For those of you who haven't followed the latest Shonen Jump Championship events on Metagame.com, this warning will be crucial. A sinister new force has crept into the environment, first rearing its ugly head in the Top 8 of the Houston Shonen Jump Championship, and then appearing again in the Top 8 of Canadian Nationals. The force that I'm talking about is the Armed Samurai - Ben Kei deck, a revolutionary archetype that's changing the nature of the game.

 

The deck aims to conserve resources until three objectives are reached. The first objective is to get enough equip spells to cause massive damage with the armed monster. The second objective is to draw one of the four mass spell and trap removal cards (either Giant Trunade or Heavy Storm). Finally, the third objective is to search for the Armed Samurai with Sangan or Reinforcement of the Army.

 

Once you've played Giant Trunade or Heavy Storm, your opponent's defensive spell and trap support cards will be useless. Your opponent could still gain field presence with Scapegoat tokens, but running Big Bang Shot should deal with that nuisance. In theory, the Ben Kei deck has everything necessary to dominate the metagame. By all accounts, it already has.

 

Here's the decklist for Chad Justice's build at the Houston Shonen Jump.

Monsters: 13
1 Jinzo
1 Sangan
1 Cyber Jar
1 Sinister Serpent
1 D. D. Warrior Lady
3 Armed Samurai - Ben Kei
3 Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu
2 Magician of Faith

Spells: 24
1 Pot of Greed
3 Giant Trunade
1 Heavy Storm
1 Delinquent Duo
1 Graceful Charity
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 Premature Burial
1 Snatch Steal
1 Swords of Revealing Light
1 Lightning Vortex
1 United We Stand
1 Mage Power
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Nobleman of Crossout
2 Scapegoat
2 Big Bang Shot
2 Book of Moon
2 Axe of Despair

Traps: 4
1 Mirror Force
1 Call of the Haunted
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Ring of Destruction

 

Clearly, this isn't a familiar, standard type of deck. As many expert duelists are starting to find out, the standard side deck preparation won't cut it against the Ben Kei deck. It's designed to bide its time, waiting to bring together its three win conditions. Once that happens, the end will arrive quickly in the form of one massive blitz.

Unfortunately, the deck suffers from a few design problems that will lead to its downfall. You'll find out how right here in this article!

The Ben Kei player is always willing to exchange short-term drawbacks such as life point damage and loss of field presence for the ultimate goal. This player will keep a robust hand of more than four cards, focusing on one-shot searchers such as Sangan and Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu to bring out the deck's win conditions.

 

A wise player can take advantage of the Ben Kei player's hesitancy by using all sorts of clever tricks. Causing hand disruption with cards like Delinquent Duo, Robbin' Goblin, Don Zaloog, and Spirit Reaper will drastically hurt the Ben Kei deck's strategy. Almost all combo decks in Yu-Gi-Oh! will suffer huge losses in power with each resource in hand that's taken away—the Ben Kei deck is no exception. An early game Delinquent Duo will always hurt a combo-based deck more than it would a standard attacking deck.

Trample cards can also ruin the Samurai's strategy. Cards such as Airknight Parshath, Mefist the Infernal General, and Enraged Battle Ox will continuously deal damage and eventually force a reaction. That being said, there are only a few examples of playable hand disruption and trample cards in Yu-Gi-Oh!, so using those two strategies alone won't be enough. To dismantle the Ben Kei deck, we'll have to look at the order of events needed for it to win.

 

Cutting off the Ben Kei deck's supply lines means you have to limit access to both Sangan and Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu. Mystic Swordsman LV2, Nobleman of Crossout, Ceasefire, and even Skill Drain can nullify the Blacksmith's powerful effect. Without an effective search engine, the Ben Kei player will have to draw into crucial cards such as Big Bang Shot, Mage Power, and United We Stand. This will buy you some time to deal damage and accumulate enough resources of your own.

 

You can nullify either spell with cards such as Prohibition, Solemn Judgment, , or Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell. You can also attempt to chain one-turn remedies such as Waboku, Threatening Roar, or Hallowed Life Barrier. Remember, using Scapegoat will not be enough of a defense. Other stalwarts such as Ring of Destruction, Mirror Force, and Torrential Tribute will only bounce harmlessly back to your hand.

 

Keep in mind that the Ben Kei deck uses a one-turn knock-out strategy. If Giant Trunade or Heavy Storm fails to create a suitable field for the final assault, the deck will have to wait to gather more resources for another push.

 

You can prevent Ben Kei from reaching an opponent's hand by negating Sangan's effect with a card such as D. D. Warrior Lady. You can also use spell-negation cards such as Magic Drain and Magic Jammer to keep Ben Kei's power in check. If you think that your opponent has Ben Kei in hand already, use Mind Crush, a highly versatile piece of tech that will destroy the win condition.

 

Once Armed Samurai - Ben Kei hits the field and all spells and traps on your side are removed, the last line of defense will be your monsters on the field. Cards such as D. D. Warrior Lady, D. D. Assailant, Legendary Jujitsu Master, Prickle Fairy, King Tiger Wanghu, Tsukuyomi, and Kinetic Soldier can either wall off the Armed Samurai or remove it from the field completely.

 

The power of this up-and-coming archetype shouldn't be underestimated. Keep your eyes open for opponents who appear to be running the dreaded Ben Kei deck, and make sure your side deck is suitably prepared. By knowing both the strengths and weaknesses of the Ben Kei deck, you'll grow to appreciate its raw power as you thrash it merrily.