Where The Royal Lineage Rests

Continuing from previous reviews, today let us look into the first ever true archetype in the game, Gravekeepers. Currently, the deck hasn’t seen as much play as previous years. Perhaps everyone are caught by the wind of Inzektors, Hieroglyphs and Rabbits. Though little can be said about Gravekeepers, they are certainly a threat even in the current format. Old-fashion, however, still very much effective in my opinion. I learned my lesson the hard way during Asia Qualifiers and since then Gravekeepers has regained its spot in my list of decks to be aware of. Not exactly the most skill-dependent deck but players has to have a sense of timing when piloting this deck. Let us start then.

STUN ENGINE

The deck itself doesn’t possess the necessary skills to adopt the current fast-paced game-plays but it has what it takes to keep up or slow down faster decks to a certain point. Yes, stun-oriented. In my opinion, this is the best way to survive in the current format if you cannot afford to race them. Gravekeepers has a bit of everything in them. Descendant can go aggro when necessary, duelists can choose to tech in huge beaters like Malefic Stardust Dragon and Malefic Cyber End Dragon. Though very much dependant on Necrovalley, Gravekeepers can easily turn the table around with cards like Commandant, Recruiter, and Stele. Even Spy proves to be troublesome at times and he gives you access to other tactics. Either go aggro, continue to wall up or proceed to special summon a bigger monster to hold ground. Plus this deck sides in and out relatively easy, it hardly affects the synergy of the deck. It is even fair to say Gravekeepers can afford to over-extend.

HEAVY BACK-ROW

The second best arsenal in GK. Play a bunch of Meta-hate traps backed with techs like Starlight Road and Fake Trap. How long can your opponent last depends on how well they draw. We can debate on the current format being triple MST and Heavy Storm dominant but at the end of the day if you don’t draw into them fast enough it still doesn’t mean anything. Reality sucks most of the time. For both players that is. By running tons of trap cards, GK can easily solve a problem and neutralize the amount of damage done to them. This is the part where you can call them flexible. Loads of back-row  which stops any kind of combos and instill fear into opponents. So, man up and be fearless when you meet such a field. Remember, they can be bluffs. Don’t forget hand traps.

NECROVALLEY

Additional boost and soft-lock. Gravekeepers can be persistent with the help of Necrovalley. Some decks will find it hard to even combat them. Decks that primarily has small monsters. The extra boost gives GK monsters a lot of leverage when it comes to the basics, summon and attack. Locking both Graveyards also makes it rather annoying for certain decks that are very much Graveyard-dependent. Example, Chaos Dragons. Though it doesn’t exactly becomes a game closer but it provides players with ample amount of time to draw into more outs. And no shit, Gravekeepers run a lot of instant-out cards. Not a plus but it slows the pace down and that is what makes them a threat because they provide you with little room for recovery. This card also give birth to DDV or EEV plays in GK.

ROYAL TRIBUTE

The best bullshit in the game. Players who run Gravekeepers will be very happy to resolve Royal Tribute turn 1 and players of the opposing side will definitely feel the need to flip the damn table. Nothing compares to Royal Tribute in YGO, we can talk about Mind Crush and Dragged but, yeah, everyone knows how fuckin’ powerful this card is. Compared to Turn 1 Rabbit plays or Six Sam plays, resolving Royal Tribute hurts a lot more. Regardless the turn you are in. Royal Tribute wrecks so many potential plays and leaves you utterly in despair. Nonetheless, this card is Gravekeepers’ best weapon. Though there are risks and it can easily become a minus.

SKILL DRAIN

Yes, I’ve mentioned it a lot of times. The effectiveness of Skill Drain is worthy of praise and attention I  suppose. Being a stun-based deck, Skill Drain becomes and weapon with no collateral damage in Gravekeepers. As explained above, you either lead the race or tail as long as you can to find an opening. Skill Drain gives GK that added factor to control the pace. Played with a popular tech, Barbaros, makes this deck even more beastly. The other being Fusilier Dragon. Simple yet effective, summon and attack. The oldest trick in the book done perfectly. And of course, Skill Drain looks of pluses gained through effects  which GK can afford not to have. Wicked much.

Now I shall end my wall of text. Hopefully it has been productive and informative. GK may not be the best deck to run for this format but they are worthy enough to be a strong contender. So, remember to save up your resources and deal with the most important key piece of this deck. Do leave a comment and remember to play smart, fight hard or go home a loser. Thank you for reading!