The TCG Meta Snapshot is a project by some of the writers at YGOPRODeck that aims to encapsulate the state of the meta for a given 1-2 week period.
The TCG Meta Snapshot also aims to rank decks in a somewhat looser tier system. The tiers that we will use are as follows:
Tier 1: Highly Competitive Meta Decks. 10% or more of tops, as ranked by Pojo. This will roughly correspond to Pojo’s Tier 1, with some overlap from Pojo’s Tier 2.
Tier 2: Semi-Competitive Meta Decks. Less than 10% of tops, as ranked by Pojo. Corresponds to the rest of Pojo’s Tier 2, Pojo’s Tier 3, and Rogue.
Tier 3: Semi-Competitive non-Meta/Rogue decks. 1-2 tops. Specifically includes decks that only top small events or get lower rankings at medium events. It can also include decks that can potentially beat but have not yet in a given format.
Tier 4: Casually Competitive non-Meta decks. Decks that can compete at the local level, but cannot top an event.
Archetype Explanation
Vanquish Soul is a new and exciting midrange strategy fresh off Wild Survivors! It's been making some significant waves in the scene and proves to be quite an exciting deck.
One of the core mechanics of VS is that the monsters all can reveal specific attributes of monsters in their hand to gain powerful effects! EARTH, FIRE, and DARK are the attributes the deck revolves around. This also influences its deckbuilding significantly, as it dictates which non-engine generic cards you run to a degree. To wrap things up, this fighting game-inspired archetype also has some strong Spell and Trap cards in its moveset which can turn the tide of a fight fast! Thanks to its compactness and high non-engine space, VS is a very flexible deck and can run a lot of tech cards to punish opponents.
Tier Ranking
Vanquish Soul is relatively new to the competitive scene and it's been getting some modest results across the European Nationals at the tail end of the season. However, it's been seeing much more success in the Regional scene, winning a good chunk of them already and topping a couple more. After analyzing the frame data, VS is currently a Tier 2 contender in the metagame. Not quite up there with the big leagues of Kashtira, Labrynth, and Runick Spright variants, but still competent enough to hold its own. It's in a similar boat to the likes of Mathmech and Bystial Dragon Link in terms of representation, though its high price of entry does dampen its usage by a bit. Branded is somewhere around the middle of Tier 1 and 2 in terms of the current state of the metagame.
Quick Move List
- Razen Go 1st -> Add Mad Love, Link into Vanquisher, summon the Doctor and add Dust Devil, Razen in rotation.
- Mad Love 1st -> Normal Mad Love, add Continue or Dust Devil, link into Vanquisher, and add back Mad Love.
- R4 Razen-> Add Mad Love, Link into Vanquisher, summon the Doctor and add Continue. Continue effect to Special Summon from GY and make a Rank 4. (Number 41: Bagooska the Terribly Tired Tapir, Zoodiac Chakanine, Springans Merrymaker, etc)
- Blazing Stake Offensive -> Game 1: Stake into Razen, add Mad Love. NS Mad Love add Dust, link into Vanquisher, and add back Razen (destroy effect is live). On opponent's turn: Vanquisher SS Razen, effect add Borger/Valius.
- Blazing Stake Defensive -> Post-Side: Stake into Razen, add Mad Love. NS Mad Love add Continue, link into Vanquisher, and save Continue for Razen (destroy effect is live). On opponent's turn: Vanquisher can SS Borger/Valius added off revived Razen.
Deck Lists
Servet Kaan Zeybek managed an impressive Top 8 finish at the 2023 Germany National Championships with Vanquish Soul! This roster is a very solid base if you want to get started with the deck. The ratios are quite good for the most part, and you're able to cover a wide variety of matchups and threats.
As you can see from the move list, Vanquish Soul Razen is without a doubt the best starter for the Deck, as having him in rotation enables a lot of flexible plays. This is also why the deck needs to stay at 40 and run cards like ROTA and "Infernoble Arms - Durendal" to help get you to this fighter.
Vanquish Soul Dr. Mad Love isn't half bad either, as she gets you to most of your backrow arsenal and has a powerful bounce effect to boot. Continuing our look at the Character Select screen, we have Vanquish Soul Pantera which is a reliable free summon and is one of the few ways this deck can actually interact with backrow in-engine, so she's a helpful supporter that can also be used for Rank 4 plays. Vanquish Soul Pluton HG is an optional unlockable character that's up to preference, as sometimes having a searchable FIRE monster off Razen can matter a lot.
Next up are the two brawlers of the deck, Vanquish Soul Heavy Borger and Vanquish Soul Caesar Valius. The former allows the deck to accumulate a lot of card advantage between draws and really make use of your high non-engine count. Borger can also finish opponents with its clutch burn effect when time is near or if you can't quite get past their blocking. The latter is an imposing boss that can protect itself and start popping cards en masse if left alone. Bonus points for being a searchable target off Bystial Magnamhut, giving him a lot more accessibility.
Stake your Soul! is one of the strongest opening moves you can have in the deck, especially if you reveal a FIRE monster. This is also why Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju is the best Kaiju to run, as it enables strong Razen combos and it can be juggled back by Mad Love due to its low defense. Ash Blossom is also integral as a reliable hand trap and its attribute plays double duty here. Vanquish Soul - Continue? gives you a lot of grind and Vanquish Soul Dust Devil is a very strong interrupt into the top decks of the format.
Speaking of FIREs, Kashtira Riseheart being a searchable target off Kashtira Fenrir helps a lot with this, all while being a dangerous threat in its own right. It's a good idea to not immediately fire off the search effect though, as you don't want to walk into a Droll & Lock Bird without getting to your VS cards first.
All in all, a very solid list that can be tweaked with its hand traps and Extra Deck depending on your competitive environment and what's currently dominating in your area. The deck normally doesn't go into the ED too much aside from Rock of the Vanquisher, but having options when backed into a corner helps a lot. Razen enables a lot of clutch R4 plays, as seen in the move guide.
Kody Manabe fought to an impressive finish at the Layton WCQ Regional and won the entire tournament! His build is also a solid take on Vanquish Soul, exploring the other EARTH, FIRE, and DARK techs that the deck can take on.
Kurikara Divincarnate is an interesting sidegrade to Dogoran which the deck can comfortably run, thanks to their ability to force out interactions. It's probably a good idea to not reveal it so early if planning to use it to break the board, though.
The Regulus package with Sargas makes your R4NK lines with Razen that much stronger, and it notably enables Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder pushes that have 4 Xyz Materials. Regulus is a free summon that also toughens up the board, and linking off Heavy Borger guarantees it being live. Dinowrestler Pankratops is an underrated EARTH tech that can help shore up the deck's matchups into Kashtira, Labrynth, and other problematic backrow. Without TCBOO, Mathmech can be dicey which the Ghost Belle helps with.
Lists that run Fenrir or heavier Kash packages also have the option to hard summon Kashtira Arise-Heart which is able to take entire games on its own.
Most VS lists recently have been dropping or just siding Dimension Shifter and There Can Only Be One, partly due to Kashtira's popularity and diverse matchup spread of the current metagame, but it may resurface in the future.
Kody's list is another good base if you want to try out Pure VS.
A New Challenger
Enzo Duval augmented his Vanquish Soul list with the power of a long-forgotten threat: Destiny HERO - Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer! He took it to a commendable Top 8 finish at this year's French Nationals, which had over 2000 players.
While DPE isn't as game-winning as it used to be, the package is surprisingly solid for the deck. This is because VS often eats an Ash Blossom as players try to deny Razen access, which works in Fusion Destiny's favor. The ATK drop is significant in letting you power through boards, and DPE's effect to destroy your opponent's cards shores up tougher matchups like Labrynth.
The bricks of the DPE package aren't as much of a detriment here compared to other decks, as they can still serve as DARK monsters to reveal for the Vanquish Soul fighters' effects. Prosperity also has the option to find Fusion Destiny should you have adequate engine access already.
VS thrives in simplified gamestates and has problems being overwhelmed, so DPE acts as a solid buffer. Dasher can summon out a VS drawn for the turn, while Celestial can refill your hand. Chaos Angel also makes an appearance in his Extra Deck, as you do have a handful of DARKs to bring it out.
It may not be as popular as standard VS or VS with a heavier Kashtira package, the Enforcer package is an interesting addition to the deck that has a lot of enticing benefits and has seen some slight success across Nationals so far.
Conclusion
That wraps up this month's Snapshot on Vanquish Soul, a very interactive and exciting deck that has a small but solid footing on the metagame that's even getting solid support in the future. People are garnering some results with experimental lists such as both Kashtira + Superheavy Samurai in VS and a recent top in the South America WCQ paired VS with Labrynth.
I hope you enjoyed the return of the Snapshots, as it's been a while. I got quite busy during this year's Nationals Season. Until next time folks, Renren out!
