WHO LET THE DOGS OUT? THE APRIL 2025 BANLIST! B-B-B-BANLIST!
Sharvara being *unchained* from the banlist from 1 has massive implications for the deck! Not only that, Fiendsmith was untouched by the banlist, and it is the deck's greatest enabler since it is effectively a 1 card combo! Infact, Any 2 monsters on the field creates Moon of the Closed Heaven -> full Fiendsmith combo means that-> full Unchained combo because of Aerial Eater! This means that the Kashtira engine can be full combo due to the two bodies it generates on-board!
With Maliss and Ryzeal weakened by the TCG April 2025 banlist, Sharvara semi-limited, Abyss Dweller banned and with Fiendsmith essentially untouched, it is time for Unchained to destroy it's opponents once again!
Want to see the deck in action? Scroll to the very bottom for the Youtube video!
ARCHETYPES AND DECKBUILDING
UNCHAINED plays a relatively compact deck core since it is readily accessible via the Fiendsmith engine. In total, the Unchained and its supporting cards compose of 15 cards in the maindeck. 3 Aruha and 3 Abomination's Prison is played since they are combo starters. The Unchained traps Abominable Chamber and Escape are both played at two since they are searchable with Sharvara. Sharvara is played at 2 as a result of the banlist, although ideally this card would be at 3 (perhaps one day)! The garnets meant to be summoned from deck are at 1 (Sarama, Rakea and Shyama).
Since FIENDSMITH was untouched by the banlist, it is good to play these cards as a way to fusion summon Aerial Eater since it is full Unchained combo! 3 Engraver, 2 Tract, 1 Lacrima of the Crimson Tears and 1 Lurrie is played, totalling 6 cards.
The KASHTIRA cards are also very strong this format, from Unicorn banishing important 1-ofs in the Extra Deck (like Detonator!) to Kashtira Birth banishing 3 cards in your opponent's graveyard! The Kashtira engine is played with six cards - 3 Unicorn, 1 Fenrir, 1 Birth and 1 Wraithsoth.
The rest of the deck is composed of STAPLES totalling 12 cards. 3 Ash Blossom is played mainly to ward off Mulcharmies (Unchained doesn't play well into Fuwalos and Purulia). 3 Nibiru and 3 Droll are played, since they hardcounter a majority of meta decks right now. Finally 1 Called By, 1 Crossout and 1 Triple Tactics Talent are played since they are excellent defensive cards.
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 is the standard combo for Unchained:
2 CARD COMBO 5+ INTERRUPTIONS - Unchained Soul of Sharvara + Any Unchained S/T = Unchained Soul of Rage (Link away opponent's special summoned monster -> S:P Little Knight) + Rakea (quick effect destroy your own 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.
If can summon Aerial Eater, it can grant you both an Unchained S/T and Aruha! Aerial Eater is summoned with Fiendsmith Sequence, after going through the Fiendsmith combo. Here is the combo from 1 Engraver:
1.5 CARD COMBO 5+ INTERRUPTIONS - 1 Engraver + 1 Discard = Unchained Soul of Rage (Link away opponent's special summoned monster -> S:P Little Knight) + A Bao A Qu (Non-Targeting pop and also draws cards during your Standby) + D/D/D Wave High King Caesar (2 summon effect negate/destroy, detaching Sharvara sets from deck Unchained S/T) + Escape of the Unchained (Targeted pop)
Activate Engraver and add Tract from deck to hand.
Activate Tract adding Lurrie and discarding Lurrie.
Activate Lurrie's mandatory effect to summon itself from the GY when discarded.
Link Lurrie away for Requiem.
Activate Requiem's effect to summon from deck Lacrima of the Crimson Tears.
Activate Crimson Tear's effect to send to the GY Fiendsmith Engraver.
Activate Engraver's effect to shuffle back Lurrie into the deck to summon Engraver from the GY.
Link summon Sequence using Crimson Tear + Engraver.
Activate Sequence's effect to fusion summon Aerial Eater by shuffling back Engraver + Requiem. (FIENDSMITH PART OF THE COMBO IS FINISHED!)
Activate Aerial Eater's effect to send from Deck to GY Sharvara.
Activate Sharvara's effect to set from deck Escape of the Unchained.
Link summon Unchained Soul of Yama using Aerial Eater + Sequence.
Activate Yama's on-summon effect to search for Aruha from deck.
Activate Aruha's effect targeting Escape of the Unchained to destroy it and summon himself.
Activate Escape of the Unchained to summon from deck Sarama.
Activate Sarama's effect to set Escape of the Unchained from GY and to destroy Aruha.
Activate Aruha's effect to summon Shyama from deck.
Link summon Unchained Soul of Rage using Shyama + Yama.
Activate Shyama's effect to summon itself from the GY by destroying Sarama.
CL1 activate Sarama's effect to summon from deck Sharvara, CL2 activate Yama's GY effect to summon from GY Fiendsmith Sequence.
XYZ summon D/D/D Wave High King Caesar using Shyama + Sharvara.
Link summon A Bao A Qu by using Unchained Soul of Rage + Fiendsmith Sequence.
Discard a card and Banish A Bao A Qu until the End Phase to summon from GY Unchained Soul of Rage.
GENERAL TIPS
Targeting negation/interruption is usually not effective with this deck, since Sharvara and Rakea's quick effect all help dodge targeting!
You can bait a ton of interruption and handtraps with your Kashtira and Fiendsmith cards. Use them first before you combo off with Unchained!
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 want to make this list slightly bigger, add Unchained Soul of Disaster (maindeck target link summon), Abominable Unchained Soul (targeted pop) and Wailing of the Unchained Souls (pops cards on Unchained link summon, also another target to pop to float from deck).
- 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.
- 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 monster 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,Snake-Eyes's resillient combo, and inherent boardbreaking ability of Exosisters! The compact and consistent deck core allows for TWO SUPPORTIVE ENGINES like Kashtira and Fiendsmith to be utilized.
Overall, Unchained is now a solid meta contender now that the April 2025 banlist has weakened the top two meta decks Maliss and Ryzeal! Fiendsmith also being untouched means that Unchained is stronger than before because of Aerial Eater's ability to send the recently semi-limited Sharvara to the GY!
All these factors mean that it is time to destroy, destroy and destroy all of your opponents once again 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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