[RespectYGO] What makes the “Millenium”/ “Exodia” deck unstoppable? | Archetype Starter Guide

Explore the depths of the “White Forest”! | Archetype Starter Guide Ready to branch out and dominate your duels? The White Forest archetype, straight from the new INFINITE FORBIDDEN set in Asian English, is here to root itself in your strategy and grow into a powerhouse of synchro summoning! Combining the heart of the cards with strategic plays, this deck can potentially turn the tide of any duel. So, get ready to branch out and grow your way to success with the White Forest archetype starter guide! Here’s a quick guide to get you started with building your own White Forest deck: Introducing the “White Forest” cards! Sample Decklists Summary Introducing the “White Forest” cards! The White Forest deck is a new archetype in INFINITE FORBIDDEN, known for its unique synergy and powerful synchro-summoning capabilities. The deck has a unique gameplay that maximizes their themed spell and traps that can recycle themselves, making the cost to activate the White Forest monster effects almost free. Combined with various support engines, White Forest can create a formidable strategy to outpace opponents in card advantage and field presence. Let’s discuss the core cards of the strategy! Astellar of the White Forest Astellar is a key starter card, allowing you to special summon any 1 LIGHT Spellcaster monster from your deck by sending any 1 Spell/Trap card from your hand or field to the graveyard. This card’s ability to summon itself and a LIGHT Spellcaster Tuner from your Deck makes it essential for setting up synchro plays. Ratio: Run 1-3 copies. Elizette of the White Forest Elzette of the White Forest serves as another searcher and extender, summoning itself and searching another White Forest monster straight from your deck at the cost of sending any 1 Spell/Trap from your hand or field to the graveyard. It also has the effect of recycling itself from the Graveyard, helping you with grind games. Ratio: Run 1-3 copies. Silvy of the White Forest Silvy of the White Forest is a versatile card that can search your White Forest Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand. It also has the effect of recycling your fallen White Forest synchro and summoning itself for free from the Graveyard as a potential material for a Synchro summon. Ratio: Run 1-3 copies. Rucia of the White Forest Rucia of the White Forest is another extender of the theme and draw power. Like Silvy, it can also summon itself from the Graveyard by returning 1 White Forest Synchro Monster you control or in your Graveyard to your deck, making it a perfect fodder for your next synchro summon. Ratio: Run 1-3 copies. Diabell, Queen of the White Forest Diabell, Queen of the White Forest is one of your go-to Synchro monsters to set up your combos and add additional interruption by being able to bring out any 1 Level 7 or lower tuner Synchro monster from Extra Deck, Graveyard, or banishment in response to your opponent’s activation of a card or effect a cost of sending any 1 Spell/Trap card from your hand or field to the Graveyard. It can also recycle 1 Spell/Trap when summoned using a Tuner Synchro monster to help you recover your card advantage. Ratio: Run 1-2 copies. Silvera, Wolf Tamer of the White Forest Silvera is one of your go-to Synchro-tuner monsters to special summon via Diabell. It can effectively shut down your opponent’s strategies by flipping all face-up monsters they control face-down when this monster graces the field. The synchro material is also generic, making it a breeze to summon in White Forest, and it also boosts your Illusion and Spellcaster Synchro monster with 500 ATK and piercing damage. Ratio: Run 1-2 copies. Rciela, Sinister Soul of the White Forest Rciela is your go-to Synchro to help set up Diabell and can also help you fetch the missing White Forest or LIGHT Spellcaster monster from your deck at the cost of sending 1 Spell/Trap from your hand or field to the Graveyard. LIGHT Spellcaster? Reminds me of Effect Veiler. It also provides a 500 ATK boost and card destruction immunity for Illusion and Spellcaster Synchro monsters you control. Ratio: Run 1-2 copies. Beware of the White Forest This spell card allows you to either act as an instant card removal or a reusable cost for your White Forest monster effect cost. Ratio: Run 1-3 copies. Tales of the White Forest This spell card can search any 1 White Forest monster from your deck to your hand on activation for as long as you control an Illusion or a Spellcaster monster. Like the rest of the White Forest Spell/Traps, this can also set itself back when sent to the Graveyard to activate a monster effect. Ratio: Run 1-3 copies. The Fiend of the White Forest The newest White Forest Spell card from RAGE OF THE ABYSS. This spell card acts as an instant face-up card negate by tributing 1 Synchro monster. If you tributed a White Forest Synchro monster, you can also special summon 1 Illusion monster from the Graveyard, such as Diabell. It can also set itself once again when sent to the Graveyard to activate a monster effect. Ratio: Run 0-1 copy. Susurrus of the Sinful Spoils This spell card can help you either dodge a targeting effect or replace 1 Illusion or Spellcaster monster you control back to your hand or Extra deck to revive another Illusion or Spellcaster from your GY or banishment. Like the rest of the White Forest Spell/Traps, this Sinful Spoil spell card can set itself, too. Ratio: Run 0-3 copies. Woes of the White Forest This trap can tutor any White Forest monster from your hand or Deck and help facilitate an instant synchro summon of 1 White Forest monster on resolution. It can also be set again as a cost like the other White Forest Spell/Trap cards. Ratio: Run 1-3 copies   Sample Decklists Below are some sample decklists you can use to inspire your building. Test your deck to get the perfect ratio. Observe your local meta and adapt as necessary. Note: These decklists follow the July 2024 OCG Forbidden & Limited List Deck: White Forest Centur-Ion Deck: White Forest Runick Deck: White Forest Azamina Deck: White Forest Allure Queen Deck: White Forest Toy Summary The White Forest deck generates card advantage and maintains field control through its synchro summoning strategy and versatile spell and trap support. By combining the White Forest archetype with engines like Centur-Ion, Runick, and Toy engine, players can create a powerful and adaptable deck. Whether you’re a seasoned duelist or a newcomer, the White Forest deck offers a fresh and exciting way to dominate opponents. Are you ready to explore the depths of the White Forest and unleash its full potential in your next duel? This has been ArcKnight of RespectYGO. Happy Dueling! 😊   Image Source: Yu-Gi-Oh! Asia Facebook Page

Soar to New Heights with “Floowandereeze”! | Archetype Starter Guide Ready to take your game to the skies? Meet Floowandereeze, the deck that’s all about birds with big dreams and even bigger combos! Whether you’re a seasoned duelist or just winging it, Floowandereeze is here to make your dueling experience soar. It’s time to spread your wings and show everyone who’s the real top bird in the nest with our newest Floowandereeze starter guide! Here’s a quick guide to get you started with building your own Floowandereeze deck: Meet the “Floowandereeze” cards! Honorary “Floowandereeze” tech cards Sample Decklist Basic Strategy and Gameplay Summary   Meet the “Floowandereeze” cards! The Floowandereeze monsters are currently composed of Level 1 and Level 10 monsters. The Level 1 monsters have similar effects where they are banished when they leave the field face-up and can return themselves back to hand when a Winged-Beast monster is Normal Summoned making them great in grind games. Your goal is to bring out the level 10s or other higher-level Winged-Beast monsters to provide card advantage, additional interruption, or card removal. Let’s discuss the core cards of the strategy! Floowandereeze & Robina Floowandereeze & Robina is one of the basic starters of the deck. Your go-to search is Floowandereeze & Eglen so you can easily climb to your level 10s. Ratio: Play three copies.   Floowandereeze & Eglen Floowandereeze & Eglen is your usual follow-up search from Floowandereeze & Robina. It is your gateway to access any level 7 or higher Winged-Beast monster from your deck to your hand. Ratio: Run three copies.   Floowandereeze & Stri Floowandereeze & Stri is your go-to bird to banish a card from either GY. It combos well with Floowandereeze & Toccan to help you banish the Floowandereeze cards in your graveyard if they happen to be placed there. Ratio: Run 1-3 copies.   Floowandereeze & Toccan Floowandereeze & Toccan allows you to recycle your banished Floowandereeze card, whether a monster or a Spell or Trap. Ratio: 1-2 copies.   Floowandereeze & Empen Floowandereeze & Empen is your go-to boss monster in this deck as it fetches your Floowandereeze Spell/Trap cards and acts as a floodgate for attack position special summoned monsters. This disables link monsters from attempting their effects as they are always summoned in attack position, and Empen ensures he’s the king of the battlefield as it can reduce the attack/defense of the opponent’s monster it is battling to half at the cost of banishing a card from your hand! Ratio: Run 1-3 copies.   Floowandereeze X Snowl Floowandereeze X Snowl is your secondary boss monster that could turn all your opponent’s special summoned monsters face-down on their turn at the cost of banishing a card from your hand on their turn. It can also help in dealing piercing battle damage while it is face-up. Ratio: 0-1 copy.   Floowandereeze and the Magnifent Map Floowandereeze and the Magnificent Map helps you search the required Floowandereeze card that fits your scenario and helps you land your combos safely. By banishing another level 1 Floowandereeze monster from your deck, your first Floowandereeze level 1 normal summon that searches (Robina or Eglen) are safe from a potential Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring for as long as you place the triggering effect of the banished level 1 as chain link 2. On your opponent’s turn, it allows you to immediately Normal Summon 1 Floowandereeze monster when your opponent Normal summons a monster. Ratio: Run 3 copies.   Floowandereeze and the Advent of Adventure Floowandereeze and the Advent of Adventure has three purposes: Search a Floowandereeze monster or Floowandereeze Field Spell, help you gain additional 500 life points, and allow you to dodge a potential targeting hand trap by banishing the Floowandereeze monster you summoned that you need to trigger to continue your combo. It’s a versatile spell card that boosts your deck’s consistency. Ratio: Run 3 copies.   Floowandereeze and the Unexplored Winds Floowandereeze and the Unexplored Winds is a nice addition to the deck to help you use your opponent’s card as a material for your Tribute summons. Since this (1) effect doesn’t activate, it can help you clear your opponent’s Expurrely Noir, as Noir is only unaffected by activated effects. Its second effect allows you to shuffle back up to 2 Winged-Beast monsters in your hand to the bottom of your deck to draw additional cards, allowing you to dig for better cards to start your flight and unbrick your hand from high-level Winged Beast monsters. Ratio: Run 0-1 copy in the main or side deck.   Floowandereeze and the Dreaming Town Floowandereeze and the Dreaming Town is your go-to trap card to search from Floowandereeze & Empen. It provides additional interruption by allowing you to normal summon 1 Level 4 or lower Winged Beast monster when activated (preferably on your opponent’s turn) to bring out interruptions such as Raiza the Mega Monarch or Mist Valley Apex Avian. It also has a graveyard effect that can change all the monsters your opponent controls to face-down defense position by banishing itself when you tribute summon a Level 7 or higher monster. Ratio: Run 1-2 copies.   Floowandereeze and the Scary Sea Floowandereeze and the Scary Sea can help shut down all the special summons of your opponent’s monsters if it successfully negates the special summon of a monster in exchange of allowing them to Normal summon/set up to 3 times that turn. However, it can only negate special summons that do not start a chain (aka inherent special summons), so the activation window is quite limited, and you would want to prioritize searching Floowandereeze and the Dreaming Town instead. Ratio: Run 0-1 copy.   Honorary “Floowandereeze” tech cards One strength of the “Floowandereeze” strategy lies in the tech cards you can run in this deck. Aside from your immunity to Maxx “C”, below are additional cards that you can consider: Raiza the Mega Monarch This is your go-to Winged Beast monster for card removal and can potentially block your opponent’s next good draw by placing one of the targeted cards on the top of their deck. Ratio: Run 1-2 copies.   Mist Valley Apex Avian This provides an instant omni-negate, especially when your opponent forces your Floowandereeze and the Dreaming Town to be activated (when they are about to enter the battle phase for Evenly Match or they activate board wipes). Ratio: Run 1 copy. (Main Deck or Side Deck)   Dimension Shifter Aside from using Dimension Shifter to tame Snake-Eyes and other graveyard-reliant decks from progressing, it can also prevent your opponent from using popular interruption cards such as Effect Veiler, Droll & Lock Bird, and Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit. It also provides additional utility to Floowandereeze & Toccan, allowing it to recycle more targets. Ratio: Run 2-3 copies. (Asian English allows up to 3 copies, the more the merrier :D)   Harpie’s Feather Storm Harpie’s Feather Storm allows you to shut down your opponent’s monster effects for the turn it resolves for as long as you control a WIND Winged Beast monster. This can easily be achieved as Eglen, Empen, Mega Raiza, Apex Avian, and Toccan. Ratio: Run 1-3 copies in the main deck or side deck.   Sample Decklist Since “Floowandereeze” is now available in Creation Pack 05, below is a sample list using the Asian English format. Main Deck: 40 Monsters: 23 3 Floowandereeze & Robina 3 Floowandereeze & Eglen 2 Floowandereeze & Stri 1 Floowandereeze & Toccan 2 Floowandereeze & Empen 1 Raiza the Mega Monarch 1 Mist Valley Apex Avian 3 Maxx “C” 3 Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring 3 Dimension Shifter 1 Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo   Spells: 13 3 Floowandereeze and the Magnificent Map 3 Floowandereeze and the Advent of Adventure 1 Floowandereeze and the Unexplored Winds 2 Pot of Extravagance 2 Pot of Duality 2 Pot of Prosperity   Traps: 4 1 Floowandereeze and the Dreaming Town 3 Infinite Impermanence   Extra Deck: 15 3 Downerd Magician 3 Divine Arsenal AA-Zeus – Sky Thunder 1 Super Starslayer TY-PHON Sky Crisis 2 Drytron Fafnir 1 Tantrum Toddler 1 S:P Little Night 1 Accesscode Talker 1 Underworld Goddess of the Closed World 2 Linkuriboh   Basic Strategy and Gameplay   Basic Combo: Normal summon Floowandereeze & Robina> Use its effect to add Floowandereeze & Eglen Immediately normal summon Floowandereeze & Eglen > Use its effect to add Floowandereeze & Empen. Tribute summon Floowandereeze & Empen> Use its effect to add Floowandereeze and the Dreaming Town> Chain Robina and Eglen from banished and recycle them back to your hand (or leave one of them as banished for potential chain block next turn. On your opponent’s turn. Activate Floowandereeze and the Dreaming Town to normal summon Floowandereeze Robina/Eglen> Eglen search Raiza the Mega Monarch or Mist Valley Apex Avian and tribute summon them using your Robina and Eglen etc. Tip: When using the effect of Raiza the Mega Monarch, you can target itself and return it to hand when it effects resolve. This ensures that when you use Floowandereeze and Dreaming Town, you can tribute summon the same Raiza the Mega Monarch in your hand and use its effects again.   Summary Understanding the current meta and knowing how to counter popular decks will give you an edge when using Floowandereeze. Adjust your deck and side deck accordingly to handle different matchups. The more you play, the better you’ll understand the nuances of your deck. Playtest against various opponents to refine your strategy and improve your decision-making. Floowandereeze deck offer a lot of versatility, so use that to your advantage. Remember, the most important part of any game is to enjoy yourself. Floowandereeze is a fun and unique deck, so have a blast experimenting with different strategies and combos. I hope this guide captures the spirit you’re looking for! This has been ArcKnight of RespectYGO. Happy Dueling! 😊    

“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. Introducing the “Ancient Gear” Key Cards Sample Decklists Basic combos Summary   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. 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.   Ancient Gear (Asian English) post LEDE 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!   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.