10 Archetypes Yet To Be Added
It's no secret that Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is lagging behind the physical game in card releases, but what archetypes have yet to be released digitally?
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has plenty of fantastic archetypes to choose from, but there are still many newer decks in the physical game that haven't quite made it to the digital platform as of yet.
In the last year, plenty of incredible game-changing archetypes made their way to both the Japanese and English sides of the game. Some are exclusive to English and other western languages (TCG), and some only exist in the Japanese (OCG) metagame. Either way, all of the remaining archetypes will be welcome gifts for Master Duel players, and will certainly shake up both the casual and competitive scene when they're released.
Libromancer
Libromancers are a TCG premiere archetype that focuses on ritual summoning. The archetype from a design perspective is full of magical librarians (the regular effect monsters) who summon the characters from their books (the ritual monsters.)
The deck so far is lower powered than other ritual archetypes like Nekroz and Drytron, but there are more Libromancers on their way in the "Dimension Force" set that could make the archetype truly flourish. Fortunately, Libromancers benefit from the already incredible ritual support in the game like "Preparation of Rites," and the ceiling for the deck is very high if given the right support.
Splights
Throughout the years, most of the best Xyz decks have focused on Rank 3 and/or Rank 4 monsters. It's rare for a Rank 2 deck to shine, which makes the new "Splights" archetype so exciting.
Splights seem like a stronger take on Baby Raccoons, a deck that revolved completely around level 2 Beasts. Fans of any tricky smaller boss monsters like those in Burning Abyss/Phantom Knight decks will likely enjoy giving Splights a try. The Splight archetype has a lot going for it, but only time will tell if it ends up being a powerful deck. After all, the unique Thunder-type deck is so new that it hasn't had the chance to be tournament-tested yet, but it's certainly an exciting potential new addition to the metagame.
Therions
Fans of both Yu-Gi-Oh! and astrology: meet Therions. Each Therion is a high-level monster that gains power by equipping another Therion from the graveyard.
Players of union decks like ABC or fans of Maximillion Pegasus's famous Relinquished/Thousand Eyes Restrict will likely enjoy Therions, who take the effects of other Therion monsters equipped to them. Therions aren't the strongest archetype in the game by any means when used by themselves, but they can be combined with other archetypes like P.U.N.K. to make a solid tier 2 deck in the current OCG metagame.
Valiants
Valiants have one of the most underutilized mechanics in Yu-Gi-Oh!: moving their monsters to other zones to activate effects. The Valiants are even comprised of two opposing sides: WATER Spellcaster-type Valiants and FIRE Machine-type Valiants.
Any Pendulum fan should at least give Valiants a try, but the deck is so unique that any duelist could learn something by testing them out. The two opposite sides and the moving of the monsters gives the Pendulum archetype the feel of chess pieces being moved around by the player, a fun inclusion for fans of the age-old strategy game.
Labyrinth
Released in the booster pack "Tactical Masters," Labyrinth doesn't revolve around any of Yu-Gi-Oh!'s alternative summon types and instead focuses on trap cards that support one boss monster in "Labyrinth of the Silver Castle." Labyrinth is a Fiend-type princess that tears apart the opponent's field and hand when her controller activates trap cards.
Fans of Eldlich and Traptrix will likely enjoy Labyrinth due to its ability to control the field using trap cards and simplify the game state for both players. Separating Labyrinth from the other two trap-based archetypes is Labyrinth herself. She's a much more powerful monster than "Eldlich the Golden Lord," but isn't as easy to summon over and over.
Beetrooper
Another TCG world premiere, Beetroopers are the first insect deck in quite some time to make an impact on the meta. They aren't the strongest deck in the current meta by any means, but they've had solid tournament success since their release.
Beetroopers are perfect for any insect fans, and their playstyle is a good fit for anyone that enjoys a strong search toolbox and the ability to summon powerful Link-4 monsters like "Accesscode Talker" and "Seraphim Papillion." There have been plenty of wilder combo decks in the game's history, but consistency is the name of the game for Beetroopers' success.
Mysterune
Mysterune is one of the most bizarre archetypes in the game's history. Almost all Mysterune cards cause the user to skip their own battle phase in exchange for banishing cards from the opponent's deck. This leaves the Mysterune player unable to reduce their opponent's life to zero, instead opting for deck out as their win condition.
Mysterune may remind players of Yu-Gi-Oh! fan-favorite villain Bakura's "Destiny Board" deck or Yugi's "Exodia The Forbidden One." Mysterune is yet another theme that seeks to win the duel without dealing a single point of damage, a strategy that can be frustrating for some players to play against but also very enjoyable for other players to pilot it. If Mysterune ends up being powerful in Master Duel, it will certainly be a controversial pick.
Floowandereeze
Fans of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! series may be excited to learn there's a powerful archetype on its way focused entirely on the older mechanic of tribute summoning. Floowandereeze, introduced in booster pack "Burst of Destiny," is focused on summoning many small birds before tributing them to summon "Floowandereeze & Empen" or "Raiza the Mega Monarch."
Monarch players will likely enjoy Floowandereeze, both are decks that gain card advantage off smaller monsters that let them quickly tribute summon strong monsters with control effects. Empen and Raiza both have incredible effects for shutting down opponents, with the ability to hinder special summoned monsters or return cards back to the opponent's deck, respectively.
Swordsoul
Swordsoul and Tenyi combined to create one of the most powerful decks in the game and it still continues to top tournaments at the highest level of competition. Swordsoul uses "Swordsoul Tokens" in combination with their tuner monsters to synchro summon powerful synchros like "Swordsoul Grandmaster - Chixiao," usually supported by the Tenyis.
Players who already use Tenyi in Master Duel will find that Swordsoul makes a perfect union with their deck, and any synchro fan should give the Swordsoul/Tenyi deck a try. Synchron and D/D/D fans in particular may find the deck especially enjoyable due to the greater ease of synchro summoning powerful boss monsters. There's a good chance that Swordsoul + Tenyi will be the top deck in Master Duel on release, and will certainly be a good gem investment either way.
Adventure
"Adventure" is a nickname given to the series of cards that revolve around the new "Adventure Token" mechanic released in the booster pack "Grand Creators." Using "Rite of Aremsir" to summon an Adventure Token unlocks a slew of other powerful cards for the player, including the deadly "Wandering Gryphon Rider."
Adventure is without a doubt the most powerful archetype in the physical game at the moment. Adventure can combine with a wide variety of archetypes due to how small the engine itself is, but the most popular partners are Destiny HERO and Prank-Kids. When they finally arrive in Master Duel, players will quickly release how terrifying the combination of "Wandering Gryphon Rider" and "Destiny HERO - Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer" truly is.
