Sky Striker

Sky Striker
"Sky Striker Ace - Raye" in the artwork of "Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage!"
Japanese	閃（せん）刀（とう） 閃刀 (base) せんとう (ruby) Sentō (romanized) Flash Sword (translated)
French	Assaut de l'Air
German	Himmelsjäger
Italian	Assaltatrice del Cielo
Korean	섬도 閃刀 (Hanja) Seomdo (romanized)
Portuguese	Força Celeste Celestial Force (translated)
Spanish	Caza del Cielo
Sets Cybernetic Horizon Soul Fusion Savage Strike Ignition Assault TCG Dark Saviors OTS Tournament Pack 8 OTS Tournament Pack 9 OTS Tournament Pack 10 Battles of Legend: Hero's Revenge OTS Tournament Pack 11 Duel Overload 2019 Gold Sarcophagus Tin Mega Pack 2020 Tin of Lost Memories 2021 Tin of Ancient Battles OTS Tournament Pack 20 Magnificent Mavens Battles of Legend: Monstrous Revenge OCG Deck Build Pack: Dark Savers Tournament Pack 2018 Vol.2 Sky Striker Ace Duel Set "T.G./Shiranui" Deck Experience Event promotional cards 20th Secret Rare Challenge Pack LINK VRAINS Pack 3 Rarity Collection Premium Gold Edition Token Pack (OCG) Prismatic Art Collection Secret Shiny Box V Jump June 2022 promotional card Selection 5 Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Stories Sky Striker Ace Arc Volume 1 promotional card Premium Pack 2023 V Jump February 2023 promotional card Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Stories Sky Striker Ace Arc Volume 2 promotional card V Jump January 2024 promotional card Premium Pack 2024 Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Stories Sky Striker Ace Arc Volume 3 promotional card Korean Advanced Event Pack 2019 Vol.1 Special Pack Vol.1 Special Pack Vol.3
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Startup! Transform! Mow down!

— The theme's tagline in promotional material.

"Sky Striker", known as "Flash Sword" (閃（せん）刀（とう） Sentō) in the OCG, is an archetype of Machine and Warrior monsters of various Attributes that debuted in Deck Build Pack: Dark Savers (in the OCG) and Dark Saviors (in the TCG). It contains the "Sky Striker Ace" sub-archetype. "Sky Striker" is the first featured archetype of the Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Stories manga.

Lore

Main article: Master Guide 6 card storylines § File No. 07: The Story of a Girl who Races Across the Battlefield Wishing for the Peace and Safety of her Homeland

Sword Maneuvers, sally forth!! ERADICATE 'EM!!

In order to fight against a powerful enemy nation, a new type of weapon, "Sky Striker Mecha", was developed using advanced military tech. The sword "Sky Striker", the ignition device for these weapons, was entrusted to the girl "Raye". To protect the people of her homeland, she flies solo into the heart of the enemy forces!!

"Raye", the girl trained to defeat a powerful nation!!

By activating the power of Sky Striker, she can open special gates, and from there launch an assault with the "Sky Striker Mecha".

Meet any and all battle conditions! Sky Striker Mode Change!!

"Raye" opens the gates with Sky Striker at maximum output, changing into a decisive battle mode to fit the situation. She mows down her enemies with overwhelming firepower!!

Sword Defense Mode (Sky Striker Ace - Shizuku)

A defense-based mode. It can generate barriers to prevent all attacks.

Flash Eradication Mode (Sky Striker Ace - Kagari)

An enemy force eradication mode. It is said that none who look upon her in this form return alive.

Finishing Sky Striker Maneuver Activate!!

Each of her modes has an ultimate attack, a "Sky Striker Maneuver", unleashed without regard for her own safety.

Etymology

The Japanese name of the "Sky Striker" archetype, Sentō (閃（せん）刀（とう）), is a multilayered wordplay. The kanji sen (閃（せん） "flash") can also mean "brandish", which ties into the kanji tō (刀（とう） "sword"). Together, they form a homophone with sentō (戦（せん）闘（とう） "battle"), referencing the war theme of the archetype.

The Japanese name of the "Sky Striker Ace" sub-archetype adds the kanji ki (姫（き） lit. "princess") to the end of Sentō, forming the name Sentōki (閃（せん）刀（とう）姫（き） lit. "Flash Sword Princess"). This creates an additional homophone with Sentōki (戦（せん）闘（とう）機（き） "fighter aircraft"). This likely references how the term for aircraft, kitai (機（き）体（たい） lit. "airframe"), is also used in fiction to refer to powered armor and piloted robots.

The Japanese name of the "Sky Striker Mecha" Spell Cards, Sentōki (閃（せん）刀（とう）機（き）, lit. "Flash Sword Machine"), also forms a homophone with the Japanese name of "Sky Striker Ace". The Japanese names of the other "Sky Striker" Spell Cards use kanji that include ki (き) in their readings for similar wordplays.

Design

As suggested by its Japanese name, the "Sky Striker" archetype is based around fighter aircraft. "Sky Striker Ace - Raye" is named after the Mitsubishi A6M Reisen (零（れい）戦（せん）, "Zero Fighter"). The Reisen was considered to be one of the most capable fighter aircraft of early World War II. The Master Guide 6 describes "Sky Striker Ace - Kagari" as a mode specialized for tokkō (特（とっ）攻（こう）, lit. "special attack"), which alludes to the Japanese Special Attack Units in the Pacific War. This references how the Reisen was later adapted for kamikaze operations toward the end of the war when newer Allied designs surpassed it.

The rapid deployment system of the "Sky Striker Mecha Modules - Multirole" is based on the concept of a multirole combat aircraft. The versatile ability to access any "Sky Striker Ace" mode and "Sky Striker Mecha" equipment in response to the situation allows "Raye" to fulfill a wide range of combat roles.

"Sky Striker Ace - Roze", who serves the enemy Spectra Union, is also named after a name for the Mitsubishi A6M. Instead of Reisen, her namesake is "Zero", a name commonly used by Allied forces to refer to the A6M. It may also refer to Zerosen, an alternative reading of Reisen. "Roze" serving an enemy nation is possibly inspired by the Akutan Zero, an intact A6M that was seized by the United States during the war.

In contrast to the Japanese-style names of the other "Sky Striker Ace" modes, "Sky Striker Ace - Zeke" is named after "Zeke", the official Allied reporting name of the Mitsubishi A6M. "Surgical Striker - H.A.M.P." (another weapon belonging to Spectra) is named after "Hamp", the Allied reporting name of the Mitsubishi A6M3-32. This implies that the naming scheme of Spectra reflects the Allied powers of World War II, while the naming scheme of Karma, the homeland of "Raye", reflects the Axis powers (specifically Japan). Ironically, the "Sky Striker Mecha" devices that support "Raye" are instead named after various American aircraft.

Members

The Level 4 Warriors "Raye" and "Roze" are the heart of the Deck, as all other "Sky Striker Ace" monsters are Machine Link Monsters depicted as their armored combat modes. The majority of "Sky Striker" cards are designated with codes visible in their artworks. The codes for the combat modes are divided between an X-series for "Raye" and a Z-series for "Roze".

Code	Sky Striker	Attribute	Associated Spell	Combat role	Name origin
000	Ace - Raye	DARK	Mobilize - Engage!	Ace pilot	Mitsubishi A6M Reisen
000	Ace - Roze	LIGHT	Red Arrows	Rival pilot	Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" / Akutan Zero
X-002	Ace - Shizuku	WATER	Manuever - Jamming Waves!	Base defense mode	Shizuku (雫（しずく）, "raindrop")
X-003	Ace - Kagari	FIRE	Maneuver - Afterburners!	Special operations mode	Kagari (篝（かがり）, "bonfire")
X-004	Ace - Hayate	WIND	Maneuver - Vector Blast	Long-range interception mode	Hayate (疾（はや）風（て）, "gale") / Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate
X-005	Ace - Kaina	EARTH	Maneuver - Scissors Cross	Close-quarters combat mode	Kaina (腕（かいな）, "arm")
Z-000	Ace - Zeke	DARK	-	Armoured mode	"Zeke", the Allied reporting name of the Mitsubishi A6M
-	Surgical Striker - H.A.M.P.	DARK	-	TBD	"Hamp", the Allied reporting name of the Mitsubishi A6M3-32
-	Ace - Azalea	DARK	-	TBD	Azalea
-	Ace - Camellia	DARK	-	TBD	Camellia

The "Sky Striker Maneuver" Spells are various special attacks performed by "Raye" with her different combat modes, while the "Sky Striker Mecha" Spells depict various armaments and support equipment that assist "Raye" on the battlefield while she uses her basic suit.

Code	Sky Striker	Combat role	Name origin
S-015	Mecha - Eagle Booster	Support boosters	McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
S-018	Mecha - Hornet Drones	Support drones	McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet
S-020	Mecha - Shark Cannon	Support weapon	Northrop F-20 Tigershark
S-061	Mecha - Widow Anchor	Support ECM device	Northrop P-61 Black Widow
S-130	Mecharmory - Hercules Base	Mobile command center	Lockheed C-130 Hercules
-	Mecha Modules - Multirole	Weapons deployment system	Multirole combat aircraft
AREA-0	Airspace - Area Zero	Area of operations	-

Playing style

The "Sky Striker" strategy is an exclusively control focused playstyle where the goal is to generate more card advantage than the opponent and prevent them from making plays through disruption. The general playstyle of "Sky Striker" involves using "Sky Striker" Spell Cards to generate card advantage and disrupt the opponent, using "Sky Striker Ace" Link Monsters to gain access to "Sky Striker" Spell Cards, and winning the game by out-grinding the opponent's resources. The "Sky Striker" Spell Cards all share the activation requirement that there must be no monsters in the Main Monster Zone to activate them, except "Sky Striker Mecha Modules - Multirole" and "Sky Striker Airspace - Area Zero". In addition, each "Sky Striker" Spell Card has an extra advantageous effect when there are 3 or more Spell Cards in the GY (except for "Linkage!", which instead requires the player to have both LIGHT and DARK "Sky Striker Aces" on the field and/or in the GY). As such, a "Sky Striker" player must find a way to put 3 Spell Cards in the GY as quickly as possible, in order to maximize their card advantage.

Spell	Type	Effect	Extra Effect
Maneuver - Afterburners	Normal	Destroys 1 face-up monster	Destroys 1 Spell/Trap
Maneuver - Jamming Waves		Destroys 1 Set Spell/Trap	Destroys 1 monster
Maneuver - Scissors Cross		Adds 1 Level 4 "Sky Striker Ace" from GY to hand	Special Summons that monster
Maneuver - Vector Blast		Sends the top 2 cards of both Decks to GY	Shuffles into Deck all opponent's monsters in the Extra Monster Zone
Mecha - Eagle Booster	Quick-Play	Makes 1 face-up monster unaffected by other cards' effects for the turn	That monster cannot be destroyed by battle for the turn
Mecha - Hornet Drones		Special Summons 1 Token	The Token's ATK/DEF become 1500
Mecha - Shark Cannon		Banishes 1 monster from opponent's GY	Special Summons that monster to the player's field
Mecha - Widow Anchor		Negates 1 face-up Effect Monster's effects for the turn	Takes control of that monster for the turn
Mobilize - Engage	Normal	Adds 1 "Sky Striker" card from Deck to hand	Draws 1 card
Mobilize - Linkage	Quick-Play	Sends 1 other card the player controls to GY to Special Summon 1 "Sky Striker Ace" from Extra Deck to Extra Monster Zone	That monster gains 1000 ATK

The two key "Sky Striker" Spell Cards that enable their grind strategy are "Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage!" and "Sky Striker Mecha Modules - Multirole". "Engage!" can search out a "Sky Striker" card when activated, and provide an additional card draw afterwards if there are 3 or more Spell Cards in the GY, giving an immediate +1 in card advantage when activated. "Multirole" meanwhile can re-Set used "Sky Striker" Spell Cards in the GY during the End Phase, providing a massive boost in card advantage for disruptions.

Three "Sky Striker Ace" Link Monsters, "Kagari", "Shizuku", and "Hayate", are the primary ways in which a "Sky Striker" player gains access to their Spell Cards: "Kagari" can add one from the GY to the hand when Summoned, "Shizuku" can add one from the Deck to the hand during the End Phase of the turn it was Summoned, and "Hayate" can send one from the Deck to the GY after it battles. "Kagari", "Shizuku", and "Hayate" (along with "Kaina") are all Link 1 Monsters that require a different "Sky Striker Ace" monster as Link Material, meaning that 1 "Sky Striker Ace" monster can provide access to all of them and cycle through them to use all of their effects.

To push for an OTK, the archetype typically uses one of the "Charmer" Link-2 monsters (usually "Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy" as "Raye" and the Token Summoned by "Hornet Drones" are DARK) to enable the Link Summon of "Selene, Queen of the Master Magicians", which can revive a Spellcaster monster (usually "Effect Veiler) to Link Summon "Accesscode Talker" with 5300 ATK, who can destroy multiple cards thanks to the multi-Attribute Link Monsters provided by the archetype.

Recommended cards

Recommended cards

Main Deck Monster Cards Effect Monsters Sky Striker Ace - Raye Sky Striker Ace - Roze Aileron Sage of Benevolence - Ciela Sage of Strength - Akash Sage of Wisdom - Himmel Surgical Striker - H.A.M.P. Pillar of the Future - Cyanos Armageddon Knight Darkest Diabolos, Lord of the Lair Summoner Monk "Kaiju" monsters Therion "King" Regulus Singularity Fiend Toon monsters Toon Cyber Dragon Spell Cards Normal Spells Sky Striker Maneuver - Afterburners! Sky Striker Maneuver - Jamming Waves! Sky Striker Maneuver - Scissors Cross Sky Striker Maneuver - Vector Blast Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage! Card of Demise Foolish Burial Foolish Burial Goods Golden Bamboo Sword (with "Bamboo Sword" Equip Spells) Heroic Call Hidden Armory Link into the VRAINS! Monster Gate One for One One-Kuri-Way Reasoning Reinforcement of the Army Terraforming Toon Table of Contents Toon Bookmark Upstart Goblin Vaalmonica Intonare Vaalmonica Scelta Equip Spells Sky Striker Mecharmory - Hercules Base Cursed Bamboo Sword Original Bamboo Sword Field Spells Sky Striker Airspace - Area Zero Continuous Spells Sky Striker Mecha Modules - Multirole Quick-Play Spells Sky Striker Mecha - Eagle Booster Sky Striker Mecha - Hornet Drones Sky Striker Mecha - Shark Cannon Sky Striker Mecha - Widow Anchor Sky Striker Mobilize - Linkage! Blink Out Double or Nothing! (with "Number 39: Utopia Double") Limiter Removal Magnet Reverse Trap Cards Normal Traps Magical Explosion Magnet Force Continuous Traps Imperial Iron Wall (with "Sky Striker Mecha Modules - Multirole") Extra Deck Fusion Monsters Chimeratech Megafleet Dragon (with "Toon Cyber Dragon") Xyz Monsters Number 39: Utopia Double Number 39: Utopia Cyber Dragon Nova Cyber Dragon Infinity Chronomaly Vimana Link Monsters Sky Striker Ace - Kagari Sky Striker Ace - Shizuku Sky Striker Ace - Hayate Sky Striker Ace - Kaina Sky Striker Ace - Zeke Sky Striker Ace - Azalea Sky Striker Ace - Camellia Sky Striker Ace - Azalea Temperance Surgical Striker - S.P.E.C.T.R.A. Combination Maneuver - Engage Zero Accesscode Talker Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy Selene, Queen of the Master Magicians

Weakness

• "Sky Striker" Decks focus heavily on Spell Cards, allowing cards like "Imperial Order", "Secret Village of the Spellcasters" and "Anti-Spell Fragrance" to slow down the Deck. "Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell" and "Spell Vanishing" can be particularly effective if used against "Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage!" or "Sky Striker Mecha - Hornet Drones".
• Due to their fairly low ATK, the individual "Sky Striker Ace" monsters are easily defeated if their Spell support can be countered.
• Due to their reliance on Spell Cards to defeat stronger monsters, certain monsters with card effect immunity or targeting protection, such as "Super Quantal Mech King Great Magnus" or "Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax" can prove troublesome for a "Sky Striker" monsters to beat over by battle.
• Anti-searching effects can be potent, though the effects of "Sky Striker Ace - Kagari" and "Hayate" can get around this.
• Summoning Tribute-monsters such as "Santa Claws" or "Kaiju" monsters to a "Sky Striker" player's field can also be considered for two reasons. First, this prevents the "Sky Striker" Spell Cards that can disrupt the opponent during their turn from being activated since they are required to control no monsters in the Main Monster Zones (since "Santa Claws" or "Kaiju" monsters can only be Summoned to said Zones) until that Tribute monster is gone. Second, if the "Sky Striker Ace" Link Monsters are Tributed for Summoning those Tribute-monsters, it bypasses the effect of "Sky Striker Ace - Raye" that Special Summons itself from the GY, since the Link Monsters are not considered to have left the field by an opponent's card effect this way.