2 Solemn Judgment

Fusion: 33

3 Thousand-Eyes Restrict

3 Ojama King

3 Cyber Saurus

3 Metal Dragon

3 Dark Balter the Terrible

3 Fiend Skull Dragon

3 Ryu Senshi

3 Dark Flare Knight

3 Dark Blade the Dragon Knight

3 The Last Warrior from Another Planet

3 St. Joan

Metamorphosis is being tested a lot by duelists who aren’t willing to give up their Fusion decks, and it looks like Anthony is on to something by using it in a Machine deck. The deck plays like a traditional Machine build, but it makes the leap to the new Advanced format in the way that all Machine decks have to—by being a bit stronger on defense and more able to recover from Limiter Removal. In the past, this was never an issue, because Fiber Jar protected the Machine deck from the massive overextensions it loved to make. Now that the deck has been robbed of its precious “Broccoli Rocket,” Machine decks need to be more resilient and will take even more skill to play.

There are some neat tricks in this deck. Metamorphosis lets you trade a sheep token for Thousand-Eyes Restrict, while Jinzo and Blowback Dragon can be tributed to summon any of the usual Scientist fusions. But my favorite thing this deck can do is to normal summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast and then combine it with Metamorphosis—since the Dragon is a level 7 monster, you can trade it for the 2800 ATK St. Joan. This Fairy will rip everything up with its strong ATK value, which matches the ATK of a tribute-summoned Fusilier Dragon.

That being said, this deck could benefit from some tweaking. Machine decks often have weak openings, and this deck is no exception. The smaller Machines are no good as opening monsters, unless you back them up with Limiter Removal. In addition, this deck isn’t packing a lot of good first-turn plays. The fact that it’s using three monsters that require tributes doesn’t help the situation, so I’m going to remove Needle Burrower and Blowback Dragon. When the new format rotates in, it’s possible that the environment will be a bit slower than it was during the first incarnation of the Advanced format, but it would be foolhardy to believe that most metagames will remain that way. Burrower and Blowback aren’t worth the risks they can present, even though removing these monsters robs Metamorphosis of some of its utility.

Next, I’m going to remove one copy of Magician of Faith. While the deck’s strategy can involve using Metamorphosis and Limiter Removal repeatedly, I just don’t feel that Magician of Faith fits. It’s a weak opening card in a deck that already has issues on turn 1. It’s also a synergistic card in a deck that’s already dependent on synergy, and the card is just too passive for my aggressive tastes. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the value of a strong defense, but Machine decks aren’t about games that go to turn 20—Machine decks live and die by speed, and we want to make sure that the deck is optimized to be able to get second-turn wins as often as possible. Therefore, Magician of Faith needs to take a long walk . . . not to anywhere in particular, but somewhere far from this deck.

I’m going to remove one copy of Scapegoat as well, for essentially the same reason that I removed a copy of the Magician. Having one copy of Scapegoat is important as a defensive wall and for its combo potential with Metamorphosis, but filling four of your monster zones with non-attackers is against the spirit of this deck. If you play Scapegoat when running Machines against me, and you have a monster on the field other than Cannon Soldier, I’d have to fight the urge to get out of my seat and do a jig—your sheep are staying where they are for the rest of the game, and you aren’t going to touch me unless you start sending them on suicide missions. Scapegoat is excellent when combined with Cannon Soldier, Creature Swap, and Metamorphosis, but running more than one copy is just asking to be sheep-locked. Having lots of copies of Scapegoat is great in theory, but very risky when it’s put into practice.

I’m also going to remove one copy of Metamorphosis. Even though this deck is built to take advantage of it, if you see three or even two copies of it in your opening hand, it’s a death sentence. Metamorphosis is a mid-game card, and a deck that can be weak in the opening and early game can’t afford to be drawing multiple copies of it. Removing some of the deck’s synergy-focused cards is going to solve the stability issues that Anthony mentioned.

Finally, I’m going to remove the single copy of Waboku and both copies of Solemn Judgment. While I like the idea of using Solemn Judgment in Machine decks once the new format is rotated in, the trap doesn’t feel as right here as it does in other builds. Solemn Judgment should definitely be in the side deck, but I don’t have a good gut reaction to it in the main deck. As for Waboku, I’ve got my usual issues. Yes, it’s chainable. Yes, it stops our little monsters from being stomped on. But we can use Waboku’s spot in the deck to greater effect by filling it with a more versatile card. Machine decks don’t follow the standard tempo of duels—the “you attack me, then I attack you, we each take turns and do our thing” mentality shouldn’t apply here. You want your opponent to fear your face-down cards, knowing that each attack he or she makes could be the last. Waboku does the exact opposite by accepting and reacting to a tempo that favors Warrior, Chaos, or Zombie players.

We’ve got eight vacated card slots to play with. The first card I want to add is a third copy of Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast. This Dragon is the future of Machine decks. It combos incredibly well with Metamorphosis, Book of Moon, Creature Swap, and Megamorph. Boasting a vicious 5600 ATK with a single copy of Limiter Removal, “beast” is the perfect way to describe Fusilier Dragon.

Next, the deck needs some more resiliency, both in the opening and after making a push with Limiter Removal. Roulette Barrel is the perfect card for this purpose. Not only does the Barrel fill the defensive gaps in the deck, it also has a decent ATK value that can be boosted to a significant level with Limiter Removal. Plus, the Barrel’s effect can help clear the field for a big attack. It also keeps up the deck’s tally of Light monsters, and that’s going to be important when I add . . .

 . . . Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning. Yeah, I know it’s not a Machine, but let’s be realistic—any deck that can support Black Luster Soldier should be running it. By the time I’m finished with this deck, it’s going to have about half a dozen Light and Dark monsters, which are enough to ensure that it sees play reliably. I’m aware that I removed Blowback Dragon and Needle Burrower strictly because they were poor opening draws, but I also said that those monsters aren’t worth the risk they present. Black Luster Soldier is worth the risk, not only because the card is a powerhouse with a massive ATK value and the potential to attack twice, but the Soldier is also a one-monster removal engine. Black Luster Soldier is invaluable, considering how much this deck’s strategy involves attacking the opponent directly.

Next, I want to add one copy of Hammer Shot. If you’re out of defensive tricks, a single persistent high-ATK monster can often spell doom for this deck. A single Hammer Shot adds another line of defense against attackers with 1900 ATK or greater, while giving us a useful option when the deck starts looking for jugulars to gnaw on.

I’m also going to add Megamorph, the spell card that Anthony was having problems finding space for. When you’re losing, Megamorph can beef up any of the monsters in this deck to make them into a nice wall. When you’re winning, Megamorph can be equipped to an opponent’s monster and used almost like an awkward source of removal. Of course, Fusilier Dragon absolutely loves this card, because it can turn the Dragon into a 5600-ATK thug.

Finally, the deck needs a copy of Mirror Force and I think it could benefit from having Ceasefire as well. This is a tricky deck that can deal huge amounts of direct damage with Cannon Soldier, so having the ability to tack on 2000 - 3000 extra points of damage with Ceasefire could win the game for you.

Decks with lots of flip effects can often be difficult for Machines to handle. It’s best to know what you’re attacking for two reasons. First, it’s important to know what decisions you need to make so you can dish out the most damage. Second, flip effects can present major problems for this deck by cutting off big offensives before they get started. You don’t want to blindly attack a monster that has a flip effect that could hurt you. Ceasefire neutralizes the threat, because the trap flips all face-down monsters face up while preventing flip effects from activating. Plus, Ceasefire is chainable and can dish out huge amounts of damage.

Here are the changes to Anthony’s deck.

-1 Needle Burrower

-1 Blowback Dragon

-1 Magician of Faith

-1 Scapegoat

-1 Metamorphosis

-1 Waboku

-2 Solemn Judgment

+1 Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast

+2 Roulette Barrel

+1 Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning

+1 Hammer Shot

+1 Megamorph

+1 Ceasefire

+1 Mirror Force

Here’s the final build.

Anthony’s Meta Machines – Jason’s Fix

40 cards

Monsters: 17

1 Jinzo

1 Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning

3 Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast

1 Cyber Jar

1 Sinister Serpent

1 Tribe-Infecting Virus

1 Reflect Bounder

1 Sangan

2 Cannon Soldier

3 X-Head Cannon

2 Roulette Barrel

Spells: 18

1 Pot of Greed

1 Graceful Charity

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Heavy Storm

1 Premature Burial

1 Snatch Steal

1 Swords of Revealing Light

1 Giant Trunade

1 Scapegoat

1 Megamorph

2 Creature Swap

2 Metamorphosis

3 Limiter Removal

1 Hammer Shot

Traps: 5

1 Call of the Haunted

1 Ring of Destruction

1 Torrential Tribute

1 Ceasefire

1 Mirror Force

Fusion: 33

3 Thousand-Eyes Restrict

3 Ojama King

3 Cyber Saurus

3 Metal Dragon

3 Dark Balter the Terrible

3 Fiend Skull Dragon

3 Ryu Senshi

3 Dark Flare Knight

3 Dark Blade the Dragon Knight

3 The Last Warrior from Another Planet

3 St. Joan

The deck still has all of its original tricks, but now it can do some of these tricks more reliably. With the fix, the deck is more resilient in the long run and can capitalize on its deadly offensive strategy with a bit more ease.

Your ideal opening play is either something to prevent an opponent from attacking you, or something to dish out a huge chunk of damage to your opponent. If you have the option, then by all means you should normal summon Fusilier Dragon and set a copy of Limiter Removal. If an opponent attacks you, the odds are good that he or she is going to lose about half of his or her life points and a card, while you’re only giving up two cards. Considering that you’re drawing an extra card (because you went first), you could be half way to winning the game on turn 1. If that’s not a possibility, just remember that your goal is to build a fast offensive. Make whatever plays you need to make to ensure that you have a monster on the field on turn 2. If the monster is a face down Roulette Barrel, go for it. Even if your field position on turn 2 is a face-up Cannon Soldier and a set spell or trap, you should go ahead and consider bluffing. 

In the early game, either you want to gain field control through the use of effects and battle, or you’re looking to attack for the win with the deck’s combos. This is essentially how you want to play in the mid-game and late game as well—you’re always trying to stick and move, keeping your opponent off-balance until Creature Swap, Limiter Removal, or Megamorph can give you the chance to win. When the opportunity arises, make sure that you’re prepared for the worst-case scenario, and then go for the win.

This is a risky deck, and it takes some guts to play it well. In the right hands, however, it’s an intelligent and cerebral nightmare! The addition of Creature Swap and Metamorphosis to Machine decks will alter the standard philosophy for the archetype, and Machine builds like Anthony’s will probably thrive in the new Advanced format.

Thanks for sending me your deck, Anthony!

-Jason Grabher-Meyer

Are you interested in seeing your deck featured? Send a decklist formatted like the one in this article, your name, and your hometown to Jason@metagame.com, and your deck might be used in a future Apotheosis article!