This week we’ll be talking about a deck that was expected to reach the top, only to fail at the finish line and slip into obscurity: Crystal Beasts. This was a deck piloted by Marc Glass (among others) in the 2007 United States National Championship, which led him to a disappointing drop after the seventh round. Many duelists found themselves with the same luck using the deck, but we’re going to utilize a few new tricks to update the strategy. One benefit of updating an old deck—especially one as forgotten as Crystal Beasts—is that the prices have long since fallen.
It’s important to note the changes in the game since this deck’s brief moment in the spotlight. Crystal Beasts lost no cards, unless you consider the fact that running three copies of Rescue Cat is no longer an option. However, the format has gotten faster. This deck was piloted while others were playing Machine OTK decks: decks which had almost as much aggression as modern archetypes, but less control over the game. The main difference between TeleDAD decks and those Machine decks of old is the card-drawing engine, which has shifted from monster-based to spell-based. While this makes decks faster and doesn’t force them to rely on summoning to draw extra cards, it also makes them more susceptible to spell-stopping control. Gladiator Beasts have been introduced as well: a deck with great reactionary time but complete reliance on special summoning.
Our version is very similar to
Glass’s deck, which was a control deck that eventually generated a quick one-turn KO. The deck revolves around Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins, which can help shut down a TeleDAD duelist by negating spell cards. Another strength of this deck is the size of its monsters. When it was originally run, the 1800 ATK of Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus was dwarfed by Card Trooper’s 1900 ATK. In this format, Pegasus handles a majority of the monsters in your opponent’s deck, eliminating a major reason Crystal Beasts failed to win before. In the quest to reestablish the strategy, much of the work is already done for us. This format is a much better environment for Crystal Beast decks to compete in, and we’ve been handed new cards to use as well.
The Monsters
The monster lineup is very similar to that run by Marc Glass.
The maxed copies of Rescue Cat allow for quick loading of your back row. Not only does it search for two copies of Amethyst Cat, but it destroys them for you at the end of the turn, allowing you to quickly abuse Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins. The three copies of Pegasus are the main attack force of the monster lineup, and they allow for quick combos with Crystal Promise. The one copy of Ruby Carbuncle allows for a fast one-turn KO once you’ve established control over the game. You’ll normally be searching for this card with Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus, though Crystal Beacon is also an option.
The Spells
The spell lineup is geared toward speed and control. You’ll be drawing cards and shifting your Crystal Beast monsters where you need them at a moment’s notice.
The three copies of Crystal Tree are new additions, being printed after the deck’s fall from popularity. This card allows for very quick abuses of the other spells. It’ll help fulfill the requirements of effects like Rare Value while thinning the deck and setting up combos. While seemingly underpowered, Crystal Tree is a conduit for extraordinary plays.
The three copies of Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins are the focus of the entire deck. Utilizing this card effectively allows you to control almost every aspect of the duel. You’ll be drawing extra cards and stopping the activation of spells of your choice. Remember that if you have four Crystal Beast monsters in your spell and trap zone, you can draw your extra card, and then play another Ancient City to use its effect to draw again.
The three copies of Hand Destruction and the one copy of Card Destruction allow you to quickly sift through your deck. Should you be discarding Crystal Beast monsters, you’ll also be setting up the activation of Crystal Blessing, making the deck faster and more consistent. They also compliment the three copies of Rare Value, all of which combine to let you sift through your deck much faster than was originally intended.
is a powerhouse that’ll thin your deck and quickly swarm the field. It’s a Crystal Beast version of Emergency Teleport, a fact that automatically deserves a double take. While it’s an old trick, it’s one that helped define how the deck was played.
The three copies of Lightning Vortex allow for quick monster removal. You’ll notice that most Crystal Beast monsters are far from strong: they rely on an empty field to win the game. This is easily achieved by taking control of the game, setting up a one-turn KO, and activating Lightning Vortex.
Don’t be afraid to play a deck that others couldn’t make work in the past. Rediscovering a deck is much cheaper than chasing the new cards and attempting to innovate faster than everyone else. There are many gems lost in time that other players failed to bring into the spotlight. Good luck at the tables, and have fun witnessing the revival of an old deck archetype as you swarm your opponents into oblivion.
—Ryan Murphy