Forum:Deck Guide/Harpies

Harpie Guide

By BobaFett2

"Harpies" were introduced early in the game in "Metal Raiders" making their debut as the first supported (although barely so) archetype. They have since grown a lot, gaining a Field Spell, "Harpies' Hunting Ground", as well as many copies of the same "Harpie Lady" except with effects. Unfortunately for the deck type, you can only use three "Harpie Ladys" in one deck, so your choices are very limited. As a stand-alone archetype, "Harpies" are rather frail but when combined with other archetypes then can be quite potent. "Harpies" also have one of the most powerful Spell cards in the game-"Harpie's Feather Duster.

Pros and Cons

Pros

The best Harpies have high ATK: "Harpie" monsters make good beatsticks, especially "Harpie Queen".

Harpies have ample Spell and Trap removal: "Harpies' Hunting Ground" both boosts their ATK and gives you free Spell/Trap removal.

Harpies are Winged Beast-Type monsters: They benefit from "Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg" (if you use a deck that can summon it) and "Dragunity Darkspear".

Cons

You can only use six good Harpies: Due to the name rulings, you can't use more than six, and three of these have to be "Harpie Queen".

Harpies have only somewhat-effective swarming power: While their swarm power was quite amazing a while back, nowadays it isn't as major as that of other decks.

Main Cards

Monsters

• Birdface: A good searcher for "Harpie" decks but not always necessary in "Harpie" decks.
• Cyber Harpie Lady: The strongest "Harpie Lady" and probably the one most worth using.
• Harpie Girl: There are almost no uses for "Harpie Girl" and it's definitely not worth using.
• Harpie Lady: A weak Normal Monster that should never be used in a "Harpie" deck.
• Harpie Lady 1: A moderately strong "Harpie Lady" but outclassed by "Cyber Harpie Lady".
• Harpie Lady 2: A weak "Harpie Lady" with a great effect.
• Harpie Lady 3: A terrible "Harpie Lady" with an effect that is far too slow for today's metagame.
• Harpie Lady Sisters: Since it can only be Special Summoned by "Elegant Egotist" it's probably not worth using outside of a pure "Harpies" deck.
• Harpie Queen: You should always use "Harpie Queen" in "Harpie" decks because she can search for "Harpies' Hunting Ground".
• Harpie's Brother: A strong Normal Monster that probably isn't worth using since it never is counted as a "Harpie".
• Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon: It's usually too weak to do anything and is almost never worth using.
• Harpie's Pet Dragon: The two-tribute cost is too much for this monster as it's effect is mediocre and it has a very low base ATK.

Spells

• Cyber Shield: A bad card-there are many better alternatives and the boost is unnecessary.
• Elegant Egotist: Worth using in a pure "Harpie" deck but otherwise a bit limited in it's uses.
• Harpie's Feather Duster: If it were not Banned, it would be worth using in every deck, not just "Harpies".
• Harpies' Hunting Ground: Every "Harpie" deck should use this-not only will it power up your Winged Beast-Type monsters but it will also allow you to destroy your opponent's Spell and Trap cards.
• Hysteric Party: Allows you to Special Summon a lot of "Harpie Lady" monsters from your Graveyard. You could combine this with "Deep Sea Diva" or the Plant Engine for a lot of Synchro Summons but since it only works with "Harpies" it's usually not worth using.
• Triangle Ecstasy Spark: Its effect is powerful but requires you to use a few "Elegant Egotist" beforehand before it's worth anything and as such is probably not worth using.

Other Cards

Monsters

• Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind: Often used in winning YCS decks, "Gale" can get rid of a "Stardust Dragon" and can be used with a "Mist Valley Falcon" to Synchro Summon "Mist Valley Thunder Lord". It also benefits from "Icarus Attack".
• Battlestorm: "Battlestorm" destroys Spell and Trap cards as well as having a decent ATK.
• Dark Simorgh: While only useful in a deck that combines "Blackwings" and "Harpies", "Dark Simorgh" is incredibly powerful and stops Traps and cards like "Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter".
• Dragunity Darkspear: Acts as a "Monster Reborn" for Winged Beast-type monsters.
• Mist Valley Falcon: Since it's a Winged Beast-Type monster it benefits from "Harpies' Hunting Ground" and it allows you to re-use "Harpies' Hunting Ground's" effect over and over, making it worth using. If you are using any Tuners you can use it to Synchro Summon "Mist Valley Thunder Lord".
• Mist Valley Shaman: Worth using for the same reasons as "Mist Valley Falcon".
• Mist Valley Soldier: A powerful Level 4 Tuner that benefits from "Harpies' Hunting Ground" and "Icarus Attack".

Synchro Monsters:

• Mist Valley Thunder Lord: You can re-use the effect of "Harpies' Hunting Ground" as well as have a 2800 ATK monster.

Spells

• Divine Wind of Mist Valley: Gives more Special Summons when combine with "Mist Valley" cards.
• Phalanx Pike: Since you can effectively have up to six "Harpie Ladies" in your Graveyard, this can give a massive ATK boost to a "Harpie Lady".
• Solidarity: "Solidarity" provides the much-needed power to "Harpies" decks, allowing "Harpies" to destroy powerful monsters.
• Swallow's Nest: Allows you to replace a "Harpie" monster with another one

Traps

• Icarus Attack: A perfect card for "Harpie" decks that lets you tribute a Winged Beast-Type monster and destroy two of your opponent's cards.
• Uniform Nomenclature's Treaty of Alliance: Allows you to destroy Spell and Trap cards while you control a lot of "Harpie" monsters.

Variants

Pure Harpies

Pure Harpie decks are on the weaker side but can make super-powerful "Harpie Ladies".

Black Harpies

Black Harpies decks combine "Blackwings" with "Harpie Ladys" in a fast deck with lots of Special Summoning power. They make use of "Dark Simorgh" to prevent your opponent from setting cards and "Allure of Darkness" to draw more cards. The deck can make a lot of Synchro Monsters and has a lot of swarm power.

Harpy Valley

Combining "Mist Valley" and "Harpie Lady" cards creates a powerful deck type with a beatdown style. The deck makes use of both "Harpies' Hunting Ground" and "Divine Wind of Mist Valley" and can switch off between them when necessary. "Reborn Tengu" can be used in one of these decks although it is not strictly necessary. "Solidarity" makes your monsters a lot stronger-your monsters will be able to defeat very powerful monsters without any other cards. The "Mist Valley" cards also allow you to re-use "Harpies' Hunting Ground's" effect.