Introduction
Structure Decks got quite better over the years, always bringing something new to the table. It could be reviving an old deck, introducing a new strategy altogether or reprints that appeal to a lot of players. Their usually affordable retail price makes it a decent pickup for starting the game. That being said, let's check out some of the ones from the modern years that are still kicking it to this day. Which ones are the Reloaded Victors?
Not all Structure Deck Rs were released in the TCG, but you can find the available ones here.
Emperor of Darkness
Emperor of Darkness tore through the game when it came out in 2016, being the first reloaded structure deck. Monarchs, both Domain and Extra Deck Monarchs ruled the scene and had a ton of results to back it up too!
Erebus and Ehther are unlike any other with their might and the squires made up for tribute fodder big time. Another big part of its success was thanks to its line-up of Spells / Traps. Pantheism, Stormforth, Erupt, Domain, Tenacity, and Prime were some of the most terrifying sights back in the day.
Pantheism's hit caused the deck to disappear for years until it came back in the newest ban list. As a result, the deck got its power back and got some popularity too. Recent sets even gave it a couple of new toys to play with, notably Seleglare the Luminous Lunar Dragon. PSY-Framegear Gamma is an old but welcome hand trap that aids in many ways. It helps make sure Pantheism and Tenacity go through, stops the opponent's setup, and even enables Ehther in a pinch. Not only that, the deck is still quite flexible in what it wants to do.
You can explore cards like Magicians Souls and mess with multiple Ehthers on their turn. Vanity's Fiend forces a timer that's hard to answer. Domain Monarchs even went on to place 2nd in the European Remote Duel Invitationals, piloted by Lithium2300. Extra Deck Monarchs have a lot of room for creativity, so it's another option to look into.
Most of the needed cards are in the structure, and with a bit of smart play you can steal some games with these emperors! Pantheism mind games can be quite a challenge to play against.
SR01 is one of the Reloaded Victors and is the first to come out which is neat to note.
Dinosmasher's Fury
Dinosmasher's Fury is arguably the strongest structure deck released, and it still is years after it came out. Its core cards are brutally powerful and it currently sits as a Tier 1 meta pick. The deck plays well both at going first and second, able to push for aggro OTK pushes or control the game's pace.
Having the two good Dinosaur-only R4NKs is a huge boon that no other type has. Some of the new cards added to the deck aged very well, especially cards like Oviraptor, Lost World, and UCT.
Evolzar Laggia and Evolzar Dolkka are easy to make Xyzs that help in piling on the hurt vs your opponent while protecting your field to boot.
Misc returning to 3 was a sign of things to come. The creation of cards like Dinowrestler Pankratops, Overtex Qoatlus, and Animadorned Archosaur turned the deck on its head! Archo is important, making a lot of plays without much effort or need for bricks! A lot of two card combos go through Archo and Misc can fetch it directly from the deck!
A majority of the cards you need are also in the Structure Deck, which is a nice bonus. Only time will tell if the deck gets hit, but SR04 currently stands as the best of the Reloaded Victors.
Order of the Spellcasters
Endymion provided Pendulum decks a breath of fresh life and arguably brought them back to the forefront!
Endy shined as one of the contenders during the era of TOSS. They made great use of Heavymetalfoes Electrumite and snuck a good amount of tops and results. Some even used Agarpain when it was around too.
Servant of Endymion and Spell Power Mastery gave the deck high consistency. Magister and Reflection also help a ton thanks to their scales and effects. Endy paired up with Mythical Beasts for their spell counters and free resources. Mythical Beast Jackal King was Mighty Master's partner in crime, negating harder than most things around.
The banning of Electrumite and the limiting of Servant made things quite hard for most Endymion strategies. Techs like Crowley, the first Propheseer gave a bit of hope to the deck, and some crafty players were able to make different options and card choices work. Magician's Restage and the hands come to mind as neat techs.
The release of Selene really turned the deck around and gave it a tool that boosts it quite a lot. Endymion is able to go through Selenes in a turn and create crazy boards with some unique setups and lockdown effects. Magician's Right Hand and Secret Village are just some of the tools that the deck can boast.
Recent Developments
The deck topped a few months back in a PPG, focusing on Endymions and the Spellbook engine.
After the unbanning of Double Iris Magician, Pendulum Magicians have also been an upcoming Pendulum deck of choice. They are also able to incorporate some parts of the Endymion strategy to great effect. This is one of the strengths of Pendulums, as they're able to make use of several archetypes to create a flexible strategy.
At the end of the day, SR08 remains a solid one in the batch of Reloaded Victors
Honorable Mentions
Zombie Horde is another one that is decent and even got some results earlier this year in the Crush Card Cup. Dominik Gabrans managed to give the deck a solid Top 8 finish in the event.
Zombie World is a floodgate that stops a lot of the meta decks in their tracks thanks to its type-changing effect. New support also helps it out a lot, such Jack-O-Bolan and Savior. The hit to Called by the Grave is also good news for Doomking Balerdroch.
Lair of Darkness had good reprints to start with such as Metaverse and Foolish Burial Goods. Both the field spell and Diabolos made some waves in the competitive scene. Lair Infernoids is the classic example, using the tribute effect for wild results! Diabolos showed up in Chaos Thunders and even in a few Sky Striker lists.
Mechanized Madness is the newest SD and pairs nicely with Orcust and machine support such as Urgent Schedule. Reprints found in it are a boon too. Jizukiru, Pot of Avarice, Cosmic Cyclone, Solemn Strike, and Trap Trick are good pickups. All of these cards are budget techs that can go in many decks.
Conclusion
That about does it for our look into the Reloaded Victors! Which one is your favorite? Do you think I forgot to include one in the list? Feel free to tell me about it down below. Until next time folks!
