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...

Land of the Ice and Snow...

As some of you may or may not know, this year's YCS Toronto featured a very unique deck for a competitive event - Nordics, courtesy of Sorosh Saberian. When I was first told about this, I was quite pleased - Nordics are a Deck I started running when the cards first came out. Then I actually got looking at the Deck list, which is as follows:


There are only six Nordics in this "Nordic" Deck - three Guldfaxe and three Tanngnjostr - and the Aesir Synchros are nowhere to be found. This is the same logic as "Plant Decks" - a five card engine apparently makes the whole thing a Plant Deck. Bullshit in its purest form. And I tested this Deck - It does well with Synchros and Xyz, but is just doesn't have the same feel as a Nordic Deck should, in my opinion.

Thus, I build an Aesir Deck:


Admittedly this Deck isn't as competitive as the above one, but it's a prototype based off a fun Deck I haven't touched in over a month, so it's still under construction. However, consistency it has - BIG time. Second turn Odin? No problem. And let me tell you, or let P and S tell you - Second Turn Odin hurts. Yes, I could make a 2500 beatsick for 2 cards, but for 3 I could make a 4000-point God immune to Spells and Traps that comes back when killed. Sound worth the investment? I think so.

Monster-wise, Search and Special Summon is the name of the game. Hamster lets me search into either Tanngnjostr or Tanngrisnir as needed, the former creating plusses and the latter stopping OTKs. Guldfaxe is a Special Summon-able Tuner, both by Tanngnjostr and by himself as needed. vanadis is a stellar Tuner, letting you make any Aesir (usually Odin), getting under Bottomless, and letting you mill another copy of herself for free to give Odin more revival fuel (or a Guldfaxe if you go for Thor). Tour Guide and Sangan are obvious carryovers, though in my build they act as bait instead of an Xyz effort (remember, I don't like Xyz much). Tomato lets me search Sangan, Vanadis, itself or, in a Pinch, a Tour Guide.

In both versions, the ace in the hole non-Monster wise is Gleipnir. A chainable RotA for Nordics is a great thing, turning a blind MST into a -1. If your opponent is so unfortunate as to Heavy Storm 2 or 3 Gleipnirs and nothing else, they will be hurting. (Yes, I have had that happen.) Putting a Tanngnjostr into your hand lets you set up for an opponent's attack very well too, especially when they attack a Tour Guide you just plussed off of. Nordic Lights is very annoying, especially with Tanngnjostr. Allure is a throw-in because of all the DARKS, but it's really just an extra - this Deck thins itself so well draw power is an afterthought.

Extra Deck has 2 Odin, 2 Thor and 1 Loki, mainly because Loki is less useful and I don't run an Alfar Tuner (though I can use Vanadis). 2 Black Rose is because it's very easy to make, and in more than one case I've had an opponent waste Solemn Judgment on Black Rose only for me to make Odin the same turn. There are only 3 Main Xyz, the only non-Rank 3 being Daigusto Emeral; it's an extra Pot of Avarice, so why not?

Any suggestions on this deck are greatly appreciated, and updates are forthcoming. For now, I'm M saying play hard, play fair, and have fun.

Gustaph Max OTK

Let me start by saying first and foremost, I am not a fan of Xyz Monsters. I feel they were unnecessary after Synchro Monsters, I feel they displaced Fusions and Synchros too heavily, and most of them really are not worth their salt. That being said, they have become a staple of the metagame, and with good reason.

For this article to make sense, let me begin by describing a card to you - "Super Dreadnought Cannon Express Gustaph Max". Long name, short effect:


2 Level 10 monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; inflict 2000 damage to your opponent.

When I first saw this thing, I wasn't really impressed. 2 Level 10 Monsters? Who the fcuk would invest that? Then I thought about some Level 10 Monsters that drop very easily - Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord, Cyber Eltanin, etc. Then I remembered Metal Reflect Slime. Then... I actually went to the Wiki's Tips page to see what random garbage was written as "useful" suggestions.

What I actually found was one of the more brilliant things I've seen done with Xyz.

There was an OTK loop listed on the site that is not only plausible, but rather viable. So, I decided to test it out, and early indicators are good.


Here's how the loop works:

It is possible to create an OTK with 2 or more of this card, Chain Material, Fusion Gate, and 2 or more Elemental HERO Electrum in your Extra Deck with the proper Fusion Materials.

• 1) Activate Fusion Gate, Flip Chain Material
• 2) Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Electrum (Shuffle all the Materials Back)
• 3) Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Electrum again (Shuffle all the Materials Back)
• 4) Xyz Summon Super Dreadnought Cannon Express Gustaph Max
• 5) Inflict 2000 damage (detaching 1 Electrum in the process)
• 6) Grave Electrum + Super Dreadnought Cannon Express Gustaph Max = E-HERO Gaia + Electrum in Graveyard
• 7) Grave Electrum and Gaia = Another Gaia
• 8) Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Electrum number 3(Shuffle all the Materials Back plus 2 Electrum, Gaia and a Super Dreadnought Cannon Express Gustaph Max
• 9) Summon 2nd Electrum Again
• 10) Xyz Summon Super Dreadnought Cannon Express Gustaph Max again
• 11) Inflict 2000 damage + 1 Electrum in Graveyard
• 12) Loop to create an OTK.

So, why do I like this loop? First of all, E-HEROs are one of my favourite archetypes because they use Fusions, especially the older ones. Second, this OTK uses unconventional cards that are actually really hard to counter - once gate is dropped it's hard to counter, same with Fusion material once it's activated. Even if they Effect Veiler one Electrum, you can summon a second. To stop you, they must have all 3 Veilers in opening hand if you go first. Finally, it's a train with a cannon. How awesome is that?

That's all for now. I'm M telling you play hard and play fair.

Second Turn FTW

'Nough said.