[RespectYGO] Gear up for Victory with “Ancient Gear”! | Archetype Starter Guide

Article published at: Jul 8, 2024 Article author: TCGCORNER SUPPORT Article tag: RespectYGO
[RespectYGO] Gear up for Victory with “Ancient Gear”! | Archetype Starter Guide
All News Article comments count: 0

From the depths of ancient machinery, Rise, a colossal titan of gears and steel! Unleash your power and crush my foes, Ancient Gear Golem!”

Before the OTK-centric theme “Tenpai Dragon”, Ancient Gear existed as one of my go-second decks when I started playing the game. As a Yu-Gi-Oh! GX fan, I’ve always been a fan of the Ancient Gear theme with its intricate gear designs, hinting at ancient origins.

Now that further support cards are released in Creation Pack 04,  Legacy of Destruction, and Animation Chronicle 2024, I feel this is the perfect time to share yet another archetype starter guide to feature one of my favorite machine decks. Are you ready? Let’s begin.

  1. Introducing the “Ancient Gear” Key Cards
  2. Sample Decklists
  • Basic combos
  1. Summary

 

  1. Introducing the “Ancient Gear” key cards

Ancient Gear includes various cards since its release and in this article, we’ll only focus on the key Ancient Gear cards that are used in the competitive scene. Like always, feel free to customize your deck based on your preference and playstyle. 😊

Ancient Gear Wyvern

Ancient Gear Wyvern is one of the key searchers of the deck. It also has a bonus effect of preventing your opponent from activating any monster effects until the end of damage step when it attacks.

Ratio: Run 3 copies.

Ancient Gear Dark Golem

The newest retrain of the classic Ancient Gear Golem and it has great uses ranging from searching up to 2 Ancient Gear cards of choice and/or Geartown upon summoned and preventing Spell/Trap cards from being activated by your opponent when it attacks until the end of the Damage step.

Ratio: Run 2-3 copies.

Ancient Gear Statue

Ancient Gear Statue is the newest support card for Ancient Gear in Animation Chronicle 2024. It searches the entire clan and lands in a swift OTK on its own. It has a neat first effect that allows you to special summon it for free from your hand if your opponent controls more monsters than you do.

By tributing itself via its second effect, you can special summon 1 Ancient Gear Golem or any 1 other monster that mentions Ancient Gear Golem from your Deck or Hand, ignoring summoning conditions! This can instantly allow you to summon Ancient Gear Dark Golem for more card advantage and a possible OTK. Not only that, but its 500 ATK allows it to be searched by Ancient Gear Box.

Ratio: Run 3 copies. 

Ancient Gear Tanker

Ancient Gear Tanker is one of the newest Ancient Gear cards in Legacy of Destruction. It has an effect to “unbrick” your higher-level Ancient Gear monster from your hand or simply allow you to swarm the field with an additional body. If your opponent controls a monster, you can even revive it from your Graveyard instead. It also has effect to destroy 1 face up card you control and give an ATK boost which will also trigger Geartown or Ancient Gear Fortress when they are destroyed.

Ratio: Run 1 copy.

Ancient Gear Box

From the artwork itself, it is a toolbox that can further extend your plays as it can add 1 EARTH Machine monster with 500 ATK and/or DEF from your deck to your hand when this card is added from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand. This allows you to search a wide-range of 500 ATK or DEF Ancient Gear monsters specifically your newest starter, Ancient Gear Statue.

Ratio: Run 1 copy.

Ancient Gear Commander

This card is based-off Dr. Vellian Crowler’s iconic pose and duel disk. Like Ancient Gear Tanker, Ancient Gear Commander also helps in further extending your plays by allowing you to do an extra normal summon of another Ancient Gear monster by sending Ancient Gear Golem from your hand, Deck, or face-up Monster Zone. Since most of your key searchers like Wyvern and Dark Golem prevent you from setting Spell/Trap cards when you use their search effects, Ancient Gear Commander allows you to directly place 1 Ancient Gear Continuous Trap card from your hand face-up on your field.

Ratio: Run 1 copy.

Ancient Gear Frame

Ancient Gear Frame is your pseudo–Ancient Gear Wyvern at the cost of a discard. It can also search your key Spell Card Ancient Gear Advance which leads to your new key boss monster, Ancient Gear Dark Golem. Post AC04, Ancient Gear Statue can already take its place, but this is still useful in post LEDE builds in my opinion.

Ratio: Run 0-3

Ancient Gear Golem

Of course, the monster line-up won’t be complete without the classic Ancient Gear Golem. You won’t likely summon it like how you do in the anime, but you’ll use it mostly as a fusion material for your Ancient Gear fusion monsters for its name or swarm the field when going first. (But if you ask me, I’d like to summon it if given a chance to destroy my opponent :D)

Ratio: Run 1 copy.

Ancient Gear Chaos Giant

Ancient Gear Chaos Giant is one of your OTK (One-Turn Kill) enabler. Defense position monsters won’t be enough to guard your opponent’s life points as this card can inflict piercing damage when it attacks them. It also has a Spell/Trap effect immunity and can totally shut down your opponent’s monster effect activation during the battle phase.

Ratio: Run 1-2 copies.

Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem

The ultimate machine from the ancients! Like Ancient Gear Chaos Giant, it inflicts piercing battle damage on your opponent when it battles a defense position monster. It retains the classic Spell/Trap prevention when it declares an attack. When destroyed, it can revive a fallen Ancient Gear Golem from your GY ignoring summoning conditions.

Ratio: Run 1 copy.

Ancient Gear Megaton Golem

Ancient Gear Megaton Golem is another OTK option as it can instantly deal 9900 damage provided it’s an empty field you are facing, and you have used 2 or more Ancient Gear Golem and/or Ancient Gear Golem – Ultimate Pound as materials. It can also float to 1 Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem from your Extra Deck when it leaves the field due to an opponent’s card effect. The only downside is you are at risk of bricking by maining multiple copies of Ancient Gear Golem.

Ratio: Run 0-1.

Ancient Gear Howitzer

Ancient Gear Howitzer is another option to fusion summon as it only requires 2 Ancient Gear monsters. It is immune to any other card effects and can inflict 1000 damage during your main phase to your opponent. When destroyed by battle, it can special summon any 1 Ancient Gear monster from your Deck, ignoring its summoning condition.

Ratio: Run 0-1.

Ancient Gear Ballista

Ancient Gear Ballista is one of your generic go-to link monsters to summon in case you didn’t start with your key searchers. It can also help in dealing more damage by reducing the attack of one of your opponent’s monsters to 0 and destroying 1 Spell/Trap card you control preferably Geartown and Ancient Gear Fortress.

Ratio: Run 1-2 copies.

Geartown

One of your go-to search with Ancient Gear Ballista and can help you in fetching 1 Ancient Gear monster of choice so long as it can be special summoned. It can also aid in tribute summon by reducing the tribute cost by 1 if needed.

Ratio: Run 1-2 copies.

Ancient Gear Fortress

Before Sangen Summoning, there is Ancient Gear Fortress. It ensures that your opponent won’t have a chance to disrupt the arrival of the Ancient Gear monsters ranging from targeting effects, card destruction, or even effect negation or response the turn they are Normal or Special summoned.

It can also special summon 1 Ancient Gear monster from your hand/or Graveyard when destroyed in the Spell and Trap zone. Remember, this card can be activated multiple times so you can use other copies of Ancient Gear Fortress as baits if needed.

Ratio: Run 3 copies.

Ancient Gear Advance

The newest Ancient Gear Spell Card in Legacy of Destruction and one of the best so far. When activated, it allows you to search for 1 Ancient Gear Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand except itself. It combos really well with Ancient Gear Catapult and allows you to search your Ancient Gear Fortress to shield your monsters.

Since Ancient Gear Catapult only works if you control no monsters, you can use this card’s second effect to tribute 1 monster you control to draw 1 card and potentially normal summoning 1 Ancient Gear Golem or a level 5 or higher monster that mentions it without tributing.

Ratio: Run 3 copies.

Ancient Gear Catapult

Ancient Gear Catapult works well in combination with Geartown and Ancient Gear Advance to search the Ancient Gear monster that you need. It also has an additional effect to generate an Ancient Gear Token by destroying a face-up card you control by banishing itself from your Graveyard.

Ratio: Run 1-3 copies.

Ancient Gear Fusion

The fusion spell of Ancient Gear which allows you to fusion summon your Ancient Gear Fusion monsters with ease. If you use Ancient Gear Golem or Ancient Gear Golem – Ultimate Pound you control as a Fusion Material, you can also use the rest of the material straight from your deck.

Ratio: Run 1-2 copies.

Ancient Gear Duel

Ancient Gear Duel ensures that your Ancient Gear Golem or monsters that mention it on your field are safe from monster effects especially when your OTK fails while it is face-up. You can also use it to fusion summon an Ancient Gear Fusion monster with an additional power to attack up to three times by banishing materials from your field or Graveyard including an Ancient Gear Golem you control.

Ratio: Run 1 copy.

Check out the other Ancient Gear cards here.

  1. Sample Deck Lists

Below are two sample deck lists that you can use as a baseline. Be sure to watch the sample combos right after to see how this deck works.

 

  1. Ancient Gear (Asian English) post LEDE

  1. Ancient Gear (OCG) Post AC04

 

  • Sample Combos

Watch this video to see the basic 1 to 1.5 card combos of Ancient Gear as your starting point. Enjoy!

 

  1. Summary

The Ancient Gear archetype is an aggressive deck that aims for One Turn Kills (OTKs). It emphasizes Tribute and Fusion Summons, Battle Phase control, and multiple attacks.

If you’re looking for a deck that has high OTK potential, consistent summons, unique Battle Phase control, and fun playstyle, Ancient Gear is worth considering!

What other themes would you like to see in our next Archetype Starter Guide? Comment below!

This has been ArcKnight of RespectYGO. Thanks for reading until the end.

Share:

Leave a comment