Previously on "Path of the Avatar" I talked about the new Fire Attribute Fire Fist archetype in Cosmo Blazer. This time I will be talking about the second Fire Attribute archetype (and the one I personally like more) Haze-Beast and third Fire Archetype the Fire Kings, which are from a new structure deck coming out soon. 
So first of all lets throw up my deck list. You can click on the cards aren't familiar with to open up a link to their effects.
2 Card Trooper
2 Fire King Avatar Barong
2 Fire King High Avatar Garunix
3 Flamvell Firedog
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
3 Haze Beast Cerberus
2 Haze Beast Peryton
2 Haze Beast Sphinx
2 Tragoedia
1 Dark Hole
3 Fire Kings Fire Ring
2 Forbidden Lance
2 Haze Pillar
1 Heavy Storm
1 Monster Reborn
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
3 Onslaught of the Fire Kings
2 Pot of Duality
3 Rekindling
1 Abyss Dweller
1 Diawolf the Terrorfang
1 Gagaga Cowboy
1 Gem Knight Pearl
3 Haze Beast Basilicok
1 Inzektor Exa-Beetle
1 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
1 Shock Master
1 Force Focus
1 Utopia
1 Blackship of Corn
1 Photon Strike Bounzer
1 Sword Breaker
Starting off, the Haze Beast are all Level 6 Monsters in which none of them can be targeted by opponents card effects, and resolve around Normal Summoning themselves without a tribute via their Continuous Spell "Haze Pillar". The most versatile Haze Beast is Cerberus. You can Normal Summon him without a Tribute, and when he's destroyed he searches any Haze card period, this includes Haze Pillar. This is important as Haze Pillar sets up most of your deck.
The other 2 Haze Beast, Peryton and Sphinx both Special Summon more Haze Beast. Peryton is very similar to that of Rescue Rabbit, as you tribute it to Special Summon 2 Haze monsters from your deck. Usually off of Peryton you would grab a Sphinx and a Cerberus, then proceed to use Sphinx's effect (calling Spells more then likely, as more then half of your deck are Spells) and bring back any Fire monster from your Graveyard. Because you can so easily summon level 6 monsters, the deck is great for making most Rank 6 Xyz. Photon Strike Bounzer is an extremely powerful card, but not many decks can utilize it very well, however the Haze deck can make it with extreme ease. The most common Rank 6 Xyz to make with this deck is unique to the Haze deck itself, and that would be Basilicok. Basilicok has a crap load of different effects, but must of them are irrelevant except its first ability, which by removing an Xyz material lets you banish ANY monster your opponent controls. This is the first Xyz monster which not only banishes a monster, but can deal with both face-up AND face-downs. This gives the deck the ability to have outs to almost every monster in Yu-Gi-Oh.
Now, while the Haze monsters are all fine and dandy, the most annoying aspect of the deck which my fellow team member Billy Brake will agree upon is Garunix. Garunix is one bad dude, as not only is he practically invincible versus effects that destroy, but if they do destroy him by battle, he replaces himself with an 1800 monster. The fact his effects are amazing isn't enough, but on top of all that he has a huge 2700 attack, which very few monsters can just swing over all willy nilly. Most the time however, if your opponent goes to do something to take out your Garunix, having a Fire Kings Fire Ring will do multiple things; 1) It will destroy your Garunix, saving it from 
whatever effect threatened it. 2) It will trigger your Garunix's effect, allowing it to return to the field, and anhiliate everything. Finally 3) Fire Ring will Special Summon a Monster in Garunix's place, hopefully a Cerberus. Then Cerberus will get destroyed by Garunix, allowing you to search your deck for any Haze card. My deck also makes use of Forbidden Lance, as Garunix main weakness are cards like Bottomless Trap Hole and Dimensional Prison, and as well works in combination with Flamvell Firedog attacking over stronger monsters. Basically, all you have to do is draw one of your Onslaught of the Fire Kings and POOF, you have your gigantic recurring boss monster until your opponent can banish it or negate its effect.
Now while Garunix is easily the most annoying aspect, I would have to say that the most broken thing the deck has is Rekindling. Ever since Rekindling was released it's been a card that has been able to accomplish unfair things, but now it can do even more. Haze Beast Cerberus is a 2000 attack level 6 monster, but it also has 200 defense. This allows it to be summoned by both Rekindling and Flamvell Firedog. Barong as well can be summoned off of Firedog (Thus rekindling as well), to make a rank 4 Xyz if needed. A lot of times I will end up making Diawolf to destroy a threat. Anyway, Rekindling is easily the decks scariest win condition, as its somewhat difficult to see coming, and spams the field with a bunch of Monsters which can easily swing for 8000 damage, or make multiple Xyz Monsters to deal with whatever situation.
All in all, Haze-Beast can be very powerful, but the problem with them lies in the fact like many other decks, they get shut down by cards like Macro Cosmos and Dimensional Fissure, which probably makes them the inferior 
deck when it comes to whats better between Fire Fist and Haze Beast. Haze Beast are just much easier to Side Deck against. But I'm hopeful at least that Konami might release some sort of Fire TCG exclusive which can help deal with some of those weaknesses, because I thoroughly enjoy them much more then Fire Fist, simply because Fire Fist are so linear, while Haze Beast has a multitude of different plays.
Please leave questions and comments or even ideas on what you would like to see in future articles.
Until next time duelist, play hard or go home.
LMJeffJones
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