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Doomkaiser Dragon
Card# CSOC-EN043
Doomkaiser Dragon's effect isn't just for Zombie World duelists: remember that its effect can swipe copies of Plaguespreader Zombie, too!
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 Ever since I was first introduced to the concepts of “manual” and “automatic” flips when Pharaonic Guardian was released, the interaction between automatic flips and certain effects has intrigued me. I love Snatch Stealing a Guardian Sphinx and then flipping it face down so I can keep it permanently. I like the idea of a Clown Control variant that reaches new heights of monster destruction with Swarm of Scarabs. Cards that can flip themselves face down are relatively rare, but if you know how to abuse them, they can be deadly.
Today’s deck contributor, Wes, understands the strengths that self-flipping monsters possess. He’s made a cool deck that’s worthy of note, because it focuses on having virtually all of its monsters face down during an opponent’s turn.
Here’s what Wes had to say.
First off, I appreciate your deck-review articles. They have been a great help on many occasions.
My deck idea is one that I don't think I’ve seen played or even heard of before. I call it the "Now You See Them . . . Now You Don't" deck. The main theme uses monsters that have the ability to flip face down once during the main phase. This ability has great potential andthe power to frustrate an opponent. The deck also exploits spell and trap cards that highlight this ability. My opponent is left without any face-up cards to Snatch Steal, Fissure, etc. Plus, with stall cards like Gravity Bind and Level Limit – Area B, I find that my opponents have to spend more time trying to get through my wall of effects rather than attacking me.
I can lock an opponent down with Swords/Level/Gravity and draw cards with Pot of Greed and Des Lacooda. Plus, I can eliminate spells and traps with Mystical Space Typhoon, Dust Tornado, and Swarm of Locusts. The deck eliminates monsters with Golem Sentry, Guardian Sphinx, and Swarm of Scarabs. My strategy is to attack with monsters that are below level 4, including Scarabs, Locusts, Lacooda, Cobraman Sakuzy, Sangan, and Stealth Bird. The Bird has the added bonus of dishing out 1000 points of damage every time the card is flip summoned.
The power of this deck generally shocks my opponents. By the time they figure the strategy out and make adjustments, over the game’s already over.
Thanks for checking out my deck!
Dedicated reader,
Wes F.
Here’s what Wes’s build looked like.
Wes’s Now You See Them . . . Now You Don’t Deck
40 cards
Monsters: 18
3 Swarm of Scarabs
3 Swarm of Locusts
3 Stealth Bird
2 Guardian Sphinx
2 Des Lacooda
1 Cobraman Sakuzy
1 Wandering Mummy
2 Golem Sentry
1 Sangan
Spells: 9
1 Swords of Revealing Light
2 Swords of Concealing Light
1 Level Limit - Area B
1 Pot of Greed
1 Spell Absorption
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 The Forceful Sentry
1 Book of Moon
Traps: 13
2 Gravity Bind
1 Dust Tornado
1 Ceasefire
1 Ring of Destruction
3 Blast with Chain
1 Sakuretsu Armor
1 A Hero Emerges
1 Raigeki Break
2 A Feint Plan
This deck’s pretty cool! It’s solidly built, and the changes that I want to make won’t alter how the deck plays. Instead, I’m just going to trim some of the fat, focus the deck’s strategy a little, and bring the deck in line with the new Advanced format.
First, I want to remove the single copy of Cobraman Sakuzy. Despite this deck’s focus on self-flipping monsters, I don’t think Cobraman’s effect is good enough to earn it a spot on the roster, especially when you consider some of the superb alternatives. I’ll replace Cobraman with another self-flipping monster later on.
Next, I want to remove Spell Absorption, because it’s basically a conditional card. Despite the fact that it might come in handy, I don’t think it warrants a slot in a deck like this. In addition, I need to remove The Forceful Sentry to make this deck legal for the post-April 1 Advanced format, giving us one pretty obvious drop.
For traps, I want to remove one copy of Dust Tornado and all three copies of Blast with Chain. Since the deck is already packing Mystical Space Typhoon, three copies of Swarm of Scarabs, and three copies of Swarm of Locusts, having extra removal is excessive and awkward. Again, the theory behind this deck is quite good, but a few tweaks can bring some beneficial balance and focus.
Now, let’s start the additions! Another copy of Golem Sentry will take over for Cobraman Sakuzy. The Sentry is a great card that not only gives another source of control through its effect, but it also has enough DEF to ward off most attackers. That’s a rarity in this deck, so it’s important to make use of its defensive strength.
 Next, I’m going to add two copies of Hammer Shot. Yeah, I know I just said that the deck has a lot of control already, but keep in mind that the word “awkward” is key. For example, Blast with Chain is destroyed if the monster to which it’s attached is flipped to face-down defense position, but it’s not an effect that’s causing the destruction, it’s a game mechanic. If Blast with Chain isn’t destroyed by a card effect, you can’t use the trap’s control ability. Hammer Shot is a high-utility card at virtually any point in a duel, and it gives the deck’s destruction engine a nice burst of speed.
I’m going to add another copy of Level Limit – Area B as well. A second copy of this spell will give the deck a more reliable shot at creating the soft lock it needs. Plus, it helps fight Jinzo. With two copies of Hammer Shot and a second copy of Level Limit, this deck will fare a lot better against the trap-negating monstrosity.
Finally, I want to add three cards that I’d almost consider to be staples of the new Advanced format: Graceful Charity, Delinquent Duo, and Mirror Force. Graceful Charity will help you get your lockdown components and seek out the monsters that you need. Delinquent Duo will strip your opponent of options and make him or her easier to wear down, and Mirror Force will protect you from attacks while hopefully garnering you some card advantage. While not every deck in the new format will benefit from running all three of these cards, most decks will, and this deck is certainly no exception.
Here are the changes that I made to the deck.
-1 Cobraman Sakuzy
-1 Spell Absorption
-1 The Forceful Sentry
-1 Dust Tornado
-3 Blast with Chain
+1 Golem Sentry
+2 Hammer Shot
+1 Level Limit - Area B
+1 Graceful Charity
+1 Delinquent Duo
+1 Mirror Force
Here’s what the final fix looks like.
Wes’s Now You See Them . . . Now You Don’t: Jason’s Fix
40 cards
Monsters: 18
3 Swarm of Scarabs
3 Swarm of Locusts
3 Stealth Bird
2 Guardian Sphinx
2 Des Lacooda
1 Wandering Mummy
3 Golem Sentry
1 Sangan
Spells: 12
1 Swords of Revealing Light
2 Swords of Concealing Light
2 Level Limit - Area B
1 Pot of Greed
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Book of Moon
2 Hammer Shot
1 Delinquent Duo
1 Graceful Charity
Traps: 10
2 Gravity Bind
1 Ceasefire
1 Ring of Destruction
1 Sakuretsu Armor
1 A Hero Emerges
1 Raigeki Break
2 A Feint Plan
1 Mirror Force
 Basically, this deck’s strategy is to summon Swarm of Locusts and one of the monster-control cards as soon as possible. Protecting these cards once they’re in play is extremely important, and the deck can achieve this over the long term by using Gravity Bind and Level Limit – Area B. Swords of Revealing Light, Swords of Concealing Light, and A Feint Plan offer short-term protection, and monster-removal cards like Ring of Destruction and Raigeki Break can serve this function as well. Once your defenses are locked in, you can start abusing Des Lacooda and Stealth Bird, using the fragile monsters to draw huge numbers of cards and dish out large amounts of damage, respectively.
It’s easy to see how the deck works in the different segments of a duel. Playing it can be tricky, but it follows a general deployment philosophy that stays the same in most matchups. Obviously, you can play without much concern for defense against a Lockdown Burn deck, but be aware of the differences in your various early-game options. While destroying an opponent’s monster is ideal, understand that Golem Sentry’s relatively high DEF can be a big asset as you fight to establish control, and it can often be better to play the Sentry instead of a more obvious and aggressive monster. Defensive options are important when you go up against fast decks like the Warrior and Zombie archetypes.
When it comes to building a side deck, there isn’t much that this type of deck can do—it’s complete as it stands, so extension-based strategies aren’t important. You could always set up the side deck as a conversion tool (to change the deck into a Lockdown Burn deck, for example). However, it’s best just to pick your fifteen favorite pieces of metagame tech and rotate them into the deck as needed. Having a few copies of Giant Trunade available makes sense in Lockdown matchups. Also, running Bottomless Trap Hole or an extra copy of Sakuretsu Armor can throw a monkey wrench into the plans of highly aggressive Beatdown or Chaos players. In addition, Tribe-Infecting Virus can be worthwhile in the side deck if your metagame has a lot of Beastdown decks. You should play the side deck by ear and custom fit it to your metagame.
That’s it for this week’s fix! It’s an easy deck to build, since it doesn’t use many expensive, super- or ultra-rare cards. However, even though the deck is easy to pick up, it’s difficult to master. Give it a shot for yourself!
Thanks for sending it in, Wes!
-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! |
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