Bystial Red-Eyes

Welcome to my build of Bystial Red-Eyes!  

Note:

You'll notice that there is very little that has changed from what it was not too long ago, so you can spare your UR wallet for now. 

However, I'm rewriting everything as a means to go even more in-depth with what the deck can accomplish alongside a few playstyle recommendations, for those interested, as well as theorycrafting for even more potential based on the coming additions.

Anyhow, lets start from the very beginning:

Yu-Gi-Oh was a Shonen published in- 

Just kidding. 

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Summary of Red-Eyes

Red-Eyes has been one of those archetypes where there isn't really a dedicated strategy. Since the DM-era, there was only so much they could do with the monster itself considering they showered Dark Magician and Blue Eyes White Dragon with endless amounts of support (albeit, a little lackluster in some cases.) 

REBD falls even lower in this category as no one... really knows... what the deck is *supposed* to do... Which is highly unfortunate as REBD has garnered a bit of a cult following over the years. 

That said, it's safe to assume Konami has tried to employ strategies that were domineering at the time such as Synchro, Fusion or XYZ despite seeing no success, or consistency no matter what they threw at the wall. Heck, it was more likely to see a monster from this archetype in a completely different strategy altogether. 

However, in the year of our Egyptian Gods 2024 (soon to be 2025 at the time of writing this,) we have access to the technology in order to make Red-Eyes greater than it's ever been over the years. 

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Deck Summary, Endboard & Combo Line

This deck goes against what most would consider a Red-Eyes Deck. Sure, we aren't using a lot of the Red-Eyes archetype-specific cards as there's no reason to have them in here to begin with. The ones I've selected are set to enable your Extra Deck plays alongside landing that SWEET REBD KO animation. Don't even get me started on the Gemini monsters. 

While I personally consider this a Red-Eyes deck, others may disagree, which is fine. However, most lists I see are often leaning toward the side of D-Link anyway. Even the existing Equip Card strategy is hindered by the way [Red-Eyes Fusion] functions. The whole archetype itself is disjointed even with the future introduction of the new Metalmorph cards, but this isn't to say that it doesn't have potential and functionality alongside a notoriously dominating archetype to assist in doing so. 

I'm not necessarily advertising this as a Combo Deck either as you're often relying on having your GY, or your opponent's, full in order to get the best value out of your Bystials. If anything, it's like you're playing 11 Handtraps in a Red-Eyes Deck that your Tuners can use to scale up your board. We can still rejoice as now we have Dragoon and an easily accessible Flare Metal Dragon.

To make it seem like we're playing a more dedicated Red-Eyes strategy that can somewhat hold it's own on the ladder, this is the best I've come up with so far. 

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Here's the endboard: 

[Bystial Dis Pater] 
[Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon]
[Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon] 

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Dis Pater acts as the bread and butter.

• The first effect Special Summons any LIGHT or DARK from either Banishment (so long as it is face-up.) This will be useful when you're done climbing in order to extend your board further. Naturally, if you are ahead, you have the chance to summon back any climbing pieces or boss monsters that may have been dealt with prior. (I'm going to be recounting this to the point where you could make it a drinking game.)

• The second effect returns any card to the Deck from either Banishment (regardless of position) in order to destroy a monster or negate it's effect. 
      - Depending on where you return it from will determine which effect will be applied.
        Returning from your own will destroy whereas returning from your opponent's will negate.

While negating seems like the ideal play, be mindful of your bosses you may want to recycle for a fresh summon.

For example... 

Flare Metal Dragon has the effect of forcing your opponent to report their Life Point Total to the IRS. 

In that, if your opponent attempts to resolve an effect, they have to pay 500LP each time (so long as it has a Material.) Not only that, it's somewhat durable given that (so long as it has a Material) it gains immunity to being destroyed by card effects. 

Unfortunately, this card is very easy to out. However, if unharmed, your opponent will have a very difficult next turn. 

Additionally, those Materials can be spent to Special Summon a [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] from the grave. While it may not be wise to do so, you'll find that [Branded Beast] will make it all the more worth it. On top of that, having a Level 7 in a Deck with an semi-easily summonable Level 3 Tuner will extend you into the latter half of your Extra Deck. 

Silver Dragon adds another layer of protection from targeted effects and general destruction. 

On Standby, you can Special Summon a Normal Monster from grave (obviously, Red-Eyes) which is a nice additional, potential, follow-up. 

Most of the time, you'll want to Link this off into Heavenly Spheres once the protection runs it's course. Having a Bystial in hand will secure a Banish from your grave which will setup Silver Dragon to be recycled alongside their effect, given that it protects on Special Summon (thank you for your service, Dis Pater)

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You're probably thinking this endboard is a little weaksauce, to which I'd agree. 

However, the main appeal of this variation is that almost everything is recyclable thanks to Dis Pater and [Branded Regained] with an honorable mention to [Chaos Space] meaning this deck rarely burns out of gas. 

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Hoping this doesn't sound like a unnecessarily lengthy cooking recipe. I mean, we haven't even gotten to my life story yet... 

(Disclaimer: This is merely a hand in which you can accomplish this much in a single turn. There are other directions in which you can take certain lines or prefer certain monsters over what's listed. However, I've found that this is more than sufficient to survive, interrupt and follow-up both on your next turn and your opponent's.) 


The Main Combo Line is as follows: 

In Hand : Ringowurm, Magnamhut or Saronir, Red-Eyes Black Meteor, REBD and Chaos Space.

1. Activate Red-Eyes Black Meteor -> Special Summon + Dump a REBD from Deck. 
2. Activate [Chaos Space] -> send the REBD you have in hand to the GY + Add Lubellion. 
3. Send Lubellion -> search Druiswurm
4. Activate Magnamhut/Saronir -> Banish REBD + Search any Dragon (my go-to is usually [Red-Eyes Soul]) - or - Dump a Bystial after the next step.
5. Special Summon Lubellion using Magnamhut/Saronir -> Lubellion Effect + Search Regained or Beast 
6. Normal Summon Ringowurm -> Synchro Summon Dis Pater -> Dis Pater Effect + Special Summon REBD from Banishment.
7. XYZ Summon Flare Metal -> Special Summon other REBD from GY. 
8. Activate Ringowurm in GY -> Special Summon a Token -> Use Token + REBD to make Azure-Eyes. 

As a bonus, you *could* summon Druiswurm using the REBD in GY after making Azure-Eyes or wait until they drop a DARK or LIGHT in grave. 

Either way... 

BOARD COMPLETE! Cue the balloons! 

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Follow Ups & Tech 

Your main concern is protecting your backrow as it is imperative you have [Branded Regained] and Beast on the field at all times as it will keep recycling Bystials alongside providing a card pop incase you need to throw a wrench in their setup. 

With Druiswurm, Dis Pater, Flare Metal and Silver Dragon on the field, they should have plenty to deal with. 

Whether it's removal or negation of any kind, you can expect your board to be broken. However, in a way, we want this.
As far as your Level 6 Dragons go, they're merely a body + an effect. Take Druiswurm for instance.
While all the Bystials carry a hearty statblock, they're merely Synchro climbers at the end of the day. Hence why, against our better judgement, we're running 3 Ringowurms and handtraps that aren't really that great. 

As you'll find for most Turn 1 plays, your first objective is to fill up your GY as quickly as possible in order to secure a healthy entry for your Bystials *if your opening hand isn't going to generate the recommended Endboard. In this, it's safe to assume that your opponent will not have a LIGHT or DARK in grave which is why we resort to a more forthright, and borderline reckless, line of play. That means, using Veiler on literally anything if you absolutely have to, or just snapping Ogre and Cherries for no return at all. 

Point is, the sooner you can reach Dis Pater with Regained on the field, the more likely you'll have an easier time in the subsequent turns. (This one sentence could be the entire description, really. But I love this Deck too much.)

Now, for the non-archetypal bosses, they're pretty straight-foward, but I need to stress that these aren't going to be the priority. They're simply 'win-more' filler and/or a detour from your usual lines. If anything, they're best utilized in the GY as you can banish almost any of them with hopes of Dis Pater bringing them back. 

On the topic of bosses, I know what everyone is thinking. We're running a single [Dark Magician] for [Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon] which increases our odds for bricking. However, thanks to [Chaos Space] being at 3, we can circumvent any possible bricking as even DM can act as banish-fodder for your Bystials. Though, after a handful of games, Dragoon sits very high up on the priority list as it is an insanely good card for obvious reasons and, now, a great Turn 1 play which makes opening [Red-Eyes Fusion] somewhat useful even if you can't Special Summon after the fact. 

With the effect of popping a monster and dealing damage (for, essentially, free.95) this is basically our DPE. Though, if you are falling behind and need more bodies on the field, [Meteor Black Comet Dragon] can be equally as useful despite it's only purpose being  to burn and float a Normal Monster onto the field. Though, it's a nice feeling when you can fuse into Meteor Black and have [Inferno Fire Blast] in hand which should hit for +4000 Damage. My go-to target for the dump + burn is usually [Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon] as you can always use them as targets for Bystials and bring them back with Dis Pater anyway, same goes for DM in the event you hard-drew them or it somehow ended up in the grave.

The other cards like Chengying, Draco Berserker, Baronne, [Chaos Angel] and Dragon King of Atum are all 'win-more' filler for the most part.

These can be easily replaced with just about anything in the Sideboard (which I'll go over in a bit.) 

The only one I feel could maintain it's staying power is Dragon King solely for the reason that it can Special Summon almost any Dragon from the Deck without negating it's effect. 

• Some Tech cards to note:

[Clear World] is self-explanatory. A little risky as it's a bit more difficult to recur Face-Down banished cards, however it is still possible. Most of your bridges will be REBD/DM and Ringowurm (at least for me.) Main target to search would be literally any Bystial, if possible, or Black Meteor Dragon (mainly to banish from GY in order to search [Red-Eyes Fusion]) 

[Darkest Diabolos, Lord of the Lair] was a bit of a weird fit, but an interesting discovery nonetheless. It's a free Level 8 that can Summon itself from hand or grave so long as you Tribute a DARK monster (of which we have plenty as you can already tell...) Not only that, you can Tribute another DARK monster in order to have your opponent place a card from their hand to the top or bottom of their Deck. The main appeal of this card lies in it's protection against being Tributed along with target protection (oh, the irony.) So, if anything, Diabolos acts as a failsafe in the event your Lubellion gets stomped out. Also, a good way to make use of it's second effect is Tributing Druiswurm and/or [Meteor Black Comet Dragon]. In short, you either trigger a removal effect or a Special Summon REBD/DM. 

[Ringowurm, The Dragon Guarding the Hundred Apples] is our primary Tuner of choice due to the fact that it can Special Summon itself so long as there is a Normal Monster on either field (this includes Tokens as well as it's own.) Not to mention, it can banish itself to make a Wyrm Token that can be used as a Tuner. Plus, since we're using Bystials as well, Regained can recycle Ringowurm back into the deck if you so choose. Alternatively *mentions Dis Pater's SS effect for the umpteenth time, take a drink.* Quite possibly my favorite Tuner ever as it can be slotted into any strategy that uses Tokens and/or Normal Monsters creating more breathing room for strategies that aren't so common.

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The Sideboard

• The Borrel Link/Fusion + Starving Venom package is also pretty fun considering both Borreload and Borrelsword are difficult cards to answer to. We can say this is the more aggressive strategy out of what the Extra Deck has to offer for this setup. The only problem I have with the Super Poly strat is that there's no way to recur the Spell back into your hand/deck unless it was banished in some way which we can't do ourselves, unfortunately. 

• Hope Harbinger and TY-PHON are also solid picks as they're very easy to go into. Especially now, thanks to Diabolos acting as our other Level 8 for Harbinger. 

• Finally, [Sangenpai Transcendent Dragion] was a really funny edition. However, I've only ever summoned them once hence why they're in the Sideboard. It's too much of a commitment early on in order for it to make sense. Kinda falls under the category of 'win-more' filler, but still a powerful card that can very much earn a space in the Extra. 

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Theorycrafting (will be updating periodically as I explore more tech with each coming Pack)

The one card I was anticipating the most was Dragoon which has since been one of the best additions to this Deck by far. 

• That said, I am well aware of the eventual debut of [Red-Eyes Black Fullmetal Dragon] and, to be completely honest, I don't think it's going to be that great in this particular version of the Deck. It shares my gripes with Super Poly as we have no way of recurring the Trap back into the hand or deck, which would otherwise make Fullmetal Dragon a dead card in the event [Enhanced Metalmorph] got milled into the grave. 
Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad card by any means. It just requires going too deep into that particular archetype in order to make it work (and we have trust issues in this household.)

• Another strategy I was considering employing was [White Dragon Wyverburster] and [Black Dragon Collapserpent]. 
It seemed very obvious at first. However, I wasn't too sure on how to utilize Level 4s into a Level 8+ Synchro climb. There most likely is a way to have it all make sense, but it has yet to be explored and playtested on my end (I'll get to it eventually.) 

• After going over potential staple additions such as: [Black Metal Dragon], Seyfert, and [Striker Dragon], I can understand why these would feel like easy slot-ins. However, We're not going for D-Link or trying to make some backwards jank into Zombie Dragon Lord. For starters, what BMD can search for, Magnamhut can search just as much and then some. Granted, it's at the end of the turn, but that's why we're running 2 [Red-Eyes Soul] as it won't matter all that much if we have it in the hand. Especially considering the obvious target would be Black Meteor Dragon which can't use the GY effect until your next turn anyway. Sure, it kind of acts as an enabler for Lubellion in the event you don't have a Bystial at the ready, but the main purpose for have them in the Deck is for dumping a REBD in the grave + having a Level 7 for your Level 3 Tuners. I've played around with Seyfert and quickly realized it wouldn't work. While having cards to dump in the grave is exactly what we need, you end up having a Lubellion, [Chaos Space] or Bystial in hand regardless so there's no reason to disjoint from the usual lines just to "guarantee" a Lubellion in the grave. Lastly, Striker Dragon just has no place here, honestly. I'd much sooner use Romulus, Pisty and [Dragon Ravine] and even those would be a stretch. 

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Match-Ups & Conclusion (will also be updating periodically as I don't remember the matchups off the top of my head + I want to make the list just as lengthy)

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Some notable counters include: 

• Exosisters - This one being the most obvious. Utilizing the GY so much, this matchup is basically the story of Sisyphus except the giant stone boulder is a bunch of mean, rude and angry XYZ Mother Teresas that hate on the Deck completely. 

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With all the copium in the world, I'm yearning for the day that we receive some more dedicated RE support *cough* [Red-Eyes Alternative Dragon] *cough* so that it can, at the very least, gain some semblance of playability utilizing more cards from it's own archetype. 

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I hope you enjoyed this (super-lengthy) guide of my take on Red-Eyes. 

If you have any recommendations for future archetypes, suggestions, critiques on this deck and/or have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or DM me on Reddit (DarkMcChicken) 

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