CDP: Paleozoic Morganite Trapaholics, ft. Dragon Gate

Let’s give the control deck OTK power, what could go wrong?

Replays:

Strategic Summary:

Today’s CDP closes out my mini-series of videos featuring the new TCG World Premiere cards in MP25, and this time we’re diving into the depths with the Paleozoics. The Paleozoic archetype consists of Normal Trap Cards with various effects that can Special Summon themselves from the GY as Level 2 WATER/Aqua monsters when a Trap Card is activated on the field. Also, as monsters, they all are unaffected by other monster effects! Their in-theme boss monsters are R2NK Xyz Monsters: Paleozoic Opabinia allows you to activate Paleozoic Trap Cards from the hand and search an additional one from the deck, while Paleozoic Anomalocaris can excavate the top card of your deck to try and find additional Trap Cards to add to hand and it can destroy a card on the field. This theme isn’t just locked to its own monsters though – as Aquas, they have access to Toadally Awesome as an integral part of their control game, and there are other cool generic R2NK options as well such as Gigantic Spright.

Regardless of R2NK you choose to summon when it is time to go for broke, any of your R2NK monsters can be leveled up into Dragon Gate, a new R6NK Xyz Monster that can reduce the attack of all opponent’s monsters, gain the same amount of attack, and attack all monsters the opponent controls, once each. Since you’ll typically use Trap Cards to make your R2NK Xyz Monsters, you should have consistent access to a 2000 pt stat change, but you can also invoke Epurrely Plump to attach a Spell Card from the GY as well to allow for a 4100 multi-attacker that will almost certainly ensure your ability to attack for game. Even if your opponent only has one monster in attack position, Succumbing-Song Morganite doubles battle damage, allowing for you to OTK even when your opponent doesn’t overcommit to the board. This isn’t the only Morganite Spell that supports the deck – Time-Tearing Morganite is also a great option, since it gives you an additional draw every turn for the rest of the duel, perfect for a stall-heavy control deck.

So now that you’ve met the win condition, let’s talk about highlights from the 42 Traps that make an appearance in the Main Deck. Transaction Rollback has to be listed first, with great synergy with Paleozoic Marrella and Paleozoic Leanchoilia, since it can apply the activated effect of any other Trap in your GY. Combine this with Elemental Burst, and all your opponent’s cards go away. Combine it with Balance of Judgment, and you can get a ton of free draws, etc. As a recent addition to this type of strategy, I also am using Trap Holic, a Normal Trap that destroys another S/T you control to set a new one from the deck. Since the Paleozoic deck will always have 3 or more Traps in the GY, what you set can be activated during the same turn, plus this doesn’t carry the restriction of only one more Trap for the turn like Trap Trick. The last big characteristic of the Trap Lineup is its ability to stall until you have enough resources to win – Destructive Daruma Karma Cannon, Waboku, Rise to Full Height, and even Magic Cylinder/Magical Cylinders can dissuade the opponent from trying to end the duel quickly. Sometimes that’s all it takes to grab the duel by the Dragon Gate, and take them down!

Provided Decklist:

Monsters:
1 Morgana the Witch of Eyes
3 Swap Frog
1 Mirror Mage of the Ice Barrier
1 Prior of the Ice Barrier
2 Magicolloidal Sol
1 Vulmina, Statue of the Sacred Dragon

Spells:
1 That Grass Looks Greener
1 Time-Tearing Morganite
1 Traptantalizing Tune
1 Reasoning
1 Guilt-Gripping Morganite
3 Succumbing-Song Morganite
1 Freezing Chains of the Ice Barrier

Traps:
3 Paleozoic Leanchoilia
3 Transaction Rollback
1 Chain Hole
3 Waboku
3 Magical Cylinders
1 Rise to Full Height
3 Trap Holic
3 Destructive Daruma Karma Cannon
2 Paleozoic Olenoides
3 Paleozoic Dinomischus
1 Chain Disappearance
1 Elemental Burst
1 Magic Cylinder
3 Paleozoic Marrella
1 Titanocider
2 Balance of Judgment
3 Trap Trick
3 Needlebug Nest
2 Paleozoic Canadia

Extra Deck:
1 Adamancipator Risen – Dragite
1 Hyper Psychic Riser
1 Desert Locusts
1 Herald of the Arc Light
1 Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS – Sky Thunder
1 Super Starslayer TY-PHON – Sky Crisis
1 Dragon Gate
1 Paleozoic Anomalocaris
1 Toadally Awesome
1 Gigantic Spright
1 Epurrely Plump
2 Paleozoic Opabinia
1 Number 2: Ninja Shadow Mosquito
1 Paleozoic Cambroraster

Note: This is continuing the style of Creative Deck Profile articles, designed to showcase a build through replays and an attached summary. If you wish to see a CDP for an archetype, theme, or strategy you love, feel free to private message me on the YGOrg Discord server, the comments section of any of my YouTube videos, or just post a comment in response to this article on our Facebook page or through the site with your ideas for me to keep under consideration! On most YGO-related communities my username is Quincymccoy, so feel free to reach out. Current pending requested profiles include: Crystal Beast, Motor, Suship, ‘Spring’, Ghoti, Magnifistorm, Lunalight, Artmage, Tri-Brigade, Yummy, Rokket,

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