JULY 2008
Deck Fix: Phoenix Flame

 

Hello, everyone. No, I haven't forgotten about everyone's decks. I just haven't had the time lately to handle some of these deck fixes, which reminds me. While I'll still be fixing decks, at the advice of a fellow Pojoer (whose name I forget), I won't be fixing as many. Wait, hear me out. When I say that, I mean that I won't be fixing the same types of decks over and over. There may be a repeat every once in a while, but I mean like fixing two Monarch decks that are run the same way (like two different Apprentice Monarchs or two different Macro Monarchs, though I will fix one of each since the strategies are a bit different) and such like that. I'll still fix all your decks, though. Everyone (but the person who sent it in) just won't see it. I hope that made some sense. There is good news to come out of that. The ones that will be seen by all will be much more in depth. Somewhat, so people can gain some insight on how to fix their decks, both with similar strategies and otherwise.  Okay. I've gone too far off topic (and should've saved it for the end, but I've typed it already, and I'm too lazy to cut and paste it or whatever). Let me get to this deck fix. Hiya, I'm Zach. I've been making this into my competitive deck for locals, where I've run into just about everything, including Dark Armed Dragon, Gladiator Beasts, and Lightsworns. It's all about comboes and swarming the field with Phoenixes as fast as possible. I'm trying to perfect it, so I will consider any advice. Sionnach's Sacred Synergized Spellcaster Sovereignty [word edited out because it's not reader-friendly] Session Monsters: 19 3 Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys 2 Light and Darkness Dragon 1 Dark Magician of Chaos 3 Hand of Nephthys 2 Apprentice Magician 2 Old Vindictive Magician 2 Magical Exemplar 1 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer 1 Sangan 1 Treeborn Frog 1 Marshmallon Spells: 16 3 Trade-In 2 Magical Dimension 1 Soul Exchange 1 Monster Reborn 1 Premature Burial 1 Messenger of Peace 1 Swords of Revealing Light 1 Heavy Storm 1 Foolish Burial 1 Pot of Avarice 1 Shrink 1 Brain Control 1 Scapegoat Traps: 6 2 Needle Ceiling 1 Trap Dustshoot 1 Mind Crush 1 Mirror Force 1 Torrential Tribute Total: 41 This deck needs to have Graveyard access almost all the time, so it easily dies to Gravekeepers and D.D.. The idea behind the deck is that Hand of Nephthys is a level 2 Spellcaster, Magical Exemplar can revive level 2 Spellcasters from the Graveyard by playing just 1 Spell, and Magical Dimension can control the field and bring out more Hands of Nephthys. Light and Darkness Dragon's death will trigger Phoenix's revival, and the rest of the unusual cards are tech to either protect Phoenix or control the field while she's on it. Here's something that few have seen in a while. A Sacred Phoenix deck. This should be very interesting. What you'll want with this deck is not only to trigger Sacred Phoenix's effect as often as possible, you also want to make sure the cards you use to do so can be used for other purposes or whatever, so let's get to it. Cards to cut: - 2 Light and Darkness Dragon - 1 Hand of Nephthys - 1 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer - 1 Trade-In - 2 Magical Dimension - 1 Messenger of Peace - 1 Swords of Revealing Light - 1 Pot of Avarice - 1 Scapegoat - 1 Needle Ceiling I cut out 12 cards from this deck. Light and Darkness Dragon tends to be a dead draw very often unless you have Trade-In. Sure, destroying Light and Darkness Dragon will revive the Phoenix, but the trouble will be getting Light and Darkness Dragon to the field to be destroyed (or getting it hit with Crush Card Virus - of course, the Phoenix will be revived by Crush Card Virus during your Standby Phase provided it doesn't get hit by D.D. Crow, but that's the big risk this deck takes). You have few consistent ways to get it to the field reliably outside of Soul Exchange, Brain Control, and the revival cards, the same cards that will probably be used to bring out the Phoenix or revive Dark Magician of Chaos to revive your opponent's Disk Commander. Hand of Nephthys isn't necessary at three, though you could leave it there for what I plan to add. Chances are that after you use the first one, you won't need to drop another. At most, you'll need to drop a second one because the first Phoenix got D.D. Crow'ed. More often than not, 3 Hand of Nephthys is asking for more bad topdecks, and this deck has plenty that we want to cut down on. Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer isn't necessary at all. It'll keep your opponent from D.D. Crow'ing you, but with just one (and with D.D. Crow so easily searched), it's best used as a side deck option, especially since most decks (except those with Crush Card Virus) only main deck one or two, if that. Trade-In at three means that you need at least 6 level 8 monsters in here. I cut 2 of them so you only have 4, meaning just two copies of Trade-In. (In my experience, three copies is just trouble, especially since the third always became a dead draw along with the extra 2 level 8 monsters I included with it. Trust me on this one.) Magical Dimension is better suited as a side deck option since it requires that you have a face up Spellcaster (and can only summon a Spellcaster) at activation. You won't often have a face up Spellcaster (since most of them will either be face down by Apprentice, destroyed by battle, or Tributed for Sacred Phoenix - Hand) and one that you wish to summon to the field. You'd have to include a few more Spellcasters with respectable attack or something to warrant using it here, and that would compromise your deck strategy. Side deck it (along with a Spellcaster strategy to shift your deck from Phoenix-oriented to something else). Messenger of Peace and Swords of Revealing Light are just stall cards that would get blown away by your Phoenix, anyway, so we'll employ some chainable solutions to opposing monsters. Pot of Avarice unfortunately suffers from the same in-Graveyard weakness that the Phoenix suffers from - being removed easily. Besides, you'll either be reviving your cards in the Graveyard or putting them there to revive later by either the Phoenix's own effect or by Magical Exemplar (excellent choice, by the way). Either way, you won't find yourself able to use this card often, so it's better off not here. Plus, it's one less bad draw. Scapegoat can pose a problem, especially with the Special Summoning power this deck can get off. Summon back the Phoenix, use Magical Exemplar's effect, then summon something else. You'll need at least two zones for that. Plus, the only other use you have for the tokens (besides to protect your Life Points and take up space) is as fodder for Hand of Nephthys. There's a card I have in mind that'll do Scapegoat's job worse (but better for this deck). I cut a copy of Needle Ceiling because getting 4 monsters on the field, while it's a common occurence these days, is tough to control. It's an anti-swarm card, and I like the use of it, which is why I kept one. Side deck the other. Besides, I have an interesting card in mind to trigger the Phoenix's effect like Needle Ceiling, and it's a one-monster requirement, not 4. There are some extended reasons and explanations why cards got cut. How am I doing so far? Good? Good. Now to add things: + 2 Crystal Seer + 1 Card Trooper / Apprentice Magician + 2 Book of Moon / Enemy Controller + 1 Shrink + 2 Hammer Shot + 1 Lightning Vortex + 2 Divine Wrath + 1 Generation Shift I added 12 cards back in. Now for the explanations: Crystal Seer is another Apprentice Magician target that can help you get to what you need faster, somewhat drawing two, putting one of them at the bottom (preferably the useless one like another Phoenix). The best part is that the cards can't be hit by Crush Card Virus as they aren't "drawn". Card Trooper is to help get through your deck. Upon destruction, you get to draw something. However, seeing as how you may not have one (and the milling does hurt at times like milling something you need - I've milled Monster Reborn and Return from the Different Dimension by milling effects numerous times), Apprentice Magician is a good option. Book of Moon has a bit of versatility here, especially because you have a few Flip Effect monsters here, especially since the ones you have are ones you'll want to reuse over and over. It can also be used to counter Dark Armed Dragon and Gyzarus (so you can destroy them) and stop Test Tiger tricks (by turning the target face down). Enemy Controller is also a good substitute with a different bag of tricks but the same versatility. The extra Shrink is to help Sacred Phoenix survive in battle over various 2400 attackers called Monarchs, Gyzarus, and Dark Armed Dragon, all of whom can kill the Phoenix with effects but don't want to. (The exceptions are Caius and Raiza, but we have a solution for that.) Hammer Shot to kill the highest attack monster on the field. As a bonus, you can also use it to kill off your Phoenix if the only things threatening you are Spells and Traps that you're desperate to get rid of. It has it's uses. Lightning Vortex as Spell form mass monster removal. Every deck needs it (except OTK and Burn, but OTK decks occasionally toss one in as do Burn decks). Divine Wrath is to help stop all those effects that would stop your Sacred Phoenix either from coming back (D.D. Crow), by removing it or bouncing it (Caius / Raiza), or by something else with an effect that you just want to stop (Judgment Dragon, Dark Armed Dragon, Gyzarus, Heraklinos, etc.). It's great against monsters that show up to ruin your day, especially the cards that will stop you. Generation Shift is the interesting card I alluded to before. It'll destroy your Phoenix and put one in your hand. The hand is not the best place to use it, but it makes using Trade-In easier. Congratulations. You just turned a useless common from Shadow of Infinity into a Phoenix revival and destruction and made Trade-In a live card in your hand. Well, that's the deck for you. I hope that helped. Send it all to darkdestructionv30@yahoo.com Until next time....