Monarch

Contents
1. ​Overview
‎‎‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎a. Deck List​
2. Variants
 ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ a. Necrovalley Monarch
 ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ​b. Soul Control
 ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ​​c. Strike Ninja Monarch
‏​3. Additional Card Options
4. Articles and Reports
‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎a. Modern Articles
‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎b. Modern Reports
‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎c. Historic Articles
‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎​d. Historic Reports

Overview

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Monarch is a control deck that tries to gain and maintain both an advantageous board state and general card advantage using cards like Mobius the Frost Monarch and Zaborg the Thunder Monarch. By using certain spells and monsters, the monarch player can mitigate the card advantage loss that comes with tribute summons and maximize the effect that their monarchs have on the game. 

Historically, monarch decks were popular in the format even before Evan Vargas made his famous top 4 finish at SJC Los Angeles. For example, Pojo user RegnR8's posts, which detailed his use of the deck in a plethora of events, were a mainstay of the site's tournament report section. Josh Wiseman qualified for the 2005 US National Championship with a monarch deck as well. This being said, it was Vargas' list and finish that cemented the deck as a contender in the format even today.  

Deck List

Recruiter monsters like Apprentice Magician are a common theme for Monarch decks. Because they replace themselves if they die in combat, they help to ensure you are able to tribute summon your monarchs on the following turn. Here, Magician is used for this reason, as well as to search for Magician of Faith or Old Vindictive Magician as needed. Its Dark attribute also allows the deck to play Black Luster Soldier. 

Brain Control allows the Monarch player to steal an opponent's monster to fuel a tribute summon, and can even be used with Metamorphosis. With most Monarchs sitting at six stars (Zaborg has five) the Monarch player has a number of great options to summon with Meta, including Ryu Senshi and Dark Balter the Terrible. Many lists will also include Scapegoat, which allows the Monarch pilot to summon Thousand-Eyes Restrict, suck up an opposing monster, and then tribute Restrict at an optimal time. 

Because of their meager defense stats, Monarchs are weak to Tsukuyomi. As a result, most lists will play a number of either Sakuretsu Armor or Trap Dustshoot to keep the spirit at bay. 

Monsters

3x Apprentice Magician
1x Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
1x Breaker the Magical Warrior
1x D.D. Warrior Lady
2x Magician of Faith
2x Mobius the Frost Monarch
1x Old Vindictive Magician
1x Sangan
1x Sinister Serpent
1x Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
1x Tribe-Infecting Virus
2x Zaborg the Thunder Monarch
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Spells

2x Book of Moon
2x Brain Control
1x Delinquent Duo
1x Graceful Charity
1x Heavy Storm
2x Metamorphosis
2x Nobleman of Crossout
1x Pot of Greed
1x Premature Burial
2x Scapegoat
1x Snatch Steal
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Traps

1x Call of the Haunted
1x Mirror Force
1x Ring of Destruction
1x Torrential Tribute
3x Trap Dustshoot

Variants

Necrovalley Monarch

Gravekeeper's Spy is both a recruiter and a respectable wall. It will often both survive an attack, and bring more monsters into play at the same time. This means one can tribute Spy for a monarch and not actually lose card advantage. Playing Necrovalley in Monarch lists improves the defensive and offensive capability of Spy, while also seriously hindering any opponent that wants to summon Chaos Sorcerer or Black Luster Soldier. 

Monsters

1x Breaker the Magical Warrior
3x Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive
3x Granmarg the Rock Monarch
1x Gravekeeper's Guard
3x Gravekeeper's Spy
2x Legendary Jujitsu Master
2x Mobius the Frost Monarch
1x Sangan
1x Twin-Headed Behemoth
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Spells

2x Book of Moon
3x Brain Control
1x Graceful Charity
1x Heavy Storm
3x Necrovalley
2x Nobleman of Crossout
1x Pot of Greed
1x Snatch Steal
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Traps

1x Mirror Force
1x Ring of Destruction
3x Sakuretsu Armor
3x Solemn Judgment
1x Spell Shield Type-8

Soul Control

The most famous (and arguably most successful) Monarch deck is Soul Control. As previously mentioned, Soul Control was put on the map thanks to Evan Vargas piloting the deck to a top 4 finish at SJC Los Angeles in 2005. While the deck has evolved since then, the core of three Soul Exchange and three Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch remain staples. By using Soul Exchange, one can tribute an opponent's monster in order to summon their Monarch, which will then reduce the opponent's card count even further with its "When this card is Tribute Summoned" effect. If a monarch is not available, Soul Exchange can also be used in combination with Metamorphosis in order to act as a pseudo removal spell, while also improving the pilot's own board state. 

Monsters

1x Breaker the Magical Warrior
2x Dark Mimic LV1
3x Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive
2x Magician of Faith
3x Mobius the Frost Monarch
1x Sangan
1x Sinister Serpent
3x Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
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Spells

3x Book of Moon
1x Delinquent Duo
1x Graceful Charity
1x Heavy Storm
3x Metamorphosis
2x Nobleman of Crossout
1x Pot of Greed
3x Scapegoat
1x Snatch Steal
3x Soul Exchange
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Traps

1x Mirror Force
1x Ring of Destruction
3x Sakuretsu Armor

Strike Ninja Monarch

Strike Ninja Monarch uses the eponymous sneaky warrior in combination with D.D. Scout Plane to pay for tribute summons  without losing out on card advantage. Tributing the Scout Plane and then removing it with Ninja causes it to return to the field at no cost. Mystic Tomato and Reinforcement of the Army give the list some toolbox options, and Gravekeeper's Spy shuts down most aggro decks just long enough to get some monarchs in play. Running Strike Ninja also gives the Monarch player the option of playing Return from the Different Dimension, which can create surprise game-ending swings.

Monsters

1x Breaker the Magical Warrior
1x D.D. Scout Plane
1x Don Zaloog
1x Exiled Force
3x Gravekeeper's Spy
1x Jinzo
2x Mobius the Frost Monarch
1x Morphing Jar
3x Mystic Tomato
1x Newdoria
1x Sangan
2x Strike Ninja
2x Zaborg the Thunder Monarch
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Spells

1x Brain Control
1x Creature Swap
1x Delinquent Duo
1x Graceful Charity
1x Heavy Storm
1x Mystical Space Typhoon
2x Nobleman of Crossout
1x Pot of Greed
1x Premature Burial
2x Reinforcement of the Army
1x Snatch Steal
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Traps

1x Call of the Haunted
1x Mirror Force
1x Return from the Different Dimension
1x Ring of Destruction
2x Sakuretsu Armor
1x Torrential Tribute

Additional Card Options

One of the most important drawbacks to playing monarchs is their tribute cost. Because of this, ensuring that the Monarch player has fuel to pay for this cost, as well as methods to prevent a loss to card advantage, are both extremely important. Monsters which can survive early attacks, or replace themselves (preferable resulting in more monsters on the field than before) will often find their way into Monarch lists. Some of the more common choices not previously mentioned are:
  • ​Big Shield Garda
  • ​Nimble Momanga
  • ​Giant Germ
  • Spirit Reaper
  • Twin-Headed Behemoth
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