Monsters:
3 Light and Darkness Dragon
3 Raiza the Storm Monarch
3 Caius the Shadow Monarch
3 Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
3 Swap Frog
3 Substitoad
2 Treeborn Frog
3 Battle Fader
1 Tragoedia
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
1 Cyber Dragon
Spells:
3 Soul Exchange
3 Enemy Controller
2 Creature Swap
1 Nobleman of Extermination
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Brain Control
1 Scapegoat
Traps:
1 Treacherous Trap Hole
This deck is all about Summoning as many Monarch monsters as you can, as fast as humanly possible. To do that, the Djuiricins have built their deck accordingly: 9 Monarchs total ensures that they draw a steady stream of Monarchs (3 copies each of Raiza the Storm Monarch, Caius the Shadow Monarch, and Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch). The 2 Treeborn Frogs, 3 Swap Frogs, and 3 Substitoads give them 8 ways to get Treeborn Frog into the Graveyard as early as Turn 1, and 3 Battle Faders plus a Tragoedia stop OTK’s while providing more Tribute fodder.
Once the Duel is simplified and a few cards have been taken out of the equation, Light and Darkness Dragon becomes a top play. It usually takes multiple cards to get rid of the Dragon, so it gets tougher and tougher to stop with every card the opponent loses. That makes it the perfect followup to a couple of Monarch Summons that rob the opponent of potential answers. When Light and Darkness Dragon is eventually destroyed, its effect will almost always Special Summon a 2400 ATK Monarch, giving the brothers an immediate follow-up attacker as well as something else to Tribute in a pinch. It’s a simple plan: lock in Treeborn Frog, Summon some Monarchs to soften the opponent up, and then tee off with 2400 ATK attackers or unleash Light and Darkness Dragon for the win.
Soul Exchange is a great card that’s been seeing a lot of play in Decks packing Monarchs and Light and Darkness Dragon this weekend. Not only is it a conservative Duelist’s best friend, creating big plays without requiring an attack or a big commitment of monsters, it’s also great against one of the top Decks here in Day 2 – Gladiator Beasts. Gladiator Beast War Chariot is one of the most feared cards for a Deck like this, but Soul Exchange can rob the opponent of the Gladiator Beast needed to activate the Chariot in the first place. That can lead to Caius or Raiza eliminating a Set Chariot and opening up further plays.
What to do with all the Frogs and Battle Faders when they aren’t needed for Tribute Summons? Good question, and the Djuiricins have answered it with an unconventional Spell lineup. You won’t find Book of Moon or Smashing Ground here, and you won’t even find Bottomless Trap Hole or Dimensional Prison, since playing 3 Soul Exchanges alongside a bunch of cards that destroy or remove opposing monsters doesn’t make a ton of sense, so the Djuiricins don’t do that. Instead, the Deck space many Duelists reserve for those popular cards is reserved instead for 3 Enemy Controllers and 2 Creature Swaps, 5 cards that let the Djuiricins trade their underpowered monsters for a better monster controlled by the opponent. This eliminates monsters that might block damage, makes the Frogs and Faders more useful, and can add to win-turns by giving the Djuiricins access to more big attackers.
Since there isn’t much room for Trap Cards, the Djuiricins take advantage of the single Trap best-suited for their strategy: Treacherous Trap Hole. It can clear the way for big attacks, quickly eliminates multiple cards in one move, and can force out Starlight Road, clearing away an unknown back row card and leaving Stardust Vulnerable to Creature Swap, Controller, Raiza, or Caius.
Froggy Monarch hearkens back to the Monarch Decks of old, but brings them into modern competition by adding speed, resiliency, and the amazing disruptive power of Light and Darkness Dragon. It’s a tremendous strategy that caught a lot of Duelists offguard, and it’s a ton of fun to play.
3 Light and Darkness Dragon
3 Raiza the Storm Monarch
3 Caius the Shadow Monarch
3 Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
3 Swap Frog
3 Substitoad
2 Treeborn Frog
3 Battle Fader
1 Tragoedia
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
1 Cyber Dragon
Spells:
3 Soul Exchange
3 Enemy Controller
2 Creature Swap
1 Nobleman of Extermination
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Brain Control
1 Scapegoat
Traps:
1 Treacherous Trap Hole
This deck is all about Summoning as many Monarch monsters as you can, as fast as humanly possible. To do that, the Djuiricins have built their deck accordingly: 9 Monarchs total ensures that they draw a steady stream of Monarchs (3 copies each of Raiza the Storm Monarch, Caius the Shadow Monarch, and Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch). The 2 Treeborn Frogs, 3 Swap Frogs, and 3 Substitoads give them 8 ways to get Treeborn Frog into the Graveyard as early as Turn 1, and 3 Battle Faders plus a Tragoedia stop OTK’s while providing more Tribute fodder.
Once the Duel is simplified and a few cards have been taken out of the equation, Light and Darkness Dragon becomes a top play. It usually takes multiple cards to get rid of the Dragon, so it gets tougher and tougher to stop with every card the opponent loses. That makes it the perfect followup to a couple of Monarch Summons that rob the opponent of potential answers. When Light and Darkness Dragon is eventually destroyed, its effect will almost always Special Summon a 2400 ATK Monarch, giving the brothers an immediate follow-up attacker as well as something else to Tribute in a pinch. It’s a simple plan: lock in Treeborn Frog, Summon some Monarchs to soften the opponent up, and then tee off with 2400 ATK attackers or unleash Light and Darkness Dragon for the win.
Soul Exchange is a great card that’s been seeing a lot of play in Decks packing Monarchs and Light and Darkness Dragon this weekend. Not only is it a conservative Duelist’s best friend, creating big plays without requiring an attack or a big commitment of monsters, it’s also great against one of the top Decks here in Day 2 – Gladiator Beasts. Gladiator Beast War Chariot is one of the most feared cards for a Deck like this, but Soul Exchange can rob the opponent of the Gladiator Beast needed to activate the Chariot in the first place. That can lead to Caius or Raiza eliminating a Set Chariot and opening up further plays.
What to do with all the Frogs and Battle Faders when they aren’t needed for Tribute Summons? Good question, and the Djuiricins have answered it with an unconventional Spell lineup. You won’t find Book of Moon or Smashing Ground here, and you won’t even find Bottomless Trap Hole or Dimensional Prison, since playing 3 Soul Exchanges alongside a bunch of cards that destroy or remove opposing monsters doesn’t make a ton of sense, so the Djuiricins don’t do that. Instead, the Deck space many Duelists reserve for those popular cards is reserved instead for 3 Enemy Controllers and 2 Creature Swaps, 5 cards that let the Djuiricins trade their underpowered monsters for a better monster controlled by the opponent. This eliminates monsters that might block damage, makes the Frogs and Faders more useful, and can add to win-turns by giving the Djuiricins access to more big attackers.
Since there isn’t much room for Trap Cards, the Djuiricins take advantage of the single Trap best-suited for their strategy: Treacherous Trap Hole. It can clear the way for big attacks, quickly eliminates multiple cards in one move, and can force out Starlight Road, clearing away an unknown back row card and leaving Stardust Vulnerable to Creature Swap, Controller, Raiza, or Caius.
Froggy Monarch hearkens back to the Monarch Decks of old, but brings them into modern competition by adding speed, resiliency, and the amazing disruptive power of Light and Darkness Dragon. It’s a tremendous strategy that caught a lot of Duelists offguard, and it’s a ton of fun to play.
