The Rock Doc’ and Destiny Nurse Aoi

November 12, 2012

by Tej Trivedi

Greetings, ARG readers! I'm here to take a shot at the deck doctor contest set up by ARG. Let's get right into it. Here's the deck list Billy Brake submitted - Rock Stun!

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

2 Dimensional Prison
2 Solemn Warning
2 Call of the Haunted
2 Bottomless Traphole
2 Torrential Tribute
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Starlight Road

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

Rock stun is one of my favorite decks to tweak because there are so many different ways to play it. However, there is one common trait among ALL stun decks. Because stun decks are, by nature, a slew of one-for-one trades, the most crippling play you can make is one that nets you a +1 (or any positive net change in cards in your favor). This is incredibly easy for dino rabbit decks because Laggia was an easy +1. He negates but also stays on the field, potentially costing your opponent two cards. The theory behind this is that in an extreme situation where you do net a +1 and then trade off one-for-ones the rest of the way, the simplified game state, where both players are scarce on resources, will have you ahead in card advantage, which you can utilize to put pressure on your opponent. I will use this theory in some of my card choices.

First, I would like to cut 2 card troopers. The little milling machine would be great in a rock build focused on ending with Grandsoil, but trooper is too inconsistent in the trap heavy stun build Billy is going for. It doesn't lock the opponent out (like the Koa'ki Meiru trio) and it doesn't net a positive change in total cards between you and your opponent. It is a one-for-one (it dies, you draw) that does not further your game state. Next, I want to cut the two copies of Maxx "C". Maxx "C" really isn't great in a stun build like this because it doesn't scare your opponent into stopping their play. If they are aware you are playing rock stun, they are likely already not afraid of Gorz or Tragoedia, so they will continue their special summoning if it means dealing lethal damage that turn. I agree with the rest of the monsters in the lineup, and will add a few after I finish making cuts.

Moving on to the spells, there are again a few changes I would make. I'll opt to cut a Mystical Space Typhoon because Sandman will serve the purpose of backrow destruction on his own. I am also going to take out the two copies of soul taker. Rock stun can have trouble with clearing away a big monster, but the trap lineup can usually take care of opposing threats. I'll also be making some additions later on that address this issue.

The traps are pretty solid already, but I think cutting Starlight Road and one Torrential Tribute will be useful. Starlight is cut because a destroyed Stardust will turn off Block Golem, which defeats the entire purpose of the deck. Our cards can also be protected from Heavy Storm and Dark Hole with Koa'ki Meiru Wall anyway, so Starlight Road is a bit useless here. I am cutting one torrential because stun decks usually prefer to hold a field. I am leaving one torrential in, however, because of the +1 theory mentioned in the beginning. Resolving one torrential will serve the purpose of occasionally getting us the positive swing in card advantage that we are aiming for.

So, here are the cuts:

-2 Maxx "C"

-2 Card Trooper

-2 Soul Taker

-1 Mystical Space Typhoon

-1 Torrential Tribute

-1 Starlight Road

Now, there are two additions I am going to make to the monster lineup. The first is a pair of Legendary Jujitsu Masters. This card serves as an incredibly powerful turn one play if the opponent is unaware of what you are playing. It is also an incredibly potent +1 that your opponent will have to burn a second resource on to get rid of. This guy will also let us toolbox rank 3 monsters if Block Golem revives it and a Grand Mole. Next, I would also like to add a pair of Gaia Plate the Earth Giants. To me, this card will serve the purpose of Soul Taker, but in more of a +1 fashion. One of the best ways to net a +1 is to destroy an opposing monster by battle. Gaia Plate does this exceptionally well. Next, I am opting to add one copy of Solidarity. With the changes I've made, the entire monster lineup is Rock-type. Solidarity will serve a similar purpose to The Seal of Orichalcos. Drawing one will put you in a strong position, but drawing multiples will not advance your game state. +800 attack is going to put essentially the same kind of pressure on your opponent as +1600 attack, so multiples do not really help you and instead act as a "win more" sort of deal. I am also opting to run Heavy Storm because it allows for strong swings in tempo. Although the deck plays many traps, the point is never really to set all of them to the point that they are redundant. Two dimensional prisons against an empty opposing field is just as useful as one dimensional prison. With proper play, heavy storm can greatly reward a stun player. If you have it in your hand, play out your traps accordingly. This will be a great exercise in thinking turns ahead in the game. Finally, let's get to the traps. I think a pair of Mirror Forces will round out the trap lineup nicely. Mirror Force again caters to the +1 theory that this deck will thrive on.

So we've added:
+2 Legendary Jujitsu Master

+2 Gaia Plate the Earth Giant

+1 Solidarity

+1 Heavy Storm

+2 Mirror Force

This brings the deck down to 40 cards (from 41). The extra deck changes I made are less significant for this deck, so I will include the final extra deck in the revised deck list. Just keep in mind that, despite not all being earth, the XYZ options are there as a toolbox to help the rock stun player out of sticky situations. Sometimes it will be beneficial to bring out, say, Shock Master even though he is not an earth. If you can play a non-earth XYZ with the knowledge that it going to grave is a non-factor (either due to protection or lack of need to use Block Golem), then overlay away if necessary! Here's the adjusted list:

3 Block Golem

3 Koa'ki Meiru Sandman

3 Koa'ki Meiru Wall

3 Koa'ki Meiru Guardian

2 Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo

2 Gaia Plate the Earth Giant

2 Legendary Jujitsu Master

1 Neo-Spacian Grand Mole

2 Pot of Duality

2 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Monster Reborn

1 Dark Hole

1 Heavy Storm

1 The Seal of Orichalcos

1 Solidarity

2 Bottomless Trap hole

2 Solemn Warning

2 Dimensional Prison

2 Mirror Force

2 Call of the Haunted

1 Torrential Tribute

1 Solemn Judgment

2 Fairy King Albverdich

1 Gem-Knight Pearl

1 Kachi Kochi Dragon

1 Leviair the Sea Dragon

1 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn

1 Number 16: Shock Master

1 Number 17: Leviathan Dragon

1 Number 39: Utopia

1 Number C39: Utopia Ray

2 Photon Papilloperative

1 Soul of Silvermountain

1 Steelswarm Roach

1 Wind-up Zenmaines

Phew! That was quite a bit of text, but we still have Joe Giorlando's Gishki Hero Turbo deck to fix-up!

3 Evigishki 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

There are a ton of changes that need to be made here! First, the extra deck lacks Elemental Hero Absolute Zero, which is a key component of this deck. Next, a lot of the choices demonstrate an overemphasis of the deck's purpose. By this I mean that certain cards are run of as 3-ofs, but the additional copies of the card don't help as much with consistency as one would hope. From the monster lineup, I will be cutting 1 Evigishki Soul Ogre, 2 Destiny Hero Plasma, 1 Gishki Vision, 2 Tour Guide from the Underworld, and 1 Sangan. The Tour Guide engine is not too useful here as it serves no purpose to the deck besides being a rank 3 toolbox card. Sangan, while useful, is a bit slow to me. Setting sangan and waiting for it to be attacked is not at all in tune with the aggressive attitude this deck is radiating. I cut a Soul Ogre because the Ritual Spell card can add it back to your hand and Gishki Vision can search for him as well. I am opting to cut a Gishki Vision because having three cards to search for three ritual monsters (that, again, can be re-used due to the ritual spell's ability) is very redundant. The Destiny Hero Plasmas end up clogging the hand too much and usually hurt more than help. I will leave one in because it does work with both Trade-In and Destiny Draw.

For the spells, I am cutting 1 Allure of Darkness and 1 Trade-In. Allure is less supported now that the Tour Guide engine has been taken out, so I worry it will too often sit in the hand waiting for a target worth expending to the banished pile. Running 3 Trade-ins ended up being cloggy for me, so I cut one to make room for some other cards. At first I thought Mystical Space Typhoon would be better replaced by Night Beam, but the interaction with Diamond Dude is not good. Because Diamond Dude allows us to use the effect of spells and not the cost, Night Beam would not have a target on resolution (as you target for the cost), so I could not make this change. Here are the cuts!

-1 Evigishki Soul Ogre

-2 Destiny Hero Plasma

-2 Tour Guide from the Underworld

-1 Sangan

-1 Gishki Vision

-1 Trade-In

-1 Allure of Darkness

The cards I am opting to add into the deck will either add to the consistency or give the deck more versatility. On the side of consistency, I feel that adding 1 Destiny Hero-Diamond Dude, 1 Gishki Shadow, and 1 Gishki Aquamirror will help the deck run as intended. For versatility, a pair of Destiny-Hero Malicious, 2 Deep Sea Diva, 1 Plaguespreader Zombie, and 1 Evigishki Gustkraken will give the deck a few more tricks to stump the opponent with. Deep Sea Diva gives us access to rank 2s as well as an engine for synchro summoning. Another neat play is to use diva to grab Gishki Vision, then use vision as the entire tribute cost on Gishki Aquamirror. If you use that Aquamirror to bring out Gustkraken, you can then synchro into a level 8 after catapulting a card from your opponent's hand back into their deck. Malicious opens up even more plays. Aside from being a searchable target for Stratos and another target for Destiny Draw, Malicous gives us a body to synchro summon with, tribute for Aquamirror with, or overlay with into a rank 6 (if you have a Gustkraken on board too). The overlay option happens more than you would think considering there are so many search components to get you to those pieces. The consistency additions are self-explanatory, but Shadow lets us get to our Ritual Spell quicker (as does having a second copy of Aquamirror in the deck). Here are the adds:

+1 Gishki Shadow

+2 Destiny Hero Malicious

+2 Deep Sea Diva

+1 Evigishki Gustkraken

+1 Plaguespreader Zombie

+1 Destiny Hero Diamond Dude

+1 Gishki Aquamirror

The extra deck was modified to include the E-HERO Fusions, rank 2 monsters, Synchro Monsters, as well as a few rank 4 monsters to toolbox with. Here's the final list!

1 Dark Armed Dragon

2 Deep Sea Diva

3 Destiny Hero Diamond Dude

2 Destiny Hero Malicious

1 Destiny Hero Plasma

1 Elemental HERO Stratos

2 Gishki Shadow

2 Gishki Vision

1 Gorz, The Emissary of Darkness

1 Plaguespreader Zombie

2 Tragoedia

2 Evigishki Soul Ogre

1 Evigishki Gustkraken

1 Dark Hole

3 Destiny Draw

2 Gishki Aquamirror

1 Heavy Storm

3 Miracle Fusion

1 Monster Reborn

3 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Reinforcement of the Army

2 Salvage

2 Trade-In

3 Elemental HERO Absolute Zero

1 Elemental HERO Escuridao

1 Armory Arm

1 Scrap Dragon

1 Stardust Dragon

1 Daigusto Phoenix

1 Gachi Gachi Gantetsu

1 Gagaga Cowboy

1 Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis

1 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn

1 Number 39: Utopia

1 Photon Papilloperative

1 Photon Strike Bounzer

This deck does what Joe intended - spam Absolute Zero and Gishki Rituals - but also picked up a few new tricks thanks to the additions I made. Where the old deck would maybe have 1-2 plays at a given time, this new version gives the pilot several options for the more complex hands. One card I was very tempted to add was Paradox Fusion. This card reads "Activate by removing 1 face-up Fusion Monster you control from play. Negate the activation of a Spell or Trap Card, OR the Special Summon of a monster and destroy that card. During your 2nd End Phase, return the removed Fusion Monster to the field in face-up Attack Position." This obviously has amazing combos with Absolute Zero, but I opted not to include it because running 3 traps led to fairly inconsistent hands. The deck is already combo oriented as is, and I did not want to further the dependence by adding more combo pieces. Another honorable mention here is Maxx "C". I haven't completely written it off yet, but I opted not to include it due to its poor performance against non-Wind-Up decks. That being said, it could still be worth your time to test it and see for yourself.

Well, that concludes my take on Billy and Joe's decks. I know it was a ton of text, but hopefully you all were able to stick through it and maybe gain a little insight into how I prefer to fix deck builds. I hope you enjoyed the fixes and maybe you'll be seeing more of me in the future!

Play Hard or Go Home!

-Tej