Difference between revisions of "Ancient Warriors"
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{{Infobox archseries | {{Infobox archseries | ||
| cut_from_names = true | | cut_from_names = true | ||
− | | image = | + | | image = AncientWarriorsSagaThreeVisits-MADU-EN-VG-artwork.png |
− | | caption = "[[ | + | | caption = "[[Ancient Warriors - Valiant Zhang De|Valiant Zhang De]]", "[[Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan|Virtuous Liu Xuan]]", and "[[Ancient Warriors - Loyal Guan Yun|Loyal Guan Yun]]" in the artwork of "[[Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits]]" |
| ja_name = {{Ruby|戦|せん}}{{Ruby|華|か}} | | ja_name = {{Ruby|戦|せん}}{{Ruby|華|か}} | ||
| romaji = Senka | | romaji = Senka | ||
− | | trans = | + | | trans = Warring Flower |
− | | fr_name = | + | | fr_name = Guerriers Anciens |
− | | de_name = | + | | de_name = Alte Krieger |
− | | it_name = | + | | it_name = Antichi Guerrieri |
− | | ko_name = | + | | ko_name = 전황 |
− | | ko_romanized = | + | | ko_hanja = Warring Sovereign |
− | | pt_name = | + | | ko_romanized = Jeonhwang |
− | | es_name = | + | | pt_name = Guerreiros Antigos |
− | | sets = | + | | es_name = Antiguos Guerreros |
+ | | sets = | ||
* [[Ignition Assault]] | * [[Ignition Assault]] | ||
* [[Eternity Code]] | * [[Eternity Code]] | ||
+ | * [[Rise of the Duelist]] | ||
+ | * [[Blazing Vortex]] | ||
+ | * [[Dimension Force]] | ||
+ | | ocg = | ||
+ | * [[Rise of the Duelist +1 Bonus Pack]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
+ | "'''Ancient Warriors'''", known as "'''Warring Flower'''" ({{Ruby|戦|せん}}{{Ruby|華|か}} ''Senka'') in Japanese, is an [[archetype]] of [[Beast-Warrior]] monsters introduced in ''[[Ignition Assault]]''. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Etymology == | ||
+ | The theme's Japanese name is a portmanteau of {{Ruby|戦|せん}}{{Ruby|火|か}} ''senka'', "the fires of war";{{citation needed|date=April 2024|reason=There are other words with the same reading ''senka'': 戦果 ("fruits of war"), 戦渦 ("turmoil of war"), 戦禍 ("damage by war")}} and {{Ruby|中|ちゅう}}{{Ruby|華|か}} ''Chūka'', the Japanese reading of 中華/中华 (Pinyin: Zhōnghuá), the formal and poetic name for China that literally means "central flower", hence "the Flower at war". | ||
+ | |||
+ | A direct Sino-Korean conversion of {{Ruby|戦|せん}}{{Ruby|火|か}} would not quite work, since it would be 전화 (''Jeonhwa''), which happens to be homophonous with 電話 ("telephone"), 戰火 ("war conflict") or 戰禍 ("damage by war"). Since the Korean writing system does not use Chinese characters with furigana to minimize ambiguity the same way the Japanese writing system does, the Korean version opts for 전황 (''Jeonhwang''), possibly from the Chinese morpheme 皇 (''hwang'') meaning "sovereign" or "emperor." | ||
− | " | + | == Design == |
+ | The "Ancient Warriors" archetype is based on figures from the [[wikipedia:Three Kingdoms|Three Kingdoms]] period of China, in particular their dramatized portrayals in the classic Chinese novel ''[[wikipedia:Romance of the Three Kingdoms|Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]''. Each "Ancient Warriors" monster is a counterpart to a figure from the Three Kingdoms period. | ||
− | + | Visually, "Ancient Warriors" monsters are human warriors wearing clothes or armor that based on certain beasts, which explains their Beast-Warrior typing. The artworks of all "Ancient Warriors" monsters depicts animal feathers or fur scattered in the air, which are distinct for every Attributes: white feathers for the WATER "Ancient Warriors", red and fiery feathers for the FIRE "Ancient Warriors", and the WIND "Ancient Warriors" might show certain beast fur instead. | |
− | |||
− | ===Members=== | + | === Members === |
− | {| class="wikitable | + | Each "Ancient Warriors" monster's name features their historical counterpart's surname and one character from their [[wikipedia:Courtesy name|courtesy name]]. Additionally, the Japanese names of the three "emperor" monsters—"Sun Mou", "Liu Xuan", and "Cao De"—also use the unused character from their courtesy names as their title.<!--e.g.: Cao De's Japanese name is literally "'Meng' of Senka, Cao De", playing on the fact that Meng also means Great.--> |
− | ! | + | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |
+ | |+ {{nowrap|Ancient Warriors Monsters}} | ||
+ | ! Attribute | ||
+ | ! Historical faction | ||
+ | ! Ancient Warrior | ||
! Origin | ! Origin | ||
! Courtesy name | ! Courtesy name | ||
+ | ! Beast reference | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | | rowspan=3 | [[File:WATER.svg|24px]] [[WATER]] |
− | | [[ | + | | rowspan=3 | [[wikipedia:Eastern Wu|Eastern Wu]] |
− | + | | [[Ancient Warriors - Graceful Zhou Gong|Graceful Zhou Gong]] | |
− | |||
− | |||
− | | [[wikipedia: | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | | [[ | ||
| [[wikipedia:Zhou Yu|Zhou Yu]] | | [[wikipedia:Zhou Yu|Zhou Yu]] | ||
| Gongjin | | Gongjin | ||
+ | | Swan | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | [[ | + | | [[Ancient Warriors - Masterful Sun Mou|Masterful Sun Mou]] |
− | | [[wikipedia: | + | | [[wikipedia:Sun Quan|Sun Quan]] |
− | | | + | | Zhongmou |
+ | | Turtle and snake | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | [[ | + | | [[Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing|Eccentric Lu Jing]] |
− | | [[wikipedia: | + | | [[wikipedia:Lu Su|Lu Su]] |
− | | | + | | Zijing |
+ | | Sturgeon | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | [[ | + | | rowspan=5 | [[File:WIND.svg|24px]] [[WIND]] |
− | | [[wikipedia: | + | | rowspan=5 | [[wikipedia:Shu Han|Shu Han]] |
− | | | + | | [[Ancient Warriors - Valiant Zhang De|Valiant Zhang De]] |
+ | | [[wikipedia:Zhang Fei|Zhang Fei]] | ||
+ | | Yide | ||
+ | | rowspan=2| White Tiger | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | [[ | + | | [[Ancient Warriors - Loyal Guan Yun|Loyal Guan Yun]] |
| [[wikipedia:Guan Yu|Guan Yu]] | | [[wikipedia:Guan Yu|Guan Yu]] | ||
| Yunchang | | Yunchang | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | [[ | + | | [[Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan|Virtuous Liu Xuan]] |
| [[wikipedia:Liu Bei|Liu Bei]] | | [[wikipedia:Liu Bei|Liu Bei]] | ||
| Xuande | | Xuande | ||
+ | |rowspan=3| Dragon | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | [[ | + | | [[Ancient Warriors - Ingenious Zhuge Kong|Ingenious Zhuge Kong]] |
| [[wikipedia:Zhuge Liang|Zhuge Liang]] | | [[wikipedia:Zhuge Liang|Zhuge Liang]] | ||
| Kongming | | Kongming | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | [[ | + | | [[Ancient Warriors Oath - Double Dragon Lords|Double Dragon Lords]] |
− | | [[ | + | | |
− | | | + | | |
+ | |- | ||
+ | | rowspan=3 | [[File:FIRE.svg|24px]] [[FIRE]] | ||
+ | | rowspan=3 | [[wikipedia:Cao Wei|Cao Wei]] | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Ambitious Cao De|Ambitious Cao De]] | ||
+ | | [[wikipedia:Cao Cao|Cao Cao]] | ||
+ | | Mengde | ||
+ | | Phoenix | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan|Fearsome Zhang Yuan]] | ||
+ | | [[wikipedia:Zhang Liao|Zhang Liao]] | ||
+ | | Wenyuan | ||
+ | | Demon | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Deceptive Jia Wen|Deceptive Jia Wen]] | ||
+ | | [[wikipedia:Jia Xu|Jia Xu]] | ||
+ | | Wenhe | ||
+ | | Bird | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | rowspan=2 | [[File:DARK.svg|24px]] [[DARK]] | ||
+ | | rowspan=2 | Independent | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Savage Don Ying|Savage Don Ying]] | ||
+ | | [[wikipedia:Dong Zhuo|Dong Zhuo]] | ||
+ | | Zhongying | ||
+ | | Boar | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng|Rebellious Lu Feng]] | ||
+ | | [[wikipedia:Lü Bu|Lü Bu]] | ||
+ | | Fengxian | ||
+ | | Demon | ||
+ | |} | ||
+ | Additionally, most "Ancient Warriors" monsters can be categorized by their historical basis and card effects into three monster design categories, with each of these categories having their own pattern of effects. | ||
+ | * "Leaders" are counterparts to the emperors and warlords of the Three Kingdoms period. | ||
+ | * "Warriors" are counterparts to the military generals of the Three Kingdoms period. | ||
+ | * "Tacticians" are counterparts to the strategists and statesmen of the Three Kingdoms period. | ||
+ | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | ||
+ | |+ {{nowrap|Ancient Warriors Monster Categories}} | ||
+ | ! Attribute | ||
+ | ! Leaders | ||
+ | ! Warriors | ||
+ | ! Tacticians | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | rowspan = 2 | [[File:WATER.svg|24px]] [[WATER]] | ||
+ | | rowspan = 2 | [[Ancient Warriors - Masterful Sun Mou|Masterful Sun Mou]] | ||
+ | | rowspan = 2 | - | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Graceful Zhou Gong|Graceful Zhou Gong]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing|Eccentric Lu Jing]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | rowspan = 2 | [[File:WIND.svg|24px]] [[WIND]] | ||
+ | | rowspan = 2 | [[Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan|Virtuous Liu Xuan]] | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Valiant Zhang De|Valiant Zhang De]] | ||
+ | | rowspan = 2 | [[Ancient Warriors - Ingenious Zhuge Kong|Ingenious Zhuge Kong]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Loyal Guan Yun|Loyal Guan Yun]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[File:FIRE.svg|24px]] [[FIRE]] | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Ambitious Cao De|Ambitious Cao De]] | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan|Fearsome Zhang Yuan]] | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Deceptive Jia Wen|Deceptive Jia Wen]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[File:DARK.svg|24px]] [[DARK]] | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Savage Don Ying|Savage Don Ying]] | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng|Rebellious Lu Feng]] | ||
+ | | - | ||
|} | |} | ||
− | ===Support=== | + | === Support === |
− | {| class="wikitable | + | "Ancient Warriors" Spell/Trap Cards are based on iconic events from either the historical period or the ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' dramatization. |
+ | {| class="wikitable" | ||
! Card | ! Card | ||
! Origin | ! Origin | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | [[ | + | | [[Ancient Warriors Saga - Defense of Changban|Defense of Changban]] |
| [[wikipedia:Battle of Changban|Battle of Changban]] | | [[wikipedia:Battle of Changban|Battle of Changban]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | [[ | + | | [[Ancient Warriors Saga - Sun-Liu Alliance|Sun-Liu Alliance]] |
− | | Alliance between Sun Quan and Liu Bei against their common foe, | + | | Alliance between Sun Quan and Liu Bei against their common foe, Cao Cao |
|- | |- | ||
− | | [[ | + | | [[Ancient Warriors Saga - Borrowing of Arrows|Borrowing of Arrows]] |
− | | [[wikipedia: | + | | [[wikipedia:List of fictitious stories in Romance of the Three Kingdoms#Borrowing arrows with straw boats|The Borrowing of Arrows in the Battle of the Red Cliffs]] |
|- | |- | ||
− | | [[ | + | | [[Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits|Three Visits]] |
| [[wikipedia:List of fictitious stories in Romance of the Three Kingdoms#Three visits to the thatched cottage|Three visits to the thatched cottage]] | | [[wikipedia:List of fictitious stories in Romance of the Three Kingdoms#Three visits to the thatched cottage|Three visits to the thatched cottage]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors Saga - East-by-South Winds|East-by-South Winds]] | ||
+ | | [[wikipedia:List of fictitious stories in Romance of the Three Kingdoms#Zhuge Liang_summons an eastern wind|Zhuge Liang summons an eastern wind]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors Saga - Chivalrous Path|Chivalrous Path]] | ||
+ | | [[wikipedia:List of fictitious stories in Romance of the Three Kingdoms#Guan Yu releases Cao Cao at Huarong Trail|Guan Yu spares Cao Cao at Huarong Trail]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Ancient Warriors Saga - Deception and Betrayal|Deception and Betrayal]] | ||
+ | | Lü Bu confronts Dong Zhuo, his adoptive father, with Cao Cao's forged imperial decree that summoned 18 princes to attack Dong Zhuo | ||
|} | |} | ||
− | ==Playing style== | + | == Playing style == |
+ | The "Ancient Warriors" have an overall playing style that focuses on swarming and [[beatdown]]. Many "Ancient Warriors" monsters have the ability to Special Summon themselves, remove the opponent's cards, gain additional advantageous effects if other "Ancient Warriors" monsters are present, and/or have effects that trigger only in response to actions taken by other "Ancient Warriors" monsters. | ||
+ | The "Ancient Warriors" monsters have a diverse range of effects, including card destruction, searching, effect negation, ATK change, protection, etc., and almost all "Ancient Warriors" monsters have multiple effects. "Ancient Warriors" monsters in each of its three main Attributes also each share an effect activation requirement for one of their effects:<!--The Attribute playstyle mimics their real-life kingdom counterpart; Shu Han is the underdog, Cao Wei is aggressive, Eastern Wu is "control-based"--> | ||
+ | {| class="wikitable" | ||
+ | ! Attribute | ||
+ | ! Effect requirement | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[File:WIND.svg|24px]] [[WIND]]{{efn|With the exception of "[[Ancient Warriors - Ingenious Zhuge Kong|Ingenious Zhuge Kong]]" and "[[Ancient Warriors Oath - Double Dragon Lords|Double Dragon Lords]]"}} | ||
+ | | If your opponent controls more monsters than you do | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[File:FIRE.svg|24px]] [[FIRE]] | ||
+ | | If a card(s) your opponent controls is destroyed by battle or card effect | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[File:WATER.svg|24px]] [[WATER]] | ||
+ | | If your other "Ancient Warriors" monster's effect is activated (except during the Damage Step) | ||
+ | |} | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ancient Warrior monsters also share some common effect patterns depending on their monster category (see [[#Members]]). | ||
+ | * "Leaders" generally feature searching effects and self-protection effects, the latter while they're alongside another "Ancient Warriors". | ||
+ | * "Warriors" are all Level 6+ monsters with summon-from-hand effects, and generally provide removal effects and apply protection to others. "Cao De" uniquely seems to be a Leader-Warrior hybrid, having both self-protection and summon-from-hand effects. | ||
+ | * "Tacticians" are all Level 4 monsters with high DEF and low ATK (excluding "Zhou Gong"), and provide supportive effects involving sending a friendly Continuous Spell/Trap to the GY. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In general, the deck is played as a Main Deck-based beatdown, utilizing its many summon-from-hand effects and searching effects to quickly swarm the board with board-controlling "Leader" and "Warrior" boss monsters. As such, their critical cards are their monster searchers, the in-archetypal ones being "[[Ancient Warriors - Masterful Sun Mou|Masterful Sun Mou]]", "[[Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan|Virtuous Liu Xuan]]", "[[Ancient Warriors Oath - Double Dragon Lords|Double Dragon Lords]]", and "[[Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits|Three Visits]]". | ||
+ | |||
+ | Their Spell/Trap cards, all of which are Continuous, favor the presence of "Ancient Warrior" monsters ("Three Visits", which searches an "Ancient Warriors" monster, and "Sun-Liu Alliance", which negates the activated effects of your opponent's monsters) or are battle-related, focusing on either battle protection ("Defense of Changbang" and "Chivalrous Path") or ATK manipulation ("Borrowing of Arrows" and "Sun-Liu Alliance") and card destruction ("East-by-South Winds"). The Spells all have effects that activate when they are sent from the Spell & Trap Zone to the GY (with the exception of "Sun-Liu Alliance") while the Traps have effects that they activate in the GY by banishing themselves. | ||
+ | |||
+ | A large number of "Ancient Warriors" monsters require sending a card from the hand or the field to the GY to activate their effect or Special Summon themselves; therefore, the archetypal Spell/Trap cards are prime targets for fulfilling this cost, since they have effects triggered upon being sent to the GY or GY effects. | ||
{{Decklist|Recommended cards | {{Decklist|Recommended cards | ||
<!--This is not an exact Decklist. Please do not add multiples or staples.--> | <!--This is not an exact Decklist. Please do not add multiples or staples.--> | ||
− | |||
|effect monsters = | |effect monsters = | ||
− | * [[ | + | * [[Alpha, the Master of Beasts]] |
− | * [[ | + | * [[Ancient Warriors - Ambitious Cao De]] |
− | * [[ | + | * [[Ancient Warriors - Savage Don Ying]] |
− | * [[ | + | * [[Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing]] |
− | * [[ | + | * [[Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan]] |
− | * [[ | + | * [[Ancient Warriors - Graceful Zhou Gong]] |
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors - Ingenious Zhuge Kong]] | ||
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors - Loyal Guan Yun]] | ||
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors - Masterful Sun Mou]] | ||
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng]] | ||
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors - Valiant Zhang De]] | ||
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan]] | ||
* [[Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo]] | * [[Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo]] | ||
− | + | * ''[[Kaiju]]'' monsters | |
|tuner monsters = | |tuner monsters = | ||
* [[Three Trolling Trolls]] | * [[Three Trolling Trolls]] | ||
− | + | |fusion monsters = | |
+ | * [[Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan]] | ||
|xyz monsters = | |xyz monsters = | ||
* [[Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King]] | * [[Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King]] | ||
− | + | * [[Diamond Dire Wolf]] | |
|link monsters = | |link monsters = | ||
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors Oath - Double Dragon Lords]] | ||
+ | * [[Barricadeborg Blocker]] | ||
+ | * [[Black Luster Soldier - Soldier of Chaos]] | ||
* [[Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eagle]] | * [[Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eagle]] | ||
+ | * [[Eria the Water Charmer, Gentle]] | ||
* [[Fire Fighting Daruma Doll]] | * [[Fire Fighting Daruma Doll]] | ||
− | + | * [[Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller]] | |
− | |spells = | + | * [[Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen]] |
− | * [[ | + | * [[Wynn the Wind Charmer, Verdant]] |
− | * [[ | + | |normal spells = |
+ | * [[Onslaught of the Fire Kings]] | ||
+ | * [[Small World]] | ||
+ | |continuous spells = | ||
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors Saga - Borrowing of Arrows]] | ||
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors Saga - Deception and Betrayal]] | ||
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors Saga - East-by-South Winds]] | ||
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors Saga - Sun-Liu Alliance]] | ||
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits]] | ||
+ | * [[Fire Formation - Ingen]] | ||
* [[Fire Formation - Tenki]] | * [[Fire Formation - Tenki]] | ||
* [[Fire Formation - Tensu]] | * [[Fire Formation - Tensu]] | ||
− | + | |normal traps = | |
− | |traps = | + | * [[Tri-Brigade Revolt]] |
− | * [[ | + | |continuous traps = |
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors Saga - Chivalrous Path]] | ||
+ | * [[Ancient Warriors Saga - Defense of Changban]] | ||
+ | * [[Fire Formation - Tensen]] | ||
* [[Call of the Haunted]] | * [[Call of the Haunted]] | ||
− | |||
}} | }} | ||
+ | == Weaknesses == | ||
+ | * The Deck is extremely reliant on its Normal Summon, specially that of "Liu Xuan" or "Sun Mou", which are the main starters of the deck | ||
+ | ** It also heavily relies on "Three Visits" as it's its main way of searching and generating field presence aside from "Liu Xuan" or "Sun Mou" | ||
+ | * While they all have Special Summoning conditions, the high presence of High-Level monsters can cause bricks, specially since their Summoning conditions rely on the field presence of other Ancient Warriors monsters, which aggravates the first problem, because if your Normal Summoned monster is destroyed, you won't likely be able to follow-up your strategy. | ||
+ | ** "Ingenious Zhuge Kong" can be a brick as well as he's better off Special Summoned via a search. | ||
+ | * While being a Go-2nd Deck, the "Underdog" mechanics of the WIND monsters makes them incompatible with commonly ran Go-2nd cards such as "[[Evenly Matched]]", "[[Lightning Storm]]" or "[[The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode]]", as they wipe the opponent's field presence on which the former rely on. | ||
+ | ** Similarly, the Deck lacks strong "first turn" options, having at most "Rebellious Lu Feng" or "Double Dragon Lords" as its "first turn" plays. | ||
+ | * The Deck has a hard time dealing with monsters that can't be neither targeted nor destroyed (such as a "[[Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax]]" summoned with "[[I:P Masquerena]]"), as such, the use of "Kaijus" is strongly advised. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Notes == | ||
+ | {{Notelist}} | ||
{{Archseries navbox}} | {{Archseries navbox}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[Category:TCG and OCG archetypes]] |
Latest revision as of 05:48, 22 June 2024
"Ancient Warriors", known as "Warring Flower" (
Etymology[edit]
The theme's Japanese name is a portmanteau of
A direct Sino-Korean conversion of
Design[edit]
The "Ancient Warriors" archetype is based on figures from the Three Kingdoms period of China, in particular their dramatized portrayals in the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Each "Ancient Warriors" monster is a counterpart to a figure from the Three Kingdoms period.
Visually, "Ancient Warriors" monsters are human warriors wearing clothes or armor that based on certain beasts, which explains their Beast-Warrior typing. The artworks of all "Ancient Warriors" monsters depicts animal feathers or fur scattered in the air, which are distinct for every Attributes: white feathers for the WATER "Ancient Warriors", red and fiery feathers for the FIRE "Ancient Warriors", and the WIND "Ancient Warriors" might show certain beast fur instead.
Members[edit]
Each "Ancient Warriors" monster's name features their historical counterpart's surname and one character from their courtesy name. Additionally, the Japanese names of the three "emperor" monsters—"Sun Mou", "Liu Xuan", and "Cao De"—also use the unused character from their courtesy names as their title.
Attribute | Historical faction | Ancient Warrior | Origin | Courtesy name | Beast reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
WATER | Eastern Wu | Graceful Zhou Gong | Zhou Yu | Gongjin | Swan |
Masterful Sun Mou | Sun Quan | Zhongmou | Turtle and snake | ||
Eccentric Lu Jing | Lu Su | Zijing | Sturgeon | ||
WIND | Shu Han | Valiant Zhang De | Zhang Fei | Yide | White Tiger |
Loyal Guan Yun | Guan Yu | Yunchang | |||
Virtuous Liu Xuan | Liu Bei | Xuande | Dragon | ||
Ingenious Zhuge Kong | Zhuge Liang | Kongming | |||
Double Dragon Lords | |||||
FIRE | Cao Wei | Ambitious Cao De | Cao Cao | Mengde | Phoenix |
Fearsome Zhang Yuan | Zhang Liao | Wenyuan | Demon | ||
Deceptive Jia Wen | Jia Xu | Wenhe | Bird | ||
DARK | Independent | Savage Don Ying | Dong Zhuo | Zhongying | Boar |
Rebellious Lu Feng | Lü Bu | Fengxian | Demon |
Additionally, most "Ancient Warriors" monsters can be categorized by their historical basis and card effects into three monster design categories, with each of these categories having their own pattern of effects.
- "Leaders" are counterparts to the emperors and warlords of the Three Kingdoms period.
- "Warriors" are counterparts to the military generals of the Three Kingdoms period.
- "Tacticians" are counterparts to the strategists and statesmen of the Three Kingdoms period.
Attribute | Leaders | Warriors | Tacticians |
---|---|---|---|
WATER | Masterful Sun Mou | - | Graceful Zhou Gong |
Eccentric Lu Jing | |||
WIND | Virtuous Liu Xuan | Valiant Zhang De | Ingenious Zhuge Kong |
Loyal Guan Yun | |||
FIRE | Ambitious Cao De | Fearsome Zhang Yuan | Deceptive Jia Wen |
DARK | Savage Don Ying | Rebellious Lu Feng | - |
Support[edit]
"Ancient Warriors" Spell/Trap Cards are based on iconic events from either the historical period or the Romance of the Three Kingdoms dramatization.
Card | Origin |
---|---|
Defense of Changban | Battle of Changban |
Sun-Liu Alliance | Alliance between Sun Quan and Liu Bei against their common foe, Cao Cao |
Borrowing of Arrows | The Borrowing of Arrows in the Battle of the Red Cliffs |
Three Visits | Three visits to the thatched cottage |
East-by-South Winds | Zhuge Liang summons an eastern wind |
Chivalrous Path | Guan Yu spares Cao Cao at Huarong Trail |
Deception and Betrayal | Lü Bu confronts Dong Zhuo, his adoptive father, with Cao Cao's forged imperial decree that summoned 18 princes to attack Dong Zhuo |
Playing style[edit]
The "Ancient Warriors" have an overall playing style that focuses on swarming and beatdown. Many "Ancient Warriors" monsters have the ability to Special Summon themselves, remove the opponent's cards, gain additional advantageous effects if other "Ancient Warriors" monsters are present, and/or have effects that trigger only in response to actions taken by other "Ancient Warriors" monsters.
The "Ancient Warriors" monsters have a diverse range of effects, including card destruction, searching, effect negation, ATK change, protection, etc., and almost all "Ancient Warriors" monsters have multiple effects. "Ancient Warriors" monsters in each of its three main Attributes also each share an effect activation requirement for one of their effects:
Attribute | Effect requirement |
---|---|
WIND[a] | If your opponent controls more monsters than you do |
FIRE | If a card(s) your opponent controls is destroyed by battle or card effect |
WATER | If your other "Ancient Warriors" monster's effect is activated (except during the Damage Step) |
Ancient Warrior monsters also share some common effect patterns depending on their monster category (see #Members).
- "Leaders" generally feature searching effects and self-protection effects, the latter while they're alongside another "Ancient Warriors".
- "Warriors" are all Level 6+ monsters with summon-from-hand effects, and generally provide removal effects and apply protection to others. "Cao De" uniquely seems to be a Leader-Warrior hybrid, having both self-protection and summon-from-hand effects.
- "Tacticians" are all Level 4 monsters with high DEF and low ATK (excluding "Zhou Gong"), and provide supportive effects involving sending a friendly Continuous Spell/Trap to the GY.
In general, the deck is played as a Main Deck-based beatdown, utilizing its many summon-from-hand effects and searching effects to quickly swarm the board with board-controlling "Leader" and "Warrior" boss monsters. As such, their critical cards are their monster searchers, the in-archetypal ones being "Masterful Sun Mou", "Virtuous Liu Xuan", "Double Dragon Lords", and "Three Visits".
Their Spell/Trap cards, all of which are Continuous, favor the presence of "Ancient Warrior" monsters ("Three Visits", which searches an "Ancient Warriors" monster, and "Sun-Liu Alliance", which negates the activated effects of your opponent's monsters) or are battle-related, focusing on either battle protection ("Defense of Changbang" and "Chivalrous Path") or ATK manipulation ("Borrowing of Arrows" and "Sun-Liu Alliance") and card destruction ("East-by-South Winds"). The Spells all have effects that activate when they are sent from the Spell & Trap Zone to the GY (with the exception of "Sun-Liu Alliance") while the Traps have effects that they activate in the GY by banishing themselves.
A large number of "Ancient Warriors" monsters require sending a card from the hand or the field to the GY to activate their effect or Special Summon themselves; therefore, the archetypal Spell/Trap cards are prime targets for fulfilling this cost, since they have effects triggered upon being sent to the GY or GY effects.
Recommended cards
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Weaknesses[edit]
- The Deck is extremely reliant on its Normal Summon, specially that of "Liu Xuan" or "Sun Mou", which are the main starters of the deck
- It also heavily relies on "Three Visits" as it's its main way of searching and generating field presence aside from "Liu Xuan" or "Sun Mou"
- While they all have Special Summoning conditions, the high presence of High-Level monsters can cause bricks, specially since their Summoning conditions rely on the field presence of other Ancient Warriors monsters, which aggravates the first problem, because if your Normal Summoned monster is destroyed, you won't likely be able to follow-up your strategy.
- "Ingenious Zhuge Kong" can be a brick as well as he's better off Special Summoned via a search.
- While being a Go-2nd Deck, the "Underdog" mechanics of the WIND monsters makes them incompatible with commonly ran Go-2nd cards such as "Evenly Matched", "Lightning Storm" or "The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode", as they wipe the opponent's field presence on which the former rely on.
- Similarly, the Deck lacks strong "first turn" options, having at most "Rebellious Lu Feng" or "Double Dragon Lords" as its "first turn" plays.
- The Deck has a hard time dealing with monsters that can't be neither targeted nor destroyed (such as a "Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax" summoned with "I:P Masquerena"), as such, the use of "Kaijus" is strongly advised.
Notes[edit]
- ↑ With the exception of "Ingenious Zhuge Kong" and "Double Dragon Lords"