Chimeratech Overdragon OTK had long been discarded as a deck unworthy of winning a Shonen Jump Championship. Since it needed Future Fusion in order to pull off the one-turn knockout consistently, its Limited status blocked the deck from gaining too much power. The speed of the deck was cut off tremendously, and stalling wasn’t a viable option either. Spicer Monarch decks were simply too fast and too disruptive for combo-based decks to handle.

But that was without Gadgets in the equation. When Spicer Monarch was the deck to beat, many players tried and failed to win with original builds and concepts. Dark World finally broke through, and Chain Strike was an instant success as well. However, Machine builds, Water builds, and other theme-based decks trying to make it big always fell just short. Then Gadgets arrived and many players set aside their Monarch builds in favor of either Gadget or anti-Gadget decks.

This was excellent news for Chimeratech OTK fans. A lack of Monarchs meant that they could afford to wait for their combo pieces before having all their options stripped. A field full of Gadgets gave the deck more favorable matchups. Finally, with just as many anti-Gadget decks as anything else in the field, Chimeratech OTK players had even less chance of being paired up against Spicer Monarchs. Anti-Gadget strategies devote a lot of cards to beating only the Gadget deck, making them weaker against other concepts. To the Chimeratech OTK player, this means having even more turns to generate a strong hand.

Let’s take a look at the Chimeratech OTK build that placed three Rampage members in the Top 8 of SJC Orlando:

Monsters: 17

3 Cyber Dragon

3 Cyber Phoenix

3 UFO Turtle

3 Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive

1 Spell Canceller

1 Jinzo

1 Breaker the Magical Warrior

1 Magician of Faith

1 Morphing Jar

Spells: 17

3 Enemy Controller

3 Overload Fusion

2 Dimension Fusion

2 Giant Trunade

1 Swords of Revealing Light

1 Limiter Removal

1 Premature Burial

1 Card Destruction

1 Heavy Storm

1 Graceful Charity

1 Future Fusion

Traps: 6

3 Jar of Greed

2 Reckless Greed

1 Mirror Force

As you can see by the decklist, this build is centered completely on draw power and deck thinning. Future Fusion is a big part of winning with this deck, and maximizing the possibility of drawing it is a great plan. Cards like Jar of Greed and Reckless Greed make the deck effectively one or two cards smaller, replacing themselves instantly. Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive is another great draw card. Not only is it a Machine that draws cards, its 1400 ATK can put a sizeable dent in the opponent’s life points if left unchecked.

However, you’ll notice the deck doesn’t play any monster removal (excluding Mirror Force). Dekoichi, therefore, isn’t going to do a lot of damage. In the face of multiple monsters, it won’t even be desirable. What better monster for this situation than UFO Turtle? Not only does the Turtle boast the Machine type and the ability to search out the powerful Cyber Phoenix, but its 1400 ATK blends in perfectly with Gadgets and opposing copies of Dekoichi. Searching out Cyber Phoenix thins the deck a little bit more, and the Phoenix’s draw doubles the efficiency. Since both Turtle and Phoenix are Machine-type monsters that aren’t terribly difficult to destroy, they fit perfectly into a deck attempting to put as many Machines in the graveyard as possible.

Dekoichi and UFO Turtle act as great tribute fodder for the bigger Machines in this deck, and while decks usually want to tribute away only self-replacing monsters like Dekoichi and Mystic Tomato, this deck has no such restrictions. Any monster is available for tribute. Getting the big Machine monsters into play means opponents will be forced to use their monster removal early. This puts destroyed Machines right into the graveyard to be brought back later with Overload Fusion and Dimension Fusion.

Each of the trouble monsters in this deck needs to be dealt with differently. Jinzo can’t be destroyed by traps, Spell Canceller can’t be destroyed by spells, and Cyber Phoenix can’t safely be destroyed by reactive effects such as Sakuretsu Armor or Enemy Controller. Thus, bringing out one of these monsters can often mean forcing destruction cards out early. Reviving them through Dimension Fusion later in the duel will beat any opponent who runs out of defenses.

The deck has two winning scenarios. The first is the OTK: quick, easy, and near impossible to stop. Setting it up is always the primary objective. The second is a war of attrition in which Dimension Fusion consistently replaces only the Chimeratech OTK player’s cards. This second path is excellent against an opponent with a strong draw. Whether the opponent was able to disrupt your earlier plans or draw his or her side-decked answers, a drawn-out battle against your Machine goons can’t be promising for that player.

This gives the deck even more cards to draw in the pursuit of a game-ending scenario. It might only take one copy each of Overload Fusion and Dimension Fusion to gain control over any given duel. Cyber Dragon becomes vital in this scenario. Future Fusion acts as a fourth Cyber Dragon here, and placing all three in the Graveyard is exactly what Rampage members want to see early on. Given the amount of draw power in the deck, the likelihood of seeing a Cyber Dragon before the duel ends is very high.

With the remainder of the deck looking similar to previous OTK builds, the last real stand-out selection is three copies of Enemy Controller. Its presence in this deck proves the flexibility of a seemingly rigid build. Trying to achieve one specific goal every game in a Shonen Jump tournament never works, and the existence of three Enemy Controller cards in this deck is a testament to that fact. The Controllers allow Rampage players to get creative with opposing monsters.

Whether it’s switching enemy monsters to defense position in order to soften them up for attacks, taking those monsters on the chain to redirect an opposing Smashing Ground, or snatching them up to be tributed away, Enemy Controller definitely gets rid of potential threats. If the going gets rough, it can also take opposing Cyber Dragon cards to be removed from play for Overload Fusion. Last but not least, Enemy Controller can give you ways to punch through the final damage on a very aggressive turn. Switching Sheep tokens to attack mode or destroying stalling Spirit Reaper cards is what Enemy Controller does best.

Will the next Shonen Jump Championship crown another Chimeratech OTK winner? Probably not. The best decks are being discovered and routed, the metagame is condensing again, and decks are becoming more well-rounded. This clears up room in the side deck for those dusty Waboku and soon-to-be-popular D.D. Crow cards. Monarchs might also be on the rise to counter-balance the increase in anti-Gadget decks.

Congratulations are due to the Team Rampage members who stormed into the Top 8 with this build. Placing multiple team members or a non-mainstream deck into the Top 8 is never easy, and to accomplish both on the same day—with a whopping three members to boot—is legendary. I look forward to seeing the caliber of decks this team can produce in the future.