U.A 2022

With the recent addition of Master Duel there has been a huge spike in popularity again with this fabled card game!

However for a lot of returning old school players or even those who have been out of the loop for a little while the game can be frustrating at times to play against the top meta decks.

Now if your anything like me you love a powerful feeling yet simple deck that is fun to play and doesnt feel like playing solitare and pulling off a 30 card combo that takes 30 minutes for just one turn.

This is where our good friends the Ultra athletes come in!

Now by any means this isnt a super competitive deck and it can brick sometimes (not very often now with the new supports) but often your opponent has never seen or played against this deck meaning you have an element of surprise and even a OTK chance.

So who are the Ultra Athletes and what do they do?

Well plain and simple UA works but "substituting" your cards during your main phases to give you an "offensive and defensive" team layout. You will typically play an offensive line to take out your opponents cards, backrow and LP then swap them out in MP2 for a defensive counter line for their turn.

This is a lot of fun to pull off and keeps your opponent guessing at what you have up your sleeve plus with the amazing field spell and arguably the best equip spell in the game you can really surprise an unknowing player!

The UA deck has a lot of 5* and above monsters (thankfully with the new support you now have more 4* options to get them out) so it can brick due to this but recently out of a good 70 odd duels ive hard bricked once.

How does this substitution work? Well all UA monster cards have the effect: " You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 1 "UA." monster you control to the hand, except "UA. .....". You can only Special Summon "UA. ...." once per turn this way." this is effectively you swapping your offensive and defensive strats and playing to your opponents weaknesses!

Lets get into the cards and how they are used in the deck i currently run:

UA Midfielder 4* 1200 / 1000 :

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 1 "UA." monster you control to the hand, except "UA. Midfielder". You can only Special Summon "UA. Midfielder" once per turn this way. During either player's turn: You can target 1 other "UA." monster you control; return that face-up monster to the hand, then Special Summon 1 "UA." monster from your hand with a different name from that monster. You can only use this effect of "UA. Midfielder" once per turn.

This is one of the two 4* monsters you have access to and is normally your starting catalyst for getting your main forces out.

Now the secondary effect i often dont use unless you are in the battlephase and really want to lay down some hurt on the opponent.

the reason the second effect i find doesnt get used often is because you will typically swap this card out from the field to get your big bois out.

nevertheless this is a must have card in your deck and 3 of them.

UA Libero Spiker 4* 1800 / 1800:

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 1 "UA." monster you control to the hand, except "UA. Libero Spiker". You can only Special Summon "UA. Libero Spiker" once per turn this way. During your opponent's Main Phase (Quick Effect): You can shuffle 1 Level 5 or higher "UA." monster from your hand into the Deck, and if you do, Special Summon 1 "UA." monster from your Deck with a different name, then return this card to the hand. You can only use this effect of "UA. Libero Spiker" once per turn

This is one of the newest support cards UA got and my god it was a much needed one!

It is the only other 4* the archetype has and it has certainly a more useful second effect and is great for little combos for defence or to start filling your board!

you can leave this little bugger out and during your opponents turn immediatly swap it to a "rival rebounder" which gives you a resurection from your GY or play directly from your hand!

Alternatively it allows you to pull out the right card for whatever your opponent summons. I Love this card and am very happy UA got this support!

UA Mighty Slugger 5* 2300 / 700:

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 1 "UA." monster you control to the hand, except "UA. Mighty Slugger". You can only Special Summon "UA. Mighty Slugger" once per turn this way. If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step.

The first of the more offensive line and this is my go to for easy damage or to pair with the equip spell due to how safe he is!

The effect is brilliant and is great when you suspect a nasty trap your enemy has laid or a hand trap you are worried they might have as it allows you to attack with complete confidence.

I've also found its great against say an annoying monster effect thats perhaps making your other offensive attacks near impossible.

overall great card and always a staple!

UA Perfect Ace 5* 1500 / 2500:

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 1 "UA." monster you control to the hand, except "UA. Perfect Ace". You can only Special Summon "UA. Perfect Ace" once per turn this way. Once per turn, during your opponent's turn, when a card or effect is activated: You can discard 1 card; negate that activation, and if you do, destroy it (this is a Quick Effect).

The first of your defensive line and an amazing combo breaker and negation tool against your opponent.

its a shame its a once per turn but even so this has saved my skin or even caused my opponent to scoop with its effect.

Still a must have in the deck and offers great counterplay options!

UA Rival Rebounder 6* 2200 / 2300:

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 1 "UA." monster you control to the hand, except "UA. Rival Rebounder". You can only Special Summon "UA. Rival Rebounder" once per turn this way. If this card is Special Summoned during your opponent's turn, or Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "UA." monster from your hand or Graveyard, except "UA. Rival Rebounder". You can only use this effect of "UA. Rival Rebounder" once per turn.

An interesting card.. used to be a little more situational to get out but with Libero i find it certainly a mainstay in the deck!

You will typically want to get this card out during your opponent turn as its the only UA card that can get things back from the GY or alternatively a great way to play a counter monster to your opponent from your hand.

he helps get more onto your board and for that i always run him!

He also is a great pairing for "UA Turnover tactics" as you can also do that on your opponents turn.

UA Goalkeeper 6* 1000 / 2800:

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 1 "UA." monster you control to the hand, except "UA. Goalkeeper". You can only Special Summon "UA. Goalkeeper" once per turn this way. Once per turn, during your opponent's turn: You can target 1 "UA." monster you control; once during this turn, it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects (this is a Quick Effect).

Doesn't see too much play but i am a great believer in thsi card and it has saved me many a time!

Even if its just to take one more hit on your monsters to limit your opponent this can put a halt to a OTK and gives you one more turn to pull off a retaliation that can win you the duel!

Note he can use his effect on himself and with a great 2800 defence he can sometimes be tricky to take out!

UA Dreadnought Dunker 7* 2500 / 1800:

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 1 "UA." monster you control to the hand, except "UA. Dreadnought Dunker". You can only Special Summon "UA. Dreadnought Dunker" once per turn this way. If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent. When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent: You can target 1 card on the field; destroy it.

He's your big boi to help clear boards and open up opponents the target 1 card is great for dealing with pesky backrows or a boss monster you cant quite get past.

The piercing damage is great when you can force an opponent to play defensivly, this happens more often than not as with UA you can easily top over 3000 attack meaning unless your opponent knows your deck they will typically start playing defence until this bad boi comes out!

A Great card although can cause bad plays due to how exposed he can be when attacking or when using the target effect.

UA BlockBacker 7* 1600 / 2700:

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 1 "UA." monster you control to the hand, except "UA. Blockbacker". You can only Special Summon "UA. Blockbacker" once per turn this way. Once per turn, when your opponent Special Summons a monster(s): You can change their battle positions, and if you do, negate their effects.

An interesting card but due to its lack of quick effect can sometimes not pull off his effect as it can be chained.

I will typically use him when i play "turnover tactics" as he is brilliant at stopping whatever the opponent brings out

good defence although would of been nice to have his effect a quick effect.

UA Playmaker 8* 2600 / 2000:

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 1 "UA." monster you control to the hand, except "UA. Playmaker". You can only Special Summon "UA. Playmaker" once per turn this way. When another "UA." monster you control declares an attack: You can have this card lose exactly 800 ATK, and if you do, your attacking monster gains 800 ATK.

Your OTK boi, helps buff your guys for that killing blow or get you just over an opponents beatstick.

I find he works best with Slugger as the extra protection slugger gets means he wont potentialy waste this attack.

Remember you can attack with playmaker first at max attack THEN use his effect to buff someone else meaning a free 800 attack during that damage.

His effect can go on every turn as well menaing your stronger monsters can get to silly attack easily.

A good card but situational.

UA Player Manager 8* 2000 / 2600:

If you Normal or Special Summon a "UA." monster(s) (except during the Damage Step): You can Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Special Summoned: You can activate 1 of these effects.

● Target 1 card on the field; destroy it.

● Negate the effects of all face-up monsters on the field until the end of this turn, except "UA." monsters.

You can only use each effect of "UA. Player Manager" once per turn.

The last of the new support monsters and my god what a great addition!

you have a very easy free destruction or a negate all monster effects meaning he is a great anti board blocker and allows your unprotected UA monsters to confidently attack!

He is very easy to get out and works wonders with Rival rebounder or turnover tactics.

I love this card and is a great addition to the lineup!

Now moving on to the spells this is where most your synergy and tactics come into play and UA have some amazing spells which opponents often wont realise are so strong until its too late!

UA Stadium (Field Spell):

If a "UA." monster is Normal Summoned to your side of the field: You can add 1 "UA." monster from your Deck to your hand. Once per turn, if a "UA." monster(s) is Special Summoned to your side of the field: All monsters you currently control gain 500 ATK (even if this card leaves the field).

Wow! What a great field spell! its a free search that helps builds up your play strategy AND a permanant 500 attack boost for your special summons!

This is a card that can quickly help your UA spiral into absolute damaging gods and with the free search it can really help build your combos.

A must have for your opening hand if possible!

UA Hyper stadium (Field spell):

(This card is always treated as a "FA." card.) When this card is activated: You can add 1 "UA." or "FA." monster from your Deck to your hand, OR add 1 "UA. Stadium" from your GY to your hand. You can reveal 1 Field Spell in your hand and pay 1000 LP; you can Normal Summon 1 "UA." or "FA." monster during your Main Phase this turn, in addition to your Normal Summon/Set. (You can only gain this effect once per turn.) You can only activate 1 "UA. Hyper Stadium" per turn.

One of the new support spells and its a nice one!

This helps you with a free UA search the moment its activated so helps the deck brick less as you can still pull a 4* if you are lacking.

The add 1 UA stadium is also very useful but the additional normal summon i havent found too much use for. The only times i found it helped is when my opponent negated my normal summon and i have another level 4 and another field spell in my hand but this didnt happen too often.

UA Powered Jersey (equip spell):

Equip only to a "UA." monster. It gains 1000 ATK and DEF, also if it battles an opponent's monster, any battle damage it inflicts to your opponent is doubled. If the equipped monster destroys a monster by its attack: It can make a second attack during this Battle Phase. During your Standby Phase: Banish the equipped monster. If this card is sent to the Graveyard because the equipped monster returned to the hand: You can return this card to the hand.

This... This is disgustingly good! it's your ultimate finisher and OTK potential machine and my god does your opponent not see it coming!

the 1000 attack and defence is great but the magic lies in the almost secret double damage! For some reason most opponents skim over this but my god is it deadly!

The extra attack can really help clear boards and the best part is... once youve done what you needed to and the enemy is left hanging on by a thread you can swap out your offensive card for your defensive line and get powered jearsy back for FREE! ready to finish them off next turn.

Although very powerful you dont want too many in your deck as it can cause bricks.

Great fun to use but very much an overkill card.

UA Signing Deal (normal spell):

Special Summon 1 "UA." monster from your Deck, but its effects are negated, also it cannot be used as Synchro or Xyz Material for a Summon. Then you lose LP equal to that monster's Level x 300. You can only activate 1 "UA. Signing Deal" per turn.

This is a great emergency use card and the best thing is you can ignore the negated effects part because thanks to UA you can just switch them out!

This is your "a hero lives" card and is a nice suppliment to help you get back into the fight or if you have a bad start.

UA Turnover Tactics (quickplay):

If you control 2 or more "UA." monsters with different names: Shuffle as many monsters on the field as possible into the Deck, then Special Summon "UA." monsters from your Deck that have different names from each other, up to the number of cards shuffled into your Main Deck, but those monsters cannot attack this turn. Then your opponent can Special Summon monsters from their Deck, up to the number of cards shuffled into their Main Deck. You can only activate 1 "UA. Turnover Tactics" per turn.

Oooooo is this a fun one! this card has single handedly saved me games, completley ruined opponents plays and caused many an opponents scoop!

The card helps you get out of a bad situation or combos well with your rival rebounder on your opponents turn or backblocker to really annoy them.

This cards secret though? use it when your opponent plays a heavy extra deck and watch them cry!

lets say they have a Utopia deck and they have 3 or 4 of the big Utopia boys out and are giving you an awful time.

play this and swap your poor UA out for some more... but wait... the opponent has to also shuffle their cards back in and special summon the same amount out with different names... i could be left with even stronger monsters to deal with!

Ahhhh well thats where the "Then your opponent can Special Summon monsters from their Deck, up to the number of cards shuffled into their Main Deck*."* Comes in handy!

remember it says Main deck so if they are playing heavy extra deck it means they can't replace any of their big bois as they go back to the EXTRA deck leaving them wide open for you to finish the game.

This card has won and saved me too many times to count!

UA Locker room (quick play):

(This card is always treated as a "FA." card.) Target 1 "UA." or "FA." monster you control or in your GY; add it to the hand, and if you do, you gain 500 LP, then you can apply this effect. ● Reveal any number of "UA." and/or "FA." monsters in your hand, shuffle them into the Deck, then draw cards equal to the number of shuffled cards. You can only activate 1 "UA. Locker Room" per turn.

An interesting one... i haven't played this one much i must say but it is a useful card!

the gain 500LP is trivial but its again another way to now get your dead UA monsters back.

the shuffle and draw again is helpful against a brick but this can sometimes be a dead draw card

MOVING ON! We lastly have our traps!

UA Penalty Box (Continuous):

At the start of the Damage Step, if your "UA." monster battles an opponent's monster: You can banish that opponent's monster until your opponent's 2nd End Phase. You can only use this effect of "UA. Penalty Box" once per turn. You can banish this card from your Graveyard; add 1 "UA." Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.

A Lovely Utility with the free spell search! but also it is the true definition of a trap!

Your opponent can have a big boi literally vanish (Albiet for 2 turns) leaving them open or disrupting their combos!

Remember you can also use this on your turn to charge head on to a monster and instantly say BYE leaving them exposed and open.

Great trap and wholeheart reccomend!

UA Man of the Match (Trap):

(This card is always treated as a "FA." card.) After damage calculation, if your "UA." or "FA." monster destroyed an opponent's monster by battle, OR when your "UA." or "FA." monster inflicts battle damage to your opponent: Special Summon any number of "UA." and/or "FA." monsters with different names from your hand and/or GY in Defense Position. You can only activate 1 "UA. Man of the Match" per turn.

Sounds good on paper for swarming but i dont run it becuase i prefer the other options.

i can see its use and will combo well with Lebiro or Player Manager but i havent had much luck with this one!

SO! overall my typical decklist will be as follows:

MONSTERS:

3x UA Midfielder

3x UA Lebiro Spiker

3x UA Player Manager

2x UA Mighty Slugger

2x UA Perfect Ace

2x UA Rival Rebounder

2x UA Dreadnought Dunker

1x UA Goalkeeper

1x UA Blockbacker

1x UA Playmaker

1x Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring (Always a handy one)

1xCyber dragon (this can be any easy summon monster)

SPELLS:

3x UA Stadium

3x Pot Of Extravagance (great draw power)

2x UA Hyper Stadium

2x UA Signing Deal

2x UA Turnover Tactics

1x Terraforming

1x Reinforcement of the Army

1X UA Power Jersey

1x feast of the wild lv5 OR UA Locker room

TRAPS:

2x UA Penalty Box

EXTRA DECK:

15 of anything generic easy xyz summons (i just use it for the pot of extravagance

Strengths:

Amazing beatstick and versatility to switch between offensive and defensive plays!

very slept on spells which your opponant wont realise are very strong until its too late

easy to use

Weaknesses:

The UA. archetype is extremely reliant on its first Normal Summon; effects that remove the Normal Summoned monster from the field can essentially end a "UA." player's turn, if they control no other monsters. Likewise, cards that prohibit or punish Special Summoning can be effective, such as "Vanity's Emptiness" or "Maxx "C"". Due to the amazing amount of searches it gives, destroying "UA. Stadium" also deals a critical blow to this Deck. Cards such as "Thunder King Rai-Oh" and "Mistake" can also achieve the same goal in preventing these searches. Using "Degenerate Circuit" will prevent your opponent from Special Summoning any "UA." monsters by their own effects, since they need to return a "UA." monster to the hand, but cannot.

See how you get on and have fun! this wont win you worlds but it will give you a surprising edge on some of the top meta decks and is great fun to play!