Armed Dragon
"Armed Dragon" (アームド・ドラゴン Āmudo Doragon) is an archetype of monsters introduced in Soul of the Duelist, composed primarily of WIND Dragon "LV" monsters. First support for this archetype did not appear until Duelist Pack: Legend Duelist 2, which also released cards that tie this theme heavily to the "Ojama" and A-to-Z themes. All three of these themes were used famously in one Deck by Chazz Princeton in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime.
"Hardened Armed Dragon" is not a member of this archetype, as its Japanese name does not contain「アームド・ドラゴン」.
Playing style[edit]
The original "Armed Dragon" archetype focused on sending cards from the hand to the Graveyard to destroy monsters on the field relative to the ATK of the monster sent. "Armed Dragon LV10", being the strongest, simply destroys all face-up monsters regardless of their ATK and any card could be sent from the hand to the Graveyard, rather than only monsters, as was the case with the lesser forms.
With the introduction of the Thunder series in Blazing Vortex, the archetype now focuses on expediting the process of 'leveling up' "Armed Dragon" monsters as quickly as possible, with each "Thunder" monster Summoning the next level of either group by discarding a monster. They also replenish advantage when sent to the GY as a cost, either by their own effects or by the effects of the originals, allowing them to Summon their strongest monster, "Armed Dragon Thunder LV10", on the first turn. Once "Thunder LV10" has been summoned, the archetype focuses on increasing its ATK as high as possible, since its effect at 10,000 ATK can destroy all other cards on the field to quickly end the Duel.
Players can also attempt to combine the Deck with "Ojama" cards, especially "Ojamatch" and "Ojamagic" providing searching and discard fodder, respectively. However, the combination can suffer from a lack of consistency: "Ojamagic" cannot be discarded to 'level up' an "Armed Dragon Thunder" monster, requiring it to be drawn alongside "Ojamatch", and the three Ojama brothers themselves can't replenish advantage like the "Thunder" monsters, meaning the Deck suffers if they are drawn instead of searched. "Armed Dragon Flash" can also fill much of the same role that "Ojamamatch" would. Unless one is attempting to Summon "Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon", it is best to focus on Dragon support and pushing "Thunder LV10" to its fullest.
Recommended cards[edit]
Recommended cards
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Weaknesses[edit]
- In general, the Deck's major weaknesses are its lackluster consistency, as it has few low-Level monsters and not many search cards, and its poor protection, with limited destruction protection from "Armed Dragon Lightning" and "LV10" only having immunity from switching control. Because of this, disrupting its initial plays will often put it too far behind to come back.
- "Deck Lockdown" prevents the Deck from playing at all without either removal or another Dragon-type extender in the hand.
- "Poisonous Winds" can prevent this Deck from maintaining any major field presence, as well as reducing the ATK of most monsters that they manage to Normal Summon.
