CDP: Tistina Gem-Knight, with Shaddoll & Traptrix support
14Crystals and Gems, what a perfect combination...
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Today's CDP features another one of my IRL deckbuilds, and I cannot wait to share the power of this deck with you all. This deck is extremely versatile at playing going first or second, so that's how I'm going to breakdown this description.
When going first, this deck leans heavily upon the Gem-Knight engine to kick off advantage and take it all to the bank. Starting with any of Gem-Armadillo, Gem-Knight Nepyrim, or Gem-Knight Dispersion, you can quickly build towards an endboard with the endless material offered by the engine. You see, Armadillo leads into Gem-Knight Hollowcore, both turn into Gem-Knight Phantom Quartz which grabs you Dispersion, then the world becomes your oyster from there. If you started with Armadillo itself and didn't need to search for it, this play gets even better because when you Fusion Summon with Dispersion, Nepyrim will Special Summon itself back to your board for free, and grab you an extra Gem-Knight card to boot. Regardless of path, you will be left with multiple Level 4 monsters to turn into Traptrix Rafflesia, giving you the protection of Gravekeeper's Trap Hole to avoid an unfortunate Nibiru situation. This then allows you to combo off the Tistina side of the deck with ample protection.
When going second, this deck leans on the Tistina engine to break through the opponents' board. You see, with Fallen of the Tistina, Sentinel of the Tistina, Demigod of the Tistina, and Breath of the Tistina, you will almost always have access to a copy of Divine Domain Baatistina, even if you don't draw it. This Field Spell forces your opponent to react, since allowing it to resolve will give you a free Crystal God Tistina and Miasma Dragon Tistina to completely break their board with the one-two punch of Crystal God's effect, followed by the Xyz Summon of Tistina, the Divinity that Defies Darkness. Even if they can stop the field spell, I'm using a Shaddoll engine to enhance board-breaking possibilities, especially if the opponent left a monster summoned from the Extra Deck on the board. Either way, once the opponent's disruptions have been depleted, the Gem-Knight engine and the rest of your Tistina can flood material onto the board, Special Summon after Special Summon.
After Game 1, this deck also offers the opportunity to optimize one way or the other, depending on if you're going first or second. If going second, swap out some of the 'going first' cards like the extraneous Trap Cards for more options. When going first, the Shaddoll engine offers a lot of free space to side out and side in other options of your choice. That's ultimately where this deck shines - adapting to the situation, able to conquer anything the opponent may throw your way!
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Links:
https://ygorganization.com/creative-deck-archetype-archive/ - Creative Deck Archetype Archive of all of my builds
https://spellbook.life/decks/quincymccoy - Living Repository of IRL deckbuilds
Disclaimers & Requests:
-YGOrganization is not currently affiliated with any online simulator and does not promote their use over any official platform.
-If you are interested in seeing a specific archetype or strategy on my channel, or would like to request a future CDP, feel free to drop me a comment here, on any of my articles, or through our Discord.