Dragons for Noobs
Beatstick decks are the most common forms of builds you will see in the metagame of today. Beatstick decks are decks that focus mainly on pummeling your LP with monster attacks by keeping an open field for open shots. The reason they are so common is that because it is the simplest build to create. Monarchs and Zombies are perfect examples of such decks. But this article isn’t intended for those. This is focused on another deck, one that has become a powerful, yet underrated theme over the years (and a personal favorite of yours truly): Dragons.
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Understanding
the Build
Dragons had first started coming around when the “Legacy of Darkness” booster pack first came out. Over time, the methods of the theme have changed subtly, but the pros and cons are still the same.
Dragons old and new are most known for being heavy hitters. In fact, the majority of commonly used Dragons are 1500 ATK or more. They are skilled at destroying monsters and inflicting heavy damage. It’s their job. On the flip side, for all of that power, Dragons have some crappy effects. Only a few have noteworthy effects, but most of the time, it’s for other decks (see Horus for Noobs). In this case, the most common form of Dragon decks revolve around what may be considered the best Dragon, King Dragun.
The King (as I like to call him) is a Fusion Monster. His Fusion-Material Monsters consist of “Lord of D.” and “Divine Dragon Ragnarok”. Basically, he has two effects:
1. “Your opponent cannot target any Dragon-type Monsters on the field by the effect of a Monster, Spell, or Trap card”. This is a glorious effect. This monster, in a nutshell, stops any Dragons from being hit with cards that mention “select one monster” or “1 monster” in the effect. Exiled Force, Newdoria, Soul Taker, even Sakurestu Armor; you name it, it blocks it. It doesn’t block everything, though. Cards like “D.D. Assailant” and “Smashing Ground” don’t target. They just happen.
2. “Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type monster from your hand.” As if King Dragun wasn’t painful enough himself, he can fetch a Dragon out to pummel your opponent. Any Dragon. Level doesn’t matter. Think about that for a minute…
Done? Good. Moving on…
Basically, your deck has to focus on getting the King out quickly to make use of his effects. From there, just pummel your opponent. Make sure to have resources in your hand, because sooner or later, you’ll need them. The best move is to clobber all (or close to it) of his LP in one turn. Nonetheless, just beating him up will get you the win as long as you can keep him (along with your other monsters) from dying or coming off the field.
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Deck
Improvement
So, what to do… let’s mend it first.
I.
“Other” card effects
Most card effects can be blocked by King Dragun… but what about the ones he can’t block? Most of them either activate if they attack (if it’s a monster) or affect in general (Spells/Traps). So, we’ll counter both. Kill the monsters early (or remove them… your call), or counter the spells and traps if necessary.
Useful Cards: Sakuretsu Armor, Bottemless
Trap Hole, Magic Drain, Mirage Dragon, Exploder Dragons, Stamping Destruction.
II.
Fighting w/o the King
The King is a powerhouse… but what if he isn’t on the field? Pack some cards to fight off anything that comes. Divine Wrath, for instance, negates any monster effect and destroys the monster. Keep that for LADD, Exiled Force, Stratos, Monarchs, etc. (Some of you may prefer Pulling the Rug; if you wish, that works too.)
These can be blocked in much the same way as “Other” card effects.
III.
Summoning the King
Fusing can be quite difficult if you do not have the monsters out of the deck. Fix that by ramping up the odds. Use substitutes, fetch them out… or just use Future Fusion.
Useful Cards: Mystic Tomato, Masked Dragon,
Sagan, Dark Hex - Sealed Fusion, Swing of
Memories, Dragon’s Mirror.
IV.
Reviving the King
Sometimes, none of this is enough. At some point in your deck’s life, the King is going to the Graveyard. Recovery is quick though, with the right cards. Like Call of the Haunted. Be warned though, if he did not land on the field, you cannot Special Summon him from the Graveyard.
Useful Cards: Premature Burial, Pot of Avarice, Decoy Dragon, Spear Cretin.
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Deck
Optimizing
Now that that’s handled, let’s work on boosting our positives to the max.
I.
Heavy ATK
It’s not as
satisfying to kill a monster in Defense, is it?
Well, punish him! Spear Dragon is
the only Dragon piercer (if he attacks a monster in Defense Position, he still
inflicts
Useful Cards: Final
Attack Orders, Windstorms of Equotia, Enemy
Controller, Shield Crush.
II.
Special Summoning
What Dragons are perfect for Special Summoning out? The best IMO is Kaiser Glider; he can take a Monarch head-on and come out alive. And if he does die, he returns a monster to the owner’s hand. Good card.
Useful Cards: White-Horned Dragon,
Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Prime Material Dragon, Tyrant Dragon.
III.
Being a Dragon
Dragons have their own special cards… you know that, right? Use some of these to make the most of your Type.
Useful Cards: Burst Breath, Masked Dragon,
Stamping Destruction, Dragon’s Mirror.
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Example
Deck
Deck [42] + Fusion [2]
Monsters [21]
[2] Armed Dragon Lv. 5
[1] Armed Dragon Lv. 3
[3] Luster Dragon
[1] Kaiser Glider
[1] Blue Eyes White Dragon
[2] Divine Dragon Ragnarok
[1] Lord of D.
[2] Mirage Dragon
[3] Masked Dragon
[1] Twin-Headed Behemoth
[1] Exploder Dragon
[1] Dark - Hex Sealed Fusion
[1] Treeborn Frog
[1] Sangan
Spells [16]
[2] Dragon's Mirror
[1] Stamping Destruction
[1] Dark Factory of Mass Production
[1] Swing of Memories
[1] Order to Charge
[1] Future Fusion
[1] Pot of Avarice
[1] Shield Crush
[1] MST
[1] Heavy Storm
[1] Premature Burial
[1] Lightning Vortex
[1] SORL
[1] Nobleman of Crossout
[1] Book of Moon
[1] Enemy Controller
Trap [5]
[2] Sakuretsu Armor
[1] COTH
[1] Divine Wrath
[1] Dust Tornado
Fusion [2] - King Dragun
If you need other help, or wish to make comments / beef, email generalgygabyte@gmail.com. I hope this has helped you on your way.
Duel hard,
General G.