Rikka Aromages (Master Duel, N/R rarity only)

Hi, Grayewick the Fusionist here, back with plant waifus. Yes. They're actually fun to play, test them before you judge me.

Anyway, presenting Rikka Aromages.

"Why play this deck?"

This deck is surprisingly good enough in a slower format like the N/R rarity festival, because not only is it a control deck that utilizes your Aroma Spells/Traps for disruption, it can also combo out of nowhere and OTK with Xyz plays through your Rikka monsters. It also does not give a **** about Kaijus, which is absolutely great, for the reasons that will be explained later. I'll go further in details in the list.

The main deck:

Monsters

• The Rikka monsters (Hellebore, Snowdrop, Erica, Primula, & Petal) - Your main combo engine. They all do something about Tributing and in response to a Plant monster getting Tributed in any way, shape, or form. These are their effects:

1. Hellebore - A hand trap that negates the effects of your opponent's monsters' activated effects. It can also Special Summon herself from the GY by Tributing any Plant monster but banishes herself when she leaves the field.


2. Snowdrop - Your main combo starter. You're usually starting with either her and either Hellebore or Erica. Special Summons herself and 1 other Plant monster in your hand at a cost of Tributing a Plant monster. She also helps you with the Xyz plays by modulating the levels of all Plant monsters you currently control depending on the target's Level.


3. Erica - The Level 6 monster that you'll mostly be using for combos, and also the one you're gonna be searching the most with Petal. She's also a hand trap that boosts a battling Plant monster's ATK/DEF by Tributing herself, and like Hellebore, can also summon herself from the GY with the same said stipulations.


4. Primula - Your extender of the deck. Special Summons herself when a Plant monster you control is Tributed by any means (which will be relevant soon), and can also modulate the Levels of your two targeted Plant monsters by increasing their Levels by 2.


5. Petal - Your main searcher of the deck. She searches any of your Rikka monsters during the Main Phase, except a copy of herself, and either adds it to your hand or sends it to the GY. She can also Special Summon herself from your GY during your opponent's End Phase, if you control no monsters, or all monsters you control are Plants.

• The Aroma monsters (Bergamot, Marjoram, Rosemary, & Angelica) - Your main control engine. If you play Duel Links, you most likely already know what they do but regardless, these are their effects:

1. Bergamot - Your game ender. If your LP is higher than your opponent, he grants all Plant monsters you control piercing, also if you gain LP while he's on the field, he gains 1000 ATK and DEF until the end of your opponent's next turn.


2. Marjoram - Your GY disruption. If your LP is higher than your opponent, she grants you battle damage protection from attacks involving your Plant monsters, also if you gain LP while she's on the field, she can banish cards in your opponent's GY, up to the number of Aroma monsters you currently control.


3. Rosemary - Your field disruption. If your LP is higher than your opponent, she grants your Plant monsters an Armades effect but only for monsters, also if you gain LP while she's on the field, she can change the battle position of 1 monster on the field. This is not a hard once per turn.


4. Angelica - Your main Tuner, if you ever feel like Synchro Summoning, but more importantly, she's a hand trap that can discard herself as a Quick Effect to gain LP equal to a targeted Aroma monster's ATK in the GY. She can also Special Summon herself from the GY if your LP is higher than your opponent's and control an Aroma monster, but banishes herself when she leaves the field.

Spells

• Mystical Space Typhoon - Backrow removal. Could also be Nobleman of Extermination if you wanna game harder.

• Aroma Garden - The archetypal Field Spell, at least for the Aromas. Its effect can be used to gain 500 LP and boost the ATK and DEF of all monsters you control by 500, if you control an Aroma monster, even if it leaves the field. Also, it heals you for 1000 LP when an Aroma monster is destroyed by battle or card effect, and this effect is not once per turn, which we will be abusing most of the time through our interactions.

Traps

• Ballista Squad - Targets and destroys a card your opponent controls for a cost of Tributing, which is the most important part about this card, since it triggers our Rikka monsters' effects.

• Blessed Winds - Your 3-in-1 interruption. Just hover over the highlighted name to read, since they're too long lmao. Also, the main reason why most if not all of our Extra Deck monsters are Plant monsters.

• Dried Winds - Destroys an opponent's monster upon gaining LP, also allows you to pay LP if your LP is at least 3000 LP higher than your opponent's to destroy all of their monsters whose total ATK is less than or equal the amount paid.

• Humid Winds - Your main searcher, at a cost of paying 1000 LP, also allows you to gain 500 LP if your LP is lower than your opponent's.

• Horn of Heaven - An aggressive Counter Trap, which can be used in response to a potential Summon of an opponent's problematic monster at a cost of Tributing 1 monster, which makes it even better.

The Extra Deck

You'll notice that most if not all of these cards are Plant monsters since they're recyclable by Blessed Winds, although, one could obviously adjust the ratios of each card however much they see fit. I'm just saying.

The only Link monsters

• The Sunavalons (Dryas & Dryades) - There's no reason not to play these cards, especially since we're playing all Plant monsters.

The Xyz monsters

• Kanzashi the Rikka Queen - Your Rikka boss monster, kinda, since she's the easiest to bring out turn one. She's a Rank 6 Plant Xyz monster that has an effect to detach an Xyz material when a monster(s) is Tributed and Special Summons a monster in either GY, but negating its effects, also makes it so that it is treated as a Plant. She also has a card effect destruction protection by Tributing 1 Plant monster from your hand or field as a replacement, but only once per turn.

• Number 50: Blackship of Corn - A Rank 4 Plant Xyz monster that allows you to send a monster your opponent controls to the GY and inflict 1000 damage to your opponent, so long as it can be targeted.

• Number 87: Queen of the Night - Your ACTUAL boss monster, I think, since she's got the arguably best effects of all your Extra Deck monsters, while also having the best stats. She's a Rank 8 Plant Xyz monster that has a once per turn Quick Effect that can be one of the three effects in selection. Hover over her name to see the full details.

The Synchro monsters

• Periallis, Empress of Blossoms - She's a Level 7 Plant Synchro monster that can once per turn Special Summon any Level 5 or higher Plant monster from your hand or GY. She also gets her ATK boosted by 400 for each Plant monster you control, except herself. This effect actually applies for both of its copies if you have two or three of her.

• Splendid Rose - She's a Level 6 Plant Synchro monster that can be used to get over some problematic high ATK monsters that can be targeted, at a cost of banishing a Plant monster from your GY. She also has an effect that enables her to attack twice, at the same cost as stated but also halving her ATK until the end of the turn which may or may not come up.

• Queen of Thorns - Your main floodgate. She's a Level 6 Plant Synchro monster that makes it so that each player must pay 1000 LP for each monster Normal or Special Summoned from their hand, except for Plant-type monsters. Obviously, this will never be a downside for us.

The side deck

More optional cards, as per usual.

• Fairy Archer Ingunar - A Level 6 Plant monster that could be a great extender if you wanna go more heavy on the Rikka engine for more Rank 6 plays.

• World Carrotweight Champion - Always a good one of extender from the GY that can also set up your GY for Plant decks.

• Evilswarm Mandragora - A Level 4 Cyber Dragon for Plants, commonly seen in Rank 4 toolbox decks back in the day.

• Aromage Cananga - A Level 3 Plant monster that can be used as coverage for more Spell/Trap disruption by bouncing that card to the hand, also has an effect that makes it so all your opponent's monsters lose 500 ATK and DEF if your LP is higher than theirs.

• Aromage Laurel - A Level 1 Plant monster that's a good extender if you wanna go more heavy on the Aromage engine for more Synchro plays, since it has an effect that it can make a non-Tuner Plant monster a Tuner if you gain LP. It also makes you gain LP upon getting sent to the GY by any means.

• Aroma Jar - A Marshmallon that makes you gain LP during the End Phase. Great for a more stall dedicated strategy.

• Evil Thorn - Free Link 2 on board while burning your opponent, and more importantly, it Tributes for cost.

• Advance Draw - Tribute either your Hellebore or Snowdrop; Draw 2 cards. It's not once per turn.

• Share the Pain - A non-targeting, non-destruction removal, that also Tributes for cost. Bro...

• Enemy Controller - A decent combat trick that allows you to either switch a monster's battle position, OR better yet, Tribute a monster for cost to take control of an opponent's monster until the End Phase, so long as it can be targeted.

• Wall of Thorns - Mirror Force for Plants.

• Spiritual Water Art - Aoi - This is unironically good with this deck, since most of our main deck monsters are WATER monsters, and the best part is as per usual, it's a Confiscation that Tributes for cost.

• The utility Paleos (Olenoides, Dinomischus, & Canadia) - A MST, a Dark Core, and a Book of Moon, respectively. Also works with Spiritual Water Art - Aoi, funny enough.

Honorable mentions are the usual staples such as Torrential Tribute, Bottomless Trap Hole, Forbidden Chalice, Lightning Vortex, and many more.

Final thoughts

This deck is actually fun to play. It does not require a lot of negates to interact with and disrupt your opponent. Even though it can easily be as aggressive as much as you want it to be at any point, it's also not hard to just go back into the defensive whenever something goes wrong, but since you're still utilizing some control cards, you still need to keep constant track of your resources. In fact, I've had so much fun playing this deck that I might actually build this in MD in the future and test more versions of Rikka as a more consistent and coherent strategy, because I just love building under explored and underestimated archetypes. But I gotta say, there will be awkward hands that won't be straightforward to play, so you just gotta be mindful of making plays with them. As per usual, if you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to express them down in the comments and I'll respond to them as soon as I possibly can.