It’s the most wonderful time of the dueling year! With the Force of the Breaker Sneak Previews now behind us, duelists across the globe have all-new cards in their hot little hands. One cannot help but reflect on the situation, and as I muse, I ask myself, “What is the greatest aspect of these shining eras?” Is it the smile of a young child as he or she flaunts the newest holographic prize, plucked fresh from a booster? Is it the spirit of competition and exploration that erupts in the wake of new cards, bringing duelists together to share inspiration?

Of course not! Don’t be foolish! The sweetest thing about the short period of time right after a new booster set’s release is that I get to watch the bulk of the dueling community flounder shamefully, completely devoid of direction! In the wake of Force of the Breaker, a wealth of new possibilities abound, and it is in these shining, flowery days that we can so easily separate the truly astute, skilled duelists from the slacking, chaffy masses!

It fills me with delightful glee! I simply can’t stop giggling!

However, for the brave few who dare to attempt a new path and then walk boldly upon it, you shall earn some base level of respect from me by default. After all, if you can’t be a deckbuilding genius like me, you might as well rush headlong into your failure instead of letting it slowly creep up on you. Should you have the foresight to run to me after your first few attempts (instead of running toward repeated oblivion), then at least your sense of pattern recognition is showing improvement.

One such duelist displaying a brilliant capacity for common sense is today’s deck contributor. Cameron, from St. Catharines Ontario, has focused his efforts upon one of the most anticipated cards in Force of the Breaker. Let’s turn our attentions to his letter so that he may explain!

Dear Dr. Vowler,

I've been testing this deck that revolves around Sky Scourge Norleras. This deck would be the worst in terms of card advantage if it mattered, but thanks to Norleras, it doesn’t. It makes use of Snipe Hunter, various recruiters, and a few discard cards to get all four of the right monsters into the graveyard as quickly as possible. There are sixteen Dark Fiends and six Light Fairies to fuel the three copies of Norleras.

A few “best-topdeck” cards have been added to deal the finishing blow after Norleras’ effect goes off, all of which are meant to be put right on top of the deck with A Feather of the Phoenix. It can also pull a few tricks off before Norleras’ summoning, such as having Sangan on the field while it goes off or activating one of the Viruses to eliminate possible topdecks. The problem is that remove from play cards like Dimensional Fissure and Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer ruin my day. I can deal with them on my turn with Snipe Hunter, but if my opponent takes advantage of it on his or her turn (which my opponent should), I lose.

I am in need of help from someone obviously superior to me such as yourself. Any assistance from your wealth of knowledge would be forever appreciated.

P.S.: Don't worry about Crush Card Virus/Nova Summoner being so costly/rare; once the next two structure decks are released we'll have access to common versions of both.

—Cameron

St. Catharines, Ontario

Here is the decklist Cameron submitted:

Norleras’ Topdeck Time—40 Cards

Monsters: 25

1 Elemental Hero Bubbleman

3 Giant Germ

3 Giant Orc

2 Mask of Darkness

1 Morphing Jar

2 Newdoria

3 Nova Summoner

1 Sangan

3 Skelengel

3 Sky Scourge Norleras

3 Snipe Hunter

Spells: 9

3 A Feather of the Phoenix

1 Confiscation

1 Dimension Fusion

1 Heavy Storm

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Premature Burial

1 Snatch Steal

Traps: 6

1 Crush Card Virus

2 Deck Devastation Virus

1 Mirror Force

1 Ring of Destruction

1 Torrential Tribute

Cameron has three very specific goals: the first is to deploy Sky Scourge Norleras, the second is to load the top of his deck for combos with Norleras’ effect, and the third is to use Crush Card Virus and Deck Devastation Virus to disrupt the opponent’s field presence. Cameron’s goals are one part competitive, and one part pointlessly flashy: frankly, that’s an agenda I approve of! Our mission? Win and generate spectacular plays along the way!

Cameron’s primary challenges lie in Dimensional Fissure and Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, cards that can keep Norleras from ever seeing play by removing the graveyard monsters Norleras demands. These are actually two very distinct problems. As Cameron noted, he can take care of these threats on his own turn, but falls victim to them on his opponent’s. Within this context, Kycoo is the main concern, since he can quickly sweep two monsters out of the graveyard on his own. Dimensional Fissure shouldn’t be as much of an issue, since it requires other factors in order to remove monsters. It’s also the easier card to side against, so we’ll be focusing on Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer.

We’ll counter that threat with raw speed. Kycoo can’t be searched from the deck by any method short of Magician’s Circle, and virtually no duelist will be using it. Focus and quickness is all we need to outplay the Kycoo threat, but in the spirit of Cameron’s flamboyant stylings, the method by which I will increase the deck’s speed may not be what you expect.

First, I must raise one qualm with Cameron’s design. His hubris-laden statement that Crush Card Virus will soon be available as a common card is in no way verifiable, and in fact, the odds seem highly against such. Why the devil would a championship prize card be released as a common while it is still being given out as a trophy for grand efforts!? Crush Card Virus will have to be removed from the deck, as I seriously doubt Cameron will be able to get one anytime soon without giving up a Princeton-ly sum.

Investigating the tributes for Deck Devastation Virus, there are only three easy options to support it: the three copies of Giant Orc. While Norleras itself can be tributed to Deck Devastation Virus, and you can in fact activate Norleras’ effect and then tribute it to the Virus on the chain, it simply won’t happen very often. If this deck can execute one of its Norleras combos, it will win without ever needing the Viruses anyway, so they seem like a waste of this deck’s potential. I will drop all three Virus traps, and the deck will change shape as a result.

With Deck Devastation Virus no longer in, the three copies of Giant Orc are no longer quite as important. They are still excellent in their capability to destroy Cyber Dragon, but I’m going to be making some drastic changes and I simply need the three deck slots those Orcs are occupying. Doubting me already? Fear not—I’ll be making even more questionable decisions before today’s lecture is through, but when it is finished you’ll understand why those alarming choices are necessary.

Speaking of which, Giant Germ is certainly the most common card used to support Norleras, and with good reason. It’s far easier to deploy three Giant Germ cards to the graveyard than it is to do so with any other Dark Fiend monster unassisted. However I’m going to go ahead and drop them from the deck, partly because they just are so common. While the theory behind Giant Germ is sound, I think we can accomplish more, and we can certainly look far more glamorous while doing it.

With so few traps left in the deck, and with the emphasis now shifted away from the Virus cards, it’s safe to remove Mask of Darkness. The Mask is certainly an excellent card nowadays, but in this particular strategy, we just don’t have enough traps to make it worthwhile. We need that deck space! In fact, we also need the two slots Newdoria is occupying as well—both of those will be added to the growing pool of cuts.

Finally, I’d like to move Mystical Space Typhoon to the side deck. By all means, rotate it and three Twister cards into the main deck for games two and three against a duelist using Dimensional Fissure, but given this deck’s plans, it just isn’t that important to destroy your opponent’s spell and trap cards with anything short of Norleras.

So, we now have a magnificent fourteen slots open in the deck! It’s just the right amount for what I’d like to do. My agenda is twofold. First, give Cameron a few more flashy tricks to win games with: the more damaging to his opponent the better. Second, and most importantly, I want to make this deck faster than it was before. Style points will also be taken into account for the latter goal.

Though speed is my chief aim, disruption and flair are also important tertiary benefits. Since whatever I add to the deck must help fulfill its need for Dark Fiend-types (which is substantial given the number I dropped), my path is clear—Dark World will accomplish everything I’m looking to do and then some.

Three copies of Broww, Huntsman of Dark World and Dark World Dealings will give this deck a lot more draw power. Dealings gives us another way to drop monsters into the graveyard while also accelerating us into Norleras and combo cards. Broww fulfills our graveyard requirement while replacing himself and aiding in the search for combo pieces. These two cards are the root of the decision to incorporate Dark World, and will serve us well.

However, five cards does not a Dark World suite make! Three copies of Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World will give us three more pieces of fodder for Norleras’ special summoning requirement, while also performing the same service he renders for regular Dark World decks: preventing the opponent from beating you in the face. Monster control is paramount to the success of most combo decks, simply because the average opponent will begin attacking with everything he or she can muster to end the game as quickly as possible. One Dark World Lightning finishes out the mix to lend a little more utility to Broww and Kahkki.

It’s interesting to note the synergy this deck will have with its Dark World engine by the time we’re finished. Morphing Jar alone provides ample support for the splashed theme, but we’ll also add Card Destruction. This helps the Dark World monsters remain useful, while also allowing us to dig for the key cards we need. Like Morphing Jar, it will even get the right monsters into the graveyard to feed Norleras.

Let it be known that redundancy is your friend in combo decks. The more ways you can accomplish your goals, the faster you’ll be able to do so. This philosophy makes Card Destruction an obvious inclusion for this build.

With all this newfound speed and efficiency, we can afford a little extravagance! Some more cards to load the top of our deck (thanks to A Feather of the Phoenix) will provide more consistent results. Drawing them before Norleras hits the field is now a scenario mitigated by the use of Dark World Dealings. If you draw into something like Dimension Fusion and can’t use it yet, you’ll at least be able to discard it to try again. Even if it’s something you’d like to see later, you can always bring it back with A Feather of the Phoenix. A few more loaded topdecks will make the deck more consistent when it comes time to pull the trigger, and the right selections will provide additional synergies as well.

My first addition is an irresistible classic—Theban Nightmare! With the field cleared thanks to Norleras, the Nightmare will hit the field immediately and strike for 3000 damage in one fell blow. Though admittedly narrow, it is exceedingly deadly here, and has all the glitz and glamour we’re looking for.

Night Assailant is another genius idea for any Norleras build. On the field, it will contribute to our defense, acting as both a temporary wall and as a piece of monster removal thanks to its effect. However, in the hand, discarded by Norleras, it gives us an extra card when the opponent has been stripped of his or her options. Both Morphing Jar and Skelengel can be reused with its effect, and Night Assailant just happens to be a Dark Fiend-type. A superb set of synergies!

Finally, Injection Fairy Lily is a foil to Theban Nightmare. Both monsters can be searched with Sangan, should you keep it on the field and then blow the little fur ball into oblivion with Norleras. In that case, you can pull either monster from your deck and normal summon it for a quick 3000 or 3400 damage depending on which is more desirable. Lily’s higher damage comes at a cost, but she’s also more useful without the Norleras combo. We have the space to run both, so we shall do just that.

And that is all for this deck! Now an intricate tapestry of synergy with maddening levels of flash and complexity, Cameron’s creation has become something truly unique! Gaze upon the glory of my changes . . .

-2 Newdoria

-3 Giant Orc

-3 Giant Germ       

-2 Mask of Darkness

-1 Mystical Space Typhoon

-1 Crush Card Virus

-2 Deck Devastation Virus

+1 Theban Nightmare

+1 Night Assailant

+1 Injection Fairy Lily

+3 Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World

+3 Broww, Huntsman of Dark World

+1 Card Destruction

+1 Dark World Lightning

+3 Dark World Dealings

. . . and the final product!

Norleras’ Topdeck Time—Vowler’s Completely Different Version—40 Cards

Monsters: 24

3 Sky Scourge Norleras

3 Snipe Hunter

3 Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World

3 Broww, Huntsman of Dark World

1 Sangan

1 Night Assailant

3 Nova Summoner

3 Skelengel

1 Morphing Jar

1 Elemental Hero Bubbleman

1 Theban Nightmare

1 Injection Fairy Lily

Spells: 13

3 A Feather of the Phoenix

1 Dimension Fusion

1 Heavy Storm

1 Confiscation

1 Premature Burial

1 Snatch Steal

1 Card Destruction

1 Dark World Lightning

3 Dark World Dealings

Traps: 3

1 Mirror Force

1 Ring of Destruction

1 Torrential Tribute

In a sea of Norleras decks, this one should stand out as an intriguing and unique take on the theme. Each Norleras has thirteen Dark Fiends and six Light Fairies to draw from, which should be more than enough given the pace this deck plays at.

And that’s the important thing—pacing. Right from the get-go, you must play this deck with two goals in mind: tearing through your own deck as quickly as possible, while controlling tempo well enough to stall your opponent. Cards like Night Assailant, Kahkki, and Snipe Hunter allow you to increase tempo, creating a drastic simplification of the game when that is needed. On the other hand, Skelengel, Nova Summoner, and Morphing Jar maintain slower tempo duels by encouraging complicated game states. In order to master this deck, one must master the balance of the two.

When you are the first to make a play, this deck has an incredible number of superior opening options. Sangan, Night Assailant, Morphing Jar, Skelengel, and Nova Summoner are all perfectly acceptable turn 1 sets. That means almost one quarter of the deck is ideal for the first turn of a duel—you should have no problem getting things started.

From there, you should only concern yourself with building your combo. That means dropping five cards into the graveyard (four monsters and at least one nasty topdeck), and accruing a hand of Sky Scourge Norleras and A Feather of the Phoenix - not a very difficult task. Expend cards as quickly as needed—as Cameron observed, Norleras will negate all the card advantage your opponent shrew’d his or her way into anyway. Unless your opponent can stop Norleras with Solemn Judgment (or perhaps Black Horn of Heaven) all of his or her hard work will be for naught.

Late game tips? This deck doesn’t really have a late game to speak of, since it rarely ever reaches a point where it falls into topdecking naturally, but if it does, it is certainly in luck! Theban Nightmare and Elemental Hero Bubbleman become incredibly powerful when you’ve been beaten out of a hand, and Dimension Fusion and Norleras itself aren’t far behind. Remember, if you’re ever faced with a poor situation or just decided to force high levels of simplification with Snipe Hunter, you are playing a strategy that topdecks better than Jaden Yuki.

And that draws today’s lecture to a close! Return next week, promptly before the bell rings, and we will take a look at yet another new deck strategy courtesy of Force of the Breaker.

—The Generous and Wise Professor Crellian Vowler, PhD

Are you a dismal slacker? Do you feel the need to seek help from someone clearly superior to you in every way? Don’t worry—just send me your Advanced format decklist, a few paragraphs describing what the deck does, and your name and location to: VowlerIsSoAwesome@gmail.com. I may take pity on you and feature your deck in my next lecture!