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Anteaus'
History of Yu-Gi-Oh!
In Goat Format, there’s a concept known as the “Warrior
Toolbox” that you’ve likely seen before. If you’re into the
history of the format, and the decks that were played back
when the format was live, you’re likely somewhat familiar
with it.
Warriors back in 2005 were considered quite powerful. I
myself liked the Warrior Toolbox and worked hard to
incorporate it into all of my decks, especially back in 2004
before the first banlist struck. After the demise of
CED-based Chaos decks, the Warrior Toolbox fell out of favor
in “standard” decklists, and if you look through the old
Metagame archives you can see how little it was played.
But fast forward ten years, and suddenly we’re looking at a
brand-new Goat Format, one that has seen a lot of innovation
over the years. Nowadays, the Warrior Toolbox is seen in
decks like Standard Zoo and my own Gravekeeper deck. Despite
ten years of change - and many players writing it off - the
Warrior Toolbox is once again giving duelists fits, and
encouraging more people to run Warrior-type cards in Goat
Format.
But what makes the Warrior Toolbox good (or bad)? Why is it
used in some decks and not others? What decks should
it be used in? What cards are typically used in the
Warrior Toolbox? These are questions that need answers, and
that’s why I’m writing this article. So let’s go ahead and
deconstruct the Warrior Toolbox, shall we?
Defining the Warrior Toolbox
For starters, we have to define the Warrior Toolbox. Really,
it’s a group of Warrior-type monsters (and the support card
Reinforcement of the Army) that can be splashed into a deck,
sort of like an engine. It’s not an engine as we know
them today, of course - this is why it’s called the “Warrior
Toolbox,” not the “Warrior Engine.”
It’s a toolbox, and it is full of tools that should help you
win the game.
So let’s take a look at an “extended” Warrior Toolbox and
list some of the cards that are regularly seen in one:
Blade Knight
D.D. Assailant
D.D. Warrior Lady
Don Zaloog
Exiled Force
Mystic Swordsman LV2
Reinforcement of the Army
That’s really it. A full Warrior deck would also play cards
such as Marauding Captain, Goblin Attack Force, and maybe
even Freed, the Matchless General as well. But we’re not
talking about a full-on Warrior build, we’re talking about
the Warrior Toolbox.
All those cards do certain things. Blade Knight, for
instance, can give you a 2000 ATK beater that can stop Flip
effects and is also a LIGHT for Black Luster Soldier-Envoy
of the Beginning. I’ve made my stance clear on D.D.
Assailant in other articles, and D.D. Warrior Lady does much
the same as Assailant but is also a LIGHT monster.
Back before it was restricted to one, 3x D.D. Warrior Lady
was almost a staple in meta decks. Don Zaloog is a DARK and
is great for hand disruption. If you remember back to Yata
formats, Don Zaloog was often used in conjunction with
Mystic Tomato to provide continual pressure on your
opponent’s hand. Exiled Force is a one-use kill-all-monsters
that works well with Premature Burial and Call of the
Haunted. And Mystic Swordsman LV2 takes care of any and
every face-down monster you come across.
Each part of the Warrior Toolbox has some degree of utility
that, when played properly, can give you the upper hand.
Note too that the Warrior Toolbox can act as a way to thin
the deck while also getting you access to powerful monsters.
Reinforcement of the Army can be viewed as a more powerful
Upstart Goblin that thins your deck by a card, gets you a
monster that you need right then and there, and doesn’t give
your opponent any LP. In this way, the Warrior Toolbox is
even more versatile. Over time, though, many players have
opted to turn away from the Warrior Toolbox for less
volatile options, or options that allow them to play a more
passive-aggressive game. And that’s not a bad thing - it’s a
big reason as to why the Warrior Toolbox is not seen in many
“standard” Goat Format decks, in particular the Perovic
build.
But that doesn’t mean they’re bad, or that it’s wrong to
play the Warrior Toolbox. It just means that you need to
justify its inclusion. It’s hard to justify a full Warrior
Toolbox in a Standard, Perovic-based Goat Format deck
because the deck, at least from a theory standpoint, is
about as good as it’s going to get. There’s a reason as to
why the Perovic build is the go-to Standard Goat decklist,
after all - it’s the most balanced and mathematically-sound
deck in the format. From a theory perspective, and in the
hands of a skilled player, it sees high win/loss ratios.
But it’s not the only deck in the format, and in
less-skilled hands may not prove to be as powerful as it
ought to be. This variance - and the inclusion of Exarion
Universe to the format - has allowed other decks to shine
and other ideas and theories to come to light. In today’s
Goat Format, several decks that utilize part of the Warrior
Toolbox have risen to prominence. Now it’s time to take a
look at them.
What Decks can Utilize the Warrior Toolbox Effectively
The decks that can utilize the Warrior Toolbox - at least,
the ones that come to mind - are Zoo, Gravekeeper’s and
Skill Drain Beatdown. There are likely others, but these are
the ones that actually see it played the most.
The Warrior Toolbox in Zoo
Zoo is a formidable deck that utilizes the concept of “might
is right.” It looks to drop high-ATK beatsticks each and
every turn and to be able to control the field via battle
and win quickly. In addition to double Abyss Soldier (which
is often combined with Sinister Serpent), triple Berserk
Gorilla and Exarion Universe, it packs a truncated Warrior
Toolbox consisting of the following:
2x D.D. Assailant
1x D.D. Warrior Lady
1x Exiled Force
1x Mystic Swordsman LV2
2x Reinforcement of the Army.
The inclusion of these cards compliments the high-octane
offense that comes with its three copies of Berserk Gorilla
and Exarion Universe because it gives the deck ways of
dealing with potential - or actual - threats. D.D. Assailant
and Warrior Lady not only provide field presence, they
constitute a threat and, by design, take out a bigger
monster when destroyed by battle. That one-for-one exchange
works in Zoo’s favor, as the deck seeks to win by
simplifying the gamestate as quickly as possible. This keeps
pressure on the opponent especially once Berserk Gorilla and
Exarion Universe hit the field.
Exiled Force and Mystic Swordsman LV2 are used for existing
threats and face-down threats, respectively. Hence their use
at just one copy. The deck already packs two copies of
Nobleman of Crossout, after all, but having a searchable,
summonable option is almost preferable for several reasons.
For starters, the deck does not run Magician of Faith, so
there’s no reusability in Nobleman. There is in both Exiled
Force and Mystic Swordsman LV2 thanks to Premature Burial
and Call of the Haunted.
Note, too, that the deck cannot play Metamorphosis or
Scapegoat, so dealing with threats via Thousand-Eyes
Restrict is not an option. Therefore, other methods need to
be examined, and this is where the Warrior Toolbox comes in
handy. It fits in perfectly into the deck as it allows for
continual pressure while also being versatile enough to
handle a variety of threats.
The Warrior Toolbox in Gravekeeper’s
Gravekeepers, like Zoo, looks to exert continual pressure,
but it differs in that it approaches it more passively - but
also more explosively. By virtue of Necrovalley,
Gravekeepers can put threats onto the board that Zoo simply
cannot, notably a 2000 ATK piercer and a 2000 ATK battle
position switcher. Not only that, but Necrovalley shuts down
Spell recursion via Magician of Faith, preempts the threat
of Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning, and renders
both Premature Burial and Call of the Haunted useless.
But the deck is still a swarm deck at its heart. Unlike Zoo,
ideally on turn two Gravekeeper’s will have three monsters
on the board. The only other deck that can do that is the
Warrior Swarm build, but it has its flaws for other reasons
(notably Marauding Captain being so weak). Regardless, it
swarms, and that’s at the heart of the deck. And it does
it very well. Gravekeeper’s, though, can’t play Call of the
Haunted or Premature Burial, which means Exiled Force loses
a lot of power. Instead, a second copy of Mystic Swordsman
LV2 should be included to make up for that. Besides, you can
typically handle high-ATK monsters via Gravekeeper’s
Assailant (or any of the D.D. monsters, for that matter), so
your biggest fear typically is face-down monsters.
Notice how the decks don’t play Blade Knight or Don
Zaloog. This is for two reasons: for one, Blade Knight is
not near as versatile as Mystic Swordsman LV2, considering
he has to be alone to negate Flip Effect monsters, and he is
only 1600 ATK unless you have one or less cards in hand.
Mystic Swordsman LV2 only has 900 ATK, sure, but his effect
is always active which makes him a prime threat alongside
other monsters. He is much more versatile for that alone.
Note too that Mystic Swordsman LV2 can deal with a face-down
Gravekeeper’s Spy, and Blade Knight cannot.
Plus, neither Zoo or Gravekeepers are Chaos-oriented, so
LIGHT/DARK ratios don’t matter. Blade Knight is a LIGHT and
typically is mostly included in decklists for that reason
more so than his effect. As for Don Zaloog, well, Zoo
doesn’t want low-ATK monsters outside Sinister Serpent, and
Gravekeepers would rather force the opponent to commit to
the board than simply discard. Besides, 1400 ATK is paltry
against many decks in modern Goat Format, so they’re
typically only seen as tech cards. I will say that they’re
pretty good in Warrior Swarm decks, though those decks
typically aren’t very good in Goat Format.
The Warrior Toolbox in Skill Drain Beatdown
Skill Drain Beatdown was never a tier-one deck - then again,
neither was Gravekeeper’s outside of topping one event back
in 2005. But Skill Drain is a powerful floodgate that can
shut down a lot of strategies. It can prevent BLS from
banishing, Airknight from drawing, Thousand-Eyes Restrict
from sucking up monsters and preventing attacks - it’s a
potent card, to be sure. In modern Goat Format, Skill Drain
tends to be more of a tech card than a viable strategy,
mostly because of its vulnerability as a Continuous Trap.
Skill Drain Beatdown is a deck that can utilize a lot more
of the Warriors that are available in Goat Format, notably
Zombrya the Dark, Goblin Attack Force and Exiled Force.
These cards can all be used when Skill Drain is face-up -
Zombrya becomes a 2100 ATK beater that doesn’t lose power,
and Goblin Attack Force becomes a 2300 ATK beater that
doesn’t have to switch to defense. Even if Skill Drain is
not on the field, both of those monsters act as high-ATK
deterrents that can control the field and prevent your
opponent from getting aggressive.
Note, though, that the deck has major issues, notably its
reliance on Skill Drain. The deck is vulnerable to big
plays, notably a Heavy Storm drop followed by a major
splurge onto the field. Smart duelists can work around that,
but the deck is still full of holes which is why few people
have made waves with it. Skill Drain has seen use in
decks such as Zoo, more traditional Beastdown and others as
a one-of tech, but in a dedicated deck it has seen only
mediocre results.
Potential Additions to the Warrior Toolbox
Notice how the Skill Drain Beatdown deck can use other
Warrior-type monsters in its Toolbox. But if you’re
trying to build a deck utilizing the Warrior Toolbox, the
most important thing is being able to justify its inclusion.
And if you’re trying to expand your toolbox, you
really need to be able to justify that as well. It’s not
easy. But here’s a list of potential additions to the
already-established Warrior Toolbox:
Big Shield Gardna
Command Knight
Goblin Attack Force
Marauding Captain
Zombrya the Dark
Giant Rat
Notice the list isn’t very long. These are probably the most
versatile of all the available Warrior cards out there, but
their uses are limited. For Big Shield, you’re looking to
preempt Nobleman of Crossout and protect other monsters;
using him simply as a wall isn’t as good as using the Spy
Engine, considering as soon as he’s attacked he switches to
Attack Position and he only has 100 ATK. Command Knight is
best in dedicated Warrior decks, and his inclusion is
dubious in there as well. Command Knight really is best in a
Warrior-only deck, as its main effect is to pump all other
Warrior-type monsters by 400 ATK. If you’re simply trying to
splash a Warrior Toolbox in to give your deck a bit more
offensive capabilities, Command Knight is going to be too
weak to do anything well.
Marauding Captain and Goblin Attack Force could be splashed
for extra swarm and ATK power. When I was younger (and
dumber) I thought that Warriors were the way of the future.
I figured they could swarm so quickly that you wouldn’t have
to deal with your opponent’s threats. But I learned that
Marauding Captain and Goblin Attack Force are too weak to
really be breakthrough monsters. Sure, you can summon
Captain and then Goblin and protect the Goblin after taking
down something like Airknight Parshath (considering Goblin
Attack Force as 2300 ATK). But being in Defense Position for
two turns sets you back drastically. This limits the
Captain-whatever combo and puts you in a disadvantageous
situation more than not. I suppose that Zoo could
potentially utilize them, but again, Goblin switches to
defense position and thus is best if he doesn’t attack at
all. His switch is a liability that Zoo cannot afford, and
Gravekeepers simply don’t have the room. Therefore, it’s
something that you would need to be able to compensate for,
which is difficult to do in most Goat Format decks.
Zombrya the Dark is one that I originally didn’t think
about, but he does have a use in one particular deck: Skill
Drain Beatdown. I’m not as familiar with Skill Drain
Beatdown as others, but a 2100 ATK, searchable DARK Warrior
can be a useful addition in a deck that negates on-board
monster effects. Normally Zombrya loses 200 ATK whenever he
attacks, but with Skill Drain up he stays at 2100 ATK. You
can also argue that Goblin Attack Force is useful in Skill
Drain Beatdown as well, as he wouldn’t switch to Defense
Position when he swings. But note that the deck has its
issues, notably being reliant on a Continuous Trap Card. But
if you’re going that route, those are two notable additions
to the Toolbox. One could also make an argument for Zombrya
in Zoo, but with the way the deck is constructed right now,
it seems to be a suboptimal choice.
The last card I want to highlight is Giant Rat. Not
technically a Warrior monster, Rat nonetheless has its own
mini Toolbox known as the Rat Toolbox, or “Ratbox.” A Ratbox
generally sees copies of Giant Rat fetching out monsters
such as Exiled Force and Mystic Swordsman LV2. It can also
fetch other non-Warriors such as Nimble Momonga, and can
help beef up underrated archetypes such as Amazoness. But
like every other recruiter in the format, Rat has to die by
battle in order to get his effect, and if the best you can
pull is Exiled Force, at a paltry 1000 ATK, you’re better
off playing something else since you’ll likely never get
that effect off.
In theory, one could run a truncated Ratbox with Giant Rat,
Mystic Swordsman LV2, and Exiled Force in Zombies, as
Pyramid Turtle is an Earth-type monster that can fetch big
Zombies. The deck typically doesn’t play Scapegoat as it is
a swarm-based build, but the deck also has a lot of cards it
has to include in order to actually be a Zombie deck, and
Ratbox may not fit. As Zombies are a lower-tier archetype,
though, there is no best build for the deck, so how you
construct your own is up to you.
Closing Remarks
The Warrior Toolbox is a limited and yet versatile addition
to a deck. If you are able to handle threats without it, by
all means, exclude it. But if you’re lacking persistent
field presence, or are playing a deck that is meant to swarm
quickly, it is worth taking a look at the toolbox and seeing
what it can offer you.
That's it for this time. As always you can contact me
anytime at
anteausonyugioh@gmail.com.
Don't forget to stop by the official
Pojo Goat Format Thread
and check out the
Goat Format Discord server as well to continue the Goat Format discussion. If you're on
Reddit, check outr/MenWhoPlayWithGoats,
the official Goat Format subreddit.
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