Sky Striker Orcust (Jan. 2020)

Sky Striker Orcust is pretty much figured out, and so is this format - whether that is fortunate or unfortunate is for you to reason with. The fact of the matter is, for the foreseeable future (until the next ban list) we have this deck slated at the top.

 

Basic Combo:

• Open one of your 3 starters (1 ROTA [goes into 2 of your starters], 1 Armageddon Knight, 1 Dark Grepher, 2 Mathematician)

--> Alternatively, you can open one any other monster that can be Normal Summoned + Foolish

[Step 1]: Normal Starter, then foolish Harp Horror

[Step 2]: Banish Harp to Special Orcust Knightmare from Deck

[Step 3]: Make Galatea, the Orcust Automaton with Knightmare & your Normal Summon

[Step 4]: Use Galatea to shuffle your banished Harp, setting Orcustrated Babel

[Step 5]: Banish Knightmare in GY to send World Legacy - "World Wand" from your Deck to the GY

[Step 6]: Use "World Wand" to Special Summon the banished Knightmare

[Step 7]: Make Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star using Galatea, and attach the banished "World Wand"

[Step 8]: Make I:P Masquerena using Dingirsu and the Knightmare

[Step 9]: Activate your Set Babel and win the Duel (you can send either Harp or Cymbal to the GY off your Knightmare; sending Harp during your opponent's turn allows you to Special Cymbal from Deck which enables your I:P to get out Knightmare Unicorn, after which you can banish the Cymbal in GY to Special Summon Dingirsu --> you can also send Cymbal instead to Summon a Galatea for a Link 4 play, or Dingirsu for an earlier disruption, from which you can make Knightmare Unicorn with I:P).

 

Cards that should be considered:

• Handtraps: Phantazmay, D.D. Crow, Skull Meister, Ash, Imperm, Nibiru, Veiler

--> I'm not a fan of Phantazmay, but it is a solid card this format (especially in this deck)

--> not a fan of main deck skull meister unless you're certain you'll be facing Orcust; crow follows the same theory (but it's weaker vs. Orcust)

• Additional options: "Into the Void" is ok if you're not running hand traps (so not this variant), Dangers! can be ok in some variants of Orcust (not this variant), going 2nd cards can be good (if you're into that sort of thing), and more Striker cards can also be good as they offer versatility going 1st & 2nd (really solid if you opt to go that route here, but don't overdo it). Also, as pointed out by a member in the comments, it is worth considering the scrap engine:

 

Continued Deck Theory:

• Why are the Striker cards good here?: You'll often find that the Striker engine really only serves 2 purposes in any given Orcust deck. To offer an extension with desperately bad hands (see hornet drones), and to offer disruption (see widow anchor/shark cannon). What makes these cards even better, however, is that when you're not drawing into them - you're likely drawing a way into them (@engage). Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage! doesn't just give you access to an incredible toolbox, it also stacks advantage by drawing a free card when activated with 3 or more spells in the GY (which is easy enough when you run 18 spells, of which most are draw cards). Having said all of that, it is worth noting that the Sky Striker cards do have a major drawback. When your field is clogged up with monsters in the Main Monster Zones, it is all but impossible to rely on the Sky Striker cards. What Orcust does exceptionally well, that allows it to play around this conditional disadvantage, is that it is capable of committing massive resources with ease & that it is capable of moving key pieces of its engine to the GY. These two factors ensure that when a Sky Striker card is needed, it is usually accessible.

• What else should be considered in the Striker package?: Shizuku has a lot going for it in this Deck, but I simply didn't like the idea of playing it over Topologic Bomber Dragon. Shizuku doesn't offer the same explosive disruption as Bomber, but it does allow you to dig into your Sky Striker engine (which may end up being useful for going 2nd). In addition to Shizuku, Jamming Waves & Afterburners are also worth considering. Both of these cards are strictly for going 2nd/breaking a board, and they are relatively useful in doing so - however they do not see play in this Deck, or really any variations of this deck, because they are inconsistent outside of these situations. Not to mention, Orcust is a deck that is relatively resilient, and going 2nd it can OTK with ease - so main decking bricky options to break a board may not be the best option.