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The Dark Sanctuary
The machine deck (constructed)
by Dark Necrophi
July 12, 2007

I had quite alot of criticisms last week, which is quite common of course for a writer. However it was in alot more excess than I would have expected. I tribute this to the fact that I haven't really written anything in a year. This time I assure you I will try to do better, and I hope to improve with each successive article. But I digress, the article.


This week we will be constructing the machine deck. It is a contender in this format, if it is built properly, and the person playing it knows what they are doing. It is also not a deck you can simply net off somebody else, it has to be yours. Sure, you can use my deck as a template, or for ideas, but when your playing machines customization is important. You need to make it your style, or it just will not work for you.


Machines have several good attributes. Firstly they can play at just about any tempo, slow/medium/fast, but they can also control the tempo. They have many different options, making them highly versatile.
And they can often win with a quick OTK in a desperate situation. They also have pure power which is important, but they don't lack control elements either.


When I speak of machines, I am not talking about gadgets. This deck does not even include gadgets. That's because this happens to be a machine deck, not a gadget deck. Gadgets are all well and good, but they are their own thing. Something entirely seperate from what we are building here today.


To start we are going to put together a solid monster base and explain the choices for each card. We will then go over the magics, and then the traps. And then summarize. Keep in mind that on some of the more obvious choices the explanation will not be very long; and on some of the less obvious choices I will elaborate more, etcetera.


3 Cyber Dragon:

It's a machine, a big beatstick and it's a free summon. There really isn't much I need to say here. It's a staple in three's in this deck.


3 Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive:

Deko is really good here, it gives the deck draw power, thinning, more machine fodder for the graveyard and it's also a floater. We definitely want to max out on this.

3 Cyber Phoenix:

This card is just plain amazing, really. Cypho can do so much, he gives the deck more draw power, he is searchable by UFO Turtle, he protects my monsters from things like Brain Control, makes it clear for them to attack, and combos nicely with Call of the Haunted. He is also a floater, and thins the deck. Getting in a few shots with Cypho can really hurt, and with a Cydra next to him he can be devastating.
We definitely want to max out on him.

3 UFO Turtle

Turtle is just great, he searches out Cypho, and of course himself. He increases the decks ability to keep presence on the field, and allows the deck to keep from getting totally battered if it is having trouble mounting an offense. Or simply if the opponent decides to make a major push of their own. He is of course also value deck thinning, and machine fodder.


3 Card Trooper:

I think this is... ummm, pretty obvious, haha. Just about everyone who can afford it maxes out on Card Trooper. You get to thin your deck and turn him into a 1900 beatstick, he has a sick combo with machine duplication and is just amazing altogether. He is also, of course, machine fodder. I don't think I really need to get into the merits of this card, as you already all know them. We definitely want three here. I'll discuss alternatives to Card Trooper (if you cannot afford
him) at the end of the article. The deck will obviously not be quite as good though.


2 Snipe Hunter:

He has good attack, and an amazing ability. Some people don't understand the merits of Snipe Hunter, they derride his use because he there is a fairly high chance you will not destroy anything. But his ability to destroy your opponents cards is only a bonus. His merit lies in his ability to dump dead cards from your hand and act as a fairly strong attacker at the same time, though mostly the former rather than the latter. Three is a bit much though, we don't want to clog the deck with him when he will not always be that useful.
Especially considering his main purpose is to get rid of cards that are no longer useful, thus making them useful again (by putting them in the graveyard)


1 Jinzo:

This card is a staple in machine decks, just about every game I have ever got out Jinzo, I have won. He is a huge body that shuts down all traps, so in the right hands he does considerable damage. If he is well placed he can be completely devastating. And of course with Call of the Haunted you can pull off all manner of tricks to completely destroy your opponent just when they thought they could stop you. I could go on for quite awhile about the merits of Jinzo, but I don't want to ramble.


2 Blowback Dragon:

Quite amazing really, a strong monster with a good effect, who still fits the machine theme and is not restricted. 2300 attack may not be amazing, but it's strong enough. His effect though is where he has his merit, no cost, and if you call it right twice, you get to destroy ANY one card. Not like some cards where you have to choose monster or magic/trap, or facedown or faceup, either one. Yes I know, this is rather obvious. But it's his versatility that makes him so useful.
Since he really CAN destroy anything, and has enough attack to cause considerable damage, he is quite welcome here. We also use both Premature Burial and Call of the Haunted here, so we can keep bringing him back for more fun. Three is just a bit much for Blowback, but two is perfect.

1 Sangan:

This is really quite obvious. He can search anything, and he can combo with Call of the Haunted. There really isn't much to say here.


1 Morphing Jar:

He can dump really bad hands, and turn them into a good hand and a great graveyard situation. Which is really good here, as this is a deck that really loves dumping cards in the graveyard. He cycles quickly through the deck, and if used properly can gain you HUGE advantage, winning the game very quickly. Or simply giving you so much momentum it's almost impossible to lose, I say almost because some bad players could gain huge advantage with Jar and still mess things up, but most would pull it off.


That does it for the monster lineup, now lets move on to the magics.


3 Brain Control:

Brain Control is just really good this format, he gives me tribute fodder for Jinzo/Blowback (and in some cases Cydra) and works as removal as well. We definitely want three here, it's just really good in this format. And this deck can be a bit heavy on tributes. It might not always seem that way, but since this deck does have good field presence, sometimes it isn't so easy to get a Cydra on the field.
While at other times we have nothing at all and it makes getting Blowback and Jinzo out much easier. I would also add that you would rather sac your opponents monster than your own most of the time, even if you did have something to sac on your side of the field.


2 Machine Duplication:

I don't think I need to explain this to you, the combo with this and Card Trooper is just sick. The only real explanation needed is the number of copies I run. Two is good because it gives me increased chance of pulling off the combo, if I draw the second copy and it becomes dead, there is always Snipe Hunter or Morphing Jar to dump it into the graveyard, and turn a dead card into advantage.


1 Snatch Steal:

This should be pretty obvious, I run tribute monsters and Snatch is completely broken.


1 Heavy Storm:

I can wipe out their whole backfield to go for the kill, in a deck with as much pure power as this, it's a staple. Storm is also broken, I don't think I really need to say anything else.


1 Premature Burial:

With as many big monsters as I run, as well as Cypho, I need to run as much revival as I can get. It also combos really well with Giant Trunade.


1 Giant Trunade:

It clears the field for the final attack, gets rid of Future Fusion when I use it to thin my deck to prepare for Overload, or simply to set up Jinzo with Premy/Call. It also combos well with Premy, and sometimes Call in the cases of Jinzo/Cypho, or if Cypho is on the field.


1 Future Fusion:

Future is still amazing, even with Overload restricted, it has always been amazing, it can do much more than just prepare for Overload. It can also dump important machines like Jinzo, so we can revive them with Premy/Call for major devastation. Or of course simply thin the deck, the more you thin your deck, the closer you get to your killer cards, it's like Painful Choice on steroids, in the right deck of course, and this is the right deck.


1 Overload Fusion:

Even with Overload restricted, and barely anyone using Chimera, this card is still useful, in a deck like this with so many machines and so much thinning, it just works perfectly. It can work even when you only have 3 machines in the graveyard, in that case it becomes a 2400 attack beater than can absolutely wallop your opponents field. Or you can save it for late in the game when it reaches attack more around 6400, and completely ruins the opponent just when they thought they had the game. It's just a really nice suprise, and fits in perfectly here. It's rarely EVER going to be dead. And in the rare case it is, we have Snipe Hunter and Morphing Jar.


And now we'll head on to the trap lineup.



3 Sakuretsu Armor:

It's good removal, nothing complicated to explain here. Cypho is gaining in popularity though, so it might be good to run 2 Saku and 3 Wide instead of 3 Saku and 2 Wide. It's just preference really, do what you see fit.


2 Widespread Ruin:

Extra generic trap based removal, and very good with Cypho's popularity rising.


1 Mirror Force:

I really shouldn't need to explain this either, it's Saku, except better. This is just common sense.


1 Ring of Destruction:

Versatile removal with added burn damage, that can turn a really bad situation into a draw, it is a staple.


1 Torrential Tribute:

Combos well with Sangan, and clears away the field for a big push, or just gets rid of a large attacking force. Not really much to explain here either.


1 Call of the Haunted:

It can revive all of my big beaters, Blowback, Cyber Dragon, Jinzo. It can also bring back some of my trickier monstes, like Cypho and Sangan. The combos it has with Jinzo and Cypho especially are very useful, and it's tricks with Sangan are rather nice as well. This is in my opinion, the most versatile and useful revival card, and it's especially good here.


And now for the final decklist:

1|Psv|Jinzo
3|Crv|Cyber Dragon
2|Ast|Blowback Dragon
1|Mrd|Sangan
3|Mrl|UFO Turtle
1|Db2|Morphing Jar
3|Dp03|Card Trooper
3|Dp04|Cyber Phoenix
3|Rds|Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive
2|Cdip|Snipe Hunter

1|Sd4|Snatch Steal
1|Mrd|Heavy Storm
3|Tlm|Brain Control
2|Rds|Machine Duplication
1|Dp04|Future Fusion
1|Psv|Premature Burial
1|Dp04|Overload Fusion
1|Mrl|Giant Trunade

1|Mrd|Mirror Force
3|Dcr|Sakuretsu Armor
2|Dod|Widespread Ruin
1|Psv|Call Of The Haunted
1|Pgd|Ring of Destruction
1|Lon|Torrential Tribute


This completed deck, or some variety of it, should be able to accomplish a variety of things. It can thin through the deck very quickly with Cypho/Deko/Trooper/Future and such. It can also hit very hard and very fast with Cydra/Jinzo/Blowback (and with some help from Cypho). The floaters cause constant damage, the traps and magics we chose, as well as the monsters, allow us to use a variety of clever tricks and suprises. The traps and magics we use also keep us well protected and keep the opponent fighting to keep any sort of presence on the field, constantly putting them on the defense. In the case this deck does go on the defense, we have lots of defensive traps to hold off the opponent, and UFO Turtle, aas well as Cydra, to get back tempo. And finally of course, in a desperate situation, or even one not so desperate, this deck can quickly take the win when the opponent never expected it. And the beauty of it is that the deck does not rely on winning this way, but sets up for it very easily, and can OTK very quickly, out of nowhere. Machines such as these can be a contender, but they do sack a bit, and you also have to know what you are doing.
I must also remind you that machines must be well built, and must be your deck, it has to fit your personal style, or you just will not have very good results.


You can email any of your comments, praise, criticisms, or anything else you wish to say about my article to tesseract_traveler@yahoo.com.
If I don't respond immediately, don't take it personally. I am a busy man, and will respond when I can find the time. You can also pm me on Pojo, or simply post on the thread I usually start in the Pojo gossip forum to learn what you thought of my latest article. I do very much appreciate feedback, both positive and negative (as long as it's polite and constructive) and will try to respond when I can find the time. Thank you for reading, I hope to see you again next week.