JUNE 2008

Competitive CB decks in the current meta - Gemforce Archfiend

A basic guide to building a competitive Crystal Beast deck in the current meta
 
As many people have realized since they were first released in Force of the Breaker, Crystal Beasts are very adaptable. When they were introduced into the TCG, a good CB deck could take advantage of a Volcanic deck’s Blaze Accelerators and their effects were careful enough to fight even the most well made Archfiend deck. When faced with a beatdown or Dark World deck that focused primarily on destroying the opponent’s monsters, they could just retreat to the back row of your field and wait for a Crystal Abundance to activate for a win, and you could make use of Crystal Raigeki to get rid of some more troublesome cards, as it can destroy any CARD your opponent controls, instantly putting it above Mystical Space Typhoon and Shield Crush. As later sets were introduced, ‘traditional’ CB players (i.e. players who include exclusively CB cards, with one or two exceptions) noticed that they were beginning to struggle with the rise in the popularity of Samurais and Zombies, what with the Samurais ability to swarm the field with high-power monsters and awesome effects, and the Zombies' famous ability to overextend their playing field without worrying about the consequences. And so attention turned back to forgotten cards like the Magna-Slash and Gravi-Grush dragons, and running Torrential Tribute and Marshmallon to screw up the opponent’s field or just stall for an Abundance.
But by far the most lethal types of deck encountered so far are Macro RFP and Vanilla. Macro Cosmos denies the player any chance of making use of any CBs in the Graveyard, and Skill Drain stops them going from the field to the S/T zone.
And in this article I want to show every budding CB player how to combat these threats. So grab your deck and spares and lets get modding!
 
THE DECK
Before we even touch any cards, you have to decide if you want to include Rainbow Dragon in your deck. Now this is an amazing card (I run 2 in mine) but to summon it you’ll need all seven (that’s Sapphire, Topaz, Amber, Cobalt, Emerald, Amethyst and Ruby - count ‘em, seven) Crystal Beasts in your grave. That means ensuring your opponent’s continuous RFP cards aren’t going to screw you over. Cards to help you do that are Crystal Raigeki, Mystical Space Typhoon or Magna-Slash Dragon. Just remember, when sacrificing a CB in your S/T zone (which will from now on be known as a sCB) make sure you’re using a card you already have another copy of in your deck, otherwise you will NOT be able to pull out Rainbow Dragon. Your opponent will not be stupid enough to run just one Macro Cosmos, so be prepared with copies of your own trap-stoppers.
Marshmallow (PP01)
This card has saved me a number of times, both through burning my opponent and holding off their attacks. Unless your opponent has something with a Piercing effect, you’ve just earned yourself at least 2 turns.
Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (CT03)
My signature card. Incredibly simple to pull out if you have him in your hand, just pave the way for him with Sapphire Pegasus and Crystal Blessing. With major burn damage when he destroys a monster and the ability to become the focus of all your opponent’s attacks while in Defence mode, he’s a powerhouse as well as an amazing wall. Perfect if you can get a hold of one.
Gravi-Crush/Magna-Slash Dragon (FOTB/DP07)
These dragons were introduced in the same set as the CBs, but were neglected by many for a while due to sacrificing a Continuous Spell to activate their effects. Recently they have seen a lot more action, with the massive popularity of the Monarchs and the dragons’ combined ability to clear the field of any undesirables. 1 Tribute, 2400 ATK and multiple effect-usage per turn? Pretty good if you ask me.
Crystal Release (DP07)
The only Equip card available to CBs, and it’s a good one. The CBs are all LV4 or lower and have less than 2000 ATK - unless you count Topaz’s effect - so the 800 ATK boost that it offers is a great advantage. I equip it to my Amber Mammoth most of the time, which happens to be pretty much the only Strategy Card I’ve ever taken advice from. This forms a shield of protection for all my other CBs. Also, when it is destroyed it allows you to add a CB from your deck to your S/T zone. Bonus!!!
Rainbow Path (PTDN)
This Trap activates when your opponent’s monster attacks. At the cost of a sCB, the attack is negated and you can add a Rainbow Dragon/Rainbow Dark Dragon from your deck to your hand. Obviously you should only include this card if you have Rainbow Dragon, or are planning to dump a Rainbow Dark Dragon in your grave and use Rainbow Gravity to summon it.
Torrential Tribute (Easy to find)
Use this to kill off Monarchs or a DAD. I often use it on my own Sapphire Pegasus for 2 free sCBs.
 
Other cards that my friends like to use in their CB decks:-
Amazoness Swords Woman
Flash of the Forbidden Spell/Straight Flush (we’ve found that people are confident enough to fill up their entire field when facing CBs, so this can be nasty.)
Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins (a good card with lots of effects, all of which are great. The downside is that it’s removed by Abundance’s effect.)
Ultimate Offering (It’s always nice to summon 3 Sapphire Pegasuses in one turn!)
 
CARDS TO WATCH OUT FOR
Macro Cosmos/Dimensional Fissure/Banisher of the Radiance, etc.
This has already been explained.
Skill Drain: This denies your CBs entry into the S/T zone. The only thing you can hope to do is use staple cards like MST to get rid of it quickly or use Crystal Blessing to pull off an early Abundance.
D.D. monsters: I hate these cards. D.D. players are often not scared of charging headfirst straight into the enemy’s field, regardless of how many face-down cards they have. I quickly run out of Sakuretsu Armours getting rid of them. Just do your best as quickly as possible against these guys.
Samurais: My friend’s a pro Samurai player. He almost always pulls out Zanji, Grandmaster and Shien on the first turn. Try Burden of the Mighty or Messenger of Peace to stop them in their tracks.
 
MY DECK
Just to give you an idea of what a competitive CB deck might look like nowadays, here’s mine:-
Monsters: 21
Rainbow Dragon x2
Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder
CB Sapphire Pegasus x2
CB Topaz Tiger x2
CB Amber Mammoth x3
CB Emerald Tortoise x3
CB Amethyst Cat x2
CB Cobalt Eagle x2
CB Ruby Carbuncle
Gravi-Crush Dragon
Magna-Slash Dragon
Marshmallon
 
Spells: 13
Ancient city - Rainbow Ruins
Crystal Abundance x3
Crystal Beacon x3
Crystal Promise x3
Crystal Blessing x2
Crystal Release
 
Traps: 6
Torrential Tribute
Crystal Raigeki x3
Rainbow Path
Last Resort
Side Deck: 15
Mystical Space Typhoon
Flash of the Forbidden Spell
Straight Flush
Nobleman of Crossout
Mirror Force
Radiant Mirror Force
Crystal Blessing
Crystal Release
Rainbow Gravity
Shield Crush x3
Sakuretsu Armor x3
Monster Reborn
 
Overall, my message is for you to keep an open mind when it comes to choosing what cards to put in your deck. You don’t have to take my advice to the letter - in fact the whole point of the game, aside from having fun, is to create your own unique deck, so feel free to be imaginative. If you have a lot of luck with, say, Grave Lure, stick it in. It might come in just as handy in a CB deck! One great thing about a CB deck is it’s cheap as chips (excuse the British pun). A few packs of Force of the Breaker and you’ll likely have the cards you need for a deck I like to call Gem Fuel. Basically, pull out Gravi/Magna Dragons and keep a constant supply of sCBs to clear the field and hit directly for a win.
I hope my advice has helped both those who are just starting out in the game and those who need advice for upcoming tournaments.
Thanks or reading, and if you want to contact me about anything regarding the Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Game, my e-mail address is runepriest@hotmail.co.uk
Bye!!