How to play Eldlich

By Ljkad Published Sep 30, 2025 Updated Nov 19, 2025

Eldlich, also known to Vietnamese card players as Cau Vang , is a deck that I actually rarely play but have had to play against them a lot. This is a deck with a game plan that focuses on control.... well the worst versions of it that you probably saw on Master Duel during launch week were relying on floodgates like skill drain and a few other things that made the game less fun.

And we finally came to Duel Links and according to Duel Links if I'm not mistaken currently although it's not considered a tier but this is a deck that is definitely strong, but probably not as strong as the top tier decks of this format :v

Sections covered in this guide:

1/ Skill

2/ The cards in the main deck

3/ Extra Deck

4/ How to play/ How to combo

Skill

Sanctuary of the King's Treasures (Skill Card) (100%)

Sanctuary of the King's Treasures allows you to start a match with Temple of the Kings face-up on your field, allowing you to activate a Trap card the turn it is set (once per turn).

And once you control an Eternal Trap card, you can set Eternal Trap cards that have the ability to Special Summon themselves as monsters and they can be summoned this turn. And also from the second turn onwards, you add a 10-star monster from your deck to your hand.

And coincidentally, Eldlich himself is a Level 10 monster. Alongside that, we have Lord of the Heavenly Prison , a card I never thought I'd actually use. The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode , the funniest way to remove a lot of stuff from the enemy field, and Jizukiru, the Star Destroying Kaiju , which is similar but only 1.

How to use Skill I will talk in the article.

The cards in the main deck

Eldlich the Golden Lord (x2-3)

Golden Boy is the main character of the Deck so he needs to be given x2 slots. I don't think I need x3 because you don't want to draw too many non-Trap cards into your hand. Eldlich happens to be 10 stars so he can be searched from turn 2 onwards thanks to the ability of Skill

The Golden Boy has two main abilities:

We can send this card and 1 Spell/Trap from hand to graveyard, then choose 1 card on the field to send it to graveyard with. This ability gives us a pretty good non-Destroy discard, at the same time we can choose our own card on the field to send to graveyard and perform a complex combo.
The second effect is usually used right after activating the first effect. When in the grave, we can send 1 Spell/Trap from the field to the grave to add Eldlich back to the hand, then immediately summon 1 Zombie Monster from the hand ( in this version of the Deck, it is usually Eldlich himself ). Then the golden boy will have 3500 ATK/ 3800 DEF and cannot be destroyed by card effects, a pretty solid wall.

Conquistador of the Golden Land (x3)

Three Conquistador because this card destroys a face-up card on the field if you activate it while you control an Eldlich.

=> All Golden Land Spell/Trap cards have the same second effect, which is that at the end of the turn, they can banish themselves from the grave to set 1 "Eldlixir" Spell/Trap from the deck to the field, so I will not mention it again in the following cards. Note that you can only use 1 effect of 1 ELDLICH Trap card per turn . Please note this limitation, especially when you draw 2 copies of the same Trap card. Do not discard the remaining copy unless you really have to, otherwise it will be wasted.

Huaquero of the Golden Land (x2-3)

Huaquero is basically DD Crow

Guardian of the Golden Land (x2-3)

Guardian is the worst card of the bunch, but it's also one of the only ways this deck can deal with Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon , a monster that's a real problem for this deck, as is the case with many other decks in this format.

The special thing about this card is that it is Level 8 so we can combine it with Shapesister to create a powerful level 10 Synchro like Swordsoul - Chengying

Golden Land Forever! (x1)

Golden Land Forever! , is a Counter Trap card of Golden Land. So we can search it from Eldlixir. And this card is an omni-negate (negate everything) that requires you to Tribute a Zombie-type monster on the field and control Eldlich the Golden Lord . x1 is enough

Eldlixir of Black Awakening (x1)

This card is one of the simple ways to directly summon our emperor from Deck or Hand. The thing is it's a Spell and we also have many ways to Search and summon Cau Vang so x1 is enough.

Cursed Eldland (x3)

This card is the main Searcher of the Deck with only a cost of 800 Life Points. Not only that, it also sets up a graveyard for us.

But be aware: Activating CURSED ELDLAND will prevent you from attacking with non-Zombie monsters. It might sound silly but I often forget about this restriction when I'm behind and end up overdoing it and not finishing my opponent =)).

Eldlixir of White Destiny (x1)

This card is better than Eldlixir of Black Awakening in that it is a Quick-Play Spell, so we can activate it at any time. However, it is different from Eldlixir of Black Awakening in that it can only summon Golden Boy from the Hand or Graveyard (more of a resurrection effect).

Shapesister (x1-2)

1 Trap Monster is a Level 2 Tuner that gives us access to a bunch of delicious level 7, 8, 10 Synchro

Apophis the Swamp Deity (x0-3)

The more of these cards the better. If you have access to 2 copies of APOPHIS THE SWAMP DEITY , you can do some really cool stuff with BEATRICE, LADY OF THE ETERNAL using the Zombie engine since this card is Level 6.

But most people reading this, including myself, don't have 2 copies of APOPHIS THE SWAMP DEITY because it's only in the Selection Box. So instead, I'll show you a build that focuses on GALLANT GRANITE.

Swamp Mirrorer (x0-2)

Since it is level 4, it will give us the ability to connect to Rank 4 XYZs like Abyss Dweller or Gallant Granite if we don't have Swamp Deity.

We'll use the second part of the ability to set up 2 SWAMP MIRRORER . In some combos, you return TEMPLE OF THE KINGS to your hand to free up the Trap Spell slot. However, due to the ability's limitations, if you return TEMPLE OF THE KINGS this way, you can't activate it again in the same turn, which most variants won't care about because why would you? You don't need Temple on their turn.

With this build, we're doing something "sinister" on turn one by holding back TEMPLE OF THE KINGS for their turn. We use the 2 SWAMP MIRRORERs we draw with our ability to summon GALLANT GRANITE and then Granite searches for LORD OF THE HEAVENLY PRISON . When we summon LORD OF THE HEAVENLY PRISON , we can set any trap from our deck and thanks to TEMPLE OF THE KINGS , we activate it immediately.

Eldlixir of Scarlet Sanguine (x3)

Almost forgot about this wife. This is the main card that helps us summon Eldlich from the Deck or even revive him. At the same time, it is also a Trap card, so compared to the 2 Eldlich summoning Spell cards mentioned above, this card is 100 times better.

Non-Fusion Area, Magic Deflector and The Eye of Truth (Floodgate/Negate area traps)

Non-Fusion: Counter Fusion
The Eye of Truth: Counter Skill
Magic Deflector: Counter Spell ví dụ như tụi Sky Striker

Lord of the Heavenly Prison, The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode, Jizukiru and the Star Destroying Kaiju (x1)

These are Level 10 cards that can be searched directly through Skills. All 3 of these cards have very good effects, so try to x1 each card.

Kaiju : Pick up 1 enemy monster
Golden Ball : Picking up 3 enemy monsters is almost like clearing the field, similar to Kaiju, this is a form of Sacrifice removal, so many Boss monsters with protection abilities cannot do anything. Going after, we just need to activate the skill -> add this card to hand -> Boom
Heavenly Prison is not a field clearing card like the other two cards, but it provides protection for our set Traps. Most importantly, it can set a Spell/Trap straight from the deck -> Combined with Temple of the Kings from Skill, we can activate it right away. This card can be searched from turn 1 thanks to Gallant Granite , not necessarily until turn 2.

Doomking Balerdroch (x1)

If you have this card in your deck, go ahead and put it in. It's a Level 8 Zombie boss that can be easily summoned with the effects of Golden Land/Eldlich. It also gives us the ability to Negate and Banish enemy cards.

Other cards can be put into the Deck.

Nibiru the Primal Being (x0-2)

Although it doesn't require Level 10 to be searched through Skills, it can be obtained with Granite. This is one of the top Handtraps anyway.

Some trap leaves I want to mention

Power Sink Stone is basically Skill Drain and it's really useful
If you don't have 3 ICE DRAGON'S PRISON , you can replace it with any strong trap like LOST WIND or TERRORS OF THE OVERROOT . I just think IDP is the strongest at the moment. Be careful though, because you can't activate it on most monsters after you use ELDLIXIR OF SCARLET SANGUINE because it locks you into the Zombie type. You can play more floodgates like LIGHT-IMPRISONING MIRROR to counter Blue-Eyes, but I don't think it's necessary.

Extra Deck

Combo Link Monster comes with I:P

I:P MASQUERENA you may not have yet as it is currently only in Selection Box but it is not too important.

Train Engine

Train engine to OTK since both ELDLICH and PRISON are Level 10.

The Synchro Leaves

We will usually only use 2-3 Slots for Synchro in the Extra Deck:

Chengying: Most important, easy to Summon thanks to Shapesister + Guardian. Strong effect
Since we have many level 5 Trap Monsters, we can call Black Rose to clear the field first and then combo later.
Draco Berserker of Tenyi: The effect is also quite good but lacks protection, easily thanks to the Shapesister + Swamp Deity combo

Other XYZ cards

As mentioned above, if you play a lot of Swamp Mirrorer , you can access many strong XYZ rank 4. Abyss Dweller is a no-brainer, Granite helps us Search Nibiru or Heavenly Prison, we can also summon Evolzar Dolkka and Laggia because we can turn Swamp Mirrorer into Dinosaur.
Beatrice can summon from 2 Swamp Deities and perform a series of interesting Zombie combos.
Dingirsu is so iconic, 2 Guardians will help us summon this card immediately, giving us the ability to remove without Target, without Destroy, and at the same time has the ability to protect the cards on the field.

Constellar Pleiades (x1)

CONSTELLAR PLEIADES is for when we overlay CONQUISTADOR OF THE GOLDEN LAND and HUAQUERO OF THE GOLDEN LAND

How to play/ How to combo

I. GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW

ELDLICH in Duel Links is currently a Control- heavy deck, taking advantage of new Skills to set up resources from the very first turn. The deck has two main variations:

Pure Control: Focus on the resource loop between ELDLIXIR and GOLDEN LAND .
Floodgate Turbo: Use the GALLANT GRANITE combo to find LORD OF THE HEAVENLY PRISON and lock down your opponent on the first turn.

It all revolves around the Key Skill: SANCTUARY OF THE KING'S TREASURES .

II. HOW TO OPERATE THE SKILL

The SANCTUARY OF THE KING'S TREASURES skill gives 3 huge advantages:

Auto-activate TEMPLE OF THE KINGS: Allows 1 Trap to be activated the turn it is Set Down.
Trap Monster Setup: If you control an Eternal Trap, you can return 1 Spell/Trap to your hand to Set 2 Trap Monsters (like SWAMP MIRRORER ) from the Deck to the field (they can be summoned immediately).
Toolbox (From Turn 2): Search 1 Level 10 Monster from the Deck ( ELDLICH THE GOLDEN LORD , THE WINGED DRAGON OF RA - SPHERE MODE , or Kaiju like JIZUKIRU ).

III. SPECIFIC COMBO DIRECTIONS

1. Combo "Floodgate Turbo" (Using GALLANT GRANITE)

This is the most "tricky" play mentioned in the second scenario, the goal is to lock the opponent before they can play.

Requirement: Requires GALLANT GRANITE (Rank 4) in Extra Deck.
Perform:
1. Activate Skill: Push the card back to Set 2 SWAMP MIRRORER .
2. Activate 2 SWAMP MIRRORER , summoning them into Monsters (Level 4).
3. XYZ Summon these two to get GALLANT GRANITE .
4. Activate GRANITE : Split the material to search for LORD OF THE HEAVENLY PRISON .
5. Activate the effect of LORD OF THE HEAVENLY PRISON in your hand: Reveal itself to Special Summon to the field.
6. LORD 's Effect: When summoned, allows you to Set any Spell/Trap from your Deck.
7. Final Blow: Thanks to TEMPLE OF THE KINGS (from Skill), you can activate the Set Trap card IMMEDIATELY .
Trap options to lock (Floodgate Targets):
- NON-FUSION AREA: Destroy Decks like Despia, Chimera.
- THE EYE OF TRUTH: Turns your opponent's cards face up, effectively countering Skills that require "Reveal 1 card from hand" (because once a card is revealed, it cannot be revealed again).
- SUMMON LIMIT (If applicable): Limits the number of summons.

2. Basic Control Combo (Resource Loop)

This is the traditional way of playing, using abundant resources to slowly crush the opponent.

The Loop:
- Use ELDLIXIR (Black Awakening/Scarlet Sanguine) to summon ELDLICH THE GOLDEN LORD .
- Graveyard: Banish ELDLIXIR to Set a GOLDEN LAND trap from the Deck.
- Use GOLDEN LAND (Conquistador/Huaquero) to harass your opponent (Explode/Expel cards).
- End Phase: If a GOLDEN LAND trap monster is in the Graveyard, banish it to Set ELDLIXIR from the Deck.
Goal: Always keep at least 1 ELDLICH on the field and constantly rotate resources between the Graveyard and the Yard.

3. OTK Strategy (Finishing)

This deck has surprising OTK potential thanks to Level 10 monsters.

Ingredients: ELDLICH THE GOLDEN LORD + LORD OF THE HEAVENLY PRISON (or 1 level 10 Trap Monster via Skill/Effect).
Execution: Overlay 2 Level 10 monsters to get SUPER DREADNOUGHT RAIL CANNON GUSTAV MAX (Shoots 2000 damage) -> Upgrade to JUGGERNAUT LIEBE (6000 ATK, hits multiple times) to finish.

IV. SURVIVAL NOTES (IMPORTANT)

Based on experience from Duels, here are common mistakes that can cause you to lose the match:

Attack Lock: If you activate CURSED ELDLAND , you may ONLY attack with ZOMBIE monsters. Don't accidentally summon JUGGERNAUT LIEBE (Machine) and then realize you can't attack!
Summon Lock: When activated, ELDLIXIR OF SCARLET SANGUINE will lock you from Special Summoning only ZOMBIE monsters.
"Once per turn" rule (Hard OPT): You can only use 1 effect of 1 Eldlich Spell/Trap card per turn.
- For example: If you used SCARLET SANGUINE on the field this turn to summon Eldlich, you CANNOT banish it to the Graveyard that turn to set a Trap. It must wait until the next turn.
Normal Monsters: Trap Monsters (like SWAMP MIRRORER , CONQUISTADOR ) are considered Normal Monsters . Therefore, they are immune to cards like FIENDISH CHAIN but still affected by WIDOW ANCHOR (because Widow Anchor chooses Face-up Monster, regardless of Effect/Normal).