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Monarch
"Monarch" (
"Monarchs" are used by The Light Brigade in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime, Sylvio Sawatari in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime and manga, and Kyoji Mikado in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V The Strongest Duelist Yuya!! manga.
Additionally, there is an archetype of "Monarch" Spells and Traps (e.g. "March of the Monarchs") designed to support Tribute Summons and monsters with ATK and DEF similar to "Monarch" monsters, although they often prevent Summons from the Extra Deck. The artwork of these cards features the evolution of a "Monarch" into their "Mega Monarch" form, and are released in the same sets of their corresponding "Mega Monarch".
Contents
Design[edit]
"Monarch" monsters are armored humanoids with large and imposing statures and wearing heavy armor that are colored accordingly to their attribute. Every "Monarch" monster has a large cloak either on its back and/or on its waist (in the cases of "Zaborg" and "Granmarg").
When evolved into their "Mega Monarch" form, each one of them presents similar characteristics to their original forms, with more armor and other changes related to their respective Attributes. Additionally, they are all seen carrying a giant ring on their backs, which is also present with "Ehther" and "Erebus".
Lore[edit]
From Master Duel's Solo Mode
- The Absolute Monarch
In this world, some beings embodied the concept of destruction. Their dignified and appearance and behavior were like those of "Monarchs." No one knew for what purpose the "Monarchs" sought the destruction of the world. They wield their powers and reduce everything in their sight to nothingness. Thunder booms before them, and trees turn brittle. They boil the mountains and crack the earth. They conjure storms and submerge all in fathomable darkness. The world steeped in turmoil and rage, subsumed by violence. And when there is nothing more to destroy, they move to the next land, searching for further destruction. All that witness this great destruction shudder in fear. It is fate for any unfortunate enough to be in their path to disappear in an instant.
And—among the destroyers of this world, there is an Alpha. Its overwhelming power of intimidation lays other destroyers prone, and it possesses untold strength. "Erebus, the Underworld Monarch"
"Erebus, the Underworld Monarch" sits on his throne in the darkest of darkness, looking on at the destruction of the world as if it were the most natural thing.
The advances of the Monarchs, who embody the very concept of destruction, continue. How many countless worlds must they have destroyed? Lightning storms, blizzards, lava, and seismic catastrophy [sic]. All manners of destruction assail the world. As they advance, the Monarchs grow ever stronger, perpetually pushing the boundaries of destruction. Their power defiles all matter equally. There is no way to discern whether or not the Monarchs are aware of what they destroy. They advance, thoroughly expunging all that enters their field of vision, no matter the scenery.
However, in a land reduced to rubble, from the heavens descended a Creator.
A savior descended, as if a miracle, to a land awaiting its destruction. Whether this Creator could be counted as one of the Monarchs is unknown. The ground in which the Creator has landed slowly begins to revive. A day will surely come when this land, regenerated by the Creator, will be destroyed again. Nonetheless, with no reward, "Ehther the Heavenly Monarch" filled this ruined world with the light of rebirth.
Members[edit]
Original[edit]
There is an original "Monarch" monster for each of the main six Attributes. There is also a corresponding "Mega Monarch", "Vassal", and "Monarch" Spell/Trap Card for each.
The original "Monarchs" are all Level 6 monsters (except for the Level 5 "Zaborg") with 2400 ATK and 1000 DEF. Each of the original "Monarchs" has a Trigger Effect that activates when it is Tribute Summoned.
The "Mega Monarchs" are all Level 8 monsters with 2800 ATK and 1000 DEF. The "Mega Monarchs" can all be Tribute Summoned with one Tribute by Tributing a Tribute Summoned monster. Each of the "Mega Monarchs" has an enhanced version of the effect of the corresponding original "Monarch", and this effect is itself further enhanced if the "Mega Monarch" is Tribute Summoned by Tributing a monster of the same Attribute (e.g. "Granmarg the Mega Monarch" destroys 2 Set cards instead of one like the original "Granmarg the Rock", and if it is Tribute Summoned by Tributing an EARTH monster, the player can draw a card).
| Monarch | Mega Monarch | Attribute | Type | Vassal | Spell/Trap Card |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caius the Shadow | Caius | DARK | Fiend | Lucius the Shadow | Tenacity of the Monarchs |
| Granmarg the Rock | Granmarg | EARTH | Rock | Landrobe the Rock | Return of the Monarchs |
| Mobius the Frost | Mobius | WATER | Aqua | Escher the Frost | Frost Blast of the Monarchs/The Monarchs Awaken |
| Raiza the Storm | Raiza | WIND | Winged Beast | Garum the Storm | The Monarchs Stormforth |
| Thestalos the Firestorm | Thestalos | FIRE | Pyro | Berlineth the Firestorm | The Monarchs Erupt |
| Zaborg the Thunder | Zaborg | LIGHT | Thunder | Mithra the Thunder | Strike of the Monarchs |
Additional[edit]
Level 6[edit]
"Delg the Dark Monarch" and "Kuraz the Light Monarch" were both released after the original "Monarchs". They both have Trigger Effects that activate when Normal or Special Summoned, and cannot attack the turn they are Normal or Special Summoned.
"Angmarl" is original to the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V manga. Like the original "Monarchs", it has a Trigger Effect that activates when it is Tribute Summoned.
| Monarch | Attribute | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Angmarl the Fiendish | DARK | Fiend |
| Delg the Dark | DARK | Spellcaster |
| Kuraz the Light | LIGHT | Warrior |
Level 8[edit]
There are two Level 8 "Monarchs" which are not "Mega Monarchs". Like the "Mega Monarchs", both have 2800 ATK and 1000 DEF and can be Tribute Summoned with one Tribute by Tributing a Tribute Summoned monster. They both have a Trigger Effect that activates when they are Tribute Summoned and a Quick Effect. They both also each have a corresponding "Vassal" and "Monarch" Spell/Trap.
| Monarch | Attribute | Type | Squire | Spell/Trap Card |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ehther the Heavenly | LIGHT | Fairy | Edea the Heavenly | The Prime Monarch |
| Erebus the Underworld | DARK | Zombie | Eidos the Underworld | The First Monarch |
Playing style[edit]
The "Monarch" archetype focuses on Tribute Summoning; all "Monarch" monsters have powerful effects that are triggered when they are Tribute Summoned, and their supporting Spells and Traps focus on providing additional advantage off of Tribute Summoning.
To offset the inherent difficulties and costs associated with Tribute Summoning, "Monarch" support monsters provide easy Special Summons for use as Tributes and additional Normal/Tribute Summons. "Edea the Heavenly Squire" and "Eidos the Underworld Squire" for example form a simple Monarch Tribute engine, as "Edea" can Special Summon "Eidos" from the deck, whose effect in turn gives the player an extra Normal Summon for a "Monarch".
Externally, other popular Tribute Summoning engines for modern Monarch decks include the "Super Quantum Red Layer" engine, who can be Special Summoned from the hand if the player controls no monsters, and can recover a "Red Layer" in the GY back to the hand for reuse. It can be optionally supplemented with "Super Quantum Blue Layer" and "Emergency Teleport".
2021 Monarch Decks are broadly divided into two types: "Domain Monarch", who do not use the Extra Deck, and "Extra Deck Monarch", who do. Each has their own advantages: Domain Monarch has an easier time using Monarch support cards that prohibit the player from summoning from the Extra Deck, and can use the powerful floodgate effect of "Domain of the True Monarchs" (for which the deck is named after), while Extra Deck Monarch has more flexible combos and diverse Extra Deck options.
Domain Monarch[edit]
Domain Monarch decks, which have an empty Extra Deck, focus on quickly gaining access to "Domain of the True Monarchs" and Tribute Summoning 1 Monarch, in order to enable the floodgate effects of "Domain" and prevent the opponent from summoning from the Extra Deck, a powerful floodgate against many decks.
| Deck |
|---|
|
Extra Deck Monarchs[edit]
Extra Deck Monarch decks utilize the Extra Deck in addition to standard Monarch support, providing additional combo plays and disruptions. There are many variants of Extra Deck Monarchs, and a popular variant is "Isolde Monarch", who uses a Warrior engine to turbo out "Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights" in order to gain massive advantage. "Isolde" can search "Kuraz the Light Monarch", mill "Restoration of the Monarchs" to be used as cost for "Monarch" Spell/Traps in the GY, and Special Summon "Edea the Heavenly Squire" from the Deck.
Isolde Monarch[edit]
| Deck |
|---|
Zaborg Turbo[edit]
A specialized variant of the Monarch deck focusing on resolving the effects of "Zaborg the Mega Monarch". "Zaborg the Mega Monarch", if Tribute Summoned, can destroy itself to send up to 8 cards from both players' Extra Decks directly to the Graveyard. This effect not only decimates the opponent's Extra Deck, potentially derailing their entire game plan, but can also be used to either grant the player a massive boost in card advantage by sending Extra Deck monsters with advantageous GY effects to the GY (e.g. "Herald of the Arc Light"), or set up summons of hard-to-summon Fusion monsters by sending their Fusion Materials to the GY then Fusion Summon with a GY Fusion Spell (e.g. "Dragon's Mirror", "Miracle Synchro Fusion").
The original variants of Zaborg Turbo, developed following the release "Supreme King Z-ARC" in Maximum Crisis, focused on the "GY fusion setup" aspect of "Zaborg". Common Fusion boss monsters that "Zaborg" can set up include "Supreme King Z-ARC", "Naturia Exterio", and "Ultimate Axon Kicker". Their specific materials sent by "Zaborg" are:
- "Supreme King Z-ARC": Dragon Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Monsters (typically "Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon", "Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon", "Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon", and "Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon")
- "Naturia Exterio": "Naturia Barkion" and "Naturia Beast"
- "Ultimate Axon Kicker": "PSY-Framelord Omega" and/or "PSY-Framelord Zeta"
Additionally, these decks would typically also send "Predaplant Chimerafflesia" to the Graveyard with the effect of "Zaborg", as it can search "Miracle Synchro Fusion" if sent to the GY.
| Deck |
|---|
Frog Monarch[edit]
Perfect Circle Monarch[edit]
Weaknesses[edit]
- "Zombie World" can almost completely shut down the "Monarch" playstyle, as it prevents non-Zombie monsters from being Tribute Summoned.
- Mass backrow removals such as "Lightning Storm" can wipe away "Monarch" decks' much needed recursion, protection and negation, leaving them vulnerable to being run over by powerful Extra Deck monsters.
Trivia[edit]
- The names of the four "Monarch" monsters introduced in the Emperor of Darkness Structure Deck all start with "E" ("Ehther", "Erebus", "Eidos", and "Edea").
