Pure Icejade Cradle

Today we take a closer look at the ominous Icejade Archetype. It's known to be the worst within the Albaz Storyline. But I'm here to tell you otherwise today. Let's Start! 

Everything you need to know about this Pure Variant can also be found in the Video linked below^^ 

Unfreezing your Deck

Many cards in this Deck bring your Strategy up to speed. We have the Neutral Draw 1 Monster Icejade Acti , the Spell & Trap searcher Icejade Aegirine , the one card LV10 synchro enabler Icejade Aegirine Rahn and the Hand unbricking tool with Icejade Tremora in the Monster Department. 

The Spell Icejade Cradle searches for any Icejade Monster without a Once Per Turn. Icejade Manifestation brings Icejade's from your Deck directly onto field or into the Graveyard and Icejade Erosion can do similar if the opponent removes Monsters from your field. More on that a little later.

So in Total you have a big amount of Tools to get everything you want whenever you want. Obviously with a few Conditions and limitations but nothing that stops you from getting to the feared Icejade Lockdown turn 1. Obviously interruption can make it harder for you to get there. 

Trapped in the Lockdown

The Icejade Archetype is known for his formidable lockdown for a reason. It should almost always be your first priority to setup the Lockdown. It involves 3 Cards which are the LV10 Boss Monster Icejade Kosmochlor your Field spell Icejade Cenote Enion Cradle (or Icejade Ran Aegirine with an equip card) and your permanent spell Icejade Curse. With those 3 on Field your opponent cannot activate Monster effects on the Field ever. It targets your opponent and not the Monsters which makes this kind of effect unavoidable even for unaffected Monsters. This lockdown comes with a few extra effects: 

Icejade Kosmochlor can special summon herself when a Field Spell is active on the field and with 3K defense and the ability to further weaken opponents Monsters ATK by 1000 for every Kosmochlor on the Field it is hard to remove in Battle. The Field Spell Icejade Cenote Enion Cradle can also weaken all opposing Monsters if a Monster is summoned. Lastly the Icejade Curse has a built in Burn effect if a Monster is destroyed by Battle involving your Icejade Monster. 

So far so good but it's easy to remove with generic Removal or Kaijus right? ..... right???...

The Almighty Icejade Wall

Icejade just might be the most difficult Wall to overcome in all of Yugioh once established. After setting up your lockdown what remains is to make sure nobody can Break through it. 

You have 3 different Monsters operating from the GY which are Icejade Tremora , Icejade Tinola and Icejade Acti. Whenever a Water Monster is Destroyed you can Banish them to Special summon a Icejade Monster from your Hand or GY. Your Field Spell Icejade Cenote Enion Cradle can recycle your Banished Icejade's back to Hand when activated to keep this Recycling loop online a long time. 

The Trap Icejade Erosion can Destroy one of your Icejade's to Negate any Face Up Card on the field which might threaten your Backrow. If your opponent should use a Kaiju, Super Polymerization Underworld Goddess of the Closed World or other means of non destruction Removal the 2nd effect of Erosion comes into play. When a Icejade leaves the field except by being destroyed you can Special an Icejade Monster directly from your Deck or you add it to your Hand. If he happens to get rid of Icejade Kosmochlor you can just summon another one keeping the lockdown safe. 

Lastly your LV10 Synchro Boss Icejade Gymir Aegirine can prevent Destruction and Banishing of your Monsters as a Quick effect and non targeting remove Threats from the opponents Field and GY. Every card with the same name which she chained the effect to, to be exact. 

You might have noticed by now that a perfect Icejade Board achieves something very unique. A virtually unbreakable Board with a unavoidable Lockdown. 

The Icy Trickbox full of Jade

There's still more stuff this Deck can do so let's talk about it. I haven't mentioned it but both Icejade Tinola and Icejade Gymir Aegirine have built in Revival effects on top of the other things they can do. You sure have a lot of ways to get your Monster's back onto the field. Icejade Aegirine Rahn can treat herself as the Field Spell while she's equipped with an Equip Card. With that little Bonus effect she can help you to establish your lockdown even easier. 

Icejade Creation Aegirocassis and Icejade Creation Kingfisher can both equip themselves to Icejade Monsters. The Aegirocassis can do it from the GY too, making him the perfect discard outlet and at the same time a nice target for Icejade Erosion due to his special summoning effect. Also gaining 400 ATK and DEF for every banished Monster from both player's will create very strong Icejade Monsters over time. He's strictly limited to one of his effects per turn and only once that turn. But since his equipping is a Quick effect it's perfectly fine to equip him during the opponent's end Phase and summon him onto your field during your turn. 

The Kingfisher enables Icejade's to attack while in defense Position and can Bounce opponents Monster's to the Hand. His Equipping effect is also not a once per turn but is limited to Hand and field. He's best used in Combination with Icejade Kosmochlor. 

Icejade Manifestation can Banish opponents cards if he removes your monsters except by destroying them and Swordsoul Supreme Sovereign - Chengying can further Banish opponents cards and weaken them, while increasing his Strength. He's like handwritten for the Archetype. 

Million-Century Ice Prison is an interesting Quick Spell made to work with this Archetype. During any Main Phase if a Monster from you leaves the field by an opponents Monster effect, except by being destroyed you can either end the Main Phase or Skip the opponents next Main Phase 1. This can get pretty punishing especially if he uses cards like Nibiru, the Primal Being against you and this card is in your Hand. Of course he can use his Main Phase 2 then but especially if the Icejade lockdown is online that won't be of much help for him. It furthermore Combos well with both Icejade Erosion and Icejade Manifestation who will trigger as well gaining you further advantage. It has a wide versatility for sure and for that I like to use it. 

The remaining cards really are up to preference and can be switched around as you like. I like it Pure as you might've noticed and I stay mostly true to Water Attribute only with just a few exceptions in the Extra Deck. 

The Cradle breaks apart

As good as all of this sounds, if you are unable to establish the Lockdown or the opponent removes it before you can activate your defensive tools you are pretty much done for against agressive OTK Decks. Beware of the usual offenders which cripple other Strategys too. Icejade Aegirine is somewhat good against Infinite Impermanence but pretty bad against Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring.

In best case you are going first and establish your lockdown as fast as possible. Going second this Deck can try to start a comeback with Icejade Kosmochlor or Icejade Gymir Aegirine which will not always work. 

In a best of one environment like Master Duel this Deck will catch the opponent unprepared. Nobody expects Pure Icejade which is good for you. Prepare yourself for opponents who have to read your cards first before doing anything at all. 

Icejade's Final Verdict

The Icejade Strategy has come a long way in recent years and is quite powerful if played right. Be sure to give it a try if you like Defensive Style Gameplay. You won't find a better defensive play Strategy out there and they are fun for sure. 

Final Rating: 

★★☆☆☆☆☆ OTK Potential

★★★★★★★ Defensive Tools

★★★★★★★ Control Options

★★★★☆☆☆ Removal Options

★★★★★★★ Recovery/Recycling

★★★★☆☆☆ Card Advantage

Overall Rating: ★★★★★☆☆ 31/42★

Icejade's special Rules

Below I will list some not so obvious Rulings for every card that needs further explanation: 

Icejade Kosmochlor: The opponent's monster can only activate it's effects the turn it's summoned. However with Icejade Curse the opponent itself cannot activate the monster effect's even during the turn it's summoned. Now if the opponent's monster is unaffected by Monster effects Icejade Curse still applies to the opponent. Furthermore even in the following turn he cannot use his Monster's effects since Icejade Kosmochlor has already been active on the field and has a permanent effect even if she affects the Monster itself and not the opponent. 

Icejade Creation Kingfisher: 1. His effect can equip to any Water Monster you control but only a Icejade Monster will be able to attack while in defense Position. 2. His equip/unequip effect is not a Once per Turn. 

Icejade Creation Aegirocassis: His ATK/DEF increase multiplies when more then one Aegirocassis is equipped to the same Monster. 

Icejade Ran Aegirine: Her name is being treated as Icejade Cenote Enion Cradle while equipped with an equip card. This will indeed enable an easier lockdown with Icejade Curse. 

Icejade Cenote Enion Cradle: It may only be activated once per turn but if you have this Field Spell active from the previous turn and used it's ATK decrease effect this turn, you can then activate a 2nd Enion Cradle and use the ATK decrease effect again.

Icejade Cradle: This Card has no Once per Turn. 

Icejade Erosion: This Cards 2nd effect and Icejade Manifestation's 2nd effect can both trigger no matter when or how your Monster is removed by the opponent except by being destroyed. Tribute for Cost, Send, Banish even without a card effect these Cards secondary effect will be activated.