Deck Awareness: Pteryx

Today, I want to talk about the Deck that caused a huge stir when it debuted in last years Fall League Season. Pteryx made it all the way to the final, where Leo eventually fell to Mr. Volcano and his equally impressive Reptile Beat Deck. Reptiles did see some cause for concern with the new Ban List - Razor Scales was Limited, which restricted some control capabilities - but Pteryx was untouched and still has the ability to overwhelm opponents with sheer card advantage.

The basis of the Deck is that each Pteryx is also a Gadget - every time you Normal Summon a Pteryx, it fetches a different Pteryx from your Deck. On 1400 bodies, that may not seem very impressive, but the idea of having a startling number of Traps while maintaining a consistent flow of Monsters can be very difficult to disrupt once it starts going. But the monsters have another quality that shouldn't be overlooked when deck building - Luminopteryx and Nyctopteryx are Light and Dark respectively, allowing the Main Deck access to the powerhouse Deep Chaos Dragon. Backed by flexible Spells and Traps, DCD can quickly push towards a victory with it's impressive Attack stat and the ability to further read an opponents hand or extend your own.

You've seen me talk about how Pteryx uses its backrow to further its ability to control the game, but there are 3 cards in particular that achieve this better than others. Firstly, Soul Spark Attack is a card that might seem similar to people that have ran HERO's in the TCG. A generic Trap version of Gemini Spark that Pteryx can use to amazing effect. Using  it can push to +2 in advatage, if you chain it to your opponents removal and used on a Pteryx that already searched. In addition, Lifeforce Shield grants protection for any card and replaces itself. It is a +0 on paper, but games aren't played on paper. You will often chain the Quick-Play to a removal card, which will force your opponent into a minus. Correct use of Lifeforce Shield serves to further your advantage over your opponent and nullify their outs. Finally, Blizzard is probably the best tool a control deck could ask for. By restricting your opponent to one Summon per turn, you force them to play at your pace, effectively butchering any Swarm deck in your way. But what allows you to beat other control decks is that Blizzard searches ANY Counter Trap in the game for using it. For example you could search Scrap Confusion. Since you already locked them to 1 Summon, if it's a Normal Summon that's gone too. Alternatively you could search Mirror Shot to defend your backrow or Effect Disorientation to thwart any incoming dangerous monsters.

For now, I've finished glorifying the Deck, and I'm sure you want to know how to beat it too. Unfortunately, there is no "quick-fix" solution. The previous method was to use Rotting Eyes and strip cards from their hand away turn by turn, but that option is no longer available. The only real option is to either beat them quickly before they set up, or to match their advantage game. Both are incredibly hard to pull off, but Mezzo can manage option 1, while Greymarch and Nox are options for the second route. If you are playing the mirror match, sided Hellcrescent Strix can make the task much simpler as you steal their searches and put out a bigger monster than any Pteryx. Alternatively, sided Mirror Walls and Icevale Witch can help alleviate the match-up, but your opponent will have a number of answers for these.

Sample Deck List

3|Dsa|Gainsboropteryx

3|Dsa|Luminopteryx

3|Dsa|Nyctopteryx

3|Anv1|Dreadcaster

2|Dsa|Apocalypse Valkyrie

2|Dirb|Big Shield Locker

3|Acrd|Depraved Extortion

2|Dodm|Lifeforce Shield

2|Acrd|Trap-Setting Dud

2|Nasb|Splitting Cut

2|Dsa|Extremely Obvious Spike Trap

1|Dirb|Scrap Destruction

1|Dodm|Support Recharge

3|Dsa|Effect Disorientation

3|Rope|Soul Spark Attack

2|Anv1|Hostile Negotiation

2|Dirb|Blizzard

2|Acrd|Twister of Rejection

1|Acrd|Scrap Confusion

1|Clpc|Gift from Diabolus

1|Acrd|Flash Grenade

1|Enil|Twin Double Crossers