Gravekeeper gameplay guide

Gravekeeper gameplay guide

Today I will introduce an Archetype that has been around for quite a while in Duel Links: Gravekeepers .

Gravekeepers is a deck used by Odion and Ishizu Ishtar in the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. The Gravekeepers play around the Field Necrovalley card , the centerpiece of the deck, which gives them many advantages, while also sealing both players' Graveyards .




The Gravekeeper Monsters

 

Gravekeeper's Commandant (x1-3)
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Commandant
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Commandant

Gravekeeper's Commandant is a free search card from Necrovalley, not a one-per-turn. It's a 4 star card so it can be used for rank 4 Xyz. Commandant is the number 1 choice to search from Necrovalley Throne or Gravekeeper's Destiny . Overall, a great card for the deck.

Gravekeeper's Spiritualist (x0-3)
N rarity
Gravekeeper's Spiritualist
N rarity
Gravekeeper's Spiritualist

This card can be seen as a weaker version of Soprano the Melodious Songstress , requiring Necrovalley on the field to function, but it makes it easy to summon Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist . Since Supernaturalist is such an important card in the deck, this card is quite necessary to play.

Gravekeeper's Heretic (x0-2)
N rarity
Gravekeeper's Heretic
N rarity
Gravekeeper's Heretic

This card can be quite fun to play sometimes, especially in metas that focus heavily on the graveyard, or decks that destroy monsters on the field with effects. Therefore, Heretic can be a reasonable choice in some special cases.

Gravekeeper's Headman (x0-3)
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Headman
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Headman

Headman is an archetype resurrecting card that can be easily found through the Gravekeeper's Destiny ability. You can resurrect Gravekeeper's Spiritualist to quickly summon Supernaturalist . I personally enjoy playing this card, but it is not required in the deck.


Gravekeeper's Visionary (x0-1)
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Visionary
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Visionary

Ishizu Ishtar's Duel Links ace card is made very playable thanks to her Gravekeeper's Destiny ability. With Visionary , all of your monsters gain 1000 ATK, while your opponent's monsters lose 1000 ATK. Visionary itself also gains 200 ATK for each Gravekeeper monster in the graveyard.

Tribute only one Gravekeeper's monster instead of two to Summon, and can prevent being destroyed as long as you have a Gravekeeper's monster in your hand to discard.


Gravekeeper's Oracle (x0-1)
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Oracle
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Oracle

I don't recommend playing this card unless a deck like Ghostrick comes back into the meta. The effect of destroying all face-down monsters isn't bad, and the 2000 ATK/DEF reduction can sometimes be game-changing, but this card is too resource-intensive, so it's not the best choice.


Gravekeeper's Chief (x0-2)
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Chief
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Chief

This card is a better resurrection option than Gravekeeper's Headman , but requires a monster to be sacrificed. Chief allows you to use your graveyard while still locking your opponent's graveyard.


Gravekeeper's Spy (x0)
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Spy
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Spy

Spy fills your field with monsters and is not limited to once per turn. It has decent defensive stats, and is a good support when used with Book of Eclipse , regardless of whether you or your opponent activates it. Spy isn't bad, and can be searched by Gravekeeper's Nobleman . It's a card to consider, but I personally never play it.

Gravekeeper's Priestess (x0)
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Priestess
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Priestess

Priestess is a card that makes the entire field look like it has Necrovalley but without locking the grave. She also increases the ATK/DEF of all Gravekeeper's monsters by 200. However, Priestess is really bad, and I can't think of any reason to play her.


Gravekeeper's Recruiter (x0-3)
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Recruiter
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Recruiter

Recruiter is a good card to sacrifice for summoning, and is a valuable addition, especially since the Gravekeeper's Destiny ability provides an additional Gravekeeper's sacrifice summon in addition to the normal summon.

Recruiter can search Gravekeeper's Commandant to indirectly search Necrovalley . This card can search all Gravekeeper's monsters except Gravekeeper's Visionary , Gravekeeper's Spy , and Gravekeeper's Guard . Unfortunately, you need to control this card to activate the effect, so you can't discard it from your hand to activate the effect.


Gravekeeper's Descendant (x0)
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Descendant
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Descendant

Descendant is a way to activate Gravekeeper's Recruiter and remove your opponent's monster. It cannot sacrifice itself, but can be revived by Gravekeeper's Headman . Its effect is not limited to once per turn, so you can use it as many times as you like. However, it is not recommended to play this card.


Gravekeeper's Cannonholder (x0)
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Cannonholder
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Cannonholder

Cannonholder is an archetypal version of Cannon Soldier with 700 damage instead of 500. The reason this card is balanced is because it belongs in a slow deck like Gravekeeper's . Maybe you can find a way to OTK combo? I feel like if you try hard enough, someone can figure out how to OTK their opponent with this card. Unless you want to play this card as a unique OTK strategy, don't play this card.


Gravekeeper's Nobleman (x0)
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Nobleman
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Nobleman

Nobleman helps summon Gravekeeper's cards like Gravekeeper's Spy for free defense, Gravekeeper's Guard to return your opponent's important cards to the hand, or Gravekeeper's Ambusher to remove graveyard items in a deck that already has graveyard locked...? (I don't understand why Ambusher exists either.) Don't play this card.


Gravekeeper's Shaman (x0-3)
N rarity
Gravekeeper's Shaman
N rarity
Gravekeeper's Shaman

Shaman is... a card you can play! She's a combination of Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist and Gravekeeper's Chief , gaining 200 DEF for each Gravekeeper's monster in the graveyard. She's also one of the few Field Spell-locking cards in the game, preventing your opponent from activating a Field Spell. This can negate some important Field cards, but doesn't negate field cards already on the field, so it's quite a 3... .

Shaman also requires sacrifice, so why play her when we can play Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist , a much easier card to summon. Don't play this card.


Gravekeeper's Ambusher (x0)
N rarity
Gravekeeper's Ambusher
N rarity
Gravekeeper's Ambusher

Ambusher is the only card in the archetype that can restore Necrovalley after it's destroyed, but if it's in the meta, Cosmic Cyclone can easily be played to counter it. Its effect only activates after being flipped, so it's not really that effective.

This card synergizes well with Book of Eclipse and Gravekeeper's Nobleman . Ambusher also returns cards from your opponent's graveyard to the deck. Honestly, I don't understand why you'd want to do that in a deck that focuses on locking down the entire graveyard. Like releasing prisoners from jail? Don't play this card.


Charm of Shabti (x0)
N rarity
Charm of Shabti
N rarity
Charm of Shabti

Handtrap is an archetype! Prevents combat damage! But not worth taking up deck space! Cards you want to protect like Gravekeeper's Visionary already have self-protection effects. This card also cannot be searched by Necrovalley Throne or Gravekeeper's Destiny , and is a dead card if you draw it alone. Don't play this card.




Do these leaves belong to the Archetype???

Since most of these cards have pretty simple effects, I'll compare them to existing cards. If they have a use case, I'll mention it.


Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier (x0)
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier

Gravekeeper's name with Pentestag -like effect . I don't know why Konami likes to add piercing effect to random archetypes, but this card is not worth playing in any Gravekeeper's deck . It is a level 4 monster, so it can be used to summon level 4 Xyz and be revived by Gravekeeper's Headman .

Gravekeeper's Guard (x0-1)
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Guard
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Guard

Guard is a Compulsory Evacuation Device version of the archetype, activated when flipped face up. It synergizes well with Gravekeeper's Nobleman . The setup and abilities of this card are not ideal in the current meta, but it can be used as a Tribute for Gravekeeper's Destiny . It is also a Level 4 monster, so it can be used to Xyz Summon Level 4 cards and be revived by Gravekeeper's Headman .


Gravekeeper's Watcher (x0)
N rarity
Gravekeeper's Watcher
N rarity
Gravekeeper's Watcher

When the meta has many discard-based decks, this card could be a silver bullet, and is a 4-star monster called Gravekeeper's . As such, it can be discarded to trigger Gravekeeper's Destiny and revived by Gravekeeper's Headman . In fact, this card feels like it could be one of the evil sisters (like Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring ). Gravekeeper's Watcher & Hidden Temples , my favorite handtrap!


Gravekeeper's Curse (x0)
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Curse
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Curse

This card could theoretically be a good combo with Gravekeeper's Cannonholder to deal damage to the opponent. However, other than that, this card has no value.


Gravekeeper's Vassal (x0)
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Vassal
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Vassal

This card can be used in PvE, but not PvP. You can use Vassal in a deck like Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Union Attack to maximize the result of the match. This card is pretty bad, and there are very few cards out there that only negate combat damage. Don't play this card.




Cards that combine with NecroValley

 

Gravekeeper's Assailant (x0)
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Assailant
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Assailant

When Assailant , a low ATK monster, declares an attack while Necrovalley is on the field, you can make your opponent's monster change battle position. It is a level 4 monster and is named Gravekeeper's , so it can be revived by Gravekeeper's Headman , but it is basically a useless card. Don't play this card.


A Cat of Ill Omen and An Owl of Luck (x0)
R rarity
A Cat of Ill Omen
R rarity
A Cat of Ill Omen
R rarity
An Owl of Luck
R rarity
An Owl of Luck

Cat and Owl are non- Gravekeeper's Flip monsters that search for Traps and field cards respectively. If Necrovalley is not on the field, the selected cards are placed on top of the deck, but if Necrovalley is present, the searched cards are added to the hand. Cat can be useful for searching for powerful Traps, while Owl can search for the Necrovalley field card. These Gravekeeper 's pets are also not played.




Handtraps

 

Handtrap
UR rarity
Effect Veiler
UR rarity
Effect Veiler
UR rarity
D.D. Crow
UR rarity
D.D. Crow
UR rarity
Lord of the Heavenly Prison
UR rarity
Lord of the Heavenly Prison
SR rarity
Limited to 2 copies
Kiteroid
SR rarity
Limited to 2 copies
Kiteroid
UR rarity
Droll & Lock Bird
UR rarity
Droll & Lock Bird

All of the following handtraps work quite well as core cards in the deck if needed. Lord of the Heavenly Prison and Nibiru, the Primal Being cannot be special summoned if you use Gravekeeper's Destiny . Who knows, Konami might one day improve this to allow Nibiru and Lord , as Gravekeeper's isn't a strong deck so it might get buffed




Spell/Trap

 

Necrovalley (x1-3)
UR rarity
Necrovalley
UR rarity
Necrovalley

Necrovalley is a classic Yu-Gi-Oh! Graveyard Lock card. It disables banishment from the graveyard, so cards like Orcust Harp Horror cannot be activated. It also disables cards that move cards in the graveyard to another location, so cards like Lyrilusc - Beryl Canary and Pot of Avarice cannot be activated.

The Type and Attribute changes in the graveyard are quite specific, the only card that comes to mind right away is Zombie World . In Gravekeeper's deck, it increases ATK/DEF for all monsters by 500. This card is the heart and soul of Gravekeeper's , the best card in the deck. In normal Gravekeeper's decks, this card is a must-play.


Necrovalley Throne (x1-3)
UR rarity
Necrovalley Throne
UR rarity
Necrovalley Throne

Throne is a great searcher, allowing you to add a Gravekeeper's monster from your deck to your hand or provide an extra normal summon for Gravekeeper's , helping to build a stronger board. For decks that usually only normal summon -> activate effects, can special summon and end the turn, this card is a powerful addition.

It's a hard OPT card, so drawing multiple copies can cause a jam. Usage usually depends on the number of cards in the deck. I usually play two copies, but in a 30-card deck, three copies might be better.


Hidden Temples of Necrovalley (x0-3)
R rarity
Hidden Temples of Necrovalley
R rarity
Hidden Temples of Necrovalley

Hidden Temples is an excellent floodgate card, limiting all special summons to Gravekeeper's , but only if you control Necrovalley and a Gravekeeper's monster . This card can be a burden for your opponent to remove, especially if they don't play a backrow break. I really like Hidden Temples .

Gravekeeper's Stele (x0)
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Stele
SR rarity
Gravekeeper's Stele

Stele is a good recovery card, but not really worth playing right now. It can be useful for recovering cards like Gravekeeper's Headman or Gravekeeper's Spiritualist , but overall I don't recommend playing this card.


Gravekeeper's Servant (x0)
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Servant
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Servant

Um... honey, I don't think you really fit this archetype... sorry.


Imperial Tombs of Necrovalley (x0-3)
R rarity
Imperial Tombs of Necrovalley
R rarity
Imperial Tombs of Necrovalley

Imperial Tombs is an Omni-Negate card when you control Necrovalley and a Gravekeeper's monster. It's a once-per-turn limit card, but an omni-negate is always a good addition to the field.


Rite of Spirit (x0-3)
R rarity
Rite of Spirit
R rarity
Rite of Spirit

Rite of Spirit is the archetype's Trap version of Monster Reborn , only for your graveyard. This card is not affected by Necrovalley , so there's no need to worry about having its effects negated.


Necrovalley Temple (x0)
N rarity
Necrovalley Temple
N rarity
Necrovalley Temple

Necrovalley Temple is a good anti -Mystical Space Typhoon card, allowing you to activate Necrovalley from your graveyard or hand on any turn. It also has a secondary effect that reduces your opponent's monster's ATK/DEF by 500, but only if you control a Gravekeeper's monster and Necrovalley . When the Temple is destroyed, you can set a Necrovalley Spell/Trap card from your deck to the field!


Staple
UR rarity
Book of Moon
UR rarity
Book of Moon
UR rarity
Mystical Space Typhoon
UR rarity
Mystical Space Typhoon
UR rarity
Cosmic Cyclone
UR rarity
Cosmic Cyclone
UR rarity
Limited to 1 copy
Super Polymerization
UR rarity
Limited to 1 copy
Super Polymerization
SR rarity
Book of Eclipse
SR rarity
Book of Eclipse
UR rarity
Forbidden Droplet
UR rarity
Forbidden Droplet
SR rarity
Dark Hole
SR rarity
Dark Hole

This deck can comfortably play any Staple.



Extra Deck

 

Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist (x1-3)
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist
R rarity
Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist

Supernaturalist is a very interesting card. As of this writing, it is the only Gravekeeper's Extra Deck monster. It has three effects (WOW, VRAINS?! 3 Effects?!), so I'll break them down individually:

  • Effect 1 : A bit boring, but can be useful. Supernaturalist gains ATK equal to the total level of the Fusion materials used to summon it, usually 600-700 ATK, making its ATK around 3100 when Necrovalley is on the field!
  • Effect 2 : While Necrovalley is on the field, it cannot be destroyed by card effects, and the same goes for Field Spells. This synergizes well with Dark Hole , allowing us to play a surprise Dark Hole on turn three. It's also a good anti -Mystical Space Typhoon (which is superior to Necrovalley Temple ), but not as effective against Cosmic Cyclone (which unfortunately gets more play now because of Utopia . Damn, Utopia !).
  • Effect 3 : Every Main Phase, you can choose to search for a free Gravekeeper's or Necrovalley card, which activates during the End Phase of the respective turn. This effect usually activates every turn, setting you up for the next turn, if there is a next turn (with the way the meta is going, maybe not...). But it also thins out the deck, which is always nice.

Popular Link Cards
SR rarity
Day-Breaker the Shining Magical Warrior
SR rarity
Day-Breaker the Shining Magical Warrior
SR rarity
Knightmare Cerberus
SR rarity
Knightmare Cerberus
UR rarity
Knightmare Unicorn
UR rarity
Knightmare Unicorn
Card rarity
I:P Masquerena
Card rarity
I:P Masquerena
N rarity
Pentestag
N rarity
Pentestag
SR rarity
Artemis, the Magistus Moon Maiden
SR rarity
Artemis, the Magistus Moon Maiden
SR rarity
Knightmare Phoenix
SR rarity
Knightmare Phoenix
SR rarity
Underworld Goddess of the Closed World
SR rarity
Underworld Goddess of the Closed World

Since we only have one Extra Deck monster of the archetype, Mercenary Link cards are a good choice for the Extra Deck.


Knightmares are always great for removing nuisance cards. Pentestag is one of the most used generic Link cards, providing easy access to piercing damage. I:P Masquerena is locked (as it can only be purchased in a Selection box) (along with Underworld Goddess of the Closed World ), but I:P can help summon a Goddess or Unicorn on your opponent's turn, interrupting combos or destroying base cards.

Leaves that come with Super Poly
UR rarity
Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem
UR rarity
Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem
SR rarity
Mudragon of the Swamp
SR rarity
Mudragon of the Swamp
Card rarity
Masquerade the Blazing Dragon
Card rarity
Masquerade the Blazing Dragon
UR rarity
Elemental HERO Sunrise
UR rarity
Elemental HERO Sunrise
UR rarity
Starving Venom Fusion Dragon
UR rarity
Starving Venom Fusion Dragon
Card rarity
El Shaddoll Apkallone
Card rarity
El Shaddoll Apkallone

Super Polymerization allows you to steal your opponent's monsters and turn them into powerful Fusion monsters. These work better in Fusion-focused metas, where stealing yours is easier.


The common XYZ Rank 4
UR rarity
Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon
UR rarity
Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon
UR rarity
Abyss Dweller
UR rarity
Abyss Dweller
Card rarity
Tornado Dragon
Card rarity
Tornado Dragon
SR rarity
Number 70: Malevolent Sin
SR rarity
Number 70: Malevolent Sin

Since you can summon two level 4 monsters in some cases, these level 4 Xyz cards are meant to directly deal with specific threats. Number 70: Malevolent Sin and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon are often used to deal with high ATK monsters, Tornado Dragon helps deal with heavy backrows or annoying Field/Trap continuous cards, and Abyss Dweller is for Graveyard-dependent Decks (which aren't needed much since they're negated by Necrovalley ). I usually go for just Number 70 or Dark Rebellion , sometimes both.




Skill

 

Gravekeeper's Destiny (Skill Card) (100%)
UR rarity
Gravekeeper's Destiny (Skill Card)
UR rarity
Gravekeeper's Destiny (Skill Card)

I will analyze each effect of this skill separately for easy understanding:

  • Effect 1 : Locks you from normal or special summoning only Gravekeeper's monsters. Cannot special summon Nibiru, the Primal Being , or Lord of the Heavenly Prison .

  • Effect 2 : Allows you to discard a Gravekeeper's monster from your hand to the graveyard to search for another Gravekeeper's monster, helping set up Gravekeeper's Headman or start a combo with Gravekeeper's Recruiter . The second part of this effect provides an additional Gravekeeper's Tribute Summon in addition to the normal summon/set, allowing for a free Gravekeeper's Chief or Gravekeeper's Visionary . The effect is great, but unfortunately can only be used once per battle.

  • Effect 3 : If you control Gravekeeper's Visionary , your monsters gain 1000 ATK, and your opponent's monsters lose 1000 ATK. This is a great bonus to an already good skill, and can sometimes be the deciding factor between winning and losing.




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