The unchained demon dogs of destruction have finally arrived in Masterduel with its support from the newest selection pack, Blazing Arena!
The three new Unchained monsters Yama (Search Unchained monster + special summon Unchained from hand/GY), Sharvara (Special summon + set Unchained S/T from deck), and Shyama (summon itself from GY + destroy S/T) increases the strategy's consistency and raises it's strength to such powerful levels that the deck can now sport 15+ staples and achieve full combo while comfortably playing through interruption! The deck's main combo now ends on 6+ interruptions with only 1 card (Normal summon Tour Guide anyone?) and has many two card combinations that end on the same board state.
This power boost enables the deck to play toe-to-toe with Masterduel meta heavyweights such as Snake-Eyes, Kashtira and Labrynth. With this new support, this strategy can now destroy its way to the top of ladder!
Want to see the deck in action? Scroll to the very bottom for the Youtube video!
ARCHETYPES AND DECKBUILDING
UNCHAINED is best played pure, so naturally the deck core is large but also made as compact as possible to accommodate staples. In total, the Unchained and its supporting cards compose of 21 cards in the maindeck. A small Tour Guide package is played with 1 Fiendish Rhino Warrior as its target to achieve this deck's 1 card combo. The garnets meant to be summoned from deck are at 1 (Rhino Warrior, Unchained Soul of Disaster, Shyama, and Abominable Unchained Soul). Starters are played at three, since you want to draw into them to initiate your combo (Tour Guide, Abomination's Prison, Aruha, Sharvara and Escape).
The rest of the deck is composed of STAPLES.
The standard Maxx C package (3 Ash, 3 Maxx C, 2 Called By and 1 Crossout) is included so that you can come out on top of the Maxx C minigame. If you get Maxx C'd as an Unchained player, you'd have to abruptly stop your turn since this deck doesn't really play into the annoying cockroach very well. Nibiru and Imperm are included as a Crossout targets, since this deck sometimes loses to those handtraps.
A Triple Tactics Thrust package (3 Thrust, 1 Imperm, 1 Talents) is included into the deck, since it meshes very well with the strategy. You can either grab a staple like Talents, Imperm or Prosperity from the deck, or you can directly set an Unchained Spell/Trap to further your plays.
42 cards are used rather than 40 since it lowers the chance of drawing into this deck's several garnets.
Pot of Prosperity also makes this deck very consistent since you excavate for 6 very comfortably, despite the two extra cards. My usual Prosperity banish targets are Knightmare Phoenix, Muckraker, Underworld Goddess, D/D/D Deus Machinex, Zeus and either of the Knightmare monsters.
COMBOS AND GAMEPLAN
Unchained's gameplan is to establish as much interruption as possible (usually in the form of destruction or linking away opponent's special summoned monsters) and out-resourcing/OTKing your opponent. The deck functions as a control combo deck that generates lots of resources while also whittling down your opponent's with many interruptions. When ahead, this deck can finish off your opponent very quickly as it clears the boards with multiple destruction effects, linking away your opponent's monsters and swarming the field with several high attack monsters.
Going first, you generally set up a 4-6 interruption board. When it is your turn again in turn 3, you can OTK with the board presence, monster removal and the many resources you have amassed.
Going second, you weaken your opponent with handtraps and boardbreakers so you can turn the gamestate into one where you can OTK your opponent. To clear your opponent's board, you have Unchained Soul of Disaster and Anguish's linking away your opponent's board. If you have extra link material, Unchained Abomination can also destroy cards multiple times. If you cannot OTK your opponent from that position, you go for a control centered playstyle where you set up your interruption-based board and out-resource your opponent.
Here are the combos for Unchained:
1 CARD COMBO 6+ INTERRUPTIONS - Tour Guide of the Underworld = Unchained Soul of Rage (Link away opponent's special summoned monster -> Knightmare Unicorn Shuffle) + Rakea (Destroy card to summon from deck Abominable Unchained Soul to destroy 1 card) + Escape of the Unchained (Destroy 1 Unchained and 1 card opponent controls) + D/D/D Wave High King Caesar (2 summon effect negate/destroy, detaching Sharvara sets from deck Unchained S/T)
- Normal summon Tour Guide. Activate her effect to summon Fiendish Rhino Warrior from deck.
- Link summon Unchained Soul Lord of Yama using Tour Guide + Rhino Warrior.
- CL1 Yama to search for Unchained Twins - Aruha from deck, CL2 Rhino Warrior to send Unchained Soul of Sharvara to GY.
- Sharvara's effect triggers to set Escape of the Unchained from deck.
- Activate Aruha's effect to summon himself by destroying Escape.
- Escape activates to summon from deck Unchained Twins - Sarama.
- Activate Sarama's effect to set Escape from the GY and destroy Aruha.
- Aruha activates to summon from deck Unchained Soul of Shyama.
- Link summon Unchained Soul of Rage using Yama + Shyama.
- Activate Shyama's GY effect to summon from GY by targeting Sarama to destroy him.
- CL1 Yama to summon from GY Sharvara, CL2 Sarama summon from deck Rakea.
- XYZ summon D/D/D Wave High King Caesar using Shyama + Sharvara.
- Set any additional spells/traps.
2 CARD COMBO 5+ INTERRUPTIONS - Unchained Soul of Sharvara + Any Unchained S/T = Unchained Soul of Rage (Link away opponent's special summoned monster -> Knightmare Unicorn Shuffle) + Rakea (Destroy card to summon from deck Abominable Unchained Soul to destroy 1 card) + D/D/D Wave High King Caesar (2 summon effect negate/destroy, detaching Sharvara sets from deck Unchained S/T)
- Set Unchained S/T.
- Activate Sharvara's effect in hand to summon itself, destroying the Unchained S/T.
- Unchained S/T summons from deck Shyama.
- Link summon Unchained Soul of Yama using Sharvara + Shyama.
- CL1 Yama to search for Aruha from deck, CL2 Sharvara to set Unchained S/T from deck (With another name from the one you previously activated).
- Activate Aruha's effect to summon himself by destroying Unchained S/T.
- Escape activates to summon from deck Unchained Twins - Sarama.
- Activate Sarama's effect to set Unchained S/T from the GY and destroy Aruha.
- Aruha activates to summon from deck Unchained Soul of Disaster.
- Link summon Unchained Soul of Rage using Yama + Soul of Disaster.
- Activate Shyama's GY effect to summon from GY by targeting Sarama to destroy him.
- CL1 Yama to summon from GY Sharvara, CL2 Sarama summon from deck Rakea.
- XYZ summon D/D/D Wave High King Caesar using Shyama + Sharvara.
- Set any additional spells/traps.
Other two-three card combos are not as optimal. Remember if you don't have Tourguide or the above listed combination of Unchained cards, or your combo is interrupted by a well timed handtrap, your usual goal in Unchained is to make Yama -> Unchained Soul of Rage -> Summon two level 6s -> summon D/D/D Caesar -> Set Unchained Traps.
GENERAL TIPS
Targeting negation/interruption is usually not effective with this deck, since Sharvara and Rakea's quick effect all help dodge targeting!
Be mindful and careful of Nibiru. This deck has no natural answer to it, so you'll have to play around it or play safe if you think it is in your opponent's hand. However, if your opponent neglects your D/D/D Wave High King Caesar, he can negate/destroy it.
- If you somehow draw into Fiendish Rhino Warrior, when you summon Tourguide summon from deck Rakea instead. Set your Unchained S/T from hand, then continue combo as usual.
- If you have all the pieces for full combo in hand, don't activate Abomination's Prison until after you searched with Unchained Soul of Yama when you combo so you can play around Droll & Lockbird (it's kind of rare in Masterduel anyways).
- During your opponent's turn and you're interrupting them with the standard board, try to detach Sharvara from D/D/D Wave High King Caesar first. Sharvara sets an Unchained S/T from deck. Use that freshly set S/T as Rakea's destroy target. This preserves your other Unchained traps like Escape and Chamber for use!
- If you get Evenly Matched, you can dodge the effects easily if your standard board is set up! When Evenly is activated in CL1, CL2 Rakea targeting Unchained Soul of Rage to destroy, CL3 Unchained Escape targeting Rakea and another of your Unchained cards to destroy. After Rakea and Rage has been destroyed, banish everything leaving only D/D/D Wave High King Caesar on the field. CL1 Rakea to summon an Unchained from deck and CL2 Rage to recover from GY an Unchained card. This leaves your negates with Caesar intact while maintaining your resources in field/hand!
- Want to see the deck in action? Scroll to the very bottom for the Youtube video!
CONCLUDING REMARKS
The interactive playstyle and grindgame based gameplay with Unchained is really entertaining to me. I would describe the Unchained strategy as a combination of Sky Striker's link-centred grindgame, Dragonlink's resillient combo, and inherent boardbreaking ability of Exosisters! The compact and consistent deck core allows for a gazillion staple cards (kind of mandatory in Masterduel), a deck style that I've enjoyed since building Spright and Live Twins.
Overall, Unchained is now a solid meta contender that is consistent and powerful deck that is able to carve out it's own niche in the meta due to being a combo deck that doesn't insta-lose to the likes of Droll & Lockbird.
Destroy, destroy and destroy all the way to the top of Masterduel's leaderboards with the Unchained dogs of war!
GLHF Duelists!
Want to see the deck in action? Scroll to the very bottom for the Youtube video!
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