Bystial
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"Bystial", known as "Byssted" (ビーステッド Bīsuteddo) in the OCG, is an archetype of LIGHT and DARK Dragon monsters which first debuted in Darkwing Blast.
Contents
Lore
Etymology
"Bystial" is a portmanteau of "abyss" and "bestial".
The Japanese name "Byssted" is a portmanteau of "abyss" and "beast". "Byssted" also uses the kanji 「深淵の獣」, literally meaning "abyss beast". The Japanese names of the Special Summon Monsters use the same kanji, but they instead read as "The Byssted" (in reference to the Beast of Revelation).
The Level 6 "Bystial" Effect Monsters are named after the first kings of Britain according to Annio da Viterbo's Berossus (Viterbo's work was later revealed to be a fabrication and became known as the Pseudo-Berossus). One of the kings in Viterbo's list is the mythological Albion, who is said to be the son of Poseidon and supposedly the namesake of the island of Albion (the archaic name of Great Britain).
Design
Members
Effect Monsters
The "Bystial" monsters that can be Normal Summoned are all Level 6 DARK Dragon monsters with 2500 ATK and 2000 DEF.
| Bystial | Name origin | |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon | Viterbo's king | |
| Baldrake | Drake | Bardus |
| Druiswurm | Lindwurm | Druis |
| Magnamhut | Bahamut | Magus |
| Saronir | Fáfnir | Saron |
Special Summon Monsters
| Level | The Bystial | Tribute requirement | Original form |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Lubellion | 1 Level 6 or higher DARK Dragon monster | The Bystial Aluber |
| 10 | Dis Pater | 1+ non-Tuner Dragon monsters | Dogmatika Alba Zoa |
| 12 | Alba Los | 2 "Bystial" monsters | The Bystial Lubellion + Despian Proskenion |
Playing style
"Bystial" is a Dragon theme centered on banishing resources and general disruption of the opponent's plays. All Level 6 members of the theme have effects if Special Summoned or sent to the GY, and additionally share the following effect:
"You can target 1 LIGHT or DARK monster in either GY; banish it, and if you do, Special Summon this card from your hand. This is a Quick Effect if your opponent controls a monster."
This effect is the crux of the archetype's ability to disrupt the opponent's plays that rely on particular DARK or LIGHT monsters remaining in their Graveyard, serving as hand traps. Among the Level 6 members, "Bystial Magnamhut" is the most useful since it can add any Dragon monster from the user's Deck or GY to their hand, including other "Bystial" monsters. "Bystial Druiswurm" can send an opponent's Special Summoned monster to the GY if "Druiswurm" is sent to the GY, while "Bystial Baldrake" can Tribute one other LIGHT or DARK monster the user controls to banish a Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link Monster the opponent just Special Summoned, making the duo serve as effective removal options. Finally, "Bystial Saronir" can send other "Bystial" monsters or "Branded" Spells/Traps to the GY if it is sent to the GY.
Typically in a "Bystial"-focused Deck, the Level 6 "Bystial" monsters also serve as tributes for the higher Level members of the theme, "The Bystial Lubellion" and "The Bystial Alba Los". "Lubellion" is a Level 8 monster that can be Special Summoned from hand or GY by tributing 1 Level 6 or higher DARK Dragon monster with effects to not only send itself from hand to GY to search a Level 6 or lower "Bystial" monster but also to place "Branded" Continuous Spell/Trap cards from the Deck face-up in the user's Spell & Trap Zone. "Alba Los" is the highest leveled monster and requires tributing 2 "Bystial" monsters to Special Summon itself. This card can negate the effects of any face-up Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link monster on the field with the additional effect to banish all cards from each player's Extra Deck face-up if it leaves the field by a card effect. "Bystial Dis Pater" is a powerful Synchro Monster that can Special Summon any LIGHT or DARK monster that is banished, or it can shuffle any banished card back to the Deck in response to an opponent if they're using a monster effect, either negating their effect or destroying said card.
"Bystial" monsters generally support and are supported by "Branded" cards, in particular with their Continuous Spells/Traps. The two most useful "Branded" cards are "Branded Regained" and "Branded Beast". "Regained" allows the player to recur card advantage, gaining a draw by recovering a LIGHT or DARK monster that was just banished whilst also being able to revive "Bystial" monsters whenever the opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster(s). Meanwhile "Beast" can destroy an opponent's card they control by tributing a Dragon monster while the player controls a "Bystial" monster, making it pair well with "Druiswurm" for removing cards on the opponent's field and can recover other "Branded" Continuous Spells/Traps from the GY (typically those sent to the GY with "Bystial Saronir"). Other "Branded" cards include "Branded Befallen", which can protect the user's "Bystial" monsters from the opponent's interactions by banishing a LIGHT or DARK monster, and "Etude of the Branded", which allows the user to Synchro Summon during their opponent's turn and also banishes any monster sent to the opponent's GY if the opponent would use monsters as material for a Fusion, Synchro or Link Summon, or Tributes for a Ritual Summon while the user controls a "Bystial" monster.
"Bystial" monsters and their supported "Branded" Spell/Traps fair very well in any deck using LIGHT and/or DARK monsters, especially modern Chaos Dragon decks. In particular, they synergize most effectively with the "Branded-Despia" playstyle (the "Despia" archetype, "Fallen of Albaz" alongside with their specific supporting cards) due to the large number of cards in the "Branded" archetype as a whole; many of them support the playstyles of both themes. Outside of these deck themes, the Level 6 "Bystial" monsters (mainly "Magnamhut" and "Druiswurm") are also included in other Decks as staples for their hand trap utility.
Recommended cards
Recommended cards
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