i'm starting to feel like modern Yugioh is a clown car, and every time the banlist apprehends the first few clowns that lead the format, 4-5 more step out to take their place. we didn't even have Linkross in handcuffs yet before VFD took the wheel and Vanity's Ruler got into the passenger seat. happy new year
 
This post will give recommendations for decks that can generally do well while generally remaining in the $50 to $150 price range.

• Estimated pricing includes a sample completed main deck and some or all of an extra deck, but no side.
• Pricing is based mainly on singles and you can easily save a lot of money by buying cores for most of these lists all at once.
• Decks were chosen usually based on having some degree of success in recent TCG formats.
  • These deck choices and rankings are heavily based on online tournaments such as Konami's Remote Duel Invitationals, LCS, and other assorted online events.
  • Performance on DuelingBook's ranked ladder also slightly factors in to the placement of these decks, with data taken from Ygoscope.
• Many decklists will include some middle-range power cards that might drive the price point up, which can be cut for players on an extreme budget. For instance, a set of Ash is $25-30 currently, but Ash is included in many of these lists as a generic staple that players might already own.
• Conversely, decklists are oftentimes easily upgraded by adding power cards such as Forbidden Droplet and Triple Tactics Talent.

Decks are grouped into four "tiers" and listed alphabetically by tier. Decklists are built prioritizing simplicity and effectiveness on a budget. Not all of them are perfect, but this post is not an F. Unless there is a particularly offensive deckbuilding error that you want to point out, please don't use this thread to nitpick at the sample decklists. Don't feel obligated to stick to the sample lists either; you should experiment and play cards that feel comfortable and/or optimal to you.
Feel free to leave suggestions for budget players, whether it's a budget tech choice for one of the decks on this list or whether it's a different deck that you think can compete in the coming months.
[Last updated: 23 Jan 2021]
Previous version: October 2020 Post
 

S Tier

The best bang for your buck. Decks in this category have the capacity to top premier events, though they're almost always supplemented with expensive power cards.
 

Drytron

Price: $100 Imgur | DuelingBook

• New Ritual-based combo deck from Genesis Impact that has a lot of recursion from the Graveyard, boasting a strong grind game as well as potent turn 1 boards that can win the game outright.
• The level 1 Drytron cards tribute other Drytron cards or Ritual cards in hand/field, so this deck abuses Cyber Angel Benten's lack of a once per turn clause to gain a ton of resources and search a lot of power LIGHT Fairy cards, such as Herald of Orange Light and Vanity's Ruler.
• Drytron Nova is an automatic 3-of inclusion in every competitive version of this deck, but also currently sits at around $40 each in NA. Novas are a massive boost in consistency, though the deck is honestly still playable without it, and is quite cheap otherwise. With even one copy of Nova, you should look to also include three copies of Drytron Fafnir (their Field Spell) which can search Nova as well.
• The absence of Nova + Fafnir from the main leaves a lot of space to be filled. There are many ways you can go about this.
  • The sample list plays a small Pre-Prep engine with Herald of Perfection. It's very simple to play, especially if you're unfamiliar with the deck, and helps raise your overall ceiling - athough optimized competitive builds have generally moved away from Pre-Prep.
  • Another viable Ritual engine is the Megalith engine, which provides numerous options. These variants generally also suffer from consistency issues, made worse by the lack of Novas in the budget version. Less consistent access to Alpha means less consistent usage of extra Ritual monsters.
  • You could play cards that search Drytron monsters in an attempt to patch up consistency. Examples include Where Arf Thou, or normal summons that fetch Drytrons such as Cyber Dragon Core (getting Emergency) and Mathematician. Also viable is Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin, which is an interesting tech in Drytron that helps you beat handtraps like Droll & Lock Bird.
  • Finally, you can always just play more handtraps or generic power cards.
• This deck is a relatively new deck, and is getting support in Lightning Overdrive, which might indicate that it's relatively safe from the next banlist. However, there's no telling what Konami will do, so don't take my word as gospel.

 

Virtual World

Price: $150 Imgur | DuelingBook

• Combo deck with an extra deck toolbox, using Synchro and Xyz monsters to break boards or to win the game with True King of All Calamities and their recurring boss monster, Shenshen. The Virtual World monsters have a shared restriction which means that Link monsters are usually not played in this deck at all.
• Most of the main deck VW monsters can dump other VW cards from Deck to GY, and their continuous spell Qinglong is a searcher in the GY. Combined with Virtual World Mai-Hime - Lulu's ability to search for VW cards as well, the deck is consistent at doing the same combos and executing its gameplan almost every game, as most combinations of 2 Virtual World cards result in some type of combo.
• Despite being one of the top decks in the format, this deck is also quite cheap. Staples aside, the most pricey card in the main is Lulu at around $18-20 each. Can you get away with fewer copies of her? Probably, but you really want to get 3 due to Desires, and her being one of the best cards in your deck.
• Saw success immediately after PHRA release, even in the previous combo-infested format where Virtual World took the most representation and top cut spots at LCS 8, eventually winning the entire tournament. Post-banlist, they also took the most top cut spots and then won LCS 9, versus an entirely different playing field full of Zoodiac, Drytron, and Eldlich variants.
• Recent combos using Chaofeng, Phantom of the Yang Zing to search either one of the Virtual World tuners (Lulu or Laolao) have opened up some new combo routes that make Foolish Burial Goods a lot more forgiving to play, allowing you to still end on impressive boards despite using Qinglong somewhat suboptimally. On the other hand, Chaofeng's price also spiked quite heavily after LCS 9, so you may not want to play it.
• Non-budget players will first and foremost want to add Zeus to the Extra Deck, as it helps greatly with going second and also dealing with threats like Dragoon. Another common inclusion is Triple Tactics Talents, though this card is by no means mandatory in the deck, and has also seen a decline in popularity lately.

 

A Tier

Strong decks, but limited either by a lack of access to powerful staples or by the natural ceiling of the deck. You could still top a regional with one of these decks on a good day.
 

Altergeist

Price: $75+ Imgur | DuelingBook

• Control + backrow deck with incredible recursion and the ability to come back from almost no resources
• Altergeist have seen sparse success ever since FLOD, and are a respectable budget contender. They've have had a fairly modest showing online, and saw recent success with a top 8 finish at LCS 9. That deck was a Dogmatika variant piloted by Lars Junginger, playing the recently released Artemis, the Magistus Moon Maiden to make it slightly easier to summon Ecclesia in some hands.
• The Dogmatika engine is viable even on a modest budget. It's possible to simply play Dogmatika Punishment as a powerful trap capable of utilizing your extra deck, and even a single copy of Ecclesia (around $20 each right now) goes a long way for improving the power of this package. Of course, the deck is also perfectly playable as pure Altergeist.
• Budget players are most hurt by a lack of Pot of Extravagance, Infinite Impermanence, and Evenly Matched. The first three of these cards have reprints, but none are quite cheap enough yet to be easily accessible on a budget.
• The extra deck is extremely flexible (as Altergeist are typically played with Extravagance, anyway) and several options are simply tech cards, such as Elder Entity N'tss.
• Main deck trap choices are also extremely flexible. Torrential is quite powerful against Virtual World, but this could easily be swapped out for many other cards depending on your budget, available card pool, and locals demographics.
• The release of Blazing Vortex in early February also brings along an incredibly powerful staple card in Pot of Prosperity. Altergeist, along with virtually every other deck that enjoys running Pot of Extravagance currently, will appreciate Prosperity as well. Many OCG decks are choosing to play both Extrav + Prosperity in their decklists. Of course, Prosperity is also a Secret Rare, and is virtually guaranteed to be around $100, so this is not applicable on a budget.

 

Prank-Kids

Price: $150 Imgur | DuelingBook

• Floaty combo/control deck with 4 maindeck Prank-Kids that all float into any other Prank-Kid when used for a Link or Fusion summon
• Got a great boost in Phantom Rage with Prank-Kids Meow-Meow-Mu, a Link 1 Prank-Kid monster that makes this deck incredibly consistent and turns any single Prank monster into full combo.
• Prank-Kids Place is a little pricey, currently sitting at around $17 per copy in NA. While it contributes to your overall consistency (as it's equivalent to any Prank name), you can definitely get away with cutting copies of Place if your budget is tight.
• Notably took 1st place at the Canadian Remote Duel Invitational in mid-January, piloted by Hanko Chow.
• This deck appreciates the inclusion of Predaplant Verte Anaconda (currently over $30 apiece in NA) which can dump Thunder Dragon Fusion to help field Battle Butler, your main win condition. It was dropped from the provided list for budget reasons, but it's a great inclusion if you have a copy already. In conjunction with cards like Link Spider, it also improves your ability to play through disruption and through Nibiru.
• This deck has many characteristics of a great deck, but suffers from similar problems as Zoodiac in that it struggles to play through disruption on your normal summon, or cards like Ash negating your first Prank-Kid effect. The inclusion of Polymerization in the main deck helps to combat this, but also popular are builds that don't play Poly at all and instead just load the main deck with handtraps and powerful staples like Forbidden Droplet.
• Pot of Desires is included in this example main deck to help boost consistency and overall power, but some players opt not to run it.

 

Salamangreat

Price: $50+ Imgur | DuelingBook

• Link-based midrange deck with a lot of recursion and a special in-archetype technique, where 1 Link Monster is used as the entire Link material to summon another copy of that monster, granting bonus effects
• The deck is somewhat halfway between control and combo, establishing respectable boards turn 1 with a fairly compact engine, allowing many handtraps to be played. Their real strength comes in turn 3 and beyond, where their arsenal of free summons from the GY, coupled with their stellar resource recycling, easily overwhelm the opponent.
• The majority of the deck is dirt cheap and is mostly able to be built with commons from SOFU+SAST supplementing 3 copies of Structure Deck: Soulburner.
• Accesscode Talker is a huge part of this deck's success, able to steal games easily with the help of Update Jammer. Accesscode is not at all affordable on a budget, so the sample list plays Zeroboros instead. Owning one copy of Accesscode is a tremendous improvement to this deck's strength.
• Salamangreat has found little competitive success in bigger online tournaments this format, but still regularly performs well in smaller events, remote duel locals, and the like. It's also a fairly safe choice, as it's somewhat unlikely we see further Salamangreat hits on the next banlist.
• The provided list plays Rivalry + Strike, a potent option allowing you to sometimes win games even into established boards. Strike is quite solid in the current format, as even the combo decks don't usually end on ways to punish a lot of set backrow.
• Parallel eXceed is an optional card, and can be cut in favor of more backrow or handtraps. On one hand, it allows you to more easily link climb when going second, and can easily add a Dweller or Bagooska to your board going first (Dweller is very good right now, as well). On the other hand, players may prefer to run more defensive cards instead of eXceed.

 

Subterror

Price: $100+ Imgur | DuelingBook

• Subterrors are a control deck with a focus on flipping monsters face-down and generating constant advantage with Subterror Guru.
• Pure Guru control is the most played variant, and is more or less a stun deck that tries to abuse Guru as much as possible. While most Guru lists online are Numeron and/or Dragoon hybrids, the pure version saw some success earlier this format at the Benelux Remote Duel Extravaganza, finishing top 4. You can watch that deck profile here, and the sample list is generally based off of that list.
  • While Dragoon isn't budget-friendly, the Numeron engine is very accessible for little cost, and is a viable variant of this deck as well. Numeron cards aim to make Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL going first or simply OTK going second. S0 is an extremely powerful card that can prevent the opponent from playing the game entirely if it resolves. If you are interested in this version, you can check the Subterror list on the previous budget post.
• The sample list doesn't have a complete extra deck, mainly because it doesn't play Extravagance and you barely go into the Extra Deck to begin with. Relinquished Anima is a decent option if you can shell out the $7-8 for it, since sometimes you can turn Fiendess into Anima. Apart from that, provided Extra Deck options include anti-Maximus cards for the Dogmatika matchup, and Aussa + Zoodiac Drident in case you face a Zoodiac player. Taking their Zoo monster and then slapping your Drident on top can be potent.
• This deck usually plays Extravagance over Desires, but Desires is quite a serviceable replacement. Similarly to Altergeist, this deck also enjoys Pot of Prosperity post-BLVO.

 

B Tier

Like the above category, but generally weaker, less consistent, and/or impacted harder by a lack of access to a certain card(s).
 

Dinosaurs

Price: $100+ Imgur | DuelingBook

• Dinosaurs are an aggressive deck with consistent access to Evolzar Laggia/Dolkka and Ultimate Conductor Tyranno, a formidable boss monster with incredible OTK power and disruption.
• Dinosaur's strength tends to be largely meta-dependent, particularly how well it can counter the existing top decks. During the previous two combo-infested formats with decks like Dragon Link and Adamancipator running around, Dinos had several extremely impressive showing at events, such as TeamSamuraiX1's win at the first NA Remote Duel Invitational, as well as all three first-place players at LCS 7 (a 3v3 event) playing Dino.
• In the current format, Dinosaurs are struggling. The Virtual World matchup is difficult, and it's hard for Dinosaur to build to beat all of VW, Drytron, Eldlich variants, and the plethora of rogue decks running around. Additionally, Mystic Mine is not very potent this format as both Virtual World and Eldlich have in-engine outs to the card, which is another blow to the Dinosaur strategy. Finally, the popularity of handtraps like Skull Meister and Artifact Lancea in the side or even the main deck are also reasons this deck has declined.
• The provided variant still plays Mine, as it has utility breaking boards. Deckout is a much less reliable strategy against VW and Eldlich, but you can still stall for some turns until you can make a push for game. The addition of Cosmic Cyclone is also an attempt at neutering cards like Chuche and Conquistador.
• If you wanted to build this deck without Mines, you would have to find replacements for quite a few cards (and frankly, Dinosaur does not have very many good ones). Most power staples are not budget, such as Lightning Storm, Talents, Droplet, etc. This deck also really appreciates Pot of Extravagance, which still sits barely out of budget range at around $25 each in NA.
• Budget Dino must also deal with the lack of Animadorned Archosaur, an extremely powerful addition to the deck that opens up many new combos. However, sitting at around $60 per copy, the card is inaccessible on a budget.
• The provided list plays the Simorgh combo, bringing out the WIND barrier statue on turn 1 to steal games. Though a full extra deck is provided, very few cards are actually needed, as the deck typically plays Extravagance anyway.

 

Dragon Link

Price: $100-150+ (depending on Extra Deck) Imgur | DuelingBook

• Dragon Link is a Link-centric combo deck that was a dominant force in the meta for about half a year, but lost a lot of resilience and power with the recent bans to Linkross and Dragon Buster Destruction Sword.
• The provided budget version of this deck actually has a ton of extra deck flexibility due to not needing to play Synchro/Link cards related to the Halq/Kross package, meaning that you can play Knightmares, anti-Dogmatika cards, etc. This also means that the budget version doesn't actually care about the Linkross ban at all.
• This deck has seen a great deal of variation online, playing a variety of different engines and tech cards. A few of these include Vylon Cube + Smoke Grenade, the Rose Dragons, several different Dragonmaid cards, and even an FTK variant involving Earthbound Immortal Aslla piscu. However, few of these are viable for budget players, especially if you do not own a copy of Halqifibrax.
• An interesting option the deck has is to use Union Carrier to equip handtraps such as Artifact Lancea. On the opponent's turn, Hieratic Seal can be used to return the handtrap to your hand, making it live immediately. This is something you may want to consider in the main deck if you frequently have to deal with decks like Virtual World and Dinosaur. Another option is to equip Ally of Justice Cycle Reader to Carrier (they're both machines) and then bounce it to hand, as a weapon against Drytron. Carrier isn't in the example list, but this is a really interesting option to consider.
• With Linkross out of the picture, playing Fibrax alone is an option if you either already own a copy or can afford the $20 needed to obtain one. You may have to retool your combos to incorporate Fiber, but the card can definitely add flexibility and resilience to your deck if you use it well.

 

Paleozoic Frogs

Price: $50+ Imgur | DuelingBook

• Backrow-heavy control deck that summons its Traps to the field as monsters and pressures the opponent with Toadally Awesome
• After being absent from the budget post for about a year, Paleo makes its triumphant return as its boss monster, Toad, returns to 3. Toad's reprint in Maximum Gold also brought this card down from $20 each to just a few bucks, making the entire deck extremely cheap.
• As a control deck, Paleo suffers from more weaknesses compared to Eldlich, Altergeist, and Subterror. Notably, the engine tends to bleed advantage unless you've managed to maintain access to Swap Frog, and you can be quickly outpaced by stronger decks. However, in games where you can establish a Toad early, or where you can maintain control with your backrow, you can do quite well.
• Paleo saw a surprising amount of success in various remote duel events this format, though some of that success is likely due to the format being unexplored and some sort of "new toy syndrome" as Toad recently went from 2 to 3.
• Paleo struggles to out Dragoon, especially without access to Ice Dragon's Prison, a $40 card. An interesting option catching on in the meta lately is the use of Mirror Force cards, particularly Quaking and Storming, as they both pressure Dragoon. Still, the card puts quite a lot of pressure on this deck.
• Speaking of Dragoon, some Paleo players opt to play that package in this deck as well. Swap Frog is a one card Dragoon as you can simply dump Ronin, turn Swap into Almiraj, and then revive Ronin to make Verte from there.
• Fiend Griefing is presented as an interesting option which is very decent in the current meta, particularly vs Drytron. Combining it with Absolute King Back Jack is a classic combo that Paleo played a long time ago in 2017, during early Zoo formats.

 

Shaddoll (Magistus)

Price: $100+, can be closer to $50 with fewer copies of Schism Imgur | DuelingBook

• Classic Fusion-based archetype from 2014, debuting in Duelist Alliance. Somewhat of a midrange combo deck that can slow the game down with El Shaddoll Winda or be very aggressive with El Shaddoll Construct
• Winda is a troublesome floodgate that many decks struggle to out, especially combo decks such as Drytron. Shaddoll cards are currently played in several Dogmatika variants due to the sheer power of Winda and the utility of Shaddoll Schism.
• The current meta is favorable for Shaddoll not only due to Winda being effective vs Drytron, but also due to Ariel being very strong against a large chunk of the format, including Eldlich variants. Her ability to banish 3 cards from the GY is so strong that some decks are splashing in Sinister Shadow Games + Ariel just for that option, which we saw played in some of the 60-card Eldlich decks at LCS 9.
  • The growing popularity of Shaddoll cards has also caused Shaddoll Schism to go up in price substantially. Currently, it's around $17, but it may continue to rise.
• The deck's biggest problem has always been its inability to consistently resolve a fusion spell on turn 1. Invoked Shaddoll was a popular hybrid in earlier formats, but with the release of the Magistus archetype in GEIM, Shaddolls got access to Rilliona and Magistus Invocation. This is an improvement since Magistus Invocation can fuse from hand and field whereas the regular Invocation can only fuse from hand when summoning Shaddolls. Additionally, Artemis provides a super convenient way for the deck to turn any Shaddoll into a LIGHT monster, which is important for summoning Construct.
• While the full Dogmatika package is very expensive due to Nadir Servant being a $75 card, one option is to play just one copy of Ecclesia (around $20) along with Maximus and a playset of Dogmatika Punishment. Maximus and Punishment have a ton of synergy in the Shaddoll deck in conjunction with Apkallone's GY effect, and this combination is deadly even on a budget.
• Other normal summons such as Mathematician and even Gale Dogra are potent on this deck, and can be played in addition to Rilliona or as a replacement for her. Yet another option is to run 1 copy of the now-cheap Eldlich the Golden Lord as a LIGHT monster for Shaddoll Fusion that can easily revive itself.
• Another popular variant is a very trap-heavy list, sometimes cutting the Magistus cards entirely. PAK and SirEmanon's YouTube channels both have their own takes on this, if you're interested.

 

Unchained

Price: $50+ Imgur | DuelingBook

• Floaty destruction-based archetype that generates advantage when its cards are destroyed, enabling its gimmick of using your opponent's monsters to Link Summon.
• Can be built to go first or to go second quite effectively. Since going second is very difficult this format, the provided list aims to go first, playing a bunch of trap cards.
• Fairly modest online performance, doing alright at smaller events and more recently finishing top 8 at the second YuGiJoe online series as well as occasional Luxury events. After the December banlist, Unchained has rapidly gained popularity in online remote duel events, and is one of the more prominent rogue decks this format. This success could be because the format is generally slower compared to previous ones, and many destruction-based cards such as Torrential Tribute are very popular currently, which this deck enjoys.
• Mega-Tin reprints of Abomination's Prison as well as their Link 2 have helped make this deck a great deal more affordable. I:P Masquerena being more affordable is also a nice boost, though it's by no means essential in this deck.
• This deck's best weapon is its opponents being unprepared for it. Playing improperly into backrow or Unchained floats can very quickly be fatal. It also matches up decently into some backrow decks as well as Dogmatika variants, which rely on destruction-based removal from Dogmatika Punishment and Elder Entity N'tss.

 

C Tier

Decks in this category have the capability to be just as good as the ones above at times, but often tend to suffer from multiple problems including consistency and power.
 

Burning Abyss

Price: $100+ Imgur | DuelingBook

• Versatile control-based Graveyard toolbox deck that has been swinging in and out of meta relevance since its release way back in 2014.
• Gradually got more and more cards back from the banlist, with Cir and Graff being unlimited on the December 2020 list. The deck is now more or less "full power" with the exception of Beatrice, who is still limited.
• The deck aims to establish Beatrice on turn 1 backed up with trap cards. The BA cards as well as Beatrice are extremely floaty, so this deck can put up quite a fight in grind games. Fiend Griefing is a solid card in the current meta, and is excellent in the Burning Abyss deck as you can send Farfa for further disruption, Graff/Scarm for followup, or Back Jack for more traps.
• This deck was frequently mixed with Phantom Knight cards back in 2016 (often called PK Fire). Nowadays, Phantom Knight decks are typically either built pure or with an extremely compact BA engine. While it's possible to play a more dedicated hybrid build, the release of PK Torn Scales combined with most key BA cards being unlimited means that it's just better to focus on one or the other.
• Many other options are playable - Desires for draw power, playing more traps, more handtraps, etc. Consider Needle Ceiling over Torrential as it can be harder to pull off, but combos better with Trap Trick. Players with access to Ice Dragon's Prison should play it, and adventurous duelists can even opt to play Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss.
• As a deck easily capable of churning out Rank 3 Xyzs, you also have easy access to Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS Sky Thunder, one of the most powerful extra deck cards in the format. If this is an accessible option, it should be played.

 

Sky Striker

Price: $100+ Imgur | DuelingBook

• Spell-heavy control deck that usually maintains only one monster on the field at a time, in the extra monster zone.
• Formerly an extremely dominant control deck, modern-day Striker no longer accrues infinite resources through resolving Engage multiple times, but instead is easily able to kill you with an Accesscode Talker push after whittling down your LP and resources for a turn or two. The standard combo involves laddering from Halqifibrax -> Selene -> Accesscode and then dismantling your opponent's board before swinging for game.
• You may have noticed a problem: if you're on a budget, you can't use Accesscode. This is a pretty big blow to the deck's overall strength. Some players opt for alternatives such as the Utopia Double package, which Zoé Weber played in the second EU Remote Duel Invitational last format. Another option is to simply not run it at all, and close games the old-fashioned way.
• In previous formats, this deck was oftentimes played like an anti-meta going second deck, packing tons of removal cards and usually 3 copies of Mystic Mine in the main deck. In the current format, this strategy is a lot more difficult due to several factors - it's very hard to go second this format in general, and Mine is a lot less effective vs the top decks right now.
• Instead, the sample list plays a going-first strategy with powerful trap cards like There Can Be Only One and Solemn Strike. It's possible to build this deck to go second, but you'd probably want to play board breakers instead of trap cards, and potentially also maindeck PSY-Framegear Gamma.
• Yet another way to play this deck involves (surprise) Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon and multiple copies of Red-Eyes Fusion. Instead of using cards like Widow Anchor and Afterburners to muscle through disruption and stick a Mystic Mine on the field, you use them to get to your Dragoon and either win the game immediately or put yourself in a position where your opponent can't play through the Dragoon disrupt.
• Roze is the most expensive card in this list. If your budget is tight, you can definitely cut her down to 1.

 

Zoodiac

Price: $100+ Imgur | DuelingBook

• Xyz-focused deck with a gimmick allowing you to use any one Zoodiac as the entire Xyz material requirement for another Zoodiac. This lets you stack Zoo Xyz monsters on top of each other, making use of their effects.
• Plays a compact engine combined with around 20 slots dedicated to handtraps, traps, and draw power. This deck is also commonly played as a hybrid deck, oftentimes with Eldlich and sometimes with Dogmatika cards. Both of these options are quite expensive, so they are not shown.
• The deck's strength in competitive play comes almost entirely from Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS Sky Thunder, an extremely powerful Xyz monster that Zoodiac can effortlessly make due to Zoodiac Boarbow. Zoo is also easily able to summon Zeus with many materials, allowing it to repeatedly nuke the board.
• Budget Zoo without Zeus is extremely weak by comparison. Relying solely on Drident + handtraps is not a reliable win condition, so cards like Parallel eXceed and Pot of Avarice are included in the sample list to give this deck a boost. While Megaclops is a troublesome boss monster in some matchups, the big three decks (Drytron, Virtual World, and Eldlich) generally don't have much trouble dealing with it.
• Even with Zeus, the deck has been struggling in the current competitive meta. Noteworthy is its performance at LCS 9, where out of a whopping 51 Zoodiac variants that entered the tournament, only 1 survived until top 16.

 

Up-And-Coming

Decks to watch out for, oftentimes due to recent online success or new support being announced. Some might also be decks that could potentially be on the main body of the post, but need a little more time to prove themselves.
 

Tri-Brigade

Price: $100 (for now) Imgur | DuelingBook

• Link-focused deck that plays a variety of Beast, Beast-Warrior, and Winged Beast monsters. The maindeck Tri-Brigades cheat out powerful Link monsters, provided your GY is set up. This deck also trivially access the Simorgh link, which can sometimes seal games on its own through the WIND Barrier Statue.
• In the current format, Tri-Brigade has seen fairly sparse success, usually mixed with Zoodiac. However, BLVO gives us Tri-Brigade Kitt, a great boost to this deck and a fantastic combo piece.
• Further support in LIOV and beyond is also very promising, making this deck a potentially solid investment for the future.
• The Tri-Brigade core is currently quite cheap, but this could change in the future depending on hype and the market.
• owo

 

Traptrix

Price: $100-150 Imgur | DuelingBook

• Control deck with an extremely powerful Link 1 monster, Traptrix Sera, that pumps out constant advantage.
• The sample list incorporates a very small Dogmatika engine. Dogmatika Punishment itself is very cheap, and is one of the best generic traps in the game right now. Just 1 copy of Ecclesia (around $20) provides a substantial power boost to this mini-engine, as dumping one copy of Titaniklad with Punishment and grabbing an Ecclesia for next turn is extremely powerful. Another option is to dump El Shaddoll Apkallone, then adding and discarding Ariel in order to trigger her effect and banish 3 cards, which is insane value.
• If you can't get Ecclesia, you could simply play just Punishment as a generic trap. Another option is to play pure Traptrix, incorporating more power traps/handtraps, and quite frequently the Utopia Double package as well.
• This deck is definitely still getting support, as LIOV brings a new Link 2 and main deck monster.

 

Plunder Patroll

Price: $100+ Imgur | DuelingBook

• Pirate archetype with ridiculous recursion and a unique tag-out and equip mechanic based on Attributes being used in the game.
• The pirates become equips for one of (currently) three Patrollships, extra deck monsters that can all discard Plunder Patroll cards in hand to fuel powerful effects. The ships become stronger when manned (equipped with) a Plunder card, with bonuses such as ignition effects becoming quick effects, or being able to replace the discarded card with a new one from the deck.
• Many Plunder lists play Forbidden Droplet, as it has great synergy with the cards. Without Droplet, you could fill the space with several different options. This deck chooses to play the Undine package, but you can also go for cards like Foolish Burial Goods, Salvage, Silent Angler, Tenyi Spirit - Shthana, Toadally Awesome + Bahamut Shark, or just more generic staples.
• This deck is getting at least one more support card in LIOV, that being Ravenwing. Many people speculate that they'll also get another Patrollship of a new attribute, which would be a huge buff to the deck.

 

Honorable Mentions

• Megalith, Madolche, Pendulum decks, Cyber Dragon, Orcust, Mermail Atlantean, Magical Musketeers, Crusadia (Guardragon), ABC, D/D, Generaider, and more - Decks that are fairly decent but have been left off of the post to make room for other decks that have seen more recent success or have fewer budget resources online.
• Dragonmaid, Eldlich, Infernoid, Invoked variants, HERO, etc - Decks that are pretty good but are sorta in limbo due to some expensive individual cards, such as Chamber Dragonmaid, Cursed Eldland, Invocation, etc.
• Cubics, Phantasm, Chain Burn, Evilswarm, Yosenju, Dinomist, and much, much more - Unfortunately, there is not enough room to cover every single decent, super-cheap deck.

 
 
I hope to keep this post updated for the foreseeable future. Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions.

Let's get back into Labyrinth Cup, continued from Part I....
DEWGONG
Ice Shardᴸ | Icy Windᴸ & Blizzard
The rankings almost everyone you check are wrong. Not in saying that Dewgong is good, because that's undeniable. But wrong in what second move to run, because they all say to go with Water Pulse for coverage, but don't do it. The move you actually want alongside Icy Wind provides no coverage, but is flat out better anyway: Blizzard. Only with Blizzard does Dewgong have the power to beat Snorlax in 1v1 shielding, Skarmory in 0v0 shields, and Abomasnow and WP Dewgong in both. There is not a single win that Water Pulse adds to the equation that Blizzard doesn't win anyway in either of those shielding scenarios. Pulse is a BAD move and does not let Dewgong sneak in new wins against Fires or anything else unless the opponent just screws up. For my money, give me the bigger surprise of Blizzard than the Water Pulse they probably expect... because everyone said it's better without looking at the actual numbers. Dig deeper, look harder, and make what this writer believes is the right choice.
SHADOW SEALEO
Powder Snow | Body Slam & Water Pulse
Shadow Sealeo is about to arrive in the game, and while the non Shadow one lags behind Lapras and Dewgong, Shadow Sealeo stands tall with them. Just comparing it side by side with Dewgong, S-Sealeo is able to beat Ninetales, Sunny Castform, and Alolan Marowak with the same lousy Water Pulse that I discouraged using on Dewgong--it works okay here because of the fast charging Powder Snow--and also outraces Venusaur thanks to speedy Body Slams, none of which Dewgong can normally defeat. Gong DOES beat Skarmory, Abomasnow, Mandibuzz, and Snorlax, unlike Sealeo, so they're on pretty equal footing... but just the fact that Shadow Sealeo DOES stand pretty level with Dewgong is pretty amazing.
ABOMASNOW
Powder Snow | Weather Ball (Ice) & Energy Ball
Oh yes, it still does plenty of good here. And to compare with Shadow Aboma, Shadow is uniquely capable of beating Lapras and Toxicroak, but regular Aboma is overall better with its own wins versus Dewgong, Sableye, Clefable, and Shadow Gardevoir. Either way, Abomasnow is an Ice that worries Waters, and a Grass that terrifies Flyers, to put its role(s) as succinctly as possible. My concern is just that, though: It's an Ice AND a Grass, keeping you from using any other Pokémon of those types on your team. Maybe that's not an issue, but it certainly could be for others. The "YOLO" is strong with this one.
GRASSHOLES
Razor Leaf | Various
There's no escaping them now: despite even being recently nerfed, you can expect Razor Leafers to show up wherever they're allowed. If you don't care about leaving room for another Poison type on your team, that probably means big bad bully VICTREEBEL or slightly bulkier VILEPLUME, who shred the things you'd expect (basically anything Water, Ground, or Rock, plus Charmers, Sable, and Vigoroth/Obstagoon). If Poison IS a concern, then yes, you can run mono-Grasses like Shadow BELLOSSOM or even Cherrim with Razor Leaf, but they're generally both much more interesting with Bullet Seed.
HAUNTEGENGAR
Shadow Claw | Shadow Punchᴸ & Sludge Bomb/Shadow Ball
So here I go again recommending Sludge Bomb as the second move. Yes, part of it is Wigglytuff, which Bomb beats and Shadow Ball loses to, but there's more than that. Gengar with Bomb also needs it to outrace Ninetales, as the five extra energy Ball costs is just a bridge too far, though it's worth noting that it needs Ball to beat Skarmory and Lanturn. Haunter is even more apparent in Bomb's favor, as with Bomb, Haunter beats Wiggly, as mentioned, and then outraces Ninetales and Rainy AND Sunny Castform thanks to the comparative speed of Bomb as compared to Shadow Ball, which instead beats Poison-resistant Steels Registeel and Skarmory. Got all that? If not, just remember: Shadow Ball good against Steel, but Sludge Bomb just as viable--and arguably better--against the wider field. Do keep in mind they're both Ghost AND Poison types, so plan around that accordingly.
ALOLAN MAROWAK
Fire Spin | Bone Club & Shadow Boneᴸ/Shadow Ball
Ah, here he is. You knew A-Wak was going to be popping up SOMEtime. It remains its normal, tricky self in the Labyrinth, tormenting a variety of Grasses, Steels, Fighters (not you, Obstagoon), Fairies, Electrics, and fellow Fires. Basically, just avoid it getting wet (Water), buried (Ground), or left in the Dark and it will usually come out the victor on the other side. [Shadow Ball] is still a viable alternative for those gun shy with Shadow Bone after its recent nerf, but they both perform about the same (with Bone beating Lapras, and Ball winning the mirror). I would not recommend those Hex/Fire Blast variants though... I think you really want Fire Spin here, as there's quite a bit for it to burn through. Yes, A-Wak eats up a Fire and Ghost slot, but performs so well in both roles that you really won't miss not being able to double up anyway.
JELLICENT
Hex/Bubble | Shadow Ball & Bubble Beam/Ice Beam
So as I talked about in my recent, more extensive spotlight on JellyBelly, there are options when it comes to the moves. While the best overall in simulations is Hex/Bubble Beam/Shadow Ball, nailing a wide swath of the field but being weaker than you'd like against Fires, Grounds, and of course, especially anything part Normal (and therefore double resistant to Ghost damage). Bubble rectifies much of that but now opens it up to losses to Waters and a weaker performance overall. And while sets with Ice Beam seem viable enough, there are still plenty of holes left unpatched with it in the equation as well. It is entirely possible we still won't see a lot of Jellicent this early after its long-delayed release, but those that do appear could be a nightmare to maneuver around until its moves become more apparent. Perhaps you'll be using that to your own advantage, fellow player?
TENTACRUEL
Poison Jab | Acid Spray & Hydro Pump
Tentacruel isn't my own personal playstyle, what with its Sprayin' n' Prayin' ways, but a lot of people do like that, so here ya go. Tentacthulhu is just fine, and Poison is perhaps an easier thing to free up than the Ice or other types that many Waters are saddled with.
And now let's transition to some mono-types that may be on the rise in this meta....
SEAKING
Poison Jabᴸ | Icy Windᴸ & Drill Runᴸ
Now HERE is a watery Poison Jabber I can get behind! The King may not have a wide breadth of wins, but it's a very unique mix of big names, with the Fairies thanks to Jab, Fires and Icy Waters thanks to Seaking's resistances and neutral (at worse) damage it throws back, Zweilous and Mandibuzz and even Tropius (and with good PvP IVs, Abomasnow too thanks to Icy Wind, and even Registeel thanks to Drill Run (it has time to get in THREE for the win thanks to resisting Flash Cannon). Seaking requires potentially as many as three Elite TMs to build, and I would not recommend running one out there in a tournament without some practice time logged, as it requires special handling and familiar with its oddball moveset to work properly. But this writer has found it amazingly useful in GBL and elsewhere, performing better than sims show in a support role for your team, softening things up for its teammates in ways precious few 'mons can. I give it a hearty thumbs up for Labyrinth Cup, seemingly one of the better metas yet for it to make an indelible mark.
GALVANTULA
Volt Switch | Lunge & Discharge
The first place people tend to look now when considering an Electric type, and it's easy to see why. Galv was always a little underrated even before it recieved Lunge, but since then it hums along very, very nicely as a solid Electric that can also flip the script on things like Venusaur, Whiscash, Abomasnow, and Zweilous, matchups that most Electrics are left flailing in but Galvantula goes out and just snatches the win away. The downside is that it is opened up to scary vulnerabilities to Fire and Rock, both of which you'll be seeing throughout this format, and using it obviously means no other Bugs either (or Electrics, of course).
MAGNEZONE
Spark | Mirror Shot & Wild Charge
Yep, it's still good, but also yes, just as baity as ever. Magnezone is something you've either played with and liked, or played against and detested with every fiber of your being, and very few players fall somewhere in between at this point. A solid Electric that also dunks on Fairies, Ices, and even many Grasses, but requires experienced piloting to function at peak potential. If that describes you, then yes, you can roll it or its Shadow version out there. Just keep in mind the Steel typings in particular you're denying a spot elsewhere on your team in the process.
PROBOPASS
Any | ...and, uh, Any
No Bastiodon means a chance for Probopass to shine out a bit. The good news is that you can trick it out in basically ANY moveset configuration and get about the same performance out of it. Seriously, I'm just picking one out of a hat and coming up with the same basic results you'll see with multiple other combos. I'll just point out that it needs Spark and Thunderbolt to reliably beat Jellicent, and Rock Throw to guarantee (Kanto) Ninetales.
CRADILY
Bullet Seed | Stone Edge & Grass Knot
A steadily emerging fan favorite, now we have a new variety of Cradily to play with thanks to the arrival of Shadow Cradily. It's not that regular Cradilydily is suddenly bad, because it isn't at all, it's just that Shadow--at least in this meta--is just a bit better, with some eye opening new wins like Alolan Marowak, Drifblim, Kanto Ninetales, Sableye, and Tropius... though as always, there is a cost, with Alolan Ninetales, Abomasnow, and Gardevoir beating Shadow but losing to regular Dilly. But whether you pick a Cradily bud that is light or dark (haha, see what I did there? 🍻), it provides a unique threat with a secondary typing of Rock that is easy enough to build around without doubling up.
And now, a run through some mono-type standouts....
KANTO NINETALES
Fire Spin | Weather Ball (Fire) & Solar Beam/Overheat
So the biggest homerun potential is with Overheat, which shows a crazy high win rate. And only with Overheat does Ninetales typically burn down things like Sableye, Drifblim, Alolan Ninetales, and Vigoroth/Obstagoon. But the more exciting play--and the only move with real coverage potential--is Solar Beam. It doesn't really show its true potential in sims, but I don't think I need to throw a bunch in front of you to know what getting one through against an opposing Water, Ground, or Rock type that thinks they have this one in the bag can do, not just to your winning chances but to the opponent's psyche as well. If nothing else, the very threat of Beam will steal away shields no Fire type has any right to steal. But even without those mind games, even if you stick with JUST Weather Ball, Ninetales does a fine, fine job. And remember that, unlike GBL, in The Silph Arena you CAN play both Ninetales if you want to!
LICKITUNG
Lick | Body Slamᴸ & Grass Knot
Your general, non-XL Lickitung? Not that great here. I mean, it's all right, but nothing particularly special. What you really want is one pushed beyond Level 40. Even just going to Level 40.5 you can already pick up close wins over Stunfisk and Skarmory and a BIG win over Dewgong. At Level 43.5 it can beat Wigglytuff and Ninetales. Beyond that you need to push to Level 46 (for a win over Lapras) and the sky is kind of the limit as you reach Level 50, but honestly that would be REALLY hard to get even close to at this point, so perhaps shoot for the realistic Level 43.5 range and be satisfied with that. Not bad at all for a regular old Normal type.
MACHOKE
Karate Chop | Dynamic Punch & Cross Chopᴸ/Brick Break
No Machamp, no problem? Oh, whoops, that doesn't look so hot, does it? What I meant to link to was this. Shadow Machoke is strictly better than non-Shadow, adding on wins versus Ninetales, Sunny Castform, Stunfisk, Skarmory, and even noted Fighting killer Toxicroak, all without giving up any (and actually mostly improving upon) wins that regular Machoke achieves. Not sure if you want to shell out for one, but if you're looking for a very spicy and fun Fighting pick, Shadow Choke seems like a great choice to try out this month. And if you are (understandably) reluctant to Elite TM it for Cross Chop, you CAN run it with currently available Brick Break and, at least on paper, not give up much at all (just the Stunfisk win).
PERRSERKER & ZANGOOSE
Shadow Claw | Close Combat & Foul Play/Night Slash
One is a mono Steel, the other a normal... well, Normal, but they both perform very similarly. Perrserker is slightly better, at least on paper, but the truth is that both it and Goose have their own relatively equal pros and cons. While both are equally adept at taking down things like Lapras, Drifblim, and Zweilous, their typings greatly influence their other wins, with Perrserker's Steel resisting Fairy, Flying, Grass, and Ice damage and leading to wins over all the Charmers (and PowderTails), Dewgong, Venusaur, and Tropius, while Goose double resists Ghost and beats Jellicent, Sableye, and Alolan Marowak, and its higher Attack also leads to wins against Galvantula, Melmetal, Mandibuzz, Registeel, and even Obstagoon. Neither have blow-the-doors-off numbers, but they are nice wild cards that can fill out the back end of a team, especially if you're feeling adventurous.
And while I cheated and already talked about POLITOED up in the 10ks, just a reminder: it's actually a 50k mono mon and a really good one too.

75,000 Dust/75 Candy

Alright, this article is running looooooooong, so let's try and get through these expensive options in perhaps a slightly less verbose manner....
LAPRAS
Ice Shardᴸ/Water Gun | Surf & Ice Beamᴸ/Skull Bash
You probably think there isn't much you don't already know here, but ol' Lappie still has a few tricks up her... uh, flippers. For example, this may be an environment that better favors old standby Ice Beam over new hotness Skull Bash, with Bash more reliably beating Wigglytuff, but Ice Beam better against Venusaur and Toxicroak. Perhaps even more surprising? This may be a meta that is more favorable to Water Gun. While it misses out on the extra Ice damage of Ice Shard by now losing to Mandibuzz and Venusaur, and falls short against Toxicroak even with the same charge moves that Ice Shard Lapras used to overcome it, Water Gun Lappie adds Wigglytuff back to the win column, as well as tacking on new wins against Sableye, Registeel, and now beats all Fire types but Victini (it lost to several before, including Ninetales, A-Wak, and Castform). That's good news for those low on Elite TMs!
GLIGAR
Wing Attack | Night Slash & Return
The moveset is pretty easy here, despite the variety of configurations you can trick out your Gligar with, because Wing Attack/Night Slash/Return does the most good things, taking out the scary Fighters (and quasi-Fighters), plus the big Fires, Fairies, Electrics, and bonuses like Diggersby, Venusaur, Tropius, and Melmetal. The only bad thing is the cost of the second charge move, though at least with this being a purified Gligar it's a little cheaper.
GLISCOR
Wing Attack | Night Slash & Earthquake
Not QUITE so set on the moves here. I mean, the charge moves are pretty easy to determine, but both fast moves have merit. Wing Attack can manage to beat Wigglytuff and Clefable, while Fury Cutter instead beats Dark types Sableye and Zweilous. Either way, the Glisboys again both look like viable options... but I don't think this is a meta where you particularly want the Shadow kind.
STUNFISK
Thunder Shock/Mud Shot | Mud Bomb & Discharge
Another chance for it to shine without that other Stunfisk around, and shine it does. You probably don't need me or anyone else to tell you that FIsky easily handles Flyers and Steels and Fires, but did you know it also tends to beat Galvantula and Clefable, and Toxicroak and Jellicent, and even Sableye and Snorlax? Because it can do all of that and more. Avoid Grass and heavy Water damage, and there is little else that Stunfisk cannot at least batter and bruise. (Mmmmm... battered fish.... 🤤 oh, sorry! Writing this at dinner time.)
TROPIUS
Air Slash | Leaf Blade & Aerial Ace
One of very few Flyers Stunfisk does NOT beat thanks to being half Grass, and as always, Trop takes full advantage of both of its typings to cover a unique set of wins. Yep, it is most definitely viable in this meta. Expect to see it pop up here and there, and have a plan.
FORRETRESS
Bug Bite | Mirror Shot & Earthquake
As per usual, Forret is often forgotten. Also as per usual, that's a mistake. Forret has spun victories for Silph world champions... might it do the same for you? Fairies hate it, Grasses fear it, Ices flee from it, even Darks and Electrics want to steer clear of it. The number of Steely Bugs has grown more and more over time in GO, but Forret remains one of the very best in PvP and I think is a legit option in the Labyrinth.
SKARMORY
Air Slash | Sky Attack & Brave Bird
NOT often forgotten is the Steely Bird, which is also unsurprisingly solid here too, if not particularly exciting. If you're looking for excitement, then Shadow Skarm may be your ticket. While it loses to Drifblim and Sableye, it gains wins over Dewgong, Diggersby, Obstagoon, Zweilous, Jellicent, and Rainy Castform.
MAWILE
Fire Fang | Power-Up Punch & Play Rough
Good news: the very expensive Shadow Mawile is not really any better--and arguably worse--than regular Mawile. (Shadow uniquely beats Lapras and sometimes Obstagoon, but regular beats the Charmers and Dewgong.) But the potential bad news is that, in a meta like this, using Steel and Fairy in one slot is perhaps more detriment than help. Mawile could be a little tricky to build around, but seems worth a shot for those willing to try.
ZWEILOUS
Dragon Breath | Body Slam & Dark Pulse
Well the Dragon side should not be a problem to work around (with just possible exception we'll glance at in a minute), so this is basically just eating up your Dark slot. Is it worth it? Obviously that's a question only YOU can answer, but it certainly does good work. While there's not much Zweil can do against Fairies or Fighters or most Ice types, and most Steels blunt it enough to hand on for wins, it goes out and takes the fight to just about everything else. Note that #1 PvP IVs misses a couple important Dragon Breath breakpoints (like against Tropius) that actually make it slightly less ideal than more "average" IVs here. Check the performance of your own Zweilous on PvPoke before rushing in headlong to see what close matchups swing one way or the other.
MANDIBUZZ
Snarl | Aerial Ace & Shadow Ball
Well it's not dominant--too many Fairies and Ices and Electrics and even Fighters around for that--but it IS still quite good. You can't double up with Obstagoon or the myriad of other Darks, but Mandi certainly does enough to earn a spot as your only Flyer, and there are plenty of ways to build a solid team without having to dip in to other Darks. If you have a good PvP one you want to flex, there are certainly worse ways to start building your Labyrinth team.
DRIFBLIM
Hex | Icy Wind & Shadow Ball
Even less dominant is Drifblim. I've mentioned it many times throughout the article, as it's identified as part of the core meta on PvPoke, likely due to how thoroughly it domimates the big Fighters and quasi-Fighters, and it does do that VERY well. But beyond that... it's a little disappointing, to tell the truth. Not without merit--nothing that crushes Fighters so convincingly in this meta could be called that--but more of a role player than something you necessarily build around.
And again, as we conclude the dual-types I wanted to cover, it is now time to take a glance at some mono-type 75k standouts:
CASTFORMS
RAINY: Water Gun | Weather Ball (Water) & Thunder
SUNNY: Ember | Weather Ball (Fire) & Solar Beam
SNOWY: Powder Snow | Weather Ball (Ice) & Blizzard
Grouping them together even though they obviously have wildly different roles, because they all live and die by Weather Ball. Rainy uses it to dominate Fires and Grounds and many others like Regi and Croak and Whiscash, and then finishes many of its fellow Water types with Thunder. Sunny uses Weather Ball to roast Grasses and Steels and Fairies and Ices while carrying the big stick of Solar Beam that can flip matches on their head in an instant. Snowy has no coverage move (why is that, Niantic?) but goes out and puts in a rock solid performance anyway. You probably have a good sense on all three of these little guys by now, so while there isn't much more to teach (or write!) about them, make sure you also do not forget about them. Expect to see more than a couple throughout the Labyrinth.
VIGOROTH
Counter | Body Slam & Bulldoze
I've talked about it enough... now let's look at the numbers. Not meta-defining, no, but an extremely solid build-around piece with a typing you are likely to miss doubling up on far less than most other types, at least not when you consider all the things Viggy handles, from Darks to Steels to Ices to Fires to Normals to Grounds and back again. That all being said, Vigoroth is not without its faults: despite not being weak to them like most true Fighters are, Charmers and Flyers and Ghosts still present a problem that is difficult for Viggy to overcome. But for all the good it CAN do and the ease you will likely find in squeezing in on to the majority of teams, Vigoroth is a top meta option. Do not let its lateness in the article make you think anything else!
SUDOWOODO
Counter | Rock Slide & Earthquake
Vigoroth and Obstagoon have been heralded as top replacements for traditional Fighters in this meta, but I have not seen anybody hyping up Sudowoodo. It's better than you might expect. Yes yes, it has to avoid other Fighters (though really, so do Viggy and Goon), as well as Waters, Grasses, Grounds... yeah, doesn't sound too promising. But somehow Sudo makes it work anyway, mostly because it distinguishes itself versus Fires and Flyers and hangs on to defeat the Charmers and Galvantula, all usually big problems for the other Counter users. If you're looking for some of the good Fighters can do without opening yourself wide to some of their more traditional, popular counters, Sudowoodo may be just right for you. And it has a typing that is very easy to free up too, one that can easily double up with another Fighter if you want to go that route.
SNORLAX
Lick | Body Slam & Superpower
Another case where non-Shadow is okay and Shadow just seems better. Regular Lax outbulks the assault of Obstagoon, Registeel, and Shadow Gardevoir, but Shadow Lax instead outraces Lapras, Stunfisk, Sableye, Rainy Castform, Venusaur, and Tropius and gets my thumbs up recommendation as a wild card/flex option at the back of your bench. As per usual, I think it's a pretty good safe swap option in particular.
DRAGONAIR
Dragon Breath | Aqua Tail & Dragon Pulse
You probaby don't want Dragonite here, but Dragonair looks like a nice safe option, either in regular (unique wins vs Galv, Registeel, JelliBelli, Snorlax, and Tropius)) or Shadow (wins vs Toxicroak, Mandibuzz, Melmetal, and Alolan Marowak)) variety. Other Dragons are practically non-existant, though you do need to keep a close eye out for Fairies and/or Ices. That's a decent list of threats, granted, but 'Nair can slip away from the vast majority of others and is beefy enough to soak up a goodly amount of (oft-resisted) damage along the way. With Aqua Tail it can operate pretty effectively in the Water role without actually being a Water, leaving room for some other teammate like Lapras/Dewgong or Tentacruel to do their thing more freely.

100,000 Dust/100 Candy

Finally, we've made it to the Legendaries! There is one in particular I want to cover with some detail, but the rest I'll follow with in bullet form so we can finally take this thing home and get our teams set!
REGIROCK
Lock-On | Stone Edge & Focus Blast
That's right... a non-Steel Regi. Hear me out, starting with what the sims say. Holy smokes, wins against nearly two thirds of the core meta? That may seem crazy until you consider what the core meta consists of. Regirock loses to the major Grasses, Grounds, and several Fighters and Waters, it's true. But even though it has far less resistances and nearly twice as many weaknesses as Registeel, Regirock's win percentage against the core meta is 20% higher. So what gives? It's rather simple, really: 1.) Regirock resists Fire, while Registeel is weak to it, and this meta has a fair share of good Fires, and 2.) Stone Edge comes 15 energy cheaper than Steel's Flash Cannon and for only 10 less listed damage (though it's even more than that since Rock has about 10 more Attack strength than Steel), and far less things want to take a big Rock move here than do a Steel move. Flash Cannon is resisted by Fire, Water, Electric AND Steel, all prevalent types in the Labyrinth, while Stone Edge is resisted only by Steel, Ground, and Fighting... and keep in mind that some of the better Fighters you might see are not actually Fighters. In a normal environment, there is usually enough around to make Registeel clearly better, but here, it may be time for another less celebrated Regi to have their big moment in the sun. I think the sims are legit, and Regirock will be too for those willing and able to welcome him to their team.

• Obviously, REGISTEEL is not bad, but it does seem to take a back seat to Regirock here overall. Smoke 'em if you got 'em, especially if you lack a halfway decent Great League sized Regirock. weakly raises own hand 🙋‍♂️ Just don't expect it to dominate like it can in open Great League play.
  
• I similarly recommended considering REGICE in Holiday Cup, so if you built one, yes, you can use it here. But it too takes a back seat to Regirock, who was tired of being locked in the trunk and is at the wheel this month.
  
• Mono type MELMETAL is a solid choice. In this meta, at least, it basically seems to be a better Registeel, conquering essentially the same things, but better. Despite its bulky frame, it IS notably frailer, however. Save a shield for it!
  
• There is a seeming lack of good Confusion users in this meta due to the ban list, but that just gives VICTINI some extra oomph. As you've likely seen throughout this crazy long article, Fire is hip again in this meta, and Victini along with it as a Fire that can take it to things like Toxicroak and Stunfisk too.
  
• The LEGENDARY BIRDS are viable, but not too thrilling. SHADOW ZAPDOS is probably the best of the best, with ARTICUNO close behind, but you are likely better served just sticking with land-based Electrics and Ices and leaving Flying free to occupy space elsewhere on your team. Zappy and Artie are fine, but nothing particularluy special here.
  
• Same story with LUGIA, really. It's a passable replacement for the banned Altaria, and Psychic is a typing you should have no real need to make room for elsewhere, so if you have one to flex, go for it. It does enough that nobody should make fun of you for that... and may not be properly prepared to face one down, either!
  

And there we go... only took about 75,000 characters! 😅 Hopefully this proves helpful in getting you going in Labyrinth Cup and the back half of this season of The Silph Arena. I do apologize it took SO long to get this out this door this time around... I like to leave you more time to prep than this, just couldn't be avoided this month with the funky format and ALL that needed writing about (and there are some I left out entirely still!) and real life obligations. Good luck!
Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter for near-daily PvP analysis nuggets, or Patreon. And please, feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll try to get back to you!
Thank you for reading! I sincerely hope this helps you find your way through the Labyrinth and reach the other side safe and sound. Best of luck, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!

I won first place in a 10-player FNM using Boros Transmogrify deck with the bulk mythic Harmoinous Archon as the wincon. However, I find the match count to be too small (3 matches) to be made a tournament report.
Deck:

2 Castle Ardenvale 2 Castle Embereth 2 Glass Casket 1 Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis 2 Emeria's Call // Emeria, Shattered Skyclave 3 Fabled Passage 1 Felidar Retreat 3 Fire Prophecy 2 Forbidden Friendship 4 Harmonious Archon 1 Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs 2 Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast 2 Mountain 4 Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway 4 Omen of the Sun 1 Outlaws' Merriment 4 Plains 2 Raugrin Triome 2 Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass 4 Soul Sear 3 Temple of Triumph 4 The Birth of Meletis 4 Transmogrify 1 Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge Sideboard 2 Elspeth Conquers Death 2 Disenchant 1 Heliod's Intervention 2 Mazemind Tome 2 Ox of Agonas 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 2 The Akroan War 2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 

General Strategy: Go wide, find Archon, swing for the win

• Get rid of early game threats using Fire Prophecy and Soul Sear
  
• Create early game tokens using Forbidden Friendship, Birth of Meletis, Omen of the Sun, and Elspeth.
  
• Find Transmogrify or get rid of Harmonious Archon using Fire Prophecy
  
• Use Transmogrify or Lukka's [-2] to search for Harmonious Archon.
  

Why this deck exists
This deck is made to beat Mono green food and Gruul Adventures, which turns big creatures 3/3, prevents Lovestruck Beast from attacking, and delays their Henge.
Card Choice: Mainboard

• Castle Ardenvale and Castle Embereth: Used for late game mana sink that allows you to create token or pump your creatures.
  
• Raugrin / Savai Triome: This deck doesn't have turn 1 play, and allows our castles to enter untapped.
  
• Glass Casket: Early game threat assessment, can be replaced when playing against non-aggro decks.
  
• One copy of Elspeth, Sun's nemesis: Unfortunately, I only have one copy on paper. Her -3 can save you from aggro, but mostly I would go for token creation early on when your life isn't on the line. The second copy is replaced with Felidar Retreat.
  
• Felidar Retreat: The inital purpose is to serve as the second copy of Elspeth, but after three matches the +1/+1 counters and vigilance also helps a lot on making my board more equal the the opponent's.
  
• Soul Sear: Originally, this slot was reserved for 2/2 of Elspeth Conquers Death (ECD) and The Akroan War. being able to be played 2 turn early and the ability to remove Lovestruck Beast makes me prefer this over the other. However, this makes us unable to remove Embercleave and Great Henge on game 1. I would prefer replacing 2 of them with ECD or Banishing Light.
  
• Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast: Redundant 6th copy of Transmogrify. In late game, you can use his -7 to do one turn kill with wide board state, which I managed to do in one of the games.
  
• Emeria's Call: Good late game finisher, makes the opponents think twice when blocking or attacking.
  
• Outlaws' merriment: Less reliable token generator as it does nothing for a turn, but the haste is useful in mid to late game. I would run an additional copy or two on sideboard to pressure control decks.
  
• Valakut Awakening: Didn't manage to find the 4th copy of Fire Prophecy, so I made do.
  

Card Choice: Sideboard

• Disenchant and Heliod's Intervention: Artifact hate, put three of these when playing against Embercleave and Henge. If the meta is skewed towards Yorion, I would replace Disenchant for third copy of Heliod's Intervention
  
• Elspeth Conquers Death and The Akroan War: Originally a mainboard card. Run these against aggro and midrange decks. Bonus point if you manage to transmogrify or fling the stolen creature before the saga ends.
  
• Mazemind Tome: For grindier matches like Yorion and other midrange-control decks. Playing a four-of is preferable.
  
• Ugin, the Spirit Dragon: This may sound like a timmy, but "It's Ugin. Run it in a any deck and it becomes a wincon". In all seriousness, we don't have late game boardwipe and this can be an option. A tip: Wall token made by Birth of Meletis isn't exiled with Ugin, meaning you can Transmogrify it on later turn.
  
• Ox of Agonas: Ideally, I would run 4 of against mill, but seeing that I only have 2, I slotted the missing two with Ugin. Can also be played against control decks where you inevitably run out of hand.
  
• Soul-Guide Lantern: inclusion when against Kroxa pile and graveyard recursion decks like Dimir Lurrus.
  

Deck's Strength:

• Ability to go wide with value token generator
  
• Isn't concerned whether you're on the play or draw (of course, always choose on the play when winning the dice roll)
  
• Can tempo between maximizing blockers first or going greedy with Transmogrify
  
• Can recover against Doom Foretold piles.
  

Deck's Weakness

• Dies to Extinction event.
  
• Easier to be disrupted, as any instant speed removal is essentially a counterspell to Transmogrify.
  
• Isn't a great matchup against +1/+1 counters deck, requires Felidar Retreat or Castle Embereth to pump or early game removals.
  
• Huge pressure when opponent casts Necromentia, rendering your Transmogrify a useless garnet.
  
• One trick pony. Once opponent finds the archon, they will know how to play around it.
  

Mini Tournament report
Match 1: 2-0 vs. Mono black Deathtouch. A lifegain/lifeloss combo deck based around Vito and Ayara using Hooded Blightfang's attack trigger and Nightmare Shepherd's recursion.

• Game 1: Opening hand is full of removals, remove the combo piece ASAP before the combo pulls off.

Sideboard: +2 Ugin, +2 Soul-guide Lantern. -2 Emeria's call, -1 Felidar Retreat, -1 Lukka.

• Game 2: Opponent got mana screwed, baited 2 Bloodchief's Thirst on the created tokens, safely cast Ugin on turn 8 and opponent conceded.

Match 2: 2-0 vs. Gruul Adventures.

• Game 1: Survive by creating blockers and gaining life using Birth and Omen. Opponent managed to steal 2 Archons using Robber of the Rich. Archon got Soul Seared, but recovered by hard-casting Archon on turn 6. Miraculously, no Embercleave or Henge.

Sideboard: +2 Disenchant, +1 Heliod's Intervention, +2 ECD, +1 Ugin. -2 Casket, -1 Lukka, -1 Felidar Retreat, -2 Emeria's Call.

• Game 2: Opening hand was full of removal, outboarded the opponent on turn 5.

Match 3: 2-1 vs. Mono Green Food

• Game 1: Knowing there's no hope when Henge comes out on turn 4, and I will still place 2nd when 2-0'd, I let the opponent play out with as little interaction as possible. The opponent was cautious when Birth was cast on turn 2 using red and white manabase, thinking my deck was a Jeskai control.

Sideboard: +2 Disenchant, +1 Heliod's Intervention, +2 Ugin, +2 ECD. -2 Shatterskull Smashing, -1 Archon, -1 Transmogrify, -2 Casket, -1 Kazuul's Fury

• Game 2: Disenchanted the Henge, opponent had Vivien and kept making reach tokens. managed to stall the game long enough until I can cast Ugin and wiped the board other than the wall token. Transmogrified it next turn, did a little misplay where I swung with everyone the turn after, leaving Ugin open to attacks. No remaining Archon on deck, Opponent was wondering why I kept doing +1 on lukka and didn't attempt to attack him. Escaped the Elspeth, made human tokens, burned the opponent with Lukka's -7.

Sideboard: No change

• Game 3: Game was on stalemate, Both of us were still on 18--20 life with wide board state until the timer runs out. With neither of us able to break parity, and the store is near its closing time, the opponent declared no blockers and let me win.

Final Thoughts
As previously stated, this deck hasn't been tested on more diverse matchups, mainly due to the missing pieces on Arena for matchmaking data. Most of the sideboard option are "looks good on paper" and may not be a good inclusion against the matchups mentioned on card choice section, including Ugin. I may bring this deck to an upcoming 80-player tournament for tournament report thread, but it may already be too late seeing Kaldheim is around the corner.

Before I became a DM I spent a fair amount of time working for a professional wrestling company.
I won't say which one, but let's just say it once got sued by a federation of animal lovers and to this day features worldly wrestlers everywhere.
When I was first starting out as a DM, I read as much as I could (including tons of posts on this very subreddit). I built complex encounters and antagonists I thought were compelling, but when it came to running my sessions with them they often felt a little anticlimactic. That's because I was investing all my time in the payoff, and none in the build. And that's when I remembered everything I learned while I was working with in-ring talent on their characters their definitely real life selves: The build is everything. Now that I use pro-wrestling secrets* to develop my NPCs and encounters, I'm the best DM there is (ever was, or ever will be). At least to my party.
Below are a few lessons I learned from my time just outside gorilla, as well as a few examples of how they translate to your work as a DM.
For clarity these terms will come up alot, so here are simple definitions:
"heels" = "bad guys"
"babyfaces/faces" = "good guys" aka "your party/their allies."
"Heat" = "an emotional reaction." In general, you want the audience to be emotionally invested. Heat is the name for that investment, whether they love or hate someone.

*these aren't really secrets—they are the basic building blocks of compelling storytelling, and oftentimes can be boiled down to a single maxim: give the people what they want...just make them pay (and/or wait) for it.

Everyone Who's Anyone Has At Least One Nickname
The Undertaker is also: The Phenom, The Deadman, Big Evil, The Lord of Darkness, The Demon of Death Valley and 'Taker if you're nasty. And that's just one guy (and like, only half his nicknames...). Any of your NPCs that you're planning to throw at your party as possible heels should have a cool moniker or two to help establish their renown within the world you're creating.
Perhaps more importantly, each member of your party should be given the chance to earn one. You will be surprised how awesome your rogue feels when one of their NPC allies starts referring to them as "The Graveyard Whistler" following their steely performance during a crypt-based encounter.
As your players conquer various encounters, nicknames are a cool way to weave their exploits into the narrative on a regular basis. In my experience, you'll find players actually start incorporating their given monikers into the way they play their characters. A nickname is the first step toward turning your heroes into superheroes—don't miss out on the opportunity.
Everyone Sells for Your Superheroes (So When They Don't, It Means Something)
I put this close to the top because I think it informs everything about the way most pro-wrestling is booked. There are a few guys/gals on the roster that are unbeatable. Let's call them Superheroes (when they're a physically intimidating heel, they are usually referred to as "monsters"). Andre the Giant. Hulk Hogan. The Rock. Undertaker. Goldberg. John Cena. These wrestlers rarely, if ever, lose. If they do lose, it's typically under special circumstances (their opponent cheated, they were injured, they were supremely outnumbered, their opponent covered them in cement, or someone poked them with a very powerful finger). If a Superhero loses "clean," meaning none of that previously mentioned interference, it is often part of the coronation of a new Superhero.
Everyone on the roster sells for a Superhero. A Superhero's punches hit harder. Their bodyslams bounce you off the mat. Their penetrating stare sends you scrambling back up the ramp and into the locker room. Superheroes beat local competitors in 10 seconds, or destroy previously celebrated opponents in what are called "squash" matches—a total annihilation meant to reinforce that the Superhero is unbeatable.
Your party are fledgling Superheroes, and will reach proper Superhero status as they progress in level. So when they use a weapon or cast a spell or talk their way out of trouble, have your lower level NPCs sell for them. Basic bandits should flee in fear when your paladin drops that first smite. Skeletons shudder and rattle the moment a cleric shows their holy symbol—they know all it'll take to render them to dust is the whispered name of the cleric's god. A rogue's knife doesn't miss...the opponent got lucky dodging to the left at the precise moment...a twist of fate the target knows they're unlikely to repeat.
When Andre the Giant was bodyslammed and pinned by Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III , it was the culmination of one of the longest, most successful builds in pro-wrestling history. And it cemented Hogan as an unbeatable force, because he had dethroned the boss. The monster. The 8th wonder of the world. Andre sold for Hogan, and elevated him as the heir apparent.
By having your lower level NPCs (and even some in the mid-tier) oversell for your party, it'll mean more to your party when they come across a monster or miscreant that takes the full weight of a great weapon master's heavy swing, shrugs it off and hands them a receipt: a full bore punch to the throat.
Now your party is facing a formidable foe—they've never been in this situation before. And when they finally succeed in defeating this new opponent, they'll feel that much more unstoppable (which is, of course, when you throw an even bigger monster at them).
When in Doubt, Give 'em a Gimmick
Some cynics might view this as lazy storytelling (and they might be right!) but even some of the best written characters in history have a "gimmick"—i.e.: a shtick...a clearly articulated angle...that thing that sets them apart from other, similar characters. Walter White wasn't just a drug kingpin—he was a brilliant chemistry teacher who used his brain to rise through the criminal underworld. Tony Soprano wasn't just a mob boss—he was a mob boss dealing with panic attacks/depression, whose family issues were as complicated/stressful as his "family" issues. Dr. Gregory House is just Sherlock Holmes in a hospital. Gimmicks are pretty much character premises, but in pro-wrestling, they have a way of informing entire identities.
Sure, Jake "the Snake" Roberts is a mentally intimidating dude—but that notion gets cranked to 11 when he shows up in the ring with a cobra in a sack. The Undertaker, a walking avatar of death itself, who buries his opponents (including his brother!) alive, evokes far more dread and intrigue than "Mark Calaway" ever could. Some gimmicks are simple ("He's a warrior, but he's like...the Ultimate Warrior.") and others are complex (Randy Orton, the Apex Predator, is also known as the Viper because his most devastating strike can come out of nowhere). But all WWE gimmicks have one thing in common: They exist. Pretty much every Superstar has one.
If you're building an NPC you want your party to love (or hate), make sure they have a thing that sets them apart from the rest of the crowd. Give them a nickname only those who speak Thieves' Cant understand means they are "Untouchable." Give them a blade that can end a life with a thought which they constantly brag about never having to use. Give them a profession that also doubles as a menacing, occasionally ridiculous hint at their underlying savagery (see: Mark Henry, aka The World's Strongest Man," or Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, or Irvin R. Shyster, aka "IRS.").
A gimmick is a way to crank an otherwise unmemorable NPC to 11 (everything in pro-wrestling is cranked to 11. Like, 11 is the baseline), and helps your party know who they are up against—and in many cases, how they can shut them down [see Good Gimmicks = Great Weaknesses].
"Parts Unknown" = Instant Backstory
Don't have a good idea for a gimmick for an NPC or magic item? Take another cue from Vince McMahon's playbook and simply describe them as being from "Parts Unknown." Demolition, Papa Shango, Ultimate Warrior and a dozen other WWE Superstars were billed as hailing not from Omaha or Albuquerque or Cleveland, but from "Parts Unknown." Where is that? NO ONE KNOWS. That's what makes it scary/cool/intriguing. It's instant mystique.
Now, this might read as lazy to you cynics out there, but high level works of fantasy use the same trick: see: 2001's monolith. The Next Generation's Borg. Even the Joker, one of the most considered villains of the modern era was, until pretty recently, backstoryless.
Sometimes a mystery is more terrifying than anything you could come up with on your own. If the most powerful NPCs in your world can't explain the origin of a recently summoned entity or artifact, well, that sounds like something your heroes should approach with caution (or reckless abandon...their choice).
Every Good Villain Deserves a Valet
If you've got a heel you know your party is going to love/hate, double down and give them a valet. A valet can take many forms. Sometimes they act as a hype man/woman, other times they serve as arm candy, a prop to showcase just how much better the heel's life is than your own or sometimes they are a heavy...a wall of meat to keep the heel from taking any sort of beating (there is no faster way to build heat than for a heel who deserves to be punched in the face than to have them step behind a wall of harder-to-punch flesh).
Valets often serve to offset the strengths/weaknesses of the character to whom they are assigned. Again, this is classic storytelling. Falstaff and Hal. Laurel and Hardy. Pinky and the Brain. Pro-wrestling just does it overtly and often (usually to protect a storyline or, in some cases, hide the wrestler's weaknesses). Monsters like Brock Lesnar aren't much on the mic? No problem: enter Paul Heyman.
Give your charming rogue a droll sorceress who can snap her fingers and summon a demon. Give your posh prince access to the hired goon who single-handedly dominated your party in the area's underground fight club. Give your dragon-lich an incredibly weak but utterly hilarious underling who can add some levity to otherwise intense "my evil plan is falling into place" monologues.
When your heel has a great valet, your party gets the bonus of kicking the ass of two characters they hate. Alternatively, they have a character they can use as leverage against the heel (perhaps, like Heyman, they work for the highest bidder, and would be willing to turn on their client for a better offer).
Repackage Your Failures into Successes
Look: You're going to screw up. You're going to create a character you think is an easy sell: let's call him Rocky Maivia. Rocky Maivia is the future! He's gonna be amazing! He will create heat simply by showing up. And then, when the pyro goes off...well, it's a dud. Well guess what! You're Vince F'ing McMahon! You create and destroy characters with a thought! You don't have to stick with Rocky Maivia! You are not a failure! You are simply biding your time, letting the crowd think you've made a mistake. But as anyone who has met him will tell you he's told them, Vince McMahon doesn't make mistakes. Rocky Maivia? No. That's the Rock. He's always been the Rock. And now, he always will be.
Demented Dentist Isaac Yankem? No...that's KANE, the Big Red Monster.
Hunter Hearst Helmsly, the Connecticut Blueblood? Uhmm...no. That's Triple H. The Game. The Cerebral Assassin. The World's Most Hydrated Man.
"Stunning" Steve Austin? No, make that Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rattlesnake, he of the Gimme a Hell Yeah.
The "Bottom Line" as the artist formerly known as Stunning Steve might say, is this: you're going to invest a lot of time in a character and your party is going to wipe them out. You're going to create a fully developed backstory for a villain you think is dark and compelling only to watch your players laugh in your face and make a joke about the accent you gave them. You will toil over your notes for a delicious monologue and then watch your players choose to violently attack rather than listen to what your villain has to say. So many times. And you might think you have failed...but you are not a failure. You're Vince McMahon. You walk like this. You are a god.
If an NPC you thought had potential as a foil gets annihilated due to your party being OP, great. Did your party know he also made a deal with several different infernal authorities and is now a revenant that sleeplessly seeks their utter demise? Did your party know that nefarious noble with the funny accent was actually a weakened rakshasa who underestimated them but won't make the same mistake twice? That NPC your party chose to sneak by rather than encounter face to face? Oh shit, did you know that NPC has access to a helm of scrying and plans to see them later in more ways than one?
When something isn't working for you or your campaign, feel free to trash it. Keep the parts you like, or find creative ways to bring your personal favorites back in a fresh way. If your party can't remember the name of an NPC you care about...guess what (what!): to quote the Rock...it doesn't matter what their name is. You can rebuild them. You can rebrand them. You can return to glory.
Mediocre Heel + Good Heel + Random Heel = Great Stable
Similar to repackaging, and often a part of one, building a stable is a great way to take B-level talent and turn them into an A-list draw (see: The Shield. The New Day. The Nexus...sidenote: Stables often start with a definite article).
The truth is, your party is a stable—a group of individuals united out of convenience and (typically) a singular purpose (they might even have a name. It might even start with 'the'). But they all have individual goals. If your party can form a stable, why can't your NPCs?
Perhaps all the NPCs your players have dispatched over the past few months have decided they don't like the new heroes in town kicking them around, and they've formed a Justice League of their own. Or perhaps the seemingly disconnected events of the past year (and the NPCs associated with them) have all been part of a larger plan that's only just now coming into view.
You can get more mileage out of your lesser heels as well as more satisfaction out of encounters by having your party face off against familiar enemies who are now more powerful because they've allied with other known entities. "You mean the cult from three sessions ago that we barely defeated has somehow allied themselves with the New Kobold Order, from our very first session, to bring more gold to the dragon we nearly killed last month? Well...that sounds...bad." No. It sounds great.
Kick Them While They're Down (So You Can Lift Them Up)
You'll see this a lot when a babyface is angling for a title. It's not enough for a guy like John Cena to beat his opponent. After all, John Cena is a Superhero who could beat anyone. That's why you have John Cena get injured during a meaningless tag team match the week before the championship fight. Now he has a bad shoulder. Oh no! And the heel doesn't care that Cena has a bad shoulder. In fact, the heel just keeps working that shoulder over and over and over until Cena may as well be fighting the guy one handed.
But that's just it. When someone says "I could beat you with one arm tied behind my back," well, that's a claim that means more when you back it up. The crowd will root for Cena to defeat his foe in a weakened state (at least, the 10 and unders will).
Find a way to weaken your party so that the obstacle they're facing isn't just an enemy.
Curses. Exhaustion. Difficult Terrain. Anti-magic fields. Make them run a gauntlet (in WWE a gauntlet match is basically one guy vs. a series of tough opponents as part of one fight) by forcing them to experience more encounters in a day than Kobold Fight Club might deem reasonable or fair. You think Vince McMahon cares about what's fair? (spoiler: he does not). He cares about what sells. And desperation sells.
If your party feels overmatched, outgunned, outnumbered, and out of spell slots, it'll be all the more impressive when they come out on top. And if they don't...you do not have to kill them to "maintain realism." There are fates worth than death. You can just have one of your heels take everything they care about. Kick them while they are down. Rob them of their pride, their freedom, their dignity...their precious gold and preciouser magical items.
The struggle to get it all back will mean that much more.
Good Gimmicks = Great Weaknesses
The best gimmicks often come with something another wrestler could theoretically exploit for leverage. Macho Man Randy Savage didn't just love Slim Jims. He had a valet named Miss Elizabeth. They got married! It was amazing! While the Macho Man's gimmick wasn't necessarily "guy in love," (his gimmick was "guy on cocaine") but his devotion to Miss Elizabeth was definitely a big part of his character. That's a gimmick. And therefore a weakness. So what did Jake "the Snake" Roberts give the happy couple as a wedding gift? That's right: a cobra. (Note: It was not on their registry.)
Speaking of Jake "the Snake"—he had a number of snakes over the course of his tenure as a pro wrestler. The snake that was first introduced as part of this gimmick was named Damien. A guy who carries a snake in a bag into the ring with him is a great gimmick. But again, creates a great weakness. That's why Earthquake (a guy whose gimmick was that he was so obese he could shake the very earth just by sitting down) squashed Damien by sitting on him in the middle of a match. Twice! Earthquake later fed the remains of Damien to Vince McMahon and Lord Alfred Hayes. THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF PRO WRESTLING.
If your party is facing a great heel with a great gimmick, that character's weaknesses may be self evident. In Undertaker's case, for a while there his power allegedly came from something called "the Urn." Whomever controlled the Urn controlled the Deadman. The parallels to D&D tropes should be pretty clear there. "Monster X is unstoppable...but it's possible if we get our hands on Artifact 3, we can bring the monster under our control."
Giving your NPCs a weakness or two for your party to exploit is not taking it easy on them. In fact, it allows you to refocus your encounters on problem solving rather than just on combat. This is a great fix for DMs in the mid-to-late tier of the game when your party is effectively impervious to any threats. They aren't just fighting a villain—they are fighting a villain by solving a puzzle.
Stick it to the Smarts
In pro-wrestling parlance, there are "Marks" and there are "Smarts" (there are also "Smart Marks" or "Smarks"). Marks are people who believe everything they see related to pro wrestling is real/unscripted. Smarts are the opposite, and understand that pro wrestling is a business/form of entertainment with a specific audience (Smarks are Marks who believe wrestling is fake but love it in spite of (and sometimes because of) this fact).
Vince McMahon is not in the business of giving a shit what the Smarts think or think they know about what's happening backstage. The only time he cares is when so many Smarts think something is true that he can use their belief to his advantage (see: the evolution of Vince McMahon, friendly ring announcer to Mr. McMahon, arguably the greatest heel in pro wrestling history).
In D&D, metagamers are Smarts. The players who have read the Monster Manual (and the various supplementary titles) cover to cover and know every detail about every creature you could possibly throw their way, who are the first to say "they can't do that" when your NPC uses Dimension Door to move 500 feet instead of the published 400, who say things like "How can that creature deal 48 damage if we are Level 4? That's beyond our challenge rating!"—those are Smarts.
Smarts think D&D has rules—rules they can memorize and use against you at the table. You are absolutely welcome to agree with them, but that's not DMing like Vince McMahon.
If you want to DM like Vince, the only rule of D&D is you're the DM and whatever you say happened is what happened. Period. If you say it exists, it exists. Your players might ask "Why? How? Who?"—and you can flash the grin that accompanies ultimate power and say "Because I said so."
That's admittedly extreme, but so is the Smart's position ("This book I read before the session said X, Y or Z...so you're wrong" or worse "That's not how I do it in my game"). If you're feeling equitable, and want to split the difference (something Vince would never do, except for when he agreed to the Daniel Bryan push, but, I digress) meet in the middle and use what a Smart thinks they know against them.
As an example: Smarts know a creature only has 3 Legendary Resistances, and will strategize around this fact, holding onto a killer 7th-level spell for after that moment when the dragon uses its LR a third time. Well guess what, sucker—this ancient being has EIGHT Legendary Resistances, one for each of the centuries its been alive. Reveal this intel and watch them get sick to their stomachs.
This isn't being petty (though it certainly can be)—it's good storytelling. You have to keep people guessing. And if your players think they know everything about how your world works because they read an outside source, and you know this, you can flip their expectations back on them. Example:
Expectation: The Monster Manual says hags only hang out in covens of three. Reality: This coven formed a stable (see above) with two other hag covens, they call themselves The Triumvirate, and you just killed 3 of their sisters. The other six are on their way back to the nest. Whoopsie! Who's smart now?
The Art of the Swerve
Similar to using what your players know against them as a way of subverting/exceeding expectations, a swerve is a pro-wrestling term that basically means "doing something other than what the audience is planning to see," and typically involves storyline.
As the Monday Night Wars drew to a close, Vince McMahon sent his son Shane to sign the paperwork and purchase WCW as part of a cross brand takeover. Shane signs the paperwork (expected) but uses his OWN NAME (swerve!), effectively becoming the owner of a rival company overnight, and kicking off the "INVASION" storyline and like, 2 years of WWE content.
When CM Punk was dealing with contract negotiations, it was a forgone conclusion he would lose his championship bout with John Cena, as there was simply no way Vince would let someone like Punk win a championship, let alone against John Cena, to say nothing of the fact that Punk had cut a promo in the weeks prior that dunked on the entire concept of being a company guy. And yet—swerve—he walked out of Chicago and (at least in storyline) the company as WWE Champion.
Swerves happen in fantasy/sci-fi as well. Two notable examples both feature in spoiler-filled Game of Thrones recaps, and involve things that can/can't happen to supposed main characters' heads and what should/should not take place at colorful weddings. Those moments took the characters by surprise because they subverted the rules of the world (in so much as they proved rules only apply to those who believe in them) and they took the audience by surprise because they used our expectations against us. ("Sean Bean can't die! He never dies in anything!")
You can swerve your players by thinking through what their expectations for an encounter will be, then do the opposite. Or something to the left or right of what might have been promised. Or do something that isn't even in the same universe of what you'd originally presented.
Example: "Let's go visit the king and convince him to help the people of this fair city, who have been ignored by their leader for too long!"Expectation: There will be an encounter in the castle overlooking the citySwerve: There is no castle—it's a major illusion.
You can start with the swerve, then come up with the reasoning for it. You don't need to swerve just for the sake of shaking things up (although that's exactly what Vince would do), but you should recognize the swerve as a tool in your arsenal, and one that will help take your stories to another level simply by forcing you to think of the unexpected thing.
Always Build to the (Next) Pay Per View
This rule is more complicated now that WWE Network has sort of killed the idea of the PPV, but here's the gist: Each month there's a major event. That's where you want numerous storylines to coalesce— for the babyfaces to triumph and the heels to get their comeuppance.
This is a hard and fast rule: If the world wants nothing more than to see somebody punch Ric Flair in the mouth, do not—under any circumstances—let someone punch Ric Flair in the mouth unless they've paid for it. This is why championships rarely change hands on episodes of Raw or SmackDown—you want to build anticipation for a title change, rather than just allow it to happen without any buildup. That's how you make money off a PPV.
The more the heel needs to get punched, the more the heel should find ways to weasel out of it. For a defending champion, examples include:
-faking an injury to delay a match-no showing-refusing to fight unless ridiculous conditions are agreed to-getting themselves intentionally disqualified so the title won't change hands-getting themselves intentionally disqualified a different way so the title won't change hands-no showing again-faking another injury
This can take many forms in D&D. If the party wants to kill the evil princess, have them fight their way through a cavalcade of creatures and sneak through the sewers only to discover that (gasp!) the princess is in another castle. That castle is guarded by an anti-magic field and a bunch of buff tortles. So the party waits to try and catch the princess when she's at the Summer Tournament. But then the princess's courier shows up and explains the Summer Tournament has been cancelled. So the party convinces the realm's council to host a Fall Tournament. The party is pleased...they lie in wait. But the courier arrives at the Tournament in her place, with a note that says "ha, ha, ha. My castle is live-scrying the Tournament so I don't need to be there in person. Toodles." This will frustrate your party. The courier says "Milady has invited you to dinner at her castle." The party is skeptical, but they attend. The princess poisons their food...but the party was expecting poison so they're fine...but they don't know the princess is a simulacrum of the real deal, and when they slay her she turns to melted snow, and her dying words are "I'm sorry, but the princess is...in...another......castle-arrrrrggh."
By keeping your party's favorite foe just out of reach for a few sessions/encounters, you delay the gratification and help ensure that when they actually do get to land that killing blow, they've fought/sweat/died to earn it.
Blow Off to Something Bigger
When your party thinks they are at the end of their face off with a foe, don't be afraid to turn a Survivor Series showdown into a Wrestlemania-worthy main event. This is what I mean by "Build to the (Next) Pay Per View." You don't just want to delay the payoff/gratification as part of your build—you want to spin a partial pay off into something biggebettemore exciting.
In pro wrestling, this can take several forms, but the most common is "If you beat me at event X, you'll win a title shot at event Y," or the heel is forced into a contract signing to defend the title and it's a no DQ match so they can't weasel out of the defense this time, or the babyface finally (finally!) wins the title...but the moment the belt is in their hands after an utterly exhausting match, a new contender comes out of nowhere and challenges them to a title match, and the new champ loses before they can get to their feet. This starts a new program between your hero and a new challenger.
Generally, the last match in a program between two wrestlers is called a "blow off"—it's the match that ends one story for a wrestler so they can start a program with another one. Due to D&D's de facto episodic structure, you can create a blowoff in your campaign simply by introducing a new shiny object for your party to chase once they've finally accomplished a longterm goal.
The best blow-offs don't bookend a story—they start a new chapter, utilizing elements/moments/sleights/intel from the previous pages.
Once your party conquers the princess, they find out her courier is the one who's been pulling the strings all along, and he's kept the party busy long enough for his plans to finally come to fruition.
Or the dragon hoard features evidence of a conspiracy involving the disappearance of your party's favorite NPC...and it points directly at your party's paladin's dad!
Or the kindly treasure hunter who fearlessly led the party to the heart of the dungeon makes off with the loot while they're battling the creatures that guard it.
Finding ways to blow off into something bigger for your party will drive your narrative forward while keeping it rooted in the present moment. Your party's passions will be influenced as much by what you're telling them as what you're keeping from them. They'll be so motivated to chase the things that are important to them that they won't even notice how neatly it all connects behind the screen.
Know When to Humble Yourself
Yes, you're Vince McMahon—the walking, talking, mugging millionaire megalomaniac who runs D&D sessions with the confidence of a guy who has all the power. But even Vince knows when it's time to be sprayed with beer, or smacked in the face with a bedpan, or even have his head shaved by a future president.
If you rule your table like Vince would, you're going to frustrate your players. This is totally fine, provided you know when to allow them to release that tension on your creation. You aren't trying to beat them—you're trying to entertain them. Sometimes that means letting them have the W, especially when they've earned it.

There are dozens more examples but I feel I've gone on longer than Shawn Michaels v. Bret Hart at WrestleMania XII. So instead, I'll leave it here and leave the floor open for those of you who know more about DMing and D&D than I do pro wrestling to add your thoughts on the above.
And if you end up using any of the strategies above in your future sessions, give me a hell yeah.

Hey guys, ImpetuousPanda here. 🐼
 
Many months ago I made to similar reports on my experience while grinding the Master rank ladder(100 Master Rank games of PnZ Burn and 50 Master Rank games of Deep). I haven't really consistenly grinded hundreds of games in a season until this month, mostly due to my heavy involvement with the competitive scene as a caster for LoR masters EU and the Giantslayer Fight Night EU tournaments. For this reason I've been playing a lot of ladder this month and I decided to another in-depth report on the deck I used most often.
 
Following the last balance patch, I thought it would definitely be a consideration to run some form of aggro due to the expected decrease in playrate of Trundle/Trynd FTR, which was the key deck holding down aggro decks such as Fearsome or Discard Aggro. I came upon a post here on the subreddit recommending Elise Spiders Aggro a few hours later and I decided to give it a solid go for 100 games, since I expected games to be fairly quick. These are the results, and I have to say they are very positive overall.
 

Basic Variables

• Timeframe: 12th-16th of November
• Region: EU
• Decklist image and Code: here CICACAQDAMBAGBIEAYBQCBJPGU4AMAIDAIHRSJJIG4BACAIFE4AQEAYEAA
• RAW Excel Data: here
• Starting LP: 0 LP
• Peak LP: 391 LP(19th on EU Ladder)
• Final Rank: 173 LP
• Final Winrate: 61%

 

Reason to play Elise Aggro

• This is an incredibly aggresive list. It utlizes extremely cheap unit/spell synergies to push by far the most efficient mana/damage-to-nexus synergies while still being incredibly consistent due to the way the deck is built. For this reason game length is extremely short, allowing for faster laddering
  
• Due to it's aggresive nature and low curve, there is a limited amount of decision making. This in turn lowers the skill ceiling for the deck, allowing for less skilled players to play it at a nearly optimal level
  
• Although my skill level is certainly at a fairly competent level, the deck in question does not offer much room for skill expression. In that regard I believe a less skilled individual could have piloted the deck through those 100 games to a fairly similar result. For this reason, and with a good read on the meta, Elise Aggro spiders can guarantee a climbing winrate for players of all levels, and I believe the winrate with a similar meta would only increase in lower ranks(as your opponents will certainly play other high tier decks less optimally than Master ranked players, and you'd have much less room for error with such an aggresive list).
  
• An optimized aggresive list with proven winrate results will objectively be the best deck to ladder with extensively. Looking at this purely from a statistical standpoint, and if you're expecting to grind a considerable amount, the incredibly fast games offered by a list like this one will make up for any lack of skill expression or player agency. At the very top end of Masters ladder this may not be the case, especially when taking into account very skilled players, but for the majority of readers here(anyone below top 100/200 Masters) this is 100% going to be the case. For example, if you’re able to hold a 60% winrate with Spiders Aggro, after 100 games you should be Masters when starting from Diamond 4. If you were to play control decks where games tend to last 2-3x times as long, even with a 70% which is not at all a realistic expectation for 95% of players over 40 or so games you would not reach Masters with the expected 2.5x game length. These are not exact figures but food for thought.
  

 

The Decklist

 
0-1 mana

• 3x Fading Memories: A tier: Simply see it as another 3 copies of the best followers in your deck. Gives you the possibility to use it on different targets depending on the situation(SkittereDoombeast are most common), and the ephemeral downside is irrelevant as you'd be usually using it as the final bit of burn/damage push. Also helps with activatign Doombeast nightfall.
  
• 3x Legion Saboteur: A Tier: Staple 1 drop for pushing damage, no spider synergy is the only downside.
  
• 3x Precious Pet: A+ tier: Solid 1 drop for pushing damage, fearsome is huge in some matchups as well as spider synergy for Elise/Skitterer
  

 
2 mana

• 2x Arachnoid Horror: B+ Tier: Nothing incredibly exciting, but solid fearsome/spider tags give it a guaranteed spot in the list.
  
• 3x Elise: S Tier: The star of the deck, the best 2 drop in the game with attack token and brings in some incredible synergies with the rest of the list off of the level up which is fairly easy to pull off with House Spider + Crawling sensation in some occasions.
  
• 3x House Spider: A+ Tier: Helps you go wide very early on, has great synergies for Elise/Skitterer as well as brother's bond.
  
• 3x Legion Grenadier: B+ Tier: Nothing too exciting, but a solid 3/2 with an extra point of nexus burn + synergies with stalking shadow + fading memories
  
• 2x Imperial Demolitionist: B+ Tier: Very solid extra 2 point of burn with a solid 2/3 body for value trades in the midgame. Not a 3x simply due to the fact it is somewhat situational, and also because there isn't much health that can be safely sacrificed in the deck(a lot of 1 HP units, 2 HP units want to remain at 2 hp to not succumb to 1 damage ping effects).
  
• 3x** Brother's Bond**: A tier: Incredible spell when it comes to it's mana/nexus damage ratios. A long lasting +2/0 on two units is massive to push extra damage, especially if you need to open attack on turn 1 in certain matchups. Also helps you dominate the matchups where fearsome can't be blocked even more, as well as getting great trades against certain decks that have key 3 drop champions at 3 HP or higher(MF/Draven/JinxQuinn etc).
  
• 3x Stalking Shadow: A+ tier: The sole reason why this deck is able to function with such an incredibly low curve and not run out of fuel too soon, especially considering the great targets in the deck like Skitterer and Doombeast.
  

 
3-5 mana

• 3x Frenzied Skitterer: S tier: The spider synergy payoff card, incredibly at pushing damage while simultaneously buffing your spider allies and disabling fearsome blockers from your opponent. The value of replaying Skitterer can also be game winning in some situations, and for that reason it also has incredibly synergy with Fading Memories and Stalking Shadows
  
• 3x Doombeast: A+ tier: One of the higher cost units which may be considered an odd inclusion as it doesn't have fearsome or spider synergies, but it makes up for that with the impactful ability of draining two from the opponent's nexus, not only serving as an extra source of burn, but also drastically impacting any sort of aggresive mirror match. Also as great synergy with Fading Memories and Stalking Shadow while creating extra "burn" in the late game
  
• 3x Noxian Fervor: A tier: A solid combat trick, either for pushing extra nexus damage, increasing interactivity with the opponent's targetted spells(Grasp of the Undying) or simply as a source of removal for lingering threats the opponent has developed(Ezreal, Jinx, etc).
  
• 3x Decimate: A tier: The staple burn spell, a much needed topdeck in most games to push through the final bit of damage. A low value spell in a vacuum, but incredibly impactful in the gamestate situations this deck ends up in very often due to it's low curve.
  

 
Honorable mentions
Depending on your specific meta and what you're encountering, the following cards are possible flexible slots:
 

• 3rd Brother's Bond, 3rd Legion Grenadier
  
• Possible considerations: 1x Stygian Onlooker, 1x Crowd Favorite
  

 
Although I played 100 games with the version discussed above, I recently made the changes suggested in the honorable mentions and I believe it's an improvement. 3 Brother's Bonds could sometimes be clunky, and the 3rd Legion Grenadier can be considered the weakest link in the deck, usually adding 1x of units would lead to inconsistent results, but due to the inclusion of 3x Stalking Shadows I believe having an increased unit count as well as 1x may be correct to add a slight amount of versatility and more options for distinct board and matchup situations. Not to mention both Crowd Favorite and Stygian Onlooker synergize perfectly with the deck and can find great value in many situations.
 

Matchups

I'll be going over the most common matchups here and offering some brief input in regards to what you should be doing in each matchup, as well as things to watch out for and mulligan tips.
 
Twisted Fate Go Hard - 58% over 12 games
Biggest thing to keep in mind is that there are not many Fearsome blockers in this deck(Elise, Croaker, Dreadway deckhand, unactivated Jagged Butcher, etc) so keep this in mind to push max damage in the early turns. If pushing into the fearsome synergy you should also be playing around TF red card to an extent with x/2 units on your side of the board. Make sure not to chump block with x/2 as this will create value for Go Hard and TF red card. Ideally you're going to be fast enough with your burn strategy to close out the game before Go Hard is able to flip. Also important to note, Go Hard is a slow speed spell, you'll have to take advantage of this with open attacks in the later stages of the game, or if you have an x/1 unit and developing isn't worth it. Brother's Bond is extra valuable here as you can more easily take advantage of the unblocked fearsome attackers. and there are no 2 damage ping removals while in combat from the side of the Go Hard list.
 
Tahm/Soraka - 80% over 10 games
This matchups is one of the green lights you're going to be looking for in your micrometa environment as a reason to play spiders aggro. Lack of true interactivity and lack of fearsome blockers makes this matchup a breeze in most cases. The only difficulty comes in the form of multiple early Star Shepherds that end up becoming fearsome blockers, a perfect Boxtopus/Soraka curve, and the Tahm/Soraka player abusing Broadback Protector while you're trying to burn down their nexus. In most cases though, utilizing the fearsome keyword is sufficient to end the game fairly quickly, and definitely quickly enough to race down their star spring if they choose to lose so much early game tempo by playing it.
 
Non-Meta Homebrew Decks - 100% over 10 games
Although certainly not a specific matchup, it's certainly important to highlight the dominance an optimized and efficient list like Spiders Aggro will have upon unoptimized experimental decks with shaky win conditions and early games. I was able to register roughly a 77% after 50 games with Spiders Aggro following the most recent patch, and although a good winrate could be expected with players coming off of Trundle/Tryndamere FTR for a little while, it was also due to the fact that players were experimenting with unoptimized Ezreal and Shyvana lists which I was able to easily take advantage of. New patch that introduces big changes or new expansion altogether? Queue up an optimized aggresive list and you'll see incredible(albeit boring) results when it comes to winrate.
 
Spooky Ezreal - 57% over 7 games
You're usually able to outvalue the efficient removal from Ezreal's side, especially with a perfect curve and 2for1 units like House Spider. Obviously there are certain play that will stomp out your momentum(thermo beam on Elise) but generally you can output enough pressure early to create a formidable board state and push through a lot of damage. Keep in mind the Fervor counterplay in response to an early Ezreal trying to insta-use their fleeting mystic shot as well as the importance of priority passing and not instantly developing to keep certain units like Elise Alive and healthy or to make the Ezreal player burn a considerable amount of mana while you already have a formidable board state. Also keep in mind open attacking vs Developing depending on what threats would be most impactful in stopping your specific gameplan(Statik Shok vs. Thermo Beam, etc).
 
Shyvana/A-Sol - 100% over 6 games
Another big reason why I choose to ladder with Spiders aggro post-patch and an unloseable matchup due to the fact you're able to flood the board so quickly and push through so much damage early on. Brother's bond is also incredible in this matchup as you go very wide very early and the Shyvana player can't compete, or simply to push some damage and get an incredible trade on Shyvana early on in the game to keep up your momentum and value trades.
 
Trundle/Tryndamere FTR and Anivia Control - 0% over 8 games
Spiders Aggro offers incredibly polarized matchups, and this is certainly one of them. These decks starting coming up again a few days after the initial nerfs to Trundle and Wyrding Stones, and if you see a lot of Shadow Isles Control represented in the meta it's best not to play Spiders Aggro as this is essentially an unwinnable matchup. I'd go as for as recommending you insta-concede this matchup if you queue it at a fairly high rank(Masters) as it will be nearly impossible to find any outs and win the game, especially considering your opponent will be fairly skilled.
 
The sample size for the remaining matchups is not really anywhere near large enough to extrapolate any meaningful conclusions(but you can check out all the data in the excel linked above), but generally I'd consider this the fastest aggresive list in the meta right now, meaning it should win against anything slightly slower than it like Discard Aggro and Fearsome while dominating most slower unit based decks(Shyvana Dragons, Leona Asol, etc). It suffers at the hand of wide board clears such as Withering Wail and TF Red Card or impactful combat trick based midrange decks such as Fiora/Shen and Ashe Frostbite in some cases.
 

Conclusions

I would like to delve into LoR content creation at some point, especially now that I'm much more involved with the game in a consistent manner for the forseeable future(caster involvement with GiantSlayer's Fight Night EU every friday as well as Riot's EU Masters this month, and the expected increase in competitive focus from Riot in regards to their seasonal in-game tournaments). Taking this into account, I'd love to know if content like this is something the community would like to see on a regular basis, and if so I may consider finally making the jump into Youtube and working on accompanying video content for deck analysis like this, as well as the survey results and other esports-focused content.
 

Introduction
Back in 2016, I played enough clownfiesta-ish self-play games between insanely OP decks to get a good idea of the very best 1v1 decks in Smash Up, and at the time three Geeks decks - Alien Geeks, Robot Geeks, and Elder Geeks could basically deal with any opposing deck well enough that in an open snake draft with no bans, someone could first pick Geeks and all but guarantee that they would have favorable matchups all draft.
In 2019, I took a solid look at some of the new top decks and determined that some of the top Titans aggro decks can seriously threaten any Geeks or Aliens deck unable to deal with Titans, and Geeks or Aliens would be well advised to bring a Titan faction themselves or just make sure to have a more aggressive partner faction for counterpunches. ... Then after Innsmouth(T) Geeks and Ghost(T) Robots topped a tournament of new super strong decks, I never properly compared them to the old 2016 champion decks.
This year, I'm actually going to put the old top ranked Geeks and Aliens decks in against the new hotness for enough games to see where everything stands at the very top of the 1v1 meta.
The Format
40 decks divided into 10 groups of 4. No group includes more than one copy of any one faction. Each group plays a double round robin and every deck that goes at least 3-3 advances to the Swiss rounds. Then I keep going until I have a clear enough pattern at the top to draw as good conclusions as I'm going to get.
I'm leaving 6 of 40 slots open for now, waiting on what Marvel brings and also the inevitable "crap, I forgot this combo might be good enough and I haven't played it enough to know it isn't." That still means that I have 4 of 10 groups filled and can play their games before I get my hands on SU Marvel.
I'll start covering which 34 decks I've already picked by archetype in Part 2. They include ridiculously broken aggro, control, and hybrid decks, some combinations of top factions I haven't tried before and some decks which probably lucked out when I played them. However, I am taking notes on my games, which I don't usually do, because that might help explain why one deck performs better than another.
Group Stage - Group F
Group F includes the 6th-seeded Geek Rockstars, 15th-seeded Innsmouth(T) Aliens, 26th-seeded Ape Fairies(T), and 35th-seeded Cthulhu(T) Incas.
Geek Rockstars belong to the Aggro-Geeks family of decks, where you try to win with your aggressive faction by playing a game of Smash Up, but when your opponent tries to defend themselves or counterattack, you use Geeks reactive cards or preemptive Banned Lists to stop them from properly playing a game of Smash Up. Innsmouth(T) Geeks, Robot Geeks and All-Geeks also represent this deck family in other groups.
Innsmouth(T) Aliens belongs to Aggro-Aliens, which uses more or less the same aggressive factions as Aggro-Geeks and a very similar strategy. Aliens gives you defensive minions when the board doesn't favor pushing as hard as possible, Terraform to land a haymaker whenever you draw it, and Invader to secure close score endgames without base breaks or inform your opponent that no, they may not just stall out your aggressive faction and play slowly. Just like the Aggro-Geeks, you look as if you're going to play a normal game of Smash Up and then you do something cheaty.
Ape Fairies(T) does not belong to a standard top tier archetype, but has performed very well in my games.
Cthulhu(T) Incas has two very highly ranked factions and looks theoretically like it should work. It's one of my new ideas.
Geek Rockstars v Innsmouth(T) Aliens: Break Draw (second player won both games)
Game 1: Midgame, the Innsmouth(T) Aliens looked like they had nothing for awhile. However, I held a Control Minion for later purposes as Geek Rockstars instead of stealing a VP from an Invader right away, and it turned out the Innsmouth(T) Aliens had a precise way to score exactly 15-14 while they (briefly) knew the Geeks didn't have either Wil in hand. Reactive Control Minion couldn't swing the power quite far enough to steal the base, and couldn't prevent the base break due to Control Minion's clarification - the Geeks can't say "no, I choose to play this minion you own at Rhodes Plaza Mall instead." 15-14 Aliens
Game 2: Inns(T) Aliens got a fairly explosive opening draw assisted by the Grandma's House/Under the Bed base combination, started going off first turn with the help of a Sacred Circle (gotta get mileage out of that card while the Geeks likely don't have Rules Lawyer in hand yet, since Rules Lawyer doesn't have a surplus of targets to hit)... and ran into an opening-hand Banned List: The Locals. Ouch. Two Invaders in hand plus a New Acolytes to get the Banned Locals off the bottom gets the game back to 5-5 without any Geeks lockdowns active but the Innsmouth(T) Aliens have no minions available for awhile. The Monarch promptly takes advantage of the obvious missed bonus minion play from Under the Bed and starts gathering Groupies unmolested by the threat of having his base broken out from under him. Geek Rockstars literally Control Minion a Locals to deny the card draw effect, buy themselves one turn to set up by playing a Guest Star for Groupie draw without playing the minion, and get to The Con first to take the game 18-15 Geeks.
Geek Rockstars v Ape Fairies(T): Geek Rockstars Win
Game 1: Ice Castle gave the Ape Fairies(T) the perfect safe location for a Turn 1 Spirit of the Forest - the base deck has no bases with a breakpoint of 14 or less, so Geek Rockstars need both Turn Up to 11 and Tour Bus to touch it! Unfortunately for the Ape Fairies(T), they failed to get their card draw engine rolling early and the Geeks used an offensive Control Minion to "solo" break Cool Cats' Alley, and the Ape Fairies(T) never drew their big cards to seriously contest anything. 16-11 Geeks.
Game 2: Ape Fairies(T) had a nice opening that got them to 8-8, then got overrun. They drew the right cards, but an average Geek Rockstars draw still beats their best draw. 17-13 Geeks.
Geek Rockstars v Cthulhu(T) Incas: Geek Rockstars Win
Game 1: This game started out very lucky for the Geeks - they used Storyteller's Hut and Non-Infinite Loop to double up Min-Maxing and steal Temple of the Sun. Temple often overloads Geeks' defenses once it gets going, so that's a major threat gone. Storyteller's Hut followed by R'lyeh meant that the Geeks could stuff the Madness attack for free while the Rockstars got ahead in minion development to take a VP lead early, then just kept R'yleh in play to walk their victory points to 15 with no counterplay for their opponent. The Geeks got a very lucky draw sequence this game, from both players' decks as well as the base deck. 15-9.98 Geeks.
Game 2: This game turned into a grind where responding to "Cthulhu, send over a Madness" with "Banned List Madness" on the next turn helped stop Cthulhu(T) from getting much going. That, and Groupies kept swamping Cthulhu to make his minions resummon him. 16.97-10.98 Geeks.
Innsmouth(T) Aliens v Ape Fairies(T): Innsmouth(T) Aliens Win
Game 1: Innsmouth(T) drew a little slow and didn't line up two Locals until Turn 3. However, they drew well off the top of the base deck and steamrolled anyway. 18-11 Aliens.
Game 2: Ape Fairies(T) got a good fight going and tied the game up at 13... Invader, Abduction, game over. 15-13 Aliens.
Innsmouth(T) Aliens v Cthulhu(T) Incas: Innsmouth(T) Aliens win.
Game 1: Both decks started with great opening bases, but Factory helps Innsmouth(T) more than Antarctic Base helps Cthulhu(T) Incas. Nevertheless, a Sapa Inca/Cthulhu opening at a hard-to-attack base looks pretty strong. It looks strong, but without any actions or much power backup to contest Factory, Innsmouth(T) Aliens broke it... on turn 3... with 6 Locals, 2 Invaders and a The Deep Ones. That's 10 VP. 2 from the base win, 2 from Invaders, and 6 from 30 power. To add insult to injury, the Aliens also had an opening-hand Terraforming which turned that beautiful Antarctic Base into The Central Brain. That's 14 VP on turn 4. The Innsmouth(T) Aliens win the game on their 6th turn, by breaking Asylum (no, you're not reading this wrong, they also lucked out into Asylum against Cthulhu(T)!) for a 16.99-7.99 score.
By the way, in these 2 game matches, I don't allow the same base to appear in both games. So Innsmouth(T) can't see Factory or Asylum again. They can see Central Brain because they only fetched it via Terraform.
Game 2: The base deck starts with Innsmouth, Storyteller's Hut, The Central Brain. That's not what Cthulhu(T) wants to see because now Innsmouth(T) can attack at Central Brain and ditch Madness with the extra action from Storyteller's Hut. Both decks play one Madness for card draw in the first two turns to stabilize their draws. Innsmouth(T) dropped Dagon at Central Brain and used its extra minion play on the next turn to break Storyteller's Hut. In the end, Innsmouth(T) just hit too fast and could afford to ignore the incoming Madness. Aliens 15.98-7.99.
Ape Fairies(T) v Cthulhu(T) Incas: Break Draw (second player won both games)
Game 1: The Apes get a nice double break early, but then the Incas go nuts on Macchu Picchu, barely pausing Madness spam to do so. Star-Spawn of Chulthu lined up across from Spirit of the Forest doesn't help the Fairies' game, they either have to give up their own Titan or just tank the Madness spam all game. Both options lose, really. Incas win 16.99-9.97.
Game 2: With the help of Playful Tricks to bust a half-built Incas stack, the Apes finally get a proper stack together, on a Shielded Baboom, and get their choice of a double break with all their actions ending up in their hand, or a single break followed by the intact stack heading to Miskatonic University. They opt for the Miskatonic option where they can replay their Flying Monkey in safety - Incas just don't have the burst to jump 0-to12 there to get rid of the 12 power shielded Baboom after the first base break, so they can trigger a later double break and clear all their built-up Madness. The Apes' double break on Miskatonic and Giant Radish scores them 8-6 and removes 5 Madness cards. Apes win 15-12.99.
Group F Results
Geek Rockstars and Innsmouth(T) Aliens advance to the Swiss rounds with 5-1 records. Ape Fairies(T) couldn't bring enough offensive speed to survive being a board control deck facing Geeks and Aliens decks. Cthulhu(T) Incas might have won some games against defensive Geeks and Aliens decks but couldn't put up a fight against the aggro variants.

EDIT: Thank you for the gold, kind stranger. Maybe i'll follow up, later, with a SB map, matchup review, and starting hand evaluation guide.
Hello, RUG Scapeshift is back on the menu, in Modern, and I would like to share some thoughts I’ve had with the deck, over the last few months, in this mini-primer!
INTRODUCTION
I’m predominantly an online Legacy grinder, but have extensive experience with Modern, as well, since it is the easiest format for me to find paper tournaments in, locally. In fact, I’ve won tournaments such as Colorado SCG States in 2016 and Colorado TCG States in 2017, in the Modern formats. I’ve played decks like URUG/Grixis Twin (back in the day), Bant/Colorless Eldrazi, really bad Delver decks, and just about every Scapeshift variant that has existed: Old School RUG Shift, Titanshift, Omenshift, and even 4c Bring to Light Scapeshift. Admittedly, I have not played much Modern in the last 3 years, although I’ve kept a watchful eye on the meta changes and the overall format health. Suffice it to say, I was extremely excited when I ran across a sweet Scapeshift list that I thought looked great, a few months ago, and I’ve been grinding, and tweaking, it ever since in online leagues.
WHAT IS SCAPESHIFT AND WHAT HAPPENED TO IT?
Most of my referencing will be about blue Scapeshift decks, as Titanshift is sort of its own animal. Briefly, though, Titanshift is a green red deck that plays a much more linear gameplan, and it is a very consistent deck at casting the namesake cards, Scapeshift or Primeval Titan, on turns 4-6. Blue Scapeshift, hereby known as just ‘Scapeshift’, alternatively, is a bit slower and more of a combo control deck with tempo elements. Your goal is to make land drops while disrupting your opponent’s plan as best you can, until you get to 7 lands, and cast Scapeshift for 18 damage. In a format like Modern, it is likely that your opponent will Fetch or Shockland themselves within the 18 damage. If you must, you can wait until you have 8 lands and can do upwards of 36 damage with a single casting of Scapeshift.
Historically, Scapeshift has had time in the limelight as one of the better decks to be playing, but it waned in popularity as Modern started to break its own, unwritten, ‘turn 4’ rule. Decks were getting sleeker, faster, stronger, and suddenly Remanding your opponents spells, or playing a Sakura Tribe Elder as a temporary roadblock, were not good enough ways to stall them. Lethal 1 drops, turn 3 combos, and must answer mythics made it difficult for Scapeshift to control the game, or to simply survive until you hit 7 lands. Titanshift sort of took the flag from there as it was heavier on the ramping element and more focused on doing its thing, as opposed to worrying about, and countering, what your opponent was playing. Still, decks in recent years have proved to be faster than even Titanshift could handle, or were disruptive enough to make it not the most viable Prime Time deck choice. So, what has changed? The 2019 and 2020 cards, of course!
THE LIST AND THE NEW CARDS
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3574934#online
The list above is where I am currently at and it feels like the smoothest that Scapeshift has ever been (see the References section below for old RUG Scapeshift decks). Let’s break it down:
Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath - This card is the new bread and butter of the deck. Uro can successfully replace Sakura Tribe Elder, Search for Tomorrow, Explore, and Farseek. Every mode of Uro helps your plan by ramping, stalling (life gain), and drawing cards to dig for your Scapeshift, more lands, or more disruption. Plus, it is a wincon unto itself, which was badly missing from old Scapeshift lists that relied solely on Scapeshift, or possibly Snapcaster beats. It’ll be a shame if the popularity of 4c Omnath decks gets Uro banned, because Uro is a perfect fit for Scapeshift. If your opponent decides to Path to Exile an Uro, which is the one of the most widely played removal spells in the format, it only helps ramp you to your 7 land goal! The card is bonkers and has probably saved the format from being nothing but an aggro/prowess type format. Uro single handedly has brought me back to playing Scapeshift.
Wrenn and Six - Another ridiculous addition to the deck since it can provide half your combo by endlessly regrowing fetchlands. There are many games where heavy ramping isn't needed and simply playing 7 lands in 7 turns is good enough to win. Your best starting hands very likely consist of one land, one fetchland, W6, and then a mix of other spells. Like Uro, W6 is a wincon, too, as it is highly possible to ultimate this planeswalker into near infinite Lightning Bolts or Cryptic Commands. Opponents have to respect this, which can lead to easy Scapeshifts as they spend resources dealing with either Uro or Wrenn and Six. Regrowing a removed Valakut is amazing and was never possible in old lists.
Growth Spiral - The new defacto best ramp card that also replaces all the Sorcery speed alternatives mentioned above in the Uro section. It feels great to hold up both Remand and Growth Spiral on turn 2. Also, this card, like Uro, lets you put lands into play untapped which is relevant for turns where you can ramp yourself, on your own turn, into a lethal Scapeshift. Playing ramp lands out of your hand, as opposed to out of your deck with cards like Search for Tomorrow and Farseek, just makes sense when you have a planeswalker like W6 to put lands into your hand.
Mystic Sanctuary - This land is possibly my new favorite card out of all the new cards in the deck. Did your opponent discard or counter your Scapeshift? No problem. A simple fetchland, or Wrenn and Six regorwing a fetchland from your graveyard into your hand, can then fetch Sanctuary to bring Scape back. Mystic Sanctuary feels like a better Snapcaster Mage for those times where you need to Cryptic Command multiple turns in a row, too. Scapeshift does not ‘Cryptic Lock’ your opponent as easily as, say, 4c Omnath, since there is no repeated draw engine like Te5eri, but it can do the trick with double Cryptics or W6 cycling Triomes to draw the recently topped Cryptic, after bouncing your own Sanctuary and replaying it.
Ketria Triome and other lands - Wow, what a land, fetchable, 3 colors, and can cycle endlessly with W6 to dig into your deck. The current manabase in Scapeshift is the most consistent I’ve ever seen and you still get to play 11 mountains, which is one more than traditional Scape lists, due to the RUG colors Triome. Additionally, old RUG or BtL lists played somewhere around 14 green sources while this deck plays 17. You rarely feel starved for colors.
The synergy between these 5 cards is off the charts and makes Scapeshift feel like it isn't playing any bad, or dead, cards. In old lists, top decking a Steve or Farseek was pretty miserable while you were looking for a Scape. With this version, you dig through your deck ridiculously easily, to the point that I’ve seen some lists cut down to only 3 Scapeshifts, and they still find the card consistently enough.
SIDEBOARD CARDS
For me, I like to treat the SB as an extension of the deck. Therefore, I like to play Opts in the main for the added velocity and action that game 1 demands. A lot of opponents do not have great ways to deal with Uro or Scapeshift in their main deck, so I like to make sure my game 1 plan is optimal at finding, and utilizing, those cards. Opt can help with Sanctuary shenanigans at instant speed, and it fills the yard for Uro escapes. After game 1, though, I do usually shave, or cut altogether, the Opts to bring in cards that are better suited for the particular matchup.
Veil of Summer - The new Cryptic Command, in certain spots. This card is great against discard, of course, but also at ramming a Scapeshift through opponents counterspells. Like a lot of cards in this deck, it draws, continuing the ability to cycle and dig through your deck, if need be.
Aether Gust - The perfect card to battle Scapeshifts number one enemy, Blood Moon. Also helpful vs popular decks like mono-Red Prowess, GW Reclaimer, and opposing Uro’s. Delaying an opposing Primeval Titan that was cast with Cavern of Souls is also very helpful.
Force of Negation - This highly hard castable ‘free’ card comes in a lot vs other control decks, or combo decks like Oops and Ad Naus. It has since replaced older cards like Negate, Dispel, or Swan Song. It feels good alongside the other two ‘counterspells’ mentioned above, Veil and Gust, as your ‘counter package’. Being able to tap out for an Uro, for example, while still protecting yourself from a card like Blood Moon or the new Ashiok, is nice.
Creatures - I’ve always liked a small creature package in my Scapeshift deck sideboards. Granted, Uro is now a maindeckable creature wincon, but adding in a few extra utility creatures can win games, too. In the past, this used to be cards like Vendilion Clique and Huntmaster of the Fells to compliment the chance of winning via Snapcaster beats. For now, Questing Beast and Brazen Borrower are picking up those slots as they are very versatile and powerful in their own right. You WILL win more games than you think on pure creature beat downs.
WHY PLAY SCAPESHIFT OVER 4C OMNATH?
Well, if you are like me, then you think Field of the Dead is a stupid card, haha. If you like to stall Magic games and win via a one card combo, out of nowhere, you should try this Uro pile variant. It's true that Field can help you turn the corner and win with inevitability, but Scapeshift ignores the whole ‘turning a corner’ aspect. You will have many games where your opponent far outclasses you on board, but then they die the next turn when you untap. Uro can win games on its own, or it becomes a huge game staller you use to find your Scapeshift. The idea of ‘protecting the queen’ (yourself) as long as you are able to while digging for your Scapeshift is invigorating and fun for me. Opt, Remand, Spiral, Cryptic, and Uro make you feel like you are always drawing new cards to help your stall plan work. It's a beautiful engine when you get it going and a thrill to fire off a game winning spell.
WHAT DECKS ARE THE HARDEST TO BEAT? THE EASIEST?
Hyper aggro is still the hardest to defeat, even though Uro has helped a lot. I find myself losing to BR Shadow and Dredge the most, which are popular decks, so be careful. Scourge of the Skyclaves is practically impossible to beat, which is a major downside, I know. Prowess decks, like Izzet and mono-Red, are very beatable, even though the latter main decks four Blood Moons. Most midrange decks and control decks I feel great against, especially Uro mirrors, as they are too slow to kill you quickly and lack ways to stop Scapeshift with counter, or Veil, backup. Also, you don't really care about Field zombie tokens. The main cards to watch out for are Blood Moon, the new Ashiok, T3feri, Death's Shadows, and Scourge of the Skyclaves.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION
I don't have as much time to grind as I used to, but I do still grind more than the average player. For years, I was consistently in the top 5 of the Legacy league trophy board every season, but I have played less lately. Regardless, so far, I’ve amassed 5 or 6 trophies in the last month, in Modern, with Scapeshift, after an initial month of testing and tweaking. I was able to play in a Modern Challenge last weekend and went 5-2, which was good enough for 17th out of 120’ish. The best indicator that this deck is hot, though, is simply my online rating. I know some people think the online rating number is a silly thing to pay attention to, but when you are only playing one deck, over and over, I think it fairly represents how well you are doing. In the last few months I've been hovering between 1800 and 1850 with Scapeshift with easily over 100 matches. I only ever break 1900 with truly busted decks, like Legacy Delver decks that have since been banned, however, I know I’m doing something right when I'm settled firmly in the low to mid 1800’s with any deck. According to outside website calculations, an 1800 online rating in Magic Online is somewhere around a 66% win percentage, so take that however you would like. My opinion is, the deck is winning at a higher rate than I have in a while, in any format I've been playing. I stopped grinding Legacy for a bit because I’m making more tix in Modern with this deck.
Scapeshift! It may not be the best Uro pile deck, but it might be very close if you know how to navigate land sequencing, stalling a game for everything it is worth, and are used to Scaping people around cards like Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin. You can easily make small mistakes with this deck that will bite you in the butt later, so I think winning with Scapeshift is a rewarding Magic experience. The skill ceiling feels very high and you constantly improve. It feels like half my losses could have been prevented, and sometimes you fully punt a line that you can learn from, and correct, later on. Let me know if you have any experience with the deck and what your thoughts are below, I'd love to talk more about the deck as it is my new addiction, thanks for reading this far!
REFERENCES
Current List: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3574934#online
Old RUG Shift decks: https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/established-modern/combo/220244-rug-scapeshift
Bring to Light variant: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/439831#online
Titanshift: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2885743#online