Among Machine monsters, Karakuri is a card race that provides both high attack power and defense thanks to the ability to automatically change the card's position. Not only that, this deck also has the ability to harass opponents when it can change the position of the opponent's monster. So to play this deck well, what cards do you need to own?
Instructions for playing Karakuri
Sections covered in this guide:
overview
Karakuri is an extremely fast Synchro deck with a mechanic that focuses on changing the position of monsters. Karakuri Anatomy helps pull through your deck and is supported by Karakuri Cash Cache and the boss monster, Karakuri Shogun mdl 00 "Burei" . The main support monster is Karakuri Komachi mdl 224 "Ninishi" , a Tuner that allows a second summon; Karakuri Merchant mdl 177 "Inashichi", search for any Karakuri card. Due to the speed at which Karakuri draws through the deck, tech cards like Offering to the Doomed support the deck's OTK abilities and are often used a lot.
ADV and disadv
Karakuri is very strong in resource exploitation, jamming and OTKing the enemy, however, the biggest weakness lies in the effects of all Karakuri monster cards: they will be forced to attack if possible. That means you will have a very high chance of defeat if you let the opponent go first and disrupt the combo of summoning Synchro monsters that are not forced to attack. At that time, even if the ATK is weaker, the Karakuri monsters are forced to attack to end their turn. Therefore, when playing this deck, it is important to clean up the opponent's backrow cards that can ruin your combo.
Skill
Firm as the EARTH (Skill Card) (10%)
Your Karakuri monsters will gain 500 ATK and reduce 400 DEF, but are usually left unused due to having no other effects.
Level Augmentation (Skill Card) (90%)
Level Augmentation (Skill Card)
ATK:
0
DEF:
0
Can be used when your Life Points are 3000 or lower, by revealing 1 monster card in your hand and selecting 1 monster on your field. The selected monster's Level will increase by the Level of the monster you revealed until the end of the turn. This Skill can only be used once per Duel.
To help summon level 7 Burei and level 8 Bureido , pros often use this skill to create mutations in the match, calling out appropriate monsters for each situation. Furthermore, this skill makes an important contribution to Synchro as will be discussed below.
Core Cards
A Karakuri deck to climb rank must have the following cards:
Karakuri Merchant mdl 177 "Inashichi" (x1)
Well, so why is this card limited? That's thanks to the ability when normally summoned to help players search for a Karakuri card from the deck to their hand, regardless of whether it's magic, traps or monsters. When you have this card in your hand, you can take it up. Karakuri Bonze mdl 9763 "Kunamzan" to perform a Synchro summon combo immediately produces the boss card Karakuri Shogun mdl 00 "Burei" , or in other cases you can take the card Karakuri Gold Dust to increase ATK or Karakuri Cash Inn to neutralize the effect of enemy monster.
Karakuri Bonze mdl 9763 "Kunamzan" (x2-3)
Karakuri Bonze mdl 9763 "Kunamzan"
ATK:
2000
DEF:
1500
This card must attack, if able. If this card is targeted for an attack: Change the battle position of this card. If this card is in your hand: You can target 1 "Karakuri" monster you control; change its battle position, and if you do, Special Summon this card as a Tuner, also you cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck for the rest of this turn, except EARTH Machine monsters. You can only use this effect of "Karakuri Bonze mdl 9763 "Kunamzan"" once per turn.
With the ability to call out to the field very easily, this monster is often used as a material with another 2 or 3 star Karakuri monster to summon Synchro, creating pressure for the opponent right from the first turn. For example, normal summon Inashichi first and use its effect to get Kunamzan to your hand. Then special summon Kunamzan to summon Burei . If you already have this monster in your hand, you can normal summon Sazank then special summon Kunamzan to create Bureido . Changing battle position is actually unconditioned, so you can basically special summon Kunamzan easily, whereas changing the battle position of your Karakuri monster is really useful for activating Anime Anatomy .
Karakuri Komachi mdl 224 "Ninishi" (x2)
Karakuri Komachi mdl 224 "Ninishi"
ATK:
0
DEF:
1900
This card must attack if able. When this face-up card is selected as an attack target, change its battle position. While this card is face-up on the field, once per turn during your Main Phase, you can Normal Summon 1 "Karakuri" monster in addition to your Normal Summon or Set. (You can only gain this effect once per turn.)
- Ninishi is a 3-star Tuner monster that, once per turn, allows you to Normal Summon a “ Karakuri ” monster one more time. As a Tuner, this card's effect aids in summoning other monsters on the field which is great for Synchro summoning.
Karakuri Ninja mdl 339 "Sazank" (x2-3)
Karakuri Ninja mdl 339 "Sazank"
ATK:
1200
DEF:
1200
This card must attack if able. When this face-up Attack Position card is selected as an attack target, change it to Defense Position. When this card is flipped face-up, select 1 face-up monster on the field, and send it to the Graveyard. During the turn this card is flipped face-up, it can attack your opponent directly.
Karakuri Cash Cache (x2-3)
Inashichi and Cash Cache are great cards to pull off a perfect combo. These cards will get into your hand any Karakuri monsters you need to pull off your combos, with Inashichi also able to get Spell / Trap Karakuri. Cash Cache should prioritize finding Ninishi as your only Tuner. If you already have Ninishi in hand, prioritize Inashichi not your Tuner to perform the combo mentioned in the previous section; If you already have Sazank or Inashichi , you should prioritize getting Kunamzan into your hand.
Karakuri Muso mdl 818 "Haipa" (x2-3)
If you can't summon Burei or Bureido right away, you can still use Haipa as a second method in addition to being a Synchro material. With a high ATK index of 2100, Haipa will easily destroy monster cards when combined with Karakuri Gold Dust or Runaway Karakuri . Furthermore, if you attack, at the end of the turn this monster will change its fighting position. You can take advantage of this to activate Karakuri Anatomy or Karakuri Trick House.
Karakuri Gold Dust and Runaway Karakuri (x2-3)
To provide high combat ability, Runaway Karakuri and Karakuri Gold Dust are extremely necessary. In particular, Karakuri Gold Dust offers great coordination when you take advantage of monsters whose attacks have ended to optimize the amount of damage to the opponent. In addition, as Quick-Play Spell cards, these two cards can also counterattack the opponent when you activate them to increase the ATK of the Karakuri monster right in the opponent's attack turn.
Karakuri Strategist mdl 248 "Nishipachi" (x0-1)
Karakuri Strategist mdl 248 "Nishipachi"
ATK:
500
DEF:
1600
This card must attack if able. When this face-up Attack Position card is selected as an attack target, change it to Defense Position. When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, select 1 monster on the field, and change its battle position.
Is another Tuner card besides Ninishi , capable of rotating the monster's position as soon as it is summoned, often used to coordinate with Sazank or Karakuri Trick House. If you face Zombie monsters, you will have a great advantage because most Zombie monsters have a DEF index of 0 or extremely low.
Karakuri Cash Inn and Karakuri Trick House (x2-3)
Karakuri Cash Inn
Target 1 "Karakuri" monster you control and 1 Effect Monster your opponent controls; change the battle position of your monster, and if you do, negate the effects of that opponent's monster until the end of this turn. If you control a "Karakuri" monster(s): You can banish this card from your GY, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; change that monster's battle position. You can only activate 1 "Karakuri Cash Inn" per turn.
- Brings great interference ability to Karakuri decks.
Karakuri Soldier mdl 236 "Nisamu" (x0-1)
Karakuri Soldier mdl 236 "Nisamu"
ATK:
1400
DEF:
200
This card must attack if able. When this face-up Attack Position card is selected as an attack target, change it to Defense Position. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Karakuri" monster from your Deck in face-up Attack Position.
Use Nisamu as a way to prevent damage from the opponent as well as call Ninishi to the field to perform combos next turn.
Karakuri Anatomy (x1-2)
- Karakuri Anatomy is a great representation of Karakuri gameplay, specifically changing battle positions and increasing resources. It's easy to get 2 points on this card because all of your Karakuri monsters have an innate effect that changes their battle position. Cash Cache is a good search card that also helps support Anatomy to thin the deck effectively.
- Normal summon Inashichi and activate the monster's search effect. Activate Karakuri Anatomy.
- Special Summon Kunamzan and change Inashichi's battle position.
- Activate Cash Cache to search and change Inashichi's battle position.
- Activate Anatomy to draw 2 cards.
Karakuri Gama Oil (x1)
Karakuri Gama Oil
Activate this card by targeting 1 "Karakuri" monster in your GY; Special Summon it and equip it with this card. Once per turn, if the battle position of a face-up "Karakuri" monster(s) you control is changed: The equipped monster gains 500 ATK/DEF (even if this card is no longer equipped). You can only activate 1 "Karakuri Gama Oil" per turn.
Another card that takes advantage of the position change of Karakuri monsters, can revive defeated Karakuri monsters to the field or materials to summon limited Synchro like Inashichi or Ninishi again. Not only that, it also helps the monster increase 500 ATK/DEF with each change in the Karakuri monster's fighting position.
Karakuri Showdown Castle (x1)
Karakuri Showdown Castle
When a face-up "Karakuri" monster you control selects an opponent's face-up monster as an attack target, you can change the target's battle position. When this face-up card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can select 1 Level 4 or higher "Karakuri" monster in your Graveyard, and Special Summon it.
Karakuri monsters can only change your opponent's battle position once per turn, but this card will let you do them infinitely, causing discomfort to your opponent. Furthermore, when destroyed and sent to the grave, it allows you to special summon a grave Karakuri monster with 4 stars or less to special summon to the field.
Karakuri Shogun mdl 00 "Burei" (x1-2)
Karakuri Steel Shogun mdl 00X "Bureido" (x1-2)
Karakuri Steel Shogun mdl 00X "Bureido"
ATK:
2800
DEF:
1700
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Machine-Type monsters When this card is Synchro Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Karakuri" monster from your Deck. Once per turn, when the battle position of a face-up "Karakuri" monster you control is changed (and remains face-up): Draw 1 card.
Tech Cards
Samurai Destroyer (x1)
Samurai Destroyer
ATK:
2600
DEF:
1400
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters If this card battles an opponent's monster, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step, also that opponent's monster has its effects negated during the Battle Phase only. If this face-up card in its owner's control leaves the field because of an opponent's card effect: You can target 1 Machine monster in your GY; Special Summon it.
Brionac Dragon of the Ice Barrier (x1-2)
Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
ATK:
2300
DEF:
1400
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters You can discard any number of cards to the GY, then target the same number of cards your opponent controls; return those cards to the hand. You can only use this effect of "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier" once per turn.
With the ability to put his opponent's cards in his hand, Brionac is absolutely a formidable opponent and causes a lot of discomfort for his opponents. This monster is completely capable of OTK if the opponent's backrow is not secure. Assuming your Burei and Bureido are both destroyed and cannot be retrieved, Brionac is the top choice, then you should think about Samurai Destroyer
Righty Driver and Lefty Driver (x1)
Lefty Driver
ATK:
300
DEF:
100
If this card is Special Summoned: You can make this card become Level 3 until the end of this turn. During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: You can banish this card from your GY; add 1 "Righty Driver" from your Deck to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Lefty Driver" once per turn.
You only really need one Lefty Driver card because Righty Driver can special summon it from anywhere. Adjusting Lefty Driver 's level via skill gives you a lot of flexibility in what you can do, usually with Righty Driver , Lefty Driver , plus a monster as well.
Number 70: Malevolent Sin (x1-2)
Number 70: Malevolent Sin
ATK:
2400
DEF:
1200
2 Level 4 monsters Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; banish it until your opponent's next Standby Phase. At the end of the Damage Step, if this card attacked: You can make this card gain 300 ATK, and if you do, increase its Rank by 3.
Useful if your opponent only has 1 monster on the field or against monsters that the deck cannot afford to ATK. Temporarily eliminating them will allow you to attack directly, potentially becoming an OTK.
Vermillion Dragon Mech (x1)
Vermillion Dragon Mech
ATK:
2700
DEF:
1800
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters Once per turn: You can banish 1 Tuner from your hand, GY, or face-up field, then target 1 card on the field; destroy it. If this Synchro Summoned card is destroyed by card effect and sent to the GY: You can target 1 of your banished Tuners; add it to your hand.
High ATK and has the effect of removing cards without negating its attacks. The deck has no way to restore banished cards other than Vermillion 's effect, but it doesn't mean you'll win for sure, so you'll have to be careful when using resources to summon.
Mystical Space Typhoon and Ultimate Providence (x1-2)
Mystical Space Typhoon or Ultimate Providence are cards that destroy the opponent's backrow, making your moves safer. Therefore, Karakuri's weaknesses mentioned above are temporarily overcome.