Recently, many of my fellow Metagame.com staffers have done proper justice to one of the best cards released in recent memory. Beginning with Julia Hedberg’s informative sneak preview article in which she stated combinations and rulings-related knowledge that provided strong incentive for its use, Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude stormed onto the landscape. Next came Jerome McHale’s excellent article on a Destiny-based deck, which inspired me and spurred me into active testing. However, rather than treading over ground they’ve already sufficiently covered, I wanted to steer the direction of Diamond Dude away from its fellow Destiny Heroes.

Since initially reading the Enemy of Justice spoiler, I’ve been testing different builds utilizing Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude’s powers: builds intended for highly competitive tournament play. Many duelists on message forums and at tournaments I’ve encountered seem to be undervaluing its potential, relegating its status to that of a one-trick pony that can activate fun cards like Ojama Delta Hurricane!!.

However, in a deck built correctly around its effects, the idea of Diamond Dude as a top-tier tournament force is not too far-fetched. Rather than cycle for gimmicks (normal spell cards that cannot be activated from the hand), the focused Destiny Hero deck aims to generate card and field advantage through the use of high-utility normal spells. These normal spells (which Julia provided a great list of) can be activated for great gains, even outside of Diamond Dude’s effect. Let’s take a look at why this can be so powerful.

Assuming you simply leave it to its own rascally devices, the card will fish for a normal spell each turn to activate. Provided the deck employs many high-utility options such as Upstart Goblin, Nobleman of Extermination, Graceful Charity, Smashing Ground, and others, the possibilities can overwhelm you if not managed carefully. Unlike most flip effect monsters, however, Diamond Dude packs a solid 1400 ATK/1600 DEF body that will push through damage (like Dekoichi) while generating free effects—and this doesn’t even require a combination of limited or low utility cards that can clog up your hand! A properly supported Diamond Dude can create free options that rival the impact of a Tsukuyomi loop or Pot of Greed, and it deserves the same respect that those plays command. And thus, the goal of the Diamond Dude concept deck hinges on two key factors. The first is a stable monster and spell lineup that creates good ratios (which become essential in determining the mathematics of his next draw). The second is a support base of traps that prevent the self-sustained “Diamond Dude” lock from being snapped.

Build: Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude Concept

General Synergies and Goals:

1) Using a base of many normal spells, utilize Diamond Dude’s effect repeatedly.

Pivotal Cards:

1) Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude

2) Tutor effects for Diamond Dude.

Constructing the Monster Lineup for the Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude Concept

The first important concept I want to delve into before making this deck is the idea of deck thinning. By creating a base of synergistic monsters that thin themselves out (creating fewer monsters to draw in the deck), we can manipulate Diamond Dude’s effect. Let’s say your deck contains sixteen monsters, eighteen normal spells, and six traps (a good ratio for a Diamond Dude deck, for reasons to be explained). The math for an effect works something like this. If your hand has one trap, three monsters, and two normal spells, a Diamond Dude effect basically has a 16 in 33 chance of working: close to fifty percent. However, if you discard a Thunder Dragon from your deck to add to hand, activate a few Mystic Tomato effects, and leave ten monsters in the deck, it’s closer to a sixty or even seventy percent chance of digging out a normal spell.

We’re going to organize the monster list into two different categories. The first is Warrior support, since the deck will play two copies of Reinforcement of the Army (one of the few normal spells we can use—along with Graceful Charity and Upstart Goblin—that the opponent cannot play around). The second is deck thinning, manipulating the card counts to help more successful achievements of Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude’s effect.

Warrior Support:

1 Exiled Force

2 Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude

1 Don Zaloog

1 D. D. Assailant

This lineup looks quite wonderful. Exiled Force is probably the key search card for the deck, since you’ll want to activate Reinforcement of the Army while having an easy outlet for using The Warrior Returning Alive, which is another normal spell. The other monsters exert hefty field presence, and Don Zaloog is required for its synergies with Mystic Tomato.

Deck Thinning Support:

3 Mystic Tomato

1 Spirit Reaper

1 Sangan

3 Thunder Dragon

The Thunder Dragon synergies are tremendous. First of all, it immediately thins the deck of two cards when you draw it. Second, we’re milling for Card Destruction (an independent normal spell we can activate at any time) with Diamond Dude’s effect. This powerful chain of events will lead to victory if used in the right way. The three Mystic Tomato cards can mill for hand disruption, resource manipulation, or the ever-popular Sangan.

General Support:

1 Breaker the Magical Warrior

1 Treeborn Frog

2 Chaos Sorcerer

2 Cyber Dragon

Five Light monsters may seem weak with two copies of Chaos Sorcerer, but the Thunder Dragon cards make the ratios more than suitable. In this case, we’re looking to generate decisive advantage with Diamond Dude while being able to push through damage. Treeborn Frog is included for its great synergies with tribute monsters, Last Will, Creature Swap, and Card Destruction.

We’ve alluded to a lot of the normal spells in our lineup. We’re not going to be playing standard spells that don’t help further our lock. In fact, the only non-normal spells played in the deck are Snatch Steal (for obvious reasons, considering that it’s one of the best cards in the format) and Book of Moon to shield against Breaker and Tomato. Let’s take a look.

Dude, Take a Look at the Spells and Traps

The normal list of spell staples is not present in this deck. After including our one Snatch Steal (two would be pushing it, not to mention illegal), the rest of the list will be all normal spells. We want to save room for a few traps that help the Destiny Hero lock. I’m going to organize this list into conditional normal spells and independent ones. Conditional normal spells require some sort of circumstance, mostly when your opponent has either a spell or trap face down (Heavy Storm, Nobleman of Extermination) or a monster on the field (Smashing Ground, Nobleman of Crossout). Independent normal spells don’t require anything special in order to be activated, so they’re the best to use.

Independent Spell Support

1 Graceful Charity: This is a no-brainer.

1 Card Destruction: Great synergies with Thunder Dragon and Treeborn Frog. It is also free, for the most part, because of Diamond Dude, so its ordinary drawback (losing card advantage) doesn’t register.

2 Reinforcement of the Army: This card artificially boosts our monster count while working as a normal spell. Naturally, it then becomes one of the best cards in our arsenal.

1 Upstart Goblin: The life gains are a bit dangerous. However, this is the classic case of exchanging card advantage for life points. The tremendous potential found in cycling one of these with Diamond Dude (for a free card) are too high to ignore. You’ll obviously want to play this as soon as you draw it.

1 Confiscation: A staple in any deck, this provides a rather saucy bonus.

Conditional Spell Support

2 Nobleman of Crossout: These are staples in any aggressive deck. Obviously if you mill one through Diamond Dude, your opponent will not be setting a monster next turn.

2 Smashing Ground: Again, expect a set monster if you mill this. On the bright side, if they summon a monster to kill a Diamond Dude that milled Smashing Ground the turn prior, it evens out quite nicely.

1 Heavy Storm: This is a no-brainer.

1 Nobleman of Extermination: Ideally, your opponent will have a set Sakuretsu Armor or something of that sort. If you mill Extermination, please try not to attack during that same turn.

1 Creature Swap: This card is less reliable, but works as a combined Smashing Ground and Nobleman of Crossout in one.

1 Last Will: Use this card in conjunction with Exiled Force or a tribute monster. If you mill this card somehow, make sure to activate its effect by any means possible.

1 Pot of Avarice: Thunder Dragon gives great synergy with this card. Assuming you mill it in the mid- to late stage, you should have no problems activating its requirement. Two free cards usually equals victory.

1 The Warrior Returning Alive: This requires a Warrior in the graveyard, which makes Exiled Force even more important.

That makes eighteen spells and nineteen monsters. Because of the deck thinning found in the deck, we can add four defensive traps. The only goal is to find cards that preserve our Diamond Dude. The chief threats to any Diamond Dude are Mystic Tomato and Breaker the Magical Warrior.

Themed Trap Support:

1 Mirror Force: The best defensive trap, period.

2 Solemn Judgment: These shield against Monarchs, Sorcerers, Breaker, and Tomato cards simultaneously.

2 Sakuretsu Armor: These are great, for obvious reasons.

Expected Matchup with Cookie-Cutter Decks

Most decks pack only a few cards that can truly stop a Diamond Dude in defense position. The goal is to fish it out through either Tomato or a normal summon. The defense you then set should be able to buy it one turn to shift into defense position (or immediately if you get it through the Tomato). At this point, only about four monsters in the entire deck can stop Diamond Dude. Your opponent will probably have two Cyber Dragon cards and four Chaos Sorcerer cards (plus tribute monsters) to stop it. At this point, you can mill for advantage to your heart’s content.

Late in the game, the presence of a heavy graveyard for both Chaos Sorcerer and Pot of Avarice should swing things in your favor. Every single one of the normal spells in your deck can be used to great advantage, independent of Diamond Dude’s effect. The goal is to neutralize the opponent’s 1600+ ATK hitters. Once the lock is established, the game should be over shortly.

This is probably the best deck yet examined by New Grounds. It comes from a build that I’ve actually tested for both Nationals and Shonen Jump Championship play. It is definitely on the top tier, and hopefully it will open many eyes to the power of Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude.

New Grounds Verdict: The best deck reviewed on New Grounds yet!