Sky Striker gameplay guide

By Ljkad Published Nov 18, 2025 Updated Jan 11, 2026

SKY STRIKER is one of the best decks in the game with its non-linear gameplay. There are no fixed combos; each game is a new challenge that you must figure out the correct sequence of moves to win.

Sections covered in this guide:

1/ Introduce

2/ Skill

3/ Main deck

4/ EXTRA DECK (ARMOR SETS)

5/ COMBO & HOW TO PLAY

6/ NOTES & TECH CARDS

7/ Summary

Introduce

The deck's core strengths:

Drawing cards to find the solution: This deck is best at continuously filtering and drawing cards until a "winning hand" (like NIBIRU , DROLL , etc.) is found to hard counter the opponent.
Field disruption: When going second, this deck is almost unstoppable thanks to a series of spells that remove and control opponents.

Main mechanism: The deck revolves around Spell cards. They have basic effects, but if you have 3 or more Spell cards in your Graveyard , they will activate powerful bonus effects.

Restriction: You cannot activate Sky Striker spells if there are monsters in the Main Monster Zone . You are only allowed to control monsters in the Extra Monster Zone .

Skill

Sky Striker Ace Defying Fate (Skill Card) (100%)

This skill is the "missing piece" that makes Sky Striker in Duel Links much stronger than just playing regular cards. It has three main effects:

1. Automatically place Field leaves

Effect: At the start of your turn, the Skill will automatically play the Environment card SKY STRIKER AIRSPACE - AREA ZERO from outside the deck onto the field.
Why is this important?: You don't need to draw or search for AREA ZERO . You have a tool to "dig" your deck for ENGAGE! or send excess spell cards to the Graveyard right from the first turn.

2. Draw Engine

Effect: You can send 2 Sky Striker cards from your hand or field to the Graveyard to Draw 1 card .
Why is it important?
- This helps you quickly reach the milestone of 3 spells in the Graveyard to activate the "bonus" effects of the cards.
- Helps in dealing with excess cards (e.g., AREA ZERO after use, or monster cards stuck in your hand).
- This will help you "dig" deeper into the deck to find the most important card: SKY STRIKER MOBILIZE - ENGAGE!

3. Extra Deck Boost

Effect: This skill automatically adds copies of KAGARI , SHIZUKU , HAYATE , and KAINA to your Extra Deck.
Why is it important?
- Most importantly, it gives you a second Kagari . Normally, you can only play one Kagari (due to limitations or the number of units you can own), but this skill allows you to have a second one to restore resources (recover magic from the Graveyard) during the mid and late game (follow-up play).
- This helps you have enough Link Monster resources to maintain your survivability and continuously recycle resources.

In summary: This skill transforms Sky Striker into a stable machine, ensuring you always have a field to play and enough resources in your Extra Deck for extended battles.

Main deck

Sky Striker Ace - Raye (x1-2)

The heart and soul of the deck.

Effect: Can sacrifice itself (Quick Effect) to transform into a Link Monster. If your Link Monster leaves the field, Raye revives from the Graveyard. This makes you extremely "sticky" and difficult to completely destroy.

Sky Striker Ace - Roze (x1)

Extender.

Effect: Automatically summons from your hand if you summon another Sky Striker. If a monster in your opponent's Extra Monster Zone is destroyed, Roze can revive from the Graveyard and negate 1 opponent monster.

Surgical Striker - H.A.M.P. (x1)

This card acts like a Kaiju (sacrifice your opponent's monster to summon it). If HAMP is destroyed, it destroys one more of your opponent's cards. It can be obtained using ENGAGE !

Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage! (x3)

This card searches for Sky Striker monsters/spells/traps, which sounds similar to Gazell until you have 3 or more Spell cards in your graveyard and draw 1. Yep, it's no different from Pot of Greed, but you search 1 and draw 1.

It can also be searched by other cards, returned to the field, or reset by other cards, making it extremely broken. This card also helps you draw a handtrap (because it searches for 1 Sky Striker, the deck will be thinner).

NO ONCE PER TURNNNNNNNN

Sky Striker Airspace - Area Zero (x0)

This card has two search effects that are extremely good at thinning the deck. The first effect has a trick to play with Raye (yep, best waifu): this card selects another card you control, flips three cards from the top of the deck, and brings one Sky Striker card from the deck into your hand from those three. The other cards are shuffled back to the deck, and IF you excavate the Sky Striker card, the card you targeted is sent to the graveyard. Therefore, you can target Raye with chain link 1, then Raye jumps to chain link 2, searching for cards without losing minions.

Effect 2: When this card is sent to the graveyard by a card effect, it will summon 1 Sky Striker Ace from your deck. Because of this effect, you can only summon a monster by playing the card yourself. If your opponent plays this card, they are 100% a true duelist and can't read it.

There's no need to play this card because the Skill already provides this item.

Sky Striker Mecha Modules - Multirole (x1)

Actually, this card has extremely strong recovery potential, but it's rarely used EARLY because using this card for control means it only comes in late game, or you might only use it if you accidentally draw it (because you haven't snowballed yet in the early game).

This card has an extremely overpowered ability: your opponent won't activate any cards or effects to respond, so you can unleash negate or boss attacks without them being able to do anything.

Regarding its pickup effect, you need to be aware of two things: firstly, you pick up the card using the spell you used WHEN this card is on the field, meaning you usually ban this card first and then use a spell to optimize your resources; and secondly, the card picked up by this card will be banished.

But the truth is, when this card activates, it's usually negated or shot, and holding two pieces in your hand is enough to brick your character.

*This card sends the field down to the graveyard to jump Raye*

Sky Striker Maneuver - Afterburners! and Sky Striker Maneuver - Jamming Waves! (x1-2)

These two cards are slightly opposite, but their second effect is that they shoot without targeting.

Wait, AFTERBURNERS only shoots monsters facing UP, so if your opponent sets up a monster, you'll shoot your own monster. If you have 3 or more spells in your graveyard, you'll shoot non-target spells/traps on the field (if your opponent doesn't have any, you'll shoot your own spells/traps, which means you can shoot your own field).

JAMMING WAVES shoots spell/trap SET cards onto the field, so you might accidentally shoot your own cards if your opponent's cards are face up. If you have 3 or more spells, it will not target any minions on the field.

Sky Striker Mecha - Widow Anchor (x2)

Of course it's chained, limit 2 because this is probably Sky Striker's strongest spell.

This card has a negate effect until the end of the turn. If you have 3 or more spells in your graveyard, it can steal your monster. This effect is so strong it's a 10/10, but as I said, any spell card named Sky Striker is automatically powerful. This card can be searched for, picked up, and used to restore inventory; basically, it can be used for anything, including link-up or OTK your opponent.

It's also a quick-play spell, super overpowered!

Sky Striker Mecha - Shark Cannon (x1)

Called by the grave but searchable (because its name includes Sky Striker), you banish your opponent's monster, and if you have 3 or more spells in the graveyard, you can send that monster to the field to fight even if it doesn't attack, but you can use its effect :). When you're tired of using it, you can link it, use it as bait for another card, or keep it on the field (yep, if it's a tough monster, banish it to make things easier).

Sky Striker Mecha - Eagle Booster (x1)

This card makes ANY MONSTER on the field immune to effects, so you can use it to protect your Boss if your opponent toggles it on. Sometimes it can even break the combos of some decks when used on them (because they are not destroyed due to immunity to effects, even their own).

If you have 3 or more spells, you won't be destroyed by battle. This is usually situational and complements effect 1, but it's undeniably powerful. Some people dislike this card, but most play it as a single card because you can search for it, and holding it in your hand will brick your hand.

Sky Striker Mobilize - Linkage! (x1-2)

The primary OTK tool.

Send 1 card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 Sky Striker Ace from the Extra Deck. This also increases ATK by 1000 if you have both Light (Roze) and Dark (Raye) monsters in your Graveyard.

Sky Striker Mecharmory - Hercules Base (x0-1)

This card allows your monster to attack twice, and if you have three or more spells in your graveyard to defeat the monster, you draw one, but it can't attack directly. There's nothing to say about that until you can equip your opponent's monster to survive a turn (since it can't attack with life points).

Just kidding, these leaves are mostly thrown into the graveyard to recycle resources :)

Because if you can search for it and then try to retrieve it, it will brick your device, so the maximum you can get is only 1x.

EXTRA DECK (ARMOR SETS)

Sky Striker Ace - Kagari (x1)

This card retrieves the Sky Striker spell from the graveyard, but it's precisely because of its ability to retrieve items in a control deck that it's extremely powerful, having the highest ATK (ATK increases by 100 with each spell from the graveyard), and it's also associated with mercenaries :)

Use Engage! to search, Link summons Kagari, pick up Engage again, search for more cards depending on the situation and circumstances, damn, so many resources!

Sky Striker Ace - Shizuku (x2)

You'll usually summon this card to the field before the end of your turn (EndPhase). At the end of your turn, you'll search for a different Sky Striker spell card, different from the one already in your graveyard. This card provides +1 resource and reduces the opponent's ATK by 100 for each spell in the graveyard. This effect is better than Kagari's because if you reduce the ATK of all your opponent's monsters by 1600, you can defeat your opponent's boss with ALL the Sky Strikers you have, instead of playing the game alone like Kagari.

Sky Striker Ace - Hayate (x1)

Often played by Raye during the battle phase or then played into the battle phase, this card can directly hit the life point and, after damage calculation (not negated by damage step but still negated by activation), discard one Sky Striker card from the deck to the graveyard.

Since this card sends spells, you can use it to summon all three spells, unlocking the bonus effects of Sky Striker spells.

Sky Striker Ace - Kaina (x1)

Raye usually jumps out during the opponent's turn to target one minion, preventing that minion from attacking until the end of the opponent's turn.

That's all :D

Sky Striker Ace - Zeke (x1)

Effect: Temporarily banish 1 opponent monster. Increase ATK by sending 1 card to the graveyard.

Combo: Use WIDOW ANCHOR to steal the opponent's monster, then Link to ZEKE to permanently remove it.

Crusadia Equimax, Underclock Taker and Knightmare Phoenix (x1)

COMBO OTK

Abyss Dweller, Gallant Granite and Tornado Dragon (XYZ rank 4 can use)

COMBO & HOW TO PLAY

1. The Fastest Way to Accumulate 3 Spells in the Graveyard

Before doing anything else, prioritize sending 3 Spells to the Graveyard.

TOON TABLE OF CONTENTS: Activate card 1 to find card 2, card 2 to find card 3. Set card 3 face down and use AREA ZERO to send it away. -> You instantly have 3 Spells in your graveyard + filter your deck.
Skill (SKY STRIKER ACE - DEFYING FATE): Automatically play AREA ZERO . Use the skill to send 2 Sky Striker cards to the graveyard to draw 1 card.

2. Going First: A Survival Strategy

The goal is to survive the opponent's turn in order to counterattack (Follow-up) on turn 3.

Basic Gameplay:
1. Summon RAYE -> Link to SHIZUKU .
2. Turn face down the interrupted cards ( WIDOW ANCHOR , SHARK CANNON ).
3. End Phase: Shizuku searches for more resources. If Shizuku is destroyed, Raye will revive to protect him.
Abyss Dweller Playstyle:
1. If you can summon two Level 4 monsters (Raye + Roze), Xyz Summon ABYSS DWELLER in defense position.
2. Upgrade to EAGLE BOOSTER .
3. Opponent's turn: Activate ABYSS DWELLER (grave lock) and chain EAGLE BOOSTER . Dweller will become immortal (immune to crowd control effects + indestructible by combat).
Backline Defense (Lord of the Heavenly Prison) gameplay:
1. Xyz Summon GALLANT GRANITE -> Search LORD OF THE HEAVENLY PRISON .
2. Activate Lord in your hand to protect Face-down cards from destruction (such as MST).

3. Going Second & OTK: Destroying the Defense & Finishing the Game

This is where your deck shines. Use Spells to clear your opponent's field before attacking.

Basic OTK with LINKAGE!:
1. Use Link Monsters (1500 ATK) to attack and wear down your opponent.
2. Activate LINKAGE! during Battle Phase: Send your current Link Monster to the graveyard to summon KAGARI or another Link Monster.
3. If the graveyard has enough Raye (Darkness) and Roze (Light), the newly spawned monster will gain 1000 $\rightarrow$ increasing its total damage to 4000+.
4. When summoned, KAGARI can retrieve LINKAGE! to continue attacking again.
Hayate Combo:
1. Attack directly with HAYATE (1500 damage).
2. Send ROZE to her grave.
3. Use LINKAGE! to transform Hayate into KAGARI (who receives a massive ATK buff from Graveyard Spells + 1000 ATK from Linkage). Finish him off with a finishing attack.
Combo HAMP + Equimax (Advanced):
1. Summon HAMP to your opponent's field (sacrificing their monster) to the square your Link Monster will point to.
2. Summon CRUSADIA EQUIMAX (or a Link monster with a similar attack-boosting effect).
3. Equimax will gain additional ATK from HAMP, creating a massive monster for OTK.

NOTES & TECH CARDS

Utilize Multi-Role & Shizuku

Set the game to "Self Chain / Manual Order" mode. Go to End Phase:

Activate MULTIROLE first: Bring ENGAGE! back from the grave.
Then activate SHIZUKU : Search for another ENGAGE! from the deck (since there are no Engage cards left in the graveyard due to Multirole taking one, Shizuku is allowed to search). -> You will have 2 Engage cards for the next turn.

Hand Ratio

Always play 3 ENGAGE! (Required).
Keep your deck at 20 cards to optimize your chances of finding Engage.
1-2 links are enough (because they are recyclable).
3 TOON TABLE OF CONTENTS (if you're going to play, you should play 3 to filter the best deck).

Wightprincess (x1)

Reduces the ATK of all monsters (except Link Monster). Excellent for defense or helping your Link Monster win team fights.

Droll & Lock Bird, Nibiru, the Primal Being and Artifact Lancea (Options)

These are the "winning buttons" you can dig up thanks to Engage's incredible card-drawing capabilities.

Thunder Dragon Colossus (Hard counter)

This is a hard counter. It blocks ENGAGE and AREA ZERO . Use WIDOW ANCHOR or HAMP to deal with this leaf immediately.

Summary

Sky Striker is a "High Skill, High Reward" deck. Its power lies in understanding every small interaction and using the right tools at the right time. Don't just memorize combos, learn how to handle situations!