The Phantom Knights

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The Phantom Knights
"The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves", "Silent Boots" and "Ancient Cloak".
Japanese
  • 幻影騎士団ファントム・ナイツ
  • 幻影騎士団 (base)
  • ファントム・ナイツ (ruby)
  • Fantomu Naitsu (romanized)
English
  • Phantom Knights (manga)
  • Phantom Knights (anime)
French
  • Les Chevaliers Fantômes
German
  • Die Phantomritter
Italian
  • I Cavalieri Fantasma
Korean
  • 팬텀 나이츠
Portuguese
  • Os Cavaleiros Fantasmas
Spanish
  • Los Caballeros Fantasma
Sets
TCG
OCG
Korean
Anime appearances
Manga appearances
Lists

Phantom Knights will never fall! No matter how many times you destroy them, they will always revive!

— Yuto on the "Phantom Knights"

"The Phantom Knights", known as "Phantom Knights" (幻影騎士団ファントム・ナイツ Fantomu Naitsu) in Japan, is an archetype of DARK Warrior monsters and Trap Monsters used by Yuto in Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime and manga. It is a sub-archetype of the "Phantom Knights" archetype.

Design[edit]

Appearance[edit]

The monsters visually appear to be ghostly beings, while the Trap Monsters appear to be animated armor/weapons surrounded by ghostly flames. They use the naming scheme "The Phantom Knights of {adjective} {clothing item/weapon}" in the TCG, or "Phantom Knights {adjective} {clothing item/weapon}" in the OCG, with the namesake item being featured in the artwork of each respective card.

Etymology[edit]

The adjectives for the monsters appear to be words related to disrepair, disuse, and emptiness; while the adjectives for the Trap Monsters seem to relate to darkness, death, emptiness, and mistake. In Japanese, their Kanji reads "げんえいだん" (Gen'ei Kishidan)

Members[edit]

Effect Monsters[edit]

Level The Phantom Knights Equipment origin
3 Ancient Cloak Robe
Ragged Gloves Gloves
Silent Boots Boots
Stained Greaves Greaves
Torn Scales Scale armor
4 Cloven Helm Close helmet
Fragile Armor Plate armor
Raider's Wing -

Trap Monsters[edit]

Level The Phantom Knights Equipment origin
- Mist Claws Claws
2 Lost Vambrace Vambraces
Wrong Magnetring Legcuffs
3 Tomb Shield Shield
4 Dark Gauntlets Gauntlets
Shade Brigandine Brigandine
Shadow Veil Veil

Xyz Monsters[edit]

Rank The Phantom Knights Equipment origin
2 Cursed Javelin Javelin
3 Break Sword Sword
4 Raider's Knight -

Link Monsters[edit]

LINK The Phantom Knights Equipment origin
3 Rusty Bardiche Bardiche

Playing style[edit]

General[edit]

The "Phantom Knights" strategy heavily revolve around sending their cards to the Graveyard to net advantage by using their effects from there. Though they have other effects, the Main Deck "The Phantom Knights" monsters share a common effect of banishing themselves from the Graveyard in order to search each other/their Spell/Trap Cards out or place each other/their Spell/Trap Cards in the Graveyard. Their Spell and Trap Cards also have effects that can be activated from the Graveyard in order to Special Summon more "The Phantom Knights", including multiple Trap Monsters, and protect these monsters from being destroyed or stopping the opponent's attacks. These plays are meant to set up the Xyz Summon of Rank 2-4 DARK Xyz Monsters, supporting them with stat-increasing and protection effects. Because some of these effects causes the "The Phantom Knights" cards to banish themselves if they leave the field, the ability to Xyz Summon using those monsters circumvent this lingering effect (as using cards as Xyz Materials is not considered as those cards to leave the field), potentially allowing them to be reused.

Among the Main Deck monsters of the archetype, "The Phantom Knights of Torn Scales" is by far the most important member of the archetype as it can essentially start the Deck's numerous strategies by sending a "Phantom Knights" card from the Deck to the GY, then later Summon itself back from the GY as an extender. "Ancient Cloak" and "Silent Boots" both search out "The Phantom Knights" cards or "Phantom Knights" Spells/Traps, and the latter can also Special Summon itself freely from the user's hand if they control a "The Phantom Knights" monster. "Stained Greaves" and "The Phantom Knights of Shade Brigandine" can both Special Summon themselves easily, which can be used for Xyz Summons. "Tomb Shield" can also situationally negate an opponent's Trap for a turn. These "The Phantom Knights" Traps all share the effects of Special Summoning themselves as monsters whenever the opponent declares a direct attack: "Dark Gauntlets", "Mist Claws", "Shadow Veil") In particular, "Mist Claws" can also Special Summon another "The Phantom Knights" monster alongside itself, and it copy that Monster Card's level, to facilitate an Xyz Summon play by itself. "Lost Vambrace" can then be used to protect all "The Phantom Knights" monsters from being destroyed by battle, preserving them to have Xyz plays available.

Among the Xyz Monsters, the Rank 3 "The Phantom Knights of Break Sword" stands as the archetype's most versatile choice which can destroy 1 card on each field, then should "Break Sword" be destroyed, it can Special Summon 2 "The Phantom Knights" monsters from the GY but with their Levels increased by one, opening a "Phantom Knights" deck to Rank 4 DARK Xyz options. "Cursed Javelin", while having a useful monster negate, requires Level 2 monsters to be Xyz Summoned which requires the use of "Lost Vambrace" or "Wrong Magnetring apart from outsider cards, making it not as useful as other choices.

Since New Master Rules, Link Summoning "The Phantom Knights of Rusty Bardiche" is now a key play within the deck's strategy. "Rusty Bardiche" grants "Phantom Knights" decks the ability to search one of their archetypal Spells or Traps directly from the Deck independently from "Ancient Cloak" or "Silent Boots". Afterwards, Special Summoning a DARK Xyz Monster to a zone "Rusty Bardiche" points to triggers its second effect to destroy any card on the field, allowing additional destruction on top of "Break Sword". By sending "Ragged Gloves", it can then send another "Phantom Knights" card from the Deck to the GY.

The three "Phantom Knights" Continuous Trap Cards: "Phantom Knights' Fog Blade", "Phantom Knights' Sword and "Phantom Knights' Wing", all share the effect of banishing themselves from the GY to Special Summon a "The Phantom Knights" monster from the GY (but is banished when they leave the field though "Fog Blade" can also negate a monster's effects on the field and make it unable to attack or be attacked, while the remaining two gives a monster a small ATK gain and protecting it from being destroyed. By having any of these three cards in the GY, they Special Summon a "The Phantom Knights" monster alongside "Torn Scales" for an Xyz Summon", or Summon "Break Sword" at any time to a zone "Rusty Bardiche" points to, tactically allowing "Rusty Bardiche" to destroy a card on the field at any time, as another piece of disruption.

"Phantom Knights" can also utilize two "Rank-Up-Magic" Spells: "The Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Launch" and "Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Force" which can be used to Summon stronger DARK Xyz Monsters.

Other additions[edit]

Since the release of Phantom Rage, "Phantom Knights" have received cross-over support with the "Raidraptor" and "Xyz Dragon" archetypes, namely "Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Force", "Raider's Knight", "Raider's Wing", "Raider's Unbreakable Mind and "Raidraptor's Phantom Knights Claw". These made it easier to use the "Xyz Dragon" monsters (especially "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon" alongside its upgraded forms "Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon" or "Arc Rebellion Xyz Dragon").

Other DARK Rank 4 options include "Time Thief Redoer" and "Evilswarm Thanatos" for stronger attacking beatsticks or disruption pieces.

Other Rank 3 Xyz Monsters worth considering are "Leviair the Sea Dragon" (for Special Summoning banished "The Phantom Knights" monsters) or "Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss" (for potentially sending more "Phantom Knights" cards from the Deck to the GY).

"Phantom Knights" decks strongly benefit with Link Summoning "Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss" early on due to most of their monsters being Level 3. The card can essentially send any Level 3 monster from the Deck to the GY as a cost (which most "The Phantom Knights" monsters are Level 3). Furthermore, "Cherubini" is a DARK Link 2 monster, meaning it serves as a suitable Link Material alongside one other DARK monster for Link Summoning "Rusty Bardiche".

Incidentally, a "Phantom Knights" Deck can make use of a variety of Level 3 monsters for Link Summoning "Cherubini" or any of its Rank 3 monsters including "Burning Abyss" monsters (espeically "Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss" and "Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss"), "Tour Guide From the Underworld", "Junk Forward", "Speedroid Terrortop" (and "Speedroid Taketomborg") "Kagemucha Knight", "Psychic Tracker", "Psychic Wheeleder" and "Virtual World Hime - Nyannyan" (the last three monsters are also Psychic monsters, allowing them to be Special Summoned from the Deck by "Emergency Teleport").

One simple combo is to first use the effect of "Torn Scales" to send "Ancient Cloak" from the Deck to the GY, then use the effect of "Ancient Cloak" to add "Silent Boots", which can then freely Special Summon itself from the hand. Then use both "Torn Scales" and "Silent Boots" to Link Summon "Cherubini". Next, use the effect of "Silent Boots" to add any desired "Phantom Knights" Spell/Trap, which then enables "Torn Scales" to revive itself from the GY. The effect of "Cherubini" can then be used to help Summon another Level 3 monster (ie. such as sending "Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss" with the effect of "Cherubini", then the effect of "Graff" can then Special Summon a Level 3 "Burning Abyss" monster). The two Level 3 bodies can be used to Xyz Summon "Leviar the Sea Dragon" which can Special Summon a banished monster that can then be used to recur a banished monster such as "Ancient Cloak" or "Silent Boots", before finally Link Summoning "Rusty Bardiche" with "Cherubini" and that Summoned "The Phantom Knights" monster.

Recommended cards[edit]

Recommended cards

Weaknesses[edit]