Guide to playing Chimera

By Ljkad Published Aug 20, 2025 Updated Jan 29, 2026

Chimera in Duel Links has always been a strong meta force (though it's cooled down recently), which is not surprising given how well the deck performs in the TCG, and in Duel Links, they've provided all the crucial pieces except for Guardian Chimera.

Today I'll be introducing Chimera, even though it's a bit late.

Sections covered in this guide:

Skill

Chimera Illusions (Skill Card) (100%)

This skill transforms Chimera from a typical Fusion deck into an efficient resource management machine. It addresses the two biggest problems of Fusion decks: lack of Fusion Spells and lack of high-level (Boss) materials in the graveyard . While not "game-breaking," this is precisely the solid foundation for Chimera to become powerful.

Thanks to the ability to directly obtain Chimera Fusion , players have much more freedom in building decks and executing combos.

You don't need to rely entirely on drawing this spell, which significantly reduces the risk of "bricking" your card.

Sending Nightmare Magician down to the grave right from the start was the most important preparatory step.

The Chimera deck has a very powerful revival ability. By sending Nightmare Magician to the graveyard early, you can easily revive it later using the effects of Chimera Fusion or other Fusion monsters. .
Nightmare Magician is a powerful board control tool that can steal opponent monsters and destroy cards on the field, so having it readily available in the graveyard is a prerequisite for applying pressure.

Finally, the "spawn" capability Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast The card from outside the deck is a tool for turning the tide when going second.

If your opponent has a monster and you don't, you can summon the original Chimera , then flip it over on the same turn. .
This Chimera serves as a free fusion material, allowing you to easily summon Chimera the Illusion Beast – a main monster used for OTK (One-Kill) attacks with the ability to attack multiple times and reduce the opponent's stats to zero . .

The Beasts

Chimera's greatest strength lies in its stable "One-card combo" ability. Regardless of which of these four cards you start with: Mirror Swordknight, Cornfield Coatl , Gazelle the King of Mythical Claws, or Apprentice Illusion Magician. You can all end up going to the same destination.

Mirror Swordknight (x3)

Starter is the highest priority.

Field Effect: Sacrifice yourself to Special Summon a monster from your deck (usually Gazelle or Berfomet ).

Graveyard Effect (Important): When in the graveyard and you control Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast , it can banish itself to negate the effects of your opponent's monsters on the field. .

Cornfield Coatl (x3)

Discard yourself from the tea set to search for Mirror Swordknight .

While in the grave, it can banish itself to neutralize any effects targeting your card and destroy that card—counter those lazy wives who don't read.

Gazelle the King of Mythical Claws (x3)

When summoned (usually by Swordknight ), it seeks outBig-Winged Berfomet or Chimera Fusion . This is the bridge to achieving fusion.

Nightmare Apprentice (x2-3)

You can perform a special summon by skipping one song. When summoned, it searches Tao the Great Chanter or other Illusion monsters, allowing you to continue your combo if it's interrupted.

Nightmare Magician (x1)

Main Deck Boss

It is usually sent to the graveyard by a Skill and revived. It has the ability to steal opponent's monsters after battle and destroy cards on the field if other monsters attack. This is an extremely formidable defensive wall.

Master Tao the Chanter (x1)

Used as a fusion ingredient to revive the Illusion monster from the graveyard.

Big-Winged Berfomet (x2-3)

When used as a fusion material, it allows you to revive an Illusion monster from the graveyard and also has the ability to search for Chimera Fusion and level 4 Beasts like Camelump (but nobody does that, bro) .

Performapal Camelump (x0-1)

This jungle monster was found by Big-winged; its effect is to reduce the opponent's monster's ATK by 800, making it easier for you to OTK them... Um, that's all. You can play it if you run out of cards to add.

Vision Resonator, Farfa and Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (x1)

The Chimera deck has the ability to easily summon Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal (Rank 6). Beatrice's (and Berfomet's ) ability to send any card from your deck to the graveyard allows you to utilize the effects of these two cards.

Vision Resonator

It is usually sent to the graveyard during your turn. When sent to the graveyard, it allows you to search for Crimson Gaia in your hand. From there, Crimson Gaia will search for Fiendish Golem (a powerful trap to banish enemy monsters). .
In the next turn, you can retrieve Vision Resonator from the graveyard using Crimson Gaia to Special Summon it (if you have a Level 5 or higher Dark monster) to use it for Link or Synchro summoning. .

Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss:

Send to the graveyard to banish one of your opponent's monsters to End Phase. Very useful for clearing the way for attack or removing annoying obstacles. .
You can also use Farfa to banish your own monster to avoid enemy kill/target effects, and that monster will return at End Phase. .

Invader of Darkness and The End of Anubis (x0-1)

Floodgate, but it's a bit crappy.

We can send these two cards to the graveyard (using Beatrice or Berfomet ), then revive them using Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts or Tao the Great Chanter .

While on the field, Invader prevents opponents from activating Quick-Play Spells . This is a fatal blow to decks that rely heavily on Quick Spells, such as Despia (blocking Branded in Red , Branded Opening ), or Sky Striker.

Extra Deck

Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts (x2)

In End Phase, it forces the opponent to randomly discard 1 card from their hand . Additionally, it can banish itself from the graveyard to revive an Illusion monster (usually Nightmare Magician ).

On the field, its name is considered "Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast ," which helps activate the Negate effects of Swordknight and Coatl in the graveyard.

Berfomet the Mythical King of Phantom Beasts (x3)

When summoned, it sends one random card from its Deck to the Graveyard (usually Necroworld Banshee , Vision Resonator , or Swordknight to replenish resources). It also has the ability to revive banished Illusion Beasts.

Chimera the Illusion Beast (x1)

It can attack multiple times (depending on the amount of materials). After the battle, it negates effects and reduces the opponent's monster's ATK to 0 , allowing for another attack to deal massive damage. This is the main finishing tool of the deck.

Beatrice Lady of the Eternal (x1)

Used to send tech pieces to the graveyard during your opponent's turn. Common targets include:

Invader of Darkness: Disables the opponent from using Quick-Play Spells. .
Tackle Crusader / Farfa: To push away cards or temporarily remove an opponent's monster. .
Vision Resonator: To search for Crimson Gaia .

Spell/Trap

Chimera Fusion (x3)

Because it's Quick-Play, you can activate it during the Battle Phase to deliver a finishing blow (OTK) or use it during your opponent's turn to "dodge" targeted/kill effects by using the targeted monster as fusion material.

Its greatest strength is the ability to retrieve itself from the Graveyard to your hand each turn (as long as you have a Chimera/Berfomet monster on the field or graveyard). This means you only need 1-2 copies but can use them dozens of times in a single match.

Note: Although the Skill already grants one card, I still recommend using three copies to ensure you always have one in your hand (in case it gets negated or you need to use it during your opponent's turn).

Crimson Gaia and Fiendish Golem (x1)

This is a "mini-engine" integrated into Chimera through sending Vision Resonator down to the grave (by Beatrice ).

Mirage Mirror Force (x0-1)

A trap card that combines quite well with Illusion monsters in the deck, but being a trap, it's rather slow.

Tech & Staple

Combo

Chimera's strength lies in its absolute consistency ("All roads lead to Rome"). No matter which starter you choose ( Mirror Swordknight , Cornfield Coatl , or Gazelle ), the outcome of the Turn 1 combo is usually the same.

1. BASIC COMBO SET

This is the standard combo for going first, aiming to establish three layers of defense: Hand Rip, Negate (disable cards in the graveyard), and prepare resources for the next turn.

Condition: You must have 1 Starter (Example: Mirror Swordknight ).
Steps to follow:
1. Activation: Summon Normal Mirror Swordknight . Activate effect: Sacrifice yourself to summon Big-Winged Berfomet from your deck. .
2. Search: Berfomet effect when summoned: Adds Chimera Fusion and 1 Illusion monster (like Gazelle ) to hand. .
3. First Fusion: Activate Chimera Fusion : Fusion of Berfomet + Gazelle -> Summon Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts .
4. The important chain link:
  - CL1: Chimera (Field): Activates an effect that forces the opponent to discard 1 random card in the End Phase.
  - CL2: Berfomet (Grave): Revives 1 Illusion monster from the graveyard (e.g., Mirror Swordknight ).
  - CL3: Gazelle (Grave): Search for another Illusion monster (e.g., Apprentice Illusion Magician or Tao ) .
5. Recycling: Activate Chimera Fusion effect in graveyard -> Get it back into hand .
6. Extension: Use Apprentice (automatic jump) or Tao to perform Fusion 2 or Xyz Rank 6 (if desired).
7. End Board:
  - On the field: Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts (Hand Rip).
  - In the grave: Mirror Swordknight (Negates monster effects), Cornfield Coatl (Negates targeting effects).
  - In hand: Chimera Fusion (recalled) and traps/tech cards .

2. COMBO CONTROL: THE BEATRICE LOCK

This combo uses Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal (Rank 6) to send counter cards to the graveyard during the opponent's turn. It's often used against specific decks (like Despia, Sky Striker).

Condition: You must summon 2 Level 6 monsters (usually Berfomet Fusion + Apprentice or Tao ) .
Steps to follow:
1. Xyz Summon: Stack 2 Level 6 monsters -> Summon Beatrice .
2. Turn 1 (Your turn): Activate Beatrice's effect -> Send Vision Resonator to the graveyard (to find Crimson Gaia ) or Invader of Darkness .
3. Turn 2 (Opponent's turn):
  - Option A (Spell Lock): Use a trap or Chimera effect to revive Invader of Darkness from the graveyard. Result: Opponent unable to activate Quick-Play Spells (Critical hit with Despia/Sky Striker) .
  - Option B (Harassment): Activate Beatrice -> Send Tackle Crusader (to flip monsters/push environment spells) or Farfa (to temporarily banish an opponent's monster) .

3. FINISHING COMBO: OTK WITH ILLUSION BEAST

This is a combo used to finish the game when going second, taking advantage of the Skill's capabilities.

Condition: Go after (Turn 2 onwards).
Steps to follow:
1. Activating Skill: Place Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast (original) from outside the deck onto the field face down. .
2. Flip Summon Chimera (can be done during the turn).
3. Activate Chimera Fusion : Fusion of Chimera (on the field) + any monster -> Summon Chimera the Illusion Beast .
4. Battle Phase:
  - Attack the opponent's monster.
  - Activation effect: Disables the effect of that monster + Reduces ATK to 0.
  - Perform a second attack (Multi-attack) on a monster with 0 ATK to deal massive damage. .

4. TIPS

Chain Block: When fusing Chimera , arrange the chain so that the most important effect (like Gazelle finding cards) is on the highest Chain Link to avoid Negate (if applicable).
Protecting the Chimera: Always prioritize sending Mirror Swordknight and Cornfield Coatl to the graveyard as early as possible. They act as a "shield," protecting the Chimera from being targeted or destroyed. .
Nightmare Magician: Don't forget to send Nightmare Magician to the graveyard with your Skill at the start of the match. It's a great resurrection target to steal the opponent's monster (Steal) and clear the board. .