Dragon Decks are a big strategy to watch for when the new Forbidden & Limited list goes into effect on March 1. As restrictions on cards have hit several other Decks, Dragons increase in relative power as a result. For example, while the draw Spells “Destiny Draw” and “Allure of Darkness” each become Limited on March 1st, Dragons can still play 3 copies of “Trade-In” and the new “Cards of Consonance” from Absolute Powerforce, giving them more draw power than virtually any other Deck.
But March 1st is still two days off, and today one Duelist is betting it all on his Dragons! Richard Clarke played his unique Disaster Dragon Deck to respectable finishes at both the U.S. National Championship and SHONEN JUMP Championship Los Angeles, and today he’s back with a revamped build that he’s hoping will finally take him to the Top 16. Check it out!
Many Duelists believe that the most powerful card in a Dragon Deck is “Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon” (REDMD), a 2800 ATK powerhouse that can Special Summon Dragons from the hand or Graveyard once each turn. Those Duelists may be correct – REDMD can deal a ton of damage, and it can Special Summon monsters to pressure the opponent without requiring use of any cards from the hand. But the genius of Richard Clarke’s Deck lies in the details. Clarke has been a devoted Dragon player for years, and pulls out every trick in the book to make a versatile Deck.
“Koa’ki Meiru Drago” is an important part of his strategy, and he’s now running three copies to make sure he can Summon it as often as possible. Drago stops the Special Summon of LIGHT and DARK monsters, shutting down Lightsworn, Zombies, and a bunch of Synchro Summons. With those threats out of the way, Clarke keeps his Dragons safe while keeping the path clear for direct attacks.
When “Masked Dragon” is destroyed in battle, it can Special Summon a Dragon-Type monster with 1500 ATK or less from Clarke’s Deck, making it a great defender and a slick way to search out the right Dragon for any situation. Clarke can use it to get “Exploder Dragon,” destroying troublesome monsters like “Blackwing Armor Master” or “Colossal Fighter.” “Magna Drago” and “Debris Dragon” can be searched to set up Synchro Summons, and “Totem Dragon” is a reusable piece of Tribute fodder that can be Special Summoned from the Graveyard when Clark doesn’t control any monsters.
“Totem Dragon” is a key card to this Deck. Clarke can Special Summon it, then remove it from the game or Tribute it to Summon “Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon,” since “Totem Dragon” can count as 2 Tributes for a Dragon-Type monster. He can use it to Tribute Summon “Prime Material Dragon” and protect his monsters with its effect, or even use “Totem Dragon” as 2 Tributes for “Yamata Dragon.” We saw him play “Yamata Dragon” in a Feature Match at SHONEN JUMP Championship Los Angeles, drawing card after card with Yamata’s effect as his opponent looked on in disbelief. It’s the kind of thing that just wouldn’t be feasible without “Totem Dragon.”
“Totem Dragon” is even small enough to work with “Debris Dragon”! With “Totem Dragon” in the Graveyard, Clarke can Normal Summon “Debris Dragon,” Special Summon Totem with Debris’ effect, and then Tune them to Synchro Summon “Iron Chain Dragon.” That’s a big deal for two reasons. First, it’s like Normal Summoning a 2500 ATK monster, so “Iron Chain Dragon” is a threat all on its own. But beyond that, if Clarke can use “Debris Dragon” again (for example, by using REDMD to Special Summon it again) he can Tune it to Iron Chain to Synchro summon the triple-attacking “Trident Dragion.” It’s just one example of how Clarke’s combos create more complicated plays as a Duel goes on.
Speaking of which, “Future Fusion” is another example of this “big plays that make even bigger plays” game plan. When Clarke activates “Future Fusion” and declares “Five-Headed Dragon” as his Summon for “Future Fusion’s” effect, he can send any 5 Dragons from his Deck to his Graveyard. Most Dragon Duelists use that opportunity to put REDMD and “Red-Eyes Wyvern” into the Graveyard, Special Summoning REDMD in the End Phase with Wyvern’s effect. But since Clarke plays so many different Dragons, he can also load up with specialized monsters to then Special Summon with REDMD’s ability. He only runs one copy each of “Prime Material Dragon,” “Blizzard Dragon,” and each of his Tuners, but “Future Fusion” lets him get them into play when he needs them. He can use “Future Fusion” to threaten big monsters with “Exploder Dragon” too, or load “Totem Dragon.” He can even put “Koa’ki Meiru Drago” into the Graveyard to strike fear into the hearts of Lightsworn and Zombie Duelists and scare them into doing their Special Summons too quickly.
@@@@@@Hell Kaiser@@@@@@
But March 1st is still two days off, and today one Duelist is betting it all on his Dragons! Richard Clarke played his unique Disaster Dragon Deck to respectable finishes at both the U.S. National Championship and SHONEN JUMP Championship Los Angeles, and today he’s back with a revamped build that he’s hoping will finally take him to the Top 16. Check it out!
| Monsters | Spells | Traps |
| 3x Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon 3x Koaki Meiru Drago 3x Red-Eyes Wyvern 3x Masked Dragon 2x Exploder Dragon 2x Totem Dragon 1x Yamata Dragon 1x Prime Material Dragon 1x Blizzard Dragon 1x Magna Drago 1x Debris Dragon | 1x Heavy Storm 1x Brain Control 1x Mystical Space Typhoon 1x Stamping Destruction 1x Lightning Vortex 1x My Body As A Shield 1x Future Fusion 1x Burial From a Different Dimension 2x Book of Moon 2x Gold Sarcophagus | 1x Torrential Tribute 1x Mirror Force 1x Royal Oppression 1x Solemn Judgment 2x Burst Breath 2x Bottomless Trap Hole |
“Koa’ki Meiru Drago” is an important part of his strategy, and he’s now running three copies to make sure he can Summon it as often as possible. Drago stops the Special Summon of LIGHT and DARK monsters, shutting down Lightsworn, Zombies, and a bunch of Synchro Summons. With those threats out of the way, Clarke keeps his Dragons safe while keeping the path clear for direct attacks.
When “Masked Dragon” is destroyed in battle, it can Special Summon a Dragon-Type monster with 1500 ATK or less from Clarke’s Deck, making it a great defender and a slick way to search out the right Dragon for any situation. Clarke can use it to get “Exploder Dragon,” destroying troublesome monsters like “Blackwing Armor Master” or “Colossal Fighter.” “Magna Drago” and “Debris Dragon” can be searched to set up Synchro Summons, and “Totem Dragon” is a reusable piece of Tribute fodder that can be Special Summoned from the Graveyard when Clark doesn’t control any monsters.
“Totem Dragon” is a key card to this Deck. Clarke can Special Summon it, then remove it from the game or Tribute it to Summon “Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon,” since “Totem Dragon” can count as 2 Tributes for a Dragon-Type monster. He can use it to Tribute Summon “Prime Material Dragon” and protect his monsters with its effect, or even use “Totem Dragon” as 2 Tributes for “Yamata Dragon.” We saw him play “Yamata Dragon” in a Feature Match at SHONEN JUMP Championship Los Angeles, drawing card after card with Yamata’s effect as his opponent looked on in disbelief. It’s the kind of thing that just wouldn’t be feasible without “Totem Dragon.”
“Totem Dragon” is even small enough to work with “Debris Dragon”! With “Totem Dragon” in the Graveyard, Clarke can Normal Summon “Debris Dragon,” Special Summon Totem with Debris’ effect, and then Tune them to Synchro Summon “Iron Chain Dragon.” That’s a big deal for two reasons. First, it’s like Normal Summoning a 2500 ATK monster, so “Iron Chain Dragon” is a threat all on its own. But beyond that, if Clarke can use “Debris Dragon” again (for example, by using REDMD to Special Summon it again) he can Tune it to Iron Chain to Synchro summon the triple-attacking “Trident Dragion.” It’s just one example of how Clarke’s combos create more complicated plays as a Duel goes on.
Speaking of which, “Future Fusion” is another example of this “big plays that make even bigger plays” game plan. When Clarke activates “Future Fusion” and declares “Five-Headed Dragon” as his Summon for “Future Fusion’s” effect, he can send any 5 Dragons from his Deck to his Graveyard. Most Dragon Duelists use that opportunity to put REDMD and “Red-Eyes Wyvern” into the Graveyard, Special Summoning REDMD in the End Phase with Wyvern’s effect. But since Clarke plays so many different Dragons, he can also load up with specialized monsters to then Special Summon with REDMD’s ability. He only runs one copy each of “Prime Material Dragon,” “Blizzard Dragon,” and each of his Tuners, but “Future Fusion” lets him get them into play when he needs them. He can use “Future Fusion” to threaten big monsters with “Exploder Dragon” too, or load “Totem Dragon.” He can even put “Koa’ki Meiru Drago” into the Graveyard to strike fear into the hearts of Lightsworn and Zombie Duelists and scare them into doing their Special Summons too quickly.
@@@@@@Hell Kaiser@@@@@@
