Eldl~ish (zombie world eldlich stun - master duel platinum rank 1 list)

I know the list is nothing revolutionnary, but I feel like the couple changes I made actually have a pretty great impact. While not a pure personal tech as well, the three cards zombie world "engine", even though only three cards, really changes the whole dynamic of the deck. They may be only three cards, but everything in the deck tutors for them, making them omnipresent and actually play in every game - which kinda matters a lot in a single game format.

I'dd add in a gameplay section but let's face it, this is still eldlich, deck is pretty self explanatory and easy to pilot. Go hard on zombie world though.

Summary

-Record / going first vs going second
-Why the zombie world focus ? (the crazy impact just three cards have)
-Techs and choices
(introduction/follow-up to the zombie world focus ft rivalry of warlords + small rant on building for a single game format
gozen match - summon limit - foolish burial goods - necroface)
-Footnotes / short thoughts on extravagance vs prosperity

Record

17-3 record from gold 5 to platinum (85% winrate)
24-6 from platinum 5 to platinum 1 (80% winrate)
Overall season 2 record end tally : 41-9 (82% winrate)
1st vs 2nd split : 19-2 going first (90.4% winrate) 22-7 going second (75.8% winrate)

I would like to point out that the deck, while aimed at going first and much stronger in that position, deals very well with going second.

The list is a pretty conventionnal eldlich list, however with still a couple techs and personal choices which have actually won me some games and I don't think have cost me any (granted, of course, my sample size is pretty small) and centered around zombie world.

Why the zombie world focus ? - the crazy impact just three cards have

Useless story you really don't need to read

I didn't start with a zombie world version of the deck, instead starting with a very usual pure stun list and learning the ins and outs of the archetype (I am a returning player, quit a bit before links arrived, about six years ago and came back with master duel). While I mostly enjoyed the playstyle of the deck, I felt that it was missing something, a spark, a power play on top of the pure floodgate based stun (which is also a bit passive to my taste - do not read bad, just, I usually enjoy playing a bit more actively) and some protection.  As well as some combo feeling I usually enjoy having in my decks on a more personal level.

What really caught my eye with the eldlich cards isn't the great consistency, the mighty disruptive power meshed with the ability to play with so many strong floodgates, the oh so annoying resilience of the deck (though, oh my, what flavor, exactly what you should feel from a zombie deck) or even how well every card flows into the others (beautiful sight though, great design), but the fact that they have the ability to support all zombie archetypes. I heavily enjoy archetypes that can serve as generic support to a broad range of decks. I get my fun from building decks. I don't mind playing duels, just, I don't really care about it most of the time beyond seeing my ideas coming to life on the board, which is very fulfilling to me though.

After playing just a couple of duels, I was already crafting decks in my head, from the obvious shiranui/mayakashi and more out there ideas such as skull servants (right here) or even just good old awesome zombie monster mash. Honestly, the ideas flowing in my head and trying to figure out how to make it all work made me excited about yugioh again.

At that time however, and with the limited ressources master duel allows you to have, I wanted to focus on eldlich cards themselves and wanted to give them a little bit of umpf. And - I know this isn't really inventive or anything - it struck me : this world, IT'S A ZOMBEH WORLD ! I had all these zombie decks ideas all of a sudden, and it just felt like the natural step to take.

The zombie world trifecta and how it actually changes the deck

I did a little research and found out about balerdroch and banshee, and well, that's just what the deck needed. Balerdroch and banshee add a lot, and I mean a lot of power to the deck.

Necroworld banshee alone makes it very, very, very (did I mention very ?) consistent to get zombie world out first turn (well, opponent's draw phase, which to be fair, is kind of the continuation of your first turn), which in turn makes rivalry of warlord that much stronger than it already is. That lock alone has won me a great deal of games. So much so that I will go out of my way to get zombie world out, no matter how minus I go (and, well, this is still eldlich we are talking about, you can never go that minus - just, can't go as plus as I could if I didn't force banshee that badly). I rarely set up multiple eldlich in board + grave, I usually only have the one actually, with two of them sitting patiently in the deck - waiting for the next game after I win the current one. I rarely ever have even just two golden lords in play (counting the grave). I do not try to slow roll it, or set up a potential otk, I go hard on zombie world most of my games, and always if I open rivalry. Again, the generic aspect of the eldlich cards is simply beautiful.

Doomking balerdroch. And there he is, the almighty doomking himself, in all of his glory, the one and only balerdroch. Oh my, such a beautiful oppressive beast. Your opponents will scratch their heads over how to deal with the terror. The recurring non targeting banish and negate it grants you just gives you the weapons you needed to reach the next level. It gives you disruption and protection. One of the first cards that come to mind is ariel. Oh my, such a terrifying card, and I mean it. With balerdroch however, you can easily deal with her and protect your eldlich in the grave. And just like his cousin eldlich, he just comes back and back and back, and that's if they can even touch your board in the first place with balerdroch guarding it.

He also makes the mirror a joke, which I like a lot. Makes it so much more comfortable. I have encountered eldlichs quite a couple times and have only lost the mirror once, where I went second and they just opened ice dragon's prison and solemn judgment, which both together shut me down (lost the 50/50 snipe as well) and I got otk'd on turn 3. Died to my own golden lord. Sad times.

As a bonus he can negate an ash at all times regardless of zombie world. Beautiful. If ash herself doesn't prevent his summon in the first place... Not beautiful.

Zombie world is really what ties it all together. Boosts rivalry of warlords to ridiculous levels. Lets balerdroch be the terror that he is supposed to be. And banshee just puts it on the field extra consistently. It also messes a lot with some decks, namely tri-brigade, which need specific types on the field/graveyard.

Ending thoughts on the zombie world trio

These three cards alone make the deck that much stronger in my opinion, especially in a no side deck best of 1 format - and by sheer virtue of simply existing. They prepare you to face any situation and remove bricks from the deck (more on that in the next section). Their presence alone elevates the deck and brings it a step further. If they are in the deck you easily tutor them with all the eldlich cards and if you draw them, well, great, you drew them and can use them, they don't sit dead in your hand like a coltwing would. They give you power, disruption, protection and resilience, at the cost of no consistency. If anything, it makes the deck more consistent.

Techs and choices

Useless and obvious rant (does pave the way for the rest and gives it more meaning...)

There are two kinds of card I despise and try to avoid or minimize at all cost when building a deck : anything that's an inherent minus and potential bricks. Duh, I know.

Don't get me wrong, I loove the halqifibrax auroradon line of play. The sheer combo nature of the line and what you can build from just one card amazes me and makes me feel things inside. I've tried myself to go as far as I could with a one card opening hand, and went with that combo to end up with auroradon and dracossack (aka accesscode talker the following turn), double hot red dragon archfiend abyss, yup, double, true king of all calamities, as you do, and even an d.d. crow in hand for good measures. It was slightly (heavily - read "I had a 16 cards deck which let me mostly control the mills") set up and still took some tries, but man, was it beautiful. However, as grand as the combo is, I hate having to run coltwing. It makes the whole line much stronger, but if you draw it, it just sits dead in your hand and it kinda ruins your play, kills a lot of possibilities. At the same time, you don't want to put more, as it is more potential bricks, you do really want it in the deck however, and, and, and, well, it is just pain and I try to avoid this kind of card as much as possible or mitigate them as well as I can.

As for inherently minus card, unless they have specific synergy with your cards or happen to be unfortunately core to what you're trying to play, I don't even ever consider them. Seeing them in a list makes me unreasonably angry. When I see an exodia list with either mallet or reload I close the video or replay on the spot.

Building for a single game format

Especially in a single game format like we have on master duel, as much as possible, you want to cut bricks or minimize them, even more than usual, and really make your deck have an all around purpose instead of catering to niche situations/countering one specific strategy. Each game being 100% of its value, you cannot, in my humble opinion, afford niche techs (unless they adress your one weakness or something, but then again, is it even niche or a tech then ?). You also do not have the comfort of a side, making each card you actually put in your deck have that much more weight, both in what it brings to the deck but also in its drawbacks. It's all magnified tenfold. Each card's impact is greatly increased. It is actually very interesting how much building for a single game format steers away from catering to a Bo3 format, it has its own separate meta rankings both in playable decks overall and what cards are good or bad.

Rivalry of warlords

Anyways. One of the things I like a lot about banshee/zombie world, is that it actually minimizes that aspect of one of your best card, as well as trasncending it : rivalry of warlords. Which is what I meant by them making the deck less bricky and more consistent (as well as more powerful). It makes it an all purpose card, great against all decks besides the couple zombie decks you'll encounter, in which case, well, you have balerdroch... (the three card "engine" fixes its own weakness, uncanny.) and just locks most decks with next to no drawback anymore.

Gozen match

You'll actually notice I have dropped the usual gozen match from the deck. While I wouldn't mind it in a Bo3 format with side decking, for a single match format, well, for all the reasons stated above I have come to despise the card. How many games have I lost, before changing the deck for this current zombie world version, just from drawing two or more copies of gozen match and/or rivalry of warlords and them just not bothering the opponent whatsoever. Gozen match even more so (which is more so a current meta thing than it being inherently worst than rivalry - though it is after zombie world). I have thus come to cut it from the list (even before going with the zombie world trifecta) and my winrate did go a bit up from just that. And after the zombie world shift, winrate really soared (though it was always comfortably positive, you obviously do not need my changes nor my rant to get results from eldlich haha).

Summon limit

I have instead replaced it with an all purpose summon limit. Again, minimizing potential bricks. Summon limit has actually been great and I am really happy with it. I also love that it applies retroactively (acting as a one time negate sometimes, on top of the floodgate, say on a fusion or ritual spell activated after two monsters have already been summoned) and still counts monsters summoned to your side of the board (kaijus I'm looking at you...). Really screws up a lot of decks. While genuinely happy with it, it would however be the first card I cut to add more solemn judgment when/if I open more.

Foolish burial goods

I don't know why I haven't seen foolish burial goods in any of the eldlich lists I have checked, including tournaments topping lists. I'm genuinely surprised. It basically lets you tutor any of your traps and play with the ones you have already drawn without making them redundant, as it becomes any of the ones you didn't draw. It has made opening that much easier. I only run one for that same recurring idea, minimizing bricks, as you can only activate one a turn, and also, once you start cycling, you don't need to launch the engine anymore, the momentum of the eldlich cards is too great. It also baits ash blossom very nicely. All around a choice I have never once come to regret.

Necroface

Now a more out there tech : necroface. While foolish burial goods just makes too much sense to me, necroface is admittedly a bit iffy. I didn't start with necroface at all. More so with the pure stun list, I have had my fair share of games going the long run, and nearly, or some times even actually, running me out of ressource. Some of the games I've had that come to mind were against virtual world or prank-kids, that just kept on coming and coming and getting to the board, no matter how many times I dealt with it. Necroface was the best solution I've found. I have looked into a couple other choices such as magna dragon zirnitron or gizmek makami, however none have the impact necroface can have on a game. While it has sit in my hand standing idly by and taking up a draw for no result some amount of time, when it did, I've usually felt at ease nontheless. A necroface going through really, and I mean really rejuvenates the deck, letting you steamroll the traps some more, and essentially doubling your stamina, letting you for a whole second game... in the very same one. Also recycles golden lord if all three get banished as a bonus or your banished extra deck cards which sometimes comes into play, usually to go for a zeus. It is there primarily to shuffle your spells and traps back however, in order to give you that sometimes needed second wind (which is a proactive play that can always occur and thus not making necroface a straight brick whereas having your golden lord banished, all three at that, is not something you should hardly cater to as it does not commonly happen - don't plan for fringe scenarios if it costs too much consistency or doesn't add anything besides adressing that one scenario). As such, drawing into it isn't such a big deal, even only one or two turns into the game, as you'll already get value from it, and getting that one or two extra conquistadors can really change the face of some games. It also has the potential to screw with some decks, namely virtual world and also the eater of millions/gizmek orochi/gren maju da eiza deck that is actually decently popular and some others. Even besides those decks, on multiple occasions, has my opponent just surrendered on a necroface summon. They jusy couldn't run me out of ressources anymore. I may edit with some of the replays I have to showcase necroface's potential impact if I ever record them. All in all, a bit out there and nothing crucial, also, sadly, no way to tutor for it, but I have been happy with it, and have actually literally won games on its back, where I would have lost otherwise, against those aforementionned decks and a couple times off the extra conquistador(s). 10/10 would recommend.

Footnotes

The deck is not fully optimized I am working with the cards I actually have

A couple of footnotes. The extra deck is comprised of what I actually own on master duel.

I also have only the one solemn judgment, I'd add a second one, if not even a third one - cards to cut first should probably be summon limits (one or two), maybe one huaquero (I am a partisan of the triple huaquero however), maybe even an eldlich the golden lord honestly or even one extravagance - mayybe necroface but it really gets closer to any other eldlich list at this point. Try the creepy doll, I promise you won't regret it.

Glow-up bloom adds consistency as well, not needed, but definitely improves the deck. I would definitely run it if I had it, especially with an avendread savior. I don't recommend crafting it however, unless you are bathing in crafting points. Where I would probably cut the third eldlich the golden lord in order to add more solemn judgments, I probably wouldn't if you have glow-up bulb.

If you have pleiades, please add it to the deck instead of tiras and adreus. Also, add avendread savior if you own any copy. It can replace any of the links really (or those same rank 5s), the least important ones being cerberus and even borrelsword honestly. To be fair though, the extra deck really doesn't matter much, I seldom use it. Which is actually part of the reason why you run extravagance over prosperity in the deck.

Extravagance vs prosperity

When your extra deck matters and your plays revolve around a couple key cards in said extra deck, extravagance is obviously never a consideration. However, when a deck does not rely on the extra deck, that is where the discussion becomes interesting. Here is my take on it.

The way to look at it is very simple really : extragavance generates card advantage where prosperity adds (a lot of) consistency. If you really need to dig for that one card to unlock your plays, prosperity is the choice. If your deck is greatly consistent, extravagance will give you more of an edge. That's really all it is, card advantage vs consistency.

In a vacuum I usually like prosperity way better than extravagance. It essentially gives you a scry mulligan, which is just insane to think about even if it is only for one card. However, eldlich is so greatly consistent already that it makes much better use of the card advantage extravagance provides, and really doesn't need the consistency boost you gain with prosperity.

Do NOT prioritize building the extra deck if you are low on ressources

When I even use the extra deck in the first place, what really matters usually is mostly being able to send conquistador and huaquero to the grave proactively to trigger them during the end phase, be it with linking them away or detaching them for an xyz effect. As such, any generic rank 5 or link 1/2 are fine. If you can actually get a good effect on top, sure, of course, but it is not needed.

Small note however, as I went over it earlier, the deck really consistently gets zombie world on the field, as such vampire bram and avendread savior are pretty "key" in that regard as they bypass the rivalry lock, being zombie monsters. Of course, if you have a golden lord in the grave, the issue is non existent in the first place.

Thank you for checking my list !

And that's pretty much it. If you have had the strength (the madness ?) to read it all, well, I thank you and hopefully it was even slightly insightful. If you have any questions (or remark/advice), leave them as a comment or even just dm me, I'll try to answer ! Cheers and get your game on