Cyber-Stein has been a key ingredient in the game ever since Cyber Twin Dragon and Cyber End Dragon were released in Cybernetic Revolution. The greatest struggle in deckbuilding since its introduction has been how to utilize or deter Cyber-Stein’s OTK potential. Many players have taken to playing one copy of Cyber-Stein and Last Will. This is an acceptable strategy, and plenty of players have made the Top 8 using it. However, there are those who take Cyber-Stein a step further. Igor Kharin, Zach Johnson, Corey Faibish, and now Keith Gibson have each taken Cyber-Stein OTK decks to new heights.

At the start of the format, many players predicted a variety of OTK decks in the Top 8 of Shonen Jump Championship Boston. Chimeratech Overdragon and Cyber-Stein were feared as unstoppable OTK factors that would undoubtedly knock all other decks out of Top 8 contention. However, only Gibson managed to take a Top 8 spot with this particular build:

Monsters—20

1 Jinzo

2 Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive

2 Cyber-Stein

1 Breaker the Magical Warrior

1 Magician of Faith

3 Cyber Dragon

2 Exiled Force

1 Cyber Phoenix

1 Cannon Soldier

1 Sangan

3 Nimble Momonga

1 Spirit Reaper

1 Morphing Jar

Spells—16

1 Premature Burial

1 Graceful Charity

1 Heavy Storm

1 Nobleman of Crossout

1 Enemy Controller

2 Giant Trunade

1 Creature Swap

2 Megamorph

1 Limiter Removal

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Swords of Revealing Light

1 Scapegoat

1 Book of Moon

1 Last Will

Traps—4

1 Sakuretsu Armor

1 Ring of Destruction

1 Mirror Force

1 Torrential Tribute

This deck was clearly built for one reason: Stein. Its goal is to get out Cyber-Stein and throw down some huge Fusion monster who can take the duel over the next two turns. It’s that “over the next two turns” part that makes this deck unique. It’s perfectly clear that Cyber-Stein has some incredible OTK potential. Two copies made the monster line-up, while two each of Giant Trunade and Megamorph found their way into the spells. However, it’s obvious that Gibson can’t pull off the Stein OTK combo every match of the tournament. And he was ready for that.

The deck takes a more balanced stab at Stein-OTK than most. First, it plays no Royal Decree cards. Second, the monster line-up looks quite similar to the style you’d find in a Machine deck. Based on these factors, I’d say Gibson was more concerned with cornering an opponent before using Cyber-Stein, rather than using it outright for the one-turn knockout. While this may sound very similar to the strategy that Robert Ackerman used, there’s one key difference. Gibson tries to corner his opponents by forcing their removal cards early in the game. Once Gibson feels comfortable with the amount of removal he’s drawn out with other monsters, he can feel free to use Cyber-Stein, even without the OTK. Being able to throw down Cyber End Dragon—knowing that it’ll do its thing this turn and next turn—is a winning strategy.

There are plenty of cards that bait out monster removal early. Nimble Momonga is a prime example. Most players don’t want their opponent gaining 3000 life points. Factor in the fact that Nimble Momonga instantly raises a red flag for Stein, and Gibson probably found his opponents using their monster removal on the squirrels to try and get at his life points, unaware that they were playing right into his hands. Spirit Reaper is another card that soaks up Sakuretsu Armor cards like it’s a sport. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who will let a Reaper attack go through, which makes it the perfect choice for a deck that wants to rid the field of defensive cards.

Cyber Phoenix is an extremely powerful card for Cyber-Stein-based decks. While it can’t use Megamorph, Cyber Phoenix is nothing but another layer of protection for the Stein player. The combo potential with Last Will is tremendous and forces the opponent into a situation where using any targeting spell or trap could be completely useless. For this deck, however, Gibson couldn’t afford to play too many copies. Otherwise, his Cyber Dragon cards would become invulnerable to most defensive cards, which would leave those cards available for later turns (once the Cyber Phoenix has been ousted), allowing opponents to protect themselves from Stein. One copy was included for those situations when defending his Machines from Enemy Controller was completely essential.

Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive and Jinzo are amazing utility Machines and quite popular for good reason. Both can usually score a lethal hit when backed up with Limiter Removal, as well as being generally useful in their own right. Cannon Soldier is a bit of a surprise in here, but it works perfectly with the philosophy of spending more than one turn finishing off the opponent. If Gibson can’t eliminate the opponent’s life points or trap him or her in a situation where his Fusion summon becomes unstoppable, his opponent will make a comeback by dealing with the immediate threats. This will usually leave a monster or two left over (Cyber-Stein and a Nimble, for example) that can be dealt with in later turns. However, that gives Gibson the opportunity to end the game with Cannon Soldier, regardless of the defenses his opponent might have ready.

Exiled Force offers the same ability. Say the opponent responds to your damage turn with Soul Exchange + Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch. If you have Exiled Force, you can take out the opponent’s monster and force through the remaining damage with the smaller monsters the opponent had left you with. Of course, this comes in addition to Exiled’s standard job of getting monsters out of the way for Dekoichi or Cyber Phoenix. The combo potential with Last Will is well known: one of the reasons we still see Cyber-Stein so often.

Morphing Jar and Magician of Faith were included to enhance the draw power and options for Gibson. Either of these flip effects greatly increases the chances of pulling off the Cyber-Stein OTK. Magician of Faith, in particular, can lend aid in some extremely versatile ways. For example, you can use Last Will, flip Magician of Faith, use Last Will again, and then tribute for Jinzo. The amount of options Gibson could pull out of his deck from there would almost certainly lead to a game win.

The spells in this deck are very typical for a Stein OTK player. Limiter Removal, Megamorph, and Giant Trunade aid Gibson’s deck in pulling out a quick knockout. Premature Burial and Last Will are typically for Jinzo and Exiled Force combos, but serve as extra options to deal with unexpected situations. Enemy Controller, Book of Moon, and Swords of Revealing Light really send the “two-turn KO” flag into the air, while demonstrating the back-up Gibson had for throwing down a quick Cyber-Stein. Each prevented Gibson’s own Stein from being destroyed along with the rest of his life points, and made sure his Fusion monsters couldn’t be taken with Brain Control or Enemy Controller the following turn.

The traps aren’t all that tricky. The popular cards are there, as well as one copy of Sakuretsu Armor, for that little something extra. One trap I’m surprised didn’t make the cut was Call of the Haunted, which functions nearly identically to Premature Burial, but without the Giant Trunade combo (though even that works if used with Jinzo or Cyber Phoenix). The potential in that card is amazing, and would definitely have been worth trying out.

With all the sneaky combos and OTK potential in this deck, it’s not surprising that Gibson took it to a Top 8 finish. Expect the “cornering” strategy to be a lot harder from now on though. If there’s one sure thing these days, it’s that players are learning faster now than they ever have before.