Ninja
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"Ninja" (
A Deck based around "Ninjas" is tricky, due to the fact that the Spell, Trap, or Monster Card effects are just what you expect a real "Ninja" would use. For example, "Strike Ninja" can be removed from the field by banishing two DARK monsters from your Graveyard, only to come back to the field at the end of the turn (for "dodging" a card that might have destroyed it). "Upstart Golden Ninja" serves as a useful searcher, and can set "Armed Ninja", "Crimson Ninja" and "White Ninja" (who all serve as Spell, Trap, and Monster Card removal, respectively) from the deck, while "Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke" can destroy any face-up Defense Position monster by attacking it; "Sasuke" also has the highest ATK of any Level 4 or lower "Ninja" monster.And "Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo" searches for a ninjitsu art trap when normal summoned,and it searches for any ninja except itself when it is special or flip summoned. "Ninjitsu Art of Decoy" makes survival easy for "Ninjas", while "Ninjitsu Art of Transformation" allows you to trade your used "Ninjas" (such as the three aforementioned ones) for a more powerful, albeit ability inclined, monster. "Fuhma Shuriken", a Spell Card that equips to "Ninjas", will always deal 700 damage to the opponent when removed from the field. Lastly, "Senior Silver Ninja" gives the group the ability to swarm and capitalize on their Flip Effects by Special Summoning any number of "Ninja" monsters from the hand or Graveyard when he is flipped.
Overall, "Ninjas" have many abilities that can frustrate your opponents, though they are far from game-breaking. "Ninjas" are great against "Exodia" Decks, which focus on defensive monsters and Spells and Traps to stall for the titular card (which "Ninjas" are adept at destroying). Because of "Ninjitsu Art of Transformation", "Ninjas" fit well into "Harpie", Beast, Insect and especially "Monarch" Decks.
Playing style
To effectively use the archetype, "Ninja" Decks must use a large variety of monsters. WIND monsters are helpful for the effect of "Lady Ninja Yae", while DARK monsters are necessary for the effect of "Strike Ninja". In terms of Level, high-Level monsters that can be Summoned with "Ninjitsu Art of Transformation". Ideally, one should attempt to use monsters that fulfill several of these criteria; for example, "Brain Crusher" is both DARK and Insect.
"Ninja" Decks can be made in a variety of ways; however, there is very little archetype specific support, and the wide variety of cards needed render such Decks difficult to make. As such, "Ninja" Decks are rarely seen. However, they qualify for Warrior support, as well as the aforementioned WIND and DARK monsters. Since this Deck combines WIND and DARK monsters, "Dark Simorgh" is perfect in this Deck. As a Level 7 Winged-Beast-Type, it is also easy to call out with "Ninjitsu Art of Transformation" and any Level 4 "Ninja". The effect of "Lady Ninja Yae" works extremely well when "Roc from the Valley of Haze" is discarded to activate said effect, and "Ninjuitsu Art of Transformation" can then be used to sacrifice "Yae" for "Roc".
Although "Armed Ninja" and "Crimson Ninja" are "Ninjas", they will be difficult to use in a "Ninja" Deck, as their effects are sub-par, and most of the time their effects are only activated upon their being attacked and destroyed, making them difficult to effectively use with "Ninjitsu Art of Transformation". Their Level 1 also limits a duelist's options to support monsters such as "Nimble Momonga" or "Giant Rat". Using "Transformation" to Summon Beatdown monsters such as "Chainsaw Insect" and "Berserk Gorilla" is a waste, since the higher Level "Ninja" cards can be used to Summon better Beatdown monsters such as "Big Koala" and "Behemoth the King of All Animals", or the top two "Ultimate Insects" and "Insect Queen". "Transformation can be used to stall for better cards by Special Summoning high DEF monsters such as "Soul Tiger" or "Cocoon of Evolution". Another great card to Special Summon is "Stealth Bird", since it has decent DEF (1700), and can be flipped face-down to prepare for its Flip Effect damage. Though if one of these Ninja cards can survive your opponent's turn while face-up, you can use "Ninjitsu Art of Transformation" to Special Summon "Ultimate Insect LV3" during your opponent's End Phase. Then when your Standby Phase starts you will be able to level this monster up into "Ultimate Insect LV5" and gain its effect. Furthermore, destroying "Ninjitsu Art of Transformation" will not destroy the higher Level monster, since it was equipped to the previous Level monster. However, it will remain in the Spell & Trap Card Zone, since the previous Level monster was not destroyed, but rather Tributed.
"Senior Silver Ninja", which is the second highest-Level "Ninja" in the game at Level 6 (the third highest being "Karakuri Ninja mdl 7749 “Nanashick”", with the highest being the TCG-Exclusive "White Dragon Ninja"). Its effect is great support for all "Ninja" monsters, since it can Special Summon any number of "Ninjas" from your Graveyard face-down, reloading the effects of your used "Crimson Ninja", "Armed Ninja" and "White Ninja". At 2300 ATK and 2200 DEF, it is the second strongest monster of the "Ninja" archetype, the first still being the TCG Exclusive "White Dragon Ninja" (2700 ATK). If you run a Warrior-only "Ninja" Deck, you can use "The Immortal Bushi" to Tribute Set this card and start the "Ninja" Swarming.
"Armor Ninja"
Order of Chaos introduced a new Ninja sub-archetype: "Armor Ninja". Some potential combos:
- "Air Armor Ninja", "Earth Armor Ninja", and "Flame Armor Ninja" are meant to be used in conjunction with each other based on which Xyz monster the player plans to Summon, but with "Earth Armor Ninja" at the heart of the combo:
- Blade Armor Ninja:
- Summon "Earth Armor Ninja" first, then use "Air Armor Ninja" to lower the Level "Earth Armor Ninja" by 1, bringing him down to 4.
- Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja:
- Summon "Earth Armor Ninja" first, then use "Flame Armor Ninja" to increase the level of itself or another Level 4 "Ninja" monster by 1 for the Xyz summon.
- Summon "Earth Armor Ninja", then Tribute him to Set "Senior Silver Ninja". Either use "Book of Taiyou" or wait until he is flipped face-up. IF you used "Book of Taiyou", Special Summon "Earth Armor Ninja" and "Air Armor Ninja" and decrease the Level of "Senior Silver Ninja" by 1, bringing it down to 5 during your next turn or use card effects to flip them face-up.
- Blade Armor Ninja:
- "Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja" gets support in the form of "Masked Ninja Ebisu". Use the effect of "Ebisu" and send your opponent's Spell/Trap cards back to their hand. Then you can attack directly for 1500 and also discard 2 cards from their hand (if they have 5 or more), including some of the Spell/Trap cards you sent back with "Ebisu".
- You can even take this a step further, by using "Blade Armor Ninja" to have "Goe Goe" attack twice. You could potentially deal up to 6000 damage with "Ebisu", "Blade Armor Ninja", and 3 copies of "Goe Goe" on the field at one time, since "Ebisu" does NOT restrict the player to just one "Goe Goe", but cards named "Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja".
- Other than a boost to its swarming abilities, the "Ninja" archetype gains a huge boost in support. "Aqua Armor Ninja" can stop a direct attack, "Armor Ninjitsu Art of Freezing" acts as a one-time "Negate Attack" (in terms of effect) that also prevents your opponent's monster from changing battle positions so long as there is a face-up "Ninja", and "Armor Ninjitsu Art of Rust Mist" can halve the ATK of any monster Special Summoned to the field. Best of all, "Ninjitsu Art of Super-Transformation" can be used to take out one of your opponent's more troublesome monsters, and replace it with an even better Dragon, Dinosaur, or Sea Serpent-Type (which are more powerful and splashable monsters than the Beast, Winged Beast, or Insect-Type monsters "Ninjitsu Art of Transformation" is limited to).
Recommended cards
Trivia
- "Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja", "Masked Ninja Ebisu", "Lady Ninja Yae", and "Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke" are characters based on Konami's popular video game series Ganbare Goemon (Legend of the Mystical Ninja). Incidentally, all the "Sasuke Samurai" monsters are from this series, as well.
- In the anime, "Ninjas" were used by Jean-Claude Magnum. However, Magnum used only anime-only cards, and his "Ninjas" operated quite differently from the actual cards. His "Ninjas" had poor ATK, but many had effects allowing them to swarm the field.
- Also in the anime, ninjas were used by Kaze, but he used "Armored Ninjas". These focus on swarming the field and summoning quickly their triumph cards: "Blade Armor Ninja" and "Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja".
- "Blind Spot Strike", "Spy Attack" and "Debunk" suggests that "Ninjas" have some sort of rivalry with the "Six Samurai".
