Strategic Placement Wins the Duel! "Protean" Archetype, Revamped [12/12]

[xlArisenRoselx]

So... Most people won't know this about me, but generally when I play this sacred card game we all love so much, I have a tendency to place my cards in the center of my field first. My brother on the other hand, tended to place his cards on the right side of his field. This always bugged me as a kid, becuz I couldnt figure out which way was correct.. or if neither were. To remedy this, I had thought up the idea of an archetype that forces the player to think strategically about where exactly they play their cards, as it could seriously impact the duel - for better, or for worse. Problem was, I never knew how to word the effects, since cards like "Which Starling" and all of the "Mekk-Knight" cards hadnt even been a twinkle in anyone's eyes yet. But now, my friends.. Now, after many years of having this concept and a rather poorly thought out and rushed attempt about a year ago, I can proudly say that I'm not only giving this dream concept of mine another shot, but that I've decided to go ahead and revamp my old attempt, by making changes to the old designs and attempting to make them quite a bit more thought out.

 

Here's the basic idea, at it's simplest:

WATER Psychic Ritual Archetype, based on humanoid slime creatures, that focuses heavily on the strategic and careful placement of its own cards in order to properly utilize the versatility of its abilities. The lower Level "fodder" monsters have a certain effect they can earn depending on which of these three MMZs theyre in: Center, Leftmost, and Rightmost. They also have a bit of a floating effect on destruction involving an opponent's card, becuz I was having major issues with being forced to end my turn cuz I got negated merely once. Plus, theyre slimes. They aint particularly easy to kill. The Bigger, Bossier, Ritual monsters of the archetype focus on disruptive effects on summon with column play, they give buffs or get abilities when there is an archetypal monster in an adjacent MMZ to them, and some gain an additional effect if there is a Spell/Trap card in the adjacent space below them. 

Now that the basic summary is out of the way, without further ado, the "Protean" archetype:

 

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Main Deck Monsters

Cerulean Protean

WATER - Level 3 - Psychic/Effect - 800/1300

This card gains 1 of the following effects, depending on which Main Monster Zone it's in:
● Rightmost: Increase this card's Level by 1.
● Leftmost: Once per turn; you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Protean" monster from your GY.
● Center: Once per turn, you can shuffle 1 "Protean" card from your GY into your Deck, then draw 1 card.
If this card is destroyed by battle or an opponent's card effect: you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Protean" monster from your hand or GY, except "Cerulean Protean". You can only use this effect of "Cerulean Protean" once per turn.

 

Lavender Protean

WATER - Level 3 - Psychic/Effect - 1000/1000

This card gains 1 of the following effects, depending on which Main Monster Zone it's in:
● Rightmost: Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Protean" monster from your hand.
● Leftmost: Once per turn, when a Ritual Spell is activated; you can draw 1 card.
● Center: Psychic monsters you control cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects.
If this card is destroyed by battle or an opponent's card effect: you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Protean" monster from your hand or GY, except "Lavender Protean". You can only use this effect of "Lavender Protean" once per turn.

 

Seafoam Protean

WATER - Level 4 - Psychic/Effect - 1300/1200

This card gains 1 of the following effects, depending on which Main Monster Zone it's in:
● Rightmost: All Ritual Monsters you control gain 500 ATK.
● Leftmost: You can reveal 1 "Protean" Ritual Monster in your hand; Special Summon 1 "Protean" monster from your Deck whose Level is equal to the difference between this card's and the revealed card's Level. You can only use this effect of "Seafoam Protean" once per turn.
● Center: Once per turn, you can banish 1 "Protean" monster from your GY; this card's Level becomes the banished monster's Level.
If this card is destroyed by battle or an opponent's card effect: you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Protean" monster from your hand or GY, except "Seafoam Protean". You can only use this effect of "Seafoam Protean" once per turn.

 

Vermillion Protean

WATER - Level 4 - Psychic/Effect - 1400/1100

This card gains 1 of the following effects, depending on which Main Monster Zone it's in:
● Rightmost: If you activate a Ritual Spell, or if a Ritual monster's effect is activated; your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response.
● Leftmost: Once per turn; you can send 1 "Protean" monster from your Deck to the GY.
● Center: During your Main Phase; you can add 1 "Protean" Spell/Trap card from your Deck to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Protean Lavender" once per turn.
If this card is destroyed by battle or an opponent's card effect: you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Protean" monster from your hand or GY, except "Vermillion Protean". You can only use this effect of "Vermillion Protean" once per turn.

 

Magenta Protean

WATER - Level 6 - Psychic/Ritual/Effect - 1000/2000

You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Protean" Ritual Spell. If this card is Ritual Summoned: destroy all cards your opponent controls that share a column with this card. If a monster in a Main Monster Zone adjacent to this card would be Tributed for the Ritual Summon of a "Protean" monster: you can treat that monster as all the necessary Tributes for the Ritual Summon.

 

Scarlet Protean

WATER - Level 7 - Psychic/Ritual/Effect - 2500/2400

You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Protean" Ritual Spell. When this card is Ritual Summoned, return all cards your opponent controls that share a column with this card to their hand. Once per turn: you can target 1 monster your opponent controls; Psychic monsters in Monster Zones adjacent to this card gain half the targeted monster's ATK until the End Phase. If you control a Spell/Trap card in your Spell/Trap Zone adjacent to this card: this card can attack twice per Battle Phase.

 

Silver Protean

WATER - Level 8 - Psychic/Ritual/Effect - 3000/2300

This card can be Ritual Summoned with any "Protean" Ritual Spell. If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can banish all cards your opponent controls in this cards column. Monsters in Main Monster Zones adjacent to this card cannot be destroyed by battle or your opponent's card effects. If you control a Spell/Trap card in your Spell/Trap Zone adjacent to this card: once per turn, you can destroy all Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls with original ATK less than or equal to this card's current ATK.

Spells and Traps

 

Protean Arcane Torrent

Continuous Spell

If this card is activated: You can add 1 "Protean" monster from your Deck to your hand. Once per turn: You can activate 1 of the following effects:
● Move 1 "Protean" monster you control to another of your Main Monster Zones.
● Switch the locations of 2 "Protean" monsters in your Main Monster Zones.
You can only activate 1 "Protean Arcane Torrent" per turn.

 

Riverbed of the Proteans

Field Spell

When this card is activated: you can add 1 "Protean" card from your Deck or GY to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Riverbed of the Proteans" once per turn. Psychic Ritual Monsters you control gain 500 ATK and DEF, and cannot be targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects.

 

Protean Metamorphosis

Ritual Spell

This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Protean" Ritual monster from your hand or GY. You must also Tribute monsters from your hand and/or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual monster you Ritual Summon. If this card is in your GY: you can Tribute 1 "Protean" monster you control; add this card to your hand. 

 

Protean Emergency Morph

Continuous Trap

When your opponent declares an attack, or when your opponent targets a monster(s) with a card effect: you can reveal 1 Ritual monster in your hand; Tribute from your hand and/or field monsters whose total Levels equal or exceed the revealed monster's, then Special Summon the revealed monster (This Special Summon is always treated as a Ritual Summon). Once per turn, you can banish this card from your GY; "Protean" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle this turn. You can only use each effect of "Protean Emergency Morph" once per turn.

 

Extra Deck Monsters

 

Rainbow Protean

WATER - Rating 2 - Psychic/Link/Effect - 1300/2

Link Markers: South, Southeast

2 "Protean" monsters

If this card is Link Summoned: you can add 1 "Protean" Ritual Monster from your Deck to your hand, then immediately after this effect resolves, you can Ritual Summon it to a Zone this card points to, by Tributing monsters from your hand and/or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster. Ritual Monsters this card points to gain 500 ATK and DEF.

 

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Whew! That was a lot.. Please feel free to critique these and give inputs on what needs nerfed, what needs boosted, etc. But as of the current moment, I feel pretty good about the way this turned out!~ P.S. I dont remember how to use spoilers on this site, since it's been so long since I even did anything here.. If someone could remind me, I'll be happy to edit and fix it, but for now? Sorry for the long wall of text >.>

[Loleo]

This is a ritual deck so it needs... MORE POWER! make all the 500ATK boosts 800!

Cerulean Protean

WATER - Level 3 - Psychic/Effect - 800/1300

This card gains 1 of the following effects, depending on which Main Monster Zone it's in:
● Rightmost: Increase this card's Level by [9!].

Vermillion Protean

WATER - Level 4 - Psychic/Effect - 1400/1100

This card gains 1 of the following effects, depending on which Main Monster Zone it's in:
● Rightmost: If you activate a Ritual Spell, or if a Ritual monster's effect is activated; your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response.
● Leftmost: Once per turn; you can send 1 "Protean"[] from your Deck to the GY.

Protean Arcane Torrent

Continuous Spell

If this card is activated: You can add 1 "Protean" monster from your Deck to your hand. Once per turn: You can activate 1 of the following effects:
● Move 1 "Protean" monster you control to another of your Main Monster Zones.
● Switch the locations of 2 "Protean" monsters in your Main Monster Zones.
[]

 

I would love to see a level 2 that had an effect when it was tributed, a level 12 ritual that shuffled cards in the column back into the deck and had a floating effect, a link 3 that gave protean monsters in the zone it points to all 3 of its effects (SE, S, SW), and and a link 4 that made the ritual monster's effects also target the monsters it points to (NE, N, NW).