Deck Doctor – Aaron Levy | Alter Reality Games

November 9, 2012

by Aaron Levy

What's up everybody? My name is Aaron Levy, and though it may not be T-Time, I'm going to see what I can do to doctor up these decks! I have always been the type of player to use rogue decks, and the key to them definitely lies in how consistent the build is. Before I begin, let me say that with decks that aren't an expressed part of the meta, you have to allow some room to stretch outside the status quo of commonly used cards. You will see in my article, that there will be some innovative choices that will better suit the deck, instead of some of the other cards that are found common decks.

Let's start with Billy's Rock Stun!

Billy Brake’s Rock Stun Deck

Monsters: 19
3 Koa’ki Meiru Guardian
3 Koa’ki Meiru Sandman

3 Koa’ki Meiru Wall
3 Block Golem
2 Card Trooper
2 Maxx “C”
2 Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo
1 Neo-Spacian Grandmole

Spells:10
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
2 Soul Taker
2 Pot of Duality
1 Seal of Orichalcos
1 Monster Reborn
1 Dark Hole

Traps: 12
2 Dimensional Prison
2 Solemn Warning
2 Call of the Haunted
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Torrential Tribute
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Starlight Road

Extra Deck: 15
2 Gem-Knight Pearl
2 Kochi Kochi Dragon
2 Soul of Silver Mountain
1 Temtempo the Percussion Djinn
1 Wind-Up Zenmaister
1 Gachi Gachi
1 Fairy King Albverdich
1 Gaia Knight, Force of Earth
1 Naturia Beast
1 Naturia Barkion
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon

Now, Rock Stun has always been a deck that fascinates me, and I have always want to play the deck. Alas, I have never assembled all of the cards, due to my local's lack of Koa'ki Meiru Walls, and I am simply too lazy to pick them up somewhere else.

First, you need to analyze what a Rock Stun deck is supposed to do. In my opinion, Rock Stun is a control based deck that decides what the tempo of the game will be. There is little room to make big, aggressive pushes, and more thought should be given to having insurance and keeping control of the game.

Monster Choices:

The first problem that I had with the deck when I looked at it, was the 2x Card Troopers and the 3x Block Golem. It's not that these two cards don't work together, it's just that Card Trooper doesn't work toward the goal of the deck, and that's keeping steady control. Card Trooper will undoubtedly mill vital spells and traps, and the chances of milling something beneficial is just too low. There are many better Turn 1 plays in the deck, and I decided to cut the Troopers.

Next, with the Troopers leaving, 3x Block Golem is just too much, it is definitely a great card for the deck, it just needs to go down to two copies. That will still leave you some room to plus, and play aggressively.

Next on the hit-list is everybody's favorite, Maxx “C”. This card and Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo have great synergy together, but all it would really do is prevent Wind-ups from Wombo-Comboing you, or turn into a break-even or plus-one against certain decks. This deck also doesn't really have outs for OTK's so if they know you're playing a deck like this, they can push for game anyways. Truthfully, you would be negating their TGFTU or Rabbit with your Guardian anyways, so Maxx “C” is somewhat mediocre in the main deck, I would definitely have 2 copies in the side.

So far, we have:
-1 Block Golem
-2 Card trooper

-2 Maxx “C”

What I really have in mind for this deck, doesn't come until the spell cards, so more explanation on certain cards will show up later in the article.

Back to Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, Most every deck special summons, and this card has been included in most of my side decks. With a lot of Karakuri-Machina-Geargia, Wind-ups, Six Samurai, and soon to be Mermails running around, Fossil Dyna can really punish your opponent and give you an advantage at any stage of the game. I would put Dyna to 3, and I will give more explanation soon.

Next, another tech choice that will greatly benefit the deck in the control department is Legendary Jujitsu Master. This stout 1800 defender will be an excellent Turn 1 set, or a Grind-game changer. What Jujitsu Master does, ideally, is slow your opponent down a turn. Having a setback like that can really give you the opportunity to go for the throat with the Koa'ki Meiru monsters next turn. It's also good to think of the psychology of this card. Most players will make assumptions about your set Jujitsu Master. Is it a Night Assailant? A Sangan? A Geargiarmor? A Reaper? Given the right circumstances, your opponent will try to waste a weaker monster to get the effect out of the way. When they attack, they will be shocked to realize that they will be drawing their weak monster next turn, and they might not have killed the Jujitsu Master yet! So it will inevitably happen again. He is also a Rock type, and Earth attribute, so he has perfect synergy with the deck, and the theme of control.

So to balance the Monster line-up, I have added:
+1 Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo
+2 Legendary Jujitsu Master

Now let's move on to the spells!

Spell Choices:

As it stands, the Spell line-up is really solid, I haven't decided to cut anything, only add a couple cards.

This is where my credibility as a good Yu-Gi-Oh player will come in to question! Are you ready...? I legitimately believe that this deck would get a really crucial edge if it played the card “Solidarity”.

For those of you that don't know, this is what the card does,

“If you have only 1 original (printed) Type of monster in your Graveyard, face-up monsters you control with the same Type gain 800 ATK.”

If you thought that the Seal of Orichalcos made the Koa'ki Meiru monsters fearsome, this card is a game-winner. With the adjusted monster line-up, all of the monsters are rocks, so there is no conflict with this card. Let's take a look at some of the things this card can result in.

A 2700 atk Koa'ki Meiru beater

A 2100 Jujitsu Master

A 1700 Grandmole that wouldn't have to bounce.

And yes... you guessed it.

A 2000 atk Fossil Dyna.

If that doesn't put a chill down your spine, that means this deck has a recurring mini-Archlord Kristya. That means that Dyna won't be beat by means of most monsters, so decks like Wind-ups and Samurai will lose pretty quickly once it hits, backed up by the lovely Koa'ki Meiru's of course.. And imagine the possibilities of multiple active copies, and the Seal as well! In my opinion, this card is too powerful not to be in the deck.

The Ideal play, would be to sit behind a Turn 1 Jujitsu Master or Koa'ki Meiru monster, and once it dies, use this card to your advantage. Keep in mind, this is definitely a card that has the capability of being sided out.

The next cards I would add, would be 2 copies of Forbidden Lance. It has always been one of the most versatile cards in Yu-Gi-Oh, and it would prove itself in no time, in this deck. For example, you can make a big monster fall under Jujitsu Master, or you could protect your Dyna or one of the Trifecta. It is also great, to keep the monsters from dying to opposing Dark Hole, Torrential Tribute, and Bottomless Trap Hole.

So for the spells, we have:

+2 Solidarity

+2 Forbidden Lance

Trap Choices:

Now we have the traps. There are a few cards I would cut here, just because of the lack of synergy with the deck. Starlight Road is definitely a no-no, and can easily be replaced with The Huge Revolution is Over, a counter trap that benefits the deck a bit more.

Torrential Tribute, in my opinion is detrimental to a control-based strategy. I opted to replace both copies of Torrential Tribute with the copies of Forbidden Lance.

That brings us to:

-1 Starlight Road

-2 Torrential Tribute

+1 The Huge Revolution is Over

Finally, we have the Extra Deck. I would use as many situational rank 3 and 4 xyz's as possible. Sometimes, the game calls for certain cards to win the game, so having situational things amongst the useable ones is better than the random synchros. I would completely rewrite the Extra Deck like so,

Extra Deck: 15

1 Gem Knight Pearl

1 Kachi Kochi Dragon

1 Fairy King Albverdich

1 Number 39: Utopia

1 C39: Utopia Ray

1 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn

1 Gagaga Cowboy

1 Soul of Silvermountain

1 Photon Papilloperative

1 Temtempo the Percussion Djinn

1 Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction (It's a rock!)

1 Wind-up Zenmaines

1 Number 17: Leviathan Dragon

1 Leviair the Sea Dragon

1 Steelswarm Roach

This Extra Deck gives a lot more playable versatility, and even though there are things like Solidarity and Orichalcos, it's better to have the option if you need it, than to not have it at all.

So the final draft of this deck would look like this:

Billy Brake’s Rock Stun Deck (Revised)

Monsters: 17
3 Koa’ki Meiru Guardian
3 Koa’ki Meiru Sandman

3 Koa’ki Meiru Wall
2 Block Golem
2 Legendary Jujitsu Master

3 Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo
1 Neo-Spacian Grandmole

Spells:14
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
2 Soul Taker
2 Pot of Duality
1 Seal of Orichalcos
1 Monster Reborn
1 Dark Hole

2 Solidarity

2 Forbidden Lance

Traps: 10
2 Dimensional Prison
2 Solemn Warning
2 Call of the Haunted
2 Bottomless Trap hole
1 Solemn Judgment
1 The Huge Revolution is Over

Extra Deck: 15

1Gem Knight Pearl

1 Kachi Kochi Dragon

1 Fairy King Albverdich

1 Number 39: Utopia

1 C39: Utopia Ray

1 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn

1 Gagaga Cowboy

1 Soul of Silvermountain

1 Photon Papilloperative

1 Temtempo the Percussion Djinn

1 Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction (It's a rock!)

1 Wind-up Zenmaines

1 Number 17: Leviathan Dragon

1 Leviair the Sea Dragon

1 Steelswarm Roach

Next, I'll get to Joe Giorlando's Gishki Hero deck!

Joe Giorlando’s Gishki Hero Turbo Deck

3 Gishki Soul Ogre
3 Gishki Vision
3 Destiny Hero Plasma
2 Destiny Hero Diamond Dude
2 Trageodia

2 Tour Guide from the Underworld

1 Sangan
1 Gishki Shadow
1 Elemental Hero Stratos
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness

3 Destiny Draw
3 Trade-In
3 Miracle Fusion
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
2 Salvage
1 Gishki Aquamirror
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Dark Hole
1 Heavy Storm
1 Monster Reborn

1 Grenosaurus
1 Melomelody the Brass Djinn
1 Wind-Up Zenmaines
1 Leviair the Sea Dragon
1 Number 17: Leviathan Dragon
1 Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction
1 Temtempo Percussion Djinn
1 Maestroke Symphony Djinn
1 Blade Armor Ninja
1 Heroic Champion Excalibur
1 Number 39: Utopia
1 Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis
1 Number 11: Big Eye
1 Gaia Dragon, Thunder Charger
1 Black Rose Dragon

For this one, I will use the knowledge I have of Gishki's and Turbo Decks in general to try and produce a more consistent build. (Truthfully, I hope that these decks weren't made by Billy and Joe, because they're more knowledgable than I am, and I can't really dispute them... Haha!)

This deck is the polar opposite of the Rock Stun deck, as it is meant to make very large, aggressive, and fast pushes. There is no control aspect, unless you're controlling how fast your opponents life points hit zero!

Monster Choices:

First off, I noticed the 3 copies of Gishki Vision, and only 1 copy of Gishki Shadow. Now, Gishki's are definitely combo oriented. So having 3 of the Ritual monster searchers is too much, and having 1 searcher for the 1 Ritual spell is definitely too little. This isn't a matter of reusing the Ritual spell, but one of actually seeing the ritual spell. If you don't draw into one of the two cards, there won't be any Gishki monsters being summoned. I would add 1 copy of Shadow, and cut one copy of Vision to replace the balance.

Next, I would cut the Tour Guide-Sangan Engine. Although it fuels DAD, it takes away from the focus of the deck.

I would also cut one copy of Plasma, because 3 seems to be way too much. I would replace the Plasma with another Diamond Dude.

To counter the last deck, I would opt to add 1 copy of Maxx “C” to the deck. My reasoning for this, is that it has the synergy with Tragoedia and Gorz, and it can really be used to draw into combo pieces quicker. Since this is a turbo deck, it relies on drawing combo pieces, even if it's only a 1 for 1, and with one copy, it's hard for it to be cloggy.

One unorthodox choice I thought I would make, is adding two copies of Summoner Monk. This nice Level 4 Dark can open quick XYZ plays and hammer out a lot of the inconsistency of drawing too many spells. He can use his magic Fu Manchu to special summon Stratos (pays for itself), a Diamond Dude (could pay for itself), or even a Gishki Shadow opening up a wider variety of combo plays. He is essentially a TGFTU that is better suited for the deck, and it replaces the fuel for DAD and Allure.

So:

-2 Tour Guide From the Underworld

-1 Sangan

-1 Gishki Vision

-1 Destiny HERO Plasma

+1 Destiny HERO Diamond Dude

+1 Gishki Shadow

+1 Maxx “C”

+2 Summoner Monk

Spell Choices:

A decision I feel strongly about, would be to replace the copies of Mystical Space Typhoon with 3 copies of Night Beam. Being a normal spell card, it has extreme synergy with Diamond Dude. In theory, it would do the same thing as MST, but this deck plays no traps, leaving most decks to accumulate dead MST's of their own. Night Beam is the better option if you aren't going to set it. And if you were to set an MST, then chances are you would lose it during the end phase to your opponent's MST.

Easy enough:

-3 MST

+3 Night Beam

Extra Deck Choices:

Again, this Extra Deck needs to be heavily rebuilt to suit the deck.

Extra Deck: 15

1 Blade Armor Ninja

1 Heroic Champion Excalibur

1 Number 39: Utopia

1 C39: Utopia Ray

1 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn

1 Steelswarm Roach

1 Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis

3 Elemental HERO Absolute Zero

2 Elemental HERO Escuridao

1 Elemental HERO Gaia (Maxx “C”!)

1 Gagaga Cowboy

1 Gem Knight Pearl

And the finished product would look like this!

Joe Giorlando’s Gishki Hero Turbo Deck (Revised)

Monsters: 20

3 Gishki Soul Ogre
2 Gishki Vision
2 Destiny Hero Plasma
3 Destiny Hero Diamond Dude
2 Trageodia

2 Summoner Monk
2 Gishki Shadow
1 Elemental Hero Stratos
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness

1 Maxx “C”

Spells: 20

3 Destiny Draw
3 Trade-In
3 Miracle Fusion
3 Night Beam
2 Salvage
1 Gishki Aquamirror
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Dark Hole
1 Heavy Storm
1 Monster Reborn

Extra Deck: 15

1 Blade Armor Ninja

1 Heroic Champion Excalibur

1 Number 39: Utopia

1 C39: Utopia Ray

1 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn

1 Steelswarm Roach

1 Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis

3 Elemental HERO Absolute Zero

2 Elemental HERO Escuridao

1 Elemental HERO Gaia (Maxx “C”!)

1 Gagaga Cowboy

1 Gem Knight Pearl

I've done my best to doctor these decks. I've given them a prescription and sent them home to bed! I hope you have enjoyed the article, and if you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them below! Until my next appointment, Deck Doctor out!