Six Samurai 2023 Competitive + deck explanation

PURE SIX SAMURAI DECK DECONSTRUCTION (any and all questions welcome)

MAIN DECK

(1)Great Shogun Shien: Easy summoning requirements, link fodder, powerful floodgate, can flow into Borreload Savage if needed.

(1)Grandmaster of the Six Samurai: Easy summoning requirement, link fodder, floating effect (do not run more than 1, is easily searchable and you can only have 1 on the board anyways).

(2)Secret Six Samurai - Kizaru: When Special Summoned (preferably with Kageki or Dojo) you can add a Sam with a different attribute from every monster you control (in most cases you will want to add Legendary Secret of the Six Samurai).

(3)Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan: 2nd best card in the entire archetype, easily splashable. Can asceticism into Grandmaster with ATK/DEF boosted from his second effect.

(1)Legendary Secret of the Six Samurai: Searchable with Kizaru, free summon when you put Fuma or Hatsume on board (hard once per turn).

(1)Secret Six Samurai - Hatsume: Excellent extender into Link summon or Synchro, asceticism target into Mizuho.

(2)Legendary Six Samurai - Mizuho: Easily splashable with Shinai, asceticism target into Hatsume, can pop 1 card (soft once per turn).

(2)Legendary Six Samurai - Shinai: Easily splashable with Mizuho, preferred target for Mizuho effect.

(3)Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki: Your Normal Summon 100% of the time if he is in your hand. Easy extender, asceticism target into Fuma.

(3)Secret Six Samurai - Fuma: Essential Tuner of the deck, asceticism target into Kageki,  floating effect, easy to bring out with Isolde or Dojo.

(1)Gateway of the Six: Best card in the entire archetype, 100% necessary for the deck to come online. Searchable with Battle Shogun (remember to always accumulate counters on OTHER cards and remove them from other cards before Gateway).

(3)Shien's Dojo: Easy Bushido Counter accumulation for Gateway, incredible Summon effect for any of your Sams (preferably Fuma, since he is level 1 you will only need 1 counter).

(3)Six Samurai United: Additional Bushido Counter accumulation for Gateway & in-archetype draw power.

(1)Broken Bamboo Sword: Allows you to activate Golden (Pot of Greed).

(3)Cursed Bamboo Sword: Allows you to activate Golden, also searches for Golden and Broken when sent to the GY (easily done with Isolde's effect).

(3)Golden Bamboo Sword: Literally Pot of Greed.

(1)Monster Reborn: Extender.

(1)Pot of Avarice: Recycles main and extra deck monsters with a +1. Better for longer duels when all resources are spent.

(1)Reinforcement of the Army: This is a Warrior Deck, this card searches for Warriors.

(3)Shien's Smoke Signal: In-archetype searcher.

(1)World Legacy Succession: Essentially another Monster Reborn, hard once per turn that needs a Link Monster, but still a Monster Reborn.

(3)Ascetisism of Six Samurai: Non-once per turn extender spell card, incredibly powerful. Plenty of targets, and the downside of this card is negligible.

EXTRA DECK

(1)Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier: Easy to Summon by splashing Kizan. Excellent card removal.

(1)Borreload Savage Dragon: Powerful Beatstick with Omni-negate. Easy to make with splashable level 3 and 4 monsters.

(2)Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En: In-archetype "boss" monster. Easy to summon, negates Spell and Trap cards for no cost (which is also a SOFT once per turn). Can sacrifice other Sams to protect himself as well.

(1)Herald of the Arc Light: You can make this card easy with Hatsume’s effect by reviving Fuma. Powerful floodgate AND Omni-negate.

(1)Time Thief Redoer: Incredibly versatile generic Rank 4. Can steal opponent's card from their top deck, tag himself out, draw a card, AND/OR Spin 1 face-up card.  

(1)Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer: Generic Rank 4. Removes problematic cards without destroying them (still targets sadly).

(1)Abyss Dweller: Powerful generic Rank 4 (especially in today's meta). Turns off the opponent's GY.

(1)Number 60: Dugares the Timeless: Deceptively powerful and versatile generic Rank 4. Can allow you to go +1 in hand, revive and extend plays, or go push for game with a huge ATK boost on a monster.

(1)Saryuja Skull Dread: Very powerful and versatile Link 4. Small stat boost, extender, and draw power.

(1)Accesscode Talker: Incredibly strong and generic Link 4. Turns into a beatstick that can pop multiple cards, your opponent cannot respond to this card's effects.

(1)Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights: Superb extender. Adds 1 Warrior on Summon, Summons 1 Warrior by sending equip spells to the GY (always Cursed Bamboo Sword for the GY effect). 

(2)Battle Shogun of the Six Samurai: Essential in-archetype Link monster. Searches for Gateway of the Six as well as Dojo or United. He also accumulates Bushido Counters himself that give him an ATK boost. 

(1)Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess: Powerful monster effect negation. Can negate more than 1 monster effect per turn.

SIDE DECK

(3)Nibiru, the Primal Being: Counterplay to other combo heavy decks, since this deck plays no hand traps in main.

(3)Fire Flint Lady: Tech option for more Link/Synchro plays. Easy to summon, with an extender effect (would be in the main deck if it was searchable and not a hard once per turn).

(1)Number 39: Utopia & S39 Utopia the Lightning: Generic Rank 4 that can rank up into Lightning. Just a 5000 ATK beatstick if needed.

(1)Tornado Dragon: Excellent backrow removal in a generic Rank 4. If Shi En and Savage aren't enough anti-backrow, this card is more than enough.

(1)Number 101: Silent Honor ARK: Problematic card removal, similar purpose to Castel. Generic Rank 4.

(1)Leviair the Sea Dragon: Rank 3 extender. Revive any of your Secret Six Samurai monsters (that banish themselves from the GY as protection) or whoever you banished with Hatsume effect.

(1)Called by the Grave: This is your only hope against Ash or Droll if you don't have any omni- negates on board. Stuns hurt this deck badly.

(3)Musakani Magatama: 100% tech card/side deck option. If your opponent keeps focusing on destroying Gateway (which they should if they have a brain) this card can protect it. 

NOTES

On average this deck should end on a board consisting of Accesscode/Apollousa, Savage, 1 or 2 Shi En, 1 or 2 generic Rank 4 monsters, and either Herald (if you have enough resources) or Grandmaster (for his floating effect and to protect Shi En).

Also for clarification I have been playing pure sams since 2015 and I've been playing this variation of the deck since Link format was released. Suffice to say I am fairly confident in this deck and build decisions. But any and all questions are welcome. I am happy to discuss anything Six Samurai related.