One of the most interesting topping decklists from the recent YCS Indianapolis is "Horus Bystial" piloted and invented by Kailyn "Cookie" Cooksey-Garcia! Here is the link to their YGOPRODECK deck profile and their Youtube video.
It turns out that slapping together beatstick handtraps (Bystials), level 8 extenders (Horus) and a tuner package (Resonators) is enough to top a professional Yugioh tournament!
Functioning as a midrange-aggro deck with a robust resource grindgame, Horus Bystial kind of reminds me of Dragonlink except with more Synchro boss monsters and less combo steps! Ever since this interesting strategy's inception, I wanted to give the deck a try because I have a soft spot for unique aggro decks with a "control then OTK" playstyle.
Want to see the deck in action? Scroll to the very bottom for the Youtube video!
ARCHETYPES AND DECKBUILDING
The standard HORUS package is included in this deck, their role primarily allowing access to rank 8 plays. 3 Imsety, 1 Hapi and 1 Duamutef comprise this package. The 4th Horus monster isn't included since it's largely a brick and has little utility other than being a beatstick (this deck already has a lot of them). 2 King's Sarcophagus is included rather than 3 since it is searchable with Imsety.
A sizeable BYSTIAL core is in this deck, responsible for a large portion of control and to provide bodies to synchro and XYZ summon. 3 Lubellion and 3 Saronir are included to maximize consistency. 1 Magnamhut, 1 Druiswurm and 1 Baldrake are included for their utility. 1 Branded Regained and 1 Branded Beast are maindecked to provide more resources board presence and control. In the side deck, 1 Etude of the Branded is present since it's a searchable floodgate (Banish for all your opponent's monster summon materials) that can quick-synchro your monsters during your opponent's turn. Bystial Dis Pater in the Extra deck is very accessible in this deck, and can loop combo pieces by recycling them from banished to the field.
A small GENERIC DRAGON oackage is included, composed of 3 Black Metal Dragon, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, 1 Chaos Dragon Levianeer and 1 Chaos Space. Chaos Space can either search Lubellion or Levianeer depending on the attribute you discard for its cost.
The rest of the deck is composed of STAPLES like the TTThrust package and consistency boosters like Foolish Burial and One for One.
COMBOS AND GAMEPLAN
Horus Bystial is a fairly simple deck to pilot since it doesn't have a singular straightforward combo. Summon as many monsters you can to field, gather as much resources as possible, control your opponent and then OTK on turn 3!
This deck's many handtraps should slow your opponent's gameplan to a standstill, leaving your opponent's simplified board vulnerable to beatdown.
Depending on what is in your hand and what you mill, you'll end on Bystial cards on hand and field + Synchro boss monsters, Hieratic Seals and if you have extenders, S:P Little Knight.
If you have access to the Horus engine, you activate King's Sarcophagus -> Send 2 Horus monsters to GY by sending 2 cards -> XYZ summon Zombie Vampire -> Mill 4 + summon 1. That combo generally gets your plays started.
Black Metal is the main normal summon of the deck, representing a Hieratic Seals (Normal Black Metal -> link away for Striker Dragon -> Search Red-Eyes Darkness -> Red-Eyes Darkness summons itself by banishing Striker Dragon -> Red-Eyes Darkness summons Black Metal from GY -> Link away both Dragons for Hieratic Seals).
Going second, if you have Crimson Gaia in the backrow, it's ideal to go for the Crimson Dragon line to clear the board and OTK. Level 6 Bystial + Vision Resonator for Scarred Dragon Archfiend -> Bystial Dis Pater ensures that you destroy all your opponent's ATK position monsters during main phase, leaving their DEF position monsters to get destroyed by Red Dragon Archfiend's battle phase effect!
On the attack, Horus monsters are incredibly powerful beatsticks and King's Sarcophagus' non-targeting, non-destroying "send" outs most monsters. If your opponent removes any cards from your field when Horus monsters are fielded, you can punish them since all Horus monster's trigger effects occur with effects ranging from GY/banished recovery to sending a card on the field!
GENERAL TIPS
- Chaos Angel made with Bystial Lubellion (Light) and Vision Resonator (Dark) is very hard to out for most opponents since it inherits both of its attribute dependant effects! With both light and dark, Chaos Angel is a nigh unstoppable juggernaut on the field.
- If you get Droll'd, you can still make plays with the Horus engine since they don't search by adding to hand. It sends to GY, then summons from GY! This immediately makes this deck better dealing with Droll than its dragonic sibling Dragon Link, since this deck can keep playing despite the lingering floodgate.
- If you get Shifter'd, try to end on defense position Chaos Angel. Sometimes, your opponent simply can't deal with an unaffected unkillable monster, giving you time to outlast Shifter's two turn lingering banish effect.
- If you're trading one interruption with 1 of your opponent's cards, you're usually ahead in resources.
- The effect you mostly want to resolve is Zombie Vampire's mill 4 and summon 1 from GY. Try to exhaust all your opponent's interactions before you attempt this crucial play.
- When siding out in games 2/3, the best cards to take out are 1 Chaos Space, 1 Levianeer, and 1 Branded Beast. If need be, the pilot can also side out the entire TTThrust package.
- Want to see the deck in action? Scroll to the very bottom for the Youtube video!
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Kailyn "Cookie" Cooksey-Garcia was definitely "COOKING" (sorry for the lame pun) when coming up with this topping YCS list! Bystials were a good meta call in a format dominated by meta decks that load the GY with lights/darks such as Unchained, Purrely and Tearlaments. Combining 3 advantage engines together (Horus, Bystial and Dragonlink) while handtrapping/controlling strategies to a standstill means that most games would lead to the duelist out-resourcing the opponent!
This mid-range, staple oriented playstyle is certainly fun to play! It reminds me of playing PUNK or Live Twin, but this time with eldritch dragons and Egyptian themed guardians!
GLHF Duelists!
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