I love Dragon decks—some of the coolest monsters in the history of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG are Dragon-types, and the allure of all-stars like Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8, Tyrant Dragon, and the all-time classic Blue-Eyes White Dragon can be irresistible. A couple years back I actually won a few tournaments with a dedicated Dragon build, complete with Spear Dragon, Stamping Destruction, and a single copy of Tyrant Dragon (who was pretty awesome in the face of the then-popular Sakuretsu Armor).
Since then times have changed, and Dragons have become more of an iconic monster type than a focused deck theme. While Dark Armed Dragon and Judgment Dragon are widely accepted as the two best monsters in the game right now, they don’t go in Dragon decks—each serves as the finisher for another theme. The only real dedicated Dragon build to even see discussion over the past two years was a Frost and Flame Dragon strategy that drew on Horus the Black Flame Dragon for its Fire attribute, and Blizzard Dragon for its Water attribute. The problem? Since Blizzard Dragon was a videogame promo in a short-run release that never hit North American soil, nobody could run the deck. Most players didn’t even know Blizzard Dragon existed. I myself owned more copies of Doomcaliber Knight than I did Blizzard Dragon up until this past weekend.
But all that’s changed with the release of Dark Legends, which reprints Blizzard Dragon as a normal rare. With one of the best Dragons of all time newly accessible, it’s time to look at Dragons yet again, starting with reader Tony’s build! Here’s what he had to say about it:
My name is Tony from North Carolina. My deck has some issues and some good points. The point is to swarm the field with Gravekeepers to give me enough time to summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8. I am open to new ideas and Synchros, and also changing the type of deck to something else. I use Horus because of his great ability and combinations with other decks.
If you can help me that will be very much appreciated!
—Tony ~ North Carolina
Here’s what Tony’s deck looks like:
Tony’s Horus Gravekeeper Deck: 41 Cards
Before the mass release of Blizzard Dragon, the only real way to play Horus was to try and pair it with something else—that’s what Tony has attempted here. But since Tony (and everybody else) can now get Blizzard Dragon without flying to New Zealand, we’re going to change this deck into a full-on draconic dynamo. Because the deck plays so many Water monsters I’m going to expand on the Water attribute theme and run killer tech cards that I haven’t been able to fit anywhere else. The result is going to be a fun deck that will have your opponents scratching their heads and wondering what you’re going to do next.
I’ll be dropping over 30 cards from Tony’s original build, because the monster lineup will be changing so drastically. We won’t keep any of the Gravekeepers, and because the right balance of attributes is so important to the finished product, even tournament favorites like Sangan and Breaker the Magical Warrior will get the axe. This deck needs a mix of Fire and Water monsters to make Frost and Flame Dragon a live card, and it also needs Water monsters to feed certain effects I’ll be adding. By the time I finish making my cuts we’ll be left with just the Black Flame Dragons, a few spells, and Torrential Tribute.
From there we’ll have 30 card slots left before we cross the 40-card threshold. Our first addition will be two copies of Frost and Flame Dragon, one of the marquee cards for this deck. Frost and Flame may not play on the level of Dark Armed and Judgment Dragon, but its destruction ability lets it trump almost every big centerpiece monster seeing play. It’s got enough ATK to finish games when your opponent doesn’t see it coming, and it can help load the graveyard with useful cards. Two copies will ensure that we draw it reliably, but not too often in the early game where we won’t be able to summon it.
Three Blizzard Dragon cards are a must-play, sticking to the Dragon theme while giving us three powerful Water monsters to feed Frost and Flame Dragon’s summoning. Blizzard Dragon’s 1800 ATK is nothing to sneeze at these days, and its control effect really slows down big monsters: just like how Frost and Flame Dragon can swoop in to take out a big threat, Blizzard Dragon can stop big Synchros from attacking. We’ll be building on this theme, creating a deck that neutralizes big opposing pushes and then punishes them.
Toward that end, I’m also going to run two copies of Penguin Soldier and two Abyss Soldier cards. Both of these Water monsters are amazing at clearing Synchros off the field. Abyss Soldier thrives in a deck with plenty of Water monsters to discard, and while its ability is most impressive when it’s sending Synchros back to the Extra deck, it’s also a great way to clear spell and trap cards before you make your own bid for victory. Abyss Soldier is another beatstick, and another card you play after your opponent makes his or her big move. Penguin Knight is the opposite: a smaller monster you set when you anticipate a big move, achieving the same goal of disruption in a different way.
Treeborn Frog gets included as well, supporting Abyss Soldier’s discard cost and making it easier to summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6. I’ll add two copies of Mobius the Frost Monarch as well: the perfect Water monster to put pressure on opposing copies of Solemn Judgment.
With so many Water monsters now in place we need a few more Fire monsters to balance things out. Three copies of Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 seem like a must to me—they fit our necessary attribute, and it’s surprisingly easy these days to find something small enough for Horus to destroy in battle. Doing so gives you an easy upgrade to Black Flame Dragon LV6 by summoning it from your deck. Your draws become that much better, and you get a free Fire monster in your graveyard.
I’ll also add two copies of Rose, Warrior of Revenge. Rose is a Fire monster herself, and helps load your graveyard while getting you a Synchro monster in the process. If you can flip Penguin Soldier without it being attacked, Rose can get you an easy Goyo Guardian, while she pairs with any of your level-4 monsters to summon a level 8. She’s very impressive here.
Moving on to the spells, I’ll add one copy of Dragon's Mirror to give us the option of removing five Dragon cards from the graveyard for Five-Headed Dragon. Should you draw Dragon's Mirror and both Frost and Flame Dragon it’s almost impossible to play all three, but you can always pitch Frost and Flame to Abyss Soldier’s effect anyway, so we’re not weighing ourselves down with too many dead cards. Dragon's Mirror is a late-game finisher, but it’s also a mid-game powerhouse with the right support . . .
. . . Namely, two copies of Cold Wave. This deck is most dangerous when it can get Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 to the field, and to do that you’ll either have to tribute for the LV6 version and make a successful attack with it (destroying a monster), or summon the LV4 version, attack with that, and do it again with the LV6. That’s no easy feat: cards like Mirror Force, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, and Dimensional Prison can stop your attacks, while Solemn Judgment can cut the entire process before it begins. Cold Wave makes it easier for you to attack with Horus, Synchro monsters, or even Five-Headed Dragon, and it helps you press with Frost and Flame. It can even be a defensive play that helps your disruptive Water monsters resolve their effects.
Two Shrink cards also help the Horus monsters level up, and aid smaller monsters in taking down Synchros. Smashing Ground will be included too: this deck has a lot of ways to get rid of Stardust Dragon, meaning that Smashing can be a reliable tool against your opponent’s biggest monsters.
The trap lineup will consist of the Torrential Tribute Tony was already running, plus Mirror Force, three copies of Solemn Judgment, and three Threatening Roar cards. Again, the Solemns will help answer opposing Synchro monsters while protecting your own big hitters. Threatening Roar is huge: along with Shrink and Penguin Soldier, it constitutes a strong defensive lineup that will punish your opponent for attempting to take games from you. If your opponent summons a couple of Synchros and you flip Threatening Roar, you have at least half a dozen nasty things you can do to him or her on the following turn to steal victory.
My version looks like this . . .
Fire and Ice . . . and Penguins!—Jason’s Fix: 40 Cards
Extra Deck: 15
3 Stardust Dragon
2 Red Dragon Archfiend
2 Colossal Fighter
2 Thought Ruler Archfiend
1 Black Rose Dragon
2 Magical Android
2 Goyo Guardian
Your ideal opening will usually be a passive one, since you have few good opening monsters but plenty of good defense. Setting Treeborn Frog is always smart, but be careful with how you use Penguin Soldier: if your opponent just summons Stratos and attacks, Soldier’s effect text might as well be blank. Instead, consider setting Book of Moon or Threatening Roar if you have them—you don’t need to play them unless your opponent makes a huge move, but it’s safer than passing with nothing on the field. When those cards aren’t available and Torrential Tribute is nowhere to be found, don’t hesitate to bluff Gorz. An opening-turn Cold Wave isn’t a bad idea either, as it usually leaves your opponent with one vulnerable monster that you can then take down with Black Flame Dragon LV4 on turn 2.
The trick to playing this deck is to play it reactively—don’t over-commit to the field, and rely on your defensive cards to keep you safe. If you suspect a big attack, set Penguin Soldier. If your opponent only plays one Synchro to try and draw out answers, use Blizzard Dragon or Abyss Soldier to counter the move. This deck wins through a strong defense and a strong set of answers after the fact: though it has plenty of beatsticks that could do some damage fast and early, make sure you’ve got a backup plan if you decide to play aggressively.
It’s got a few conditional cards that can sometimes be dead draws—Mobius the Frost Monarch won’t always be the right monster for the job, Frost and Flame Dragon can be tricky to summon, and you won’t always want to unleash Dragon's Mirror. Its average utility isn’t as high as some competitive decks, but that doesn’t mean it can’t sweep fairly competitive locals. The more practice you get with the playstyle this deck demands, the better you’ll do, and the more fun you'll have with it.
Give it a shot yourself. It’s a ton of fun to play, uses cards you’ll never get to run anywhere else, and it’s got a lot of surprising tech!
—Jason Grabher-Meyer
Want to see your deck featured in The Apotheosis? Send your deck list, formatted like the one in this article—along with your name, location, and a short description of how the deck works—to metagamedeckfixes@gmail.com.