Deck Profile: Grand Stun

I know its been a while and things were kind of Vanguard like around here for a bit but...

Back to my first and true love Yuggz

 For those that have known me for a while may remember that 2 years ago with the release of Koa'ki Meiru Wall I was a Rock Stunner.

If you wanted to peek at my build from 11/4/10 its right here (and thats just the deck before the release of wall I did change it some as I played it more bringing in Gaia Plate etc)

 I love that it had answers to almost every deck, what I didnt like what the cost of that negation and no real way to keep it going. You will notice that I ended up not going the COTH Route back then and instead ran D Fissure with Release (this is still viable in this meta too for those wanting to test) But now with the release of this guy

Shit just got real

It means that you can negate with abandon and keep bringing them back. Theres also more reasons too that this architype is coming into its own but Ill get into that in a second.

First a shot of the deck (still in construction and Ill talk about the varients at the end)

Im not gonna bore you with a long discussion here about the Koa'ki Meirus, just go read the card and view the rulings to familiarize yourselves.

The Cornerstone 
Rock Golem- This card is the keystone to the new play style If you can get him out and you have the cards in the grave you can either set up for locking the field down or XYZ into grade 4s right away. Also in the side is Fossil Dyna and his effect is not hampered by Block Golems negation effect.

So right away he pluses, then if need be you can bring him back via COTH, Reborn, or Release to plus more. The biggest problem you will have will be getting the grave filled with the monsters you need to abuse his effect. The solution are 4 cards. Trooper, Catapult Zone, Jar and even Dark Hole.

The MVP
Card Trooper- is huge in this deck despite not being a rock. To mill 3 means fodder for Rock G. Gaia Plate, Grandsoil, CotH, Reborn etc. Also the 1900 will help you vs TKRO which can hurt the deck someThe level 3 Earth is nice to for xyz summons

Boss Monsters (Grandsoil and Gaia)
Grandsoil- is super easy to bring out and the fact that it can grab Block G., Barbaros @3k, or anything from the opponants grave can be a game ender. But in addition the card has the capacity to die in hand so the level 8 makes it a great Trade In target too as well as making grade 8 xyzs possible. JUST REMEMBER his Battle Phase effect if you use him to XYZ with or if he leaves the field for any reason (compulse will make you sad faced)

Gaia Plate the Earth Giant
Another trade in target and reveal card for your KMs. But even more so he can remove cards to control the grave for grandsoil, set up for Release combos (SS Gaia by removing Block G., Release to SS Block G. tribute for 2x level 4s, normal a level 4 for shock master or just normal a 3rd KM to have spells, traps and Effects covered with Gaia sitting pretty on the field. However this is not a easy card to play you need to think about the costs and which cards to remove, but if done right theres not to many monsters he cant get over and you can always xyz him off for a grade 8

The Pain in the Ass
Revival Golem- Car is a pain when used right for your opponent. He is so under rated in his simplest form you set him and he sits there at 2100 defense and with his effect you can bring him to hand to have a reveal for your KM monsters but  mostly will be sending him to the grave via Trooper, or Catapult and he will be ss for xyz summons. Using one of his effects is mandatory so if you have a grandsoil in your hand and 4 earths in the grave, sadly you gotta ss him or bring him to hand.

The Other Guys
Arguably you could pull granmole and Jar from the line up sure they are rocks for reveals and earths for Grandsoil, mole is even a 3 star earth for some interesting XYZ plays. Jar is in here to fill the grave and or replenish your hand when you need him hes great when you dont he's a reveal for the KMs. But Ill be the first to say that the card may find its way out for cards that will help you in your meta. Granmole is in the same boat, when you need him hes great but not essential to the main theme of this build. You may switch them out for needed spell and traps (even skill drain) or to go for a more control variant with more KMs. Some aggro players may run Giant Rat in here instead to speed up your plays and


The Field Spell
So many rock stun players hate Catapult Zone, and in a big inzektor format I may too. But in all my testing so far the card works wonders. In a lot of instances I have good control of the board with my KMs the most common way out for opponents is to attack over the one that is giving them the most issues. Thats where ppl run solidarity or other such cards that can pump up the monsters or they prematurely XYZ into something bigger giving up control and losing some field presence, or they run cards like D Prison or Mirror force to counter this (a great option and may be the route you decide to go in) For me though I love how it can help me control the grave or get me a free Revival G.

Ex. This guy just attacked into Wall with a 3600 attack E Hero. The  Zone kept Wall on the field, got me a Revival G. Next turn I could go into Shockmaster then use Block G. to help me gain even more control

The Draw Power
Draw power is an issue. Sure we got the Pots in there and Jar and maybe a trooper via effect. But This is where Trade in comes into play. We have 7 targets (6 if you feel 3 gaias are too much) it really does wonders for those cards that can die in your hand or if you need one more earth in the grave for grand soil or Gaia, or for CatH or Reborn.

The Win More
Im a bit undecided on Release from the Stone. In the case of Gaia he's amazing I can abuse Block G. Like mad and it really helps make Gaia a viable card in the deck (along with trade in) But its one of those cards that maybe viewed as "Win More" especially with 3 CotH and 1 Monster Reborn. It may be more effective to keep the monsters in the grave and SS them that way. The reason why I havnt shed it yet is that it gives me a balanced feel to the game play that all the cards can be used and feel that they dont go somewhere to die and not be accessible. I cant tell you how often the grave is overloaded with earths making Soil inaccessible. Gaia summon removes 2, Release brings back Block G. Tribute Block to bring out 2 Monsters so now Im 3 earths less than when I started. If I need more than next turn I remove fro Gaias effect or I go into CotH or Reborn for 1 more earth or into Block to make it 2 less earths. SO for now Im liking the options of having 2 Releases in the deck

Dr. O's Strongest Decks - Royal Paladin

Came across some pre-constructed deck lists from Dr. O (the guy that is the go to expert that helps announce in the championships in the anime)

These lists are not necessarily the best builds but a good starting point for taking a look at the future sets and how the decks can be constructed. My advice is to proxy them then change them up some.

G3(7)
Majesty Lord Blaster x4
Gancelot x2
Palamedes x1

G2(12)
Blaster Blade x4
Blaster Dark x4
Knight of Loyalty Bedivere x2
Star call Trumpeter x2


G1(14)
Apocalypse Bat x2
Flash Shield, Iseult x4
Knight of Friendship Kei x4
Maron x4


G0(17)
Alabaster owl x2
Elaine x4
Epona x4
Sharon x3
Wingal Brave x1

Deck Profile: Piper's Countdown

OK! Back on track with another fun, inexpensive yet competitive deck profile.

This may actually be the most inexpensive deck I have featured so far with the only money cards really being the Mystic Piper, Metaion and Pot of Duality. So at most your paying $9-10 for a card. Plus theres no synchs to worry about buying

The concept:
Play Final Countdown ASAP then stall (preferably chain able stall) for 20 turns (10 of yours 10 of theirs) easy right??? Ummm yes and no. To really play this deck in a competitive environment you need to be able to read your opponent extremely well. This deck wins if you can walk that line between over extending and under extending. An over extender will find themselves quickly handless and no answers to any cards losing before the 20 turns are up. An under extender will quickly have all their life points knocked away way before they see the 20 turns. So honestly you need to have a good understanding of other decks, game mechanics as well as some math so you can make the long haul to 20 turns.

Its one of those decks that you will find yourself playing your opponent but also playing against your own self. Which for me makes if fun

This build:
For me Im all about optimizing consistency and after much trial and error I honed in on using Mystical Piper as the focus for my build. Most of my stall cards are level 1 so for that he is good at plusing. The new cars for me that make this build live is "one day of peace" and Metalion the Timelord.  ODOP is draw power and stall all in one its the perfect card and one of the only answers you will have in the main deck to cards that burn for damage which is one of the decks tougher opponents (chain burn, Nurse Burn etc) and MTT- is an answer to decks that can OTK when they find a chink in your armor, not to mention that his effect sends him back to the deck for reuse and to give you more draw cards when your deck is thinning down because you waited 5 turns to play Final countdown. Ill chat about building your side deck at the bottom but first Ill get into the build as well as some of the challenges it faces. Read the cons in the card description as well to id some of the challenges.

Monsters:
3x Battle Fader ($0.99 x 3= $2.97)
Pros: level 1 to work with piper, has the ability to stick around longer due to Zero Gardna, Threatening Roar, Waboku, and Thunder of Ruler. He is searchable via Sangan.
Cons: Effect can be negated via anything that negates summons. He is susceptible to Debunk and anything that hates on dark monster effects.

1x Metaion, The Timelord ($9.00)   *one seems just right due to his recycling effect

Pros: He is searchable via Sangan. Will feed your deck for further abuse after his effect goes off. Can clear the field from those poised to oak you when the opening presents itself. Gets rid of monsters whose effects can hurt the deck (Thunder King, Krystia, Jinzo etc etc) He is normal summonable through his effect so he works with pot of duality and around cards that impede special summoning. And he is not a dark or a light which a lot of cards are being run against 

Cons: Not a level 1 

3x Mystic Piper ($9.00 x 3= $27.00)

Pros: He is searchable via Sangan. Is chain able with his effect to draw. You have 11 targets for his effect, so 1/4 of the deck lets you plus with this card

Cons: Hes a light monster which has a lot of hate against it right now. 

*There is a rather cool loop you can do with Kinka-byo and this card in the grave that yields tons of draw power however I ruled it out because in 20 turns I want to be very careful on losing cuz I deck out, although you can judiciously use this loop when you need to so test it out and see if it works for you.

1x Sangan ($0.50)

Pros: The decks searcher can grab all your monsters. He's standard in most variant of this deck

3x Swift Scarecrow ($0.99 x 3= $2.97)

Pros: level 1 to work with piper. He is searchable via Sangan. Because he is not summoned he can't be stopped by cards that negate summoning. He is a Earth which has less hate than light and dark monsters 

Cons: By going to the grave he doesn't hang around for attack fodder, Is hurt by cards that don't allow access to the grave.

2x Winged Kuriboh ($0.50 x 2= $1.00)

Pros: level 1 to work with piper, has some stun capabilities. He is searchable via Sangan.

Cons: Im not a huge fan of this card because the effect isn't chain able. I only keep it around because of the level 1 thing but he would be the first card I dump in a rebuild. There are Kuriboh builds out there but IMO he is lack luster in this one. Speaking of luster BLS will have you hating this card so if you are against a chaos deck side him out asap as for any deck that uses piercers.

3x Zero Gardna ($0.25 x 3= $0.75)

Pros: His stall effect is chain able. Is a earth and a level 4 giving you access to more synchs if you side into effect veiler and need to go that route. He's searchable via sangan 

Cons: I wish this guy was a level 1 but thats about it

Spells:

3x Final Countdown ($2.00 x 3= $6.00)

I run 3 and after I play it I either grab the others with gold sarc so I don't draw into it and set it for MST bait. The 2000 cost + upstarts lets some variants run frozen soul but I found soul fairly worthless with Metaions burn effect happening but oh well thought Id mention it

3x Gold Sarcophagus ($5.00 x 3= $15.00)

Gets that Final Countdown to your hand that much quicker. I normally grab for a Metaion or a final countdown after I played final countdown so I can clear my draws for more piper plays or cards that I need to draw into for my stall

3x One Day of Peace ($0.75 x 3= $2.25)

Card is bad@ss give you a draw and stall in one shot. Plus saves you from pesky burn effects

Traps:

3x Threatening  Roar ($0.50 x 3= $1.50)

Don't wait to trigger it when they declare an attack since it will let that attack go through (unless this is your plan)

3x Thunder of Ruler ($0.50 x 3= $1.50)

Its like T-Roars weaker brother, it can be a tough call to flip if they have no monsters out since it has to flip in the main phase. BUT they could also swarm and OTK you so reading your opponent and understanding their deck is crucial. 

3x Waboku ($0.50 x 3= $1.50)

Doesn't stop the battle so glads and others that need to attack for the effect to go off can still get around this card b ut it can be chains to an attack and stop that damage unlike T-Roar and T-Ruler.

So there it is a $75 deck... Although a lot of these cards are not in use in most other decks and can be traded for quite easily. And the staple ones you probably already have

WHAT HURTS THIS DECK:

You really want to watch out for things that stop your spell and/or traps. Royal decree hurts 25% of your deck and you have no MST or heavy storm in the main. A Dark Bribe or Solemn Judgement on your final countdown can really smart as well.

Other than that burn decks can really get at you fast before you can make the 20 turns, Herald of Perfection builds get mighty tricky, Glads can have the potential to work around some of your cards but Its hilarious to side into GB Hunter who also has the effect of making Metaion stay on the field which will quickly have them pulling their hair out.

But with the new structure deck Dragons Collide coming out you gotta be prepared to see LADD, you will waste tons of resources on getting rid go ladd which in a deck that is always down to the wire this can be a game breaker. Ladd and Herald are why Lava Golem in the side can be so much fun

Speaking of Dragons heres a screenshot, and I kid you not this was his field for like 15 turns Im sure he was just itching to take a swing

the bls really had me I couldn't set that little winged bastard or the 3 eyed fur ball. plus the back rows really had me worried for my battle fader. Once you start running the deck you will get a good idea of the priority you give to playing which card. With no back rows you should use your traps. This way you don't worry about MST or other back row destruction that can flip on the turn you set them. Next I go for. Early on against a weak field Ill set my kuribohs, this way if they destroy him and his effect can't go of, i won't be hit with the field u you see above. Next priority wise for me is fader with fader your main concern is anything that will negate the summon so read the field and play him before you would your scarecrows.

Deck Profile: Bubble Beat

OK I admit it Im a Legendary Collection 2 Junky. Ive been making deck after deck trying to exploit the collection as much as I can. From Air Neos OTKs to Destiny Dragoon builds. OK some are not fully competitive but hey you can tell from most of my posts Im more into the fun game play than playing only whats gonna win me a jump. At least in my spare time.

Where this line between fun and competitive blurs though is with my bubble beat build. It takes all the fun of heroes with the fusion monsters mixes in some explosive game play and has answers to most of the top decks being played right now.

I especially like how for the first time I can run a hero build and have cards other than fusion monsters in my extra deck. True you may have run some synchs in there before in the past but this deck really touches on a more balanced extra deck utilizing XYZ monsters just as it does fusions if not more.

First Ill post a deck list then get into some explanations of the mechanics of the deck. Im not gonna waste time on too much individual card discussion the combos will give u a gist

3x Elemental HERO Bubbleman 
3x Elemental HERO Neos Alius
1x Elemental HERO Stratos

WTF only 7 monsters!!! calm down it will be very clear why this is when I get into the dynamics of how bubble man gets utilized
3x E - Emergency Call
3x Pot of Duality
1x Monster Reborn
1x The Warrior Returning Alive
1x Reinforcement of the Army
1x Dark Hole
3x Miracle Fusion
3x Mystical Space Typhoon
2x Super Polymerization
1x Book of Moon
3x Gemini Spark

1x Torrential Tribute
1x Mirror Force
1x Trap Dustshoot
2x Bottomless Trap Hole
2x Hero Blast
1x Solemn Judgement
2x Solemn Warning


OK to get into the deck some. We are all familiar with HERO beat. Its a great stunnish deck that maximizes on Neos Alius (1900 beatstick) and Gemini Spark (a quick play that lets you tribute a face up Neos Alius to target a card on the field; destroy that card and draw one card)

Alius gives u access to Hero Blast (a trap that lets you target neo alius in the grave; add it to your hand, then destroy 1 face-up monster your opponent controls with less than or equal to 1900 attack. He's extremely searchable with ECall, ROTA, Stratos and Not to mention the access to the assortment of Hero Fusion monsters with Super Poly and Miracle Fusion.

But if you want a deck review on hero beat or elemental heroes in general go google it.

What I am much more concerned with here are how we can integrate all this great tech with even more great tech that the XYZs  bring to the picture with Order of Chaos and some of the future sets

Blade Armor Ninja

2 level 4 warrior-type monsters

once per turn: You can detach 1 xyz material from this card to target 1 face-up "Ninja" monster you control; this turn, that monster can attack  twice during each Battle Phase.

Steelswarm Roach

2 level 4 monsters

When a Level 5 or higher monster would be Special Summoned: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the Special Summon and destroy it.

Number 39: Utopia

2 level 4 monsters

When any player's monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the attack. When this card is targeted for an attack, while it has no Xyz Materials: Destroy this card.

OK in looking at the material for all the above xyz's do you notice a pattern. Yup Level 4s and warriors for the ninja. So in steps bubble man

Elemental HERO Bubbleman

If this is the only card in your hand, you can Special Summon it (from your hand). When this card is Summoned: You can draw 2 cards. You must control no other cards and have no cards in your hand to activate and to resolve this effect.

Forget the draw effect if you can pull it of and use it to save ur but thats great but what we are really after is a special summonable, level 4 warrior, that is hella searchable, a water target for absolute zero, and with out any once per turn restrictions.

(In hand a level 4 and bubbleman)
The basic play is to summon a level 4 monster, then with only bubbleman in hand special summon Bubbleman to then XYZ for a rank 4 or fuse into a Elemental HERO fusion monster.


(Stratos in hand)
The second and most basic combo is to summon Stratos, grab Bubbleman from the deck, set your hand so you can special summon Bubbleman to then XYZ for a rank 4 or fuse into a Elemental HERO fusion monster.

In the absence of Stratos you can also summon a level 4, use E-Call or Rota to grab Bubbleman, set your hand and special summon Bubbleman to then XYZ for a rank 4 or fuse into a Elemental HERO fusion monster.

These 3 core combos can interact together as well to perform more complex plays. Since a lot of your spells are normal spells they can be set to let Bubbleman special himself and still be used the same turn. allowing you to swarm the field with XYZ and Fusion monsters.

To reach 8000 attack points all you need is 2 Blade Armor Ninjas that have used their effects to attack 2x. And the fact that you are using XYZ monsters solves the Dimensional Fissure issue with Miracle Fusion since detaching the materials still sends them to the grave.

Looking forward to future sets the deck only gets better:

Elemental HERO Escuridao will finally let you super poly almost everything and let you miracle with BAN or Roach.

Vylon Disigma that can be easily summoned with 3 level 4s and can easily clear a path for your Ninjas to OTK


Evigishki Merrowgeist who can give you some grave removal to your stun type arsenal

AND MY FAVORITE!!!
Daigusto Emeral that will open up tons of new plays buy shuffleing 3 monsters back to the deck and letting you draw or by special summoning your Neos Alius for 1900 more attack, additional XYZ or fusion summoning or for quick Gemini Spark plays

Changing the direction of this blog: Yugioh can be fun and not break the bank.

I checked and saw that I hadnt posted anything since august. A lot of this has to do with my lack of enthusiasm for yugioh due to the cost of the cards.

The fact is that the trend right now to be tier 1 you need shell out tons of $$$ for your builds. Hey I get a card or 2 being 50-60 but.... total up a rabbit deck with 3 Rescue Rabbits, 3 Tour guides and then slap the XYZ/synchs and other cards in and you paying way too much for card game that has weaker prize support than others and printed by a company that will only reprint them as commons in a couple months.

SO WITH THAT SAID...

Im changing the direction of my blog some. Im going to focus on alternative decks that wont break the bank and are still fun and competitive.

So the next couple posts will be about some of the decks that Ive been running lately that have really been doing well and have left enough money in my pocket to have fun.

I hope you enjoy the next couple posts your comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated