While the shifting of the Forbidden and Limited lists doesn’t normally impact the Traditional format, the restrictions set on cards could make new decks playable, and others unplayable. While the Forbidding of Magician of Faith, which was previously Limited, doesn’t change anything when the March 1st list is set, the relief of Limitation from [Pot of Avarice], [Creature Swap], [Apprentice Magician], and the Gadgets could. Sadly, I’ll also never get the chance to write an article on a Machine deck featuring [The Light - Hex-Sealed Fusion], since the deck sacrifices too much consistency to the loss of one [Cyber Dragon].
However, today I’ll be revisiting a deck that, while it was legal in Advanced, I found to be incredibly
consistent and absolutely top tier. (It also inspired my first article.) I’m referring to the Recruiter deck pioneered by Adrian Madaj in the 2006 European Championships. This deck used maximum copies of Shining Angel and Mystic Tomato to maintain field presence and add Lights and Darks to the graveyard. Quite a few things have changed since then, but the deck has a new card in its arsenal (even when played in the Advanced format): a third copy of Creature Swap. In Advanced, one would probably prefer to play a version of the deck featuring Giant Rat instead of Shining Angel, since there is no reason to pack a graveyard with Lights and Darks. The move to the Traditional format keeps the deck playable, though a few fundamental changes will have to be made.
I’d like to begin by offering this deck as a practice in studying the effects of conservative playstyle in the early stages of the game. Many players who wielded this deck did so with poor results, because they had a tendency (as the contemporary format often rewarded) of overplaying their hands and committing themselves to aggressive play in the early turns. This deck wants just the opposite: its strength is an ability to survive the early game while an aggressive opponent would overextend. Then, a swift and well-timed Creature Swap or Chaos Sorcerer would put an opponent in an irretrievable situation. If you have trouble staying conservative during the early stages of the game, give this deck a try and focus on the speed of the game. I highly suggest using this deck to learn one of the most important principles of the game: how to play it in the beginning.
The Monsters
The monster lineup defines the deck, laying the groundwork for what the other half should consist of. If you’ve been previously acquainted with the Recruiter strategy, you might notice that the monster lineup is much thinner. In the movement to the Traditional format, this will almost always be true. You need to make room for the incredibly powerful spells and traps: more importantly, you’ll be drawing more cards than you would in the Advanced format. Normally, you can’t play more than one or two monster cards in your hand during the same turn. If you have a six-card hand, you can have a much more productive series of moves during a turn if you have the option to play your entire hand on command.
Monsters: 18
1 Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
1 Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End
1 Chaos Sorcerer
3 Zaborg the Thunder Monarch
1 Breaker the Magical Warrior
1 Tribe-Infecting Virus
1 D. D. Warrior Lady
1 Witch of the Black Forest
1 Sangan
1 Spirit Reaper
3 Mystic Tomato
3 Shining Angel
The most striking aspect of the deck is the group of monsters that give it its name: the recruiters. The three copies of Shining Angel and Mystic Tomato accomplish a variety of purposes. They’re Lights and Darks, meaning that your Chaos monsters will be more consistent than your opponent’s. They clog up the field and offer you a powerful control over the tempo of the game, which is always a benefit. They’re also incredibly strong when used with Creature Swap, instantly offering you a big play and an often game-shifting move. The rest of the monsters simply benefit from these recruiters. The three Monarchs, though Lights, are easier to summon when you constantly have a monster on your side of the field, and every monster in your deck with fewer than four stars is searchable by another monster. This ease of access is another great element that offers an almost incomparable consistency to the deck.
The Spells
You’ll be happy to see any spell in this lineup at almost any given time. While the traditionally . . . Traditional cards are a must-have in almost any deck, the Creature Swap cards will afford you the most powerful moves you’ll be able to make. If you have both Shining Angel and Mystic Tomato on the field, and your opponent has a strong monster, you’ll be taking that monster, giving your opponent a Tomato, attacking the Tomato with an Angel, and special summoning Spirit Reaper and another Angel (or D. D. Warrior Lady, depending on the circumstances). That means you’ve played one card (Creature Swap) to destroy an opponent’s monster, taken that monster, attacked directly with Spirit Reaper, and dealt more than 3000 damage in one turn! That also means you’ve gained two cards over your opponent, and pushed him or her down an inflection point.
Spells: 17
1 Pot of Greed
1 Graceful Charity
1 Painful Choice
1 Confiscation
1 The Forceful Sentry
1 Delinquent Duo
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Harpie’s Feather Duster
1 Raigeki
1 Dark Hole
1 Monster Reborn
1 Change of Heart
1 Snatch Steal
3 Creature Swap
You’ll probably also notice that a full one-eighth of the deck grants you control over your opponent’s monsters. With the exception of Change of Heart, which gives control of the monster back to your opponent at the end of the turn, these cards not only eliminate a threat, but give you a threat at the same time. This is a powerful effect to notice, since the cards aren’t fully understood until you do. Creature Swap is both an answer and a threat at the same time, making it a uniquely powerful card.
The Traps
The trap lineup is short, as it mostly is in the Traditional format. I’ve included more monster destruction, and made a heartbreaking change by replacing Royal Decree with Dust Tornado. Since Royal Decree is Semi-Limited, it can’t be relied on to take traps out of the game. This was a powerful part of the deck, granting non-monster forms of removal only to the wielder of this deck. While opponents would rely on Mirror Force, Sakuretsu Armor, and similar cards, this deck used Creature Swap, Smashing Ground, and its monsters to control the field. Yet what’s done is done and Royal Decree is still at two, so I’ve replaced those cards with two copies of Dust Tornado which achieves much the same purpose (arguably, with the introduction of Dimensional Fissure, a stronger purpose).
Traps: 5
1 Mirror Force
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Ring of Destruction
2 Dust Tornado
Hopefully, practicing with this deck will give you the confidence in your early game strategy that you’ve been looking for. Good luck, have fun, and keep learning from new experiences, new decks, and improving your consistency one percent at a time.
—Ryan Murphy