User:Golden Key/Deck Building Lesson 101

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Overview of the Lesson and Legal Stuff[edit]

  • This lesson will be used to show you the basic foundations of a strong deck, and how to make card choices when building a deck. The content after this section is the sole written work of Lappyzard or other external authors, but has been updated by Ace.
  • The example process section is the sole written work of Dark Ace SP.

--Ace

Deck Guidelines to NEVER Break[edit]

  • 1. Stick to the 40 card minimum.

Well, 41 or 42 is okay. But this is the number one mistake that new deckbuilders make. Many newer players believe that by adding more cards they have more options. In fact, the opposite is true: you have less options. Why? When you're dueling, every single card you draw counts. If you can't draw the right card at the right time, you'll lose. The fewer cards you have in your deck, the greater your chances of drawing the right card. Let's say it's deep into the duel. Both players have gone through a lot of cards and now it's down to a topdecking war. Who has a greater chance of drawing the card they need, the player with 5 cards left or the player with 25 cards left? Some decks also run best with 3 Upstart Goblin effectively making the deck count 37.

  • 2. Don't try to do too many things at once.

Pick one central idea and choose every card based on that idea. If a card does not blend well with your central strategy, or is counter productive, avoid it. There's probably a better choice. Don't mix ideas unless they actually benefit from each other. For example, there's no benefit from mixing Gladiator Beasts and Lightsworns. Gladiator Beasts rely on having cards in the deck, while Lightsworns mill cards out of the deck. Lightsworns rely on explosive finishing moves while Gladiator Beasts are much slower-paced. Some hybrids are beneficial, though. For example, Lightsworns and DARK Monsters. DARK decks thrive on having monsters in the Graveyard, and using LIGHT and DARK together allows the use of Chaos Sorcerer.

  • 3. Monsters are not win conditions.

Continuing on the idea of number 2, your central theme should not be "Summon this monster". Aside from Exodia, there is no monster that will outright win you the game. Not Slifer the Sky Dragon, not Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, not Thor, Lord of the Aesir, not Dark Armed Dragon, not Judgment Dragon, not anyone. Monsters, even incredibly powerful monsters, are tools to be used at your disposal. They are not win conditions, and can in some form be killed, never count on 1 monster to win you a duel.

  • 4. Anything worth running is worth running in multiples.

This is more true of monsters than spells and traps, but is a general truth. Most top decks run all cards that aren't limited in twos or threes. The logic is this: if a card is powerful, you want to draw it more often. If you have more copies, you'll do that.

  • 5. The less conditional a card is the better.

This covers activation conditions, costs, benefits, card advantage, everything. The best card is one that is powerful, has little to no cost, generates lots of card advantage, and requires no other cards to be present. Dark Hole is a prime example of such a card. When considering this point, ask yourself "How useful would this card be if it were the only card that I had to use?" or more simply "What would topdecking this card mean for me?"

  • 6. The more versatile a card is, the better.

Continuing number 5, a card that can be used against more cards and strategies is more helpful than a card with limited use. For example, Solemn Judgment can be used against all types of cards, making it more useful than Magic Jammer, which can only negate Spells.

  • 7. The more Card Advantage you result in from using a card, the better.

To explain this key point, I'll again look at Dark Hole. If the opponent has two monsters, and you have none, activating Dark Hole will leave with the opponent with 2 less cards, and you with only one less card. That generates Card Advantage. Now let's look at the same situation, this time using Lightning Vortex. Lightning Vortex requires a Discard cost, which means it requires 2 cards to play: Lightning Vortex itself and the discarded card. Your opponent loses 2 cards, and you lose 2 cards. This generates no card advantage.

  • 8. Maintain a proper balance between monsters, spells, and traps.

What this means for you depends on the type of deck you're building. Lightsworns, for example, rely on milling their monsters to the Graveyard. as a result, they should run more monsters. Gravekeeper's rely on using Spells and Traps to shut down the opponent, so they should run fewer monsters in order to draw more spells and traps. Frog Monarchs rely on the effect of Treeborn Frog, so they should run fewer Traps. To figure out the proper balance, think about what's important in the deck. What does the deck rely on and how should your monster count reflect that? What type of cards would get in the way of your strategy, and what type of cards are crucial to it?

Deckbuilding and Dueling Core Theory[edit]

How to Pick Cards[edit]

I recommend reading Core Theory I: Card Utility, as Jason does a better job of explaining the concept in detail.

Monsters[edit]

When choosing the monsters for your deck, think about their effects and how you can use it to:

  • Support your strategy.
  • Gain Card Advantage.
  • Overwhelm the opponent.
  • Disrupt the opponent's strategy.

If you look at popular monster choices in the past, you'll see that most of them fit one or more of these categories. I'll discuss each of them in order. Blackwing - Bora the Spear is a popular Blackwing choice because it supports the central strategy of swarming the field for quick Synchro Summons. The Gadget monsters (Yellow Gadget, Red Gadget, and Green Gadget) are popular choices in various decks, because they replace themselves when summoned. Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner is used to swarm the field and put pressure on the opponent, since they're facing down many monsters. Thunder King Rai-Oh and Effect Veiler are popular choices because they disrupt the opponent's game plan. Thunder King Rai-Oh stops add-to-hand effects and can negate a Special Summon, and Effect Veiler can negate effects of other monsters.

Other things to look at in a monster are: Level, ATK, DEF, and potential combos. Monsters that are level 5 or above are weakened because they require one or more Tributes to summon. ATK and DEF are no brainers; battling is one of the simplest and most effective ways to control the field. Potential combos allow for greater use of cards that weren't as useful before. For example, Rescue Cat summons two level 3 or lower Beasts from your deck, but destroys them in the End Phase. This by itself isn't very useful, but if you summon a Tuner and a non-Tuner, you can Synchro Summon easily. This combo is what turned the rather weak Rescue Cat into a dominant force that resulted in it being banned.

Spells[edit]

When choosing your Spells, think carefully about what you can gain from them:

  • Draw Power
  • Search Power
  • Summon Power
  • Card Advantage
  • Disrupting the opponent's strategy

Again, looking at popular Spell choices, you'll see that many of these are present. Allure of Darkness is a powerful Draw Spell that allows you to speed through your deck. Reinforcement of the Army searches out any Warrior that is needed. Soul Charge allows you to summon back any fallen monster, making it extremely powerful and versatile, even though it has a somewhat steep penalty. Dark Hole is useful in generating Card Advantage. Book of Moon and Mystical Space Typhoon are good for disrupting the opponent, by stopping their plays before they can make them.

Traps[edit]

Traps are largely used to shut down the opponent. Things to look for in a trap card are:

  • Versatility
  • Costs and Conditions
  • Easy to Chain?
  • Card Advantage
  • Protection
  • Disruption

We'll once more look at some popular choices. Wiretap allows you to negate an opposing trap card and send it back to the deck, while that might sound like a bad thing to do, it's effective if you negate a trap card that had a cost, like Solemn Warning or Phoenix Wing Wind Blast. Even if the negated trap didn't have a cost, Wiretap can still protect your plays. Compulsory Evacuation Device is popular because it's chainable and effect monster removal, the same can be said of Dimensional Prison regarding battle.

Normal Summons[edit]

In terms of summoning, there are two kinds of decks. One that needs its once per turn Normal Summon, and one that doesn't. There are decks that vary based on the deck type or are somewhat reliant on it but can do well without it.

Examples of decks that don't need their Normal Summons every turn:

Examples of decks that do need their Normal Summons:

Examples of decks that are somewhat reliant on Normal Summons/Sets:

If your deck is reliant on your Normal Summons, you should protect it as much as you can. Cards like Bottomless Trap Hole and Solemn Warning will slow your deck down, so either prevention (Mystical Space Typhoon) or negation (Seven Tools of the Bandit/Wiretap) would help the deck greatly. Usually prevention is better than negation, but this changes depending on the format.

Cards to Avoid[edit]

This section will discuss many of the pitfalls that await new deckbuilders. Cards that seem powerful can actually destroy you.

  • Magical Mallet, Reload, and Card Trader - Yes, it lets you trade cards you don't want for a new hand. But when you think about it, you're only making life easier for your opponent. If you activate all your Mallets and Reloads on your first turn, you've reduced yourself to a single card with which you plan to take on the opponent's six. If anything happens to that card, which it most likely will, you will, without a shadow of doubt, lose. These cards cost you card advantage for no real benefit. Avoid them at all costs.
  • Lightning Vortex - Speaking of costs, that's the main reason why this card isn't as good as it seems. Yes, it destroys all your opponent's monsters, but it has a cost, and that means it's outclassed by Dark Hole in every way. It's rare that Lightning Vortex will give you card advantage, and is a card that's better off avoided.
  • Draining Shield and Magic Cylinder - If you're going to stop your opponent's attack, at least take the monster down with your Trap card. These cards cost card advantage in exchange for Life Point advantage, which is a terrible idea. If you play these cards you're going to lose the game, because you didn't get rid of their powerful monster, and left it there on the field. That let's your opponent use that monster to attack you with, and if it has high ATK points, act as a big offensive wall to block your attacks. However, meta situations can change, making these cards a bit more viable, but their utility depends on what other players do. For example, the rise of Soul Charge as a card made Magic Cylinder a bit more popular to run in the Side Deck/Main Deck.
  • All single-use Burn Spells and Traps and Life Point Gaining Spells and Traps - Card Advantage. If you're going to give up a card, do something more than a few points of damage.
  • Almost all Equip Spells - Equip Spells are usually bad. Why? Because if the equipped monster leaves the field, or is flipped face-down, you lose all the Equip cards. That's an inherent minus, something you should always try to avoid. Exceptions to this rule are few and far between, but do exist, such as Inzektor Sword - Zektkaliber or Supervise. The Noble Knight archetype is also another exception to this rule, because the entire archetype needs their Equips to function well.
  • All ATK/DEF Boosting Field Spells - Unless it has an additional effect as well, don't bother. Just play stronger monsters and don't waste a card playing the field spell.
  • All Stall Cards - Buying a few turns gives you time to get a few more cards, but your opponent remains in control of the duel and can continue applying pressure and accumulate cards to stop you from reversing the duel. Stalling doesn't help you win, it just makes you lose more slowly. Only play them if they actually are your deck's central idea or if they offer something in terms of synergy with your deck.

Deckbuilding Don'ts[edit]

  • Don't feel confined to one Archetype.

Just because you're playing a certain archetype doesn't mean you can't include other powerful cards like Neo-Spacian Grand Mole.

  • Don't pick cards because they'll be helpful if the duel is going in your favor.

Pick cards that will be helpful if the duel ISN'T going in your favor, or better yet pick cards that can fill both roles.

  • Don't be stubborn about your card choices.

The best way to improve your deck is to share ideas. Be careful not to become stubborn and refuse to try out ideas, because it may turn out that the idea you rejected could have skyrocketed your deck's power or consistency. Don't absolutely insist on keeping certain cards and not trying others.

  • Don't be afraid to experiment.

All the best decks are constantly evolving. A deck is never finalized. Keep trying new things, and you may be the one to bring your deck type to the next level.

  • Don't be put off by Life Point Costs.

The only Life Points you should be concerned with losing are your last ones. All the other ones don't matter, because whether you win with 10,000 or 100, you still win. Don't avoid putting in a Soul Charge or two just because of the 1000 LP cost of each monster, if Soul Charge can win you the game by letting you make a powerful Xyz or Synchro play it's worth the risk.

  • Don't think that having a lot of Life Points means you win.

Nobody ever wins just by having a lot of Life Points. As I said before, the only LP that matters is your last one.

  • Don't pick a card without looking at any other cards.

Often times you'll be able to find a stronger, more effective version of the card you're considering using. For example, Dimensional Prison is better than Sakuretsu Armor, because it's harder to retrieve Banished monsters than monsters in the grave.

  • Don't make an OTK deck thinking it will be consistent.

A consistent OTK deck is the biggest oxymoron ever. If you DO manage to make a consistent OTK deck, the next banlist will kill it, usually.

  • Don't make a deck based off of the anime.

Anime/Manga duelists are bad, and every one of them would be crushed by a halfway-decent real life player. Their decks have no staples and are loaded with situational cards. If you want to make a deck based on the Archetype they use and want to make it good by using staples, then do so. But don't copy the style or the deck of a duelist off the anime/manga.

  • Chance cards are unreliable.

A Coin Flip or Die Roll deck is bound to be inconistent. Cards like Snipe Hunter may have great effects but the chance that they are a minus is too much for most decks (there are exceptions, for example Snipe Hunter works well in Fabled decks). Again, avoid chance cards unless you're really trying to use a chance deck.

Example Process[edit]

  • N.B.This deck was built in March 2013, and may or may not configure to the current banlist. The deck is only for illustration purposes. To see the current TCG banlist, go to Konami's Site. {Link}
  • N.B.The Anti-Meta part isn't always needed, but running good versatile traps should always be a consideration.

So, we'll be building a Blue-Eyes White Dragon (BEWD) deck. With the new cards from Saga of Blue-Eyes White Dragon Structure Deck, this fan-favorite has never been better.

Step 1) Theme and main cards. Since the deck is about Blue-Eyes, we need to include the main support for BEWD. 2 Bound Wand is going in to target our own Maiden for her effect.

{{Decklist| Blue-Eyes Tutorial
|monsters= 7
* 3 [[Blue-Eyes White Dragon]]
* 3 [[Azure-Eyed Maiden]]
* 1 [[Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon]] 
|spells= 3 
* 2 [[Bound Wand]]
* 1 [[One for One]]
|traps= 0
|other=Extra Deck
}} 

Step 2) Staples like Monster Reborn, Dark Hole, and Heavy Storm come next.

{{Decklist| Blue-Eyes Tutorial
|monsters= 7
* 3 [[Blue-Eyes White Dragon]]
* 3 [[Azure-Eyed Maiden]]
* 1 [[Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon]] 
|spells= 9
* 2 [[Bound Wand]]
* 1 [[Monster Reborn]]
* 1 [[Dark Hole]]
* 1 [[One for One]]
* 1 [[Heavy Storm]]
* 1 [[Mind Control]]
* 2 [[Pot of Duality]]
|traps= 0 
|other=Extra Deck = 2
* 2 [[Azure-Eyed Silver Dragon]]
}} 

Step 3) Secondary Support for the Deck Idea. Since I'm adding in 2 Summoner Monk, I need to also bump the Spell count up. I'm adding the Monk so that I can easily summon Prisma, to dump BEWD into the grave. We can then use the Monk and Prisma to make Daigusto Emeral. Emeral is amazing because he can summon back BEWD in the graveyard. Again, Lances can be used to fuel Monk, or activate Maiden's effect.

{{Decklist| Blue-Eyes Tutorial
|monsters= 11
* 3 [[Blue-Eyes White Dragon]]
* 3 [[Azure-Eyed Maiden]]
* 1 [[Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon]] 
* 2 [[Summoner Monk]]
* 2 [[Elemental HERO Prisma]]
|spells= 14
* 2 [[Bound Wand]]
* 1 [[Monster Reborn]]
* 1 [[Dark Hole]]
* 1 [[Heavy Storm]]
* 1 [[One for One]] 
* 1 [[Mind Control]]
* 2 [[Pot of Duality]]
* 2 [[Mystical Space Typhoon]]
* 1 [[Forbidden Chalice]]
* 2 [[Forbidden Lance]]
|traps= 2 
* 2 [[Call of the Haunted]]
|other=Extra Deck = 5 
* 2 [[Azure-Eyed Silver Dragon]]
* 1 [[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]]
* 2 [[Daigusto Emeral]] 
}} 

Step 4) Anti-Meta. Since the biggest decks out there are Dragon Ruler, Prophecy, and Lswarm, we need to be prepared. I'm adding in 2 Effect Veiler, 1 Maxx "C", and 2 "Breakthrough Skill", as well as 2 Tragoedia and 1 Gorz to stop OTK pushes. Finally, I'm going to add in 2 Bottomless Trap Hole and 2 Compulsory Evacuation Device, the later of which can be used to activate Maiden's effect if we really need to. Those two traps can help us get rid of our opponent's Xyz Monsters and act as general removal. Trust me, Evilswarm Ophion will hate you for it.

{{Decklist| Blue-Eyes Tutorial
|monsters= 18
* 3 [[Blue-Eyes White Dragon]]
* 3 [[Azure-Eyed Maiden]]
* 1 [[Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon]] 
* 2 [[Summoner Monk]]
* 2 [[Elemental HERO Prisma]]
* 2 [[Effect Veiler]] 
* 1 [[Maxx "C"]]
* 2 [[Tragoedia]]
* 1 [[Gorz the Emissary of Darkness]] 
* 1 [[Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning]] 
|spells= 14
* 2 [[Bound Wand]]
* 1 [[Monster Reborn]]
* 1 [[Dark Hole]]
* 1 [[Heavy Storm]]
* 1 [[One for One]] 
* 1 [[Mind Control]]
* 2 [[Pot of Duality]]
* 2 [[Mystical Space Typhoon]]
* 1 [[Forbidden Chalice]]
* 2 [[Forbidden Lance]]
|traps= 8
* 2 [[Bottomless Trap Hole]]
* 2 [[Compulsory Evacuation Device]]
* 2 [[Breakthrough Skill]]
* 2 [[Call of the Haunted]]
|other=Extra Deck = 5
* 2 [[Azure-Eyed Silver Dragon]]
* 1 [[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]]
* 2 [[Daigusto Emeral]] 
}} 

Step 5) Decking out the Extra. This is basically just adding in filler to the Extra Deck. It's plausible for us to add in some Level 8 Synchros, because we can steal a few Level 7 Dragon Rulers from the opponent using Monster Reborn. This isn't always needed, so don't go crazy. Here, I'm adding in 1 Thunder-End Dragon and 1 Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon, A.K.A., Gorz KILLER.

{{Decklist| Blue-Eyes Tutorial
|monsters= 18
* 3 [[Blue-Eyes White Dragon]]
* 3 [[Azure-Eyed Maiden]]
* 1 [[Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon]] 
* 2 [[Summoner Monk]]
* 2 [[Elemental HERO Prisma]]
* 2 [[Effect Veiler]] 
* 1 [[Maxx "C"]]
* 2 [[Tragoedia]]
* 1 [[Gorz the Emissary of Darkness]] 
* 1 [[Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning]] 
|spells= 14
* 2 [[Bound Wand]]
* 1 [[Monster Reborn]]
* 1 [[Dark Hole]]
* 1 [[Heavy Storm]]
* 1 [[One for One]] 
* 1 [[Mind Control]]
* 2 [[Pot of Duality]]
* 2 [[Mystical Space Typhoon]]
* 1 [[Forbidden Chalice]]
* 2 [[Forbidden Lance]]
|traps= 8
* 2 [[Bottomless Trap Hole]]
* 2 [[Compulsory Evacuation Device]]
* 2 [[Breakthrough Skill]]
* 2 [[Call of the Haunted]]
|other=Extra Deck = 15
* 2 [[Azure-Eyed Silver Dragon]]
* 1 [[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]]
* 2 [[Daigusto Emeral]] 
* 1 [[Scrap Dragon]]
* 1 [[Crimson Blader]]
* 1 [[Ally of Justice Catastor]]
* 1 [[T.G. Hyper Librarian]] 
* 1 [[Number 50: Blackship of Corn]]
* 1 [[Slacker Magician]]
* 1 [[Thunder-End Dragon]]
* 1 [[Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon]] 
}} 

That's basically it! You've now seen my entire process for building decks!

--Dark Ace SP (Talk) 00:30, June 15, 2013 (UTC)