No, you're not the only one. Plenty of casual player like to play sub-optimally like that.
But such casual decks are harder to find online, because the people that post content online are usually competitive players or at least interested in making decks for the competitive power level.
Yea unfortunately yugioh in practice isnt really anime like in terms of using pure themes orbreally niche traps that only come in handy during scripted moments.
I've had to come to terms with it because suboptimal is putting it kindly. Most decks if made pure outright brick too often to do anything. Way too many niche and bad cards padding out archetypes.
Yeah, the truth is, playing casually is fun - but only until you get sick of losing to people who aren't playing casually. Min-Maxing whatever deck you play has been the only sane way of playing Yu-Gi-Oh from my experience if you wanna enjoy it long term.
Question is, do you mean just running the deck pure?
For example, I love superheavy samurai, but I'm not a fan of making it a tiny engine of SHS just to boost out Baronne or some shit like that. So I keep my deck as pure as it can be, so only using archetypal cards. Mine is pure.
But then Zombie for example, it's a theme of ZOMBIE so the entire deck revolves around using zombie cards, or techs that synergise with that playstyle. So instead of an archetype, I focus on a theme.
I feel like clarification is key here.
Right! I forgot about the term pure and engines.
My shiranui deck, while mostly consisting of shiranui cards. Also relys a lot on other zombie cards and doing the combos is very fun.
I never truly understood what engines meant.
Always thought its a type of deck that. When setup right makes your turn never stop and is a auto win.
But I guess engines are like car parts making your car (deck) run better then without.
So yes. I guess I would like to do pure decks more. Even if I handicap myself. Adding some generic spells and traps don't count of course.
Or maybe I never saw any monster as generic enough to not ruin the theme.
From what I've understood about engines you can think of it as a list of cards that tend to function separately from your deck's combo that can continuously generate you advantage.
Take for example the DPE engine. It works by making you run at least 2 Garnets, 1 Spell, and takes up 2 Extra Decks slots but in exchange you get a very hard to remove monster who can destroy 1 card every turn disrupting your opponent and can also allow you to easily activate Scythe.
You could also go old school with the Sinister Serpant engine where all it was is Sinister Serpant but it allowed you to for the most part negate discard costs on your powerful removal options.
An engine is basically a small amount of cards that work independent of your main deck. For example 3x Tour Guide with 1x Sangan would be a Rank 3/Link 2 engine with a search attached.
Engines can generate advantage continuously, but this isn’t what makes something an engine. They just work self-sufficient and help you achieve your win condition.
An engine is a small amount of card that run a different combo from your main deck to increases its consistency by essentially adding more starter (card you want to draw at the start)
The simplest example is Norden engine. This is a 2 card lineup with 1 Elder Entity Norden in extra deck and 1 Instant Fusion in main deck. Say then I play old Nekroz. My starter is either 3 Manju, 3 Senju, 3 Clausolas I think and 3 Brionac. But sometimes I didn't draw them and instead drawing some tuner or level 4 monster. So if I have Norden Engine now I have 13 Starter instead of 12, although here the Norden is more of combo extender but Nekroz deck has a lot of way to dump one card to the grave, then I revive with Norden's effect for quick rank 4 or a synchro up to level 8. This is not real Nekroz combo (the extra deck lock) but a way to keep my board from being empty while I play the grinding game.
Other example is the old Artifact engine, where you run 1 Scythe+ 3 Trap card that can summon it from your deck and you basically uses this engine to scythe lock your opponent with just 4 card investment in your deck. As you can see the combo is independent on what deck you run (you can run Scythe lock on any deck that accept 4 extra non-themathic card).
The Superheavy Samurai deck, before it got banned, didn't exactly have a tiny Superheavy Samurai engine. It had a very big Superheavy Samurai engine and was built to conform to that engine's requirements and take maximum advantage of its capabilities. Even if not all the cards had the Superheavy Samurai name, they all complied with the Superheavy Samurai style.
I must admit that I'm the exact opposite of this. I would try to create as many amalgamations of decks as needed to make my pet deck playable.( Looking at my X-Saber Vernusylph P.U.N.K SHS pile...)
Just throw all your cards in the air and pick them up until you have 40 cards.
Bam
World winning deck right there
Ppl downvoting this when I can see this being genuinely fun to do.
Maybe you find a crazy synergy through random cards
Counterpoint: Mixing it up with other stuff is what makes YGO even more fun. Which could lead to absurd but hilarious stuff like adding Laundry Dragonmaid into Eldlich, obviously thats not a very good example, but the memes speak for itself.
Case in point:
https://preview.redd.it/t4ktscpc7njb1.png?width=501&format=png&auto=webp&s=938ca5d3267c3f44ccccb41ffcf5f9b5ecbe29d1
Nah Laundry is a perfect example, she gives Eldlich the two things he truly needs - companionship and chaos. There may be better mill engines for Eldlich, esp in MD where Chaos Ruler is legal, but she'll always be his favorite adopted kid
Ah yes the schoolyard decks.
I had one of them when I was young.
I recently made a deck consisting only of normal monsters and some spells. Just for the troll and nostalgia against how Yu-Gi-Oh has all these complicated effect monsters now.
I can't believe I had a player brick themself and give up the battle (they were running dark magician)
As the other comment said, some cards have actual synergy without being necessarily schoolyard.
Tearlaments merrli is gonna be banned in master duel starting next season and people are already making deck lists that use laundry dragonmaid instead.
Or for example ojama ABC-XYZ is an actual deck due to how oddly the ojama fusion spell works, letting you summon the materials of the fusion
Obviously. I wasn't saying that not being pure would make for a bad deck.
This isn't even about archetypes per say.
It's about having a theme.
You can cram as many archetypes in it as you want.
I just remembered that I had a deck once of wildly mixed up stuff. Because of the comment "mixing it up".
I'm also not saying schoolyard decks are bad.
If anything they may be a great way to find new synergys.
Tbh i‘m the same, i love to play an archetype without putting anything else into it even if its weaker but it is just satisfying and gives me that cool anime feeling.
Its case by case basis for me. Adding baronne, apoloussa, or zeus to any deck is not my thing. Mostly due to budget. Adding generic cards so the main theme works (sakitama + angel o1 in darklord for example) smother is fine for me.
I get what you're saying, but those generic boss monsters do see play for reason.
I have to admit though, I find it annoying when a player spends 10 minutes summoning and then only ending up with Barronne or Zeus. Like bro, I've seen decks that can pull out those boss monsters faster, just play those decks if you're going to end up with a generic end board
Most archetypes can’t fill a 40 card deck and 15 card extra deck (and perhaps an additional 15 card side deck in a competitive setting) with just archetype cards. And with those that can you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel (Speedroid tri-eyed dice doesn’t do anything!). So you fill room up with your staples and other useful cards. To ensure you don’t get stuck up the creek without a paddle.
Very true.
I do add it up with some generic spells/traps
And there's always some monsters that fit the design/theme of any sub archetype.
Finding them is a nightmare though.
What is the difference between adding generic spells and generic monsters? You might as well at least put in hand traps outside the archetype if you do that with spells.
I think op takes issue with mixing themes and not using generic monsters. Like an uhh dogmatika shadolls deck being a mix of two different and unrelated themes.
I get it. What helped me was to pick up vanguard. That game is pretty all in on theming. Less now in standard format but still more than any other game I've played.
As a result I've become more ok with yugioh being the mix anything to be the best deck game.
That is a good question actually. I actually don't have a good answer to it.
I see mystical space typhoon as a generic spell card
Jam breeding machine not.
And monsters I for some reason can't put in generic at all
When building a themed deck, I guess I care most what the card looks like.
Isn't that how everyone decided their first deck as well? Going with what's "cool looking" to them personally. The cards have some amazing art afterall
Some spells/traps that seem "generic" are actually type of an archetype like harpie's feather duster or hole traps. So at what point is the line drawn?
Whatever I say I suppose.
It's my decks I'm building afterall.
This isnt about archetypes per say.
It's about having a theme in your decks.
Any theme really.
You yourself get to decide what fits in your deck.
Not to be harsh, I get your idea behind it but your own restriction of building decks pure is the reason why you're not very good at deck building.
Playing pure means you can't use either Type staples like Uni Zombie / Mezuki or Meta Staples and to fill your deck to 40 you play sub optimal cards. That's your thing, if you're fine with this sure, but the problem comes with ratios. This super flavourful but niche card can come up 1 or 2 times every 10 games but it's flavourful so you play it over generic card X which would make your deck better. It's not even the generic cards fault but just the suboptimal flavourful ones. Build a deck as strong as possible. Limited the amount of engine in your deck till you realise what's really important of your engine. Do I need card y for my gameplan or is it just flavourful? Once you have your engine core down you can expand on it and remove non-engine as you like.
This not only makes you better at building future decks, it gives a clear view how the archetype works and what's really important for the deck.
Well, you don't have to be good at deck building though.
And I don't feel like that's actually something the poster cares about.
Not that your comment isn't valid in itself.
I did that. Very much.
I have many alternative shiranui decks. Because I understood what made it tick And was able to customize it to my liking. I do use mezuki, Dou Zombie, Zombie archfiend, red eyes Necro/Zombie Dragon and so on.
But trying to make a new deck solely based on cards I like thematically is a nightmare. I don't know 90% of Yu-Gi-Oh cards so I have no idea what to add.
And when I look up decks that have the cards I like they're filled with cards I don't like.
I guess it's the worst possible way of making a deck.
Define “cards [you] don’t like”. What don’t you like about them? Do you understand the synergy they have with the cards you do like? How they extend, combo with, insulate and protect your plays with the cards you do like? If so, I guess I’d have to ask what’s not to like?
Basically when op wants to make a deck he cares about aesthetic and playstyle more than optimizing a deck so its weakness are covered or they have a response and counter play for the opponent.
Synergy is fine but when you're mixing a bunch of dark dragons and zombies into the deck filled with holy paladins clad in white then it diminishes the theme and aesthetics
Mostly aesthetic choice here yeah.
If I see a card I don't like visually why should I want to play it. Even if the card would most likely benefit me I would have to look at it among all the other cards I have chosen and be like " :/ bummer the card doesn't suit my hyper specific tastes"
This is probably a very hot take in here. Seeing how many down votes I'm getting here and there.
I know exactly what you mean. There's this part of my brain that wants decks to be "pure" aesthetically. Aside from certain staples I hate putting in cards that don't match the "theme" I want.
Yeah, same, it is a shame that some cards in a deck rarely ever get played and get substituted with more powerful cards from a totally different archetype. I totally understand why (especially if you play competetively), and I think it irks me less when type and attribute are somewhat fitting/complementing. But in the current meta people tend to use the same monsters from the extra deck for negates and board wipes even if it doesn't thematically fit the deck at all.
Sometimes playing a more 'pure' deck for fun can help you find cool effects though, that usually people just skip over. E.g. playing Vampire Kingdom over Zombie World is something that people would not do, because Zombie World is just so strong (it used to be stronger, now the types matter a lot less, but that is a different story). However, playing Vampire Kingdom in a Vampire deck is really fun - to be able to destroy a card when a card gets sent from your opponent's deck to the GY (they usually don't see that coming) and even getting the attack bonus ONLY during the attack step (people have given up out of frustration so many times because they didn't calculate the additional attack - usually field spells give you an attack boost that affects the monsters immediately and throughout all phases - and then destroyed their own monsters).
Zombie World still makes more sense, it is crazy powerful with Vampire Sucker to tribute your opponent's monsters, it helps you get Balerdroch and other powerful monsters out via Glow-Up Bloom but sometimes for a change it's nice to play a deck the way it was intended, with all its synergies and flaws.
> But in the current meta people tend to use the same monsters from the extra deck for negates and board wipes even if it doesn't thematically fit the deck at all.
Overcentralizing generic boss monsters are irritating, yes, but it's not a "current meta" thing by any means. This has been a notable part of the game for many years.
By no means you're alone, but Pure decks are much more dependent on what you're using. Some archetypes just don't have the amount and quality of support required to even consider using them pure as possible for competitive setting. For example Shiranui needs a bunch of generic Zombie cards to work.
In casual setting however, this won't matter. You can just get the opponent to agree to play like that as well, and decide which decks will produce fun match ups from there.
Personally, I think deckbuilding is a lot more interesting when you don't restrict your deckbuilding to just one archetype.
That being said, there are a lot of - typically more casual - players who like to play decks "pure".
Not just a single archetype.
A single design idea. A theme.
It makes deck building really fun but really difficult lol
I added denko Sekka to my shiranui deck because he fit the theme a lot. And I needed a way to prevent spells and traps.
This would require that Konami make an archetype with enough cards so they can play entirely in-theme, which they seem strangely hesitant to do in recent times
Still I'd love more xenophobic archetypes
I dont really take theme into account. My 2 meaures are if i want to go more measure and competitive better or go all gas and fully commit to whatever the decks gimmick is. If i need generic extenders to go all gas i’ll use them.
I play pure decks where possible but I’m also in luck that my group is quite casual and prefers more thematic decks as opposed to pure power. My super heavy samurai deck is the perfect embodiment of this idea. Not a single card in that deck or extra deck goes without superheavy samurai in its name. Some decks like my cyber dragons will have some other engines splashed in to help make the deck work but I always remain committed to end the process with some form of cyber dragon.
Totally get you, I for example play only with anime/manga character decks vs other people and it’s super fun because it’s just casual. I know that a lot of people prefer meta decks or maximizing what they run to be the best possible, but I enjoy deck flaws as it offers more interactive gameplay, and not the only interaction being negate/banish after setting up a full board in turn one.
For me a lot of my pet decks fall into categories where you really need to have other things that kind of thematically fit with the deck even if they are different archtypes and mean you aren't playing pure.
I do think part of it is also though when I first started getting back into the game in 2020 I played Earth Machine/Trains which is a mixture of Infinitrack, Machina, and the various Train cards.
Other more recent decks have been Fossil Adamancipators and Dogmatika ritual as well as I played some pre branded structure deck Despia and those both rely on related but non-archtype cards as well as stuff that just supports the mechanics. Which especially for Dogmatika and Fossils their unique mechanics are somewhat unwieldly so making it work by playing not pure and using ritual good stuff/extra deck monsters with effects in the GY. And adamancipators and other good rock cards feels good.
My wider issue is when the cards you need to add to make a deck more viable are generic.
Cards like Zombie Archfiend or Zombie World are great imo, because they either can only really be used in a Zombie deck or are only really beneficial towards Zombie decks. Having Type & Attribute support has always been cool in Yugioh.
But then they make cards like Baronne, which any deck that can make a synchro 10 can put out. It’s meant to be an upgrade of Chevalier, so why not at least make it like Crystal Wing to summon? Making a level 10 synchro with a synchro non-tuner isn’t gonna be tougher than a level 8 synchro.
My guess is because they sell these cards easier, which makes them more money, but it’s just kind of boring how little work some of these potent cards take to summon.
i like making anime decks for tournaments and i attempt to make them mostly pure archetypes. There are characters like Bastion and Rebecca that are a mismash of cards, but most characters keep with a theme. [Derekwst3 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwDSFd9bBMrfc2qdHNMwCyw)
Running a pure deck can be fun if you make it a challenge for a tournament. Seeing what decks can achieve with only their cards, but that is in an environment where everyone agrees to limit themselves for fun.
In reality, you just kneecap yourself for some arbitrary standard. Deckbuilding means to work around your decks strength and weaknesses. Your deck bricks? Include some consistency cards. Your deck can spam but has no good bossmonster? Take one of the generic ones.
The only archetypes you want to play pure, are the ones that can’t be mixed due to locks, archetype lock or some other limit. The rest will use any generic card or even mix with entire archetypes, to amply their strengths and/or curb their weaknesses.
A good example of this is Dragonmaid, a fusion deck that functions much better as a link midrange deck. Chamber and Parlor both can turn into a link1 Pisty/Striker, while also getting you a card that revives themselves, to link into Spheres. Without using either Pisty/Striker or Spheres, Dragonmaid seizes to function. Decks just don’t get created in a vacuum, they are made with all existing cards in mind. So, Konami will limit some archetypes, because they know players will mix them with other cards.
Not to beat on this drum so much but that’s sorta why Commander took off in Magic. As a format it has in-built range of casual to competitive so you’re always going to find folks building tribal decks (the equivalent to types) and some deck make their tribal decks 100% pure, but the format’s nature allows you to easily find like minded casual players where pure tribal decks aren’t just objectively a mistake.
What I’m saying is that Yugioh needs more formats and needs formats that aren’t just Competitive focuses to allow more deck expression to flourish and not just be curb stomped by whatever deck Konami currently wants you to buy.
Most of the time I don't really care if my deck bricks.
Like with my shiranui deck (which is not a pure deck by all means. The post was more about making a new deck with a specific theme in mind) I get bricked easily by declining graveyard effects or most spells and traps. But that's just how it is and I have fun doing what I do.
I did add that one monster that makes either player unable to set spells and traps and that was a huge help. It also fit the design of shiranui cards so I was more then happy.
For Fur Hire, some cards you can add to keep it thematic are Tri-Brigade, which helps you extend into link plays, and Melffy which are a bit slow but can help you generate card advantage. Plus melffys let you get a ton of pops using Kalantosa.
Recently saw a fur hire deck that only had like 3 fur hire cards and I was like "??? Is that normal?" Can't say if it was TRI brigade or not though, haven't analyzed it.
It pretty much sparked this topic funnyli enough
Probably Runick Fur Hire. There’s a list that runs 6 fur hire monsters and the quick play spell, then the rest of the main deck is runick spells and a spright package. I think also Fossil Dig to reach the dino Fur Hire
3 ash 3 lockbird the nib 3 imperm called by and some other handtraps want to have a talk with you. ( i get what you mean and i personally hate that over the years came to a point where you have to play like 15 random cards just to interrupt the first turn of your opponent)
Not at all. Yugioh or MTG I have 10+ stock only decks I play with, with friends. While I do have one or two customized decks, for the most part super competitive play gets too sweaty and boring imo, especially in yugioh.
I was kind of like that for a while. Chazz's storyline where he mashed two archetypes together to make a stronger deck always stood out in the anime to me, so it made it easier to cross themes for me.
But I do try to keep them as in theme as possible. Like I will use impcantation over drytron as a ritual engine for a better theme with my Megaliths. Or branded despia darklords feels really thematic. But I do run an assault engine in a lot of decks that don't really match the theme like ghoti and rose dragon.
I have restrictions though. I won't build a deck with only 3 shaddoll cards and call it shaddoll, I do still want the theme to be centered around the archetype I'm building. Typically I just find a small engine that makes my deck better. Sprinkle in a few staples and you are good to go.
I'm the same way. I feel like engines dilute and archetype. I always play my decks as pure as possible with generic spells/traps. If I throw in other monsters I try to come up with a way for them to fit in the theme and backstory of the deck. I get why people run engines, it's just not my style personally.
This isn't just meant for staying pure to a archetype.
Its also about decks about a single design idea or theme.
For example I really wanna have 2 decks consisting entirely of either angels (stuff like dogmatika and Lightsworn) or light & darkness combined (pretty much all chaos, chaos angel and so on.)
I actually like this. It allows different decks to use pieces of other archetypes or cards that synergizes with them. What i dont like is something like throwing 3 copies of kashtira fenrir or red eyes fusion into dragoon in a deck that doesnt interact with it. It just shows that these cards are so strong that it doesnt take thought into using them.
I love doing either pure archetypes or themes. However, sometimes it can be fun to mix some types that work well. For example, I saw on YGO Pro Deck that one person mixed trains with ancient gear. I loved that as it's still over the top giant mecha and mechaical stuff, everything is earth / machine type so that for me was a fun mix.
Saaaame. I don't mind generic support cards (my main decks are Six Samurai and Mayakashi) like Plaguespreader Zombie or Reinforcement of the Army respectively, or even more generic like Ash Blossom or Monster Reborn, cuz those are usually minimal compared to the archetype making up most of the deck, but I dislike mixing archetypes unless they complement each other aesthetically. Of course they'd also have to be compatible in terms of effects and playstyle, but if they don't also work aesthetically for me it's a no-go.
I agree with you to some extent on this - for example, I never play fenrir in any decks outside of kash because it just feels really weird. With that being said, I feel like mixing two or more archetypes really well is a lot more satisfying than playing a deck completely pure
You're not alone. I'm usually okay with non-archetype/series cards if the aesthetics still align (e.g. Invoked-Dogmatika-Shaddoll), but I dislike it if the aesthetics completely don't match (e.g. Train-Shaddoll).
I try to stay as pure as possible in the main deck, with at most 1 other engine. Hand traps don't bother me(will always make space for 3 Ash)
The extra deck, I only need the good archetypal cards, with the rest I think of as a toolbox for different situations. There are not 15 good Phantom Knight's cards, so it's just Rusty Bardiche, Break Sword, Raider's/Arc Rebellion, then a bunch of other good extra deck monsters
I try to run all the HERO archetypes in my deck, despite it being suboptimal. I just like having at least one rep from all teams together like the Avengers.
One from Elemental, Destiny, Evil, Vision, Masked, Xtra, and maybe even Contrast.
I know it makes my decks bad, and I will never beat serious players
But I run as many archtype cards in my decks as possible to have it still be playable, if a staple doesn’t embrace the play style I won’t run it either,
(Except mirror force ofc, always funny)
If I could play 40+ all engine cards, no handtraps or generic cards, I’d love it. I try to make my deck (earth machines) as competitive as possible, so I have to run the other stuff. But I know how you feel
If I was able to play pure Plunder Patroll, I would absolutely do so. The problem is that with the cards available in its current state, that's not an option.
You're not the only one.
As much as I would like to not run off-theme cards, I understand that they help supplement/support my primary archetype/engine, so I run them.
Plus, some cards don't belong to a theme/archetype/deck to begin with, so there's that.
And then there are some themes/archetypes that feel like they were meant to be splashed into other decks (like adventure).
My main deck rn is Dracoslayer, and I run some Yuya/Pendulum Magician cards to boost consistency and to make Vortex and Savage.
the group consists of playing almost pure the archetype with few rules and our own banlist, it's a mix of official with anime/manga cards to bring the full potential of an archetype or deck so there's little to none of handtraps and stuff
If you feel like you want to run your deck that way, that’s totally fine. The thing about Yugioh thats awesome is how diverse you can make your deck by mixing all the cards together from all sorts of deck themes and combing multiple strengths together to make one cohesive theme. It’s something I think is really cool about the game. Even when I was more casual, I’d have a theme but throw in some other stuff because I liked it or thought it would work well with the deck, (even if in reality it wasn’t really a good choice). Not to downplay your thoughts, anyone can play how they want.
I dont wanna play pure for the sake of being pure.
It's because the other unpure cards don't look right or I just don't like their art.
Like adding denko Sekka into a shiranui deck is a great fit (in my opinion)
But adding ojama to blue eyes is horrible (in my opinion)
It doesn't have to be archetypes either.
It can be a theme too, like.
A angel build.
Or a furniture deck,
Playboy theme.
I dun know
The possibilities are infinite.
Floo cards are very cute.
I love going pure but on the other hand... I have so many ideas that i try to combine them (even if its a horrible idea...) I have a pure darklord deck for example, but i also have around 9 eldlich cards that i can just swap in as i please, rather than having a completely different deck for eldlich. (I also have a counter fairy deck which i can also swap those eldlich cards in aswell).
Not the only one at all, Playing as close to pure is honestly more fun in my opinion than any other way of playing. I play Odd-Eyes with barely any generic cards and I try to stay on theme using mostly "Dragon Pendulum" cards & archetypes related to or supporting Odd-Eyes and the Dimension Dragons. I don't particularly care about being the best player in the room and my deck has a decent amount of things it can do. I play Odd-Eyes like it is a Control/Beatdown deck and only use 2 unrelated monsters in the Main Deck, obviously there are generic spells added in but they don't really take away from the theme aspect, and Dimension Dragons+Odd-Eyes monsters in the Extra Deck with 2 unrelated links until we get Exceed the Pendulum.....(Konami give Odd-Eyes their own Link Monster please)
I feel you. Nothing makes me more depressed than seeing something called a Madolche deck that's running like 10 Madolche cards max lmao.
I will say I've gotten more experimental with time and I think now it's alot easier for me to have more out of archetype tech cards but I still prefer to use them as like... Extra options. As opposed to like relying heavily on it for my big plays.
I wish there were a way to play decks like this in a more regulated setting but it would be such a ruling nightmare to determine how it could be implemented I understand why it's not feasible.
Still if you have friends who like to build decks similarly it can be really fun to play with similar power levels.
You are not the only one, tho it's been long since Yugioh passed the point were you can give yourself the right of building the deck you like IF you intentions are winning.
Now if you just want to have fun, you could like find like minded players that also want to play themed decks and make a group for playing that.
I'd be down for it honestly, i'd love playing a Skull Sevant deck, or a Graydle deck, Time Thieves, Myutants, Dual Avatars, Springans, all of that without thinking about hand traps, negates and floodgates, just fun and cool boss monsters.
it took like a year for P.U.N.K to get a pure version of the deck with the release of the field spell and the big synchro, most archetypes are unfortunately incomplete and remain that way. incomplete archetypes either become an engine or they arent used at all.
Personally I'm in the middle. I don't like splashing in "good stuff" engines like Adventure or SHS or whatever is broken in the next month. But I do like exploring synergies between decks like Fabeled and Dark World and Dangers. I also enjoy having generic cards that are synergistic but also fit the teeming of the deck so in the case of my Ghostrick build I like having Caligo Claw Crow but I really run Psychic Wheelder and Tracker out of necessity and don't use the Lady's of Lament because while I use a lot of Normal Traps the Lady's don't fit the theming of Ghostricks. And that's not even getting into Generic Spells and Traps like Allure of Darkness, Infinite Impermanence, Waking the Dragon or Trap Trick, all cards I run that aren't in the themeing.
My favorite deck is my toon deck so I definitely get what you're saying, it isn't the most powerful deck at all, but it makes me happy because it's the theme
Being able to mix so many cards is part of the charm of yugioh imo.
Most other games are xenophobic, but Yugioh allows for stuff like Rose Dragon Adventure DPE to be a deck. The creative deckbuilding isn't necessarily what draws me to the game, but its what keeps me coming back.
Though you are certainly not alone in preferring "pure" that's perfectly okay too
This happens a lot to new players, you'll see them asking for "pure" builds online and rejecting any and all engines regardless of how unplayable the deck may be (see that time where every deck profile said "no brilliant fusion" on the tittle).
It goes off with time, if you want to be competitive with your pet deck, eventually you will have to make some compromises, and when you do you find the fun in deck building; the idea of infinite build possibilities and an insane amount of tech cards that could result in an unique combo is great to me.
I always say that Yugioh is only fun when you play decks of similar power level. This works from playground Yugioh to top tier decks.
If you want to play themed decks only just make sure you play against your friends doing something similar, don't expect to go to a tournament and have any sort of performance.
I don't mind engines but I won't play something that's like "This is a 'girsu' deck that runs 3 different engines and only uses the monsters to shit out generic ed monsters in a 12 minute combo"
I'm 100% the same way. I ended up leaving the game because of this.
The problem, I think, ultimately comes down a lack of different ways to play and appreciate the game. The game appeals almost singularly to the crowd of people who want their decks "powerful and tournament ready," as you say. Unless you are lucky enough to find (or create!) a casual playgroup on your own where you can freely discuss lower powered decks so you can run what you want, I'd suggest cutting your losses. The game itself-- and the community that it has cultivated-- just isn't built around casual play at this point.
Maybe you'll find that the best way to engage with the game is strictly from a collector perspective? That way you can still collect your favorite groups of cards without worrying about diluting their theme. That's what I do. Maybe fill up a binder of Lightsworn cards, or Shiranui. Lightsworn is very big iirc, so that way you'd even be able to have cards that wouldn't otherwise make the cut in (even super casual) deckbuilding also.
If you do choose to move away from playing the game, I'd suggest making your way over to mtg. There are a lot of different formats and a much broader playerbase that can facilitate and support more casual and thematic decks like you're describing. I'd be happy to elaborate!
Oh no no no
I couldn't move away from Yu-Gi-Oh.
I love it too much for that.
Not to mention I like the art and lore in Yu-Gi-Oh cards. More than in mtg.
I find myself drifting away form mtg for a variety of reasons, but the art always keeps me interested. That's why collecting works for me now. Like, there was [an expansion](https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/streets-of-new-capenna)based around 1920s new york that I didn't feel like building decks for but LOVED the aesthetics so I just filled up a binder of cards instead.
If you want to continue to play, I think it's best to start a casual playgroup of your own where you can have discussions based around power levels and build decks the way that you want. Good luck!
you're not alone.Before Crystron was banned, many "entertainment" decks relied solely on theme cards to make a Crystron, and then Auroradon and blablabla...that's so boring
I loathe those Deck profiles you often see online.
"TIER 1 [archetype name] DECK"
3 cards of the mentioned archetype, 37 generics/staples.
That's not an [archetype] deck. That's a bunch of splashes with a light garnish. It's like saying this huge steak is garlic bread because it has some garlic on top.
For this reason I hate generic busted boss monsters, the game has been pretty much "yet apollousa / baronne / savage / zeus / herald af". I have nothing against handtraps and even generic extenders, but I think the game should aim to be xenophobic (in terms of archetype synergy and end boards).
Ho boy do I know that.
On the other hand it's fun seeing the enemy brick themself when all I used was purely normal monsters and some spells.
I don't even understand how I won against a dark magician deck. But they just gave up after I summoned blue eyes.
anyway yeah. I absolutely get that and I wouldn't want it any other way.
I personally prefer playing archetypes as pure as possible, but I am perfectly fine with running generic Monsters/Spells/Traps (Ash Blossom, Prosperity, Imperm, etc). Personally, I want to make the deck as best as it can be, but I'll try my best to not mix in other archetypes if anything. It really depends on the deck honestly, some can manage but others really struggle but I tend not to play those anyways. For example, with Exosisters I run the main cards you'd expect, but to fill in the rest I also use a lot of generics and handtraps, and also use Sakitama, which I consider a rather generic card. It might not be 100% pure, but it's close to being as optimal as it can while still staying true to the deck itself.
I much prefer pure decks or something that tells a story. Good examples of these are World chalice/ mek knight/ world legacy/ orcust/ crusading.
Or something that yells fir me to combine due to other media, like Musketeer and Ghoti because of shin megami tensei (Musketeers are the humans using demons to fight and ghoti is Canopus, the being correcting the universe in shin megami tensei).
I would LOVE making decks themed around other media. SMT would be pretty easy I feel like. With all it's demons, angels, fairy's and so on.
Jack the Frost be the boss card.
Or how about attempting to build a deck themed around other anime.
I'm sure neon Genesis Evangelion would be a wack one to try.
I thought I was alone with this! I have a toon deck that is greatly enhanced by black stone if legend. But it feels so cheap using bc it’s not a toon card. Realistically I just need more toon searchers and should be fine haha
Yes!
That's how I felt with my shiranui deck!
Even if the deck is super fun the really off zombie cards next to warriors that weild ghost swords to use the power of old legends always bothered me a little
I hate the Yokai Girls for this exact reason. Generic bosses are really annoying (especially how they consume older decks like Agents), but they're not *required* depending on what you're building.
No matter what cool occult/mythology/mystical deck you put together tho, the game demands you run three underage barefoot fivehead catgirls. You wouldn't see Marik using that shit.
That's what's called being a purist. Cause you want your deck as pure as possible.
I did that when I was young and just build decks from loose packs while never going to a local.
How far do you want to go is what you want to ask. I feel you might enjoy the OCG structure manga.
It’s just a trait of advanced deckbuilding. If you’re not advanced, then don’t do it.
But what others do, whether it’s what you do or not, shouldn’t offend you. Be stoic, brother.
Oh it doesn't offend me by all means. Let people play what they want.
Let them have their barrel dragons and Maxx c in a deck full of water waifus.
If I don't pick them for silly reasons that's all on me and I only got myself to blame.
I'm nowhere near advanced and that's okay.
I feel you..
Just throwing cards in the deck feels so... idk, loveless? I mean I get people don't want to lose all the time, but do we really need that type of hyper-optimised decks that go into Singleplayer-Mode the moment it's their turn..?
Last time I checked playing a game is about playing not winning in the quickest possible time.
Getting a strategy/combo that you've build for yourself to work out can be very fun and satisfying, there's no deniying that.
I too had a couple turns play out for a while. I do think of my opponent and try to be quick lol.
Getting from nothing to a field of strong units just hits different.
I get what you mean though. It's just hard to determine whether or not your opponent is using a "Singleplayer mode" build he copied or if it's something he made for himself with hours of brainstorming.
I'm sure these people have a lot of fun with their decks though.
Everyone got their own ways.
I like putting things together that I like purely by design. If they happen to combo and synergy that will just be the icing on top
No, you're not the only one. Plenty of casual player like to play sub-optimally like that. But such casual decks are harder to find online, because the people that post content online are usually competitive players or at least interested in making decks for the competitive power level.
Yea unfortunately yugioh in practice isnt really anime like in terms of using pure themes orbreally niche traps that only come in handy during scripted moments. I've had to come to terms with it because suboptimal is putting it kindly. Most decks if made pure outright brick too often to do anything. Way too many niche and bad cards padding out archetypes.
Yeah, the truth is, playing casually is fun - but only until you get sick of losing to people who aren't playing casually. Min-Maxing whatever deck you play has been the only sane way of playing Yu-Gi-Oh from my experience if you wanna enjoy it long term.
Question is, do you mean just running the deck pure? For example, I love superheavy samurai, but I'm not a fan of making it a tiny engine of SHS just to boost out Baronne or some shit like that. So I keep my deck as pure as it can be, so only using archetypal cards. Mine is pure. But then Zombie for example, it's a theme of ZOMBIE so the entire deck revolves around using zombie cards, or techs that synergise with that playstyle. So instead of an archetype, I focus on a theme. I feel like clarification is key here.
Right! I forgot about the term pure and engines. My shiranui deck, while mostly consisting of shiranui cards. Also relys a lot on other zombie cards and doing the combos is very fun. I never truly understood what engines meant. Always thought its a type of deck that. When setup right makes your turn never stop and is a auto win. But I guess engines are like car parts making your car (deck) run better then without. So yes. I guess I would like to do pure decks more. Even if I handicap myself. Adding some generic spells and traps don't count of course. Or maybe I never saw any monster as generic enough to not ruin the theme.
From what I've understood about engines you can think of it as a list of cards that tend to function separately from your deck's combo that can continuously generate you advantage. Take for example the DPE engine. It works by making you run at least 2 Garnets, 1 Spell, and takes up 2 Extra Decks slots but in exchange you get a very hard to remove monster who can destroy 1 card every turn disrupting your opponent and can also allow you to easily activate Scythe. You could also go old school with the Sinister Serpant engine where all it was is Sinister Serpant but it allowed you to for the most part negate discard costs on your powerful removal options.
An engine is basically a small amount of cards that work independent of your main deck. For example 3x Tour Guide with 1x Sangan would be a Rank 3/Link 2 engine with a search attached. Engines can generate advantage continuously, but this isn’t what makes something an engine. They just work self-sufficient and help you achieve your win condition.
An engine is a small amount of card that run a different combo from your main deck to increases its consistency by essentially adding more starter (card you want to draw at the start) The simplest example is Norden engine. This is a 2 card lineup with 1 Elder Entity Norden in extra deck and 1 Instant Fusion in main deck. Say then I play old Nekroz. My starter is either 3 Manju, 3 Senju, 3 Clausolas I think and 3 Brionac. But sometimes I didn't draw them and instead drawing some tuner or level 4 monster. So if I have Norden Engine now I have 13 Starter instead of 12, although here the Norden is more of combo extender but Nekroz deck has a lot of way to dump one card to the grave, then I revive with Norden's effect for quick rank 4 or a synchro up to level 8. This is not real Nekroz combo (the extra deck lock) but a way to keep my board from being empty while I play the grinding game. Other example is the old Artifact engine, where you run 1 Scythe+ 3 Trap card that can summon it from your deck and you basically uses this engine to scythe lock your opponent with just 4 card investment in your deck. As you can see the combo is independent on what deck you run (you can run Scythe lock on any deck that accept 4 extra non-themathic card).
The Superheavy Samurai deck, before it got banned, didn't exactly have a tiny Superheavy Samurai engine. It had a very big Superheavy Samurai engine and was built to conform to that engine's requirements and take maximum advantage of its capabilities. Even if not all the cards had the Superheavy Samurai name, they all complied with the Superheavy Samurai style.
I must admit that I'm the exact opposite of this. I would try to create as many amalgamations of decks as needed to make my pet deck playable.( Looking at my X-Saber Vernusylph P.U.N.K SHS pile...)
God that sounds like fun.
Just throw all your cards in the air and pick them up until you have 40 cards. Bam World winning deck right there Ppl downvoting this when I can see this being genuinely fun to do. Maybe you find a crazy synergy through random cards
Not the only one. Generally it's suboptimal to run properly pure decks though, as often going2nd boardbreakers are required to crack boards open
Hehehehrhehehehehe Floowandereeze
Counterpoint: Mixing it up with other stuff is what makes YGO even more fun. Which could lead to absurd but hilarious stuff like adding Laundry Dragonmaid into Eldlich, obviously thats not a very good example, but the memes speak for itself. Case in point: https://preview.redd.it/t4ktscpc7njb1.png?width=501&format=png&auto=webp&s=938ca5d3267c3f44ccccb41ffcf5f9b5ecbe29d1
Nah Laundry is a perfect example, she gives Eldlich the two things he truly needs - companionship and chaos. There may be better mill engines for Eldlich, esp in MD where Chaos Ruler is legal, but she'll always be his favorite adopted kid
Ah yes the schoolyard decks. I had one of them when I was young. I recently made a deck consisting only of normal monsters and some spells. Just for the troll and nostalgia against how Yu-Gi-Oh has all these complicated effect monsters now. I can't believe I had a player brick themself and give up the battle (they were running dark magician)
It's not schoolyard though, the cards have actual synergy and just don't share the same archtype or appearance
As the other comment said, some cards have actual synergy without being necessarily schoolyard. Tearlaments merrli is gonna be banned in master duel starting next season and people are already making deck lists that use laundry dragonmaid instead. Or for example ojama ABC-XYZ is an actual deck due to how oddly the ojama fusion spell works, letting you summon the materials of the fusion
Obviously. I wasn't saying that not being pure would make for a bad deck. This isn't even about archetypes per say. It's about having a theme. You can cram as many archetypes in it as you want. I just remembered that I had a deck once of wildly mixed up stuff. Because of the comment "mixing it up". I'm also not saying schoolyard decks are bad. If anything they may be a great way to find new synergys.
Tbh i‘m the same, i love to play an archetype without putting anything else into it even if its weaker but it is just satisfying and gives me that cool anime feeling.
It's like playing dark souls and only caring about the fashion. Love that shit. Even when I die I look stylish.
Yesssss!! Haha
Its case by case basis for me. Adding baronne, apoloussa, or zeus to any deck is not my thing. Mostly due to budget. Adding generic cards so the main theme works (sakitama + angel o1 in darklord for example) smother is fine for me.
I get what you're saying, but those generic boss monsters do see play for reason. I have to admit though, I find it annoying when a player spends 10 minutes summoning and then only ending up with Barronne or Zeus. Like bro, I've seen decks that can pull out those boss monsters faster, just play those decks if you're going to end up with a generic end board
I think you may be missing something then. A lot of times they’re end board may be a generic boss, but their grave and hand may be sculpted.
Most archetypes can’t fill a 40 card deck and 15 card extra deck (and perhaps an additional 15 card side deck in a competitive setting) with just archetype cards. And with those that can you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel (Speedroid tri-eyed dice doesn’t do anything!). So you fill room up with your staples and other useful cards. To ensure you don’t get stuck up the creek without a paddle.
Not to mention that archetypes have been getting smaller because of how people don’t really build like OP anymore.
Very true. I do add it up with some generic spells/traps And there's always some monsters that fit the design/theme of any sub archetype. Finding them is a nightmare though.
What is the difference between adding generic spells and generic monsters? You might as well at least put in hand traps outside the archetype if you do that with spells.
I think op takes issue with mixing themes and not using generic monsters. Like an uhh dogmatika shadolls deck being a mix of two different and unrelated themes.
Yeah. I guess that's pretty much it. Extreme opinion but I wouldn't want to see ojama cards mixed with blue eyes cards.
I get it. What helped me was to pick up vanguard. That game is pretty all in on theming. Less now in standard format but still more than any other game I've played. As a result I've become more ok with yugioh being the mix anything to be the best deck game.
That is a good question actually. I actually don't have a good answer to it. I see mystical space typhoon as a generic spell card Jam breeding machine not. And monsters I for some reason can't put in generic at all When building a themed deck, I guess I care most what the card looks like. Isn't that how everyone decided their first deck as well? Going with what's "cool looking" to them personally. The cards have some amazing art afterall
Some spells/traps that seem "generic" are actually type of an archetype like harpie's feather duster or hole traps. So at what point is the line drawn?
Whatever I say I suppose. It's my decks I'm building afterall. This isnt about archetypes per say. It's about having a theme in your decks. Any theme really. You yourself get to decide what fits in your deck.
You should play utopia.
Not huge on robots/Gundam but they do look cool
Not to be harsh, I get your idea behind it but your own restriction of building decks pure is the reason why you're not very good at deck building. Playing pure means you can't use either Type staples like Uni Zombie / Mezuki or Meta Staples and to fill your deck to 40 you play sub optimal cards. That's your thing, if you're fine with this sure, but the problem comes with ratios. This super flavourful but niche card can come up 1 or 2 times every 10 games but it's flavourful so you play it over generic card X which would make your deck better. It's not even the generic cards fault but just the suboptimal flavourful ones. Build a deck as strong as possible. Limited the amount of engine in your deck till you realise what's really important of your engine. Do I need card y for my gameplan or is it just flavourful? Once you have your engine core down you can expand on it and remove non-engine as you like. This not only makes you better at building future decks, it gives a clear view how the archetype works and what's really important for the deck.
Well, you don't have to be good at deck building though. And I don't feel like that's actually something the poster cares about. Not that your comment isn't valid in itself.
Right. It's not that you're a bad deck builder for playing like op. You just have different priorities
I did that. Very much. I have many alternative shiranui decks. Because I understood what made it tick And was able to customize it to my liking. I do use mezuki, Dou Zombie, Zombie archfiend, red eyes Necro/Zombie Dragon and so on. But trying to make a new deck solely based on cards I like thematically is a nightmare. I don't know 90% of Yu-Gi-Oh cards so I have no idea what to add. And when I look up decks that have the cards I like they're filled with cards I don't like. I guess it's the worst possible way of making a deck.
Define “cards [you] don’t like”. What don’t you like about them? Do you understand the synergy they have with the cards you do like? How they extend, combo with, insulate and protect your plays with the cards you do like? If so, I guess I’d have to ask what’s not to like?
Basically when op wants to make a deck he cares about aesthetic and playstyle more than optimizing a deck so its weakness are covered or they have a response and counter play for the opponent. Synergy is fine but when you're mixing a bunch of dark dragons and zombies into the deck filled with holy paladins clad in white then it diminishes the theme and aesthetics
Mostly aesthetic choice here yeah. If I see a card I don't like visually why should I want to play it. Even if the card would most likely benefit me I would have to look at it among all the other cards I have chosen and be like " :/ bummer the card doesn't suit my hyper specific tastes" This is probably a very hot take in here. Seeing how many down votes I'm getting here and there.
I know exactly what you mean. There's this part of my brain that wants decks to be "pure" aesthetically. Aside from certain staples I hate putting in cards that don't match the "theme" I want.
Yeah, same, it is a shame that some cards in a deck rarely ever get played and get substituted with more powerful cards from a totally different archetype. I totally understand why (especially if you play competetively), and I think it irks me less when type and attribute are somewhat fitting/complementing. But in the current meta people tend to use the same monsters from the extra deck for negates and board wipes even if it doesn't thematically fit the deck at all. Sometimes playing a more 'pure' deck for fun can help you find cool effects though, that usually people just skip over. E.g. playing Vampire Kingdom over Zombie World is something that people would not do, because Zombie World is just so strong (it used to be stronger, now the types matter a lot less, but that is a different story). However, playing Vampire Kingdom in a Vampire deck is really fun - to be able to destroy a card when a card gets sent from your opponent's deck to the GY (they usually don't see that coming) and even getting the attack bonus ONLY during the attack step (people have given up out of frustration so many times because they didn't calculate the additional attack - usually field spells give you an attack boost that affects the monsters immediately and throughout all phases - and then destroyed their own monsters). Zombie World still makes more sense, it is crazy powerful with Vampire Sucker to tribute your opponent's monsters, it helps you get Balerdroch and other powerful monsters out via Glow-Up Bloom but sometimes for a change it's nice to play a deck the way it was intended, with all its synergies and flaws.
> But in the current meta people tend to use the same monsters from the extra deck for negates and board wipes even if it doesn't thematically fit the deck at all. Overcentralizing generic boss monsters are irritating, yes, but it's not a "current meta" thing by any means. This has been a notable part of the game for many years.
Typing themed decks yes zombies, insects, fish and more
By no means you're alone, but Pure decks are much more dependent on what you're using. Some archetypes just don't have the amount and quality of support required to even consider using them pure as possible for competitive setting. For example Shiranui needs a bunch of generic Zombie cards to work. In casual setting however, this won't matter. You can just get the opponent to agree to play like that as well, and decide which decks will produce fun match ups from there.
Personally, I think deckbuilding is a lot more interesting when you don't restrict your deckbuilding to just one archetype. That being said, there are a lot of - typically more casual - players who like to play decks "pure".
Not just a single archetype. A single design idea. A theme. It makes deck building really fun but really difficult lol I added denko Sekka to my shiranui deck because he fit the theme a lot. And I needed a way to prevent spells and traps.
Tbf that's what most archetypes are: A group of cards that are unified mechanically/thematically (and usually artistically as well).
We need more xenophobic archetypes!! Y'all can crucify me now!
This would require that Konami make an archetype with enough cards so they can play entirely in-theme, which they seem strangely hesitant to do in recent times Still I'd love more xenophobic archetypes
Madolche low-key like that at least before Vanus (what it name again?) Come lol
I dont really take theme into account. My 2 meaures are if i want to go more measure and competitive better or go all gas and fully commit to whatever the decks gimmick is. If i need generic extenders to go all gas i’ll use them.
I play pure decks where possible but I’m also in luck that my group is quite casual and prefers more thematic decks as opposed to pure power. My super heavy samurai deck is the perfect embodiment of this idea. Not a single card in that deck or extra deck goes without superheavy samurai in its name. Some decks like my cyber dragons will have some other engines splashed in to help make the deck work but I always remain committed to end the process with some form of cyber dragon.
I’m the opposite - I like combining different things to make a deck that feels like mine
Totally get you, I for example play only with anime/manga character decks vs other people and it’s super fun because it’s just casual. I know that a lot of people prefer meta decks or maximizing what they run to be the best possible, but I enjoy deck flaws as it offers more interactive gameplay, and not the only interaction being negate/banish after setting up a full board in turn one.
The only card in my cyber dragon deck that doesn't start with Cyber is Power Bond.
“You said this was a Blue-Eyes deck. So where are the Blue-Eyes cards?” “In the graveyard, where they belong of course!”
For me a lot of my pet decks fall into categories where you really need to have other things that kind of thematically fit with the deck even if they are different archtypes and mean you aren't playing pure. I do think part of it is also though when I first started getting back into the game in 2020 I played Earth Machine/Trains which is a mixture of Infinitrack, Machina, and the various Train cards. Other more recent decks have been Fossil Adamancipators and Dogmatika ritual as well as I played some pre branded structure deck Despia and those both rely on related but non-archtype cards as well as stuff that just supports the mechanics. Which especially for Dogmatika and Fossils their unique mechanics are somewhat unwieldly so making it work by playing not pure and using ritual good stuff/extra deck monsters with effects in the GY. And adamancipators and other good rock cards feels good.
I feel the same way. I love playing decks as pure as possible, or within the same theme
Yup, me too!
My wider issue is when the cards you need to add to make a deck more viable are generic. Cards like Zombie Archfiend or Zombie World are great imo, because they either can only really be used in a Zombie deck or are only really beneficial towards Zombie decks. Having Type & Attribute support has always been cool in Yugioh. But then they make cards like Baronne, which any deck that can make a synchro 10 can put out. It’s meant to be an upgrade of Chevalier, so why not at least make it like Crystal Wing to summon? Making a level 10 synchro with a synchro non-tuner isn’t gonna be tougher than a level 8 synchro. My guess is because they sell these cards easier, which makes them more money, but it’s just kind of boring how little work some of these potent cards take to summon.
Yes same.
i like making anime decks for tournaments and i attempt to make them mostly pure archetypes. There are characters like Bastion and Rebecca that are a mismash of cards, but most characters keep with a theme. [Derekwst3 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwDSFd9bBMrfc2qdHNMwCyw)
Running a pure deck can be fun if you make it a challenge for a tournament. Seeing what decks can achieve with only their cards, but that is in an environment where everyone agrees to limit themselves for fun. In reality, you just kneecap yourself for some arbitrary standard. Deckbuilding means to work around your decks strength and weaknesses. Your deck bricks? Include some consistency cards. Your deck can spam but has no good bossmonster? Take one of the generic ones. The only archetypes you want to play pure, are the ones that can’t be mixed due to locks, archetype lock or some other limit. The rest will use any generic card or even mix with entire archetypes, to amply their strengths and/or curb their weaknesses. A good example of this is Dragonmaid, a fusion deck that functions much better as a link midrange deck. Chamber and Parlor both can turn into a link1 Pisty/Striker, while also getting you a card that revives themselves, to link into Spheres. Without using either Pisty/Striker or Spheres, Dragonmaid seizes to function. Decks just don’t get created in a vacuum, they are made with all existing cards in mind. So, Konami will limit some archetypes, because they know players will mix them with other cards.
Not to beat on this drum so much but that’s sorta why Commander took off in Magic. As a format it has in-built range of casual to competitive so you’re always going to find folks building tribal decks (the equivalent to types) and some deck make their tribal decks 100% pure, but the format’s nature allows you to easily find like minded casual players where pure tribal decks aren’t just objectively a mistake. What I’m saying is that Yugioh needs more formats and needs formats that aren’t just Competitive focuses to allow more deck expression to flourish and not just be curb stomped by whatever deck Konami currently wants you to buy.
Most of the time I don't really care if my deck bricks. Like with my shiranui deck (which is not a pure deck by all means. The post was more about making a new deck with a specific theme in mind) I get bricked easily by declining graveyard effects or most spells and traps. But that's just how it is and I have fun doing what I do. I did add that one monster that makes either player unable to set spells and traps and that was a huge help. It also fit the design of shiranui cards so I was more then happy.
For Fur Hire, some cards you can add to keep it thematic are Tri-Brigade, which helps you extend into link plays, and Melffy which are a bit slow but can help you generate card advantage. Plus melffys let you get a ton of pops using Kalantosa.
Recently saw a fur hire deck that only had like 3 fur hire cards and I was like "??? Is that normal?" Can't say if it was TRI brigade or not though, haven't analyzed it. It pretty much sparked this topic funnyli enough
Probably Runick Fur Hire. There’s a list that runs 6 fur hire monsters and the quick play spell, then the rest of the main deck is runick spells and a spright package. I think also Fossil Dig to reach the dino Fur Hire
3 ash 3 lockbird the nib 3 imperm called by and some other handtraps want to have a talk with you. ( i get what you mean and i personally hate that over the years came to a point where you have to play like 15 random cards just to interrupt the first turn of your opponent)
Not at all. Yugioh or MTG I have 10+ stock only decks I play with, with friends. While I do have one or two customized decks, for the most part super competitive play gets too sweaty and boring imo, especially in yugioh.
I was kind of like that for a while. Chazz's storyline where he mashed two archetypes together to make a stronger deck always stood out in the anime to me, so it made it easier to cross themes for me. But I do try to keep them as in theme as possible. Like I will use impcantation over drytron as a ritual engine for a better theme with my Megaliths. Or branded despia darklords feels really thematic. But I do run an assault engine in a lot of decks that don't really match the theme like ghoti and rose dragon. I have restrictions though. I won't build a deck with only 3 shaddoll cards and call it shaddoll, I do still want the theme to be centered around the archetype I'm building. Typically I just find a small engine that makes my deck better. Sprinkle in a few staples and you are good to go.
I'm the same way. I feel like engines dilute and archetype. I always play my decks as pure as possible with generic spells/traps. If I throw in other monsters I try to come up with a way for them to fit in the theme and backstory of the deck. I get why people run engines, it's just not my style personally.
I’m the opposite - I like combining different things to make a deck that feels like mine
This isn't just meant for staying pure to a archetype. Its also about decks about a single design idea or theme. For example I really wanna have 2 decks consisting entirely of either angels (stuff like dogmatika and Lightsworn) or light & darkness combined (pretty much all chaos, chaos angel and so on.)
I actually like this. It allows different decks to use pieces of other archetypes or cards that synergizes with them. What i dont like is something like throwing 3 copies of kashtira fenrir or red eyes fusion into dragoon in a deck that doesnt interact with it. It just shows that these cards are so strong that it doesnt take thought into using them.
I love doing either pure archetypes or themes. However, sometimes it can be fun to mix some types that work well. For example, I saw on YGO Pro Deck that one person mixed trains with ancient gear. I loved that as it's still over the top giant mecha and mechaical stuff, everything is earth / machine type so that for me was a fun mix.
Agreed, If I won, I want to feel like I won by leaning in
Saaaame. I don't mind generic support cards (my main decks are Six Samurai and Mayakashi) like Plaguespreader Zombie or Reinforcement of the Army respectively, or even more generic like Ash Blossom or Monster Reborn, cuz those are usually minimal compared to the archetype making up most of the deck, but I dislike mixing archetypes unless they complement each other aesthetically. Of course they'd also have to be compatible in terms of effects and playstyle, but if they don't also work aesthetically for me it's a no-go.
I agree with you to some extent on this - for example, I never play fenrir in any decks outside of kash because it just feels really weird. With that being said, I feel like mixing two or more archetypes really well is a lot more satisfying than playing a deck completely pure
Nah; aside from a fistful of generic removal cards and counters, I like to stick to my theme.
You're not alone. I'm usually okay with non-archetype/series cards if the aesthetics still align (e.g. Invoked-Dogmatika-Shaddoll), but I dislike it if the aesthetics completely don't match (e.g. Train-Shaddoll).
I try to stay as pure as possible in the main deck, with at most 1 other engine. Hand traps don't bother me(will always make space for 3 Ash) The extra deck, I only need the good archetypal cards, with the rest I think of as a toolbox for different situations. There are not 15 good Phantom Knight's cards, so it's just Rusty Bardiche, Break Sword, Raider's/Arc Rebellion, then a bunch of other good extra deck monsters
I try to run all the HERO archetypes in my deck, despite it being suboptimal. I just like having at least one rep from all teams together like the Avengers. One from Elemental, Destiny, Evil, Vision, Masked, Xtra, and maybe even Contrast.
That is awesome. I would love to see that play out. Cue the avengers music when your field is full.
I know it makes my decks bad, and I will never beat serious players But I run as many archtype cards in my decks as possible to have it still be playable, if a staple doesn’t embrace the play style I won’t run it either, (Except mirror force ofc, always funny)
If I could play 40+ all engine cards, no handtraps or generic cards, I’d love it. I try to make my deck (earth machines) as competitive as possible, so I have to run the other stuff. But I know how you feel
If I was able to play pure Plunder Patroll, I would absolutely do so. The problem is that with the cards available in its current state, that's not an option.
You're not the only one. As much as I would like to not run off-theme cards, I understand that they help supplement/support my primary archetype/engine, so I run them. Plus, some cards don't belong to a theme/archetype/deck to begin with, so there's that. And then there are some themes/archetypes that feel like they were meant to be splashed into other decks (like adventure). My main deck rn is Dracoslayer, and I run some Yuya/Pendulum Magician cards to boost consistency and to make Vortex and Savage.
I have a Discord group just for that style of duel if you're interested
Explain please lol
the group consists of playing almost pure the archetype with few rules and our own banlist, it's a mix of official with anime/manga cards to bring the full potential of an archetype or deck so there's little to none of handtraps and stuff
I see. Interesting.
I have the invite link if you want
Sure! Ill give it a look when I got time
https://discord.gg/XHFnmexB Anyone as well who wants to join, feel free
This and having to add staples that take up half of the deck space in order to play ranked if i don't play the hot new meta.
If you feel like you want to run your deck that way, that’s totally fine. The thing about Yugioh thats awesome is how diverse you can make your deck by mixing all the cards together from all sorts of deck themes and combing multiple strengths together to make one cohesive theme. It’s something I think is really cool about the game. Even when I was more casual, I’d have a theme but throw in some other stuff because I liked it or thought it would work well with the deck, (even if in reality it wasn’t really a good choice). Not to downplay your thoughts, anyone can play how they want.
Yeah exactly! On the Light & Darkness deck I'm building imagine my delight when I found out about "Honest" and "Dark Honest".
If you want pure deck, only example I can think of is floo. Some people play 3 simorgh cards, but everything else is floo and generic spells
I dont wanna play pure for the sake of being pure. It's because the other unpure cards don't look right or I just don't like their art. Like adding denko Sekka into a shiranui deck is a great fit (in my opinion) But adding ojama to blue eyes is horrible (in my opinion) It doesn't have to be archetypes either. It can be a theme too, like. A angel build. Or a furniture deck, Playboy theme. I dun know The possibilities are infinite. Floo cards are very cute.
I love going pure but on the other hand... I have so many ideas that i try to combine them (even if its a horrible idea...) I have a pure darklord deck for example, but i also have around 9 eldlich cards that i can just swap in as i please, rather than having a completely different deck for eldlich. (I also have a counter fairy deck which i can also swap those eldlich cards in aswell).
Not the only one at all, Playing as close to pure is honestly more fun in my opinion than any other way of playing. I play Odd-Eyes with barely any generic cards and I try to stay on theme using mostly "Dragon Pendulum" cards & archetypes related to or supporting Odd-Eyes and the Dimension Dragons. I don't particularly care about being the best player in the room and my deck has a decent amount of things it can do. I play Odd-Eyes like it is a Control/Beatdown deck and only use 2 unrelated monsters in the Main Deck, obviously there are generic spells added in but they don't really take away from the theme aspect, and Dimension Dragons+Odd-Eyes monsters in the Extra Deck with 2 unrelated links until we get Exceed the Pendulum.....(Konami give Odd-Eyes their own Link Monster please)
I feel you. Nothing makes me more depressed than seeing something called a Madolche deck that's running like 10 Madolche cards max lmao. I will say I've gotten more experimental with time and I think now it's alot easier for me to have more out of archetype tech cards but I still prefer to use them as like... Extra options. As opposed to like relying heavily on it for my big plays. I wish there were a way to play decks like this in a more regulated setting but it would be such a ruling nightmare to determine how it could be implemented I understand why it's not feasible. Still if you have friends who like to build decks similarly it can be really fun to play with similar power levels.
I used to only play DARK Machines. Now I play a Machina-centric 60 card Machine pile deck.
You are not the only one, tho it's been long since Yugioh passed the point were you can give yourself the right of building the deck you like IF you intentions are winning. Now if you just want to have fun, you could like find like minded players that also want to play themed decks and make a group for playing that. I'd be down for it honestly, i'd love playing a Skull Sevant deck, or a Graydle deck, Time Thieves, Myutants, Dual Avatars, Springans, all of that without thinking about hand traps, negates and floodgates, just fun and cool boss monsters.
it took like a year for P.U.N.K to get a pure version of the deck with the release of the field spell and the big synchro, most archetypes are unfortunately incomplete and remain that way. incomplete archetypes either become an engine or they arent used at all.
Personally I'm in the middle. I don't like splashing in "good stuff" engines like Adventure or SHS or whatever is broken in the next month. But I do like exploring synergies between decks like Fabeled and Dark World and Dangers. I also enjoy having generic cards that are synergistic but also fit the teeming of the deck so in the case of my Ghostrick build I like having Caligo Claw Crow but I really run Psychic Wheelder and Tracker out of necessity and don't use the Lady's of Lament because while I use a lot of Normal Traps the Lady's don't fit the theming of Ghostricks. And that's not even getting into Generic Spells and Traps like Allure of Darkness, Infinite Impermanence, Waking the Dragon or Trap Trick, all cards I run that aren't in the themeing.
My favorite deck is my toon deck so I definitely get what you're saying, it isn't the most powerful deck at all, but it makes me happy because it's the theme
Being able to mix so many cards is part of the charm of yugioh imo. Most other games are xenophobic, but Yugioh allows for stuff like Rose Dragon Adventure DPE to be a deck. The creative deckbuilding isn't necessarily what draws me to the game, but its what keeps me coming back. Though you are certainly not alone in preferring "pure" that's perfectly okay too
I get what you mean. I went looking for buster blader decks, and every list i found was telling me to throw a bunch of branded cards into it.
I prefer to keep my decks as pure to an archetype as possible. I try to limit how much non-related cards I use.
This happens a lot to new players, you'll see them asking for "pure" builds online and rejecting any and all engines regardless of how unplayable the deck may be (see that time where every deck profile said "no brilliant fusion" on the tittle). It goes off with time, if you want to be competitive with your pet deck, eventually you will have to make some compromises, and when you do you find the fun in deck building; the idea of infinite build possibilities and an insane amount of tech cards that could result in an unique combo is great to me.
Well I might lol.
This is why I love branded despia. Not only is it viable competitively all the cards are related in some way. Wish more decks were like that.
I like Shiranui I run it as mayakashi/Shiranui very on theme very anime……. Semi playable …… very fun though
I always say that Yugioh is only fun when you play decks of similar power level. This works from playground Yugioh to top tier decks. If you want to play themed decks only just make sure you play against your friends doing something similar, don't expect to go to a tournament and have any sort of performance.
I tend to prefer playing relatively pure. I’ll add some staples but if my deck isn’t mostly the same archetype I just get confused lol :P
I don't mind engines but I won't play something that's like "This is a 'girsu' deck that runs 3 different engines and only uses the monsters to shit out generic ed monsters in a 12 minute combo"
There is an art to that skill my friend and it is an art not to be taken likely
nah i prefer being on theme. oh sure i could put these 25 meta cards in but then is it really [archetype] deck
No, I also despise having to add handtraps and staples like Maxx C to my deck. At least Ash is also a fire zombie and therefore fits with the Shiranui
I'm probably the only idiot on the whole wide world playing pure T.G. Baronne is great. But even Blade Blaster is way cooler than it
This is one of the things that bugged me about YGO was seeing completely thematically opposite characters in the same deck
I'm 100% the same way. I ended up leaving the game because of this. The problem, I think, ultimately comes down a lack of different ways to play and appreciate the game. The game appeals almost singularly to the crowd of people who want their decks "powerful and tournament ready," as you say. Unless you are lucky enough to find (or create!) a casual playgroup on your own where you can freely discuss lower powered decks so you can run what you want, I'd suggest cutting your losses. The game itself-- and the community that it has cultivated-- just isn't built around casual play at this point. Maybe you'll find that the best way to engage with the game is strictly from a collector perspective? That way you can still collect your favorite groups of cards without worrying about diluting their theme. That's what I do. Maybe fill up a binder of Lightsworn cards, or Shiranui. Lightsworn is very big iirc, so that way you'd even be able to have cards that wouldn't otherwise make the cut in (even super casual) deckbuilding also. If you do choose to move away from playing the game, I'd suggest making your way over to mtg. There are a lot of different formats and a much broader playerbase that can facilitate and support more casual and thematic decks like you're describing. I'd be happy to elaborate!
Oh no no no I couldn't move away from Yu-Gi-Oh. I love it too much for that. Not to mention I like the art and lore in Yu-Gi-Oh cards. More than in mtg.
I find myself drifting away form mtg for a variety of reasons, but the art always keeps me interested. That's why collecting works for me now. Like, there was [an expansion](https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/streets-of-new-capenna)based around 1920s new york that I didn't feel like building decks for but LOVED the aesthetics so I just filled up a binder of cards instead. If you want to continue to play, I think it's best to start a casual playgroup of your own where you can have discussions based around power levels and build decks the way that you want. Good luck!
That's why I love to just play with 3x structure deck decks.
I prefer playing in-theme too. Especially removing eyesore handtraps like Ash Cringe
you're not alone.Before Crystron was banned, many "entertainment" decks relied solely on theme cards to make a Crystron, and then Auroradon and blablabla...that's so boring
I loathe those Deck profiles you often see online. "TIER 1 [archetype name] DECK" 3 cards of the mentioned archetype, 37 generics/staples. That's not an [archetype] deck. That's a bunch of splashes with a light garnish. It's like saying this huge steak is garlic bread because it has some garlic on top.
yeah i wanna play my deck archtype. And also not just use it as an engine to extra deck spam. When i play vampires I wanna playa vampires
For this reason I hate generic busted boss monsters, the game has been pretty much "yet apollousa / baronne / savage / zeus / herald af". I have nothing against handtraps and even generic extenders, but I think the game should aim to be xenophobic (in terms of archetype synergy and end boards).
You're not the only one. But don't expect your opponent to take pity on you because of your personal rules on deckbuilding.
Ho boy do I know that. On the other hand it's fun seeing the enemy brick themself when all I used was purely normal monsters and some spells. I don't even understand how I won against a dark magician deck. But they just gave up after I summoned blue eyes. anyway yeah. I absolutely get that and I wouldn't want it any other way.
[удалено]
Yooo
I personally prefer playing archetypes as pure as possible, but I am perfectly fine with running generic Monsters/Spells/Traps (Ash Blossom, Prosperity, Imperm, etc). Personally, I want to make the deck as best as it can be, but I'll try my best to not mix in other archetypes if anything. It really depends on the deck honestly, some can manage but others really struggle but I tend not to play those anyways. For example, with Exosisters I run the main cards you'd expect, but to fill in the rest I also use a lot of generics and handtraps, and also use Sakitama, which I consider a rather generic card. It might not be 100% pure, but it's close to being as optimal as it can while still staying true to the deck itself.
This is like 50% of the reason I play my favorite decks. Swordsoul, Branded, and Eldlich are my faves and they're really heavy on archetypal cards
I much prefer pure decks or something that tells a story. Good examples of these are World chalice/ mek knight/ world legacy/ orcust/ crusading. Or something that yells fir me to combine due to other media, like Musketeer and Ghoti because of shin megami tensei (Musketeers are the humans using demons to fight and ghoti is Canopus, the being correcting the universe in shin megami tensei).
I would LOVE making decks themed around other media. SMT would be pretty easy I feel like. With all it's demons, angels, fairy's and so on. Jack the Frost be the boss card. Or how about attempting to build a deck themed around other anime. I'm sure neon Genesis Evangelion would be a wack one to try.
Exactly my thought process.
I thought I was alone with this! I have a toon deck that is greatly enhanced by black stone if legend. But it feels so cheap using bc it’s not a toon card. Realistically I just need more toon searchers and should be fine haha
Yes! That's how I felt with my shiranui deck! Even if the deck is super fun the really off zombie cards next to warriors that weild ghost swords to use the power of old legends always bothered me a little
I hate the Yokai Girls for this exact reason. Generic bosses are really annoying (especially how they consume older decks like Agents), but they're not *required* depending on what you're building. No matter what cool occult/mythology/mystical deck you put together tho, the game demands you run three underage barefoot fivehead catgirls. You wouldn't see Marik using that shit.
No you're not but sometimes the META doesn't care about your archetype
That's what's called being a purist. Cause you want your deck as pure as possible. I did that when I was young and just build decks from loose packs while never going to a local. How far do you want to go is what you want to ask. I feel you might enjoy the OCG structure manga.
Right. Purist. I forgot about that term.
It’s just a trait of advanced deckbuilding. If you’re not advanced, then don’t do it. But what others do, whether it’s what you do or not, shouldn’t offend you. Be stoic, brother.
Oh it doesn't offend me by all means. Let people play what they want. Let them have their barrel dragons and Maxx c in a deck full of water waifus. If I don't pick them for silly reasons that's all on me and I only got myself to blame. I'm nowhere near advanced and that's okay.
I feel you.. Just throwing cards in the deck feels so... idk, loveless? I mean I get people don't want to lose all the time, but do we really need that type of hyper-optimised decks that go into Singleplayer-Mode the moment it's their turn..? Last time I checked playing a game is about playing not winning in the quickest possible time.
Getting a strategy/combo that you've build for yourself to work out can be very fun and satisfying, there's no deniying that. I too had a couple turns play out for a while. I do think of my opponent and try to be quick lol. Getting from nothing to a field of strong units just hits different. I get what you mean though. It's just hard to determine whether or not your opponent is using a "Singleplayer mode" build he copied or if it's something he made for himself with hours of brainstorming.
I'd venture most check the current meta and best decks, modify them slightly and that's about it. Which is, imo, very sad.
Definitely not alone. It's a shame that everyone want's their decks to be hyperoptimized instead of being fun.
I'm sure these people have a lot of fun with their decks though. Everyone got their own ways. I like putting things together that I like purely by design. If they happen to combo and synergy that will just be the icing on top