Yugi's wealth of cards continue to grow with the Face Knights adding to their ranks. However, they are plagued with terribly awkward conditions to execute their game plan. Will King's Court be enough to become a playable archetype?
A Curious Knight
Imperial Bower is a themed Rescue Rabbit that doesn't need duplicates. Being a Warrior means Reinforcement of the Army gets its 18th consecutive year of service. With no Extra Deck restrictions, Bower is a flexible rank four engine. It's vulnerable to Joyous Spring & Ash Blossom, but that can be said about many of the new cards. Depending on how they are used, that can be a boon.
Joker's Knight sports both a beneficial summoning condition and marvelous recurrence. Aside from its synergy with King's Knight, being level five gives access to Constellar Pleiades. And as long as it finds itself in the Graveyard after a combo, it's almost a whole engine on its own.
A Lucky Knight
Joker's Straight is a card worthy of its name! Its Extra Deck lock into Light Warriors isn't debilitating considering its huge tempo swing. Outside of combos with other Face Knight support, a full suite of Rank 4s are at your command. Heroic Champion - Excalibur and the Number 39: Utopia line are standouts for their huge damage output. And just like Joker's Knight, Straight gives you a full combo every turn.
A Knight Trained in All Arts
Joker's Wild holds the key to Face Knight's consistency and available power plays. Completing the trifecta of recurring support, riffling through the deck each turn is a breeze. While Joker's Straight is a fine option to force from the deck, there are other interesting slights of hand available.
Face Card Fusion can summon Arcana Knight Joker or the new Gilti-Gearfried the Magical Steel Knight. Arcana Knight Joker seems to be what the recurrence effects lead up to. But targeted protection isn't great in modern day Yugioh, so Face Card Fusion may be put aside for its alternate option.
Always at Your Service
Thunderspeed Summon oozes with flavorful effects. A monster that is Level 10, non-Dark and has "?" Attack is magnificently specific, yet has three options. Arcana Triumph Joker offers destruction, but its lack of quick effects mean Rank 4s are likely more efficient.
Slifer the Sky Dragon appears on the card, and provides a floodgate effect that pulverizes combo pieces. It should be at least 2000 ATK due to the recurring Face Knight cards, but loses handily to removal or effect negation.
The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode is an odd option, but likely the most viable. Leaving your Face Knights intact, it instead transforms Thunderspeed Summon into a quick-play mass removal.
While Thunderspeed Summon requires the full suite on board, that's just one Joker's Straight away. And Wild returns to action each turn, so it's not unheard of.
Conclusion
Unexpectedly, Face Knights are a playable deck with the advent of its powerful engine. Joker's Straight and Joker's Knight alleviate having to run many Normal monster bricks. While the deck is susceptible to hand traps, its recurring cards can pull out of a grind game.
There is discussion to be had regarding whether a control or combo variant is more stable. Either way, its brick-prone nature and shaky ways of getting through disruption blockade it from being rogue. But it is a massive step up from being unplayable.
