Ash Ketchum's ZEXAL Starter Deck

For another Yu-Gi-Oh anime crossover story I'm working on, I plan to bring Ash Ketchum form Pokemon into the world of Yu-Gi-OH ZEXAL. In it, he adapts to Duel Monsters and helps Yuma and Astral track down the 99 Number Cards to not only restore Astral's memories, but also hopefully help Ash find his way back to his own world.

For Ash's deck, though I was originally thinking of one built around Beasts, Beast-Warriors, and/or Winged-Beasts, I found that original idea lacked means of adjusting monster levels, which is what happens in a LOT of Zexal Duels. So instead, I planned on having Ash start out with a simple, starter deck, where he can adjust his monsters levels to make Xyz summoning more convientent, and then upgrade that into a second deck that feels more mixed, but still has plenty of level-adjustments to maek his dueling style feel reactive, creative, unpredictable and so on. That, and if I limited Ash's monsters to a single archetype, attribute, or even monster type, then it just wouldn't feel right; as it would make Ash look like a guy who has favorites or preferecnes in Pokemon types. And if anything, I felt warriors were more simpler, yet also effective and strong in battle, and Dragons to help give our boy a bit of brute force, along with a few other options.

As you can see, I made Ash's first deck inspired by Yusei and Yuma's a bit in terms of monsters, primarily ones that I though would REALLY fit Ash's dueling style. Like Speed Warrior to gain a high ATK boost before charging forward, as Ash favors speed and aggression. Gagaga Magician to adjust its level to anything Ash needs. And so on. And since Ash is going to be Yuma's Number hunting partner, I think its only fair that he gets his share of the spoils. Primarily the Number monsters they win as time goes on. Here are the ones I've chosen to give Ash before the WDC arc and why:

-Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: This is basically Ash's Ace Number monster. Its not only simple and easy to learn for a beginner, but its special ability is effective, as detaching materials makes it stronger and allows it to hit harder. Being able to go from 2000 ATK to eventually 3000 ATK makes it a monster Ash would love using the most, as it makes him think of encouraging a Pokemon to dig deep and eventually help them find the will, courage, and spirit to stay in the fight.

-Number 83: Galaxy Queen: This one is meant to protect Ash's monsters from being destroyed and even dealing piercing damage, which are two things Ash will most certainly love. To him, it'd be like offering protection and support to one of his Pokemon.

-Number 61: Volcasaurus: This one not only fits Ash's style for explosive maneuvers, but its also a great solution for whenever his opponent brings out a REALLY tough threat with 3000 or more ATK points. Basically the literal "Fire powered finisher" of Ash's Number roster.

-Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja: The fact that this monster can come back after being defeated is Ash's way of saying, "I'm down, but not out." That, and all while fittng Ash's warrior spirit of being straightforward and quick.

-Number 49: Fortune Tune: This one is meant to be a constant recovery card that always comes back, all while slowly restoring his life points little by little. Again, another way to display Ash's stubborn, never give up, persona.

-Number 96: Dark Mist: This number might look weak with only 100 ATK points. But once its uses up an overlay unit, it can half the opponent's monster while making it stronger. A perfect symbol of perseverance for Ash's deck showing his opponent that the longer his battle goes on, the stronger he gets. 

I included Fortune Tune as Fortuno's third Number card that Ash and Pikachu find and obtain before Kite.

And though the deck might not look completely like Ash's style, its not meant to. It's merely to act as a learning curve for Ash until he upgrades it for the WDC and builds it into something MUCH more befitting for him.

And if any of you are questioning why the main deck has Cost Down, I actually wanted to include one of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime's "anime only" cards into Ash's deck that isn't availible in the real-world card game. That card being the Spell "Decrease," which lowers the level of any one monster on Ash's Field by 2. Which can be handy in case he wants or needs to Xyz summon a lower ranked monster, his ace included. Couldn't upload this post until I had 40 cards in the main deck.

So, what do you all think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.