[RespectYGO] Why should you play “Salamangreat”? | Archetype Starter Guide

Why should you play “Salamangreat”? | Archetype Starter Guide

"Surging flame, awaken Heatlio's true strength with the power of purification! Reincarnation Link Summon! Resurrect, the king of beasts that runs through the fire prairie! Salamangreat Heatlio!"

Soulburner is my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains character, that’s why when I heard that Salamangreat got new support recently, it brought back some good memories when I piloted this theme when the structured deck came out. With the upcoming Salamangreat Sanctum Structure Deck in Asian English, I feel this is the perfect time to reignite the flame and share a quick starter guide on how to play Salamangreat. Are you ready to unleash the flame? Let’s go!

1. Archetype Overview
2. “Salamangreat” key cards

• Sample Decklist

1. Summary

1. Archetype Overview

Salamangreat is an all cyberse archetype that consists of animals with flame-themed armor. The term Salamangreat is a portmanteau of Salamander and Great. It is widely known as the deck of Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains character Soulburner and the deck is focused on summoning powerful monsters ranging from Link, XYZ, Synchro, Fusion, and Ritual. The deck’s main gimmick lies in swarming the field with Salamangreat monsters and link climbing to your desired Salamangreat link monsters, eventually leading to either a one-turn kill (OTK) or control.

This theme is also popular with its cool strategy called Reincarnation link summon. It can be achieved by summoning a Salamangreat link monster using the same link monster as material or using their main field spell, Salamangreat Sanctuary. The deck’s strategy is solid and versatile, making it a great choice if you want to play something competitive yet fun to pilot.

Let’s know more about the key Salamangreat cards that you need when you construct your Salamangreat deck. Let’s dive in!

1. Salamangreat “Key” cards

Let’s discuss the cards that you’ll need in your Salamangreat deck:

Monsters

Salamangreat Gazelle

One of the key cards of Salamangreat. Salamangreat Gazelle can extend your plays by being a body for summons such as link, and XYZ summon or by sending a Salamangreat card from your deck to your Graveyard. I normally send Salamangreat Spinny to help facilitate the XYZ summon of Salamangreat Miragestallio or Salamangreat Roar and Salamangreat Rage if I already have my extenders in hand.

Ratio: Play three copies.

Salamangreat Spinny

Salamangreat Spinny goes hand-in-hand with Salamangreat Gazelle, which is your instant access to Salamangreat Miragestallio when combined with another level 3 monster for an XYZ summon. Since being detached as a material doesn’t count as leaving the field, you can use this as a material to bypass that effect when this card is detached so you can revive it again on your next turn and prevent it from being banished!

Ratio: Play 2-3 copies.

Salamangreat of Fire

The newest main deck Salamangreat monster that can search your searchers! When it is normal or special summoned, you can use its effect to add 1 level 4 or lower Salamangreat monster from your deck to your hand except itself. While you become affected by its restriction to only special summon FIRE monsters for the rest of that turn that you used its effect, most of your key Extra deck monsters are FIRE anyway, so you won’t feel the effect that much.

Ratio: Run 1-3. While it functions almost like Lady Debug, the Salamangreat name makes it more flexible and searchable.

Salamangreat Foxy

Salamangreat Foxy can be a +1 in card advantage when you successfully reveal a useful Salamangreat card when you use its first effect. It also has a second effect that allows you to special summon it back to your field from the Graveyard by discarding a Salamangreat card while a face-up Spell or Trap is on the field and an option to destroy a face-up Spell or Trap card on the field subsequently.

This is very helpful in clearing floodgates like Skill Drain or even threats like Nightmare Pain and Barrier of the Voiceless Voice. Also, the destruction effect is part of its second effect resolution, so if your opponent doesn’t respond to this card’s 2nd effect, you can destroy their face-up Spell and Trap card without them having a chance to react anymore! (Or you can bait their negation :D)

Ratio: Run 1-3 copies.

Salamangreat Jack Jaguar

Salamangreat Jack Jaguar is another Salamangreat extender that helps you trigger Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf’s FIRE monster recycling effect. Aside from its piercing first effect, its other purpose is to help you replenish your used Salamangreat monster in your Graveyard back to your deck, especially if you have a reincarnation link summoned multiple times already.

Ratio: Run 1.

Salamangreat Weasel

This new Salamangreat monster serves as another extender while helping you climb to Salamangreat Raging Phoenix easily with the help of Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames. When you link summon a Salamangreat link monster, use its effect to special summon one other Salamangreat monster from your Graveyard to your opponent’s field and draw 1 card. This would trigger Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames’ effect, to destroy 1 FIRE on your field and 1 special summoned monster on your opponent’s field to revive Promethean Princess. You can then use Salamangreat Raging Phoenix and Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames, to reincarnation link summon Salamangreat Raging Phoenix so it can gain its search effect!

Ratio: Run one copy.

Salamangreat Falco

Salamangreat Falco back in the day can help you gain access to either Number 16: Bagooska or Abyss Dweller in combination with Salamangreat Jack Jaguar. It can also act as an extender by returning 1 Salamangreat monster you control back to your hand to special summon itself from the Graveyard. Lastly, you can set 1 Salamangreat Spell/Trap in your Graveyard when it is sent to Graveyard, which can be useful in some situations.

Ratio: Run 0-1.

Salamangreat Meer

Salamangreat Meer is also a nice tech, as it can turn your Salamangreat Circle into another extender if you exhaust your main Salamangreat extenders.

Run 0-1 copy.

Code of Soul

Code of Soul acts as an extender and your instant way to wipe your opponent’s board via Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix. Excellent card!

Ratio: Run 0-1.

Lady Debug

An honorary Salamangreat indeed. This is one of the main starters of pre-Salamangreat of Fire, as it can search a level 3 or lower Cyberse monster when it is Normal or Special Summoned. The downside is that it doesn’t have Salamangreat in its name, so when this card is negated, your chances to trigger Salamangreat Gazelle are lesser unless you force the reincarnation link to summon Salamangreat Balelynx via Salamangreat Sanctuary. It is a decent starter and can bait hand traps for sure.

Ratio: Run 0-3. Running multiple starters that eat your one normal summon may conflict, so ensure that you test accordingly and adjust based on your preference. 😊
Extra Deck

Salamangreat Balelynx

Salamangreat Balelyx is your go-to Link 1 monster to trigger Salamangreat Gazelle in hand when you use a Salamangreat monster as a link material or other summons that would send a Salamangreat to the graveyard. Its main purpose is to tutor your Salamangreat Sanctuary field spell to help you do reincarnation links. It also protects your Salamangreat card (s) in battle or card effect once per turn by banishing Salamangreat Balelyx.

Run 2-3. Three copies are optimal, in my opinion, as it can help you climb to S:P Little Night easily, too! (If you still have a space for it in your Extra Deck)

Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf

Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf can help you recycle one FIRE monster when a monster is summoned pointing to its link point. This card combos very well with Salamangreat Jack Jaguar not to mention you can recycle a powerful hand trap such as Ash Blossom and Joyous Spring. (wink)

When this card is summoned using Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf (using Salamangreat Sanctuary or using two FIRE monsters including itself if you’d like to do it manually), you can add 1 Salamangreat Spell/Trap from your Graveyard back to your hand during your main phase. For example, you can use it to recycle the Salamangreat Roar you sent via Salamangreat Gazelle to the Graveyard.

Run 2-3 copies.

Salamangreat Raging Phoenix

The cover card of the Salamangreat Sanctum Structure Deck! When it is summoned using another Salamangreat Raging Phoenix as link material, you can add 1 Salamangreat card from your Deck to your hand! You can use this to instantly search any Salamangreat card or strengthen your defenses by searching Salamangreat Roar and Salamangreat Rage. If a face-up FIRE monster (s) you control is destroyed by battle or card effect while this card is in the Graveyard, you can revive this card and even gain the ATK of one of those monsters permanently! This can lead to a potential OTK or help you dominate your opponent’s boss monster!

Run 2-3 copies.

Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix

This link monster can wipe your opponent’s board or inflict massive damage. This card combos well with the new card Code of Soul to facilitate a reincarnation link summon, even on the opponent’s turn!

Ratio: Run two copies.

Salamangreat Miragestallio

The generic rank 3 of Salamangreat. This rank three monster can special summon any Salamangreat monster from your Main Deck in defense position in just one XYZ material detach! Remember, you can no longer use non-FIRE monster effects for the rest of the turn when you use this effect, so be careful.

You can also use this XYZ’s effect to target 1 monster on the field and return it to the hand when this XYZ is used as a link material for a Salamangreat Link monster. This effect helps you clear a potential threat or even bait a negate.

Ratio: Run 1-2. 1 is optimal in most builds due to extra deck space.

Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames

Another honorary Salamangreat link monster. This new link three monster from Phantom Nightmare makes link climbing to Salamangreat Raging Phoenix easy, as it can revive any FIRE monster in your Graveyard. It also acts as your additional interruption while in the Graveyard, so long as you have a valid FIRE target to destroy on your field.

Run 1-2 copies. One is optimal in most builds.

Spell and Traps

Salamangreat Circle

The key spell searcher of the theme. You can also use its effect to protect one Salamangreat link monster you control that was link summoned using a monster with the same name as material from monster effects that turn.

Ratio: Run three copies.

Salamangreat Sanctuary

This is your main field spell in Salamangreat and the best way to fulfill the reincarnation link summon. You can search for this card instantly using Salamangreat Balelyx, so you don’t have to run multiple copies.

Ratio: Run one copy.

Will of the Salamangreat

This is another worth-mentioning spell card that can help further extend your plays as it can special summon a Salamangreat monster from your hand or GY or even more when you send this card, and you have a valid Salamangreat Link monster target that was summoned using its same name as material.

Ratio: Run one copy.

Cynet Mining

A generic spell that can search any level 4 or lower Cyberse monster from your deck to your hand at the cost of 1 card from your hand.

Ratio: Run 1-3. Since you can only activate 1 Cynet Mining per turn, 1-2 copies may be optimal, so multiple copies won’t clog.

Salamangreat Roar

A powerful omni-negate counter trap card that you can use while controlling a Salamangreat link monster. It can also set itself back when you link summon a Salamangreat Link monster using the same name as the material.

Ratio: Run 1-2 copies.

Salamangreat Rage

Salamangreat Rage acts as another form of defense on top of Salamangreat Roar. Sometimes, you need something that can help you control your opponent’s field resources, and this card just does that, especially if you control a Salamangreat Link monster summoned using the same name as material.

Ratio: Run 1-2.

• Sample Decklist

Note: This decklist is based on the April 2024 OCG Forbidden & Limited List.

Deck: 40

Monsters: 25

3 Salamangreat of Fire

3 Salamangreat Gazelle

2 Salamangreat Spinny

2 Salamangreat Foxy

1 Salamangreat Weasel

1 Salamangreat Jack Jaguar

1 Salamangreat Falco

1 Code of Soul

3 Maxx “C”

3 Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring

3 Effect Veiler

1 Nibiru, the Primal Being

Spells: 10

1 Salamangreat Sanctuary

3 Salamangreat Circle

1 Will of the Salamangreat

2 Cynet Mining

2 Called by the Grave

1 Crossout Designator

Traps: 5

1 Salamangreat Roar

1 Salamangreat Rage

3 Infinite Impermanence

Extra: 15

3 Salamangreat Raging Phoenix

2 Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix

3 Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf

3 Salamangreat Balelynx

1 Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames

1 Hiita, the Fire Charmer Ablaze

1 Brotherhood of the Fire First Horse Prince

1 Salamangreat Miragestallio

1. Summary

Salamangreat is one of my favorite decks, and I’m glad it is still making waves in these modern times. If you’re looking for a versatile and competitive deck, you should play Salamangreat.

What are you waiting for? Join the Salamangreat army, and let’s all rise from the valley of flames!

This has been ArcKnight. Thanks for reading until the end!