Extra Deck:

This is by far the best-looking Synchro Turbo build I’ve seen. The high number of monsters reflects the fact that they’re supposed to be discarded for card effects like Destiny Draw, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, or Dark Grepher. Destiny Hero - Malicious and Necro Gardna belong in the graveyard. Malicious is the key to the deck, and ditching a drawn copy or using Dark Grepher to find one ensures that he’ll be in the graveyard quickly and ready to bring friends.

Necro Gardna is in the deck to combat the Gladiator Beast matchup. Having a Gardna eliminates your opponent’s ability to tag Gladiator Beast Gyzarus out. Dealing with one Gyzarus is a whole lot easier than dealing with two Gladiator Beast Laquari cards or Gladiator Beast Heraklinos. Gardna can also be searched for by Reinforcement of the Army. Should Dale draw multiple copies of the card, he can use one to fetch perfect discard material. Otherwise it’s just sitting in the deck waiting to be sent to the graveyard thanks to Dark Grepher. Oh, and it can remove itself from the graveyard, helping to control the amount of Darks for Dark Armed Dragon.

Of course this deck plays Dark Armed Dragon. It’s relatively easy to start a turn with zero Darks and have three in the graveyard in an instant. Multiple copies of Destiny Draw and a handful of discard effects fuel the graveyard fast and allow for easy, quick Dark Armed Dragon cards. But Dark Armed Dragon has a special synergy with the deck. For months now the only answer to it has been Solemn Judgment, which shuts down the monster, prevents it from using its effect, and traps you with four Darks in the graveyard. Now you can’t even play the other Dragon you’ve got.

However now you’ve got Emergency Teleport. The coolest thing about all the Synchros is they have seriously high ATK. By simply playing Emergency Teleport with a level 4 monster on the field, you can throw down a 2800 ATK monster. Suddenly Solemn Judgment isn’t so safe. So since there’s nothing really to worry about except your opponent getting set up with Heraklinos, the rest of the deck can be devoted to just getting out the Synchro monsters.

Three copies of Krebons—ideally special summoned by three copies of Emergency Teleport—get the Synchro ball rolling. Allure of Darkness and Destiny Draw make the cut at three apiece, as well to helping you draw into the power cards. There are also three copies of Reinforcement of the Army in this deck. The main reason is to hit Elemental Hero Stratos every game. Grabbing a Destiny Hero for Destiny Draw is what makes the deck work, and having 1800 ATK means your opponent is forced to answer it with his or her own Stratos or waste spell and trap cards.

Monster Reborn, Heavy Storm, Brain Control, and Giant Trunade are the final selections for the deck. Trunade is the only non-typical card here, but it was a difference maker in a lot of Dale’s matches. Playing Trunade allowed Dale to either force a Solemn Judgment—making way for his monsters and halving his opponent’s life points all at once—or simply clear the way for Synchros. Using it after your opponent has played Solemn Judgment also creates a back-door opportunity to win the game. Your opponent is expecting to be safe, having just used Solemn Judgment to stop a Heavy Storm (protecting his or her Phoenix Wing Wind Blast). Then you drop Giant Trunade and play out your hand to win the duel.

Each trap card has that same crushing impact in its own way, which is why they are being played. The vast amount of space devoted to drawing more cards means there’s not a lot of room to play trap cards. Fortunately the draw power means you’ll see the same trap cards a lot, so as long as they’re powerful you should hit great trap cards every game. What better cards for this idea than Crush Card Virus and Trap Dustshoot? Even Phoenix Wing Wind Blast is crippling and is a great way to discard Malicious.

Most of the monsters have been touched on throughout the article already. The main combo is to use Emergency Teleport to feed Synchro summons or Caius the Shadow Monarch. Destiny Hero - Malicious can also be used with the Teleport and combos up with Caius as well. Caius has made the cut in the deck due to how easily Cold Wave into Gladiator Beast Heraklinos can happen. Herk totally shuts down the speed this deck has, but Destiny Hero - Malicious and Caius the Shadow Monarch can take it out all on their own. Opposing Stardust Dragon cards, Prime Material Dragon cards, or double Laquari’s all fall victim to Caius. It’s a one-card-solves-all monster that also packs high ATK power, once again forcing the opponent to respond.

D.D. Crow is another card included to bust opposing combo plays before they happen. Gladiator Beast Darius and Destiny Hero - Malicious are the two most important cards in the top two decks right now. D.D. Crow stops both, and also hurts Lightsworn and Zombies. An all-around good card for lengthy tournament runs.

Being able to break setups is essential for tournament success. Even Destiny Hero - Doom Lord made the cut because it can temporarily solve a Heraklinos. In addition to being a Crushable Destiny Draw discard, Doom Lord can save the day when your opponent was counting on his or her big Synchro or Fusion monster. It’s by far the coolest piece of tech in this build.

—Matt Peddle