Zoodiac

Zoodiac
Various "Zoodiac" monsters in RATE Regional season (2017)
Japanese	十（じゅう）二（に）獣（しし） 十二獣 (base) じゅうにしし (ruby) Jūnishishi (romanized) Twelve Beasts (translated)
French	Zoodiaque
German	Zoodiak
Italian	Zoodiaco
Korean	십이수 十二獸 (Hanja) Sibisu (romanized) Twelve Beasts (translated)
Portuguese	Zoodíaco(a)
Spanish	Zoodíaco
Sets Raging Tempest Maximum Crisis TCG Raging Tempest: Special Edition OTS Tournament Pack 5 2017 Mega-Tin Mega Pack Korean Advanced Event Pack 2017 Vol.1
Anime appearances
Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Lists	Members Support

"Zoodiac", known as "Twelve Beasts" (十（じゅう）二（に）獣（しし） Jūnishishi) in the OCG, is an archetype of Level/Rank 4 EARTH Beast-Warrior monsters that debuted in "Raging Tempest".

"Master Peace, the True Dracoslayer" and "True King Lithosagym, the Disaster" appear to have a relation to this archetype in their lore, as seen in "Zodiac Sign" and "Zoodiac Combo", respectively.

Design

Appearance

The "Zoodiac" monsters are based on the Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac, with each monster being a slightly anthropomorphized version of their respective animal. Each monster also wears an oversized gauntlet on either their left or right forearm, with which they wield their own respective weapon.

Etymology

The Japanese name, "Jūnishishi", is a play on the terms "Jūnishi" (十二支), which refers to the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, and "Shishi" (獣), meaning "beast". The English name, "Zoodiac", is a portmanteau of the words "zoo" and "zodiac".

Members

Zoodiac	Origin
	Zodiac sign	Weapon
Ratpier	01 - Rat	Rapier
Broadbull	02 - Ox	Broadaxe
Tigermortar	03 - Tiger	Mortar
Bunnyblast	04 - Rabbit	Blunderbuss
Drident	05 - Dragon	Trident
Whiptail	06 - Snake	Snake whip
Thoroughblade	07 - Horse	Sword
Ramram	08 - Goat	Battering ram
Hammerkong	09 - Monkey	Hammer
Kataroost	10 - Rooster	Katar
Chakanine	11 - Dog	Chakram
Boarbow	12 - Pig	Bow

Playing style

The archetype's Main Deck monsters grants additional effect for any Beast-Warrior Xyz Monster they're attached to, ranging from protection against targeting effects, piercing battle damage, banishing opposing monster they battled, or even Summoning more monsters from the Deck.

The Xyz Monsters of the archetype, meanwhile, all possess variable (?) ATK/DEF, stemming from the total sum of the ATK/DEF of the "Zoodiac" monsters attached to them. Furthermore, each Xyz Monster can be Xyz Summoned once every turn by using 1 "Zoodiac" monster as Material (as long their names are different). Their Material requirements are generic, which means they can be used in other decks as well.

The biggest strength of this archetype is their capability of starting their sequences of play with just one card (any of their monster). With the collective strength from "Ratpier", "Broadbull", "Chakanine", and "Drident", in addition of having access to cards like "Zoodiac Barrage" or "Fire Formation - Tenki", gives them unrivaled consistency and card advantages overall, with almost no investment. Because of this, the deck doesn't require many of their Main Deck components, allowing them to incorporate several powerful cards that either increase their redundancy (such as "Shuffle Reborn" or "Soul Charge"), protect their field presences (such as "My Body as a Shield"), or even hindering their opponents (such as the Hand traps, "Solemn Strike" or "Dimensional Barrier") without affecting much of their consistency. By incorporating "Missus Radiant", they can also mitigate the restriction imposed by the new Master Rule 4 by providing them with power boost, recovery, and two Monster Zones to Summon their Extra Deck monsters.

Because of their compact size, they can be included in several other decks (mainly just "Ratpier" and "Whiptail" in Main Deck, while at least "Broadbull" and "Drident" in Extra Deck).

With the recent announcement of September 2017 Lists in TCG (and July 2017 Lists in OCG), in which "Zoodiac Broadbull" and "Zoodiac Drident" being Forbidden and "Zoodiac Ratpier" being Limited (in addition to "Zoodiac Barrage" being also Forbidden in OCG), the deck has lost much of their functionality (albeit their "one-card-Xyz Summon" strength still remains). In addition, "Daigusto Emeral" being Forbidden in TCG also greatly weakens their recovery aspect, forcing them to rely exclusively on "Zoodiac Combo" for that purpose, which is also made less reliable due to the Limitation of "Ratpier".

Weaknesses

Despite its unparalleled consistency, redundancy, and speed, it's not without its weakness. Their over-reliance on "Ratpier" makes it the prime target of any counter-attempt cards their opponents may utilize, such as "Chain Disappearance". "Dimensional Barrier" is one of their worst enemy (and one of the only ones they cannot play around), since its effect essentially leaves them without any moves during the turn it resolves. "Ghost Reaper & Winter Cherries" is also deadly for this deck, especially for eliminating "Zoodiac Broadbull" (which cuts off their main source of card advantage), or "Zoodiac Drident" (leaves them unable to interrupt opponent's moves).

Recommended cards

Recommended cards

Main Deck Monster Cards Effect Monsters Zoodiac Bunnyblast Zoodiac Kataroost Zoodiac Ramram Zoodiac Ratpier Zoodiac Thoroughblade Zoodiac Whiptail Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo Coach Captain Bearman Coach Soldier Wolfbark Spell Cards Zoodiac Barrage Zodiac Sign Fire Formation - Tenki Fire Formation - Tensu Pianissimo Shuffle Reborn Supply Squad Terraforming Trap Cards Zoodiac Combo Fire Formation - Tensen Extra Deck Xyz Monsters Zoodiac Boarbow Zoodiac Chakanine Zoodiac Hammerkong Zoodiac Tigermortar Coach King Giantrainer Diamond Dire Wolf Link Monsters Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eagle Fire Fighting Daruma Doll Missus Radiant