August 2007
 

Deck Analysis: Crystallized Heroes

 

               When I think of the current metagame, all that comes to mind are Monarchs, Perfect Circle, Machine Beatdown and Destiny Hero Beatdown. I remember back when everyone ran a beatdown deck with level 4 monsters with an attack of 1800, a Summoned Skull, the occasional Airknight Parshath, and a couple attack supportive equip spells. Of course, that wasn't all that was to it. Many players ran Fissure and Harpie's Feather Duster. Then, someone noticed that the cards actually have types and attributes to take advantage of. Then came the Warrior Toolbox. The metagame is always changing, it shifts every two SJC's or so. Inbetween those times, though, the majority of the top players are playing about two to four different decks. Occasionally there comes a rogue deck that wins a SJC or top 8's there. Then, the netdecking continues. Many people aim to become the creator of the next rogue deck that takes home the title. This is what I'm trying to do in this article.

 

            I've heard many players state that Destiny Heroes, Monarchs, and Machines are the most versatile and competitive deck types in the current metagame. I've chosen to further experiment their thoughts of Destiny Heroes being a great choice nowadays. I'm combining Crystal Beasts, which are a deck type that many people are trying to make competitive now, with Destiny Heroes to create a rogue deck that many duelists would think of as a very unstable deck. I have also had my experiences with this "unstable" deck and couldn't say that it's not unstable. Even though it's unstable, when you draw the right cards, it can be devastating. Remember Diamond Dude Turbo? Well I've brought it back. And Crystal Beasts? They're excellent for dominating the field, while Destiny Heroes like Malicious are dominant of the Graveyard.

 

            Now, since these two deck types have support that specifies the monster (Crystal Beast/Destiny Hero), not the type, we need to make sure that we include a decent ratio of 50/50 Crystal Beast monsters to Destiny Hero monsters. Now, because the Crystal Beasts have a better chance of going off, we will include more Crystal Beast Support.

 

3 Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus

3 Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger

1 Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle

1 Rescue Cat

2 Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat

1 Destiny Hero – Dasher

3 Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude

3 Destiny Hero – Malicious

 

            This lineup is pretty much the combined version of Diamond Dude Turbo and standard Crystal Beast decks. Sapphire Pegasus's are maxed out so that we can use the full effects of supports like Crystal Abundance and Ancient City – Rainbow Ruins. Topaz Tiger's are also included in 3's mainly for the reason that they help the Abundance OTK with their high attacks. They also come in handy when Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle is special summoned. The Rescue Cat/Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat is almost a staple in all Crystal Beast decks, and we need more "Crystallized" Crystal Beasts for the full effects of the support cards I mentioned earlier, so I thought it would be a no-brainer to include that. The Ruby Carbuncle is included as a staple too.

 

            Next is the Destiny Hero lineup. Dasher, Malicious, and Diamond Dude are staples in a DDT deck, and they work very well with the spell and trap lineup. But, with only 17 monsters, we can't move onto the spell and traps so early. Here's the other necessities of this deck:

 

1 Jinzo

1 Dark Magician of Chaos

2 Card Trooper

1 Elemental Hero Stratos

 

            We've included Jinzo for the main reason of most DDT decks: Trap Negation. It also comes in handy with a Reasoning. Dark Magician of Chaos is used mainly for his excellent effect, which helps us re-use our spell cards. He too is helpful when Reasoning is used. Next is Card Trooper. His effect can be used to our advantage with cards like Destiny Hero – Malicious and Destiny Hero – Dasher. But, that's not all. He can also be used to support Pot of Avarice or Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus. With all those options, it's definitely a bad idea not to include it. Lastly, we have Elemental Hero Stratos. With this excellent attack and effect, he was a no-brainer in this deck. We need him to search for cards like Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude or Destiny Hero – Dasher, and can definitely use his extra effect of destroying an opponent's spell or trap.

 

So let's take a look at the complete Monster Lineup.

 

3 Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus

3 Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger

1 Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle

1 Rescue Cat

2 Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat

1 Destiny Hero – Dasher

3 Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude

3 Destiny Hero – Malicious

1 Jinzo

1 Dark Magician of Chaos

2 Card Trooper

1 Elemental Hero Stratos

 

            Next time I will be covering the Spell and Trap lineup of this new deck, and I will be analyzing it like I have done so today. I hope to see you next week!

 

Have Fun and Play Fair, Eddie Sunshine