With Legacy of Destruction, the entire Illusion archetype has received it's universal searcher - Nightmare Apprentice! Relatively free to summon extender that searches any Illusion monster from deck is a gigantic buff to the Chimera strategy. She also is an enabler for Chaos Angel in Chimera with the perfect attribute, dark - lining up with Mirror Swordsknight's light to make an unaffected towers Chaos Angel!
Legacy of Destruction also bestows a honourary guest to the Chimera strategy - Diabellze. She is a mini "Anti-Spell" floodgate on legs, and now she's searchable and summonable with Chimera!
These two vixens grant Chimera a respectable boost in power - perhaps allowing the deck to compete with other tier 1 threats like Snake-Eye, Voiceless Voice and Tenpai. In addition to the immense card advantage, relentless fusion summons and giant boss monsters - Chimera now has a massive consistency buff and a backrow floodgate!
Want to see the deck in action? Scroll to the very bottom for the Youtube video!
ARCHETYPES AND DECKBUILDING
As the name implies, Branded Chimera is composed of the two archetypes. One smaller support archetype is also utilized. Within two compact fusion engines lies a plethora of powerful plays that are highly searchable 1 card combos!
CHIMERA is fusion oriented deck core capable of overwhelming your opponent with sheer resources! For example, one Mirror Swordknight is a whopping +7 in card advantage! Chimera is a simple and solid gameplan in itself with it's boss monsters - Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts and Berfomet the Mythical King of Phantom Beasts. While they are on the field, their names are "Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast." In the GY, Mirror Swordknight and Cornfield Coatl (sent to the GY as part of the combo) offer some targeting protection (Coatl) and monster effect negation (Swordknight). Berfomet and Gazelle nab resources from deck when summoned and used as fusion material. The deck's fusion card, Chimera Fusion, recurs itself from the GY if Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast is on the field or GY (which is always the case). Everything in this archetype grabs resources and recurs itself in this deck so you can keep fusion summoning and interrupting your opponent!
BRANDED in this strategy isn't the main focus - it is merely a support engine designed to increase the consistency and power of the Chimera cards. Branded Fusion is primarily used to fuse into Rindbrumm using Albaz and Gazelle the King of Mythical Claws, netting you an Illusion monster from deck. This starts your Chimera combo! A mini Despia engine is included with 3 Branded Opening, and 2 Aluber for a total of 8 direct ways to access Branded Fusion. Thrust can also fetch Branded Fusion from deck in certain gamestates. If you already have access to your Illusion cards, you can use Branded Fusion to go into the usual Branded Fusion combo lines to set up Mirrorjade or Dragoon.
The FRIGHTFUR cards are a mini package in this deck to further enable fusion plays and to assist with card advantage. The strategy needs ample amounts of resources in hand for discard fodder and fusion material, and the package provides ample resources specifically for those uses.
This deck opts to play boardbreakers since it lacks space for mass handtraps. The boardbreaker line up are 3 Talents, 3 Thrust, 3 Droplet and 1 Evenly. Thrust also has an added bonus to search a starter like Branded Fusion.
50 cards are used in this deck since the starters for both decks are highly searchable and are 1-card combos. 50 cards also makes it less likely that the garnets like Albaz, Gazelle and Berfomet are hard drawn.
COMBOS AND GAMEPLAN
Branded Chimera's usual strategy is deploying multiple fusion boss monsters backed by a robust gameplan and grindgame. Post Legacy of Destruction, the deck also sets up Diabellze to limit your opponent's spell/trap plays.
Here are Branded Chimera's main combos:
You may notice in the side deck there are various fiend and fiend floodgates. End of Anubis shuts down decks like Snake-Eye and Tearlaments. Barrier Statue of the Abyss destroys strategies like Tenpai and Fire Kings. The newly available Diabellze renders spell/trap stratgies like Runick near unplayable. Now with a singular Mirror Swordknight or Nightmare Apprentice, these floodgates are easily searchable and summonable!
Mirror Swordknight = Floodgate of choice (Lets use Diabellze for this example) + a lot of resources/follow-up + Berfomet the Mythical King of Phantom Beasts + 1 hand-rip + monster negate (Swordknight in GY) + targeting protection (Cornfield Coatl in GY).
- Normal summon Mirror Swordknight.
- Activate Mirror Swordknight's effect to summon Big-Winged Berfomet from deck.
- On summon, Big-Winged Berfomet searches for Chimera Fusion and Gazelle the King of Mythical Claws.
- Activate Chimera Fusion to fusion summon Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts using Big-Winged Berfomet + Gazelle the King of Mythical Claws.
- CL1 Big-Winged Berfomet to summon from GY Mirror Swordknight, CL2 Gazelle the King of Mythical Claws to search from deck any Illusion monster, CL3 Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts to send a random card from opponent's hand to the GY in the End Phase.
- Activate Chimera Fusion in the GY to add it to your hand.
- Activate Chimera Fusion to fusion summon Berfomet the Mythical King of Phantom Beasts by fusing Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts + any Beast, Fiend or Illusion.
On summon, Berfomet the Mythical King of Phantom Beasts sends to GY your target of choice (for this example let's use Diabellze).
- During your end phase, resolve Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts' effect to send 1 random card for your opponent's hand to the GY.
During your opponent's draw phase (or whenever you feel like it's best), activate Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts' effect to summon Diabellze from the GY. Master Tao the Chanter is also an alternate way to summon Diabellze from the GY. Just send to GY Tao with Berfomet and use Tao's GY effect to summon Diabellze!
Congrats! With a singular card you've locked your opponent out from playing spells/traps! This deck has a variety of searchable floodgates - use them depending on your match-up.
The next combo involves Branded Fusion and with siding in a lingering floodgate, D/D Orthros. (This strategy can be maindecked, but this is better going 1st).
Mirror Swordknight + Branded Fusion = fiend-lock for your opponent (D/D Orthros) + a lot of resources/follow-up + Albion the Sanctifire Dragon + Berfomet the Mythical King of Phantom Beasts + 1 hand-rip + monster negate (Swordknight in GY) + targeting protection (Cornfield Coatl in GY).
- Normal summon Mirror Swordknight.
- Activate Mirror Swordknight's effect to summon Big-Winged Berfomet from deck.
- On summon, Big-Winged Berfomet searches for Chimera Fusion and Gazelle the King of Mythical Claws.
- Activate Chimera Fusion to fusion summon Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts using Big-Winged Berfomet + Gazelle the King of Mythical Claws.
- CL1 Big-Winged Berfomet to summon from GY Mirror Swordknight, CL2 Gazelle the King of Mythical Claws to search from deck any Illusion monster, CL3 Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts to send a random card from opponent's hand to the GY in the End Phase.
- Activate Chimera Fusion in the GY to add it to your hand.
- Activate Chimera Fusion to fusion summon Berfomet the Mythical King of Phantom Beasts by fusing Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts + any Beast, Fiend or Illusion.
- On summon, Berfomet the Mythical King of Phantom Beasts sends to GY D/D Orthros (Or whatever target you'll summon with Sanctifire).
- Activate Branded Fusion to fusion summon Albion The Sanctifire Dragon by sending Albaz + Light Spellcaster (usually Effect Veiler but it can also be Cartesia) from deck to GY.
- During your end phase, resolve Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts' effect to send 1 random card for your opponent's hand to the GY.
- During your opponent's draw phase, activate Sanctifire's effect to summon Big-Winged Berfomet to your field and D/D Orthros to your opponent's field.
- CL1 (mandatory effect) D/D Orthros to lock your opponent out of special summoning anything except fiends, CL2 Big-Winged Berfomet to search for level 4 beast + Chimera Fusion to hand.
This combo is particularly nasty since it is well protected and hard to interrupt with handtraps. Berfomet the Mythical King of Phantom Beasts makes fiend and beast floodgates very searchable, while Branded Fusion allows the deck to summon from GY a lingering floodgate to your opponent's field while summoning a resource generator to yours. Your opponent can't play while you amass resources for OTK next turn!
The Chimera engine can search out Branded Fusion to start your Branded strategy!
Mirror Swordknight = Search for Branded Fusion.
- Normal summon Mirror Swordknight.
- Activate Mirror Swordknight's effect to summon Big-Winged Berfomet from deck.
- On summon, Big-Winged Berfomet searches for Chimera Fusion and Springans Kitt from deck.
- Normal summon Springans Kitt.
Springans Kitt searches for Branded Fusion from deck.
The Branded Engine can search for Mirror SwordKnight to initiate your Chimera strategy!
Branded Fusion = Search for Mirror Swordknight.
- Activate Branded Fusion, summoning Rindbrumm using Albaz + Gazelle the King of Mythical Claws.
- Gazelle the King of Mythical Claw's effect activates when used as fusion material to search for any illusion monster. Add Cornfield Coatl from deck.
Discard Cornfield Coatl to add Mirror Swordknight from deck.
You can set up Dragoon before starting your entire Chimera combo to insulate your plays from handtraps or interruption!
Branded Fusion + Discard = Dragoon.
Activate Branded Fusion, summoning Lubellion using Albaz + Versago the Destroyer.
Activate Lubellion's summoning effect and discard 1 card to fusion summon Dragoon using Albaz and Versago in the GY.
GENERAL TIPS
- Branded Fusion makes greats Ash bait! For once, it's okay for Branded Fusion to get ash'd since your main strategy is with your Chimera cards!
Dimensional Barrier and Simul Archfiends absolutely demolishes this deck. Oftentimes, the only counter to a blow-out like this is Triple Tactics Thrust so you can set a card to skip your opponent's turn in retaliation.
Chimera Fusion can help your on-field monsters dodge targeting interruption like Imperm and Effect Veiler. Keep this in mind when activating effects!
Summon your Illusion monsters in defense position. Since they all have the effect "cannot be destroyed by battle" except Diabellze, they form a robust defensive wall, especially against Tenpai.
Droll and Lockbird usually stops this strategy since it needs multiple searches per turn. Shifter also severely limits what the deck can do as well.
- This deck can comfortably play the powerful infamous floodgate "There Can Be Only One." When going first vs. a deck susceptible to it, side them in!
- Other floodgate targets for you to summon with Chimera Branded are: Barrier Statue of the Abyss (Dark Attribute lock), Chaos Hunter (Anti-Banish floodgate), and Koa'ki Meiru Doom (Anti-Light/Dark effects). If you're playing for time, you can summon Red Resonator to gain lifepoints.
- A gimmicky (since it isn't searchable) but powerful combo is available with Fusion Armament. Activate Armament revealing Naturia Exterio to special summon Naturia Beast (although its negated) from the Extra Deck. Go through your Chimera combo sending Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the GY to banish Naturia Beast until the End Phase. When it comes back during your End Phase, it won't be negated anymore!
- If you have Crossout Designator and you're summoning Berfomet the Mythical King of Phantom Beasts, you can easily summon any Fiend or Beast floodgate from deck. Activate Crossout, banishing your Fiend/Beast floodgate of choice. Go through Chimera combo and eventually send Berfomet the Mythical King of Phantom Beasts to the GY. During your opponent's turn, banish Berfomet to summon your floodgate from the banished pile!
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Yugi's Chimera deck has reached new powerlevels thanks to the modern retrain of Apprentice Illusion Magician - Nightmare Apprentice! Diabellze serving as the flagship floodgate for Chimera seems kind of ironic and funny, since she's used in Chimera more so than in her own archetype. As a "Yugi-Boomer" myself, I take great pride and joy playing oldschool retrains of cards hearkening back to early 2000s Yugioh - and the Chimera cards are exactly that!
GLHF Duelists!
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