Hieratic
"Hieratic", known as "Hieroglyphic" (
Contents
Design[edit]
The "Hieratic" archetype is based on Egyptian hieroglyphs and the Ennead, a group of Egyptian gods from Ancient Egyptian mythology. "Hieratic" monsters take the form of either "Hieratic Dragon" monsters or "Hieratic Seal" monsters. "Hieratic Dragon" monsters take the form of luminous humanoid winged dragons wearing golden scaly armor. "Hieratic Seal" monsters take the form of metallic spheres apparently formed by the armor pieces of "Hieratic Dragon" monsters, suggesting that they have sealed up their physical bodies inside them. Each "Hieratic" monster has an "eye" symbol based on the Eye of Horus marked on its armor.
Title | Hieratic Dragon | Hieratic Seal | Origin |
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Dragon | Asar | Osiris | |
Sutekh | Set | ||
Eset | Isis | ||
Nebthet | Nephthys | ||
Gebeb | Geb | ||
Nuit | Nut | ||
Su | Shu | ||
Tefnuit | Tefnut | ||
Dragon King | Atum | Seal of the Dragon King | Atum |
Sun Dragon Overlord | Heliopolis | Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord | Heliopolis (Ra) Ennead (OCG name) |
Sky Dragon Overlord | Heliopolis | ||
(Heavenly Spheres) | (All Hieratic Monsters) | Seal of the Heavenly Spheres | Celestial spheres |
Playing style[edit]
The "Hieratic" archetype revolves around having its monsters Tribute each other with their effects, in order to provide advantage and trigger their shared Trigger Effect to Summon Dragon monsters from the hand, Deck, or Graveyard. Excluding the "Hieratic Seal" Main Deck monsters, the "Hieratic" Xyz monsters, and "Hieratic Dragon" of "Sutekh", "Asar", and "Nuit", all "Hieratic" monsters trigger a mandatory Trigger Effect when they are tributed (regardless if from the hand or field), to Special Summon 1 Dragon monster from the player's hand, Deck, or Graveyard, who will have 0 ATK/DEF.
Hieratic | Trigger Effect Summon |
---|---|
Gebeb | "Hieratic" Normal Monster[a] |
Eset | Dragon Normal Monster[b] |
Nebthet | |
Su | |
Tefnuit | |
Heavenly Spheres | Dragon monster[b][c] |
- ↑ The only monster fitting this criteria is "Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord", who has 0 ATK/DEF.
- ↑ a b Make the summoned monster's ATK/DEF 0.
- ↑ "Heavenly Spheres" cannot summon from GY with this effect; it can only summon from hand or Deck.
This effect allows "Hieratic" monsters to compensate for the costs of being used as tribute fodder. The replacement monster would typically be summoned from the Deck, and would typically be a Normal Monster with some beneficial properties. Common options include Level 5 or 6 Dragon Normal Monsters to enable Rank 5/6 Xyz plays, or Tuner Dragon Normal monsters (e.g. "Galaxy Serpent") to enable Synchro plays. "Nebthet" and "Su" are the main monsters with Tributing effects to engage these Tribute Trigger Effects. They both can Special Summon themselves by Tributing a "Hieratic" monster from the field, and can destroy opposing cards by Tributing a "Hieratic" monster from hand or field. The Deck's starters are "Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit" and "Hieratic Dragon of Eset", who have easier Summoning conditions, and can still summon non-"Hieratic" Dragon Normal Monsters for more diverse plays; they would be first summoned onto the field, and then Tributed to Special Summon "Nebthet" or "Su" from the hand, triggering their Trigger Effects. The other monsters in the archetype have more varied effects.
- "Sutekh" and "Asar" can Special Summon themselves by banishing monsters from the GY.
- "Gebeb" and "Nuit" are Level 4 monsters that can be Normal Summoned without Tributes, and have conditional on-field effects to Summon Dragon Normal Monsters.
- The on-field effect of "Eset" equalizes the levels of the player's monsters for Xyz plays.
The archetype's Extra Deck monsters have simple but relatively powerful effects related to Summoning Dragons and Tributing.
- The Rank 6 Xyz "Atum" and the Link 2 "Heavenly Spheres" can both Special Summon Dragon Effect Monsters from the Deck, rather than just Normal Monsters, opening up far more combo opportunities. "Heavenly Spheres" also has an on-field disruption Quick Effect involving Tributing monsters from the hand or field.
- The Rank 8 Xyz "Sun Dragon Overlord" and "Sky Dragon Overlord" have offensive or defensive effects, sometimes involving tributing the player's monsters.
Externally, the archetype can combo with:
- "Ultimaya Tzolkin", using "Labradorite Dragon" or "Sea Monster of Theseus" (via "Instant Fusion") as the high-Level Tuner.
- Ritual Monsters, as most Ritual Spells Tribute monsters to perform Ritual Summons.
Recommended cards[edit]
Recommended cards
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From Hieratic Dragon Deck recipe sample[edit]
Hieratic Dragon Deck
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From Deck recipe PDF version (August 2013)[edit]
Vampire Hieratic Deck
ヴァンパイア | ||||
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Weaknesses[edit]
- Since the archetype primarily consists of high-Level monsters with restrictive Special Summoning conditions, and requires playing Normal Monsters for maximum advantage, the archetype has issues with dead draws, as the player may draw "Tributers" but no starter for it to tribute, or draw a starter but have no "Tributers" to tribute it.
- Since most "Hieratic" monsters require Tributing a preexisting monster to summon themselves from the hand, removing the initial monster summon before it can be tributed can shut down the Deck's plays.
- The Deck's playstyle is directly countered by:
- Anti-Tribute floodgates (e.g. "Mask of Restrict", "Fog King")
- Anti-LIGHT floodgates (e.g. "Light-Imprisoning Mirror", "Koa'ki Meiru Drago")
- Anti-high-Level floodgates (e.g. "Evilswarm Ophion", "Steelswarm Roach")
- Anti-Special Summoning floodgates (e.g. "Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo")
Trivia[edit]
- This archetype might have been released in order to celebrate the 2012 Year of the Dragon on the Chinese calendar.