CDP: Tistina Ninja, the Art of Face-Down Tactics

Shiny crystals and deceptive ninjas unite!

Replays:

Strategic Summary:

Welcome back to another Creative Deck Profile, this time taking the new Tistina TCG World Premiere theme out for another spin. If you missed my first, more control-gameplay use of the Tistina archetype alongside the Eldlich, be sure to check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPmTi4IUjRA

Now that you’re back, let’s talk about the things the first wave of Tistina support does well. The current suite of Tistina monsters is hyper consistent, whether it is Sentinel of the Tistina, which can tutor any Tistina card, Demigod of the Tistina, which can tutor any Tistina Spell/Trap, or Breath of the Tistina, which can tutor any other Tistina Card. Between those three, and the fact that their Field Spell can mill Sentinel to the GY while also potentially Special Summoning Crystal God Tistina, this archetype clearly can grab the cards in its suite that it needs. What this theme lacks is power, and that’s what the Ninja side of today’s deck aims to bring to the fight.

The Ninja archetype consists of Warrior monsters of various attributes, who over time, have been supported by monsters of a hodgepodge of different types. It’s through these differently typed Ninjas that the theme accesses its boss monsters, Meizen the Battle Ninja and Yaguramaru the Armor Ninja. Meizen, much like Hound of the Tistina, allows all of your Ninja monsters to attack directly while it is on the field. Additionally, whenever your opponent activates a card or effect, you get to Special Summon a Ninja from your Deck! On the other hand, Yaguramaru can banish a card on the field, at the small cost of banishing a Ninja or Ninjitsu Art from your GY. Beyond these bosses, the Ninja theme also excels at consistency, whether it is Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo or Ninjitsu Art Notebook of Mystery tutoring Ninjitsu Art card(s) and/or Ninja monster(s). This theme also has access to an extremely powerful Equip Spell, Ninjitsu Art Tool – Iron Digger, which can destroy a card on the field by banishing a Ninja monster from your GY, then add back any banished Ninja whenever it is sent to the GY. It also turns whatever it is equipped to into a Ninja, so the Aqua Tistina Ninjas rule at adding a new Ninja Type to the fray! Now the biggest synergy between these two is the propensity of the Tistina theme to set your opponent’s cards face-down, as once you two, Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves can tribute any set monster on the field to Special Summon a Ninja from your Deck. Since that includes your opponent’s set monsters, this Continuous Trap gives your Tistina soft removal a bit of an edge, giving you a way to win the duel. Until the next wave of support, I’ve really enjoyed using the Tistina alongside the Ninja, and hopefully you can too!

Provided Decklist:

Monsters: 23
|| Crystal God Tistina
||| Demigod of the Tistina
||| Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo
|| Hound of the Tistina
| Kagero the Cannon Ninja
| Baku the Beast Ninja
|| Sentinel of the Tistina
|| Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring
| Green Ninja
|| Mitsu the Insect Ninja
||| Kurikara Divincarnate
| Tobari the Sky Ninja

Spells: 10
| Reinforcement of the Army
| Foolish Burial
|| Ninjitsu Art Notebook of Mystery
||| Breath of the Tistina
| Ninjitsu Art Tool – Iron Digger
|| Divine Domain Baatistina

Traps: 7
||| Infinite Impermanence
| Ninjitsu Art of Duplication
||| Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves

Extra Deck:
||| Meizen the Battle Ninja
|| Yaguramaru the Armor Ninja
| Number 35: Ravenous Tarantula
| Borrelsword Dragon
| Accesscode Talker
| Knightmare Unicorn
| Ninja Grandmaster Saizo
| Knightmare Phoenix
| S:P Little Night
| Knightmare Cerberus
| Geonator Transverser
| Cross-Sheep

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: Fluffal, Memento, Noble Knight, SPYRAL, Train, Valmonica again

Coming Soon: