Released in Extreme Force, Mekk-Knight is certainly one of the game's more unique choices to play. The column-focused strategy packs a lot of versatility and flexibility with how it is built and approached. For instance, the many variants that exist that incorporate them. The most recent example would be Cameron Laureano's Mekk-Knight Orcust list, which managed to top 8 the NA Remote Duel YCS. However, with the release of a few new toys over the years, building pure has never been better!
This article aims to serve as a nice introductory guide on playing, building, and understanding the deck. Special thanks to The Column Committee (Mekk-Knight Discord) who helped make this article possible! Feel free to check out their server here! Future installments would aim to tackle the many variants the deck has in a lot more detail. They also made a recent master guide that can tackle the more intricate parts of the deck as a whole. This aims to go hand in hand with that.
Without further ado, let's set ourselves up a column and dive right in!
The Main Pillars
Firstly, we'll be looking at the core cards for Pure Mekks as they facilitate your plays and get the ball rolling. We'll also go over why they're important and the preferred ratios to run them at.
Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall is a household mainstay, being one of the best playmakers for the deck. This crusader can get the other members of the archetype while also getting them out of harm's way as a Quick effect. Nightfall is a recursive threat and a half thanks to this, as it also works on itself and gets you free resources to boot. Not only that, it's great at forcing out interactions vs the opponent. Popular options to grab include Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight, or Mekk-Knight Blue Sky. All in all, Purple is a strong starter that lets you grind it out and maintain card advantage.
Max out on this one 100%. Speaking of which...
Blue Sky is another member of the pure column crusade, and an extremely potent going second option at that. Once brought out from the hand, it's able to search other Mekks with different names, equal to the number of the cards in the opponent's column.
Normally this just nets you one search, but with the help of cards like Kaijus and Girsu, you're able to get 2 instead! It does check on resolution though, so careful opponents may be able to play around it. Another thing to note though is that if Blue Sky leaves the field, you won't be able to search. Still, there's no denying it's one of the powerhouses of the deck. It either forces your opponent to give up a card to stop it or let it go rampant. None are scarier than Blue Sky tutoring multiple Mekks as unsuspecting opponents fail to play around it.
Play 3 copies of this one as well.
Girsu is the newest member of the Mekk-Knights, released in Eternity Code. It's also the deck's best Normal Summon and gets you set up for almost everything you need and then some! Upon being Summoned, it dumps a World Legacy card that's not only useful for later but allows you to access Lib the World Key Blademaster! Lib is one of the strongest Link-2s the deck has access to, which we'll get into detail later.
Another boon that Girsu provides for Pure Mekk is setting up a column by summoning two Tokens on the field, one for each side. This is great as it means you can enable all your other Mekk-Knights to more easily hit the field. Another thing to note is that it can turn into a Tuner should it be placed onto a column. A handy trait to have whenever attempting to push with Halq and friends for game on board. Regarding the token, it also can block certain problem cards like Evenly Matched or Lightning Storm from ruining your day.
One underlooked application you might not know of is that Girsu lets you access Dingirsu! Yes, that Ding. This is because Girsu is an Orcust monster, which lets you make Galatea with ease. Now you won't be using Galatea's effect as much in pure, more so just as a way to make the coveted Xyz monster. Once the Orcust of the Evening Star has hit the board, it can provide a powerful non-targeting send, or even recycle a banished World Chalice! Not to mention, it provides a beefy threat that protects your board from blanket destruction.
In a pinch, Girsu can even send another copy of itself to allow Red Moon or Yellow Star to put their talents into fruition. It's not the most optimal line of play, but it can be a lifesaver in tough spots.
Girsu redefined the Mekk-Knight strategy in more ways than one, and it is solidly a quintessential member of the arsenal. This card singlehandedly sets you up well and getting to it isn't too difficult. Like other 1-card power starters, it is a bit weak to disruption, but pure Mekks are mostly capable of playing past some disruption.
It is quite pricey nowadays, but the 2021 Tin of Ancient Battles should help make it more accessible overall.
Run 3 copies and never any less.
The Secondary Soldiers
Indigo Eclipse is an integral part of the strategy and it's easy to see why. Unassuming at first glance, it has a vastly flexible Quick Effect that allows you to move a targeted Mekk-Knight to a different Main Monster Zone. This opens up a lot of options and possibilities for the deck as a whole, seeing as pure Mekks are reliant on columns.
Let's go over some of the main applications of this. Moving a Mekk-Knight to let you bring out another one from the hand is definitely a popular thing to do during your turn. During the opponent's turn, you can pull off some pretty clever tricks. The best example would be to move a Mekk-Knight to a column to stop your opponent's plays. This can be pulled off while cards like World Legacy's Secret, World Legacy Whispers, and World Legacy Key are face-up on the field. You can get a nasty 2 for 1 with Secrets if you revive Indigo with it.
Additionally, you can move Mekk-Knights in the EMZ to shield them from something like Megafleet or Gravity Controller. You can shift Mekks to protect them via Morning Star's effect, or even shift Morning Star to protect itself! Last but not least, both Yellow Star and Red Moon's effects aren't once per turn. What this means is you can shift them to double up on the removal.
Running 1 or 2 copies works wonders. Memes aside, the shifty boi is both an icon and a powerhouse of the Mekk-Knight strategy.
Removal Duo
Mekk-Knight Red Moon and Yellow Star are the archetype's dedicated removal tools, able to get rid of Monsters and Spells / Traps respectively. This is handy as it helps you break through boards easier and force out interaction from the opponent one way or another, which can be key for plays later down the line. The former is slightly more popular, as a lot of decks are monster-focused and thus the effect is easier to use. However, Yellow Star still does have its moments.
As for Avram, Green, and Orange, they do have some upsides but aren't ran unless needed or by preference.
The consensus is 1 Red and 0-1 Yellow. You should at least be running 1 or the other in your deck at a minimum.
Extra Deck Aces
The Beacon of Hope
Mekk-Knight of the Morning Star is a strong Link-2, providing you access to the "World Legacy" toolbox. While it does require a specific discard, the payoff is quite strong. Especially since it's fairly easy to make, needing any monster alongside a Mekk. This gets you access to the negation trio in Secret/Key/Whispers with Secret being the most popular choice. That's not all though, as being able to grab World Legacy's Memory and World Legacy Succession is highly beneficial. Memory can kickstart your engine by letting you go into Purple Nightfall or spring a devastating surprise onto the opponent alongside Secret and co. Succession on the other hand is an archetypal extender that's akin to Monster Reborn, which makes it no slouch.
Morning Star assists in Link climbing as well, as you can ladder into the other Extra Deck threats. Don't forget about the protection effect either! Especially as it can protect you and your monsters from harm and Indigo can help manipulate this. Many a time an opponent has failed to fully read this card and has suffered greatly as a result.
2 Morning Star generally works in Pure builds.
Spectrum of Supremacy
Spectrum Supreme is an interesting piece in the Mekk-Knight arsenal which shines in certain situations. Its summoning requirements are fairly easy to accomplish and you ideally make it using Morning Star and a used-up Mekk-Knight. The card has some strong protection that many decks can have a hard time dealing with, which is a nice bonus.
Its two main uses are to re-start the engine and for closing out games. This is because it can directly access both Purple and Girsu from the deck by paying a small price. Pretty nifty to have if something like Blue gets stopped. For closing out games, it can directly swing in for 3000 to end or be used to climb into Accesscode Talker. If you managed to grab Succession of the Link-2, you can revive Spectrum under Access!
Now you won't always be able to go into it, but it's handy enough in the times that you get to.
1 copy of this Link-3 works just fine in Pure Mekks.
The Final Boss
Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax is an extremely potent archetypal Link-4 for the deck and is a strong win condition in its own right. Its protection effect is often bolstered by the fact it's made with I:P Masquerena, making it extremely hard to deal with. Avramax's ability to essentially run over any Special Summoned monster is a massive boon and lets you brute force even the toughest of threats on the board.
One last thing to mention is Avramax's GY effect. Should your opponent deal with it in a way that gets into the GY, it still has a nasty non-targeting shuffle back as a final goodbye.
Run 1, you won't always make it but it's great to have whenever needed for Pure Mekks.
World in Her Hands
Lib is the best Link-2 in the deck by far and it enables you to pull off unimaginable plays once you get to her. The card is accessible too as Girsu sets it up nicely. Once summoned she directly sets a "World Legacy" S/T from the Deck, which makes her smoother than Morning Star's effect at times. Not only that, placing it onto the field means something like Ash wouldn't be able to stop it. As a cherry on top, you get to form a column with it!
This means you get access to the coveted WL arsenal, allowing you to choose an option depending on the situation. Memory and Secret are often the go-to's for going first, but Succession also works well with World Armor. The other cards in your hand also dictate what WL card you may go for too, so it's important to map out your plays first.
A part of what makes Girsu so good in the first place is its ability to go into Lib! From here you can craft setups such as Lib + I:P Masquerena with Secrets or Apollousa and friends. The options are quite vast and all depend on the matchup. After all, your goal when forced to go first is to simply survive and shred on turn 3.
That's not all though, as when Lib is sent to the GY as Link Material, it's able to shuffle any card on the field to the Deck! A rare removal tool, one that can often be SEGOC'd which makes it near unstoppable. Should it be paired with IP, you can use it as a makeshift form of disruption! Not a lot of decks play well into it, and it's easier to do compared to Avramax's shuffle.
As for the WL relic to run, both World Chalice and World Armor have their particular pros and cons. Armor is more immediate, whereas Chalice rewards patient players for its follow-up search effect. Both of which are valid, although right now the former is the safer/more popular choice. You can't really go wrong with either of them for pure.
2-3 copies are recommended.
Sample Routes
Before I present you with some sample decks generously provided by the members of the Column Committee (feel free to check out their Master Guide as well for a more overall look at the deck), here are some nice sample plays to think about.
Getting to Accescode Talker via Spectrum:
The link climbing process is fairly simple, as you start from Morning Star and then use your variety of Mekk-Knights that have already been used up to go into Spectrum Supreme. By setting any one card in its column, you can then send it to bust out a Girsu from your deck. Girsu lets you send something like a Chalice for additional follow-up and then proceed to make Accesscode Talker.
Assuming you searched Succession off Morning Star, you can attempt to go for the kill.
Girsu Sweeps the Field:
IF you've forced out some interaction already with the likes of Blue, Purple, Red.
Use Girsu's effects and then proceed to make Lib and set Succession. Use that spell to revive Girsu, and then make yourself a Galatea. This would trigger Lib forcing a non-targeting shuffle. You can then go into Dingirsu to bring out another non-targeting send their way. Lastly after battling with Ding, Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder can be brought out!
Committee Approved Decks
To wrap up our article on Pure Mekk-Knights, the Column Committee gave us two nice decklists to get you started with the strategy! One has Sangan which gives you more power while going first (Chalice and HTs) and lets you make use of a searchable "Kaiju" (Santa Claws). All while bumping up the Normal Summon count a fair bit for consistency. The other is a Desires build that makes use of both Armor and Chalice and aims to really take advantage that the raw +1 the pot provides.
Mekk is a really malleable deck in this regard, as a lot of choices can boil down to whatever the wielder prefers outside of the absolutely necessary picks. For example, Prosperity is the main pot of choice, but Desires has its merits too. The Mekk-Knights you run may vary, and even the techs such as Hand Traps change quite often.
Conclusion
And that wraps up our introductory guide to Pure Mekk-Knights! I hope you enjoyed the read, as this was quite a big collaboration project between the Discord server and me. Feel free to hop on over there too! Until next time folks, Renren out!
