The Kure For Krawlers: Krawler Soma is the Solution

The Kure For Krawlers: Krawler Soma is the Solution Bluntly put, Krawlers are terrible. However, with the power of Krawler Soma, can they skitter out of the depths?

2 years ago by

Therarely

9,297 6 4 Min Read Article

Introduction

Nobody has ever asked me why I started writing on YGOPRODeck. Well, part of the reason was getting paid for what I love (complaining online about the game), but the other part was this Krawler article that unnecessarily went into detail about one of the worst archetypes of its era. You can read MonoBlueTron's dedicated article on Krawlers here: nothing has changed for the archetype. Please read that article to get a general gist of how the deck functions! This article inspired me to write about middling decks, and I have finally come full circle writing about Krawlers.

Bluntly put, Krawlers are terrible. They rely on flipping to activate mediocre effects that would get steamrolled by any decent decks. The only benefit to playing this deck is the budget level of this deck - completely dirt cheap. Otherwise, you would get laughed out of your locals for expecting to win with this deck.
However, the newly released set Power of the Elements has introduced Krawler Soma, the first support since 2019.

Krawler Soma

Krawler Soma
Insect/Effect
Level 6 ATK/ 2000 DEF/ 2500

You can target 1 face-up monster you control; Special Summon this card from your hand, and if you do, change that monster to face-down Defense Position, also it cannot change its battle position for the rest of this turn.
During your Main Phase: You can reduce this card's Level by 2 or 4, and if you do, Special Summon "Krawler" monsters with different names from your hand, Deck, and/or GY whose total Levels equal the amount reduced, in face-up or face-down Defense Position.
You can only use each effect of "Krawler Soma" once per turn.

Krawler Soma is the natural evolution of the Crusadia Krawler. If you are interested in its backstory, you can read it here!

Krawler Soma is a great addition to these creepy crawlies, as it can special summon itself, and even summon two more Krawlers on board. This sort of effect helps accelerate the Krawler's gameplan of slowly multiplying, or you could summon a Krawler Link right off the bat, or even directly tap into any Link 3! Krawler Soma also sets itself to Level 2, allowing you to tap into a possible Rank 2 engine like Gigantic Splight. There is little setback to resolving Soma, and this sort of utility opens up many potential for Krawlers.

Since this card exists now, the deck's consistency has shot up a tremendous deal, so here is a sample list to understand how impactful Krawler Soma actually is.

Pure Krawler

This is my latest iteration of the Krawler deck given support from the latest Power of the Element set.

The general idea is to open with Krawler Soma, and always use it every turn to spawn more Krawlers. The combo is very simple. Normal summon any card, Special Summon Krawler Soma, summon any two Krawlers and Link them for any Krawler Link. This Link will multiply upon removal, and it will just continue to steamroll from there. Every turn, you should be using Krawler Soma to spawn 2 more Krawlers, then use this advantage to overwhelm your opponents. No longer are we T-setting; we can finally end on at least 1 Link monster.

Deus X-Krawler is your greatest monster here, as it serves as an one-sided Skill Drain, while constantly threatening its presence through Krawler Glial. Since Krawlers can now be summoned from the deck, it is fine to play minimal copies, letting you play more generic cards like Ash Blossom, or stun traps like Gozen Match. The deck is flexible enough for you to experiment with these additional deck slots! World Legacy Mind Melt serves as anti-handtrap and triggers the Krawler's multiplication effects, so it is always a must-play.

Overall, the deck can now focus on constantly swarming the board, picking off targets with Spine and Axon, and eventually finishing with Accesscode Talker. Or summon six Krawler Links, that will definitely be more awesome!

Why Should You Play Krawlers?

In recent times, Krawlers have been supported indirectly at multiple fronts. Splight's Level 2 support, tutor cards like Pot of Prosperity and stronger Link Monsters have been printed between now and back then. As an archetype that is now able to constantly summon bodies every turn, this archetype can be considered if you're looking for something interesting to play. Coupled with the lowest budget at your locals, it is very possible to steal some games!

As an unfortunate side note, this support is released in Power of The Elements, along with Splights.
I happily brought this deck to one of my casual locals, only to get completely thrashed by these players. This isn't fair! Regardless, I hope you players will have a better time with this deck then me. Krawler Soma is really one of my favorite cards from the set, and I hope you readers will find better success with it then me. Enjoy laying down 5 set monsters at one go! It's amazing.

And lastly, I have linked this earlier, but here it is again.

MonoBlueTron's Kase for Krawlers

If my article does not convince you to splurge a total of $2 on this deck, maybe this inspirational article will. Thank you for reading!