What decks would GX characters play in each era of the TCG?
niche nerd content don't look at me
⇀ JUDAI / JADEN
Big City (2007)
A niche strategy at the time, I picked it because it's one of the only decks of this era that uses Elemental Heroes not named Stratos. Judai's cards... were not good. The deck uses Skyscraper 2 and Elemental Hero Ocean to swarm the board and recurse resources.
Deck Profile
Quickdraw Dandywarrior (2010)
Quickdraw Dandywarrior is one of THE most iconic decks of the 5Ds era, which is why I wanted Judai to show it off, even though Hero is still playable in the Synchro era.
Dandylion (which Judai created, along with the Neo-spacians) is a broken card once it leaves the GX era, and it's currently banned. Dandylion can easily be discarded or used for Synchro plays, which then generates tokens that can be used for more Synchro plays. Card Trooper, another of Judai's iconic non-Hero cards, is played to activate Dandylion off of milling.
Anyway, the only starshipping fic I'm ever writing is one where they pull off Quickdraw Dandywarrior in a tag duel.
Deck Profile
Electrum OTK (2013)
This strategy is jank as hell, but extremely fun and out-of-the-box. I think Judai would love it. It features Elemental Hero Electrum and Fusion Gate, which he used, and Chain Material, which is the card Yubel used to fuse the 12 dimensions.
Electrum is the fusion of Avian, Burstinatrix, Bubbleman, and Clayman, and is almost impossible to summon normally. But with the combination of Fusion Gate (which allows you to Fusion summon any number of times without Polymerization by banishing the materials), and Chain Material (which allows Fusion summons to be performed with materials from anywhere except the banished pile) suddenly you can summon any Fusion Monster as long as the materials are in your Deck.
What makes it all come together though is that Electrum's effect returns all banished cards back to the deck. That means you can keep on summoning Electrums, infinitely. And since Electrum is lvl. 10, it means you can keep Xyz summoning Gustav Max, which inflicts 2000 points of burn damage. Loop it four times, and you've OTKed your opponent.
Deck Profile | Deck List
Awesome HERO (2016)
This deck puts a different spin on Heroes, being focused on Xyz summoning out Toadally Awesome, a powerful negation piece, using Elemental Hero Bubbleman of all things because it's a Level 4 Water monster that can Special Summon itself. Combined with tools for summoning Masked Hero Dark Law, one of Judai's cards from the manga which banishes all cards that would be sent to the graveyard, it creates a game state where it's extremely hard for your opponent to do anything.
Deck Profile (at the bottom)
Invoked Shaddoll (2020)
Hero is the archetype that will never die and I could just put Omni Hero here, but I don't want this to just be a history of Hero in the meta... So here is a deck that combines two of the other most iconic Fusion decks in the game's history.
Look me in the eye and tell me that Judai wouldn't love to normal summon Aleister.
Invoked and Shaddoll both have dark monsters at their core (Judai having the power of Darkness), but their fusions are based off each of the six attributes (like the Elemental Heroes). It's also an infamous user of Super Polymerization.
Aleister is a protagonist of the Magistus lore who goes mad from power while summoning the Fusions from a different dimension (like Judai in season 3). The Shaddoll lore also reminds me of season 3 and Yubel, as their fusions are corrupted puppet versions of other cards.
Deck Profile
Modern HERO (now)
Some of you may be wondering why I didn't put Yubel here, since it was a very meta-relevant deck that even won Worlds. The answer is that I asked myself would Judai would be doing Fiendsmith combos and ending on 10 negates, or would he be pogging out in the rogue corner with a brick-filled Hero deck.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of what the Hero deck has become, but I can't deny the Rule of Hero Players which is that playing Heroes is automatically cool no matter what bullshit it spits out, and I think that pretty much encapsulates how Judai duels. The current version of the deck is full of cards printed as nods to him, and more than any other character's archetype, Judai's Elemental Heroes have stood the test of time and left their mark on the TCG.
Deck Profile
⇀ MANJOUME / CHAZZ
Perfect Circle Monarch (2007)
This deck was strong enough to get an entire format named after it. It centers around Light and Darkness Dragon, Manjoume's ace in the manga, using a variety of tools to special summon fodder, and the Monarch cards which are powerful tribute summons that benefit from the same toolbox. Zaborg the Thunder Monarch and Raiza the Storm Monarch both evoke Manjoume Thunder! It's also a $$$ deck. His rich ass owned the 2000 dollar Crush Card Virus.
Deck Profile
TeleDAD (2009)
This is one of the most infamous decks in Yugioh's history which completely dominated the field at the time. It uses the only Armed Dragon that was ever relevant -- Dark Armed Dragon. The deck was known not just for being almost unbeatable, but because it was a $$$ deck that made Yugioh pay-to-win, costing upwards of $2000 dollars for a children's card game in 2009. Very Manjoume Season 1 coded.
Deck List
Dragon Rulers (2013)
Like the previous two decks, I'm giving Dragon Rulers to Manjoume as another deck that was unquestionably the strongest of its time. Manjoume to me is the type to play meta decks just because they're the strongest... I'm saying is that I think he's a tier whore (that is until he turns into a rogue Ojama warrior)
Dragon Rulers are dragons obviously, which Manjoume uses a lot of -- his deck in the manga is just a dragon deck. The LV 3 baby dragons evolve into the proper LV 7 Dragon Rulers, much like how Manjoume's Armed Dragons evolve through LV Up (modern Armed Dragons are also always played with Dragon Rulers for their synergy).
I spotlighted Tempest because of storms -> Thunder. Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack is the payoff of summoning your Dragon Rulers, and I think it's kind of XYZ Dragon Cannon-esque.
Deck Profile
ABC (2016)
Speaking of XYZ Dragon Cannon, ABC is the rehaul of them, three Union Machines which combine into ABC Dragon Buster. They also received crossover support with the Ojamas and Armed Dragons at the same time, but nobody actually played those lol.
Twin Twisters and Typhoon are both generic cards that help proc effects by destroying your own ABC equip monsters, but they're also thunderstorm-themed for Manjoume.
Deck Profile
Thunder Dragon (2020)
Manjoume Thunder!!! also hear me out....... I think this deck kind of plays like modern Ojama. It wants to generate hand advantage and discard its own cards (both often using a Danger! engine) to ultimately end on an annoying floodgate. It often makes use of chaos dragon strategies due to its light and dark monsters, which is similar to manga Manjoume's Light and Dark Dragons deck.
Deck Profile
Mystic Mine Burn (2021)
This is just very funny to me. Mystic Mine is an infamous card in Yugioh, one of the most hated cards of all time, that caused many people to straight up quit the game because it was so toxic and meta-warping. The Floodgate of Floodgates. Its effect reads that if your opponent controls more monsters than you, they can't activate monster effects, shutting down nearly every strategy in the game and then slowly burning you out with effect damage. The Ojama traps are perfect in this strategy, clogging up the board so Mine is always active while also burning for damage. Rage-inducing annoying gremlins as god intended.
What I'm saying is I think Manjoume's a toxic bitch <3
I have to include my honorable mention though, which is that I think Manjoume was 10000% playing Kashtira in 2023. Toxic zone-locking deck like Ojama King but it's meta and expensive and causes everyone to hate you. Also he has sweaty Kash player vibes. The Xyz cards are black and Shangri-Ira has 0 ATK which makes it an Ojama.
Deck Profile
⇀ RYOU / ZANE
Chimeratech OTK (2006)
Nowadays, a game of Yugioh ending in one turn is par for the course, but back then, these decks bore the suffix of OTK -- One Turn Kill. They were often highly specialized to take advantage of combos unforseen by the game's creators.
Ryou wasn't far off from performing the Chimeratech OTK in GX canon, as all of the critical cards belong to him. Future Fusion was meant to be a fair way to summon powerful Fusion monsters -- you can do so by sending the cards from your deck to the grave, but you have to wait three turns for the monster to be summoned. There's a loophole though. A card like Overload Fusion uses the graveyard for fusion materials, and Chimeratech Overdragon gains ATK and attacks based on the number of fusion materials.
That means that rather than having to wait 3 turns, you can use Future Fusion to send 12 machines to your grave, then immediately Overload Fusion into a Chimeratech with 12000 ATK that can attack 12 times. The strategy was nerfed quickly, but it would influence the design of Cyber Dragons permanently as a blistering going-second OTK deck.
Deck Profile | Deck List
Scrap Dragon (2011)
Scraps are an archetype of mechanical monsters, at the core of which are the bosses Scrap Dragon and Scrap Twin Dragon (echoes of Cyber Dragon and Cyber Twin Dragon).
If you read the deck guide below, the first line is: "For the self-destructive duelist, we've got the deck for you!" LMAO. ryou.....
This deck centers around destroying its own monsters, which reflects Ryou's transformation into Hell Kaiser and no longer caring about his cards. Thematically, powerful monsters arise from the resulting "scrap" or trash, which calls to mind Ryou's arc after hitting rock bottom in Season 2.
Deck Profile
Karakuri OTK (2013)
Solar Wind Jammer is a level 5 Light Machine that special summons itself if you control no monsters. Yeah, so that's Cyber Dragon. Cyber Saurus has nothing to do with the Cyber archetype, but coincidentally it's here to fulfill the same role as Solar Wind Jammer being a level 5 machine that's summoned off Instant Fusion in order to quickly make powerful Karakuri Synchros, which are all mechanical Shoguns, reflecting Ryou's title of Kaiser.
Deck Profile
Infernoid (2015)
Infernoid is an archetype of mechanical fiends based on vintage computer parts... In Japanese, the monsters are named after demons and the spell/traps are named Purgatory. Hell Kaiser, anyone? The main boss monster, Devyaty, even looks a lot like Cyber End Dragon imo.
The Infernoid strategy wants to fill up their own graveyard, similar to how Ryou uses the Cyberdarks in GX. Like how Ryou uses Power Wall to send half his deck to the grave, Infernoid players use cards like Monster Gate or Reasoning to try and send as much of their grave to the deck as they can, which reinforces the hell theme
Deck Profile
Orcust Cyber Dragon (2019)
Orcust is an archetype of Dark Machine monsters; like Infernoid and the Cyberdarks, they want to get sent to the graveyard. This is where their synergy with Cyber Dragon comes in, as Cyber Dragon Nachster will discard the Orcust cards from your hand to proc its effect, and after becoming Cyber Dragon on the field, you can use its new boardbreaking trick, Chimeratech Megafleet Dragon, to get rid of an opponent's Extra Deck monster.
Deck Profile
Tenpai (2024)
This deck is going-second OTK like you've never seen it before. If you've ever played against it, you've seen the shades of Chimeratech OTK there. Unga bunga 10 million attack point deck of serpentine dragons which turn into a two headed dragon which turns into a three-headed dragon, a la Cyber Dragon -> Cyber Twin Dragon -> Cyber End.
Deck Profile
⇀ SHOU / SYRUS
Machine Beat (2007)
Machines as a type got some of the most solid support and generally Good Cards during the GX era, and Machine Beatdown is this combination of those strong machine cards occasionally beefed up by Limiter Removal -- Cyber cards, Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive (a train... vehicle...) and well, Drillroid is an okay card to deal with flip monsters. Sorry Shou, that's the best Vehicroid you have.
Deck Profile
Machina (2010)
Machina is an archetype of Machine-type monsters who are guys on wheels who sometimes turn into giant mechas. This is going to be a theme for Shou's decks. Also, you're just gonna have to trust me, but I think the vibe is similar to Vehicroids, with a more control-based playstyle and recursing resources.
Deck Profile
Geargia (2014)
Geargia is an archetype of Machine-type monsters who are guys on wheels who sometimes turn into giant mechas. They were very strong in 2014 and are also funny little guys like the Vehicroids :)
Deck Profile
Metalfoes (2017)
Realistically this deck would have Zoodiacs in it too but shhh.
Metalfoes are a Fusion-Pendulum archetype of guys who ride vehicles... which sometimes turn into mecha suits. Their Japanese name is a play on 'metal' and 'metamorphosis' which kind of calls to Shou's signature card in the manga, Transformation (which incidentally gives him a mecha suit)
Speedroids are an engine piece in this deck solely to make powerful Rank 3 Xyz (sorry Yugo), and I just think it's kind of funny how they technically share an archetype with Vehicroids. With a Qliphort engine on the other hand, you can make Cyber Dragon Infinity as a powerful negation piece.
Deck Profile
Trains (2021)
CHOO CHOO 🚂 let me take you for a ride <- shou
This deck, also known as Earth Machines, combines trains, Infinitrack (an archetype of heavy-duty vehicles), the aforementioned Machina, and rounds itself out with the best Earth Machines on offer. With strong Xyz boss monsters and heavy searching ability, it combines the card advantage strengths of the above decks with an ability to OTK, like his brother's decks.
Deck Profile
Rescue-ACE (2023)
WEE WOO WEE WOO 🚒 🚒 🚒 yeah obviously he plays Rescue-ACE come on. paw patrol-ass deck
Rescue-ACE is an archetype of mainly Machine-type mechas based on firefighter vehicles and equipment. Like the above decks, it's a control-based strategy that fits Shou's playstyle, taking advantage of strong Spells and Traps. Also it's often played with Diabellstar who's like Dark Magician Girl in 2023. Don't ask questions
Deck Profile
⇀ ASUKA / ALEXIS
Demise OTK (2007)
This is the first ritual deck that could be called good, it revolves around using Advanced Ritual Art to summon Demise using Normal Monsters, using Demise's effect to clear the whole field, and then using Swing of Memories (the card representing Fubuki and Asuka's bond) and other cards to revive the ritual fodder and wipe out the opponent in one turn.
Manju is a ritual support card based on Hindu/Buddhist mythology, a theme that runs through the Cyber Angel monsters too as many of them have the multiple arms going on (they're both Light Fairies as well)
Deck Profile | Deck List
Diva HERO (2011)
when synchros make rituals irrelevant :(
(they were always irrelevant)
There's not many pickings for Asuka in this era, but Diva Hero is a top tier deck with a sort of ice theme (which is what she used in the Society of Light and the manga), centering around Deep Sea Diva (which is part of an archetype of female performers like many of Asuka's dancer-themed cards). And well, it's a Hero deck too. She and Judai worked on the deck together :) The deck uses the consistency of Hero cards plus Water-attributes like Deepsea Diva or Snowman Eater to fusion summon imo the first truly good Elemental Hero fusion -- Absolute Zero.
Deck Profile
Perfect Agents (2013)
Realistically the deck would have been without the rituals in this time period, but I wanted to spotlight Perfection here because it eventually becomes an integral part of Cyber Angels.
Heralds and Agents are both archetypes of Light Fairies like the Cyber Angels, being top tier at the end of 5Ds and start of Zexal. It has it all -- Rituals, Synchros, Xyz, and maindeck powerhouses like Archlord Kristya and Master Hyperion. The Agents are all named after planets, which feels akin to the planet series of cards in the GX manga, and look a little similar to Cyber Angels.
Deck Profile
Nekroz (2015)
Finally, it's time for rituals to shine. Nekroz is likely the GOAT of ritual decks, having the only honor of achieving Tier 0 status. Just like how Asuka in Arc-V builds her ritual deck to counter Fusions, Nekroz is made to dismantle Extra Deck strategies. Thematically, they're warriors that wear famous Extra Deck monsters as armor, such as Nekroz of Trishula and Brionac, which are both ice dragons (again, Asuka's ice theming). The non-Ritual monsters all have bonus effects on being Tributed, like the Cyber Angels. Dance Princess of the Nekroz also fits Asuka's dancer theme.
Deck Profile
Drytron (2020)
After 5 billion years they finally added the Cyber Angels to the game. And they're good :) um, well, benten is...
Drytron is a pretty ruthless archetype of Light Machine rituals that gains a lot of advantage via tributing. The Cyber Angels all get bonus effects from being tributed -- in particular, Cyber Angel Benten (one of Asuka's OG cards) can search any Light Fairy when it's tributed, including itself. Benten and other Light Fairies were eventually hit by the banlist because of the crazy things you could do via the combination of them, the Drytron cards, and the Herald cards I talked about earlier. Cyber Emergency is actually support for the Drytron side of the deck, not Cyber Angels, but the naming is a neat coincidence.
Deck Profile
Mikanko (2023)
Extremely Asuka-coded deck imo. They're rituals. The boss monsters are Light Fairies. Based on Japanese religion/mythology like the Cyber Angels. The Mikankos are dancers, and the equip spells they use are their dances. Their strategy is based on reflect damage (attack me and you get hurt) which is similar to how Asuka uses her signature card, Doble Passe.
Palestinian fighters from Hamas march during an honouring celebration for fighters who were killed in combat against the israeli army, Deir Al-Balah refugee camp, Gaza Strip, February 15, 2005.
Palestinian fighters from Hamas march during an honouring celebration for fighters who were killed in combat against the israeli army, Deir Al-Balah refugee camp, Gaza Strip, February 15, 2005.
The best part of that video is that the owner found the ORIGINAL plush later on the beach and took another video with it after their grandmother stitched it back up
they're like reverse Asians bro they're all stacked and they're fiery mamacitas who you can break like a horse and make into domestic servants who love family
Never getting over Charlie Kirk getting shot in the throat right after he uses it to downplay gun violence. Gotta be a top 3 assassination. Up there with Shinzo getting doohickey'd.
It's on some straight up Greek play shit. Man who uses his voice to justify violence and stir evil for years meets his end as that very violence tears out his throat. Poetic. Captured live from multiple angles. People stole his blood soaked merch to hock and his wife was giddy about sale numbers during his funeral.
stormborns
origamiaround
amandla
gamechangershow
turnnoffyourmind
romaincrisis
