Witchcrafter
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We take magic commissions.
— The archetype's tagline in promotional material
"Witchcrafter", known as "Witchcraft" (ウィッチクラフト Wicchikurafuto) in the OCG, is an archetype of monsters introduced in Deck Build Pack: Infinity Chasers/The Infinity Chasers. It is described as being a "Spellcaster theme that uses in-hand Spell Cards to employ various effects"[1].
Lore
Etymology
The names of the "Witchcrafter" monsters are based on various words in other languages related to craftsmanship and artistry; the name of the archetype is a portmanteau of "witchcraft" and "crafter".
| Witchcrafter | Origin |
|---|---|
| Genni | "Genius" in French |
| Potterie | "Pottery" in French |
| Pittore | "Painter" in Italian |
| Schmietta | "Blacksmith" in German (Schmied) |
| Edel | "Gem(stone)" in German ("Edelstein") or in Dutch ("Edelsteen") |
| Haine | "Clothes" or "Clothing" in Romanian |
| Madame Verre | "Glass" in French |
| Golem Aruru | "Golem" and "Aruru", another name of Ninhursag |
Playing style
"Witchcrafter" monsters are packed with two effects, with one of them being a Quick Effect that requires the player to discard a Spell Card to be activated. This effect of the lower-Level "Witchcrafter" monsters are all used to Special Summon another "Witchcrafter" monster from the Deck, in which case it can only be activated during the Main Phase, and as additional cost, the monsters also need to be Tributed. Meanwhile, this effect of the higher-Level monsters are various, ranged from Special Summoning another "Witchcrafter" from the hand, to destroying a face-up card, to negating the effects of all face-up monsters the opponent controls. "Witchcrafter Golem Aruru" has an effect to target a card the opponent controls or a "Witchcrafter" Spell in the player's GY, and return the target to the hand, thus making it a rather unique member, because it can recover a Spell instead of discarding them. This effect can be triggered when a Spellcaster monster is targeted by an attack or card effect while "Aruru" is in the hand, making "Aruru" some sort of a hand trap. As for the other effect, the low-Level "Witchcrafter" monsters all have the same cost to use it, that is by banishing themselves from the GY, which results in different effects. The high-Level ones, however, have more unique effects to use with different kind costs. Despite a lot of discarding cost for their effects, a "Witchcrafter" Deck can still cover these losses, since their exclusive Spells can return themselves from the GY to the hand during the player's End Phase, as long as the player controls a "Witchcrafter" monster. Depending on the situation, "Witchcrafter" players usually have two options in utilizing their Spells during a turn; either activating them to search, Special Summon, or backup the "Witchcrafter" monsters, or to discard them as ammunition for the monsters instead (in which case the Spells will return to the hand when that turn is over). Even if the player runs out of Spells in their hand to activate "Witchcrafter" monster effects, both of their Continuous Spells - "Witchcrafter Scroll" and "Witchcrafter Bystreet" - can be sent them from the field to the GY as the cost replacement, instead of discarding them, and they can still be returned face-up to the field from the GY during the player's next End Phase. Their Traps Cards, on the other hand, are used to salvage the used cards or even search for more cards; both also deal with banishment. "Witchcrafter Patronus" is useful to recycle the banished low-Level "Witchcarfter" monsters (due to their own effects in the GY), or the banished Spells due to the second effect of the other Trap, "Witchcrafter Masterpiece", to Special Summon a "Witchcrafter" monster from the Deck. Overall, the strategy of "Witchcrafter" is that of grind and control which involve bringing out their higher-Level monsters that can disrupt the opponent's plays. Due to the constant recursion effect of their Spells and "Witchcrafter Patronus" combo with "Spell Chronicle", the Deck is capable of slowly out resourcing the opponent by constantly adding Spell Cards to the hand to fuel their effects.
Recommended cards
References
- ↑ "Deck Build Pack – Infinity Chasers Themes Confirmed". The Organization. December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
