Monster Surge Deck

Also known as Monster Mash, Monster Surge Decks can vary greatly from duelist to duelist, but they are all based around the principle of filling the deck with monsters and up to 3 spell or traps. In doing this, a player is almost guaranteed to draw a monster to attack with, but more importantly certain monster effects become much more reliable. Some key cards include "Gallis the Star Beast" and "Magical Merchant", but "Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter" also appears to be a frequent choice with this deck type. Since cards such as "Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter" and "Quickdraw Synchron" focus on sending cards to the graveyard, it would be beneficial to have cards with effects that activate in the graveyard.

Because of the lack of defensive trap cards, some Monster Surge decks include many defensive monsters like "Battle Fader", "Gorz the Emissary of Darkness" and "Tragoedia". These also make great tribute fodder for cards like the Monarchs, but also the higher level monsters can be used with "Level Eater" so that cards like "Light and Darkness Dragon" can be tribute summoned!

With the release of the Superheavy Samurai archetype with cards like Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susanowo, a deck based around the Superheavy Samurai archetype can be a viable strategy, as some of their support cards require a graveyard free of Spells and Traps, as well as Susanowo being able to use your opponent's Spells and Traps, covering some of the weaknesses of this deck type.

This type of deck can also said to be the opposite of "Chain Strike" decks. Since it usually has more Spells and Traps than Monsters.

Example Deck List

From 2010/06 - Chicago, Illinois, Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series. Deck Profile: Danny McNally’s Monster Surge Deck

Deck

Main Deck Monster Cards (deck size varies) Effect Monsters Gallis the Star Beast x3 Crane Crane x2-3 Tour Guide From the Underworld x2 Tour Bus From the Underworld x0-1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind x0-1 Genex Ally Birdman x1 Honest x0-1 (depending on how many LIGHTs you run) Trap Eater x0-3 (mainly for side deck) Flying "C" x0-3 (mainly for side deck) Morphing Jar x1 Neo-Spacian Grand Mole x1 Thunder King Rai-Oh x1 Night Assailant x0-1 Card Trooper x2 Magical Merchant x0-3 (only for builds with spells/traps) Witch of the Black Rose x0-3 Quickdraw Synchron x0-3 (for Turbo Synchro builds) Caius the Shadow Monarch x0-2 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter x2-3 Battle Fader x2-3 Chaos Sorcerer x1 Jinzo x0-3 (better as a side deck card but may be main decked) Dark Simorgh x0-3 (good in main or side deck) Tragoedia x2 Level Eater x0-2 (optional for Tribute variants) Lonefire Blossom x1 Necro Gardna x3 Dandylion x1 Treeborn Frog x1 Ehren, Lightsworn Monk x1 Light and Darkness Dragon x1-3 Dark Armed Dragon x1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness x1 Tytannial, Princess of Camellias x1-3 (Plant variant) Plaguespreader Zombie x2 Bacon Saver x1 Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress x1-3 Spore x1 Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite x1 Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning x1 Effect Veiler x2-3 Breaker the Magical Warrior x1-3 Dragon Rulers may also be used. Spell Cards (5-7) Dark Hole x1 Foolish Burial x1 Pot of Dichotomy x1 One for One x1 Mystical Space Typhoon x1-3 Trap Cards (0-3) Breakthrough Skill x1-2 Treacherous Trap Hole x1 Extra Deck Synchro Monsters Standard extra deck with "Junk Destroyer", "Drill Warrior", "Nitro Warrior", "Junk Archer", "Turbo Warrior" and "Zeman the Ape King" as anomalies. Black Rose Dragon Stardust Dragon Ally of Justice Catastor Armades, Keeper of Boundaries Flamvell Urquizas Iron Chain Dragon Mist Bird Clausolas Mist Wurm Formula Synchron Scrap Dragon Thought Ruler Archfiend Balmung, Fighter from the Underworld Armory Arm Magical Android Scarred Warrior Colossal Fighter Xyz Monsters Wind-Up Zenmaines Mechquipped Angineer Number 49: Fortune Tune Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction Leviair the Sea Dragon Number 17: Leviathan Dragon

Weaknesses and Counter Strategies

When being played, the deck may be found to be somewhat unreliable, but other cards like "Vanity's Fiend" and "Mask of Restrict" could cause a problem.

Gravekeepers can be a big problem, as "Royal Tribute" can send all monsters from your hand to the Graveyard on the first turn.

Skill Drain can potentially kill this deck as well, due to the overabundance of Effect Monsters.

Decks that run "banisher" cards such as Dimensional Fissure and Macro Cosmos can easily put out the FTK/OTK.