I just recently got back into Yu-Gi-OH on the word of one of my friends who works at the local card shop. He was telling me a little bit about the terrain of the current game and recommended me some archtypes.
Thinking in History
Now the thing is Yu-Gi-Oh is in fact probably the game I’ve spent the most time playing. Video games are my everything but I spent hours upon hours late into the night throughout my youth shuffling, sifting and searching through boxes, albums and decks of cards trying to build my “perfect deck”. There’s always something so alluring about building something from scratch and pitting it against the world. However making something good has always been the hard part.
I have many gripes with the pace and form the game has taken over the years since about 2011, and since about 2012 I’ve played the game on and off always swearing at the end I was going to finally put it down. Even getting rid of my physical deck in an attempt to let old habits die.
The constant speed ramping of the game continuously went up for a very long time first creating the meta of “swarming” archtypes with the ability to fill the monster card zone and summon its “boss monster” quickly. Every deck was played with the intention of building all of your forces from an empty board. Now speaking from what I would call a casual view point being as though I never went to tournaments even locally, the way the game shaped up for a time on a high level was whoever “bricked” first or whoever drew less of what he needed from his deck lost since most of the playstyles at the time were very similar. There was side decking to carry certain cards to stifle and prevent your opponent from using his cards.
This card for instance was a very hard counter to machine deck match-ups that you saw from time to time, but I don’t feel like it even changed the way you played the match-up. Clear his board then make your board like usual.
That was my entire issue with the game. As time progressed the game traveled further and further away from the idea of playstyle. There was no need for it. All of the cards for a time had one direction to fill the board as quickly as possible to do massive damage to the other player. “One Turn KO’s” a literal one turn kill wasn’t an uncommon idea.
We saw an addition of cards called “hand traps”, which were monsters that had negation and destruction effects that could be activated from the hand.
These have since their release have become a staple to every deck. These “quality of life” additions to the game are a problem in themselves because they better the quality of all decks even those who didn’t need them. Bringing us even further away from the diverse idea of playstyle. We all run a balanced number of hand traps, some for coverage others to simply even contend.
Thinking About Control
I have always leaned toward the “Control Playstyle”. Yeah, I know right? Every time I openly say that I feel the world over in a resonant groan of displeasure. The funny thing is I’m entertained by the frailty of the idea of control. It’s so easy for me to lose. Almost like I have a glass jaw, and I’m waiting in eager anticipation to see whether your punch lands and crushes me, or whether I can stop your last step before landing a fatal blow. I get why that’s not exciting for everyone, but I guess I’m just a masochist. Can I hold you in place until you lose, or will I make a mistake and get sent straight to the Shadow Realm? That’s the temptation of control.
Now where does this idea that exists in other strategic games fit into Yu-Gi-Oh? Well for a while it simply didn’t. All because of the above listed reasons. Most of the “Control Style” decks were completely overshadowed by the prevalent and lightening fast decks over the years, because control is inherently a slow concept by nature. You wait for your opponent to strike, and then you make him trip on his own feet and accomplish nothing. That couldn’t exist in Yu-Gi-Oh for a while, because not striking at the first chance was like asking for death. And in a way, the access these fast paced decks had to negation and destruction made every deck a form of control. Fast and generic but controlling nonetheless.
The year is now 2018 and Link summoning has been added to the game. This alone has slowed down the game. Which in my opinion was the best thing they could have done for the game, and while being brought up to speed on his outlook on the game my friend recommended me a few newer archtypes and the name “Altergeist” stood out to me. So I got to building.
What I’ve Found
My re-visitation to the idea of control in Yu-Gi-Oh was brought on by my pickup of Altergeists as my newest venture in the game. They are in fact loyal to the idea of control. They are fast, but they are they’re quickest on your opponents turn.
This deck is supplemented by It’s strong archtype specific trap line-up and Multifaker takes full advantage of this being able to be special summoned at the activation of a trap on your side. Traps are typically activated on your opponents turn to destroy cards, negate effects and summons. This will always lead to a Multifaker combo, which looks a little like so-
The thing that makes this deck strong though isn’t the potential for speed, it’s the cards of the archtype that can go to great lengths to stifle every option your opponent has with its trap line and effects.
This is your Stratos allowing you to search any of your Altergeist trap cards. It has decent attack and another effect to resurrect one of your Altergeist monsters from the graveyard by sending one other Altergeist monster on the field you control to the grave.
This is the last peace of your main combo being able to bounce your opponents cards back to their hand by bouncing one of your own Altergeist cards. And it also has the added benefit of recycling on of your Altergeist traps when its sent to the grave which is super nice for the deck.
My favorite card of the deck being an early game hero. This card can attack your opponent directly and while its attack points aren’t the strongest it then has the effect of destroying one card on your opponent side of the field. And when it goes to the grave it can search any of your Altergeists monsters from your deck (except another Meluseek) and add it to the hand.
This is your own Altergeist Battle Fader. I run this at one and it still saves me on a regular basis because not only does this negate your opponents attack and battle phase while you control Altergeist cards but it negates the effects of a single monster on the field while its on the field.
Altergeist Protocol is a key part of setting up control by protecting your Altergeist cards from monster effects but also destroys them. It just such a generally good trap that you can use to start your combo that you’d almost always opt to search it first by way of Altergeist Marionetter.
This is your monster reborn and luckily it’s a trap! Multifaker appreciates that a lot being able to combo off it letting you build your field and also creating some bounce material for Silquitous. When it eventually goes to the grave it even recycles another one of your Altergeist traps including other copies of itself.
Emulelf is a wonderful card. Yet another combo started with the added perk of being an effect monster that doesn’t allow your opponent to target your precious Altergeist traps. Not to mention its perfect bounce material for Silquitous for when you have a Marionetter out already you’d rather not take off the field. Also it does have a decent 1400 atk/1800 def.
OMG does this thing saves me at some pretty key times. It’s some extra protection for a single Altergeist monster from attacks and effects that target it. But the big deal here is the effect of the card in the graveyard, it can negate any attack or effect that would destroy an Altergeist card(s). It’s such a strong safety net that opponents tend to forget about.
This card is good, but it would be so much better if it was an ALTERGEIST CARD. It doesn’t have Altergeist in the name therefore it doesn’t synergize with any of the other card effects. This card lets you swap any of the Altergeists cards on your field or in your hand for Altergeist monsters in the deck. But again if it could synergize with the effects of your other Altergeist cards it would be perfect. Maybe too perfect.
All of these cards focusing so heavily on negation and especially being based off of trap effects makes this probably the first taste of real control in Yu-Gi-Oh that I’ve gotten since 2012. I have to wait until you make a move to set up, I don’t have a choice. So I lay in wait for my opportunity to stun your combo.
Reflections
I honestly feel like the only reason this has been possible is the slowing down of the game via Link summons and the ever merciless ban list. The ban list usually hits decks that get out of control or rein over the meta game a little too long as of recent (*cough cough* z o d i a c s).
I’m gonna try to stay in as long as possible and mess with some other decks that push this idea of control. I feel like with all I know now I can discerned the true state of the control playstyle and I hope you poke in to see how the concept shapes up, but until then these idea will always be here for you by the light of a moonlight monitor.
P.S. here’s the current version of the deck i’m running and having fun with.
Moonlit Monitor 