Welcome back to DeathJester’s Dojo. This week I will show you how to build a deck using the simple principles I’ve presented to you over the last 3 weeks. As an added bonus, the deck I’m building this week is a precise deck list from one of my personal decks. To the originality buffs out there, you’d be pleased to hear that this deck is a Gravekeeper deck. So before you scroll down to see a deck list, I’d like for you to read carefully to fully understand the reasoning behind the deck. 

Background Info 

About a year ago, I wrote an article about Gravekeepers. It was a deck that has always been particularly effective in nearly every format, but has also been rumored to be one of the most difficult decks to play correctly. This is true because of the Gravekeeper deck’s reliance on Necrovalley. You can construct builds that aren’t so reliant on Necrovalley, but they are both effective in their own ways.

Considering the format, Gravekeepers are equipped with an impressive arsenal of monsters, spells, and traps. A deck archetype that is fully supported in every way (a rarity), Gravekeepers possess graveyard negation, bounce effects, search, revival, trample, hand discarding negation, damage prevention, swarm, and even burn effects. If you look carefully, a well built Gravekeeper deck can do anything; especially countering any metagame. To understand the capabilities of the Gravekeeper deck, you have to reorganize the way you think about the deck. Gravekeepers can be constructed to suit any style of play with little trouble; this is a feat not easily accomplished by any other monster-type out there. Today’s deck will be a deck built to my play style: Aggro/Control. 

The Monsters 

Since we’re going with Aggro/Control, we have to include the right mix of Aggro and Control monsters from the Gravekeeper family first. I’ll go with: 

Card Labeling Key: 

Aggro > (A)
Control > (C)
Aggro/Control > (A/C)
Combo > (Co)

+3 Gravekeeper’s Spy (C)
+3 Gravekeeper’s Assailant (A)
+2 Gravekeeper’s Spear Soldier (A)
+1 Gravekeeper’s Guard (C)
+1 Gravekeeper’s Chief (A)

With 3 Spies I can almost guarantee that I’ll have the right Gravekeepers at the right time. Spies provide me with an instant +1, a rock-solid 2000 DEF, Tribute fodder and access to nearly every Gravekeeper in my deck. The GK Assailants are one of the deadliest monsters in the game. GK Assailant (with Necrovalley on the field) can destroy any monster with 2000 ATK or lower or 1900 DEF or lower. That is quite an impressive array of targets for Assailant’s “switch” ability. As icing to the cake, GK Assailant’s “switch” ability is famous for eliminating 2-3 Spirit Reapers Berserk Gorillas in one Battle Phase. You can potentially rack up a +3 advantage with GK Assailant. That’s too impressive to ignore.  

Gravekeeper’s Spear Soldier is an excellent Aggro monster for the Gravekeeper line-up. Its trample ability is active even without Necrovalley. The overabundance of Magical Merchants, Dekoichis, and various low DEF Flip-Effect monsters make Spear Soldier a serious threat with or without Necrovalley. Dare I mention what Spear Soldier can do to the ultra-popular Spirit Reaper? No explanation needed there. Damage adds up quickly with trample monsters, thus leading to quicker victories.    

The GK Guard will allow me to deal with various threats and it opens up the field for quick assaults with other monsters. GK Chief provides me with an additional way to swarm my opponent for more quick shots at their Life Points.  

Next up, we’ll add a few more monsters to the line-up to give us more stability and less reliance on Necrovalley: 

+2 Mystic Tomato (A/C)
+1 Tsukuyomi (Co)
+1 Breaker the Magical Warrior (A/C)
+1 Sangan (C)
+1 Mobius the Frost Monarch (A/C)
+1 Cyber Jar (C)

These monsters round out the monster count at 17. The pair of Mystic Tomatoes adds more search, stability, and sickening set-up tricks to the deck. Mystic Tomato deals with Don Zaloogs and flipped Dekoichis netting you +1 during battle. Tomato can also fetch you 2000 ATK Gravekeeper monsters to deal any situation with the aid of Necrovalley.   

Tsukuyomi will allow me to abuse the 4 vital Flip-Effect monsters I have in my deck to help me gain supreme advantage. Cyber Jar is the trump card of the deck. This card is an absolute bomb and is completely goes against what the whole format is about: Using a series of 1 for 1s to reduce the opponent’s card advantage to ineffective amounts. Cyber Jar will flood the field with Gravekeepers and give each player +5. Though it’s a risk, testing has proved that Cyber Jar is an excellent addition to the Gravekeeper line-up. 

*Note* this is an Aggro/Control deck. In Aggro/Control, you have to be able to switch strategies during the duel. Cyber Jar lets me pull off massive assaults or save myself from a brutal strike from my opponent. This perfect example of duality is the hallmark of an Aggro/Control deck.  

The Spells 

            The Spell-set of a GK deck has been a highly debated subject for years. What is the correct Necrovalley to Gravekeeper ratio? How many Terraforming should I play? These questions have plagued Gravekeeper players for a long time. Right now, I can say that it depends on your preference. However, I do plan on providing some solid mathematical evidence to prove the appropriate ratios in a later article.  

Anyway, let’s move on to the Spell-set: 

+2 Necrovalley (A/C)
+2 Terraforming (C)
+1 Snatch Steal (A/C)
+1 Book of Moon (C)
+1 Dark Hole (A)
+1 Mystical Space Typhoon (A/C)
+1 Smashing Ground (A)
+1 Swords of Revealing Light (C)
+1 Nobleman of Crossout (A)
+1 Rush Recklessly (A)

This leaves us with 12 Spells. The majority of these Spells are auto-ins, but there are a couple Spells that stand out immediately. 

Rush Recklessly is nice quick-play that doesn’t see as much play as it deserves. An extra 700 ATK can go a LONG way in a match, especially in a deck that relies on damage more than advantage in certain situations. It’s chainable to removal and can be use din the Damage Step. This card almost makes an enemy Mobius useless in the right situations. Think about it.

The single copy of Smashing Ground is there for stability purposes. There will be a time when Necrovalley won’t be on the field and you need to clear a path to victory.  

Two Terraforming and two Necrovalley should be enough to support 10 Gravekeepers. Two Necrovalley may seem like too little, but I say “A properly timed Necrovalley is a Necrovalley that stays on the field for more than one turn.” 

The Traps 

So far, the Monsters and Spells are interesting, but pretty standard right? Well the Trap set will be sure to surprise you. In my opinion, the most important element to a GK deck next to the proper Necrovalley to GK ratio is the Trap set. The Traps are the safety cushions in a GK deck; they add stability and most important of all…breathing room: 

+3 Solemn Judgment (C)
+2 Dust Tornado (A/C) or +2 Royal Decree (C)
+2 Bottomless Trap Hole (C)
+2 Rite of Spirit (A/C)
+1 Magician’s Circle (A)
+1 Ready for Intercepting (C)
+1 Torrential Tribute (A/C) 

This leaves us with 12 Traps. In my experience, Solemn Judgment has always proved to be a true staple in a GK deck. The type of protection it offers to this deck is vital to its success. The power to negate anything is too tempting to ignore. Solemn Judgments are most effective in 2s or 3s anyway. Try it.  

I’ve been trying to decide between Dust Tornado and Royal Decree. Two Dust Tornados give this deck the room it needs to strike fast with impunity, but Royal Decree can give me a terrible advantage against the national metagame’s 10-trap arsenal. Decree also functions as bait for Spell/Trap removal most notably Mobius the Frost Monarch. Which do I choose?  

A pair of Rite of Spirit is perfect for 10 Gravekeepers. Chainable revival is hard to come by; Rite of Spirit abuses your opponent’s weakened position by bypassing Necrovalley’s effect and can Special Summon a Gravekeeper in ATK or DEF position.  

Magician’s Circle is a neat card I’ve been trying out. It keeps the pressure on your opponent by Special Summoning more Gravekeepers and it fishes out your opponent’s Magicians and counter-less Breakers to the field in ATK position. When your opponents attack with their Breakers or Magicians, surprise them with a Magician’s Circle and Special Summon a 2000 ATK Gravekeeper to deal with.  

Another overlooked card is Ready for Intercepting. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this card, it allows you to flip 1 Warrior or Spellcaster-type monster to face-down Defense position. What does this sound like to you? If you’re thinking Book of Moon, then you are correct. If you look closely, this deck could even support additional copies of RFI to provide me with Book of Moon-esque abuse. We all know what Book of Moon can do. Considering the format, RFI could be used to protect your Gravekeepers from Smashing Ground, Brain Control, Snatch Steal, Sakuretsu Armor, Bottomless Trap Hole, Widespread Ruin, and enemy Warriors and Spellcasters. There’s no need for justification. How many Warriors and Spellcasters are in each deck these days? Who wouldn’t want to benefit from an additional Book of Moon? 

Looking at the Deck 

Let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of this particular GK build. 

Strengths: 

• Necrovalley negates Premature Burial, Call of the Haunted, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, Magician of Faith, Pot of Avarice, Book of Life, Gateway to Dark World, Bazoo the Soul Eater, along with every other card that takes anything out of the Graveyard.

• Gravekeeper’s Assailant can kill 95% of all playable monsters in the entire game.

• Gravekeeper’s Spear Soldier can trample for massive amounts of damage.

• Gravekeeper’s Chief can Special Summon another GK even if you Tribute your opponent’s monster.

• Mystic Tomato counters Don Zaloogs and Dekoichis, netting you +1 each time.

• Mystic Tomato searches out about 65% of your monsters (11/17).

• Sangan searches out 76% of your monsters (13/17)

• Two Terraforming lets you search for Necrovalley reliably.

• Tsukuyomi is an effective counter to a Soul Control filled metagame and also functions as a Flip-Effect abuser.

• Three copies of Solemn Judgment will keep the game in your favor or shift it into your favor.

• Bottomless Trap Hole will eliminate any major threats to this deck: Mobius, Cyber Dragon, D.D. Assailant, Bazoo the Soul Eater, Return from the Different Dimension.

• Dust Tornado will stifle the annoyances presented by multiple Sakuretsu Armors, Bottomless Trap Holes, and Widespread Ruins.

• Rite of Spirit is free and chainable revival. Also immune to Necrovalley.

• Ready for Intercepting protects 70% of your monsters from face-up effects and allows you to re-use Flip-Effects.

• Magician’s Circle can provide quick kills and disable your opponent’s Breakers and Magicians of Faith.

• Gravekeeper’s Spy is an instant +1 and provides access to 9/10 of the Gravekeeper’s in the deck.

Weaknesses:

• Gravekeeper’s Chief’s 1900 ATK is easily dealt with by Cyber Dragon.

• GK Assailant and Spear Soldier cannot stand-up to Cyber Dragon on the opponent’s turn.

• Cyber can potentially back fire.

• 2 Traps can ruin you against Royal Decree and Jinzo.

• Three Solemn Judgments can lead to extremely low Life Point totals. This card does not allow you to make mistakes.

• Magician’s Circle may Special Summon your opponent’s Injection Fairy Lily.

• Gravekeeper’s Guard may end up “bouncing” an enemy Breaker or Cyber Dragon.

• Two Terraforming and Two Necrovalley can clog your hand.

• The absence of Necrovalley MAY hinder the performance of this deck.

• Bottomless Trap Hole is ineffective against Spirit Reapers, Don Zaloogs, and Dekoichis.

• If you choose to run Royal Decree, you may hinder your own performance. Use it wisely.

Closing Remarks

This deck build is surprisingly simple. For consistency purposes, I like to build my decks with multiple copies of cards to draw them more often, thus allowing me to take advantage of the synergy of the deck. Since Gravekeepers have a variety of Aggro, Control, and Combo cards; I can build the deck to my liking. I think I’ve included the right mix of Aggro and Control cards to fully express the duality of Aggro/Control and take advantage of its strengths.  

Most importantly, I’m not going to be one who will tell you not to copy this deck list and use it for yourself. I’m not against net-decking. Net-decking is irritating to most, but it also promotes metagame evolution. It exposes us to certain strategies and forces us to adapt and evolve our own strategies to overcome the popular ones. This is the essence of deck creativity. Thus, I would like to state to all YGO players: “Feel free to net-deck me, but give credit where it’s due. Do not take this deck and claim you built it yourself.” Copy this deck, test it, put it through the gauntlet and let me know how it fares. I’ve done my fair share of testing, but I can only do so much with the time I have on a day-to-day basis.  

If you like the deck build, hate it, or came up with an evolved build, email me at deathjester86@gmail.com I’d love to hear about it.  

Until next time everyone, remember to play hard, think about your moves, and most importantly…have fun!    

The Complete Deck List: 41 Cards
Title: Bryan’s GK
Monsters: 17

Gravekeeper’s Spy (C)
Gravekeeper’s Spy (C)
Gravekeeper’s Spy (C)
Gravekeeper’s Guard (C)
Gravekeeper’s Assailant (A)
Gravekeeper’s Assailant (A)
Gravekeeper’s Assailant (A)
Gravekeeper’s Spear Soldier (A)
Gravekeeper’s Spear Soldier (A)
Gravekeeper’s Chief (A)
Mystic Tomato (A/C)
Mystic Tomato (A/C)
Tsukuyomi (Co)
Sangan (C)
Breaker the Magical Warrior (A/C)
Cyber Jar (C)
Mobius the Frost Monarch (A/C)

Spells: 12

Terraforming (C)
Terraforming (C)
Necrovalley (A/C)
Necrovalley (A/C)
Snatch Steal (A/C)
Mystical Space Typhoon (A/C)
Book of Moon (C)
Dark Hole (A)
Smashing Ground (A)
Swords of Revealing Light (C)
Nobleman of Crossout (A)
Rush Recklessly (A)

Traps: 12 

Solemn Judgment (C)
Solemn Judgment (C)
Solemn Judgment (C)
Dust Tornado (A/C) or Royal Decree (C)
Dust Tornado (A/C) or Royal Decree (C)
Bottomless Trap Hole (A/C)
Bottomless Trap Hole (A/C)
Ready for Intercepting (C)
Torrential Tribute (A/C)
Rite of Spirit (A/C)
Rite of Spirit (A/C)
Magician’s Circle (A)