Neocryx
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 |  Subject: Dragunity Showcase  Sat Jan 12, 2013 11:53 pm | Hello all! Today I'm going to be showcasing one of my all-time favorite decks: Dragunity. Probably most widely known for their ability to spam lvl 8 Synchros, Dragunity decks also have a control aspect to them with Legionnaire/Akyls, as well as the infamous Arma Leyvaten/LaDD loop, and even the rare Assault Mode varient. In this showcase, I'm going to be talking about the basic tips and tricks to Dragunity as well as some of the more complicated combos.
First though, the deck!
Main Deck (41):
Spells (14):
Heavy Storm
Cards of Consonance
Dark Hole
Pot of Avarice
Terraforming (3)
Foolish Burial
Monster Reborn
Mystical Space Typhoon (2)
Dragon Ravine (3)
Traps (12):
Bottomless Trap Hole (2)
Starlight Road
Compulsory Evacuation Device (2)
Fiendish Chain (2)
Call of the Haunted (2)
Solemn Judgment
Solemn Warning (2)
Extra Deck (15):
Xyz Monsters (6):
Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max
Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger (2)
Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7
Hieratic Dragon King of Atum (2)
Note: If you've played the deck before, you might notice some of my ratios are a bit funky. I realize this and I'm still changing some stuff, but this build fits more to my play style. Any and all suggestions are still appreciated though!
So now that you've seen the deck, I have some explaining to do! First off, I'll just run through all the cards and their basic uses:
- Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon - Pretty much standard at this point in every competitive dragon deck, this guy has a whoopin' 2800 attack and an effect that's even better! So easy to summon and able to bring another dragon out every turn, no wonder this dude's limited!
- Dragunity Arma Leyvaten - While more (in)famous for its loop with Light and Darkness Dragon, this card has a lot more uses than just that. Able to equip any dragon from the graveyard to itself, this card is one of the key cards in the combos to be explained later. Only 1 is really needed.
- Dragunity Arma Mystletainn - Probably my favorite Dragunity of all time, this card is what allows this deck to thrive! Whether its stalling for time while waiting for Ravine or flat out going into an OTK, having this card in hand is the best feeling with this deck. I personally love having it at 3.
- Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite - Seeing as the deck's main engine relies so heavily on Winged-Beast monsters, it should come as no surprise that there is at least some kind of support from BLackwings. Some people like to run this card in multiples to increase the chance of drawing it, but seeing as his effect can only be used once per duel, 1 copy is enough for me, especially since I'm running Gae Dearg.
- Dragunity Dux - Ahh, the lifeblood of the deck. Dux with Phalanx are what enable the lvl 8 Synchro spam Dragunity decks are so well-known for. Easily searched and easily abused, this card and Ravine are the core of every Dragunity deck. A must run at 3.
- Dragunity Legionnaire - Dux is to Phalanx as Legionnaire is to Aklys. Whether you're going for the double pop with his effect or simply into an emergency Catastor, this card deserves a place in almost all Dragunity decks. Personally, I rarely use or need his effect so 1 is enough for me.
- Dragunity Aklys - The lesser used Dragunity tuner, I don't think I've even ever used it as a tuner! Great for pops when its destroyed while equipped and best when dumped into the grave fast. Also a great target for Cards of Consonance. I prefer running at 2, mainly as discard fodder for Ravine and Cards of Consonance.
- Dragunity Phalanx - Ahh, Phalanx, probably one of the most phamous (get it?) dragon tuners of all time, besides maybe Debris. If there's 1 single card every Dragunity deck has to be based off of, it would be this one. It enables the deck to synchro-ladder to lvl 8 and is always useful as discard fodder. Must run at 3, you'd have to be crazy (or running a different variant) not to!
- Heavy Storm - A staple in pretty much every format that it can be run in, Heavy is a bit more dangerous to run in Dragunity decks because of Ravine. However, when you're pushing for that OTK, security is usually more important and Starlight Road gives all the more reason to run it. 1 is all that's allowed.
- Cards of Consonance - A lot of people don't like running this card, but I feel it helps speed the deck up a lot more. It dumps the dragon tuners and Ravine can even search out a tuner to make it live. If worst comes to worst, it can always be used as Ravine fodder.
- Dark Hole - Ahh, one of the first cards of Yu-Gi-Oh. It was used then, it's used now. Like Heavy, it can also set off your Starlight, but be careful, if your opponent chains onto it, you may be screwed. 1 is all that's allowed.
- Pot of Avarice - Another card that adds draw power to the deck, Avarice can both help and hurt. It allows recycling of Dux and Vajrayana, but Phalanx is the card you never want to send back to the deck. Definitely good in the deck though. Once again, 1 is all that's allowed.
- Terraforming - Pretty much either a 1 for 1 to get a Ravine or discard fodder for Ravine. Can also be set and destroyed for the effects of Scrap Dragon and Trident Dragon. Some like it at 2, I prefer 3.
- Foolish Burial - Speeds up the deck. Mostly used for dumping a tuner or Zephyros. Limited, so 1.
Monster Reborn - Yet another limited card. Even more powerful here as it can assist in an OTK combo. Steals your opponents graveyard monsters too. The 1 that's allowed is already too much.
- Mystical Space Typhoon - Poppin' backrow like there's no tomorrow! With MST at 3 this format, none of your backrow is safe! Only running 2 because of space issues.
- Dragon Ravine - Witness the Dragunity in their natural habitat! Ravine is the field spell made for Dragunity and if you don't use it, you're not playing Dragunity! Even splashable in some other dragon decks, 3 is unfortunately all that's allowed in this deck.
- Bottomless Trap Hole - Banishing your opponents big monsters is always a good thing! Semi-limited so I'm running the 2 that're allowed.
- Starlight Road - Protects backrow and gives you a free Stardust! What's not to love? 1 is enough.
- Compulsory Evacuation Device - For those monsters that can't be destroyed or if you just need to bounce back a pesky monster. 2 is good.
- Fiendish Chain - Negates effects for as long as its on the field AND stops attacks. Better than Veiler in this deck since it can also be used as fodder for Scrap and Trident. 2 is fine.
- Call of the Haunted - I remember a time when this card was limited...Well, it's not anymore! The monster you get back with Call's effect can easily give you enough resources to push for an OTK in this deck. I used to have it at 3, but it's now at 2 due to space issues.
- Solemn Judgment - Stops almost everything for the cost of half your LP. Must run. Limited so only 1.
- Solemn Warning - The other half of the Solemn brigade. Stops pesky Battle Faders so it's a must run. Semi-limited so 2.
- Trident Dragon - If attacking directly, this card is an OTK in and of itself. Pretty much all the combos I'm going to describe later on bring this guy out to finish off your opponent in the most fast and brutal fashion. 1 is all you'll need.
- Red Dragon Archfiend - Big beater, lvl 8 dragon, and takes care of pesky walls. What's more to say? 1 is enough.
- Scrap Dragon - One of the best lvl 8's in the game, any deck that can pull a lvl 8 synchro usually goes to this guy. Poppin' cards faster than popcorn, this deck in particular has a variety of targets for the 1-for-1 exchange this card is famous for. 1 is plenty.
- Stardust Dragon - Ahh, Yusei Fudo's signature ace. A great opening monster if you can pull him turn one as he can protect your Ravine and backrow. Unfortunately, his 2500 attack means he can get beat down pretty easily. I'd like to run 2, but due to space issues, there's only room for 1.
- Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg - I actually don't like this card that much. His stats are a bit lackluster and while you can set up for future plays if you can pull him out turn 1, he probably won't survive for long. However he is the best way to dump Zephyros and a few of the combos I'm going to describe later use this guy so he still deserves a spot in my extra deck. 1 is plenty.
- Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana - Probably the most famous Dragunity synchro monster, his ability to pull a Dragunity from the grave is what allows for the synchro-laddering Dragunity decks are so famous for. Also great for Atum. I'll get into more later. 3 seems like much, but it's totally needed.
- Ally of Justice Catastor - Blows up anything that's not a dark. Perfect in that emergency Legionnaire-Phalanx combo. Only 1 is needed.
- Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max - For that plan B
 . Will talk a bit more about later. 1 is good.
- Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger - Piercing beater that stacks over an attackless Atum. 2 is actually needed.
- Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 - For that moment when you run into Yubel or Destiny End Dragoon. Trust me, he's needed as a backup plan. 1 is plenty though.
- Hieratic Dragon King of Atum - For that moment when you have 2 lvl 6's out on your field. This card means OTK. 2 is needed.
Now that I've explained the cards in the deck, it's time to get into some of the strategies!
First, basic tips and tricks/do's and don't's (if you've played Dragunity before or have at least seen the deck in action, feel free to skip to the next section):
- Synchro Ladder - The infamous lvl 8 spam combo for Dragunity. Requires Dux in hand and Phalanx in the graveyard. Summon Dux and equip Phalanx with its effect. Special Phalanx with its effect and synchro for Vajrayana and equip Phalanx again. Special Phalanx again with its effect and synchro for the lvl 8 of your choice.
- Stardust Tips - If you can synchro-ladder first turn, Stardust is usually the best target as it protects your backrow and especially Ravine. Dimension Prison is Stardust's worst enemy so if you can, try to pop any backrow your opponent has before you attack with Stardust. If you only have 1 MST in hand and your opponent has multiple traps set, a clever thing to do is to attack with Stardust before using MST. While this may seem counterproductive, Stardust can stop any cards that would destroy it like Mirror Force and if your opponent actually does have Prison set, use MST to pop any card and negate your own MST with Stardust to protect it. Setting MST with Stardust on the field can also protect it during your opponent's turn.
- Scrap Dragon Tips - Don't be afraid to pop your own Ravine if you're pushing for the win. However, also don't be reckless and pop card you may need later. If you have Call set from the turn before, you can pop Scrap itself and then revive it with Call to use its effect again. Used and useless Calls and Chain's can also be used for free pops. Also, if you Aklys is equipped to a monster, popping it can net you a +1.
- Vajrayana Tips - While he's most used for the synchro ladder, his other effect is very good as well. If you have Aklys in the graveyard, it's sometimes a better option to equip it instead of Phalanx upon summon and then pop to double its attack and pop something on the opposite field. In some cases, this is actually enough to push for game.
- REDMD Tips - He's actually not all that great in this deck IMO. Pretty much all the dragons in the deck are needed later so banishing any of them can be detrimental. However, if you have an extra Phalanx in the grave, don't be afraid to banish 1 of them for his summon, as he can just summon the other with his effect. Also, since virtually all of the extra deck is composed dragons, you can use REDMD's effect for a free extra deck monster from the grave! Just remember, you have to properly summon the monster from the extra deck first.
- Leyvaten Tips - If you're building a Dragunity deck and you're considering running the Leyvaten/LaDD loop, don't. Unless you have some variant that can recycle lvl 8 dragon's like there's no tomorrow, the loop is extremely inconsistent and a single Compulse completely wrecks it. His summoning condition is also iffy, you need most of your Dragunity monsters. However, if he's summoned in ANY way (His effect, REDMD, Atum), with Phalanx in the grave, he's an instant Trident Dragon so he's still a must run. Also, his effect can activate from the grave, so he's good Ravine fodder.
- Mystletainn Tips - The main combos with him I'll describe later. If you don't have Ravine yet and you have him and Phalanx in hand, you can normal Phalanx, send Phalanx to the graveyard for Mystletainn's summon, equip Phalanx, and then special Phalanx for an instant lvl 8. This should allow you to stall for some time until you get explode later. Also, if for some reason your Dux's effect is negated (Veiler, Chain, etc), you can always send it to the graveyard for Mystletainn's summon and still get a lvl 8.
- Alkys Tips - Alkys is most useful in the grave. His summoning effect is virtually useless seeing as it causes the Dragunity Arma's to miss timing and you won't get another Dragunity equip. However, his destruction effect and being a dragon tuner with low attack give more than enough reason to run it.
- Legionnaire/Aklys Tips - If you have Aklys in grave and Legionnaire in hand, summon Legionnaire and equip Aklys. Use Legionnaire to destroy one of your opponents face up monsters and then Aklys to destoy another card, effectively giving you a +2. Also, if you have both Aklys and Legionnaire in hand, this is probably the only time you should ever normal Aklys and use its effect. Be careful though, unlike Dux, Legionnaire doesn't have much attack and will probably be gone next turn.
- Ravine Tips - While Ravine is the core of the deck, there are right and wrong ways to use it. Be careful when using its dump effect, the discard and dump nets you a -1 while the discard and add nets you a +0. Sometimes, you have to think ahead and add instead of dumping so you have something to use as discard fodder next turn. Likewise, sometimes you just have to dump. I'll explain later in some of the combos when to dump and when to add. Also, when you're pushing for game, don't be afraid to pop Ravine with Scrap or Trident. If you're sure you're going to win, you won't need it next turn.
Time for some of the more complicated stuff. I've alluded to OTK'ing with this deck several times now and it's about time I start going into detail on how it works. The basic idea is to get two lvl 6 dragons (Mystletainn, Vajrayana, Gae Dearg), overlay for Atum, use Atum to summon Leyvaten, equip and special Dux with Leyvaten's effect, synchro for Trident, pop 2 with Trident's effect, overlay Gaia Charger on top of Atum and then attack for game. It's insanely easy to pull off in this deck and there are countless ways to do it. Atum's effect usually never gets negated because if your opponent can negate a monster effect, it usually happens on Dux. So now it's time for some specific combos.
Zephyr in the Ravine OTK (Requires ONLY Ravine/Terraforming and Zephyros in hand):
- Use Ravine to discard Zephyros to get Phalanx
- If you have Phalanx or Alkys in hand, this is one of those times to use Ravine to dump from the deck. Discard Zephyros to dump whichever you don' thave in hand.
Special Zephyros by bouncing Ravine.
Use Ravine again, this time discarding your Phalanx to get Dux from the deck.
If you had Alkys or Phalanx from earlier, just discard whichever you have left. If you have Dux in hand already, discard Phalanx/Aklys to dump the other from the deck.
Normal Dux and use its effect to equip Phalanx.
Special Phalanx with its effect and synchro with either Zephyros or Dux for Vajrayana and use Vajrayana to equip Phalanx.
Special summon Phalanx with its effect and synchro for Gae Dearg with whichever lvl 4 winged-beast you didn't synchro for the first time and use Gae Dearg's effect to dump something you feel like you might need in the event you fail your OTK (probably Aklys).
If you have Aklys in the grave, summon Vajrayana instead of Gae Dearg and equip Aklys. Then send Aklys to the grave with Vajrayana's effect for a pop.
Overlay your two lvl 6 dragon synchros for Atum and use its effect to special Leyvaten from your deck and equip Phalanx with Leyvaten's effect.
If you only have Ravine, Atum, Leyvaten, and Phalanx on your field at this point, set at least 1 S/T you don't need.
Special Phalanx with its effect and synchro for Trident, popping whatever S/T you have on the field and don't need.
Overlay Gaia on top of Atum
Attack with Gaia and Trident for game
Total Damage = 2600 + 3000 * 3 = 11600 damage
That OTK is the reason some people prefer running Zephyros in multiples: to increase the chance of drawing it. However, there are other combos as well.
Basic Mystletainn OTK (Requires Mystletannin in hand and a lvl 4 winged-beast and Phalanx on the field)
- Send Phalanx to the grave to special Mystletannin from the hand, equpping Phalanx to with Mystletannin's effect.
- Special Phalanx with its effect and synchro with it and your lvl 4 winged-beast for Gae Dearg and use its effect to dump a monster you feel you might need later (Zephyros preferably or Aklys if you just used Zephyros).
- If you already have Aklys in the grave, synchro for Vajrayana instead of Gae Dearg, equip Aklys, and then use Vajrayana's effect top pop a card.
Overlay both lvl 6 dragons for Atum and its effect to special Leyvaten from your deck and equip Phalanx with Leyvaten's effect.
If you only have Atum, Leyvaten, and Phalanx on your field at this point, set at least 1 S/T you don't need.
Special Phalanx with its effect and synchro for Trident, popping whatever S/T you have on the field and don't need.
Overlay Gaia on top of Atum
Attack with Gaia and Trident for game
Total Damage = 2600 + 3000 * 3 = 11600 damage
It's for combos like this why I run 3 Mystletainn. If you have Ravine, either Dux or Phalanx and Mystletainn in hand, you've pretty much won. Of course, you have to be wary of any backrow and hand traps your opponent may have. On the bright side though, this is BASIC Mystletainn OTK. There's way better ways to use him .
Mystletainn-Dux OTK #1 (Requires Mystletainn and Dux in hand and Phalanx in grave (Easily achieved with Ravine))
- Normal Dux and equip Phalanx.
- Special Phalanx with its effect.
- Send Phalanx to the grave to summon Mystletainn and equip Phalanx.
- Special Phalanx and synchro with Dux for Gae Dearg.
- Use Gae Dearg to dump Zephyros from the deck.
- Overlay Gae Dearg and Mystletainn for Atum.
- Use Atum to pull out REDMD and special Gae Dearg with REDMD.
- Dump Aklys from the deck with Gae Dearg and bounce REDMD to summon Zephyros from the grave.
- Banish Atum to special REDMD and summon Phalanx with its effect.
- Synchro Phalanx and Zephyros for Vajrayana and equip Aklys.
- Pop with Vajrayana/Aklys and then overlay Vajrayana and Gae Dearg for another Atum.
- Use Atum to special Leyvaten from the deck and equip Phalanx.
- Special Phalanx and synchro with Leyvaten for Trident.
- Pop 2 with Trident and attack for game.
- 2600 + 2800 + 3000 * 3 = 14400 damage
Mystletainn-Dux OTK #2 (Same requirements as previous)
- Normal Dux and equip Phalanx.
- Special Phalanx with its effect.
- Send Phalanx to the grave to summon Mystletainn and equip Phalanx.
- Special Phalanx and synchro with Dux for Gae Dearg.
- Use Gae Dearg to dump Zephyros from the deck.
- Overlay Gae Dearg and Mystletainn for Atum.
- Use Atum to pull out REDMD and special Phalanx with REDMD.
- Bounce REDMD to special Zephyros from the grave.
- Synchro with Phalanx and Zephyros for Vajrayana and equip Phalanx.
- Special Phalanx and then banish to special REDMD.
- Use REDMD to special Gae Dearg and dump another Phalanx from the deck.
- Overlay Gae Dearg and Vajrayana for Atum.
- Use Atum to special Leyvaten from the deck, equipping and specialling Phalanx.
- Synchro for Trident and pop 2.
- Overlay 2 Gaia over 2 Atum and attack for game.
- Total Damage = 2600 + 2600 + 2800 + 3000 * 3 = 17000 damage
Yes, you read correctly, the first combo can pop a pesky card that's preventing you from OTK'ing and still deal 14400 damage while the second combo deals 17000 damage, enough to OTK in a tag battle! Now, let's take a scenario into account. You pull one of the combos but your opponent had Gorz and stopped you at the last moment with less than 2000 lp left. This is where Gustav Max comes in. Both REDMD and Trident are lvl 10, allowing you to overlay and deal that last 2K damage. That bumps the first OTK to 16400 damage, also enough to OTK in tag and the second to a 19000 damage. Insane.
Now that I've pretty much finished explaining all the deck has to offer, it's time to start talking about weaknesses. Several things prevent this deck from being able to compete against the current meta: Reliance on normal summon, susceptibility to effect negation, and extreme graveyard reliance all make the deck extremely easy to side against. If you fail at normal summoning Dux, then pretty much the entire engine dies. If Dux gets negated, the engine dies (if you have Mystletainn in hand, you can always special it for a lvl 8 but right here you go from a 19000 damage OTK to only a lvl 8 synchro). If your opponent pulls Dimensional Fissure/Macro Cosmos on you, the entire engine dies. However, not all is lost. Because the core of the deck only relies on about 20-30 cards, there is room for a lot of tech. With this specific deck, even without going full out OTK, you can still crank out lvl 8 synchros whenever needed and the element of surprise can usually get game 1. Personally, I went heavy backrow to stall for a few turns in order to go all out later, but other variants can focus on other win conditions. I've seen Hieratic Dragunity, I've seen Mist Valley Dragunity, I've even run Assault Mode Dragunity. There are countless variants, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Overall, the deck is still insanely fun to play and I encourage anyone who's interested to make a Dragunity deck.
Any and all feedback is appreciated, questions, comments, criticisms, suggestions, anything. Hope you enjoyed this showcase!
Edit: Added in Foolish Burial, don't know how I forgot that >
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