Rebuilding Earth: Rock Stun and Gishki Hero Reimagined

November 11, 2012

by Jacob Arkanoff

Hello fellow duelists. My name is Jacob Arkanoff, and I am here to present my take at editing decks. I do not have any qualifications worth mentioning, but I have been playing this game competitively since last year, meaning I am familiar with the current state of the game. Do not worry though: I have actually been playing the game on and off for years, and it is just that I never took the game seriously until last year. Remember: what I decide to change may not fit every play style, but I encourage you guys not only to test my ideas but to also come up with your own as well. Without further ado, let us begin the editing. First up is Billy Brake’s Rock Stun deck.

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

Ah, Rock Stun. The deck is, in my opinion, the most well rounded stun deck available due to the trifecta of Koa’ki Meiru Guardian, Sandman, and Wall. With the edition of Block Golem, the deck obtained a method of explosive plays and the ability to play Card Trooper as well. There are a few changes I would make to this deck that can not only speed the deck up but also add a little muscle as well.

The Monsters

What bugs me here is the two Maxx Cs in the deck (heh, bugs). Yes, Wind-Ups are a deck, but we have to remember that there are other decks that one could come in contact with that laugh at Maxx C (Heroes, Dark World, Gadgets, etc.), making it an even trade at best. What I propose is to replace Maxx C with two Card Car Ds. Here me out: not only is Car D an EARTH monster (to not interfere with Block Golem), he is also an instant plus one as long as your opponent does not have Effect Veiler in hand (which is not as common as you would think currently). Plus, the deck runs plenty of traps to protect oneself with after using Car D’s effect, so field presence is not an issue. I would also add in one Gaia Plate the Earth Giant to the deck as well. Gaia Plate adds two benefits to the deck: he is an instant boss monster that an opponent will have to deal with, and he is a ROCK monster, so you can use him for the maintenance cost of the Koa’ki Meirus. With Card Trooper milling for Block Golem plays, it is easy to get Gaia Plate out, and though removing Rock monsters from the graveyard can be a hefty cost, he is well worth the risk if you are pushing for game.

The Spells

Wow, the Seal of Orichalcos. Until now, I did not think much about this card, but it makes since in this deck due to the lack of special summoning from the extra deck. It also makes all the Koa’ki Meirus and Gaia Plate even bigger (to the point almost no monster will be able to get over Gaia Plate attack wise). This is great tech that deserves to stay in the deck. Just remember not to summon Gaia Plate or use Block Golem’s effect before you activate the Seal. However, there are a few spell choices I need to address. While Mystical Space Typhoon is a godsend against rogue Royal Decrees, the deck does not need to play all three game one, so I am cutting the count down to two. Also, since the deck has the trap line up to deal with monsters, there is no reason to run Soul Takers in the main unless one is afraid of E-Hero the Shining all the time, so we can cut that out completely. In place of those cards, I feel one Book of Moon and one Forbidden Lance should suffice. Both cards add utility to the deck in different ways. For example, not only can Book of Moon stop synchro and Xyzs plays, it can also be used to flip down a face up Fossil Dyna in order to use its effect again if necessary. Forbidden Lance grants extra protection against multiple spells and traps as well as that extra muscle while pushing for damage. While some may argue that Lance should be ran in twos, I think one teched in this deck should be enough based on the Koa’ki Meiru negation effects.

The Traps

I have seen multiple variations in trap line ups for this deck, but this one looks solid. There are a couple of changes I would make though. I would drop Torrential down to one and add in a copy of Compulsory Evacuation Device. Compulsory does wonders against Wind-Up Zenmaines, E-Hero the Shining, Gachi Gachi, and many other annoying boss monsters that dance around the “destroy” clause in card effects, making it a necessity in my opinion. The only reason I do not cut Torrential in general is because the deck cannot survive against swarming on reaction without it. You can set up the perfect defense with Fossil Dyna and the likes, but all it takes is one Dark Hole or Inzektor Hornet to mess up your plans, so the deck needs at least one way to deal with swarming. I would also cut Starlight Road for Dark Bribe as well. I know, giving your opponent a free card is a risky proposition, but Bribe can negate so many key spell and trap cards that Starlight and Huge Revolution cannot. No longer do you fear Wind-Up Factory, Miracle Fusion, Drag Down to the Grave, or even the Solemn brigade as long as you have Dark Bribe. The fact it can negate Heavy Storm is icing on the cake.

Extra Deck

Honestly, this deck does not need the extra deck, especially if the Seal is in play. Of course, I would take out the Stardust Dragon out since I removed Starlight Road, so we will replace it with the new Gagaga Cowboy. Not only is Cowboy an earth monster, he also boasts a nice burn effect that can seize games if left unchecked. I would also replace Gachi Gachi with another Fairy King Albverdich since it is now impossible to summon Gachi in the deck. Finally, I would add in one Maestroke the Symphony Djinn and one Number 39: Utopia to the deck in exchange for taking out one Soul of Silver Mountain and Wind-Up Zenmaister. Yes, those two mess with the earth synergy, but both additions add a bit of tool boxing to the extra deck. It is always good to keep your options open in case you need a monster to sit on a few turns, which both additions can accomplish quite nicely.

So here is the complete new deck:

Billy Brake’s Rock Stun Deck

Monsters: 20
3 Koa’ki Meiru Guardian
3 Koa’ki Meiru Sandman

3 Koa’ki Meiru Wall
3 Block Golem
2 Card Trooper
2 Card Car D
2 Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo
1 Neo-Spacian Grandmole

1 Gaia Plate the Earth Giant

Spells: 9
2 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Forbidden Lance

1 Book of Moon
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 Traphole
1 Torrential Tribute

1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Dark Bribe

Extra Deck: 15
2 Gem-Knight Pearl
2 Kochi Kochi Dragon
1 Soul of Silver Mountain
1 Temtempo the Percussion Djinn
1 Number 39: Utopia
1 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
2 Fairy King Albverdich

1 Gagaga Cowboy
1 Gaia Knight, Force of Earth
1 Naturia Beast
1 Naturia Barkion
1 Scrap Dragon
Next, Let us look at Joe Giorlando’s Gishki Hero Turbo Deck

Joe Giorlando’s Gishki Hero Turbo Deck

Monsters: 20

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

Spells: 20

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

Extra Deck: 15

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

I will be honest: this is a deck concept that is completely new to me, but I have done a bit of research to get a better understanding of how the deck runs. The goal of the deck appears to be using the sheer speed of the Destiny Draw engine combined with the search power of the Gishkis in order to “turbo” through the deck and gather the answers to your opponents plays. It appears to be a neat concept, though there are some problems I need to address.

The Monsters

Originally, I though adding level six monsters into the deck and taking out level eights like Plasma would help out the consistency, but through some testing, the deck actually became more inconsistent. I spend some time looking at ways to help out the consistency, and I believe I have a solution. First, I am taking out one Gishki Vision, one Trageodia, and Dark Armed Dragon. All three cards are great on their own, but each needs to be taken out for their own reasons:

With only three targets, there is no need for three Gishki Visions. Two is the magic number as there is always the chance of you drawing into one of the Soul Ogres.
Trageodia is good, but chances are you will not be holding on to the cards you draw for long, making Trageodia not as good as Gorz in this deck. One can still be used for protection and the occasional Xyzs play though.
Dark Armed Dragon is great, but not in a deck that is meant to send cards to the graveyard to draw more cards. Chances are you will have more than three darks in the graveyard by the time you draw into DAD, and by that point DAD becomes a dead draw. I hate to see it go, but for the sake of consistency, it needs to.

With that said, I have added one more Destiny Hero Diamond Dude to the deck. This not only gives us another Destiny Hero for Destiny Draw, it also lets us mill those normal spell cards and use their effects later on in the duel. I will also add in one Grinder Golem to the deck as well. Golem serves three purposes: he adds another dark for Allure of Darkness, he is level eight, adding more Trade-In fodder, and he has surprising synergy with Destiny Hero Plasma. You see, Grinder Golem has an effect that lets him special summon himself to your opponent’s field in exchange for you gaining two tokens. This may sound like bad all over, but with Destiny Hero Plasma, it turns into a combo that allows you to summon Plasma easily and gives Plasma a guarantee 1500 attack boost. Testing has mostly used Golem as Trade-In fodder, but it is always good to have options opened.

The Spells

To start with, I have removed one Trade-In and one Salvage from the deck. It may seem like it would be better to remove a Destiny Draw rather than a Trade-In since Trade-In has more targets, but Destiny Draw has the added benefit of not having to pay a cost if Diamond Dude mills it unlike Trade-In, in which you would still have to discard a level eight. Salvage also had to go since I could never get the effect to go off consistently and it would usually just sit dead in my hand. Plus, with only three targets for the card now, one Salvage is the maximum amount I would use. In place of those two cards will be two Pot of Duality. Duality is a great all around consistency card, allowing me to grab that needed Destiny Hero or level eight or even a draw card. It just sets up too many of the deck’s combos to not play it. Finally, I have also added a copy of Scapegoat to the deck to help with defense as well as get Plasma out easier.

The Extra Deck

This is where the most changes needed to be made. I first took out Grenosaurus and Melomelody since both cards are lackluster in use, even if they are rank 3s for Tour Guide, I would play a second Zenmaines before I even touch the likes of Grenosaurus. I also took out Number 11: Big Eye, Black Rose Dragon, and Gaia Dragon from the deck as well due to the lack of efficient ways to get any of these cards out using this deck. In place of these cards are three Elemental Hero Absolute Zero, one Elemental Hero Escuridao, one Gagaga Cowboy, and one Aybss Dweller. Since we are playing Miracle Fusion, we actually need some E-Heroes to actually fuse into, and Zero is the best one. The deck can make him with ease due to the amount of water monsters and the fact that Zero only needs ANY HERO monster (note, ANY) along with any water monster. Zero also has some weird combos to take advantage of as well. For example, you can use Gishki Aquamirror and send Zero to the graveyard as the requirement, netting you not only Soul Ogre but a clear field as well. Escuridao is here in case you desperately need to make a fusion, though do not expect to make him too often. Finally, I rounded out the extra deck by adding in two brand new rank 4s: Abyss Dweller and Gagaga Cowboy. Both cards are great generic rank 4s that can actually be made by this deck, giving the deck even more options when needed.

With that being said, here is the new Gishki Hero Turbo Deck:

Joe Giorlando’s Gishki Hero Turbo Deck

Monsters: 19

3 Gishki Soul Ogre
2 Gishki Vision

1 Grinder Golem
3 Destiny Hero Plasma
3 Destiny Hero Diamond Dude
1 Trageodia

2 Tour Guide from the Underworld
1 Sangan
1 Gishki Shadow
1 Elemental Hero Stratos
1 Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness

Spells: 21

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

2 Pot of Duality

1 Scapegoat

Extra Deck: 20
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 Heroic Champion Excalibur
1 Number 39: Utopia
1 Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis
3 Elemental Hero Absolute Zero

1 Gagaga Cowboy

1 Abyss Dweller

1 Elemental Hero Escuridao

Thank you for taking the time to view my take at two unique decks. These are only one way to view the decks, and they may not work for you at all. This is why I encourage all of you to test my ideas for yourself and add on to the decks if you like because editing is never done. Like a good paper, a good deck is only as good as the creator thinks it is. That is all for now my friends. I hope you give my edits a shot, and I will try to answer any comments you guys have. Thank you for your time.

Jacob Arkanoff, Aspiring Duelist