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| image = ArchfiendsRoarArchfiendEmperortheFirstLordofHorror-TF04MADU-JPEN-VG-artwork.jpgpng| caption = "[[Terrorking ArchfiendEmperor, the First Lord of Horror]]", with "[[Archfiend Soldier]]" and "[[Darkbishop ArchfiendGeneral]]" in the artwork front of "[[Archfiend's RoarPalabyrinth]]"

* [[Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie(Toei film)]]

"'''Archfiend'''", known as "'''Daemon'''" (Japanese: デーモン ''Dēmon'') in the ''[[OCG]]'', is one of the very first [[archetype]]s. Members appear in a myriad sets due to the string required for inclusion being a simple word in Japanese. While many [[DuelistWicked Mirror]]s use "Archfiend" cards in the anime and manga as a result, only [[Titan]] runs a dedicated "Archfiend" Deck. The majority of the [[Monster Card|monsters]] in this archetype are [[DARK]] [[Fiend]] monsters, but there are many monsters Air Marmot of other [[AttributeNefariousness]]s and Types. They have a sub-archetype, "[[Red Dragon Archfiend (archetype)|Red Dragon Archfiend]]", and a series, [[Skull Archfiend]]. Some members of this archetype appears as characters in video-games:* "[[Summoned Skull (World Championship character)|Summoned Skull]]" appears in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! Ultimate Masters: World Championship 2006]]'', ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2009: Stardust Accelerator|World Championship 2009]]'' and ''[[Summoned Skull (Duel Arena)|Duel Arena]]''* "[[Red Dragon Archfiend/Assault Mode (character)|Red Dragon Archfiend/Assault Mode]]" appears in ''World Championship 2009''* Both "[[Terrorking Archfiend (character)|Terrorking Archfiend]]" and "[[Infernity Archfiend (character)|Infernity Archfiend]]" appears in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2011: Over are the Nexus|World Championship 2011]]''* Both "[[first Archfiend Heiress (Duel Arena)|Archfiend Heiress]]" and "[[Red Dragon Archfiend (Duel Arena)|Red Dragon Archfiend]]" appears in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Arena]]''. ==Naming==According monsters to the Upper Deck Entertainment website, ''"'''Archfiends''' are a special category of card. Most "Archfiend" cards can be easily identified by their name. Any card with "Archfiend" appear in the card name is an "Archfiend."''<ref>{{citeweb|url = http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20090226221410/http://entertainment.upperdeck.com/yugioh/en/gameplay/faqs/archfiend/default.aspx|title = What is an "Archfiend"?|publisher = Upper Deck Entertainment|date = February 26, 2009|access-date = February 26, 2009}}</ref> This category was officially introduced with the release of ''[[Dark Crisis]]'', as a way to standardize the English translation of ''OCG'' card names containing "Daemon" 「デーモン」. Some non-"Archfiend" cards have it spelled "Demon"; for example, appearing in the Japanese name of "[[Regenerating RoseVol.1|very first set]]", 「スプリット・{{Ruby|Ｄ|デモン}}・ローズ」 translates to "Split Demon Rose", but "Demon" is spelled 「デモン」, so it is not an "Archfiend" card. Some monsters Both have Japanese names with "Demon" been renamed as a possible translation. Arguably, this was the first attempt by the creators of ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' to establish an archetype, and set a standard by which archetypes would be defined thereafter. Since some Japanese cards with names containing "Daemon" 「デーモン」 had already been released demonstrated in the ''TCG'', they were retroactively classified as "Archfiend" cards, although their official names were left unchangedvideo games. These are:

* [[B. Black Skull Dragon]] (''Black Daemons Dragon'')

Starting with In two cases, cards whose English names did not contain "Archfiend" were renamed to contain "Axe of DespairArchfiend" . In both cases, the former names appeared in ''video games only as they remained OCG-exclusive at the time Archfiend support came out. * [[Battle Pack 2: War Archfiend Marmot of the GiantsNefariousness]](Air Marmot of Nefariousness)** First ''TCG'' release was on 2005 June 1st, later prints of these cards in with the new name.** Last appearance mentioning the former name was from [[Air_Marmot_of_Nefariousness_(DBT)|''TCGDestiny Board Traveler'' now use [[archetype condition]]s in their .** Change reflected on subsequent video game appearances starting from [[card text]] to classify them as "Archfiend" cards. With the release Marmot of Nefariousness (World Championship 2006)|''World Championship 2006'[[Legendary Collection 4: Joey's World Mega Pack]]'', all of these cards have archetype conditions classifying them as "Archfiend" cards. In Portuguese, "* [[Archfiend SoldierMirror]]" also has an archetype condition classifying it as an "Archfiend" card, although this wasn(Wicked Mirror)** Still ''t added until it was reprinted in OCG''[[2-Player Starter Deck Yuya & Declan]]''exclusive to this date. Also has never appeared in another set. ** Still called "A Deal with Dark Ruler" was not included on the original list of "Archfiend" cards that do not have "ArchfiendWicked Mirror" in their English names on the [[Upper Deck EntertainmentWicked Mirror (World Championship 2006)|''World Championship 2006'']] website, as excluding it had virtually no mechanical impact at from the timearchetype. However** Name change applied since [[Archfiend_Mirror_(Tag_Force_1)|''Tag Force 1'']], due to later "Archfiend" support it became mechanically significant, so it was given released on the archetype condition along with the other cardssame year.

| [[Terrorking Archfiend|Terrorking]]<br />[[Masterking Archfiend|Masterking]] || [[wikipedia:King (chess)|King]]

 Since "Archfiends" have seen many years of release, the archetype has varying appearance themes which change over time. The original unorganized "Archfiends" were generally bony and "horror" themed ("Summoned Skull", "[[Axe of Despair]]", "[[Lesser Fiend]]", etc.). At this point in time, they were not related other than sharing a word in their Japanese names. Since archetypes were not yet officially part of the game, these early cards were not initially translated as members of a group. The first archetype-oriented "Archfiends" appeared in ''[[Dark Crisis]]'' and were chess-themed, each featuring a dice roll-conditional negation of effects that target them ("[[Terrorking Archfiend]]", "[[Vilepawn Archfiend]]", etc.). These "Archfiends" all had appearances that very closely resembled contortions or variations on "Summoned Skull". This series was the longest-lasting period for the "Archfiends", and provided them with most of their Spell/Trap support, including their first [[Field Spell Card|Field Spell]], "[[Pandemonium]]", and . It ended with the release of "[[Imprisoned Queen Archfiend]]". The next wave of "Archfiends" appeared in the 5D's period, and had a sports theme ("[[Archfiend Interceptor]]", "[[Lancer Archfiend]]", "[[Mad Archfiend]]"), and for . For the first time since "[[B. Black Skull Dragon]]" and "[[Fiend Skull Dragon]]", it featured a Dragon member: "[[Red Dragon Archfiend]]". This series had no general effect theme or visual appearance (though skulls featured prominently in several of their artworks), but represented a move away from the "bone and sinew" style of the chess "Archfiends". The most recent series of "Archfiends" began in the ''TCG'' in ''[[Starstrike Blast]]'', beginning with the North American release of "[[Archfiend Empress]]". These Archfiends bore little resemblance to the original chess Archfiends, having generally purple color schemes, a metallic appearance, and an imperial theme, similar to the "[[Fabled]]" monsters. ''[[Judgement of the Light]]'' introduced the archetype's second Field Spell, "[[Archfiend Palabyrinth]]", and the 3000 ATK "[[Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror]]". This support continued in the North American release of ''[[Shadow Specters]]'' with the release of "[[Archfiend Giant]]" which and continued with the global release of "[[Archfiend Eccentrick]]" in ''[[Clash of Rebellions]]'' along side the first "Archfiend" Gemini monster , alongside "[[Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning]]" and , the retrained version of their first ever fusion "Archfiend" Gemini monster, and "[[Archfiend Black Skull Dragon]]", the retrained version of their first ever Fusion.

Building a Deck around the "Chess Archfiends" is tricky since they require your [[Life Points]] as payment and paying is not optional. As a result, your Life Points will be drained very quickly, especially since you must worry about further Life Point drain through battle damage from your opponent. Most "Archfiends" do not have enough attack power to hold their ground. Their most useful ability is negating an opponent's effect that targets them by a roll of the dice. However, this is not a reliable defense, and only two of the cards have a 50% chance of negation (although one of them, "[[Darkbishop Archfiend]]", works for any of your Archfiends, including the ones that have their own protection), whereas most . Most have a 16.5~17% chance, and a couple have a ~33% chance. If trying to go for a "Chess Archfiend" Deck for novelty's sake, then it is advantageous to make it a general [[Fiend]]-themed Deck, adding Fiend support card cards like "[[Goblin King]]". Take advantage of the high ATK of most The more modern "Archfiends", namely such as "[[Shadowknight ArchfiendEmperor, the First Lord of Horror]]", "Archfiend Soldier" and "[[Terrorking Annihilator Archfiend]]". "Archfiends" are one of tend to go for a destruction strategy to pave the way to attack the few archetypes opponent directly with an abundance of their high-Level high -ATK non-tributers in the game; "[[Stygian Street Patrol]]" is an excellent card and can help avoid the Summoning problems usually related to Monsters. Three "Terrorking Archfiend". "Summoned Skull" and its [[retrainedEquip Spell Card]] [[Skull Archfiend of Lightning|counterpart]] can provide late-game powers exist with different effects: the oldest, as well as receive a considerable boost when used in conjunction with "[[Axe of Despair]]" or "[[United We Stand]]". If you , boosts ATK and can weather return to the [[Life Point]] payments, you may be able to destroy your opponent under a barrage of massive attacks. Piercing cards such as hand; "[[Big Bang ShotFalling Down]]" and is an in-theme "[[Fairy Meteor CrushSnatch Steal]]" can further ; and the punishmentnewest, while the "[[Archfiend'sStaff of Despair]]" own innate immunities can provide some defense. One potential strategy , is to use an enfeebling version of "[[Foolish Burial]]sAxe of Despair" and . The "[[Armageddon Knight]]sArchfiends" are also lucky enough to put at least have two "[[Imprisoned Queen ArchfiendField Spell Card]]s" in the Graveyard to give : "[[Terrorking ArchfiendPandemonium]]" 4000 ATK, then banish an "[[Evil Hero Infernal Gainer]]" so "Terrorking Archfiend" can attack twice, then play "[[Checkmate]]" to allow it to attack [[Direct attack|directly]] which although designed for a [[One Turn Kill|OTK]]. the older "[[Masked Chameleon]]Archfiends" can also still be used with the modern ones to recover losses when "[[Archfiend Heiress]]Archfiends"are destroyed by an effect, and "[[Archfiend Cavalry]]" or "[[Mist ArchfiendPalabyrinth]]" to go into a Level 7, Level 8 or Level 9 Synchro Monster, respectively. "Masked Chameleon" can also be used with "Archfiend Cavalry" for which boosts Fiends' ATKs as well as carrying a Rank 4 Special Summon from Deck effect granting access to fast Xyz MonsterSummons. "Archfiends" are Beatdown Decks that don't rely on Special Summoning, so cards like "[[VanitySummoned Skull]]'s Fiend]]" and "[[Barrier Statue of the Abyssseries]]" are great compliments to fend-off Synchros and higher-level monsters. On the other hand, it is very possible to go to the opposite and abuse Special Summoningcovered more on its own page, both from the Graveyard and the Deck, with cards such as "[[Skull Archfiend's Roar]]", "[[Stygian Street Patrol]]", .Being Fiend and "[[Call DARK gives the members a myriad of the Haunted]]", along with Synchro Summoning higher level Archfiends or fiends to weather down the opponent, support such as "[[Thought Ruler Archfiend]]", "[[Chaos King ArchfiendFiend Griefing]]", or even "[[Stygian SergeantsStreet Patrol]]", and very strong monsters that fit with the general Archfiend theme such as "[[Allure of Darkness Neosphere]]". As an added bonus, the Synchro Archfiends do not require Life Point payment and in case of destruction, "[[PandemoniumVirus]]" allows to search the Deck for virtually any other" Archfiend" to take to the hand. You can also use the "[[Resonator]]s" to incorporate [[Synchro Monster|Synchros]] cards, and "[[Power Tool Dragon]]" as a means of searching "[[Falling Down]]"many others. 

{{Decklist|Chess Archfiend - Recommended cards

* [[Darkbishop ArchfiendGiant]]* [[Desrook ArchfiendHeiress]]* [[Imprisoned Queen Archfiend]]* [[Infernalqueen Berserk Archfiend]]

* [[Vilepawn ArchfiendSkilled Red Magician]]* [[Stygian Street PatrolBarrier Statue of the Abyss]] |link monsters =* [[Masterking ArchfiendDark Spirit of Banishment]]* [[Wee Witch's Apprentice]] |spells =* [[Falling Down]]* [[Pandemonium]]* [[Allure Dark Spirit of DarknessMalice]]* [[Foolish Burial]]* [[Terraforming]]* [[Trade-In]] |traps =* [[Archfiend's Roar]]* [[That SixDiabolica the Draconique General]]* [[Torrential TributeFiendish Rhino Warrior]]}} {{Decklist|Xyz Archfiends - Recommended cards<!--This is not an exact Decklist. Please do not add multiples or staples.--> |normal monsters = * [[Archfiend Soldier]]* [[ZureFarfa, Knight Malebranche of Dark World]] |effect monsters = * [[Archfiend Heiress]]* [[Archfiend Cavalry]]* [[Archfiend Commanderthe Burning Abyss]]* [[Archfiend EmperorScarm, Malebranche of the First Lord of Horror]]* [[Archfiend Empress]]* [[Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness]]* [[Skull Archfiend of Lightning]]* [[Trance Archfiend]]* [[Dark Armed Dragon]]* [[Dark Necrofear]]* [[Rescue RabbitBurning Abyss]]

* [[Zalamander Catalyzer]]|tuner monsters = * [[Masked ChameleonWeiss, Lightsworn Archfiend]]* [[Mental Tuner]] (with [[Emergency Teleport]])|pendulum monsters =* [[Archfiend Eccentrick]]|synchro monsters =* [[Chaos Archfiend]]**[[Chaos Angel]]* [[Chaos King Archfiend]]* [[Infernity Doom Archfiend]]* [[Dark Highlander]]* [[Groza, Tyrant of Thunder]]* [[Hundred Eyes Dragon]]* [[Phantasmal Lord Ultimitl Bishbaalkin]]* [[Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend]]*[[Thought Ruler Archfiend]]

* [[Constellar Ptolemy M7Archfiend's Ascent]]* [[Divine Dragon Knight FelgrandD/D/D Wave King Caesar]]* [[Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic GalaxyD/D/D Wave High King Caesar]]* [[Number 391: Utopia BeyondInfection Buzzking]]* [[Number 4922: Fortune TuneZombiestein]]

* [[Advance DrawPandemonium]]

* [[Burial from a Different Dark Spirit's Mastery]]* [[DimensionDice]]* [[Emergency Teleport]] (with [[Mental Tuner]])* [[Evil Eye Reemergence]]* [[Evil Mind]]* [[Recurring Nightmare]]* [[Terraforming]]/[[Set Rotation]]* [[Trade-InThe Beginning of the End]]* [[The Monarchs Stormforth]]

* [[Deck Devastation VirusArchfiend's Ghastly Glitch]]* [[Archfiend's Roar]]* [[Call of the Archfiend]]* [[Simul Archfiends]]

* [[Escape from the Dark DimensionFiend Griefing]]* [[Unending Nightmare]] (with Masterking Archfiend)