TCG Meta Snapshot: Beetrooper December 2021 Beetrooper is a flexible insect-based deck released in Dawn of Majesty as a TCG exclusive archetype. It had some success as a combo pile in the Region

The TCG Meta Snapshot is a project by some of the writers at YGOPRODeck that aims to encapsulate the state of the meta for a given 1-2 week period.
The TCG Meta Snapshot also aims to rank decks in a somewhat looser tier system. The tiers that we will use are as follows:

Tier 1: Highly Competitive Meta Decks. 10% or more of tops, as ranked by Pojo. This will roughly correspond to Pojo’s Tier 1, with some overlap into Pojo’s Tier 2.
Tier 2: Semi-Competitive Meta Decks. Less than 10% of tops, as ranked by Pojo. Corresponds to the rest of Pojo’s Tier 2, Pojo’s Tier 3, and Rogue.
Tier 3: Semi-Competitive non-Meta/Rogue decks. 1-2 tops. Specifically includes decks that only top small events or get lower rankings at medium events. Can also include decks that can potentially top but have not yet in a given format.
Tier 4: Casually Competitive non-Meta decks. Decks that can compete at the local level, but cannot top an event.  

Archetype Explanation

Beetrooper is a flexible insect-based deck released in Dawn of Majesty as a TCG exclusive archetype. It had some success as a combo pile in the Regional scene but not enough to be taken seriously yet.
However, a new version of the deck has emerged which makes use of its unique strengths! Enter Enforcer Beetrooper. This variant showed up on both the NA and EU Remote Duel YCS, two high-profile events. It's no one-hit-wonder either (looking at you, World Chalice). It made an impressive finish at the LCS 3v3 days after.
Beetrooper on its own has a solid foundation with most of its cards being competent at what they do. The deck also makes use of the Insect support provided over the years to great effect!

Tier Ranking

"According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to top a YCS. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body out of round 1. The bee, of course, tops anyway because bees can summon DPE."
Beetrooper is steadily receiving success with enough conversion rate plus representation to where you can call it a Rogue contender. While it may not be as prolific as superstars like Tenyi Swordsoul, Enforcer Dogmatika Invoked, or Tri-Brigade Lyrilusc, it definitely has enough to buzz about.
Believe it or not, the deck has been making waves in the competitive scene as of recent. It also packs an incredible conversion rate to boot.

Decklists

2nd Place Herman Hansson EU Remote YCS




Here we have Herman Hansson's 2nd Place EU Remote Duel YCS list! This deck performs on a different level than the lists we've seen prior. It has less emphasis on building a massive board and instead is pretty modest when it comes to it.
The real strength comes in multiple layers of threats alongside the power of Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer! But then you might ask, doesn't the deck lock you into insects? Only partly. Methods like linking Armor Horn away for Seraphim and using Atlas' effect on itself help you escape this restriction.
Exclusive and powerful disruption from the hand in the form of cards like Sting Lancer and Retaliating "C" are the first that come to mind. Many of the top decks in the format hate running into both of these. This plays a big part in why this list performed as well as it did.
The fact that a lot of its combo pieces also act as ways to hinder your opponent is a feat. The two insects are a given, but Sting the Poison and Scale Bomber also count for this. Ideally, you want to be ending on Seraphim + Verte + Enforcer with Sting the Poison in the GY! This is backed up by Sting Lancer and Retaliating "C" in hand.
Another layer lies in the ability to produce ridiculous follow-up. Sting the Poison adding Arbalest, Lancer getting you to Descent, Beetrooper Armor Horn reviving itself, and so on. Enforcer on its own puts in a ton of work. But Dasher and Celestial are especially incredible here. Getting to more insects usually lead to a snowball effect.
Resonance Insect should also be mentioned, as it is key in a lot of the functionalities of this deck. You are able to access it in different ways, notably both Gokipole and Ret C's search effect, alongside Picofalena's equip effect. Not having a once per turn clause on any of its effects means you're able to capitalize off it multiple times in a single turn. It gets you to almost everything you'd need at the given moment. Getting Sting the Poison to the GY is big for Seraphim plays.
The deck is also compact enough to where it can slot in plenty of hand traps to stop the opponent in their tracks to complement the strategy. Save for a massive turn ender like Nibiru, it's also quite awkward to interrupt due to its multitude of extenders.
A lot of options are also streamlined, as mediocre starters like Scout Buggy are absent in favor of sturdier choices. The new support from Burst of Destiny comes up quite a lot here, as the spell is now the go-to search target for Lancer. Mighty Neptune and Assault Roller have important roles that they fulfill too.
One important strength that Herman mentioned is that the deck is capable of performing an OTK out of nowhere, due to how your resources line up to do so turn 3 and beyond. Doom Dozer is a large body that radiates kill pressure once it enters play. Pin's uncontested 200 burn eases the process too. For example, Accesscode Talker + Enforcer is exactly 7800 damage.

Top 32 NA Remote YCS Jesse Flores




Jesse Flores brought an interesting take on the Enforcer Beetrooper strategy, with a 60-card rendition that also featured Small World and some funky choices such as Baronne or the Dagda package. He sums up some of the theory with a few comments over on a YT Deck Profile video.

Archfiend Eccentrick is noted to be a Small World option that lets you have a searchable out to backrow and even floodgate monsters. Skull-Marked Ladybug appears to be there for trying to clutch time in the round. When doing so, you would skip Verte lines as that would put you at a major disadvantage.
With the calculations in play, your normal openers tend to have 2 good going second cards (usually hand traps) and then your cards that get the engine started.
All in all, it's pretty interesting how the two regions had different takes in approaching the deck. An odd thing to note is that the list still plays Scout Buggy, a card that's in contention with the player base as of recent.

Tech Choices

As the lists somewhat differ from the combo-centric Beetroopers we've seen before, there are a couple of tech choices worth discussing.
Crystron Halqifibrax gives you access to an insect in a pinch, as Sting the Poison turns out to be a tuner! This helps especially if you Dasher off a Veiler or an Ash Blossom. From there you can easily go into Seraphim and get back into the game.
Beetrooper Descent has been one of the best extenders by far, as it not only lets you access Verte with Link Spider, it also provides solid utility with a non-targeting S/T pop. Being a Mystic Mine out is definitely a selling point! Two copies work just fine, and it's a better option compared to Formation. While the Field Spell is still usable and some lists remain on it, Descent is a lot easier to use with a higher payoff.
Continuing the trend of looking at what the BODE support brought to the table, Assault Roller is a good extender that's accessible off Gokipole in a pinch. Due to its summoning condition, it can even trigger Resonance.
As for Mighty Neptune, it was a solid one-of that helps take back momentum in grinder matchups due to its ability to recycle banished resources back into the Deck. Wing Flapper and the rest are nowhere to be seen thus far.
Retaliating "C" has turned itself into a legitimate starter for the deck, as it is able to access Resonance which is highly coveted. The card also doubles up as an incredible hand trap, blowing the opponent out should they use a Spell that involves summoning monsters. Common examples include Fusion Destiny, Bird Call, Meteonis Drytron, Invocation, and many more!
Players have mostly since moved on from gimmicky or inconsistent choices such as the Scary Moth turbo build and incorporating cards like Danger Mothman or Twinbow the Attacker into the picture.
Beetrooper Scout Buggy's role in the deck has mostly taken a backseat as the most successful builds have been cutting it altogether. The lock is incredibly irritating to work with and it often competes with the other starter cards. However, some still opt to play 2 copies for the flex option to make Cicada King.
Wynn the Wind Charmer, Verdant is an easily accessible Link-2 that can steal high-profile cards such as Baronne De Fleur and makes climbing into Accesscode quite trivial. A lot of the insects you have access to are WIND so it's a logical choice.
The number of Picofalena ran seems to be up to player preference. Herman notes that the second one rarely comes up, while others prefer 2 just in case.
After the initial success of the EU YCS build the deck has received a few tweaks that change the dynamic up by a fair bit. Here are the main takeaways!
Neptune and Fly & Sting have now become cuttable/optional choices as while their utility is nice, the two are not often required. For the latter in particular, you often don't end on a Beetrooper monster on the field.
2 Gokipole appears to be the move, as having access to a second one is clutch in some game states. Not only that, a sided WIND Vanilla target allows you to both use it as Wynn fodder and bypass Empen + Stormwinds!
Flying Kamakiri #2 was used, but Girochin Kuwagata works as well due to its higher ATK. Herman explained that it acts as a game 2 surprise option, as people are more inclined to save their interruptions for other cards and let the "harmless" Gokipole resolve with the usual add from Deck. Whether mained or sided, the option to have a non-targeting pop is huge.
For reference, the updated list can be found here.

Matchups

Enforcer Dogmatika Invoked

If you can believe it, this is one of the deck's most favorable matchups by far. Both Retaliating "C" and Sting Lancer absolutely go ham here, and you can often gas through their interruptions. Lancer in particular does a good job at denying Invocation. Winda isn't as scary when you have built-in tools to prevent it from hitting the field. The usual setup tends to be enough when you go first. Going second, you have fine odds for the most part. Your own Enforcer exerts a lot of pressure too.
Although it's a good idea to be mindful of your hand trap usage. This is because the deck has a lot of powerful spells that can easily swing the tide of the duel immediately in their favor if left unchecked.

Tri-Brigade Lyrilusc

This matchup is definitely dependent on the die roll. It is nearly impossible to break Tri LL's board once they get things going, outside of very specific generics. Not only that, they can use instant win buttons such as Harpie's Feather Storm to ruin your day.
Going second, hand traps will be your best friend here, as cards like Droll and Impermanence can help even out the playing field. Retaliating "C" does have merits here, as a well-timed activation of the card in response to Bird Call can be extremely rewarding. It all depends on their openers, but at the bare minimum it can cut off a fair amount of plays.
When going first you'd want to time your disruptions, as using them recklessly could lead to staring down a loaded Zeus on the crackback.

Tenyi Swordsoul

A tricky matchup to work with, as Retaliating "C" isn't as effective here. Sting Lancer and Sting the Poison both perform alright, as the former can preemptively stop Tenyi GY shenanigans, while the latter helps snuff out SS effects. Once again, generic cards such as the deck's vast hand trap arsenal goes a long way to soften up their endboard.
Gokipole is helpful, as it can force out an interruption at worst. Negated Beetrooper starters can turn into Almiraj, which can help versus Blackout. In some of the featured duels we've seen, Herman going second was able to play through the Tenyi SS board and use techs such as Wynn to revive their own Baronne to his side of the field! Ideally, you want to burn through their interactions and finally slap down Enforcer via Verte.

Conclusion

Enforcer Beetrooper is a new face in the competitive scene of the game and has quickly risen to become a fan favorite among many people for its aesthetics and gameplay. Whether or not it remains to be a solid contender remains to be seen, but players like the legendary Herman Hansson have proven they're no laughing matter and laid down the foundation of the deck, respectively. I would keep an eye out for these insects in the future.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to all duelists out there! I hope to see you again soon in the next Snapshot!

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