one Spy fir Birdman, make Black Rose to nuke field, set Spy again. This way, I have field control.

The Plant Engine couples well here too. Have 2 spies from flipping, summon Lonefire, make Glow-Up. Make 2 Level 5 Monsters, including HYper Librarian. 'Nuff said.

This deck is still under revision, and I'll let you know as it changes. Until then I'm M saying play hard, play fair, and play for keeps!

Quick on the Draw

Ah, my old Quickdraw-Tuningware build. It never fails to deliver a massive hand. Many a time I've had a 14-card hand with one build of this deck, and that was before I added a Plant engine! It just spams... in fact, at one point a Deck like this one was intended for a Shooting Quasar build... Man, I just love this deck...