Editing Forum:Deck Guide/Spirit

''by [[User:Gadjiltron|Gadjiltron]]''

==Intro==
[[Spirit Monsters]] are not exactly a Type, but a sub-classification of monsters, much like the more well-known [[Union Monsters]] or [[Tuner Monster]]s. Introduced in [[Legacy of Darkness]], the Spirits, unfortunately, don't see much play to this day, even after [[The Duelist Genesis]] attempted to rectify this issue. From time to time, packs will occasionally throw in some support, perhaps as set filler.

Most Spirits trace their origins, appearances, and names to Japanese folklore, or Buddhism. Well, except for a few. They also share a common trait by having the same background for each of their artworks.

==Mechanics==
Spirit Monsters are an unusual lot. First and foremost, most of them cannot be [[Special Summon]]ed, preventing an effective swarm with them. Next, at the end of the turn where they are Summoned or flipped face-up, they return to your hand, leaving you wide open to an attack after Summoning a Spirit. It is these rules that make Spirits unfavoured by the masses. 

However, they make up for this with powerful effects, like forcing the opponent to discard out his entire hand prior to drawing the next turn, or getting to attack every monster on the field once. Some of these effects trigger when the Spirit is Summoned, and thus their return-to-hand effect allows you to reuse their effects over and over again, while letting them avoid monster removal through Battle or card effects. In fact, the strength and abusability of some effects has led to some notable Spirits hitting the banlist.

==Analysis==
===Strengths===
*'''Very potent effects''' - The Spirits exchange the ability to remain on the field for some very good effects, ranging from being able to attack all monsters at once to emptying the opponent's hand if they inflict Battle Damage. The strength of some of these effects even resulted in a couple of these Spirits getting banned.
*'''Partially immune to removal''' - Because they always return to your hand at the end of the turn, Spirits are hard to deal with permanently, unless they get taken care of during the turn they're Summoned.

===Weaknesses===
*'''Inability to swarm''' - Spirits can't be Special Summoned, so they cannot swarm at all. Without means of keeping them on the field, you're also very vulnerable to direct attacks.
*'''Flimsy low-level monsters''' - Most of the Spirits that don't need Tributes have subpar base stats, which makes it difficult for the Deck to keep a good offensive pressure. The high-Level Spirits also need extra effort to keep them around.

==The Basics==
===Monsters===
Now, let's take a look at the Spirit family:

*'''[[Aratama]]''' - Appearing in [[SHSP]], Aratama provides a great boon to Spirit Decks, granting them the ability to tutor ''any'' Spirit of ''any'' Level when Normal Summoned or flipped face-up. With stats of 800/1800, Setting it is a great opening move, provided your opponent doesn't throw [[Thunder King Rai-Oh]] at you.
*'''[[Asura Priest]]''' - One of the notable Spirits that still sees some play in an occasional unusual deck. He has an ability to attack all of your opponent's monsters once each, and combined with 1700 ATK it's a force to be reckoned with for a low-level Spirit.
*'''[[Dark Dust Spirit]]''' - For one Tribute, he can destroy all other face-up monsters. This is a pretty powerful effect, and is recommended that he's used to deal a finishing blow. Well, let's hope you can knock your opponent within 2200 LP for his attack to end the Duel there and then.
*'''[[Fenghuang]]''' - The phoenix from Chinese legend turns up out of the blue to try and give relevant support to the archetype. At 2100/1800, it's definitely not too strong for a single Tribute, but on successful Tribute Summon, it destroys all Set S/Ts your opponent controls. It's good reusable means of clearing out potential annoyances like [[Mirror Force]] and [[Dimensional Prison]], but in the current day, the Set S/Ts being played are more likely to Chain and dodge destruction.
*'''[[Fushi No Tori]]''' - This Spirit holds a paltry 1200 ATK with a so-so effect. If it deals Battle Damage to your opponent, you gain LP equal to the damage done. Considering its wimpy ATK, however, it'd take a miracle to score a hit.
*'''[[Gishki Emilia]]''' - Yet another foreigner which belongs better in [[Gishki|her own archetype]]. If she is Normal Summoned or flipped while you control a member of her archetype, all Traps are negated this turn. Much like Sacred Spirit of the Ice Barrier (see below), she has little place in a Spirit Deck.
*'''[[Gishki Natalia]]''' - Apparently the Duel Terminal archetypes are using the Spirit subtype to refer to characters which are dead in-story. Upon Normal Summoned or flipped up, you can put a Gishki monster in your Graveyard on top of your Deck, letting you recycle discarded/Ritual-Tributed Gishki members and set up for other Gishki effects.
*'''[[Great Long Nose]]''' - For one Tribute, he brings you 1900 ATK, which is something not so great, given that monsters of interest at one Tribute have 2000 or more. If he ever deals Battle Damage to the opponent, your opponent skips their next Battle Phase, preventing a counterattack. Is he good? Only if you can persistently keep the tengu on the field and do damage with him.
*'''[[Gundari]]''' - A strange anti-Synchro Spirit introduced in [[ABPF]]. If he battles with a Synchro, he bounces both the Synchro and himself at the start of the Damage Step, before either player takes damage. But seriously, why use him when you have access to a [[Neo-Spacian Grand Mole|more efficient version]] that can also stay on the field?
*'''[[Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi]]''' - The heaviest hitter for Spirits, standing at 2800/2900 for two Tributes. If he does Battle Damage, your opponent empties out their hand before they draw during their next turn. An amazing effect that will disrupt your opponent's tempo - but be wary that this will trigger the handless flag on [[Infernity]] Decks, and also pretty much set off all the fuses in an entire [[Dark World]] hand.
*'''[[Inaba White Rabbit]]''' - The little moon rabbit also has the tendency to be a really annoying one. It holds a humble 700 ATK, but can attack your opponent directly (in fact, '''only''' attacks the opponent directly - no attacking monsters for it), with its Spirit attribute allowing him to dodge most monster removal. If you keep yourself well-guarded, the repeated chips of 700 damage can and will add up over time.
*'''[[Izanagi]]''' - Okay, so he's not actually a Spirit, but he sure can lend a great hand to them. You can Special Summon him by removing a Spirit in your hand from play, though if you wish you still can Normal Summon him. He boasts a fair 2200 ATK that can fend off a lot of the low-level beaters, and makes the self-returning effects of your Spirits '''''optional'''''. Keep the larger hitters on your field, and let the smaller ones (or those with reusable effects) return to your hand.
*'''[[Izanami]]''' - There's nothing worse than having an important Spirit getting discarded by [[Card Destruction]] or the like. Fortunately, Izanami can fix this. On Normal Summon or flip, you can trade a card in your hand for a Spirit in your Graveyard. Her 1800 DEF can also help you fend off smaller monsters for a turn as well.
*'''[[Kinka-byo]]''' - This demonic cat isn't too useful in a pure Spirit Deck, though there are some uses of it if you happen to run other LV1 Monsters. On Normal Summon or flip, it Special Summons a LV1 monster in your Graveyard, though that monster is banished the moment this card leaves the field. Many use it to easily make [[Formula Synchron]], set up a combo with [[Majestic Dragon]], create a draw engine using [[Mystic Piper]], or even go for a Rank 1 Xyz Summon.
*'''[[Maharaghi]]''' - <s>Inflicts a small amount of Fire damage to all enemies</s> Oops, wrong game. Maharaghi's another Spirit of questionable use. It boasts some modest stats of 1200/1700, and on Normal Summon or flip, it has a delayed effect. Before you draw next turn, you get to see the top card of your deck. Then, you either set it back at the top of the Deck and draw it, or move it to the bottom and hope that whatever underneath is more useful. Give it a try, the knowledge might be useful.
*'''[[Nikitama]]''' - A foil to Aratama, sharing the same stats of 800/1800 and giving another great ability to the Spirit Deck. When Normal Summoned or flipped face-up, you get one additional Normal Summon for the turn (this won't stack). This allows you to either Tribute Nikitama to ease the Summoning of the high-Level Spirits, or Normal Summon another Spirit and go into an Xyz Summon. Nikitama combos particularly well with Aratama to make a Rank 4 Xyz loop, since you can use your second Summon for Aratama to search another Nikitama for the following turn. Furthermore, you get to draw a card when Nikitama is sent to the Graveyard, giving you some returns for using it as discard/Tribute/detach fodder. Definitely a must in Spirit Decks.
*'''[[Otohime]]''' - Abysmal stats of 0/100 come with an average effect of changing the Battle Position of one of your opponent's monsters. Maybe you could set her to provide a surprise disabling a monster's ability to attack, or do a few cool tricks with [[Creature Swap]]. Either way, don't run too many of her.
*'''[[Rakshasa]]''' - Another new addition to the family from [[SHSP]], Rakshasa holds pretty solid stats of 1500/1900. When Normal Summoned or flipped face-up, you reveal a non-Rakshasa Spirit in your hand to bounce one of your opponent's Attack Position monsters, giving you a good answer to any Extra Deck monsters or to kick away the opponent's attackers. The non-Rakshasa clause means you're best of running 2 at most, but Aratama from the same pack can help you with your chances of drawing it.
*'''[[Sacred Spirit of the Ice Barrier]]''' - This guy sticks out like a sore thumb in that he's more suited to go with the [[Ice Barrier]] monsters than with the Spirits. He's not even derived from Japanese folklore! If he would bounce himself by his own effect if you control another Ice Barrier monster, you can bounce one of your opponent's monsters in his place. Spirit mechanics state that you only get once bounce out of him, though. Definitely reserved for Ice Barrier Decks.
*'''[[Susa Soldier]]''' - The god of the sea and storms is the strongest of the LV4 or lower Spirits, boasting an immense 2000 ATK and no drawback for attacking. He can take down a lot of monsters at his Level, but sadly any Battle Damage is halved. Then again, direct attacking with him would be pretty devastating if he didn't have that effect.
*'''[[Tsukuyomi]]''' - On Normal Summon or flip, the deity of the moon turns one monster face-down. This resets Flip Effects, defuses active continuous Monster Effects, and even puts opposing beatsticks in a more vulnerable position. Naturally, back in his day this allowed abuse with [[Mask of Darkness]] to continuously retrieve and activate [[Time Seal]], creating a lock that was devastating when the opponent was topdecking, and eventually resulting in all components entering part of the banlist. Fortunately, he got better.
*'''[[Yamata Dragon]]''' - The eight-headed serpent is another heavy hitter, though slightly inferior to Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, standing at 2600/3100 for 2 Tributes. Unlike its rival, rather than breaking your opponent's tempo by disposing of their entire hand, it refills your hand by letting you draw until your hand has 5 cards when it does Battle Damage. A common tactic is to Tribute Set it to make use of its immense 3100 DEF, providing a nasty surprise to your opponent if they run into it, giving you more cards in the process. If your opponent can predict what you just Tribute Set, at least you will prevent them from attacking for the next few turns until they find a card effect to get it out of the way.
*'''[[Yamato-no-Kami]]''' - The god of mountains is a strange one, as he defies the usual Spirit definitions, instead turning himself into a Nomi. Special Summoned by removing a Spirit in your Graveyard, he boasts a pretty decent 2200 ATK, and an ability to destroy S/Ts if he runs over a monster. If push comes to shove he can also be used as quick Tribute fodder to bring out the heavy-hitters.
*'''[[Yaksha]]''' - Oh hey, a new addition from [[STOR]]. He sports a decent 1900 ATK which, unlike Susa Soldier, does not suffer from halved damages. This makes him the new replacement beatstick for Spirits. His effect is a little weak, since it bounces a S/T your opponent controls when he's Summoned/flipped, but it still can be good for cleaning out S/Ts that either have a cost to activate/maintain, or help clean the path for a win. It's up to you whether you want to keep or bounce him.
*'''[[Yata-Garasu]]''' - Perhaps the most famous of all Spirits, since it was a factor in forming the Forbidden List. Whenever the three-legged raven inflicts Battle Damage to the opponent, they skip their next Draw Phase. Combined with [[Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End]]'s field and hand wipe, it resulted in a lock that ensured that the opponent has no chance to <s>survive make their time</s> break out of the lock.

===Spells and Traps===
The Spirits also have some S/Ts that can support them, with some notable ones introduced after TDGS.

*'''[[Mirror of Yata]]''' - A Spirit Equip, which makes the self-bouncing effect completely optional. In fact, you'll probably only need it around for the turn the Spirit is Summoned, since if the Spirit doesn't return to the hand by the End Phase where it is Summoned or flipped up, it no longer has this effect trigger. This doesn't mean that the Equip becomes useless after this phase, because it can also destroy itself in place of the Spirit if the Spirit would be destroyed in battle.
*'''[[Orb of Yasaka]]''' - That thing which Yata is seen perched upon. If the equipped Spirit scores a kill, you gain LP equal to the original ATK of the equipped monster, which I find is much better than what Fushi no Tori can come up with. No need to worry if the Spirit bounces itself, because Orb of Yasaka will bounce along with it.
*'''[[Spirit's Invitation]]''' - Of course, it isn't always fair that you always lose the monsters you Summon. Spirit's Invitation allows you to bounce an opponent's monster of your choice whenever a Spirit is bounced in any way - be it by its own effect, or your opponent's card effect. This will set your opponent back a turn or so since they'd have to resummon whatever you bounced - even worse if you just bounced a Tribute monster or Synchro monster. It costs 500 LP to maintain during each of your End Phases, which isn't too great a cost either.
*'''[[Spiritual Energy Settle Machine]]''' - This Continuous Spell forces ''all'' Spirit monsters to stay on the field, whether you want them to or not, and costs 1 card from your hand per End Phase to keep the effects active. If removed, all Spirits are bounced immediately, which is something you never want. Might as well use Izanagi or Mirror of Yata, which don't have such costs or drawbacks.
*'''[[Sword of Kusanagi]]''' - Hey, it's that sword Susa Soldier has. Unfortunately, it doesn't increase ATK, just introduces Trample to the equipped Spirit, and the equip bounces with the Spirit. Perhaps good with the several Spirits that require dealing of Battle Damage to use their effects, but honestly I believe it would be better if they just got more ATK. It'd make Fushi no Tori playable.

===Supplementary Cards===
Of course, the small population of Spirits and their supports means that you'll require other cards to properly run them and cover for their weaknesses. First and foremost, you will need cards that will be able to hold off direct attacks since most of the time your field will be wide open:

*'''[[Gorz the Emissary of Darkness]]''' - A classic OTK-stopper who can Special Summon himself the moment you take damage while you control no cards. He also can generate a Token if you have taken Battle Damage, with the size of the Token being equal to how much damage you took in one shot. This not only helps stave off a series of attacks, but provides two nice pieces of Tribute fodder with which you can attack or Tribute for a large Spirit.
*'''[[Tragoedia]]''' - Slightly superior to Gorz in that you can Special Summon it even while you control cards. Furthermore, the Spirit Deck's habit of keeping a large hand easily allows Trag to reach respectable ATK and DEF scores. You can even discard excess Spirits to seize your opponent's monsters as Tribute for the larger Spirits.
*'''[[Battle Fader]]''' and '''[[Swift Scarecrow]]''' - Both of these monsters can stop a direct attack and end the entire Battle Phase, which is very handy for saving your LP. Battle Fader is slightly superior in that it Special Summons itself, allowing it to be Tributed the next turn.
*'''[[Dimension Wall]]''' - Might as well make the best out of the fact that your opponent will try to attack you directly a lot of times. Flip this up to turn the Battle Damage done to you right on the opponent.
*'''[[Mystic Piper]]''' - With Kinka-byo, you can Special Summon Mystic Piper, then tribute it to draw a card. It that card is a Level 1 monster, such as Battle Fader or Effect Veiler, you can then draw another card.
Another problem the Spirits face is that they need lots of Normal Summons if they want to swarm. It's also a problem if they want to summon their larger members from an empty field. The following cards should be able to rectify these to a certain extent:

*<s>'''[[Ultimate Offering]]'''</s> - This is ''the'' go-to card if you want a lot of Normal Summons. Just pay 500 LP and you get another Summon. At the same time, you can do the same during your opponent's Battle Phase to Summon monsters as an emergency defense. Too bad it got banned in the TCG after one too many Xyz spamming Decks abused it.
*'''[[Cyber Dragon]]''' - Since you have an open field most of the time, you should be able to Special Summon Cyber Dragon with relative ease. This will be able to serve 2 purposes - either as a beatstick, or as Tribute fodder to summon the other Spirits.
*'''[[Treeborn Frog]]''' - The Monarchs' favourite Tribute engine can possibly be used in the Spirit Deck, if only as Tribute fodder to summon bigger Spirits. Just be careful about your set S/Ts.
*'''[[Spirit Reaper]]''' and '''[[Marshmallon]]''' - What do they have in common? Why, they can't be destroyed in battle. These little ones can help you hold off all direct attacks until they are ready to be Tributed for your bigger Spirits.
*'''[[Spring of Rebirth]]''' - Each time a monster is returned from the field to your hand, you regain 500 LP. This will give you a refund for the LP you paid using Ultimate Offering, and will be more than enough to maintain Spirit's Invitation. If you use any of the above, it is encouraged that this be included to make the most of the self-bouncing effects of Spirits.
*'''[[Mausoleum of the Emperor]]''' - This field card allows you to summon your Tribute Spirits without needing Tribute fodder, at the cost of 1000 LP per Tribute forgone. Just take care to keep the Spirit on the field, since any Spirit (except [[Dark Dust Spirit]]) that's Tribute Summoned has no incentive to return to your hand, and if they do, you're left wide open with fewer LP.
*'''[[The Monarchs Stormforth]]''' - Tough, indestructible, un-targetable monster in your way? Tribute it to Summon your higher-Level Spirits. Far better than [[Soul Exchange]]!

There exist several cards that allow you to do some cool tricks with the Spirits as well.

*'''[[Creature Swap]]''' and '''[[Mystic Box]]''' - An amazing combo card with Spirits of any sort. You give your opponent one of your monsters (which will usually be a Spirit), and one of the two things happens: Creature Swap will give you an opponent's monster of his choice (not your Spirit since the switch is simultaneous), while Mystic Box allows you to destroy an opponent's monster of your choice. The thing is that at the end of the turn, the Spirit you gave up comes back to your hand, leaving your opponent with one less monster!
*'''[[Legacy of Yata-Garasu]]''' - It seems more like anti-Spirit support, since the second effect that lets you draw 2 cards can only be triggered when your ''opponent'' controls a Spirit. However, using the above Creature Swap and Mystic Box, you give control of your Spirit to your opponent until the end of the turn, letting you get 2 cards. Of course, in times of emergency, you still can use its first effect to get you a card.
*'''[[Dimensionhole]]''' - This is a common way to circumvent the phase in which the Spirit returns to your hand. After summoning the Spirit and making whatever attack it needs, just use this card to remove the Spirit from play until your next Standby Phase. By the time it comes back, it will have passed the phase where it would have returned to your hand, and so can stay on the field for no additional effort.
*'''[[D.D. Sprite]]''' - Similar to Dimensionhole, but even better - this spawns a Tuner for Synchro Summons. If you're running any Synchros alongside your spirits, consider trying this one. Alternatively, if you don't have any appropriate Leveled Synchros, then you still can use this as a temporary wall, or further Tribute fodder if you've earned more Normal Summons.
*'''[[Begone, Knave!]]''' - If you don't intend to keep any Spirits on the field, this is a good way to keep the playing field even. Monsters on both sides of the field return to their owner's hand after doing damage. This clearly isn't a problem with Spirits since they keep bouncing themselves anyway, but it's a headache for opponents who spam Synchros and Nomis.

==Example Deck==

Knowing the advantages and drawbacks of the various Spirits, it is up to you to judge what to run, and how many copies of it. Here is an example Spirit Deck, and it is '''''highly recommended that you try to vary yours.'''''

{{Decklist|Spirit Deck
|color = black
|color2 = white
|monsters =
* [[Inaba White Rabbit]]
* [[Yaksha]] x2
* [[Asura Priest]]
* [[Rasetsu]] x2
* [[Aratama]] x3
* [[Nikitama]] x3
* [[Izanagi]] x2
* [[Yamato-no-Kami]]
* [[Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi]]
* [[Dark Dust Spirit]]
* [[Tsukuyomi]] x2
* [[Izanami]] x2
|spells =
* [[Creature Swap]] x3
* [[Mirror of Yata]] x2
* [[Dark Hole]]
* [[Book of Moon]]
* [[Spring of Rebirth]] x2
* [[Mystical Space Typhoon]] x2
* [[Orb of Yasaka]]
* [[Mausoleum of the Emperor]]
|traps =
* [[Mirror Force]]
* [[Needle Ceiling]]
* [[Dimension Wall]] x2
* [[Spirit's Invitation]]
* [[Bottomless Trap Hole]]
}}

==How Do I Play It?==
The Spirits call for a non-standard playing style. Thus, to use them effectively, keep the following in mind:

*Do not Tribute Summon your Spirit unless you have a means to keep it on the field. If you let your high-level Spirits return to your hand, you have wasted a number of resources to bring out a temporary advantage. Tributing to bring out a large Spirit to end the game is an exception though.
*Similarly, don't go berserk with Normal Summoning unless you have a good reason to do so. Excessive use of Ultimate Offering can burn a good amount of LP, unless you have Spring of Rebirth to get all of it back. An intelligent opponent will also be able to keep track of what Spirits have shown up in your hand and deduce what you could possibly be holding in your hand as well.
*Remember that you still can Set your Spirits for emergency defense. Spirits only return to your hand after they are Summoned or flipped face up, so Setting them will allow them to remain on the field until your opponent attacks into them. Good for you if they survive, since they'll return to your hand at the end of that turn.
*Keep in mind which Spirits you want returned to your hand and which you want on the field. If your hand begins overflowing due to Spirits returning to your hand, keep in mind which Spirits you want to keep in your hand when you end up discarding due to exceeding the hand size limit.

==Tag Duel Options==
Because your Spirits don't stay on the field for very long, you're often vulnerable to counterattacks. Pair up with a Deck that can help defend you, and better yet, supply you with extra Normal Summons. Any form of control Deck that can check what the opponents bring out onto the field would suffice, and Spirits are largely unfazed by any forms of no-Special-Summon restrictions.

==Other Tips==
Of course, there are other cards not listed above that would be a great help to the Spirit Deck any time:

*'''[[Neo-Spacian Grand Mole]]''' is a very good bounce card. Like Gundari, he bounces himself and the monster he battles with without any damage done to either player. Unlike Gundari, he can stay on the field, and can bounce non-Synchro monsters.
*'''[[Shackles of the Underworld]]''' can help you deal with large beatsticks standing in your way. Monsters equipped with it can't attack or change battle position, and are shrunk to 100 ATK and DEF. This allows almost any Spirit to run it over, giving an opening for Battle Damage effects to trigger as well.
*'''[[Future Visions]]''' works similarly to Dimensionhole, only that it also breaks your opponent's momentum by banishing all monsters that are Normal Summoned until the next Standby Phase. However, this means that you can't attack immediately with whatever Spirit you summon, and you have no control over what gets banished. 
*'''[[Needle Ceiling]]''' is a Trap that crushes all face-up monsters on the field when there are 4 or more monsters present. Naturally, most of your monsters will be face-down or hiding in your hand, allowing you to punish the opponent for swarming so much.
*'''[[Scapegoat]]''' is a pretty useful card, spawning 4 Tokens to help you defend non-Trampling attacks. You can't Tribute them, though, but you can use them with Creature Swap to snatch a powerful monster in exchange for a mere sheep.
*'''[[Light and Darkness Dragon]]''' is something that would be more likely to show up in the opponent's Deck than yours. But why is this here? Here's a tip: Spirits of any kind will ''tear it to bits''. When Spirits try to return to the hand at the End Phase, LaDD will have to sacrifice 500 ATK and DEF to negate it. However, the Spirits will try to return to the hand again in a separate Chain, and this repeats until LaDD can't negate any more effects. Hilarity ensues as even a simple Inaba White Rabbit will reduce LaDD to a shell of its former self, with all of its ATK and DEF wasted negating effects that keep trying to trigger.
*'''[[Pot of Duality]]''' is always a helpful card, allowing you to get a card you'll need that's otherwise a few turns away. You don't really Special Summon often unless you're making a big push for the high-level Spirit you want.
*'''[[Burden of the Mighty]]''' will be able to weaken most of the opponent's monsters such that yours can actually beat them in battle. Combine with Asura Priest to truly wreak havoc on the opponent's field.