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FanatikMonk on Yu-Gi-Oh!

Meta Breaking Decks:
Part 1
Diamonds Are Forever

FanatikMonk

01.03.07

Yea, I’ve been a bit absent, but we’re going to make it up in the next few days. Finals are over and I’ve got nothing to do but duel and learn to play guitar (we all know it’s not happening, so let’s get started.)

I rebuilt all of my decks recently. With the release of CDIP I’ve torn everything apart and started fresh with every single deck. I try to keep a balance with the decks that I have in that I have a mix of control decks, combo decks and beatdown decks. I’ll release each deck list to you within the next few days and analyze my choices. I’ll also make recommendations for those of you that want to make similar builds. There is a regional in New Jersey this weekend which I will be attending, so I’m hesitant to release any of the decks I may run there prior to the regional. So going in backwards order of competitiveness we’ll be doing the following decks: Diamond Dude, Camel Control, Freed the Brave Wanderer, Power Bond and Strike Ninja. So lets start with the first today: Diamond Dude! ! !

Those exclamations are very much on purpose, because this deck is huge. This card had a small following when it was released and picked up steam for a little while. If you aren’t familiar with it, here it is:

Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude
Atk/1400 Def/1600
[Warrior/Effect]
When this card is face-up on your side of the field, once per turn you can look at the top car of your Deck. If the card is a Normal Spell Card, send it to the graveyard and you can activate the Normal Spell card during the Main Phase of your next turn. If the card is not a Normal Spell Card, place it on the bottom of your Deck.

There are a few things to note about this card before we continue. First of all, it’s stats are solid, and that is not debatable. Searchable by Tomato, Sangan and Reinforcement of the Army, Diamond Dude will find its way to the field quickly and easily. Its defense is exactly high enough to be meta-breaking. Impermeable by Hydrogeddon, Dekoichi and D.D. Warrior Lady, Diamond Dude will fall only to a monarch, Cyber Dragon or some form of removal. Finally, its effect is very carefully worded and states that you may activate the normal spell card upon your next turn. This means that you get the effect of whatever card you send to the graveyard, despite it’s activation cost or requirements. So cards like Burst Stream of Destruction (which destroys all of your opponent’s monsters) or Dark Magic Attack (which destroys all of your opponent’s spells and traps) get their effects through Diamond Dude regardless of field conditions.

That being said, the ideal build would be heavily based on Normal Spells and have thin monster and trap lines. Normal spells must also not be too situational, as if they are used through diamond dude’s effect and find no target, they are wasted. The trap lineup must also be able to capitalize on your opponent’s decision making process. For example if your opponent knows that you’ll be smashing a monster next turn, they won’t play anything they don’t want to lose and will act more conservatively, the ideal trap lineup should be able to take advantage of those turns in momentum and stop key plays. Metaphorically, it’ll put the opponent on their heels, and then trip them while they back up. The monster lineup should thin the deck quickly and efficiently and will be aided by the use of Snipe Hunter. Snipe Hunter allows the use of situational cards, as they will be put to use to destroy something on the field. Incredibly synergetic, highly competitive, remarkably dangerous. Without further ado:

Monsters (18)
Cyber Dragon x 3
Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude x 3
Mystic Tomato x 3
Exiled Ford x 2
Snipe Hunter x 2
D.D. Warrior Lady x 1
Magician of Faith x 1
Breaker the Magical Warrior x 1
Sangan x 1
Spirit Reaper x 1

Spells (17)
Graceful Charity x 1
Confiscation x 1
Nobleman of Crossout x 1
Heavy Storm x 1
Nobleman of Extermination x 1
Warrior Returning Alive x 1
Pot of Avarice x 1
Upstart Goblin x 1
Ojama Delta Hurricane! ! !x 3
Reinforcement of the Army x 2
Card Destruction x 1
Smashing Ground x 2
Last Will x 1

Traps (5)
Mirror Force x 1
Torrential Tribute x 1
Ring of Destruction x 1
Solemn Judgment x 2

Wow, that’s a lot of spells, right? Let’s start there then. You’ll notice that two staple cards have been replaced with their Normal Spell equivalents (Mystical Space Typhoon becomes Nobleman of Extermination and Premature Burial becomes Warrior Returning Alive), thus creating massive synergy and a 42.5% chance of drawing a Normal Spell with Diamond Dude’s effect. Ojama Delta Hurricane is a monster in its own right. It will clear your opponent’s entire field through diamond dude, serve as a bluff if drawn too early or act as fodder for Snipe Hunter. Waving it in your opponent’s face is the most fun thing in the world, because they’re forced to clear their field before you do. Watching them scramble to make use of any set bluffs, create floaters and figure out a way to comeback after having their field swept is a wonderful experience. Cynicism aside, this move often ensures that you’ll have the game, especially against conservative decks. Following this move up by summoning a snipe hunter or setting solemn judgment is crushing, especially in the late game.
The rest of the spell lineup works very plainly. Upstart Goblin is a place holder for side decking and will often be the first thing dropped, but with diamond dude it’s a quick draw (the life point gain is small and can often be compensated quickly). Card Destruction serves two purposes, early game it can freshen your hand, but late game, after cycling monsters and traps to the bottom of your deck, it can dig for monsters for that last push. Reinforcement of the Army is an obvious choice, but should always be used quickly to thin the deck and remove monsters.
This deck is currently my favorite just because of how quick it is. Diamond Dude often creates a 0-for-X trade and can provide a steady stream of advantage and presence throughout a duel. The morning I built this deck I went X-2 at a tourney and since haven’t been beaten.
Obviously, I’ve done a lot of testing against monarchs, so while playing this deck, don’t be afraid to open with Diamond Dude and use its effect. Knowledge of the deck will often guide you to the right moves especially during the late-game. Knowing how many spells you still have in your deck (specifically ODHs) will greatly affect your play-style for the better.
If you choose to build this deck, I’ve found lightning vortex and a second Nobleman of Extermination to be incredibly useful. The lack of defensive traps is often troubling against more aggressive builds and stall is sometimes necessary to ensure you can moderate your hand size. Thus my side deck is as follows:

Side Deck (15)
Mystic Swordsman Lv2 x 1
Snipe Hunter x 1
Dark Scorpion Meanae the Thorn x 3
Nobleman of Extermination x 1
Lightning Vortex x 1
Swords of Revealing Light x 1
Messenger of Peace x 1
Royal Decree x 3
Sakuretsu Armor x 3

Anywho, that’s enough of this. Stop back in next time to check out Camel Control and as always, Happy Dueling!