September 2008

 

Looking Under The Bed - Earth Control - Anteaus

 

Hey all, and welcome to another edition of "Looking Under the Bed." I'm here today to talk about a deck that I hold very close to my heart, because it was the first deck I ever played, ever in a tournament. I'm talking, of course, about the Earth Archetype. For a long time, Earth has had a lot of support, but lacked genuine power cards of sorts - we've had Marauding Captain and his band of Warriors, some Beast-type monsters that have seen some action, but never a true deck that could rival the main decks and really rock. The main reason of this is due to the fact that Earth monsters are very reliant on Gaia Power to beef them up. If not Gaia Power, then some other type of ATK-boosting spell that will help them overcome their small stature. Granted, some do stand on their own, such as Behemoth, King of All Animals, and Bazoo the Soul Eater, but for the most part Earth monsters are...well, scrappy at best.
 
But Earth packs a punch because of the effects of its different monsters. Whether it be Bazoo (pumping to a 2500 ATK), Exiled Force (goodbye), Injection Fairy Lily (3400 ATK?!), or Amazoness Swords Woman (I'm like rubber, you're like glue), these monsters have a way of...evening out the field for everyone and providing a big boost for you. Let's proceed with what I like to call "Earth Control."
 
It's concept is simple: annoy your opponent so much with recruiters, Amazoness Swords Woman, Exiled Force, D.D. Assailant, and Soul Taker that they won't have much left when you drop your Injection Fairy Lily, pump, and win. It's simple, and it's amazingly effective. Let's take a look at the Monster line-up to see what we're going to be working with, damage-wise:
 

Monsters (23):

 

3x Amazoness Swords Woman

3x Giant Rat

2x Bazoo the Soul-Eater

3x Mysterious Guard

2x D.D. Assailant

2x Goblin Attack Force

3x Exiled Force

2x Injection Fairy Lily

1x Sangan

1x Neo-Spacian Grand Mole

1x Breaker the Magical Warrior

 

Let's break this down, because I'm seeing some confused faces. Amazoness Swords Woman is a highly underrated card - the ability to provide a Magic Cylinder-like effect, even in death, makes this a near staple. It's 1500 ATK is great because it's searchable by Giant Rat, feeds Bazoo, and most importantly, fuels Mysterious Guard's effect by placing a Warrior on the field. To spin one monster, and bounce another, is something that a lot of people can't recover easily from, leaving your opponent wide open to attack. Giant Rat is the recruiter, Bazoo pumps for damage (let's face it, you won't be doing much recursion with this deck, so might as well), and D.D. Assailant is...well...D.D. Assailant. Easily one of the best D.D. cards (after D.D. Warrior Lady), he's a three-for in this deck because of his high-ish ATK and amazingly awesome effect. Goblin Attack Force is a veritable beatstick (not to mention giant wall) that you can use as either offense or defense, and Exiled Force helps to get rid of monsters for your beaters to attack with.

 

And now I'd like to introduce the main attraction for tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, put your hands together for Injection Fairy Lily! Injection is the best pump monster in the game right now, is incredibly underused, and amazingly underrated. Her effect is perfect for a deck like this because you're gonna have to give up LP sooner or later - might as well get 3400 of your opponent's first. She's searchable by both Giant Rat and Sangan, making her easy to bring out and easier to keep on the field. Nothing can touch her, and with your D.D. Assailant, Exiled Force, Neo-Spacian Grand Mole and Bazoo the Soul-Eater, you'll be able to get to your opponent's LP easily enough. Because that's the idea: clear the field and beat with IFL, Bazoo, GAF and Amazoness Swords Woman to deal massive damage. And these spells will help you:

 

Spells (12):

 

2x Book of Moon

2x Reinforcement of the Army

1x Heavy Storm

1x Monster Reborn

3x Soul Taker

2x Nobleman of Crossout

1x Mystical Space Typhoon

 

 

This seems like an odd Spell lineup, but think about it. Book of Moon helps get those pesky monsters face-down, allowing you to smash with a Nobleman of Crossout (or two), and judging by the 10 Warriors in this deck, Reinforcements may be needed. In twos. Soul Taker is the underrated cad of the day in this deck, because you get control of an opponent's monster...and your opponent gets nothing more than +1000 LP. Woopdie doo. So, I'll give you 1000 LP and I'll take your beatstick and use it to kill you. Soul Taker is another great way to clear the field, because it gives you a monster for virtually no cost, and you're now able to use MST or Heavy Storm to waylay your opponent. Like I said, the Spell lineup isn't the prettiest thing you've ever seen, and it may lack some cards (Smashing Ground, much?), but what it lacks in "power cards" it makes up for in POWER cards (meaning Soul Taker). Trust me, you'll want those Soul Taker's when this deck starts rolling, because without them your monsters won't get far.

 

Traps (5):

 

1x Mirror Force

1x Torrential Tribute

2x Phoenix Wing Wind Blast

1x Return from the Different Dimension

 

If you liked the Spell lineup, you're gonna love the Trap one. It's simple, really, except for the two PWWB and the RftDD. Phoenix Wing Wind Blast is in there to spin cards and set your opponent back - hopefully leaving their field clear and hitting for lots of damage after spinning some huge monster back to the top of their deck that will be completely useless. Return is there just in case all else fails. If you've pumped Bazoo four of five times, have 12-15+ monsters removed, and need to bring some back, this is your restart button. RftDD will help you in a lot of situations simply by being there and being useful.

 

Now, this deck doesn't have a lot of negation, destruction, or tributes. It relies on synergy between the Reinforcements and the other monsters to kill things and make sure they stay dead. Amazoness Swords Woman makes your opponent think twice before attacking, protects your life points, and allows bigger monsters (D.D. Assailant, Exiled Force) to come in and get rid of them while Injection Fairy Lily slips in the back, unnoticed, and drops a nuke in their lap. When playing this deck, you can't worry about losing LP with Injection, because the whole point is to deal that +1400 damage to them before they can drop their larger monsters and kill you. This deck runs fast, and any hand you draw should be good. If you want, you can replace the RftDD with an Ultimate Offering, allowing you to swarm quickly and the recruiters help to do that as well. Play conservatively at the start, then open up as the game goes on because you'll need to keep their field someone void of monsters as you setup. It's important in this format especially to keep the Monster Zones clear, because there are few things that can stop you once you have field presence, and that's something this deck excels in.

 

For the side deck, just make sure you throw in counters to decks like Aggro Burn, fairies, anything that swarms quickly and forces you on the offensive. Sakuretsu Armor is a good choice, as well as some Wabokus (just in case). This deck is fun and exciting to play, and I hope you take the time to make it your own and win with it like I will.

 

Until next time,

 

Anteaus