KaodMaster@aol.com Snodin's Elemental Vortex- Realm One: Top Ten Water Cards m Snodin: KaodMaster@aol.com Snodin's Elemental Vortex- Realm One: Top Ten Water Cards Ahoy, land-lubbers! It's time to stretch your sea legs, because we're hitting the water with ten of the most desired and most effective cards for a competitive Water deck! I'm starting with Water, because I'm currently working on a Water deck myself. Like all decks, it needs tweaking, but I've already gotten myself some very effective cards. Let me share with you the cards that have been working for me, and let's see if they'll work for you. Here we go! 10. Fenrir You're probably wondering why I'm mentioning this big bad wolf. If you've forgotten about it, let me refresh your memory: he can only be special summoned by removing 2 Water monsters from Davy Jones' Locker. This puts him up there with CED and BLS, but since it requires two Water monsters, it pretty much only fits here. Now this is where it gets interesting; Fenrir has 1400 ATK, which means it can't be Bottomless Trap-Holed, and it can be Salvaged. Plus, it comes with its own Yata-like effect. You know what I'm talking about: battle damage = skipped draw phase. Fenrir does NOT belong in every Water deck; just those that can control it. What I mean is, you need a lot of Water monsters and enough graveyard control (not to mention field control, like Yata demanded), in order to make this work. I'm telling you this, because I do in fact run 2 Fenrirs. They belong more in my Side deck, but they'll only go in there when I have 15 cards available for a side deck. Anyway, back to the subject; if Fenrir's effect is not for you, then you don't have to try it. But I assure you, it's something worth trying out. 9. Levia-Dragon - Daedalus I know what you're thinking: "What?? Why is Leviadragon so high on the List!?" Well, scurvy knave, although this bad boy is a very effective monster, it can be as much a curse as it is a blessing. Play it incorrectly, and you could be dumping your own cards to the grave, cards that could have saved you later (like Waboku, for example). But let's not overlook Levia's obvious powers: in Traditional format, it's Witchable; with ALO, it's a one-Trib monster; also with ALO or Umi, it's a Dark Hole and Heavy Storm all in one; and let's not forget, it's a natural powerhouse. There, I said it all. I run two Leviadragons, because drawing one is just as hard as keeping one on the field. Believe me, running two is just perfect. Top-decking one is only good if you at least have ALO or Terraforming in your hand with it. That being said, it belongs high in the countdown. What you're about to see will be even more game-breaking. 8. Mother Grizzly Let us not forget the monster that made Water Decks fun. Even now, when most of us Water duelists run a heavy-hitting Gigagigo of some kind, we still need deck-thinning speed as well as weaker monsters to save us in a certain situation. That's where Mother Grizzly comes in. There are, however, two noticeable downsides to this monster. For starters, the only way she can get you a 1500-or-less Water monster is for her to be killed in battle. If you don't want her to take battle damage, you'll risk her bring Crossed Out by setting her in defense. Another downside is that if you do get a chance to get a small monster, it has to be summoned in attack mode. In the wrong situation, this could hurt you. You don't want your Unshaven Angler staring down a BLS-Envoy, do you? Nevertheless, the Griz brings speed to the deck; it helps you reshuffle to draw that one card you desperately need. That being said, she deserves to be on the list. 7. Salvage and Big Wave Small Wave Yes, it's a tie. These two cards have very different effects, but both of them are mandatory for whatever kind of Water deck you use. Let's start with Salvage; this one is only really helpful if you run many low-ATK Water monsters. After all, it only brings back from the Locker 2 Water monsters with ATK of 1500 or less. You can get back your Grizzlies, your Mantas, your Mermaid Knights, your Nightmare Penguins... whatever you prefer. Salvage's true power is that it keeps you from having a clear field so that your opponent won't attack you directly with monsters. Because let's face it, owning the field is YOUR job! Then there's Big Wave Small Wave. At first glance, you'd think it only works well for big monsters. And it's true; just when I desperately need that Levia on the field, I can summon it by first throwing down a Grizzly to sac it with BWSW. But really, it works for every Water monster; imagine having two Water monsters on the field, plus A Legendary Ocean, and your opponent's field is clear. Play Big Wave Small Wave and trade in your monsters for two Mermaid Knights! That's a game-winning move if ever I imagined one! ....Okay, the odds of that happening are next to none, but it is a nice thought, isn't it? Side deck these two cards if you have to. …It disturbs me a little that we haven't even come across an effective Shark monster yet… 6. Abyss Soldier Thanks to the monster that's just a few spots away, Abyss Soldier rocks in Water decks! He's got 1800 ATK, which makes it feel like he belongs in a general Beatdown deck. However, his true power is in his bounce-back effect. When timed right, you can clear the opponent's field for a direct attack. What more could you ask for? And even if you don't have Sinister Serpent, you could dump a Levia or Gigagigo of sorts to bring back later, or dump Water monsters to summon a Fenrir or two. ...Aye, it could happen! 5. Nightmare Penguin You call yours Crump, don'tcha swabby? ~_^ I call mine "Oswald Cobblepot." And if you don't get the joke, shame on you! Anyway, "Ozzy" is perhaps more essential in Water decks than he seems; sure he starts with just 900 ATK, but in theory his ATK is 1100. That's not bad for starters, and then when you add Umi or ALO, he's as big as a Harpy Lady (and dressed just as well!). But perhaps his other effect has you salivating; it's not an official flip summon, which means all other copies of him are safe from a certain Nobleman. And not only can he bounce back a card, but he can bounce back ANY one card! Penguin Soldier could only bounce back monsters; NP can bounce back an annoying Spell or Trap card. But buyer beware: you don't want to do this on an opponent's turn, because he or she will just reset it again. A great effect just got wasted. Nightmare Penguin alone is pretty good... then you add other Water monsters to the field. Now your opponent could be staring down a 2000-attacking Abyss Soldier, or a 1900-ATK, double-attacking Mermaid Knight (with ALO's help, of course). And just think of TWO Nightmare Penguins on the field; they boost each other up to 1300, and make all other Water Monsters just.... evil. And I did the math: Nightmare Penguin plus ALO make Leviadragon as big as a Blue-Eyes. That's just sick. Run two of these, and you might be on your way to having a great Water deck. ...Run three, and you WILL have a great Water deck. 4. Creeping Doom Manta Yo-ho, yo-ho! A pirate's life fer me! ….Okay, I'll stop now. I cannot even begin to tell you how much this bad boy saved my life! I've run up against decks that ran many annoying Traps and Spells, and the results are anything but pretty. Now I have two Mantas, and I really want a third just to keep them coming. Keeping them coming is easy with Salvage of course; and perhaps better yet, he can't be removed with a Bottomless Trap Hole, so in theory, he's easy to Normal Summon. This guy is just one of many RDS cards that stop Traps for a turn. Believe me, one turn is all you need to get the advantage in a game. Summon this guy, BWSW him for a Levia, play ALO... Forget about it; your opponent should just surrender there. ^^ [Note: This card will only stop Traps that respond to its summon; it WON'T stop Traps for an entire turn - LT] 3. Sinister Serpent Yes, everyone's favorite! "The gift that keeps on giving," if you will. SS may be good in just about any deck, but in Water decks he's extra special. That's because he too is a Water monster, and therefore he makes monsters like Abyss Soldier even more broken. You could also use him with Big Wave Small Wave to summon... heh, you guessed it... 2. Terraforming Of all elemental decks, Water decks rely the most on a certain Field card or two, so adding at least one Terraforming to your Water deck is essential. Believe me, I know; running 40 cards with only 3 Fields can be tricky. You won't regret adding this little baby. And that brings us to our number one card.... 1. A Legendary Ocean Okay, you pretty much saw this coming, didn't you? I mean, what's an ocean deck… without an ocean?? Well, it's true; Legendary Ocean (or Atlantis, whichever you prefer) is pretty much essential, at least for today's Water deck. Most Water duelists run Levia-Dragon, and they enjoy the fact that their Giga Gigagigo and Levia can be summoned to the field much easier when ALO is on the field. But perhaps the reason why most of us run ALO is just to nuke it for Levia's effect. If that's the case, then shame on you! You're obviously overlooking other monster effects you can use. I've already mentioned Mermaid Knight's. Must I mention more? I personally run Terrorking Salmon in my deck, and let me tell you, it's rarely failed me. So there you go; "Umi" effects run wild, and heavy-hitters get even heavier with less Tribute restrictions. How can you go wrong? ...Wait, scratch that; you can go wrong if your opponent has a perfectly-timed Magic Jammer. But let's not rain on our parade here... If you're running a Water deck, you're most likely running three Legendary Oceans. **~~@~~** Special Props go to: -Mermaid Knight, for her potential as a double-attacker. -Amphibious Bugroth- MK 3, for helping Water decks add "burn" to their strategies. -Unshaven Angler, for helping us get Levia or Goiga Gigagigo on the field when we don't have an ALO. -The Gigagigos, for bringing the pain. -Terrorking Salmon, mostly for personal feelings and because he's up there with the Gigagigos (and coming up with their own saga). -Tribe-Infecting Virus, who's not in the countdown only because he has the potential to nuke himself and his allies. -Penguin Soldier and Gale Lizard, for keeping the bad guys at bay. -And Frost Monarch Mobius, for being one of the few Water powerhouses to come with his own field control effect. **~~@~~** Well, I hope you enjoyed our look at Water deck cards, kiddies. (I also hope you didn't get seasick.) This ends my article, but not my series; I plan to make deck lists for all Elemental decks: *Fire *Earth *Wind *Light *Dark If you'd like to make a request for which of these decks you'd like to see next, feel free to email me. I'll get to them when I can; until then, enjoy the ocean view.