Megalith Impcantation - June 2024

Dirt cheap Ritual deck that is slightly technical but strong in good hands, and does not suffer from the curse of other Ritual decks : they don't depend on Ritual Spell so much. Also, Rock-type and Fairy-type are both really strong.

Megalith monsters effect description : these things are walls of text, here is my breakdown.

- Megalith Phul, 2*, the starter : Phul will allow you to Ritual Summon any Megalith directly from your deck as Quick-Effect. Use it on your turn to start your combos, to get what you need to get on field (namely, Ophiel), then keep it protected so you can summon Bethor on your opponent's turn for game. Running three, it's an incredible starter, and gets you exactly the Megalith you need reliably. If you don't have it in hand at start, get it.

Also, cool little bonus : when you Ritual Summon Phul, you can get a Ritual Monster back from grave to make Phul its level. It is intended to be used with the 8*s summon effect from hand, so you actually use nothing by using the 8*s as Tribute. Also, should you use Cyber Angel Benten as Tribute, Benten's effect will activate, and you can take it back to hand at the same time, that's card advantage right there. Both effects are hard OPT.

- Megalith Ophiel, 4*, the monster searcher : on Ritual Summon, Ophiel will search any Megalith monster. This is NOT once per turn. Use it to get any of the other Megaliths you have not opened, as you want to put as many Ritual Monsters with different names in the grave for the 8*s effects. Running three, so you see it ofter in start and can even see two on a good day.

It also has an on-field effect to Ritual Summon any Ritual Monster, using itself and materials from hand of field. This one is hard OPT. Usually, you get Hagith with the search, then use this one to summon it directly after. Ophiel does not stay on the field long, he searches, job done, then yeets to grave.

- Megalith Hagith, 4*, the S/T searcher : on Ritual Summon, Ophiel will search any Megalith spell or trap. This is NOT once per turn. You get Megalith Unformed with it, mostly. The other S/Ts are okay, Megalith Emergence is good recycling, but even if I opened an Unformed, I'd probably get a second one before adding the rest. I don't like Megalith Portal enough to continue running it, and Megalith Promotion is bad. Running one, as Megalith S/Ts are not that great.

Like Ophiel, on-field effect to Ritual Summon any Ritual Monster, also hard OPT. Your job here is to make all the 4*s you can using the others (use Ophiel for Hagith, then Hagith for Och, then Och for Ophiel number 2) to get all of them in grave while still drawing value from them.

- Megalith Och, 4*, the "oh shit i have nothing else" filler : on Ritual Summon, Ophiel will draw 1, then discard 1. This is NOT once per turn. Meh. Recycling a bad draw is fine, but it's not doing much more than that. Running only one since the 8*s effect want as many different names in grave, but it is easiy the weaker of the Megaliths.

Like Ophiel and Hagith, on-field effect to Ritual Summon any Ritual Monster, also hard OPT. See Magith for usual playline.

- Megalith Phaleg, 8*, the beatstick : Phaleg will give all your monsters a significant 300-stat boost for each Ritual Monster in grave, regardless of name (get those three Bentens in there). It is a passive effect, and it is cumulative. Even with only 5 in grave and a sigle Phaleg on field, which is fairly easy to do with this archetype, a simple Ophiel has over 3k ATK. Running two, because if you manage to get both on field, even your Impcantation Talismandra and Impcantation Penciplume will hit like trucks.

Unlike the 4*s, the 8*s do not Ritual Summon anything from the field, they Ritual Summon Megaliths from hand, as a hard OPT. A 8* and Phul in opening hand is a free Phul upgraded to 8*. It is the most reliable way to Ritual Summon you have, and the biggest problem with the deck : not opening an 8*, Megalith Unformed or Impcantation Penciplume means you can't Ritual Summon. So, if that happens, find a way to search an 8*.

- Megalith Bethor, 8*, the boardclear : now, onto the reeeeally good stuff. On Ritual Summon, Bethor will target and destroy opponent cards equal or less than the different Ritual Monsters you have in grave, as a hard OPT. With one of each on this decklist in grave, that means destroy 9 cards. Even with a weaker turn, you will on average destroy at least 4. Hehe. Running two so you can have one in grave, and one killing stuff. Jokes aside, two of Phaleg and two of Bethor so you almost always see one in opening hand is a must, and five total of those is too much.

Like Phaleg, Bethor can Ritual Summon Megaliths from hand, hard OPT. See Phaleg for details.

- Megalith Aratron, 8*, the protector : Aratron works a little differently from the rest, and that's a very good thing. Like Phaleg and Bethor, he can Ritual Summon Megaliths from hand. Big difference though, he does is as a Quick-Effect and hard OPT, giving you effect protection in case of Imperm or on-field targeted negate. Your freshly Ritual Summoned Bethor activates effect, you have no Unformed and your oppenents chains Imperm ? Chain 3 Aratron, Tribute Bethor for a Megalith in hand, boom goes the dynamite. Also, you can Summon Phul as a Quick-Effect, which in turn will Summon the Megalith of your choice from deck as a Quick-Effect too. Running one is quite enough, and it is the one monster you should target with Megalith Emergence as priority. it is the only one you want on field or in deck, not in grave.

Aratron also has a neat anti-target omni-negate + destroy, with a cost that is a plus to shuffle a Ritual Monster from grave back in deck. Extra copies of Benten or Ophiel are prime targets for this. Of course, hard OPT.

Tech cards :

- Impcantation package : three of Chalislime , three of Penciplume, and one of each Talismandra, Candoll, and Inception. 
Chalislime Summons one of the other three from the deck depending on your current need, and dumps itself in grave, setting up the 8*s, banger. 
Pencilplume, in hand, will Summon itself and one of the other two from deck, getting either a Ritual Monster from deck (priority is either Phul or an 8* to start the combo, then Ophiel) with Talismandra or a Ritual Spell from deck (only target is Inception) with Candoll. Pencilplume itself will recycle a Ritual Monster in grave when Summoned from deck. I think these ratios are fine, though a second Talismandra could be beneficial, you have a lot of monsters you want to add with it.

- Diviner package : three of Diviner of the Herald, three of Cyber Angel Benten, one of Trias Hierarchia and Cyber Petit Angel, and two of Watapon (yes, really) in deck, and two of Elder Entity N'tss and Herald of the Arc Light in Extra Deck.
Diviner dumps a Fairy-type from deck or ED to grave to boost its level on Normal Summon. Dumping from deck, Trias can Summon itself from grave by Tributing Diviner (and additional Fairies if you want, but just Diviner is fine) for a large body and triggers Diviner's on-Tribute effect. In a pinch, dump Benten for an additional body in grave for the 8*s. Dumping from ED, the classics : N'tss gives a pop, Arc Light gives a Ritual Monster or Spell. Then, on Tribute, Diviner will Summon a level 2 or lower Fairy from deck, which is why Cyber Petit Angel is there, it will fetch you a Benten on Summon.
Benten, on Tribute, will fetch you another Benten, a Diviner, or a Watapon. Get the first one to continue filling the grave with Ritual bodies, the second one if you have not Normal Summoned a Diviner yet, or the furry thing for a free Special Summon from deck to Link climb.

- Spells and Traps : Foolish Burial sends a body from deck to grave directly, either a Ritual Monster to beef up the 8*s, or Trias for a Summon. 
Preparation of Rites is fantastic. You can get anything from deck except 8*s, and if you used Inception already, you get that back too. Neat.
Renewal of the World at two, since it allows you to either Ritual Summon or fetch from deck. Careful though, a chained destruction on activation of it will leave your monster banned, do not depend on it too much. It probably is the weakest tech in this list, and first to go should a better option arise.

Extra Deck :

- Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal : pitch N'tss or Arc Light with Diviner, making her level 6, and Ritual Summon Benten, Xyz Beatrice. Double Foolish is really cool. It was even stronger with Eva, but oh well (Master Duel still allows this though).\

- Time Thief Redoer : multi-turn annoyance, draw power, strong removal, and self-protection. Also, cheap even in cool rarities. Nice. 

- The Zombie Vampire and Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy : great Rank 8s if battling is not enough to clear the board.

- Dyna Mondo : Link-2 that removes a big thing from the field and shuffles back a Ritual Monster in your grave, that also will Summon back a Megalith as Quick-Effect.

- Cross-Sheep : draw power in a deck that lacks it. Use your spare Watapon to make this, use the Ritual effect, and go higher.

- Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax : very strong battle removal, also very hard to remove itself. Dyna Mondo and Cross-Sheep make this.

- Knightmare package : always nice, and cheap.

Possible tech cards (see Side Deck) :

- Engines : The Herald package is always nice, but feels a little forced with Eva gone. RIP sweet alien prince. Fossil cards are great too (not pictured), since all Megaliths are Rock-type.

- Dream Absorber : not released yet in the TCG, but a mighty fine target for both Diviner and Foolish Burial. If your opponents plays too much during your turn, you will get a huge beatstick. Also, it does not banish itself when leaving the field, meaning multi turn option. Also WATER, making Adamancipator Risen - Dragite a decent option if you have a spot in ED (Diviner is a Tuner).

- Floodgates and handtraps : Honest, Vanity's Ruler, Artifact Lancea, and Banisher of the Light can all be added with Benten. Best one is Vanity, since one-sided. Barrier Statue of the Drought is great too, Rock-type level 4, since all Megaliths are EARTH. Cannot be added, except with Gallant Granite. 

- Spells and Traps : Megalith Portal is okay, not great, but can be useful in you burn through too many monsters. You can keep going on your 4* chain if you add back your initial Ophiel. Pot of Prosperity works very well too, and with enough gas in your opening hand, you might even be able to finish yoyur opponent even under halved damage (16k battle damage with 2 Phaleg, 2 monsters and 7-8 Ritual Monsters in grave is doable).

- For the Extra Deck, Time Thief Redoer can be swapped out with Bagooska, Knightmare Gryphon with Knightmare Phoenix, and the 2 Rank 8s with smaller Links like Herald of Mirage Lights, I:P Masquerena for Avramax or Relinquished Anima with Watapon. Nephthys, the Sacred Flame is also a strong choice, and hard to remove. 

- For Master Duel players : Spright Elf works great here, you have a lot of good targets, mostly Phul and Diviner, but also the mighty Watapon. Also, Eva is not banned there, so Herald package makes a lot of sense and is mostly free with the Solo gate.