Forum:Deck Guide/Wind-Up/1

Former version by BF2

Updated by Gadjiltron

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Intro

Here's a little drinking game: Flip through a bunch of Yu-Gi-Oh! Effect Monsters, and take a sip each time you see the phrase "Once per turn" anywhere.

Why are these three words important? It prevents already powerful effects from being spammed multiple times per turn. Looking at how often game-winning loops use the same few effects over and over again, it's easy to see why the "once per turn" or even the "once per Duel" phrase appears so often. Several cards which are currently Forbidden also lack those restricting phrases.

Then comes this one archetype that takes the "once per turn" phrase to a slightly higher level. Almost every one of the archetype's base monster effects can only be used once while they're on the field. There are ways to reset it, playing into the whole wind-up toy aesthetic, but it turns out that these workarounds open crazy combos that aren't held back by the Wind-Ups' "once on the field" restriction. Thus, later on, we get hard once per turns, phrased as "use effect of [card name] once per turn" which closes this loophole very tightly.

Mechanics

The Wind-Ups are an Xyz-centric archetype introduced in the early Xyz era, with cards running from GENF to ORCS exclusively with a single legacy support card in FLOD. Thus, you can see their age in the archetype, between the underwhelming effects for most part, not-so-stellar boss monsters, and lack of hard once-per-turns. This is both a blessing and curse; they can do things to compete with modern combo decks, but their boss monsters are basically stepping stones to generic bosses that other Decks can put out for less.

Most of the Main Deck monsters have effects that have a "once while face-up on the field" restriction, tying into their wind-up toy aesthetic. Each Wind-Up enters the field already wound, and using their effect expends the winding. You can re-wind them by flipping them down and back up, or taking them off the field and putting them back. The former is illustrated by some of their flip-down-and-up effects, but the latter method is far more efficient.

Wind-Ups are focused on being able to put out a toolbox of Rank 3 to Rank 5 Xyz monsters, and their main players have the ability to modify their levels to facilitate this. Due to their small Extra Deck lineup, they usually resort to putting out generic Xyz Monsters to fill the spaces, and in the modern day, they can access Link Monsters with ease.

Despite the mechanical aesthetic, only their Extra Deck monsters are actual Machines. Wind-Ups go between a whole gamut of Types, and can play easily through There Can Be Only One.

Analysis

Strengths

• Swarm: Between just three different Main Deck monsters, you can put out a crazy number of monsters and Link Climb to high heavens. Mind the Nib!

Weaknesses

• Extra Deck Dependency: Extra Deck spam is their strongest suit, but these toys are not very good outside of that. When you deny them that ability, they're forced to settle on their base monsters that struggle to contest the board alone.

The Basics

Monsters

• Wind-Up Magician - LV4 600/1800 can hold its own in base monster battles, and its main effect lets you Special Summon another Wind-Up monster from Deck if you trigger a different Wind-Up monster's effect. It looks a little unwieldy, but there are ways to trigger Magician's extension with great ease. Max it out.
• Wind-Up Rat - LV3 600/600 with one of the best abilities in the lineup. Change it to Defense to Special Summon another Wind-Up in Defense. They don't even have their effects negated. You can use Rat to Special Summon another LV3 (or something that can become LV3) and go into a Rank 3 Xyz. Looping with Rats is how you create a big board with this archetype. Max it out.
• Wind-Up Shark - This TCG exclusive gave Wind-Ups everything they need to become a competitor in the early Xyz era! If you Normal or Special Summon any Wind-Up monster, you can Special Summon Shark from your hand. This does start a Chain and procs Magician immediately, so Magician + Shark = 3 Wind-Ups on the board very easily. It's a LV4 but can modulate up or down, and that's not even a once-on-the-field restriction. Shark can synergize with any of the Wind-Up lineup to get Rank 3, 4, or 5. Its self-Summon effect also has no restriction! Max it out.
• Wind-Up Rabbit - A LV3 1400/600 Beast-Warrior is another TCG exclusive, with a Quick once-on-the-field that can blink out any Wind-Up monster until your next Standby Phase. Use it to safely reset your other Wind-Ups, or use it on itself to dodge removal and repeatedly proc Wind-Up activation triggers. Run 0-2.
• Wind-Up Hunter - LV3 1600/500 which can, once-on-the-field, Tribute a Wind-Up, including itself, to send a random card from the opponent's hand to the GY. Very potent, was the basis of the handloop that earned the Wind-Up's infamy, and got some of them on the list. Legal in the TCG, but banned in OCG. Mind the format.
• Wind-Up Soldier - LV4 1800/1200 and the face of the archetype, and easily the strongest base monster. You can boost its Level to 5 and its ATK to 2200 so that you can punch over most other LV4 monsters, and go into a Rank 5 with it after. Was decent in the heyday, but not too strong now that the Deck's strength has shifted away from Xyz toolboxing. Run 0-1.
• Wind-Up Warrior - The inverse of Soldier; LV4 1200/1800 which can boost any Wind-Up's Level by 1 and ATK by 600. You can bump a LV3 so that you can access a Rank 4, or turn Warrior into a lackluster LV5. Even in the Wind-Up heyday, it gets glossed over. Avoid.
• Wind-Up Knight - LV4 1800/1200 with a once-only negation of an attack. If you need stats, Knight is also a reasonable beater. But its effect is reactive, it doesn't help to extend or modulate. Avoid.
• Wind-Up Dog - LV3 1200/600 with the ability to push itself to a LV5 1800 ATK monster. Dog can't beat as well as Soldier can, but it can at least scale itself up to a Rank 5 play. It's far less flexible than Shark, though. But its Beast typing means you can pair it with Rat for a Rescue Cat combo. Run 0-1.
• Wind-Up Bat - LV1 300/350 isn't winning battles or making great Xyz, and its effect to return Wind-Up monsters in GY to the hand is very underwhelming. If you're using a Normal Summon on this card you'll find that your play tends to just... stop short afterwards. Avoid.
• Wind-Up Honeybee - If destroyed by battle, you Special Summon a Wind-Up monster from your Deck. Was fair back in the day, but now we're long past the age of battle-destruction recruiters. On its own, its LV1 100/300 body struggles to fight or make Extra Deck plays. Avoid.
• Wind-Up Kitten - LV2 800/500 is pretty incompatible for most Wind-Up combos, but it does have a powerful Ignition effect that bounces an opponent's monster. It's actually seen a life in some Spright builds because of proactive removal and its Level nestling into their combo lines, but for the typical Wind-Up Deck, Avoid.
• Wind-Up Snail - An LV2 counterpart to Kitten that can bounce a Set card. In an environment rich in face-downs, you can still bet that most Set backrow is easily Chainable. You can easily see why Spright builds prefer the Kitten. Avoid.
• Wind-Up Juggler - LV4 1700/1000 can hold its own in most battles, and if you're swinging into something you can't beat normally, you can destroy the opposing monster with its own effect. The once-while-face-up part is largely irrelevant unless you're thinking of it to smash open multiple defenders that you can't destroy in battle, but that situation is rare enough as is. Run 0-1.

Extra Deck

• Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity - A generic 2-mat Rank 3 1500/1500 monster with two simple effects that are soft once-per-turns. You can detach an Xyz Material to either Special Summon a Wind-Up from your Deck, or return a newly-destroyed Wind-Up from you GY to your hand. The first effect is used far more, and is the focus of the advantage loop. Rat + LV3 makes Zenmaity, detach Rat to Summon Rat, activate the new Rat to revive the old Rat, make another Zenmaity, repeat. The fact that this is compatible with Hunter makes the infamous handloop. Zenmaity is banned in TCG, but legal in OCG.
• Wind-Up Zenmaines - Another generic 2-mat Rank 3 with 2100 DEF. It resists destruction by detaching Xyz Materials instead, and if it triggers that effect and still survives to the End Phase, you get to destroy a card. It was a fantastic wall to sit behind back in the day, but in the modern day, with the cramped Extra Deck slots, you really want something more proactive. Run 0-1; 1 if you want to be nostalgic.
• Wind-Up Zenmaister - The original boss monster is a generic Rank 4 which bears the very involved early Xyz Monster design. 1900 ATK is a bit low for a Rank 4, but it gains 300 ATK per Material. Detaching a Material flips down a monster you control, and then flips it back up at the End Phase. While that was great for resetting Wind-Up effect usages, it was also held back by how these effects are mostly Ignition effects, and don't easily benefit from the delayed flip-up at the End Phase. Avoid.
• Wind-Up Arsenal Zenmaioh - The big beater at the top of the Wind-Up boss lineup. 2600 ATK is fantastic for a Rank 5, and you can detach a Material to destroy 2 Set cards. Great for clearing threatening backrow or opening the way for a clear shot at the opponent. Great for the Rank 5 toolbox. Run 1 if you can afford Extra Deck room.
• Wind-Up Zenmaintenance - The obligatory archetype Link Monster added in the Link era. Needs any two Wind-Up monsters so you can even use expended Zenmaities for its Summon. When Link Summoned, you get to search a Wind-Up card, opening access to one specific S/T support in addition to the entire Main Deck monster lineup. You can also banish one of your Wind-Up monsters face-down and Summon a monster of the same name from the Main Deck, effectively giving a "reset" of that monster. Both effects are great, especially if you're reusing a Rat to continue to extend. Run 1-2.

Spells and Traps

• Wind-Up Factory - The equivalent of Black Whirlwind for the archetype. Activate a Wind-Up effect, and you get to search your Deck for a Wind-Up monster. This one's a soft once-per-turn, and you can combo with Rabbit's repeated Quick blinks to get a lot of advantage over several turns. It's also searchable with Zenmaintenance! Run 1.
• Legendary Wind-Up Key - Flip all your monsters face-down, effectively resetting your Wind-Ups, but you'll have to manually flip them back up, which you can't do to a newly-Summoned Wind-Up. We've gone beyond the age of needing to reset their once-only effects. If you need a mass flipdown, you're better off running Book of Eclipse. Being searchable doesn't help it. Avoid.
• Zenmailfunction - Special Summon a Wind-Up from your GY in Defense Position, but effects are negated. There's nothing stopping you from attempting to activate the effect, but you can also trigger Factory and Magician this way. Even still, you get a new bod on the board. However, mind that the Defense Position restriction keeps you from dry-firing Rat. Shame that it can't be searched. Run 0-1.
• Zenmailstrom - Tribute a Wind-Up with 1500 or more ATK, then Special Summon two Wind-Up monsters with the same ATK: one from hand, one from Deck. If you look through the Main Deck lineup, you can find some interesting combos like Rat + Magician, Soldier + Knight, or just two copies of the same card. But for each to come from different areas, combined with the Tribute cost, and the fact that it's a Trap card, makes it really clunky. Would've been nice if it was a Spell! Avoid.
• Zenmairch - In-house Beast Soul Swap. Bounce a Wind-Up and Special Summon one of the same Level from your hand. Nothing's stopping you from Summoning the card you just bounced, and you can reset a one-use effect this way. But, again, ignition effects don't play nice with Trap cards. Avoid.
• Zenmaiday - Strap a Wind-Up onto a Machine Xyz monster you control, or send this card to the GY to rank-up a Wind-Up Xyz. Would be great if the Wind-Up Xyz lineup had more members. Right now, its lack of targets makes it really poor.
• Overwind - Double a Wind-Up's ATK and DEF but bounce it at the End Phase. Okay for a finishing blow or to catch an attacker unawares. Not exactly Honest, though. Run up to 1.
• Weights & Zenmaisures - Target two Wind-Ups with different Levels, your opponent chooses one of them, and they both modulate to it. If they chose the lower Level, you draw a card. However, the Wind-Ups themselves have plenty of ways to modulate, though it's a slightly devious way to access Rank 1 or 2 with certain combinations. But why let the opponent have a choice? Do it yourself! Avoid.

Supplementary Cards

The Wind-Ups are dated, so we compensate with generic cards.

Rank 3 Turbo

Zenmaity is easily your best extender, and it's not picky about what makes it. The Wind-Up base generally struggles with making the Party Boat turn 1, so what can we do?

• Speedroid Terrortop + Speedroid Taketomborg - Special Summon two LV3 monsters without using a Normal Summon. This gives you the freedom to then Normal a Wind-Up monster and go into full combo, in the off chance you're missing Shark.
• Rescue Cat - Puts out two LV3 Beasts, which include Rat and Dog. If you need other Beast names, you can include the likes of Danger!? Jackalope? since that card is also an extender and a LV3 Beast. It's a one card combo, easily bridged by Small World, but a giant Ash target.
• Psychic Wheeleder + Psychic Tracker - These guys can Special Summon themselves easily the moment you put down a LV3 monster. You can also fetch them with Emergency Teleport.

Extra Deck

• Number F0: Utopic Future + Number F0: Utopic Draco Future - Putting out two Zenmaities is easy! Turn them into a very stubborn man who can negate things.
• Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess - You swarm like no tomorrow, and can turn all this into a 3- or 4-mat Apollousa.
• Abyss Dweller - For formats where GY-reliant Decks are popular. Use a Shark as Material to make it a little harder to beat over.
• Springans Merrymaker + Gigantic "Champion" Sargas - Search for Therion "King" Regulus and equip a used Zenmaity to it, thus putting out another omni-negate for your opponent to fight through.
• Mecha Phantom Beast Auroradon - (OCG/Master Duel only) Did you know that Zenmaity and Zenmaintenance are both Machines? If you can afford a few extra bricks and Extra Deck space, you can end on crazy boss monsters that are very difficult to overcome on top of your other things. Mind the field space!

Combo Lines

So what can you do with this Deck? How about something like this? Bear in mind that these are all legal only in OCG or Master Duel.

Wind-Up Magician + Wind-Up Shark

1. Normal Summon Magician. Trigger Shark's Special Summon effect in hand. Trigger Magician's effect, Special Summoning Wind-Up Rat from Deck in Defense Position.
2. Link Summon Wind-Up Zenmaintenance using Shark and Magician. Search for a second Shark.
3. Use Zenmaintenance, banishing the first Rat face-down to Special Summon a second Rat in Attack Position.
4. Activate second Rat, Special Summon Magician in Grave. Trigger Shark in hand. Trigger Magician and Special Summon Wind-Up Rabbit.
5. Modulate Shark to Level 3.
6. Overlay the Level 3 Shark and the second Rat for Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity.
7. Detach a Material from Zenmaity to Special Summon the third Rat in Attack Position. Activate it and Special Summon Shark.
8. Overlay Shark and Magician for any Rank 4 Xyz of your choice. It can be the likes of Daigusto Emeral or Abyss Dweller.
9. Use Rabbit's effect to banish the third Rat.
10. Link Summon Mecha Phantom Beast Auroradon using Zenmaity and Zenmaintenance. Special Summon three Mecha Phantom Beast Tokens.
11. Use the second effect to Tribute Auroradon for Mecha Phantom Beast Warbluran.
12. Use Warbluran and a Token to Synchro Summon Cupid Pitch. Increase its Level to 5.
13. Use Cupid Pitch and the last Token to Synchro Summon Borreload Savage Dragon. Equip Auroradon to Borreload Savage. Use Cupid Pitch's effect to search Nemeses Corridor.
14. Special Summon Corridor by shuffling the banished Rat into the Deck.
15. Tribute Nemeses Corridor for the alternate Summon condition of Thunder Dragon Colossus.

Endboard: Thunder Dragon Colossus, Borreload Savage Dragon with 3 Counters, Rank 4 Xyz of your choice.

Rescue Cat combo

1. Normal Summon Rescue Cat and Tribute it for two Level 3 Beasts, including Wind-Up Dog.
2. Xyz Summon Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity.
3. Detach Dog from Zenmaity and Summon Wind-Up Rat in Attack Position.
4. Activate Rat, Special Summoning Dog from your GY.
5. Zenmaity + the non-Rat Wind-Up = Wind-Up Zenmaintenance. Search for a second Shark.
6. Use Zenmaintenance, banishing the used first Rat face-down to Special Summon a second Rat in Attack Position.
7. Activate the second Rat, Special Summon Dog.
8. Xyz Summon the second Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity.
9. Detach a Material from Zenmaity to Special Summon Wind-Up Magician. Trigger Shark in hand to Special Summon itself. Trigger Magician's effect to Special Summon Wind-Up Rabbit.
10. Overlay Shark and Magician for any Rank 4 Xyz of your choice. It can be the likes of Daigusto Emeral or Abyss Dweller.
11. Use Rabbit's effect to banish itself.
12. Link Summon Mecha Phantom Beast Auroradon using Zenmaity and Zenmaintenance. Special Summon three Mecha Phantom Beast Tokens.
13. Use the second effect to Tribute Auroradon for Mecha Phantom Beast Warbluran.
14. Use Warbluran and a Token to Synchro Summon Cupid Pitch. Increase its Level to 5.
15. Use Cupid Pitch and the last Token to Synchro Summon Borreload Savage Dragon. Equip Auroradon to Borreload Savage. Use Cupid Pitch's effect to search Nemeses Corridor.
16. Special Summon Corridor by shuffling the banished Rabbit into the Deck.
17. Tribute Nemeses Corridor for the alternate Summon condition of Thunder Dragon Colossus.

Endboard: Thunder Dragon Colossus, Borreload Savage Dragon with 3 Counters, Rank 4 Xyz of your choice.

Generic Rank 3 Turbo + Wind-Up Shark

1. Use whatever means you have to put out two Level 3 monsters. (This assumes that neither of those Level 3 monsters is a Wind-Up monster.)
2. Xyz Summon Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity.
3. Detach a Material from Zenmaity to Special Summon Wind-Up Magician. Trigger Wind-Up Shark in hand to Special Summon itself. Trigger Magician and Special Summon Wind-Up Rat.
4. Link Summon Wind-Up Zenmaintenance using Magician and Zenmaity. Search for a second Shark.
5. Use Zenmaintenance, banishing the first Rat face-down to Special Summon a second Rat in Attack Position.
6. Activate the second Rat, Special Summoning Wind-Up Magician from the GY. Trigger Shark in hand and Special Summon itself. Trigger Magician to Special Summon Wind-Up Rabbit.
7. Activate Rabbit to banish the used Rat.
8. Overlay the LV3 Shark with Rabbit for Zenmaity.
9. Overlay the LV4 Shark with Magician for a Rank 4 Xyz of your choice.
10. Detach a Material from Zenmaity for the third Rat in Attack Position.
11. Link Summon Mecha Phantom Beast Auroradon using Zenmaity and Zenmaintenance. Special Summon three Mecha Phantom Beast Tokens.
12. Use the second effect to Tribute Auroradon for Mecha Phantom Beast Warbluran.
13. Use Warbluran and a Token to Synchro Summon Cupid Pitch. Increase its Level to 5.
14. Use Cupid Pitch and the last Token to Synchro Summon Borreload Savage Dragon. Equip Auroradon to Borreload Savage. Use Cupid Pitch's effect to search Nemeses Corridor.
15. Special Summon Corridor by shuffling the banished Rat into the Deck.
16. Tribute Nemeses Corridor for the alternate Summon condition of Thunder Dragon Colossus.
17. Activate the third Rat and Special Summon Rabbit.
18. Overlay Rat and Rabbit for the third Zenmaity, putting it in the Extra Monster Zone.
19. Detach a material from Zenmaity to Special Summon the copy of Rat you just shuffled into the Deck.
20. Activate Rat and Special Summon a Zenmaity from GY.
21. Overlay both copies of Zenmaity for Number F0: Utopic Future, and then change it to Number F0: Utopic Draco Future.

Endboard: Thunder Dragon Colossus, Borreload Savage Dragon with 3 Counters, Rank 4 Xyz of your choice, Utopic Draco Future.

Example Deck

Decklist purposely left incomplete to display the core of the Deck. Fill the empty slots with cards as you see fit.

Stop and Rewind

Main Deck Monster Cards Wind-Up Rat x3 Wind-Up Magician x3 Wind-Up Shark x3 Wind-Up Rabbit Wind-Up Dog Rescue Cat x3 Danger!? Jackalope? x3 Danger!? Tsuchinoko? x2 Speedroid Terrortop Speedroid Taketomborg Spell Cards Wind-Up Factory Zenmailfunction Small World x3 Extra Deck Xyz Monsters Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity x3 Number F0: Utopic Future Number F0: Utopic Draco Future Daigusto Emeral Abyss Dweller Link Monsters Wind-Up Zenmaintenance