Crystron recently got new support in Master Duel, and it is actually quite powerful. That, and the facts that Crystron doesn't care about Bystials, has solid grind game capabilities and has good in-engine answers to popular decks like Fiendsmith (Quariongandrax) and Blue-Eyes (Quariongandrax and Cluster) make it a very solid pick right now. You could play it completely pure, but the Speedroid package and the Millennium engine facilitate the Crystron gameplan and can provide extra disruption or going 2nd capabilities.
This is one of those decks where it can take a little time to click with, but once it does, it is very fun and competent. I was able to reach Master I this season using this list, so let's start breaking it down, starting with the Crystrons themselves.
Crystron is a Synchro archetype focused on Machine monsters. Their tuners have some quick effect to allow for Synchro Summoning during the opponent's turn. Then, each of the Crystron Synchro monsters has some effect when summoned, and float into some monster when destroyed. Most main deck Crystron monsters also have some kind of effect in the GY. Be mindful that many of the Crystron effects lock you into Machines or Machine Synchro monsters.
- Crystron Quariongandrax is the Crystron boss monster. It requires 2+ tuners and 1 non-tuner, but when Synchro Summoned it lets you banish monsters from your opponent's field or GY, up to the number of synchro materials used (generally 3), making it very strong in the current meta. For example, summoning it during your opponent's turn destroys the Fiendsmith engine.
- To allow summoning Quariongandrax during the opponent's turn (as well as other synchros), the strongest tuner is the newly added Crystron Tristaros. It lets you, in response to an opponent's card effect, Special Summon a Crystron monster from deck and immediately Synchro Summoning using that monster. To make Quariongandrax, you want to use Crystron Tristaros + Crystron Citree + a Level 5 (Sulfefnir, Sulfador, or Dawn Dragster after using the negate), so generally Tristaros will summon Citree from the deck. Since Tristaros effect works during either turn, you can use it as a normal summon before starting your other combos to play around your opponent's interactions.
- For the deck to work, you need some Level 5's. Crystron Sulfefnir is the original one, which can summon itself from hand or GY by discarding a Crystron card, then it destroys a card on your field. You can destroy itself, since its second effect is to summon any Crystron from deck when destroyed. Crystron Sulfador on the other hand was added in the newest wave of support - it can summon itself from hand or GY by destroying a Crystron card on the field, and on summon it is a double foolish burial for the archetype, which is massive and helps set up all your plays (remember, most Crystron monsters do something in GY).
- Crystron Smiger is the card you generally want to get into the GY to kickstart your plays (hence why you want to play Clockwork Knight as a Link 1 that you can use Smiger as material. It lets you banish itself from GY to search for a Crystron Spell/Trap, which will usually be Crystron Inclusion, the newly added continuous spell that is just incredible, letting you add any Crystron card on activation, reborn a Crystron by banishing itself from GY, as well as having a bonus battle protection effect. Inclusion is essential for the deck, and can function either as a starter, extender or as a combo piece.
- Crystron Eleskeletus is the new Level 7 Synchro for the archetype. While it is a very solid card, it is not a boss monster itself, functioning more as an essential combo piece that can also help with the grind game. On summon, it adds back a Crystron card from GY or banishment (could be something you foolished with Sulfador, discard fodder for Sulfefnir, or simply a card for a follow-up play), and on destruction it revives a Crystron monster from GY or banishment. The attack reduction also comes up sometimes.
- The remaining Crystron monsters are Crystron Thystvern, which has a very solid effect in GY to search for any Crystron monster; Crystron Prasiortle, which is not essential in the deck but it has a neat effect that lets you summon a Crystron from hand; and Crystron Ametrix, a budget Level 5 Synchro that is ok, but not essential since it rarely comes up.
- The final piece that puts this deck together is Crystron Cluster, a continuous trap that lets you recycle resources to destroy face-up cards your opponent controls, every turn. It's a phenomenal endboard piece that's also easily accessible: you can get it with Smiger if you already have Cluster, send it to the GY with Sulfador to add back with Eleskeletus, or add it with Cluster if you don't need anything else from it.
The Speedroid package (Speedroid Terrortop + Speedroid Taketomborg) is included mainly to make Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss, which can send Crystron Smiger to the GY, giving you access to the Crystron combos. Alternatively, if you already have combo, you could make an S:P Little Knight for a little extra disruption, especially when going 2nd.
The Millennium engine is also very good in this deck. Any of the 3 cards will let you go into The Zombie Vampire to get you GY setup or, alternatively, you can make Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord to play around handtraps such as Nibiru. In addition, during the Millennium combo you use Snake-Eyes Doomed Dragon, which has a useful effect that can help break boards going 2nd. The fact that Wedju Temple places a monster from hand in the S/T zone, and then you send them to GY for Doomed Dragon can also help getting a Smiger or Thystvern that's stuck in your hand into the GY, and it's also free if you use Sulfador or Sulfefnir since they both can be summoned from GY.
You could play around with ratios (some people play more or less copies of the Golem that Guards the Millennium Treasures), but one thing is certain: I prefer the Millennium engine over other engines such as Horus since it has no main deck bricks and doesn't care about Bystials at all.
As for the remaining cards in the Extra Deck:
- F.A. Dawn Dragster is a Level 7 Machine Synchro that negates spells/traps by reducing its level (the level reduction actually matters in this deck, since it turning into a Level 5 lets you use it as material for Quariongandrax or a Cyber Dragon Nova in some cases). It should be part of your endboard or summoned during the opponent's turn. You should probably play 2 copies (replacing, for instance, the Ametrix); I only played 1 copy since I didn't want to craft more URs, but the 2nd one comes up somewhat often.
- Cyber Dragon Infinity (which you make by overlaying Cyber Dragon Nova) is an omni-negate that should also be part of your regular endboard, since this deck easily puts up Level 5 Machine monsters (Sulfador and Sulfefnir).
- Samurai Destroyer is a useful Level 7 Synchro that can help playing around your opponent's mass removal. For example, if your opponent activates Nibiru, you can chain your Tristaros and make Samurai Destroyer; then, when Samurai Destroyer goes to the GY, you can revive a Machine and keep going from there. The battle phase effect could come up sometimes as well.
- Baronne de Fleur is not a Machine synchro, but it comes up more often than you'd think. You can make it with Tristaros or Citree + Sengenjin or Doomed Dragon.
The endboard you are usually aiming for includes Infinity (omni-negate) + Dawn Dragster (spell/trap negate) + Cluster (pop), potentially Quariongandrax setup as well (banish 3 monsters), plus any non-engine you might draw. It might not seem like much at first glance, but it's actually tough to play through, and the deck is very consistent at doing so. If you have access to the Millennium engine, you can sometimes add a Number 90, Baronne and/or S:P to the endboard as well.
Here's a basic combo, starting with Crystron Inclusion to end on Infinity + Cluster + Dawn Dragster:
Of course there are variations on the combo depending on the cards you already have in your hand, or what your goals are (for example, instead of sending Cluster you could send Crystron Thystvern for a monster search), but it's enough to get the idea. This 1-card combo only misses out on the Quariongandrax setup, but with the remaining cards in your hand it is often not hard to be able to do it.
That's all I have to say about this deck for now. If you want to see it in action, I've included a video with some nice replays from my climb to Master I. I hope you enjoy it!
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