The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG has always featured themes—they are evident in monster types, element-specific support cards, and recurring characters in the artwork. New structure decks are constantly being released, each built around a theme. Duelists in the TV show play almost exclusively with theme-driven decks. Sometimes it seems like the only place that themes go largely unheeded is the world of the competitive tournament, where players favor a mix of monsters and spells that cross the spectrum. I’m not saying that theme decks have no place at all in “serious” competition—look at Diamond Dude Turbo, Six Samurai, or Chimeratech. Who knows what we’ll see at Shonen Jump Championship Montreal? They can be eminently playable, but players have often avoided them on the level of “serious” competition.

If you already enjoy building and playing themes, then you’ll be familiar with a lot of what I’m going to talk about in this article—but you may get some insight you hadn’t thought of. If, until now, you’ve dismissed theme decks as not having much win potential, keep reading. Perhaps I can change your perspective.

Step 1: decide what you’re trying to accomplish.

For the rest of this article, let’s work under the assumption that you want to build a theme deck. What should you think about first? Well, you need to figure out what you’re trying to accomplish by building it. There are different reasons to build and play a theme deck (if you’ve ever listened to players with different ideas about the process argue with one another, that should come as no surprise), and the trick to knowing the right approach for you is to figure out a) why you want to build the deck in the first place, and b) what you hope to accomplish with it. There are a few different motivations listed below—can you see yourself as any of these players?

Player A:   You know that different themes have access to high-impact cards like Dark Necrofear, Salvage, Magician’s Circle, or Rite of Spirit and want to figure out a way to take advantage of these unique effects to outplay your opponents. However, in order to do that, you’ll have to work within the constructs of a theme.

Player B:  You want to take on a new challenge, seeing if you can win with a deck no one else plays, or even with one that other players hold in low esteem. Might as well give the grousing players in your area a real reason to smack-talk particular monster types, right?

Player C: You feel like taking a break from heated competition, and think that building and playing an intriguing theme deck is a good way to do that. It is, actually. Basically, you want to try something new just for the sake of trying something new. I think you’ll enjoy it more if you can persuade a group to do it with you—I’ve built and played theme decks as part of a group, and honestly it’s the most pure fun I’ve ever had with the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. (Jason still has nightmares about Dancing Fairy, and I’ve learned never to trust a Water deck.)

Player D:  You really like . . . oh, I don’t know, maybe Dinosaurs. (This is nothing to ever feel bad about, by the way. In fact, you should embrace it.) You either want to win with them no matter how hard it may be, or you just want to run a lot of monsters that you like, some cool complimentary spells and traps, and have your deck work once out of every eight duels or so. These are both completely valid reasons for playing a theme deck, but they do come with different priorities.

Step 2: recognize how to reach your goal.

Once you’ve determined why you want to build a theme deck and what you want to accomplish with it, it’s time to figure out how to get there. When you’ve defined your goal, you can build the deck accordingly. Take a look!

Player A: Since the main reason you are experimenting with themes is to exploit the power of particular cards, you might not end up dedicating the deck heavily to that theme. Perhaps you’ll only run enough theme-specific cards to utilize the effects that appeal to you, and rely on more familiar cards to round out the deck. Or you might decide to go all out and put in a lot of cards that fit the theme. It’s up to you.

Player B: You’ll want to remain competitive, but stay as dedicated to the theme

as possible, or else the challenge you’ve set for yourself isn’t really being met, is it? You’ll probably have to do some in-depth thinking and page through some forgotten pages in your binder to come up with the ideas that work.

Player C: You can build a deck with whatever cards you want. Happy, happy, player C! Your entire goal is to have a nice vacation from high pressure competition, so win or lose, you’ll be fine. This is most enjoyable when the people you’re playing are doing the same thing. Leighton K and I took on Kevin Tewart and Dan Scheidegger at team dueling once: our Dinosaurs against their E-Heroes. It was really a lot of fun. If you do end up playing some punk who creams your Reptile deck with Monarchs and won’t shut up about it, try not to let it ruin your vacation. Besides, should the tables be turned and your Reptiles triumph, it renders the victory all the more delicious.

Player D: You’ll likely be very dedicated to your theme, because you are a

purist. However, don’t make the mistake of slamming players A, B, and C for lacking your singular devotion to the theme, and don’t be jealous and petty if they happen to win more. Besides, complaining about losses will only help reinforce the most negative stereotypes that other players have about theme decks and the players who play them, and that just discourages other players from trying something new. Keep your own goals in perspective, and enjoy them. You don’t have to run Sangan if you really don’t want to (because even drawing a little hat on it won’t make it a Spellcaster). Just don’t make someone else’s life a burden because they do want to run it.

Step 3: select the cards that fit the goals from Step 2.

It’s easier to choose the cards you want to play when you’ve done a thorough job in Steps 1 and 2. You already know what your philosophical approach to the deck is, and you’ve focused on what you want to do with it—round up the cards you’ll need. One nice thing about theme decks: they often use cards other people aren’t interested in, and you can buy a structure deck knowing that you’ll get exactly what you need. When you’re looking for a hard-to-get card like a videogame promo, though, it might be a bit more difficult. Still, they’re usually cheaper than Cyber Dragon.

Step 4: tweak the deck once you’ve started to play it.

Theme decks aren’t any different from other decks in this regard—the first draft you come up with might not work so well, especially if you haven’t done much with a particular theme before. Still, while you’re working on refining it, don’t lose sight of your original goal. If you’re player D, don’t start slapping Cyber Dragon cards into your deck just because everyone is telling you to, if it’s really going to make you unhappy. At the same time, if you’re player A, don’t let an elitist D player belittle your lack of devotion to your theme. Different players are going to play theme decks for different reasons, so don’t let conflicting viewpoints discourage you from what you set out to do.

This is probably the best note to end on. Whichever category you fall into, recognize that just as you have a right to your viewpoint, everyone else has a right to theirs. I think we’ve established that there are a lot of valid approaches to doing this, so let’s pass on all the variations of  “A isn’t really building a theme deck, not like meritorious B . . . A should lose horribly (of course, assuming I am B)” and do what we can to encourage more players to give theme decks a chance. They can be fun, they can be a challenge, and they can be competitive. Find the mix that works best for you!