Chupi-Roes, Destined for Greatness (HERO, Post BODE)

Feels good to be back home. I've stared at black card borders for so long that I've practically forgotten what it was like back at my usual stomping grounds.

Yes, I'm talking about my earliest days in the realms of the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Watching GX online, developing a probably odd affinity for one Mr. Jaden Yuki and his crazy costumed warriors, trading my Performapal/Odd-Eyes deck for a slightly modified HERO Strike Structure Deck and proceeding to tune it up into a well-oiled machine, and yelling at the top of my lungs with every Fusion and arrival of my favorite harbingers of justice.

 

HEROes have had quite the romp over the years. Stratos had his sentence lifted, Miracle Fusion was one of the craziest and most surprisingly useful cards to make big bosses, Masked HEROes' transition from manga to physical game was second to none, Vision HEROes gave these guys the consistency and bodies on board to put them on the map, I could go on and on. But for the sake of the reader's patience and my burning desire to talk about the deck, onward I go.

 

My affectionately named Chupi-Roe deck (which in no way involves Gunkan Suship, as much as I enjoy both sushi and roe upon it) combines multiple HEROes of origin and allegiance, as many modern HERO decks do, and gives them all home in a comfy package that aims to pop off, fuse and strike with the best of them, and just kick butt and look cool doing it. Or as one of my favorite Yugitubers TheCaliEffect [KingofGames] once said:

"I don't care what kind of board you've got, I'm gonna break it."

And that's precisely how I enjoy playing these bad boys. Plus a gal. Without further ado, let's break them all down. Going in order of sub-archetypes is the name of the game as always, so as to flesh out everyone's role and how they make a tiny part of a stylish and baddie-busting whole.

 

Elemental HERO

Sometimes you just can't beat the originals. You won't find Flame Wingman in this list, as iconic and making me want to belt out Get Your Game On at the top of my lungs as he is. But hopefully the E's you'll find in this section will tickle your fancy nonetheless. Going from odd yet nifty Normal Monsters that produced gimmicky yet cool Fusion bosses to useful Effect Monster builders that produce... the same thing pretty much, no HERO deck can call itself complete without these darlings.

• And of course, no Elemental HERO list can call itself complete without the tried and tested, lavished and loved, banned and unbanned, and stylish and soaring Elemental HERO Stratos. He's an integral part of the team, and even though you might not want to run or see in your hand as many copies as back in the day, it's hard to imagine the deck without him. Summoning him in either fashion, no matter how many times a turn and so long as you don't miss the timing, he gives you the option of either adding a HERO of any kind from your deck to your hand to help start or support your plays, or for every HERO on your field barring himself, pop a backrow card on the field. His ATK's pretty alright for a Level 4 too, at least to me, so you might be able to pick off some lower grunts of your opponents with him. Feel free to play however much of him you prefer, but given recent times I feel two's plenty.


• Keeping up the trend of searching and supporting is the godsend of a manga card turned superstar in the TCG, Elemental HERO Shadow Mist. If you send her to the GY in any fashion, she allows you to search any HERO from your deck much like our propeller-peddling friend above. But should you Special Summon her, she enables the search of something much more spicy and sure to beef up your field: the powerful and protective "Change" Quick-Play Spell. Though we're only playing one kind of that breed of Quickie, which we'll get to in a hot minute, this gives access to parts of your Extra Deck other archetypes DREAM of being as devastating as. Her effect is understandably a super-hard once per turn, however, so choose an effect and choose it wisely.


• He's not a drop in the bucket, he's Lake Superior. Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier was an unexpected addition in Legendary Duelists: Magical Hero, but one that certainly didn't get pelted with spoiled tomatoes either. Although he's a super-hard OPT like Shadow Mist, you'll still get plenty of use out of him. On rare occasions you'll Normal Summon him to revive a Level 4 or lower HERO from grave akin to a certain shining sentinel that'll be up next. But more often than that, you'll be fusing with him for his second effect, allowing you to draw two and pitch one. Never thought we'd see a halfway Graceful Charity in HERO, but there ya go. He's a very welcome recruit, and only needs to be at one to get the most out of him. Fingers crossed when and if Legendary Duelists: Season 3 becomes a thing, he won't set me back $60 like he currently is.


• This is more of a personal pick of mine, but you're free to run it as well. To think a silly tin with Jaden on the front granted me access to such a cool little Ultra Rare. Elemental HERO Solid Soldier's a fun extender that can enable some pretty darn interesting plays. Normal Summon him, and a Level 4 or lower HERO in your grip will follow. This can be Shadow Mist to enable her spicier searching, or Stratos to get those plays started and have another body on board for fusing with. Speaking of fusing, you'll want to do that with Solid Soldier on the field for sure, because when he's sent from the field to the GY by a Spell, he revives any HERO from GY in Defense. So now any HERO can join the party! For the most viable targets, see the previous sentence, heh.


• We didn't get Dark Honest localized as "Dishonest", but we did get one awesome little method to stave off big baddies granted to these fine fighters. Elemental HERO Honest Neos can come in major pinch when someone's looking to bear their claws against your buddies. As a Quickie at any point of the turn, discarding him inspires a HERO on the field with a lovely 2500 ATK, stopping those beasts dead in their tracks. Always helps to have one on standby if you can help it. You never know what big-number bearing blokes would be so brash as to bash your band of baddie busters, bucko. Ah, me and alliteration.

 

• Rounding off the Fusion variety of Elemental HEROes is possibly my personal favorite, not just in HERO, but in possibly the entire game. I dunno why his appearance and effects speak to me. Maybe it's the idea that no matter what walk of life you're from, like these HEROes, he bands them together and shines down upon everyone to inspire and burn with radiant passion. That's right, I'm talking about Elemental HERO Sunrise. And let me tell you, he's a glue that holds all these HEROes together. Fusing him using two HEROes of differing Attributes shouldn't be too hard, you've got loads of Elementals to help with that. Once he is fused, he allows you to add the lovely Miracle Fusion to your hand to set up for a fun friend later. His second effect can be awesome, too. Once an attack's declared involving another HERO of yours, he lets you pop any card on the field. This can help with taking care of beefier foes and pesky backrow, but it also means that if your opponent DARES call a scrap with one of Sunrise's buddies, they're not getting out of it scot-free. Atop all that, he gives your monsters more power for every Attribute on your field, and when it comes to a certain Destiny HERO that'll hit the scene sometime, it can make all the difference.


• This is the big guy you'll be saving Miracle Fusion for. Elemental HERO Absolute Zero is absolutely astute. Being the only omni-HERO to not specify an Elemental HERO as its primary material has its perks, which opens the floodgates for potential material to create him with. Once he hits the field, he becomes a ticking time bomb your opponent's gotta handle with caution if they wanna get out unscathed... because should they make a wrong move or force your hand, having him leave the field unleashes an automatic Raigeki upon your opponent. Say hi to the snowman from the Campbell's commercial, friendo.

 

Vision HERO

Initially being in the manga under the control of Jaden's antithesis Aster Phoenix, these optical ooh-aah-ers are responsible for a pricey yet reliable consistency and Foolish-ing engine and plenty of extra bodies on board for you to fuse with. Don't turn your nose up at the way they look, they can really come in handy when the situation calls.

• Better yet, the situation almost always calls for this guy. Vision HERO Faris definitely deserves another shot at pack-peddling along with the friend of his that's popping up next. Discarding a HERO lets you summon him to the field, which is great enough since it de-bricks your hand and sets up your later GY effects, but it gets better. Upon summon, Faris fetches a Vision HERO from deck to place into your backrow as a Continuous Trap. And I can already see you squiggling your eyebrows like California's seismic activity, but hear me out. The target for this effect is going to make all the difference...


• ...so be sure to make that bullseye (or triple 20, since that gives the most points) with Vision HERO Increase. In the backrow, he tributes a HERO of yours to take its place on field. And immediately after, he summons a Level 4 or lower Vision HERO from the deck instantly. This is starting to sound like a bit of an assembly line, funnily enough. Faris to Increase to the HERO that's been amazing for the strategy ever since initial printing---


• ---Vision HERO Vyon! You'll be seeing a lot of this guy, and want to. Upon summon, he sends a HERO from your deck to the GY, enabling the aforementioned second hand thing that Faris can. But it doesn't stop there, because he also allows you to banish a HERO that's already done its job from the GY (more than likely Faris) to add the ever-iconic to GX Spell card Polymerization to your grip. By the way, which one's your favorite? The swirly blue vortex, or the two dragons going into the card?

 

• Apologies in advance if I bring up a certain pink-vested criminal pelter once or twice in this bullet point. But Vision HERO Trinity is the perfect example of extensive, brutal, and stylish beatdowns much like Mr. Pinkie's golden child. Requiring three HEROes of any kind with no further stipulations, he makes a great closer or another method to dispose of problematic monsters in a fight. On the turn you fuse him, his attack doubles to 5000, and if you feel perky and have Honest Neos give him a boost, it's a downright frightening 7500. If that doesn't make you run to your dresser to replace an article or two, this next point will: he gets three attacks every battle phase. Meaning even if your opponent's got a swarmed field of big bads or destruction-prevents one of their attacked monsters, they're still spices yet to be made and Trinity is the mortar and pestle. With all that considered, how can you not shout a certain "M" word verbatim as you sock your opponent's monsters like a sadistic doctor?

 

Destiny HERO

Normally I don't really buy into the idea of destiny and instead believe nothing's written and it's all up to those with drive and resolve to make the difference they want to see in the world (Thanks for that, Fire Emblem Awakening), but for Aster's dark and cool fellow Warriors, I'll make an exception. Besides, without them, we wouldn't get easily one of the best Spells HERO ever got, so by all means, Mr. Phoenix. Allow me to describe your darlings destined for decking doofuses deftly in daring detail.

• The one you all know by heart thanks to a certain list full of certain cards under certain stipulations is Destiny HERO - Malicious. If you ask me, he didn't do nothin' to nobody, but thanks to a new friend it's not necessarily much of a problem anymore. You'll definitely be binning this card through the methods of Faris, Vyon, Poly, or that enviable Spell we'll get to in due time. Just let that suspense simmer with a bay leaf and some parsley in there, then serve it with parmesan or mozzarella for a delightful dinner of a deck your dame will devour. Overly long quips aside, once in the GY, Mali can be banished to summon a copy of himself from the deck, extending your plays and setting up for more summons of big bosses. A welcome addition to the team undeniably. And with the next guy on the list, you won't be pulling your hair out at Konami's restriction decisions much longer.


• Come to think of it, this guy accepts things despite what his name implies. Destiny HERO - Denier is primo GY fodder for sure. While he's chilling out there, so long as you have a Destiny HERO upon your field or grave, he can summon himself for free. This can only happen once per Duel, however, so once it's up make use of his next effect again with any number of your revival effects. Upon summon, he allows you to place any Destiny HERO from your GY or banished zone atop the deck. Remember the guy just above? Wouldn't it be nice if you could, say, not be locked to summoning him by his effect once per game without Pot of Acquisitiveness or similar effects? Then open your eyes, the wait is over!


• Just like our good tuxedo-clad friend above suggests, you'll surely end your opponent's destiny with the life force of all things. The unstoppable Destiny HERO - Plasma is just as blood-curdling as the day he was first printed. Special Summoning him by tributing three monsters isn't too hard considering all the extra bodies you'll be able to pull up thanks to the Vision and Destiny HEROes you'll more than likely have left over, not to mention the fun extenders the deck has on offer. Your opponent's in trouble when this garish gorer rises up, now that they're officially under a one-sided Skill Drain. If that wasn't enough, prepare to "Ooooooooooooh~!" like a cartoon-craving curator we know all too well, because Plasma can also dig his claws into an opponent's monster to Relinquished them and sap half their ATK for himself. You might not summon him all the time, but when he is, you're golden. In fact, he's part of the reason getting Nibiru'd barely makes me sweat with this deck, and a brand new Spell makes him all the better.


• This next one's a flex slot, in terms of Destiny HEROes to run and use for this and that. You could run Destiny HERO - Dynatag, for example, for an odd way of Kuriboh-ing your opponent and subsequently amping up a Destiny HERO by a full stack for two turns, especially if it's a certain swiping son of a gun. Alternatively, you could run Destiny HERO - Decider for potential burn protection and also to retrieve a HERO from grave at the end of your turn. And I bet most will run Destiny HERO - Drawhand since he's a freebie and he, well, draws you a card. But he also gives your opponent a card, and I'm a little iffy on that. I'd rather not contribute to my opponent's hand advantage if I can help it, but don't let that stop you from running him yourself.

 

• Daring Destiny HEROes don't stop with orange card borders, though. Let's give them some thematically-fitting purple ones for good measure. And oh boy, in Burst of Destiny, they get a heck of a boss you're going to want to bring out as soon as possible. Destiny HERO - Destroy Phoenix Enforcer is an amazing ash-monger with plenty of boom and brashness to spare. Continuously, he drops the ATK of your opponent's monsters for every HERO card in the grave, but you're more than likely here for his Quickie. And boy howdy, what a Quickie it is. At any point of the turn, you can activate his effect to destroy a card you control and then another card on the field anywhere. So even if your opponent targets the winged mastermind for disruption, you can chain his effect to wreak some havoc. You're almost certain to target himself to be popped, as upon destruction, during the next Standby Phase, he revives a Destiny HERO of choice from the GY, more often than not himself because let's be honest: is an effect like that really worth only using once? I hear people are starting to run Destiny HERO - Dasher to make material for him, but ah... contrary to his name, making use of his effects is slower than molasses. So you're better off just using Malicious and Denier with Poly after searching/summoning them or with the prime card to create DPE with if you ask me. Promise, you won't notice the difference.


• You might not make him too much, but that's not to say he hasn't earned his place here. Reminding me of a big burly erasing doofus from a crazy noisy bizarre town (apologies again for the references), Destiny HERO - Dystopia actually brings you a paradise when he pops up. Upon hitting the scene, he targets a Destiny HERO in grave and burns your opponent proportional to that monster's ATK. Prepare to hear that abbreviation a bit more, because his next effect deals with it as well. If Dystopia finds his own is different than usual for any reason, he reverts it back to normal and decides "You know what? If my ATK can't be what it wants to, neither can you", in reference to a card on the field he'll be targeting to render destroyed. His material's not as particular as DPE, so you won't be sweating over making him.


• Rarer than the average steak cooked during the taste-testing segment on Kitchen Nightmares is the sight of Destiny HERO - Dangerous being summoned off a certain Spell. He's really only there for that, because if you thought Dystopia's materials were generic, this guy's a cakewalk. Any Destiny HERO monster and DARK Effect monster bring him out, so he's more or less here as a Foolish Burial for those two monsters. And since the latter one's the definition of generic, who's a DARK monster who provides instant benefit upon hitting the grave? That's right, Shadow Mist! So if your opening hand's not as fancy as you'd like it to be, you can use that silly spell I'm mercilessly teasing to bin her, get another body on the board to summon with, and get cracking on with your plays like nothing ever happened.

 

Masked HERO

Those of you that have read the manga or gotten your hands on the HERO Strike Structure Deck ought to know these folks like the back of your hand. Some of you may be astonished at the idea of summoning a Fusion monster off only a single material. But hey, sometimes one body on the board's all you need to cause some ruckus. And that's especially true of these guys.

• Possibly the best HERO monster ever conceived, drawn, printed, and made available in plentiful quantities due to HERO Strike, Masked HERO Dark Law's utility cannot be overstated. Despite the fact he's not as rich in ATK as your other Fusion monsters, he more than makes up for it in his effect. Wouldn't you know it? A one-sided Macro Cosmos is STILL amazing in this game, especially with the prevalence of decks that use the GY as a second hand. If that wasn't enough, as a soft OPT, should your opponent draw or search outside the Draw Phase or Damage Step, Dark Law takes notice and puts one card in that grip of theirs with the rest of their would-be GY tools. It's no wonder why we run two, especially if it means providing protection against targeted disruption for the DARK-Attribute HERO used to make him.


• Another DARK friend with a concealed identity is Masked HERO Anki. He's definitely got some biceps to spare, 2800's a pretty good number. And he's proud to have it, as upon destroying a monster by battle and it hitting the GY, he searches another "Change" Quick-Play Spell you can immediately use to get another Masked HERO from the Extra Deck and another attack and powerful effect to unleash. You might see him pop up in Duel Links more often, but that's not to say he's not useful in the real deal either.


• If you use Absolute Zero to make this monster, you're either in a pinch, or weirdly sadistic. I won't judge, however. If a tool like that exists in a deck and is easily accessible, why would you not use it? Indeed, I'm referring to the trigger-happy harbinger of melting madness, Masked HERO Acid. Immediately as he hits the field, he unleashes his built-in Harpie's Feather Duster (hard to believe it's legal again after so long) and drops the ATK of your opponent's field by 300 each. Definitely worth Quickie-ing Liquid Soldier or Absolute Zero away to make Swiss cheese of your opponent's backrow.


• Should your Stratos find itself under fire for disruption, one "Change" Quickie later, he's safe and in his place is the prime rocket-kicking scarf slinger, Masked HERO Blast. Upon hitting the field, he halves the ATK of one of your opponent's monsters. But he can also, as a Quickie, have you pay 500 LP to return a pesky backrow card of your opponent's to the hand. Useful if you're looking to go into battle or if it's the end of the turn and the card's been set the same turn. You won't see him a whole lot, but I still go wild for his speedy antics.

 

Xtra HERO

Links? In a Fusion deck? Well, it is post-2015. Hard to see an Extra Deck these days without at least a smidgen of blue in it. Surprisingly, these guys help HERO a lot, especially the first two. Whether you found them in the Legendary Hero Decks or Dark Neostorm, you're definitely thankful to have these on your side.

• The shockingly common and useful Xtra HERO Cross Crusader makes headlines for good reason. Thanks to your binning and fusing business, you're more than likely to have a Destiny HERO in grave to revive for his primary effect. Secondarily, and building off the first, he tributes a Destiny HERO to add any HERO with a different name from your deck. Is that an unreal amount of searching, or what? It's impossible for me to imagine playing Pot of Prosperity in a deck like this, man.


• Never thought I'd see the day where this cost more than the other Xtra HEROes combined, but I won't really complain. I was years ahead the market and got a good bit of this stuff on the cheap because of my morbid curiosity anyways. Staff in hand and visor in view of victory, Xtra HERO Wonder Driver can do a whole lot for your deck. Upon summoning a HERO either way at link point, he grants you the amazing effect of targeting a Polymerization, Fusion Spell, or "Change" Quickie in your grave and setting it back to the field. It's amazing if you were to, say, make Sunrise at his link point, set the Poly you used for him, and then use it again for someone like DPE or Trinity. Or even bring out a Masked HERO to his link point and then set the Quickie you used for the summon back to be chained to something later. Yeah um... I think I can see why it's such a big deal now.


• If firepower's what you're looking for, here it is. Xtra HERO Dread Decimator shows up when you've already Cross Crusaded and you're ready to lay the damage on thicker than the wallets of those who own GameStop stock. For himself and the HEROes in any of his three link points, he provides 100 more ATK for each HERO in the grave, and he himself pierces. Yeah, he's got a bit of investment and really only exists to break through big walls, but I'd be lying if I said tearing down those walls his way wasn't cool as anything.

 

Spells

Alright, enough dawdling! I've teased you about that one Spell long enough, as hard not to imagine its title it may be. HEROes make use of a good bit of super cool cards to get the job done, it's honestly astonishing how many of these you can use and still play through disruption so long as you've got one or two to spare in your hand. Least, way I've seen my hand on a good day.

• Consistency's dripping from the ceiling at this point. E - Emergency Call (haha yes funny internet letter) give you a selection of any Elemental HERO of any walk of life and any level. Whether you need a Stratos to start your plays, a Shadow Mist to bin, a Solid Soldier to enable said Stratos or Shadow Mist, an Honest Neos to protect yourself, or a Liquid Soldier to Poly away for Sunrise and get to generating card advantage, this very lovely vowel is at your side.


• And if that's not enough for you, there's the "If it's Limited it's definitely useful so why not" alternative search tool, Reinforcement of the Army. Y'all know the drill if you've played HERO, Phantom Knights, or any number of other worthwhile Warrior decks in the past. Any Warrior at Level 4 or below will be saying "Hi" with this in your hand. But that's not the only way to get your important tools out.


• Another Limited and too good to pass up card is the freebie-allowing, advantage-netting, potentially Ash-baiting A Hero Lives. You love to see it in your opener, don't lie. With a field barren of face-up monsters, you can exchange half your LP for the summon of a Level 4 Elemental HERO from the deck. More often than not, Stratos for the searching thing he's known for or Shadow Mist to get to masquerading. Do NOT pass up the opportunity to fire this off if it's between your fingers.


• What the heck, let's knock one more Limited Spell off the list. I'd prefer if Called by the Grave was at another copy or two, but I guess it being here now means more room for other useful cards. Anyways, you're more or less running this if your opponent gets to gumption to drop certain cards in their grave whenever you play certain cards. You know the ones. You can barely take a sip of water and they'll be around the corner waiting to siphon every last drop, mark my words.


• With those out of the way, onto the cards that make big bad boys with the purple borders. Y'all know Polymerization, I'm sure. Tossed around in Duel Monsters, and even more in GX when Fusions became dedicated archetype bosses instead of slightly more powerful vanillas. Your go-to way of putting this classic into play is with Vyon, that monocular main man. What is it with the Level 4's in this deck being as good as they are?


• You're always glad to have this when your opponent's targeting one of your HEROes to disrupt or you're looking to make another HERO at Wonder Driver's link point during your opponent's turn to keep the chainable ball rolling. Searchable off Shadow Mist, Mask Change is blessed by the little lightning symbol in the top left, meaning you can respond with it and even use it during the Battle Phase to tag out a monster that's already attacked for a stronger one that can give you an additional shot at getting a good hit in. Try and keep at least one on hand or set in your backrow if you can help it. Guarantee you won't regret it.


• Here we go, the other reason Dark Neostorm is so well-revered. Fusion Destiny and the favors it does for HERO are comparable to Time Thief Perpetua in Time Thief; there's just a world of difference and you'll never go back. For the simple fact it lets you fuse using cards in your deck, it both works to Foolish cards like Malicious, Denier, and Shadow Mist so you can make use of their effects and also makes a powerful body on the board. And if it means DPE can come of its activation, you bet your bottom dollar we're running three of these. Keep in mind that after you use it, you can only Special Summon DARK HEROes, so do your best to get Wonder Driver, Sunrise, and Absolute Zero out beforehand if you need.


• Transitioning into another signature fusion Spell for another sub-archetype, Miracle Fusion makes headlines for being one of the first cards to fuse using cards that weren't in the hand. It's here to allow Absolute Zero to make waves (or rather, deadly drafts) after Sunrise nets it for you, or for Sunrise himself if you need some extra leeway to make your plays and nothing else seems to be up and running at that time. So for situations like that, it's earned the name.


• Now here's a surprising twist of fate. A Plasma searcher that also grants protection when he's present? Odd. But we'll roll with it. D - Force is kinda interesting, methinks. With all the searching HERO does, to think there's a Continuous Spell that does it now akin to Live Twin Sunny's Snitch and Fire Formation - Tenki. I won't complain, Konami'll be Konami. Anyways, upon activation, this bizarre concoction of what was once anime-exclusive tomfoolery nets you a Plasma upon activation, and provides two perks and one drawback while he's up. Drawing during the Draw Phase becomes out of the question, cards you control can't be targeted by effects, and Plasma, hoo boy. Becomes 100 ATK stronger for every monster in the GY's, is non-destructible, and can attack twice. Good LORD this deck's got bosses out the wazoo, and Plasma is seriously crazy now because of it.

 

Traps

Something I like about HERO is that they've got a good bit of flex spots for backrow. Though I guess you could say that for plenty of other decks these days. You can run pretty much whatever you like instead of these or what's in your price range, but these are what I feel work for me personally.

• Feels blasphemous to start with a monster, but it may as well be a trap, you could say. Effect Veiler can be pitched during your opponent's Main Phase to target one of those monsties of theirs and shut them up for the remainder of the turn. I tend to use these on big scary setup pieces so there's only a calm and no storm when it's time for me to play, or when the dreaded Anaconda rears its head. Though, it's not his fault I get jumpy upon seeing him. No points for guessing whose it actually is, however.


• We don't wanna be on the receiving end of those kinds of cards. Your 'Gekis, your No Mores, your floodgates or omni-"no"'s, and you definitely don't wanna get sent to The Mine. So just in case those happen and those are a worry to you, get yourself a Solemn Judgement or Solemn Strike to help you sleep at night. They won't creep up on you no matter how nyctophobic you tend to be.


• Another card I wish wasn't Limited so I could still play the game despite "those" kinds of people is Red Reboot. It was basically designed for going second doofuses like me. Your opponent activates a trap, you show them this, trap goes back down, and although they can set another trap from their deck, no traps can activate on their side for the rest of the turn. Yeah, it's risky and plus's your opponent, but still being able to play the game's appealing to me. Plus, on the off chance they give you that trap on your turn, you can activate it from your hand at the cost of half your LP. I bet by now you probably think I have some sorta vendetta against my silly 8000, but I guess I'm just a "Pay first, act defensively later" kinda guy.

 

Side Deck

If certain cards in this deck aren't quite to your taste, that's totally fine! I'm not here to tell you how to play this silly thing, but I guess that's kinda what I'm doing right now, heh. Regardless, here are some alternatives I think might be nifty.

• If veiling effects isn't your thing, see how busting heads suits you. Skull Meister's a card I didn't really expect to see play too much, but I guess part of a TCG is you never know what's gonna become good sought-after. If your opponent tries to activate an effect in their grave, pitch this guy and you won't see much of that effect anymore. There may be a cuter and more broad-area-covering version of this card in Duel Devastator and other such odd sets, but we all know about Konami and their waifu tax.


• As far as backrow cards, it's the same story more or less. You could run Mask Charge for Mask Change and HERO recovery, Night Beam for backrow popping that's harder for your opponent to respond to, Monster Reborn to well, Reborn things, and Dark Ruler No More if the thought of a field full of jerks ready to tear your cards a new one going second is a concern of yours.


• Now here's a way Solid Soldier can dodge disruption. Masked HERO Dian's surprisingly strong at 2800/3000. But I suppose you don't don diamond getup for nothing. When she pops a monster in battle (I think it's a she?) and has it GY-bound, she summons a Level 4 HERO from the deck. Gets you another body and has the muscle to back it up, not too bad all things considered.


• If Sunrise seems too restrictive to act as a double HERO bin with Polymerization, then turn your eyes to Vision HERO Adoration, like the way his name seems to imply lots of people do. His effect's kinda situational but alright, targeting an opponent's monster and one of your HEROes on field to drop the first's ATK by the second's for the turn. Personally if I'm gonna bin two HEROes for a body, I want that body to be smoking and strong, hence my run of Sunrise. But again, that's not to knock people who prefer other methods. It's just me nuzzling my cheek up to weird stuff I enjoy.


• Looks like Absolute Zero's not alone as far as omni-HEROes in this deck go. Elemental HERO Escuridao is someone you'd care to tango with should you want to do fun bashing stuff with an Elemental and any Destiny or Vision HERO you happen to have spare. He (or she) gets 100 ATK for every Elemental HERO in grave, which is alright for what it's worth. If you really wanna go extreme, put it up at link point with Dread Decimator while Sunrise is up with another non-LIGHT or DARK Attribute or two while DPE's also there chilling and you've got an Honest Neos waiting in case your opponent somehow surmounts all that. Eh, maybe that's a little overboard. Sunrise and DPE alone do it for me.

 

So there's the deck once more. Whether heroes are born or made, I don't regret making this deck at all. Fingers crossed DPE and Denier aren't like, some crazy rarity like Faris or Increase and therefore require you to take out a mortgage to play the deck. Maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part, though. Anyways, before I close, treat your eyes just a little bit more to some handy play notes I typically keep at the bottom of these lists.

 

Handy Play Notes

• When you're up to bat, try and play through or scout for any of your opponent's hand traps or disruptions if you can. Use cards like D - Force and A Hero Lives first just to be sure they're not saving anything for you, and when the hatches for that are down, go into your bread and butter stuff like Stratos, Faris, Solid Soldier and the like. When your plays in this deck can't get off the ground, it hurts. Or as Chumlee would describe, totally not-licious.


• Keep an eye on your super hard OTP's Shadow Mist and Liquid Soldier. For example, can you search a HERO with another card you have right now? If so, might be worth it to use Shadow Mist to fetch a Mask Change so Dark Law and the gang can be on the prowl later when your opponent least expects it. Do you wanna revive a HERO when you're in a pinch or use your own original card Blaceful Blarity? It can be a really weird feeling when you slip up on these things and realize too late, so just thought I'd add that little note here.


• If you're a Sunrise or Adoration up but a DPE and Fusion Destiny short, plan ahead by getting Malicious and Denier to hand or field early on, then Poly either of those two Fusion guys at the start to Wonder Driver's link point, re-set the Poly in grave, then use it again to fuse Mali and Denier away into DPE or Dystopia, then those orange-bordered little scamps can run free about the GY once more.


• Remember that once you plop Fusion Destiny down and it goes off, DARK HEROes are all you can Special for the rest of the turn. So I stress again that you should get your differently-Attributed boys on board ahead of time, like Sunrise and Wonder Driver, to get use out of them and still be able to make DPE or Dystopia with ease.


• If you find yourself taking damage, feel free to place an Increase in grave into your backrow with his effect. Sure, you may have already had the whole Faris line come and go, but if you've still got Vision HEROes in deck and maybe an extra Vyon, why not? At the very least, it's extra bodies for say, Plasma or any number of your Xtra or Masked HEROes.

 

And there we go. Another HERO deck in the works. Feels good to touch the green, green grass of home once more. And if it stays like this, I doubt you'll find me too far from here in the future. Hope I helped inspire you towards HEROes and how they bravely stand up to whatever board their opposition happens to put before them! They're stylish, varied, and oddly priced, but I wouldn't trade them for the world. Or my affinity towards any other version of the anime, either.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be off chilling out with the crew in the schoolyard, causing trouble but never looking too hard.