A new mecha archetype has hit the Yugioh world by storm, and they are none other than Centur-Ions (the TCG name STILL weirds me out lol)!
These machine pilots turbo excel in turboing out level 12 Synchros like no tomorrow, leading to the summon of their primary mechanical win condition - Legatia, draw 1, destroy 1, and end-phase resource generator. However, an ugly face has shown itself once again with the second coming of a "Calamity Lock" in the form of Crimson Dragon -> Hot Red Dragon Archfiend King Calamity.
King Calamity is the true current win condition that Centur-Ion plays right now for competitive success unfortunately, which makes the deck a boring one-trick-pony. Despite the extreme consistency of the deck with 13+ one card starters and incredible grindgame, the deck has difficulty winning with its singular interruption or immediately OTKing the turn after without something supremely oppressively powerful, and King Calamity fits the bill. The King Calamity line is somewhat like a "glass cannon," prone to losing to a single well-timed handtrap or interruption, so despite the decks initial competitive hype, it may be weaker than it is sought out to be.
So despite these flaws, what can be done to *fix* Centur-Ion? Turning to a "control" playstyle with traps - and LOTS OF THEM! With the opponent's gameplan slowed to a halt while you gather resources and summon beatsticks, Centur-Ion can win, even without it's calamitous crutch! (Shoutout to Yacine656 for this decklist and strategy, check his video out!)
Want to see the deck in action? Scroll to the very bottom for the Youtube video!
ARCHETYPES AND DECKBUILDING
The CENTURION deck core is compact because of it's amazing consistency and 1-card starters being only a mere 15 cards. The only Centur-Ion cards that aren't a 1 card starter is Emet VI and Phalanx. Terraforming searches Stand-Up Centur-Ion which by extension is another starter. This brings the deck's total to 13 one-card starters, meaning that having them in your opening hand is extremely likely.
6 FLOODGATES are maindecked in this strategy, being x3 Skill Drain and x3 There Can Be Only One. While your strategy plays unimpeded, your opponent likely cannot play, vastly giving the Centur-Ion player the advantage.
6 SOLEMN cards are played. While notorious for In conjunction for being played defensively, solemn cards can also be used offensively! With the other traps in this deck, Judgment and Strike break boards very easily (for ex. you flip Skill Drain, opponent tries to negate with Baronne, and you counter with Solemn Strike!), allowing the Centur-Ion strategy to play out with safety.
7 NORMAL TRAPS are used in this deck for their power and utility. Again, in conjunction with other traps, Imperms, IDP and Daruma Cannon can pick apart boards to simplify the gamestate so that the Centur-Ion strategy can shine.
6 CARDS THAT USE EXTRA DECK are included, that being x3 Super Polymerization and x3 Pot of Prosperity. The Extra Deck is very loose and customizable with Centur-Ion, so board breaking ability with Super Poly and consistency boosts with Prosperity are used to take advantage of the Extra Deck space.
You may have noticed no handtraps are maindecked with this build of Centur-Ion. This is because handtraps are best in decks that have a solid and robust gameplan so that handtrap interruption can support the strategy. Currently, Centu-Ion seems too frail to withstand too much interruption, so slowing down and simplifying the game with traps seems to be the ideal gameplan (also budget, since the alternative is the Horus engine).
COMBOS AND GAMEPLAN
Centur-Ion's current main combo is linear, and all cards do the same thing and lead to the same outcome. This means that this deck is extremely predictable, very simple and easy to learn. As said before, most Centur-Ion cards are one card starters, and if your first starter gets interrupted/negated, the other starters in your hand can also act as extenders to continue on your combo. For example, if Primera got impermed/veiler'd, you can summon Primera and continue comboing to get your level 12 synchro boss monster, Legatia.
Here is Centur-Ion 1-card combo:
Primera = Legatia (Pop monster, draw 1 and resource generator) + Calamity Lock (Or Omni-negate with Blazar Dragon) + follow-up
- Normal summon Primera to search Stand-Up!
- Activate Stand-Up! Use Stand-Up's effect to send 1 card from hand to GY to place Trudea on the backrow as a continuous trap.
- Special summon Trudea from the backrow.
- Activate Trudea's effect to place itself on the backrow and Emeth VI from deck on the backrow.
- Special summon Emeth VI from the backrow.
- Synchro summon Legatia using Primera + Emeth VI.
- Activate Legatia's on-summon effect to pop a monster with highest ATK your opponent controls (if applicable) and draw 1 card.
- During the End Phase, activate Legatia's effect to place Primera on the backrow as a continuous trap.
- During the opponent's Main Phase, special summon Primera (CL1) and Trudea as a level 8 (CL2) from the backrow.
- CL1 Primera to search a Centur-Ion card (usually Bonds since it's excellent follow-up), and CL2 Stand-Up to synchro summon using Primera + Trudea for Crimson Dragon.
- Activate Crimson Dragon targeting Legatia to synchro summon King Calamity from Extra Deck. (If your opponent interrupts Crimson Dragon so that King Calamity loses it's timing window to resolve it's on-summon effect, summon Blazar Dragon instead).
With one singular card, you've locked your opponent out of the game, and you have ample follow-up for next turn's OTK! (So unfair, I can feel a King Calamities ban on the horizon).
In addition to the King Calamity Lock, the win condition of Centur-Ion is to outgrind your opponent with immense resource generation with Legatia's +1 draw and end phase recursion of Centur-Ion monster cards. If you've slowed down your opponent enough with your trap cards, floodgates and Mr. Calamity, you should be able to out-resource your opponent and win!
GENERAL TIPS
If your opponent interrupts Crimson Dragon so that King Calamity loses it's timing window to resolve it's on-summon effect, summon Blazar Dragon instead. King Calamity is a "when" effect, so it's summon has to be the last thing in a chain - meaning Crimson Dragon's effect to summon Calamity should be the ONLY thing happening for Calamity's "when" effect to resolve successfully.
Be aware of There Can Only Be One's effect to lock your own combo out from resolving. For example, if you already have Legatia on-board, you cannot summon Emeth VI!
If your opponent is targeting your Centur-Ion monster, you can "dodge" their targeting effect if Emeth VI is in your hand or GY! Simply chain Emeth VI's effect to place your monster in the backrow!
If your opponent targets your continuous trap card Centur-Ion monster on the backrow during the main phase, you can "dodge" their targeting effect by simply chaining their quick effect summon!
Centur-Ion Phalanx can banish your continuous trap card monsters in the backrow to summon them next stand-by phase. That's because monsters treated as continuous traps in the backrow are still counted as "monsters" and Phalanx reads "target 1 face-up monster card on the field."
Trap cards are surprisingly effective breaking boards going second. For example, A Skill Drain/Ice Dragon's Prison/Daruma Cannon paired with a Solemn Strike can break open boards with multiple negates! The turn after, you can play your Centur-Ion cards unimpeded.
If Skill Drain is active on the field, Stand-Up! in the field zone while Primera is in the backrow as a trap and a potential level 8 (Trudea or Emeth VI), you can still search with Primera! Summon both Primera and the level 8, then CL1 Primera's effect to search, CL2 Stand-Up! and summon Legatia. Primera left the field, allowing it resolve it's search effect despite Skill Drain!
When you're forced to play second, you can side out your solemns and floodgates for a grand total of 14 blind boardbreakers! You also have 3 Pot of Prosperity, so that means you'll always have access to ways to crack open your opponent's board. Once the gamestate is in your favour, you can continue your usual Centur-Ion strategy in main phase 2.
- Want to see the deck in action? Scroll to the very bottom for the Youtube video!
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Playing this deck, I discovered that Centur-Ion is much more than the infamous "King Calamity Turbo!" In fact, I hardly resolved that combo and effect - most games were actually decided on the relentless Centur-Ion grindgame and devastating impact of backrow traps!
Playing first, this deck is basically guaranteed to win 90% of the time since you have Calamities Lock backed by cards like Solemn Strike and Judgement. Going second, boards are broken and gamestate simplified by trap card, allowing the Centur-Ion to shine - eventually out-resourcing the opponent!
The first wave of support for Centur-Ion is features a surprisingly consistent and robust strategy. Its no glass cannon either, it can take a couple interruptions and given the correct extender, keep on comboing to reach the deck's archetypal boss monster Legatia! I'm excited for the further support in store for these mecha ladies - surely it'll be good enough to pierce the heavens!
GLHF Duelists!
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