Apophis the Swamp Deity is the newest member of the lineup of Trap Monsters! The classic DM trap monster gets a fancy retrain in the Pharaonic Legend Pack, and it certainly does not disappoint. Today we'll be taking an in-depth look at how this new trap ticks and look for some control decks that may give it a shot. While it may not be a metagame-defining force, there's still a lot of potential to work with here.
Special thanks to the r/yugioh Discord and OzoneTCG for helping out with the article! Without further ado, let's dive in and see what the Swamp Deity is up to.
Slithering Through
New Apophis is pretty straightforward as far as we're concerned. During either Main Phase, you can spring it into action and negate a couple of cards on the field! This is a one-time use effect that's strong in its own right, as you can stop your opponent's plays from ruining your day.
It does need other Continuous Traps to be useful though, so you have to keep that in mind. One upside though is that Apophis is not hard once per turn, so drawing multiples isn't bad. Aside from that, you get to keep a chunky wall that turns on your other copies. The 2000 ATK give control decks an additional way to help push for damage and go for the win before they get overwhelmed.
So what are the main applications? The best one of course is to protect your Trap-based floodgates such as Skill Drain or There Can Be Only One from the clutches of backrow removal! Both are quite prone to get hit by a well-timed Cosmic Cyclone or Lightning Storm. Apophis can step in and make sure you aren't going to immediately lose to those!
Even if your Continuous Trap hasn't resolved yet, Apophis can still count it for its effect. For example, CL1 Aluber, Cl2 Skill Drain, Cl3 Twin Twisters, and Cl4 Apophis. Not only that but stifling power cards such as Branded Fusion or Rite of Aramesir, especially when your other traps can't handle them is great insurance.
Trap Emblem: The Three Houses
Apophis is a great card, no doubt about that. However, it's stuck in an awkward spot as it doesn't really have a great home to go into. While Lord of the Heavenly Prison at least sees play in a myriad of control decks, our snake friend over here has a tougher time fitting in with the crowd. As a generic, it's possible to see some play but it does face stiff competition with the likes of Solemn Judgment who is less picky and harder to stop.
Not all is lost, as we have found at least three decks where duelists can get some good mileage with it. Just don't expect it to be at the forefront of the competitive scene. Let's take a look at the houses that Apophis can stay in. He's more than capable of paying rent, so no issues on that end.
Cleaner Waters
Phantasm Spiral has been a dormant strategy for years, never really reaching the height of relevance. Despite that, Pacifis still has a small but loyal fanbase that continues to play it. This is because of its ease of use and highly affordable cost to pick up. Apophis is bound to see play here, due to how wonderfully it interacts with the Field Spell.
Pacifis often plays a slow game, making use of a variety of Continuous Traps to turn the tide of battle in its favor. TCBOO, Skill or Soul Drain, and Sea Stealth Attack just to name a few. Not only does this give Apophis easy opportunities to negate, but it also happens to be a Normal Monster! Because of this, you're able to trigger the Field Spell and add either Phantasm Spiral Power or Phantasm Spiral Battle to hand! Since both Apophis and "Umi" are on the field, you can immediately make use of this added Trap.
The Swamp Deity is also more than capable of protecting the deck from blowout cards which helps keep Pacifis in the game. Negating the effect is important here too, as it means the opponent still activated their card. That means you still get to summon a beefy Phantasm Spiral Token! This helps in both staying alive and exerting enough pressure to actually win the Duel. Pacifis often has trouble wrapping up games, so the extra 2000 is no joke.
All in all, this might just be one of the best homes for Apophis to stay in and it even outclasses several Normal and Trap Monsters the deck would run out of sheer necessity.
Golden State
Eldlich is another home where Apophis naturally fits like a glove. It's a pretty strong Trap to help bolster their lineup, after all. Much like Pacifis, this deck thrives on running several Continuous Trap cards to support its cause. It also helps that the deck has actual Trap Monsters, pretty good ones at that. Huaquero and Conquistador pack a massive punch when Eldlich the Golden Lord is there alongside them. Cursed Eldland even gives you extra Continuous Traps on demand!
Crafty players often try to deny you access to Eldlich with cards like Ash Blossom or Ghost Belle. This is a crippling move that also turns Huaq and Conq into sitting ducks. Apophis can step in and still make those cards useful, being great ammunition for its mass negate effect. It can even perform double duty and stop cards that would remove Golden Lord from the GY such as Ice Dragon's Prison or Called by the Grave, which is otherwise tricky to answer.
Lastly, it goes without saying that the deck is more than capable of choking opponents out with floodgates ad nauseam, and Apophis greatly appreciates the abundance of synergies to work with.
City of Statues
This one is more so a proof of concept, as Trap Monsters aren't exactly the competitive deck out there. However, Apophis might just be the backbone that the deck desperately needed. Outside of Solemn Judgment, there wasn't really much stopping the opponent from using a blowout spell to instantly delete the deck's hopes and dreams.
Anguish Pattern is no slouch on its own either, as it is one of the best payoffs for running Trap Monsters. It's an untargetable menace that continues to mow down the opponent's resources for every Trap monster you summon. When paired with Apophis, you get to stop their play and also get rid of a threat on their field! The two make for a great combination with this.
Azurune on the other hand gives the deck some nice array of effects with both its Summon negation and removal. I feel as if the deck just needs one more good member to really take off, or a consistency booster that doesn't have to bend over backward just to get a Trap Monster in your hands.
Conclusion
That marks the end of our house-hunting ventures with Apophis the Swamp Deity. If Konami continues to support Trap Monsters and Continuous Traps by giving them stronger payoffs, we might be able to see this Egyptian force more in the future! For now, it's quite content lurking in the shadows, waiting for its time to shine and sow chaos. Until next time folks, Renren out!
