Vaylantz Sky Striker (Power Spell)

Contrary to the most obvious conclusion one might make at first glance, this is not actually a blind second deck. While this list absolutely has the gas and board presence necessary to confidently go second, you still prefer to go first and set up a strong board with extremely competent follow-up.

This deck plays in an extremely unique fashion unlike any other deck in the game, setting itself apart even from other Vaylantz lists. That being said, I've had by far the most success with Vaylantz on online ladders using these cards, and significantly more so than the old “Baronne-Avra pass” gameplan.

When building a board, your goals are clear: 

1. Set up GrandSolfachord Coolia with Dreamia in the scale.

2. Summon I:P Masquerena.

3. Summon Arktos.

4. Resolve Engage as many times as possible.

Successfully achieving these goals consistently will take practice and discipline with the Vaylantz cards. Lucky for you, I have a few tips to get you started:

1. If this is your first time playing Vaylantz: Don't play this deck. Find an easier list, I’ve posted plenty on this site. My recommendation is to start with Pachy or Invoked.

2. Once you have set up Coolia, I:P, and Arktos, you have two I:P targets: Apollousa using all four bodies (including Dreamia post-Omni), and S:P Little Knight. (If you side in Underworld Goddess for a specific matchup, this is also an option.) Most of the time, you will make Apollousa using all of your bodies in order to make your Striker Spells live. It's incredible how much stronger she is when backed up by a Widow Anchor or two (especially to steal), because suddenly a large monster or Ty-Phon doesn't necessarily immediately check your remaining board.

3. Beyond the Pendulum is not a once-per-turn. If it gets hand trapped, you can go for a second one, and you can even burn through a second or third one (depending on how the game is going) in a single turn to get a follow-up Shinonome after you have finished using all of your monster and scale effects. Doing so preserves Exceed the Pendulum,  making Accesscode lines smoother.

4. The primary times you will be able to use your Striker cards are at the start of your turn, and immediately before your Pendulum Summon. If you have two spells in the graveyard and just need a third one before drawing with Engage or stealing with Widow Anchor, wait until you've used Shinonome and therefore either Solo Activation or Wars and have linked them off for Beyond the Pendulum. If you have an extra body on board (i.e. Nazuki) after using Hornet Drones and Kagari, don't be afraid to make a second Beyond without effect so that you can resolve Engage.

5. Think about hands that include Droplet carefully. Going first, take care to use it for outing your own Field Spell while developing the board on the opponent’s turn, and going second look for combos with your various normal and Quick-Play Spell cards. Also, remember that Exceed the Pendulum can revive Pendulum Monsters from the Graveyard, so pitching a name for Droplet (or Knightmare Phoenix)  doesn't necessarily mean that you won't have it for the rest of the turn.

And with that, I refer any further questions to either the gameplay video included or to the Vaylantz Discord, a link to which is included in the full-length Vaylantz guide posted in the comment section of this deck. Feel free to @ me (Tsubatt) with any questions there, and I’ll do my best to answer!