Deck Profile: Ramon Ciriano

​New decks pop up at each new Shonen Jump, but we can always count on seeing some tried and true favorites. Beastdown has been a strong choice at past events, and Ramon Ciriano has made a noteworthy run at the Top 8 with his version here in New Jersey. With a 7-1 record after round 8, he's obviously making the most of a reliable archetype.
 
The list looks quite straightforward, with the traditional big beasts combined with control type monsters, set off with metagame-favored spell and trap cards for an all-around versatile and effective deck. Let's take a look at his list.

 

​Monsters: 18
3 Nimble Momonga
2 Berserk Gorilla
3 D. D. Assailant
2 Enraged Battle Ox
2 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
1 Jinzo
1 Mobius the Frost Monarch
1 Breaker The Magical Warrior
1 Tribe-Infecting Virus
1 D. D. Warrior Lady
1 Sinister Serpent

Spells: 15
2 Book of Moon
1 Smashing Ground
1 Lightning Vortex
2 Nobleman of Crossout
1 Delinquent Duo
1 Pot of Greed
1 Heavy Storm
1 Scapegoat
1 Premature Burial
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Snatch Steal
1 Swords of Revealing Light
1 Graceful Charity

Traps: 7
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Ring of Destruction
1 Call of the Haunted
1 Mirror Force
1 Dust Tornado

Side Deck 
2 King Tiger Wanghu
1 Mobius the Frost Monarch
1 Exiled Force
1 Cannon Soldier
2 Poison of the Old Man
1 Enemy Controller
2 Prohibition
2 Wave-Motion Cannon
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 Ceasefire
 
Nimble Momonga s provide a life point cushion and holds out field presence while the Berserk Gorillas and Enraged Battle Oxen get out there and rip up the field. The usual control monsters are here to shape the field to your liking. Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer works to get the Light and Dark monsters out of the opponent's graveyard to hold off Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, Mobius the Frost Monarch trims the field of spells and traps, and the D. D. team gets potential troublemakers out of the game.
 
Ramon is running an unusually small number of Scapegoats in an environment where every other match looks like a goat farm, keeping in with the overall aggressive theme of the deck. Smashing Ground, Nobleman of Crossout and Book of Moon complement the standard spell lineup to keep the deck moving forward.
 
In the early game, this deck wants to get out Nimble Momonga or one of the D. D. monsters, and draw into the powerful Pot/Graceful/Delinquent spells. It's important to keep the opponent's field as clear as possible, so he or she cannot tribute to bring out something strong enough to withstand the muscle of Berserk Gorilla and Enraged Battle Ox. After moving into the mid-game where these monsters start breaking loose, the opponent will be hard pressed to hold off the assault. Attack position monsters are overcome with Gorilla and defense position monsters fall under the trample effect of Enraged Battle Ox. Destructive spells and traps like Lightning Vortex, Nobleman of Crossout, Bottomless Trap Hole, and Torrential Tribute work alongside the onslaught to keep the opponent's field as bare as possible.
 
Beastdown decks aim to win by the mid-game, and accomplish this goal by overpowering the opponent and ripping away his or her life points. They can fall back on tech monsters as needed—Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, Mobius the Frost Monarch, and Tribe-Infecting Virus—to add some brain in with the brawn to improve the deck's chances against a wider range of opponent strategies, which is vital in an event of this size.
 
Ramon's side deck includes a good mix of cards. There are choices that will build a bit more control in his deck, like Enemy Controller, Prohibition, and King Tiger Wanghu, and a solid complement of cards that offer an edge in sudden death matches, like Ceasefire, Wave-Motion Cannon, and Poison of the Old Man. Cards like these have been turning up in almost every side deck as sudden death becomes a more common end to a round.
 
All in all it's a solid build of a game-proven deck type. It topdecks reliably and can vary its focus enough to take on a wide variety of matchups, as evidenced by Ramon's record so far. Will it carry him to the top 8? Two more rounds will tell!

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Metagame.com (2005)

This article was originally written by Metagame.com, what was formerly the official website for large Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament coverage.  It has been preserved by GoatFormat.com so that players can learn from this historical tournament coverage.