Alien
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| Japanese |
エーリアン | ||
| English |
Alien | ||
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The Aliens are a series of Reptile-Type cards introduced in "Power of the Duelist", with further support added in "Cyberdark Impact", "Strike of Neos", "Force of the Breaker, "Tactical Evolution, "Gladiator's Assault", "Crimson Crisis" and "Raging Battle". Alien decks focus heavily on exploiting "A-Counters", which weaken opposing monsters battling against "Aliens" and permit "Alien" users to activate a variety of specific theft, revival, and destruction effects. This is the first true Reptile archetype and one of the only archetypes, along with "Reptilianne", that focuses heavily on manipulating the opponent. with giant tentacles.
They seem to be based on many science-fiction views of aliens, and the way they operate in stories, such as brainwashing, genetic manupulation of some sort i.e tentacles, and strange biological experiments (as evidenced by "Interplanetary Invader "A"", which appears to be a mutated, living, or even intelligent form of an A-Counter). Their appearance seems to draw inspiration from these as well, like big eyes, a tail instead of feet, large claws, long tentacles, slender bodies, multiple arms&tentacles, etc.
Playing style
"Aliens" have a variety of lower-level monsters, such as "Alien Warrior" and "Alien Grey", that generate essential A-Counters. However, prior to "Crimson Crisis," they suffered from a distinct lack of effects to exploit these counters once they have been created. Cards like "Alien Telepath", "Alien Hypno", and "Alien Mars" have potentially disruptive, yet situational, effects. By contrast, the powerful field-clearing effect of "Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar", as well as the revival provided by "Code A Ancient Ruins", now give the deck a more reliable means of converting A-Counters into Card Advantage. "Crimson Crisis" also introduced "Planet Pollutant Virus", a card which doubles as mass-removal and lingering A-Counter generation. Cards like "Alien Overlord" from "Crimson Crisis" and "Alien Dog" from the subsequent "Raging Battle", also gave Aliens a newfound ability to Swarm the field.
"Crimson Crisis" and "Raging Battle" have indeed added a variety of needed support for "Alien" monsters, and as such there are now several different builds and play styles for the archetype. The "Alien" cards prior to "Crimson Crisis" emphasized lower-level effect monsters like "Alien Psychic" and "Alien Hunter", and monster manipulation, such as "Brainwashing Beam" and "Mass Hypnosis". While such a strategy is still possible, it is distinctly suboptimal when compared to modernized builds that emphasize Gol'gar and the easy destruction and revival (through its quick counter generation for "Code A Ancient Ruins") that it supplies. Gol'gar can further be paired with powerful Continuous Spell Cards, like "Prohibition" or "Burden of the Mighty", along with cards like "Ancient Forest" and "Swords of Revealing Light" to create a strong Control archetype that excels at A-Counter generation via Gol'gar's effect.
No monster in the archetype has over 2600 ATK, a value shared by Gol'gar and its underpowered predecessor, "Cosmic Horror Gangi'el", together the so-called "boss monsters" of the "Aliens". However, the reptile-type "Evil Dragon Ananta" can have some amazing field clearing abilities. Neither of these monsters counts as an "Alien" per se, and hence does not weaken opposing monsters burdened with A-Counters. This drawback is largely irrelevant, however, especially in the case of Gol'gar, which is the highest ATK Level 5 Monster Card in the game and able to eliminate most threats from the field either by its effect or said disproportionately high ATK.
All "Alien" decks ultimately rely on A-Counters to operate. A swarming "Alien" deck needs ample A-Counters to Special Summon Overlord and activate Code A Ancient Ruins. "Alien" decks that manipulate opponent's monsters via Alien Hypno,Brainwashing Beam, and Mass Hypnosis require A-Counters to maintain control of the pilfered monsters. Another important effect of an Alien deck is the A-Counter 300 effect, an effect that reduces the ATK and DEF of a monster by 300 points for every counter on it. Most Alien monsters have this effect included, such as Alien Warrior, Alien Grey and Alien Telepath, but some with powerful effects like Alien Hypno and Alien Dog do not. Not only this, the effect that reduces the Attack of monsters fighting Aliens works for each Alien with that effect on the field. Easily explained, (Number of monsters with ability) X (Number of counters on monster) X 300 = Amount of Attack lost.
Gol'gar control variants obviously exploit Gol'gar's ability both to generate A-Counters and to instantly convert those counters into free removal. There is a combo that uses Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar and Swords of Revealing Light. By using Gol'gar's ability to return face up spell and trap cards of your choosing back to the owner's hand, you can return your Swords of Revealing Light back to your hand and play it back on the field. By repeating this you'll have unlimited Swords of Revealing Light. Also you'll put A-counters on all face up monsters on the field including your own, and destroy pesky cards that your opponent controls (you can only use this combo once per-turn).
Weaknesses
"Aliens" are weak against decks with superior speed, such as "X-Saber","Legendary Six Samurai, or "Blackwing". The deck itself has little draw power outside of Grey which causes it to have trouble against faster decks like the ones above. Specialized Searchers such as "Gold Sarcophagus", "Oshaleon", "Snake Whistle", and "Damage = Reptile" can partially alleviate this problem by letting you retrieve your combo pieces more efficiently, but not all of them fit comfortably into the archetype and many of them can be situational as draws.
The Alien based deck is also bad against Gladiator Beast for one sole purpose: A-counters. When a Gladiator Beast tags out, it removes the A-counters so since they can all tag out with a few exceptions, the base of the deck, the A-counters, become useless rendering the main strategy useless. After that you can only fight back with sheer power and thats one thing most aliens don't have.You should stash a "G.B. Hunter" in your side deck to counter this.
"Aliens" also have no native, major offensive threat outside of Gol'gar. Although Warrior and Shocktrooper boast high ATK scores for Level 4 Monster Cards, they quickly lose value after the few first turns of the game, when Synchro Monsters, Fusion Monsters, and other powerful cards begin hitting the field. Gol'gar helps to keep "Aliens" in the race. Other Synchros like "Ally of Justice Catastor" (instantly Summonable by Ammonite and useful against "Lightsworns" in particular) also help the deck to keep a solid footing against those "speedy" decks. "Counter Cleaner" can make this deck useless if used correctly.
Recommended Cards
| Card Name | Reason |
|---|---|
| Monsters | |
| Alien Ammonite | Allows you to instantly Synchro Summon for a Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar by special summoning any level 4 Alien from your Graveyard. |
| Alien Dog | Gives you the ability to quickly control the field. By summoning Warrior and Special Summoning this card allows you to have two counters to summon Alien Overlord. Then, by playing a Code A Ancient Ruins, your Aliens are almost unstoppable, apart from mass monster removal. You can also special summon in response to Alien Ammonite for a level 4-8 Synchro Monster. |
| Alien Grey | This card adds only one A Counter, however it also grants draw power that is missing in this deck type, drawing an extra card. |
| Alien Hypno | Special Summon it with "Mysterious Triangle" or "Code A Ancient Ruins" and you can Gemini Summon it. If you played "Planet Pollutant Virus" before reviving Hypno, you could take control of all your opponent's monsters. |
| Alien Kid | Helps when an opponent swarms the field, especially when combined with Mass Hypnosis. |
| Alien Mars | This card negates the effects of monsters with A Counters so it can be used as a Skill Drain on your opponent's monsters. Doesn't negate the activation so cards like Stardust Dragon will still work. Can be used with Alien Ammonite to make Armory Arm |
| Alien Mother | Is similar to Goyo Guardian, helping your swarm but lacks the A-Counter 300 effect, making it hard to use against monsters stronger than itself. |
| Alien Overlord | One of the key cards of the deck, due to being easily summonable and fast to generate A-Counters. |
| Alien Psychic | Useful by having its ability, being a DARK for Chaos Sorcerer, and can be used with Crop Circles to pull Alien Ammonite out easier. Combined with a card like Overlord or Gang'iel you can maintain control over the field and stop all summoned monsters from attacking. With a Sakuretsu Armor or Magic Cylinder in case of swarming, it gives you a good control of the field. |
| Alien Telepath | Handy for Spell and Trap removal |
| Alien Warrior | A nice beatstick that helps generating A-Counters. Its effect allows you to special summon it from the graveyard with Code A Ancient Ruins. |
| Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning | Many strong Aliens are LIGHT and DARK, making this a surprising trump card. This is a little better than "Chaos Sorcerer" (below) due to the same effect with optional double attack in exchange for not using the effect. |
| Chaos Sorcerer | Many strong Aliens are LIGHT and DARK, making this a surprising trump card. Capable of removing troubling Monsters without having to attack them as well as banish them if they are a searcher like "Pyramid Turtle". |
| Cosmic Horror Gangi'el | A nice alternative to Overlord, which can generate counters each turn giving you good command of the battlefield, and is only held back with its high level. Combining with either Brainwashing Beam, Alien Mother, or Alien Hypno it is easily summonable however. |
| Evil Dragon Ananta | Powerful either as a finisher move or as a last resort. |
| Honest | Quite a large amount of Aliens are LIGHT attribute. Along with the ATK reduction effects, this card can provide extra protection against strong monsters. |
| Oshaleon | A searcher for Alien Ammonite. |
| Shining Angel | Can search Alien Ammonite and Alien Dog easily while thinning your deck. |
| Extra Deck | |
| Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar | The best generating card in this Archetype, with the best attack of all the five star monsters, and being easily synchro summoned by Alien Ammonite, you can gain control almost instantly by summoning Ammonite and dumping an Alien to the Graveyard with Lightning Vortex or Raigeki Break. Also, combined with Swords of Revealing Light you can generate A-Counters without being attacked. Can additionally bounce your opponent's Spells and Traps, causing some effects to not affect you properly. |
| Ally of Justice Catastor | A very powerful synchro that can help stall for a finishing move. Can also be summoned easily with Alien Ammonite and a Level 4 Alien monster. |
| Ancient Sacred Wyvern | Great card to finish your opponent off and can be easily summoned with Ammonite + Overlord. |
| Armory Arm | Easily Synchro Summoned using Alien Ammonite and Alien Mars or Alien Dog. Adds serious Effect Damage to Gol'gar or a stolen opponent's monster along with a huge boost in attack |
| Light End Dragon | |
| Spells | |
| "A" Cell Breeding Device | Good for steadily dispensing A-Counters |
| "A" Cell Incubator | Take counters off this card to effectively use effects for free. Having three of these on the field meaning each time you use an effect that removes A-Counters, you triple them instead. Can be destroyed using Alien Telepath in order to distribute the A-Counters. |
| "A" Cell Scatter Burst | A pretty useful card in case you have no A-Counters on the field. Destroys your Alien monster and places A-Counters equal to that monster's level on any monster your opponent has. If you have Code A Ancient Ruins on the field, a level 4 Alien equals 4 A-Counters, and you can resummon your monster again, works well with Mass Hypnosis, placing counters on as many cards as possible. Also, due to to the large amount of A-Counters that it creates, it can be used with basically any A-Counter using card. |
| Burden of the Mighty | Very powerful continuous spell that helps keep the usually low attack Aliens on par with powerful beatsticks. It can also be bounced with Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar. |
| Code A Ancient Ruins | You can use this card's effect, then return it to your hand with Gol'gar. You can then play this card again to Special Summon a second Alien from your Graveyard because returning this card to your hand bypasses the "Once per turn" limit. |
| Molting Escape | Equip to Reptile-Type, can prevent destruction by battle once per turn, increases ATK of protected monster by 300 each time it protects equipped, Gol'Gar can bounce to reuse on another "Alien" and gain A-Counters |
| Mysterious Triangle | This card destroys your Alien monster as well, so it can work with Code A Ancient Ruins. It also works well with Gol'gar, clear the opponent's field, swarm and attack for game. |
| Nightmare's Steelcage | Stops the opponent from attacking during their turn. On your turn Gol'gar can bounce it so you can attack and gain A-Counters, then play it again before you end your turn. |
| One for One | For Special Summoning Alien Ammonite and possibly Alien Psychic |
| Otherworld - The "A" Zone | Guarantees an extra ATK and DEF loss, meaning your smaller Aliens can survive. It is also bounceable with Gol'Gar |
| Solidarity | Gives a great ATK advantage and is good along side with Gol'Gar. However, it isn't recommended because it forces you to abandon using non-Reptile monsters, like Honest or Chaos Sorcerer. |
| Swords of Revealing Light | Stops the opponent from attacking during their turn. On your turn Gol'gar can bounce it so you can attack and gain A-Counters, then play it again before you end your turn. |
| Viper's Rebirth | This card destroys your alien monster, so it can work with Code A Ancient Ruins. |
| Traps | |
| Alien Brain | Use to take control of your opponent's strongest monster when they attack, for turning the tides or summoning Gang'iel |
| Brainwashing Beam | Useful to steal the only monster your opponent has. Unloading an "A" Cell Incubator on the targeted monster will keep it yours for a while. Will also allow you to have opponent's monsters for tribute and Synchro Summon. This card can also be bounced with Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar to switch monsters. |
| Cell Explosion Virus | A Mirror Force with a slight requirement that is easily met through this deck. Nasty response when your opponent thinks that your end is near. Bypasses Mirror Force's limited ban. |
| Crop Circles | This nifty card can trade in any monster on your side of the field (including opponent's monsters you have taken) for an Alien, you can tribute Psychic for Ammonite, Mother for Overlord and Skull for Warrior. If your opponent attempts to use Dimensional Prison or Sakuretsu Armor you can use this card, which will stop the effect. You can also trade in multiple cards to combine their levels, such as Alien Dog and Mars for Overlord or other combinations. |
| Damage = Reptile | A good card for swarming or replacing aliens on the field. When a weak reptile monster gets killed, you can bring out a monster with attack less then the damage you took. Difficult to use as most Alien's have 1600 ATK with the except of Alien Dog (whose effect is useless through this card), Alien Mars (useful but situational), and weaker cards like Ammonite or Physchic and Gray. |
| Detonator Circle "A" | Can counter an opponents attack, but has a double edged effect |
| Gravity Bind | Gol'Gar can bounce to reuse and gain A-Counters and cause a One-Sided affect limiting opponent from attacking |
| Light of Intervention | You can't place counters on face-down monsters. |
| Mass Hypnosis | A great card. Use with Alien Overlord's effect and you can gain all your opponents monsters. Acts like a temporary Alien Hypno without having to do any summoning. Bounce it with Gol'gar to allow control during each of your turns. |
| Offering to the Snake Deity | This card destroys your alien monster, making it work well with Code A Ancient Ruins. If you have two Ancient Ruins face up on the field, you can instantly bring the Alien you destroyed back. This also puts Aliens in the Graveyard for Alien Ammonite's effect. |
| Planet Pollutant Virus | Great field clearer that allows you to save yourself in a pinch. Places counters on monster summoned for the next three turns, and combined with a control trap, summoned monsters are quickly taken away. |
| W Nebula Meteorite | Easy way to bring Cosmic Horror Gangi'el onto the field. |
