Jerome McHale may win the prize for strangest looking deck here this weekend. Dubbed “Synchro Dude,” it plays a number of unique picks. Not many duelists are playing Junk Synchron in this tournament, and Jerome is likely to be the only one who paired it with Grave Squirmer, a potentially brilliant choice that answers some of the biggest metagamed threats in this format.

With Destiny Hero – Disk Commander gone, duelists have struggled to find a replacement to match their three copies of Destiny Hero – Malicious. Malicious on his own just isn’t enough monsters to justify a full three copies of Destiny Draw, but running fewer copies makes it tougher to get Malicious into the graveyard. It’s a defining card for this format, and dumping it off early is a huge strategic must for most of the Synchro decks here today. While others have filled the gap with Destiny Hero – Plasma, Destiny Hero – Dasher, or Destiny Hero – Fear Monger, Jerome’s opted to run a spell-heavy lineup with three Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude. Check out the build:

The hit rate for Diamond Dude’s effect is tremendous, and the results? Often spectacular. Three Mind Control constitute a major strategic point for Jerome, swiping opposing monsters so they can be used with Junk Synchron or Jutte Fighter for a Synchro summon. This is a common theme here today, but Jerome’s deck is unique in that he can pull off the trick for free, courtesy of Diamond Dude. That means a big play gets even bigger, and Jerome is loaded down with monster removal and draw cards that he’ll often get to play for no actual cost. Brain Control and triple Lightning Vortex make the deck highly aggressive.

Jerome can search out his Tuners with the newly-unlimited Reinforcement of the Army, but the card he’s really taking advantage of is Allure of Darkness. With the format offering a chance to play three copies, Jerome has heeded the call, finding synergy with his Diamond Dudes and Grave Squirmers.

The Squirmers themselves deserve a big mention. This underrated Duelist Pack Super Rare functions a lot like Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, in that it can destroy monster threats like Gladiator Beast Heraklinos or Goyo Guardian, as well as problematic spells and traps like Royal Oppression. Oppression could have a huge impact today with everybody seemingly playing Gladiator Beasts or some sort of Synchro deck, and since Jerome has little offense beyond his constant flood of under-costed Synchro monsters, the Grave Squirmers will be integral. If a Grave Squirmer is special summoned by Junk Synchron it will get its effect when it’s destroyed in battle, because that effect triggers in the graveyard. Since there’s virtually no way to eliminate Grave Squirmer without losing or spending a card in the process, Jerome can easily balance out the card presence he gives up when he plays Junk Synchron for a Synchro summon. This deck is exceptionally good at playing Synchros without losing card presence.

D.D. Crow is a huge main deck pick, and Jerome’s playing it to the hilt. Many decks in this format simply can’t do anything when D.D. Crow removes Destiny Hero – Malicious from their graveyard, and Jerome knows it. Without Emergency Teleports and a base of Psychic Tuners Jerome has sacrificed speed for a potentially superior long game, and the Crows make that decision a reasonable one. While Teleport Dark Armed Dragon decks can kick out incredible combos that make “Prisma into Test Tiger” look like child’s play, they usually can’t do so without Malicious. Jerome’s banking on the Crows to bring him through an imposing matchup, and it’s certainly not a bad bet.

Cyber Valley combos with all the monster-stealing effects and all the monster recursion giving Jerome more “draw two” effects than almost anything else in contention. Cyber Valley bolsters Jerome’s own spell lineup and augments his central strategy, while proving to be another great metagame call. Cyber Valley shuts down virtually everything going for at least one turn, turning aside Gladiator Beasts and Goyo Guardian alike — most certainly the two biggest threats on everybody’s lips this morning. The Valleys are another legal target for Junk Synchron’s effect in a pinch, or they can turn a dead Synchron pull (like D.D. Crow) into a free draw.

The last point to discuss is Jerome’s Extra Deck. Two copies each of Stardust Dragon and Red Dragon Archfiend are no surprise: neither are three copies of Goyo Guardian. Basically everyone here who has three Goyo Guardian (and that’s not the majority of players) are running them all. More interesting is the pair of Colossal Fighter, a strong choice that’s even stronger here due to the vast number of Warriors Jerome is playing. He’ll be swinging over Gladiator Beast Heraklinos a few times today. In addition, he’s maxed out on Thought Ruler Archfiend, the one Synchro that seems to be flying under many duelists’ radar this weekend. It’s a great pick that isn’t touched by all the metagamed hate against Stardust Dragon. Two Magical Android also let Jerome turn Junk Synchron and a couple of Level 1’s into on-field action.

Will Synchro Dude carry Jerome McHale to Day 2? We’ll have to wait and see, but the deck certainly seems to have the surprise factor on its side. This deck is like no other, and if Jerome can make the Top 16 we’ll be seeing more of it as this format finds its footing.