The RDIQ for the month of May has recently concluded and it was quite the event! Out of all the competitors, one peculiar Dinosaur list managed to sneak its way into an impressive Top 8 finish. Let's dive right in and see how Giant Skyhawk manages to innovate the deck to new heights!

Quick Disclaimer

Since this is quite different from what most people are used to, let's get the elephant out of the room. This isn't a blind second build which has been the deck's identity for a while. Skyhawk's take on Dinosaur is a going first version with Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon alongside very spicy tech cards.
Now, this by no means invalidates the strength and the popularity of the common builds, just that it has a different approach and take in philosophy.
The greatest minds of the Dino Discord have banded together to help create the following list, and they have succeeded in landing an official tournament placement. Without further ado, it's time to check out the decklist.

42 is Mathematically Fine

First things first, the decision to run 42 cards is based on hard mathematics and calculations. Thanks to the power of Pot of Prosperity, you are able to work with anywhere from between 42 to 48 cards in your Deck without losing much consistency!
Prosperity helps you dig to either a specific copy of a card you need at any given time for your combos or your plays. This is important to note as there are multiple 2 card Dinosaur combos that the deck revolves around.
What you will banish depends on what you're trying to dig for and the cards in your hand at that moment. For example, if you manage to draw the Red-Eyes Fusion, you can afford to banish away Verte. Instant Fusion is also something to note, as you can banish the targets at times.
All the main deck Dinosaur monsters are pretty known save for a few, so let's go over them as well. In the case of the third copy of Babycerasaurus, it allows you to see combo more often going first. Giant Rex is needed as it lets you get full combo off Oviraptor + Lost World.
Pankratops is in the side. While it is very powerful, this version of the deck aims to go first, and it doesn't help with that. It can be sided in games 2 and 3 without a sweat.

The Spice

Gilasaurus is mandatory to run in this version. It is the best way to combat Artifact Lancea, which auto-wins against most Dinosaur decks. This is because Oviraptor can get it, pivoting into Verte Dragoon with Pill and Misc in your GY as a follow-up! There are also hands where you're able to end on Rank 4 Dragoon under Lancea thanks to it.

Not only that, Gilasaurus' effect is actually a good thing! Giving your opponent a free resource back seems foolish, but only at first glance. Similar to Lost World, them having a monster prevents them from using Gamma. Not only that, should they have already used Lancea, they can't tribute it again as the effect has already applied. If your opponent chooses to not summon off the effect, it's possible they may be holding a card that needs the field to be empty.

The extra monster can help in securing Tyranno OTKs or burning with Dragoon. All in all, you gotta play it if you decide to use this variant of the deck.
Solemn Judgment and Imperial Order are hard built for going first, but should you be able to break the board with your engine it also helps going second to stop their plays. The two also guard against the likes of Dark Ruler No More and other conventional board breakers. Another niche thing that can be done is in scuffed situations, you can negate the summon of Baby/Petit in a pinch and get their effects off!

Extra Deck Stars

Now we get to the other crazy card on the list, Time Wizard of Tomorrow! This is your explosive Instant Fusion target, and it has a lot of hidden utility than it might initially seem. Pot also gives you higher odds of seeing it, so it can come up a lot more than you'd think! (credit to Frozen for coming up with this idea!)
With that in mind, Time Wizard can destroy all the monsters on the field alongside some burn damage tied to a coin flip. The burn effect isn't important, as what you're really looking for is that destruction. Baby, Petit, and Juraegg Tokens under LW are all prime targets to destroy. This fusion is also able to force out interactions now and then, as it can threaten to nuke the field.
Paired with Lost World, you can set up a situation where the opponent's Ash becomes dicey. No matter what they interrupt there, you're getting a Dino onto the field.
Millennium Eyes-Restrict is another potent choice as it can guard against HTs while also doubling up as Link and Evolution Pill fodder in a pinch.
Pentestag has been a staple in Dino decks, and for very good reason. It enables a lot of massive OTK pushes with Ultimate Conductor Tyranno for minimal effort. You really can't go with this one and Dugares!
Knightmare Cerberus can clear out threats and trigger Lost World, as you can target their Driver or the Juraegg/Nibiru Token.
The rest of the Rank 4 toolbox is pretty self-explanatory and the Dragoon package and Lambda. The latter is the most cuttable card in the list though, as you can try slotting in Link Spider to play around Nibiru better.

Sample Combos

We'll be showing a couple of the combos in Dragoon Dinosaur, so hold on tight! First one is short and sweet, Oviraptor + UCT/Gilasaurus.
NS Ovi, effect add either of the two you don't have right now in hand. Then SS Gila, make Verte, summon UCT and use Verte's effect for Dragoon!
Pretty formidable, as you have Dragoon and UCT (with Verte to pop) off just those two.
Any combination of Misc + Baby, Archo + Baby, Ovi+Misc, Ovi+Baby will work for this one, just that the sequencing will be different. For demonstration purposes, let's go with Ovi and Misc as that's pretty common.
NS Ovi, effect add Baby. Pitch Misc then banish it to Special Archo from the Deck! Archo pops the Baby to add Pill, Baby summons another copy of itself. Use Oviraptor's effect to pop the baby and revive the other Baby to then SS Misc from the deck.
From there you can make a R4 with Ovi and Misc (Usually Dolkka), go into Linkuriboh and then go into Verte Anaconda. Use Pill to make UCT, and then finally Verte into Dragoon.

World of the Lost

Lost World is a very special card for a couple of your combos, as it enables a lot of crazy interaction and ways to play around HTs if sequenced properly, say Ash Blossom. In any case, Ovi + LW gets us this (this is where Giant Rex comes into the picture).

Activate Lost World, NS Ovi, and then SEGOC the effects. Ovi adds Misc. Send Misc and then activate Ovi's effect, targeting the Juraegg Token. Use Lost World to protect the token and SS out a Baby. Then use Misc's effect to SS out Archo, which pops the baby and gets you Pill. Special Summon Giant Rex off this, go into Linkuriboh, and then link Rex and Kuri away for Verte. Use Pill to summon UCT and resummon Rex, make a Rank 4. Lastly, finish it up by using Verte's effect.

This lets us end on UCT, Rank 4 plus Dragoon under Lost World, pretty solid!

In the case of Lancea, there While most of these will just be Dragoon and Dinosaur follow-up for the next turn, there are also R4 plays. This one is a favorite!
Lost World + Baby/Petit + Archo

Activate LW, Normal Archo, and then SEGOC the effects. You pop the baby to add the Pill (can't use it this turn) to then summon Ovi to add Gilasaurus. Use Ovi's effect on the token, protect with LW to get Misc! Then Rank 4, Linkuri into Verte Dragoon!

Conclusion

And that wraps up our Article covering the Giant Skyhawk's interesting take on Dinosaurs. While the list isn't perfect nor is it the best version to ever come out, it's an interesting breath of fresh air for the deck and can be improved upon as a proof of concept.
I hope you enjoyed this read, until next time! Feel free to give a look at our co-writer MBT's interview with Skyhawk here as well!