Official YCM Shaddoll Discussion Thread

[Maeriberii Haan]

 

Welcome to the Shaddoll Discussion thread! Here we discuss things about this archetype, the optimal builds for both TCG and OCG, tech choices, siding choices, or crazy hybrid ideas (and the not so crazy ones too).

 

Below are some quick overview about the deck in question.

 

[spoiler=The Shaddolls Themselves]

 

Fusion/"Boss" Monsters

 

 

 

El Shaddoll Construct

Level 8 LIGHT Fairy / Fusion / Effect

ATK 2800 / DEF 2500

1 "Shaddoll" monster + 1 LIGHT monster

Must first be Fusion Summoned. If this card is Special Summoned: You can send 1 "Shaddoll" card from your Deck to the Graveyard. At the start of the Damage Step, if this card battles a Special Summoned monster: Destroy that monster. If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 "Shaddoll" Spell/Trap Card in your Graveyard; add it to your hand.

 

 

 

 

El Shaddoll Winda

Level 5 DARK Spellcaster / Fusion / Efffect

2200 ATK / 800 DEF

1 "Shaddoll" monster + 1 DARK monster

Must first be Fusion Summoned. Cannot be destroyed by an opponent's card effects. Each player can only Special Summon monster(s) once per turn while this card is face-up on the field. If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 "Shaddoll" Spell/Trap Card in your Graveyard; add it to your hand.

 

 

 

 

El Shaddoll Grysta (OCG)

Level 7 FIRE Rock / Fusion / Effect

2450 ATK / 1950 DEF

1 “Shaddoll” monster + 1 FIRE monster

Must first be Fusion Summoned. You can only use the (1) effect of “El Shaddoll Grysta” once per turn. (1) When your opponent Special Summons a monster: Negate that Summon, and if you do, destroy it. Then, send 1 “Shaddoll” card from your hand to the Graveyard. (2) If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 “Shaddoll” Spell/Trap Card in your Graveyard; add that target to your hand.

 

 

 

 

El Shaddoll Shekhinaga (OCG)

Level 10 EARTH Machine / Fusion / Effect

2600 ATK / 3000 DEF

1 “Shaddoll” monster + 1 EARTH monster

Must first be Fusion Summoned. You can only use the (1) effect of “El Shaddoll Shekinaga” once per turn. (1) When your opponent activates the effect of a Special Summoned monster, if you have a “Shaddoll” card in your hand: You can negate that activation, and if you do, destroy that monster, then send 1 “Shaddoll” card from your hand to the Graveyard. (2) If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 “Shaddoll” Spell/Trap Card in your Graveyard; add that target to your hand.

 

 

Effect Monsters

 

 

 

Shaddoll Falco

Level 2 / DARK / Spellcaster / Flip / Tuner / Effect

ATK 600 / DEF 1400

FLIP: You can target 1 "Shaddoll" monster in your Graveyard, except "Shaddoll Falco"; Special Summon it in face-down Defense Position.

If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect: You can Special Summon it in face-down Defense Position. You can only use 1 "Shaddoll Falco" effect per turn, and only once that turn.

 

 

 

 

Shaddoll Hedgehog

Level 3 DARK Spellcaster-Type Flip Effect Monster

ATK 800 / DEF 200

FLIP: You can add 1 "Shaddoll" Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand.

If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect: You can add 1 "Shaddoll" monster from your Deck to your hand, except "Shaddoll Hedgehog". You can only use 1 "Shaddoll Hedgehog" effect per turn, and only once that turn.

 

 

 

 

Shaddoll Hound (OCG)

Level 4 DARK Spellcaster / Flip / Effect

ATK 1600 / DEF 900

You can only use 1 “Shaddoll Hound” effect per turn, and only once that turn.

(1)FLIP: You can target 1 “Shaddoll” card in your Graveyard; add it to your hand. (2) If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect: You can target 1 monster on the field; change its battle position. Flip Effects are not activated at this time, unless it is a “Shaddoll” monster.

 

 

 

 

Shaddoll Squamata

Level 4 DARK Spellcaster-Type Flip Effect Monster

ATK 1800 / DEF 1000

FLIP: You can target 1 monster on the field; destroy it.

If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect: You can send 1 "Shaddoll" card from your Deck to the Graveyard, except "Shaddoll Squamata". You can only use 1 "Shaddoll Squamata" effect per turn, and only once that turn.

 

 

 

 

Shaddoll Dragon

Level 4 DARK Spellcaster-Type Flip Effect Monster

ATK 1900

DEF 0

FLIP: You can target 1 card your opponent controls; return it to the hand.

If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect: You can target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy it. You can only use 1 "Shaddoll Dragon" effect per turn, and only once that turn.

 

 

 

 

Shaddoll Beast

Level 5 DARK Spellcaster-Type Flip Effect Monster

ATK 2200 / DEF 1700

FLIP: You can draw 2 cards, then discard 1 card.

If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect: You can draw 1 card. You can only use 1 "Shaddoll Beast" effect per turn, and only once that turn.

 

 

Shaddoll Spell Cards

 

 

 

Shaddoll Fusion

Normal Spell Card

Fusion Summon 1 "Shaddoll" Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or your side of the field as Fusion Materials. If your opponent controls a monster(s) that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, you can also use monsters in your Deck as Fusion Material. You can only activate 1 "Shaddoll Fusion" per turn.

 

 

 

 

El Shaddoll Fusion

Quick-Play Spell Card Fusion Summon 1 “Shaddoll” Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or your side of the field as Fusion Materials. You can only activate 1 “El Shaddoll Fusion” per turn.

 

 

 

 

Curse of the Shadow Prison

Field Spell Card

Each time a "Shaddoll" monster(s) is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, place 1 Spellstone Counter on this card for each sent monster. All monsters your opponent controls lose 100 ATK for each Spellstone Counter on this card during your opponent's turn only. Each time you Fusion Summon a "Shaddoll" Fusion Monster, you can remove 3 Spellstone Counters from this card to use 1 appropriate face-up monster your opponent controls as 1 of the Fusion Materials.

 

 

Shaddoll Trap Cards

 

 

 

Shaddoll Core

Continuous Trap Card

Special Summon this card as an Effect Monster (Spellcaster-Type/DARK/Level 9/ATK 1450/DEF 1950). (This card is also still a Trap Card.) If Summoned this way, you can substitute this monster for 1 Fusion Material Monster that lists an Attribute, on a "Shaddoll" Fusion Monster Card. If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect: You can target 1 "Shaddoll" Spell/Trap Card in your Graveyard, except "Shaddoll Core"; add it to your hand.

 

 

 

 

Sinister Shadow Games

Normal Trap Card

Send 1 "Shaddoll" card from your Deck to the Graveyard, then you can change any number of face-down Defense Position "Shaddoll" monsters you control to face-up Defense Position.

 

[/spoiler]

 

[spoiler=Common Out-of Archetype Staple/Techs]

-Armageddon Knight

-Mathematician

-Kuribandit

-Dark Armed Dragon/Collapserpent/Wyburstar/Eclipse Dragon

-The Dark Creator

-Glow Up Bulb (TCG)

-Black Luster Soldier Envoy of the Beginning

-Artifact Sanctum/Artifact Moralltach

-Thunder Dragon

-Lightsworn monsters (mainly Lumina, Lyla, Raiden, Wulf, Felice)

-Rainbow Kuriboh

-Electromagnetic Turtle (OCG)

 

-Super Polymerization

-Foolish Burial

-Dark Renewal (OCG)

[/spoiler]

 

[spoiler=Sample TCG and OCG Builds]

[/spoiler]

 

OP is still very much under construction, and suggestions and fixes about what should be in the OP are welcome.

 

Discuss.

 

[Dracoswag]

This was a decent read, and I look forward to it's completion.

My recommendations are that you explain each of the members in full whether in quotes or spoilers e.t.c too explaining their overall effectiveness/reliability/usefulness to the archetype/defining it as a staple and so on and so forth. Same can be done for the non-archetype focused cards. Possibly a little introduction to the Shaddolls overall playstyle and theme could be nice for those who are unaware of what they are (though most people do.)

And no guide is complete without a sick beat that fits their particular theme. Might I recommend this OST:

BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma OST - Marionette Purple

[Darj]

Bringing this thread up because Shaddolls are one of the few archetypes that:

1. I like because of concept and/or playstyle.

and

2. Have been relevant at some point in the metagame.

In the case of Shaddolls, they have been relevant since they showed up, but nowadays they seem to be weaker. Anyways, I like to keep an eye on them in the current TCG metagame and thus I would like to discuss where they are now AND where are they going, because I myself don't have a clear idea yet.

 

To bring something to discuss:

With the arrival of Qlips and BA support along El-Shaddoll Fusion a couple of months ago, I noticed that Shaddolls shifted from their initial control game to a more aggressive strategy focused on swarming and OTKing. From what I have seen and read, 2 variants took the lead:

1. Artifact Shaddolls, using Sanctum-Moralltach to remove Qlip scales.

2. Dragon Shaddolls, using DAD, Eclipse Wyvern and the "mini-chaos dragon" engine to put more damage on board and more consistent OTKs.

 

However, the Sanctum engine was hit this January, so that should leave Dragon Shaddolls as the dominant variant.

Then, apparently Enemy Controller became a important tool in Shaddolls, and they make use of it by tributing a Collap/Wyver to steal an opponent's monster while searching for the other chaos Dragon and further put more damage on board.

 

Another change was Denko Sekka, which I believe both helps and hurts Shaddolls:

- It helps them as a LIGHT tech that can stun the opponent's backrow and go for that coveted OTK.

- It hurts them because it can lock down their backrow and key cards such as "Sinister Shadow Games".

Either way, apparently this has led Shaddolls to rely less on Trap and backrow and main a smaller amount of those cards. Hell, I have noticed that some players are going as far as to run less copies of Shadow Games; I find this impressive because this Trap used to be an staple-at-3 in Shaddolls.

 

Well, this is what it's apparently going on. Now, what's coming up next:

- Nephe Shaddoll Fusion: They will get this card eventually and it works as a 3rd Shaddoll Fusion. Plus it gets Equip Spell support and is searchable by Hidden Armory, Power Tool Dragon, etc. With Snatch Steal now available, Shaddolls could main Equip support for faster access to both cards.

 

- Star Seraphs: They will come in that Superstar pack and they did a lot of work along Shaddolls in OCG. I bet Star Seraph Shaddolls will show up, but what I'm not sure about is if it will be as effective (if not better) than the current Dragon Shaddoll variant. To be honest, I don't fully understand yet how they would work in TCG. On one hand, they are a great plussing engine and should have less risk of dead-drawing than Dragon Shaddolls; on the other hand, I believe they lack the much needed OTK potential that Dragon Shaddolls offer.

 

- Noden: No idea of when will TCG get this, but OCG already has it. However, I don't know if OCG Shaddolls are taking advantage of it, or if they are better cards to run than "Instant Fusion". If possible, I would like to be enlightened on Noden's current or former use or popularity in OCG Shaddolls.

That aside, there are silly plays involving this in Shaddolls. For instance, there is this combo Vylon Cube and Mathman to support Equip Spells, and that includes Nephe Shaddoll Fusion and Snatch Steal in TCG:

- Mathman mills Cube

- Instant Fusion for Noden

- Noden revives Cube

- Go for a Synchro 7

- Cube searches for an Equip Spell

Of course, along Seraphs, Noden-Instant Fusion would make easier to go for 3-Material Rank4s and benefit from Scepter's effect. And by itself, it is an "1-card" Rank4 or Syncro along Falcon or Mathman.

 

So, after all of this, I guess the question is:

Where are they going on TCG?

OCG hit them hard with the previous banlists, but they remain strong in TCG, and with the future support, they may get better. It looks like it all goes down to OTK Dragon Shaddolls vs. Rank4 Seraph Shaddolls, possibly with Noden support on both sides.

 

I wish I had a specific answer to the above, but I don't know myself and I have not done any tests yet by taking advantage of the so-called "DN format". Besides, this is why I would like to discuss about the future of Shaddolls in TCG in the first place. This post is more or less to let players know changes and trends I have noticed on Shaddolls and start off from there.