Warrior
Contents 1. Overview a. Deck List 2. Variants a. Chaos Warrior b. DNA Warrior c. Gearfried Warrior d. Gearfried Wanghu e. Meanae Warrior f. Necrovalley Warrior g. Sanctity Warrior h. Wanghu Warrior 3. Additional Card Options 4. Articles and Reports a. Modern Articles b. Modern Reports c. Historic Articles d. Historic Reports |
Overview

The premier aggressive deck of the format. Warrior tries to simplify the game as fast as possible, making sure the opponent can’t build a significant board presence as aggressive monsters attack turn after turn.
Warrior decks are as popular as they are because of Reinforcement of the Army (RotA), a card which can search a large swath of threats and answers. It can search for D.D. Warrior lady, which can remove a large monster or prevent a monster whose effect activates from the graveyard from going off, Mystic Swordsman LV2, who deals with facedown monsters, Blade Knight and Zombyra the Dark, who have some of the highest attack values on a normal-summon monster, Exiled Force, a clean answer to nearly any monster, and many more.
The deck also makes use of a high trap count to answer threats on the opponent’s turn. These often include Sakuretsu Armor and/or Widespread Ruin, Dust Tornado, Trap Dustshoot, and Solemn Judgement. While very good at taking control of a game and applying pressure quickly, Warrior decks are bad at generating card advantage of their own; mainly doing so by attacking over opponent’s monsters or through discarding effects like Don Zaloog.
Warrior decks are as popular as they are because of Reinforcement of the Army (RotA), a card which can search a large swath of threats and answers. It can search for D.D. Warrior lady, which can remove a large monster or prevent a monster whose effect activates from the graveyard from going off, Mystic Swordsman LV2, who deals with facedown monsters, Blade Knight and Zombyra the Dark, who have some of the highest attack values on a normal-summon monster, Exiled Force, a clean answer to nearly any monster, and many more.
The deck also makes use of a high trap count to answer threats on the opponent’s turn. These often include Sakuretsu Armor and/or Widespread Ruin, Dust Tornado, Trap Dustshoot, and Solemn Judgement. While very good at taking control of a game and applying pressure quickly, Warrior decks are bad at generating card advantage of their own; mainly doing so by attacking over opponent’s monsters or through discarding effects like Don Zaloog.
Deck List
Sean Montague's fourth place list from Clash of Champions. Notable for the list are two Mystic Swordsman LV2, which meant Montague anticipated a higher-than-normal number of control decks in the meta, and Enemy Controller, which serves multiple roles, depending on the situation.
Monsters1x Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning 3x Blade Knight 1x Breaker the Magical Warrior 1x D.D. Warrior Lady 1x Don Zaloog 1x Exiled Force 2x Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer 2x Mystic Swordsman LV2 1x Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke 1x Zombyra the Dark Vertical Divider
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Spells2x Book of Moon 1x Delinquent Duo 1x Enemy Controller 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 Vertical Divider
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Traps1x Call of the Haunted 1x Dust Tornado 1x Mirror Force 1x Ring of Destruction 2x Sakuretsu Armor 3x Solemn Judgment 3x Trap Dustshoot |
Variants
Chaos Warrior
Lukaz's winning Chaos Warrior list from the first Patreon World Championship Qualifier in March of 2021. This is a powerful variant of Warriors which, as the name suggests makes use of chaos monsters. Usually, this includes one Black Luster Soldier, Envoy of the Beginning, and one or two Chaos Sorcerer. The variant has historical significance with many top placements in large events during the historical era of the format. Joe Whittaker, for example, made top eight at UK Nationals 2005 with his version of the deck.
In addition to the usual suspects, the monster lineup often has a higher amount of specifically Light or Dark monsters. For Lights, they run three Blade Knight, a Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke. For darks, typically one Don Zaloog, three Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, and occasionally Skilled Dark Magician or Zombyra the Dark are played.
The chaos monsters are incredibly strong and offer the chance at card advantage and large tempo swings to a deck that can already exert a great amount of pressure to the opponent. On the other hand, it is not always the best at getting a light and a dark monster in the graveyard, which may render chaos monsters stuck in a player’s hand doing nothing.
In addition to the usual suspects, the monster lineup often has a higher amount of specifically Light or Dark monsters. For Lights, they run three Blade Knight, a Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke. For darks, typically one Don Zaloog, three Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, and occasionally Skilled Dark Magician or Zombyra the Dark are played.
The chaos monsters are incredibly strong and offer the chance at card advantage and large tempo swings to a deck that can already exert a great amount of pressure to the opponent. On the other hand, it is not always the best at getting a light and a dark monster in the graveyard, which may render chaos monsters stuck in a player’s hand doing nothing.
Monsters1x Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning 3x Blade Knight 1x Breaker the Magical Warrior 1x Chaos Sorcerer 1x D.D. Warrior Lady 1x Don Zaloog 1x Exiled Force 3x Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer 1x Mystic Swordsman LV2 1x Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke 1x Skilled Dark Magician 1x Tribe-Infecting Virus Vertical Divider
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Spells1x 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 Vertical Divider
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Traps1x Call of the Haunted 1x Dust Tornado 1x Mirror Force 1x Ring of Destruction 2x Sakuretsu Armor 3x Solemn Judgment 1x Torrential Tribute 3x Trap Dustshoot |
DNA Warrior
A niche variant of Warrior, DNA Warrior is named after the trap DNA Surgery, which is used to make all monsters on the field warrior-type. Once this is done, it uses level three monsters that take advantage of it. Kinetic Soldier's attack will always be 3350 when battling, The Hunter with 7 Weapons will always be 2000, and Frontier Wiseman will protect all your monsters (including itself) from being targeted by spell effects. In addition to the searchable answers Reinforcement of the Army provides, DNA warrior often plays Mataza the Zapper as a searchable way to deal large amount of damage per turn.
Because most of its monsters are level three, the deck plays Level Limit - Area B and Gravity Bind to disproportionality hamper the opponent’s ability to attack. While a fun strategy, it is certainly hampered by its reliance on the presence of a continuous trap card on the field. Because of this, protection cards like Solemn Judgement, Fake Trap, and Curse of Royal are commonly used to keep DNA Surgery and the floodgates around.
Because most of its monsters are level three, the deck plays Level Limit - Area B and Gravity Bind to disproportionality hamper the opponent’s ability to attack. While a fun strategy, it is certainly hampered by its reliance on the presence of a continuous trap card on the field. Because of this, protection cards like Solemn Judgement, Fake Trap, and Curse of Royal are commonly used to keep DNA Surgery and the floodgates around.
Monsters2x A Cat of Ill Omen 3x Cipher Soldier 1x Exiled Force 2x Frontier Wiseman 3x Mataza the Zapper 1x Mystic Swordsman LV2 1x Sangan 3x The Hunter with 7 Weapons Vertical Divider
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Spells1x Delinquent Duo 1x Graceful Charity 2x Level Limit - Area B 1x Mystical Space Typhoon 2x Nobleman of Crossout 1x Pot of Greed 2x Reinforcement of the Army 1x Snatch Steal Vertical Divider
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Traps3x DNA Surgery 3x Dust Tornado 2x Gravity Bind 1x Mirror Force 1x Ring of Destruction 3x Solemn Judgment |
Gearfried Warrior
A variant of Warriors which takes advantage of the effect of Gearfried the Iron Knight. Gearfried’s effect equip-destroying effect is combined with Smoke Grenade of the Thief, which becomes a targeted discard spell, and Blast with Chain, which becomes a chainable way to destroy any card on the field.
Gearfried Warrior decks also may play King Tiger Wanghu as an continuous answer to goat/ojama tokens, Thousand-Eyes Restrict, recruiters, and many other threats. Add to this the fact that Gearfried himself is a warrior searchable with Reinforcement of the Army and a highly disruptive and versatile aggro deck comes together. However, if Gearfried or RotA are not in the Gearfried player’s hand, Smoke Grenade and Blast with Chain both become virtually useless, greatly hampering the deck’s ability to keep up with the opponent’s plan.
The following is Marco Gheri's second place list from FLC1. Notably absent is Smoke Grenade of the Thief, which is redundant with Don Zaloog and useless without the deck's namesake.
Gearfried Warrior decks also may play King Tiger Wanghu as an continuous answer to goat/ojama tokens, Thousand-Eyes Restrict, recruiters, and many other threats. Add to this the fact that Gearfried himself is a warrior searchable with Reinforcement of the Army and a highly disruptive and versatile aggro deck comes together. However, if Gearfried or RotA are not in the Gearfried player’s hand, Smoke Grenade and Blast with Chain both become virtually useless, greatly hampering the deck’s ability to keep up with the opponent’s plan.
The following is Marco Gheri's second place list from FLC1. Notably absent is Smoke Grenade of the Thief, which is redundant with Don Zaloog and useless without the deck's namesake.
Monsters2x Abyss Soldier 1x Breaker the Magical Warrior 1x D.D. Warrior Lady 2x Don Zaloog 1x Exiled Force 3x Gearfried the Iron Knight 1x Mystic Swordsman LV2 1x Sangan 1x Sinister Serpent 1x Tribe-Infecting Virus 1x Tsukuyomi Vertical Divider
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Spells2x Book of Moon 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 Vertical Divider
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Traps2x Blast with Chain 1x Call of the Haunted 2x Dust Tornado 1x Mirror Force 1x Ring of Destruction 2x Sakuretsu Armor 3x Solemn Judgment |
Gearfried Wanghu
A variant of Gearfried defined by the inclusion of three King Tiger Wanghu. The following is SparkyFlary's winning list from FLC 4. Unlike Marco Gheri's list, Smoke Grenade of the thief is played in full, with Blast with Chain nowhere to be found.
Both Wanghu and Asura Priest give the deck a powerful advantage over Goat Control, which struggles to play Scapegoat, Magician of Faith, and Tsukuyomi effectively against them.
Both Wanghu and Asura Priest give the deck a powerful advantage over Goat Control, which struggles to play Scapegoat, Magician of Faith, and Tsukuyomi effectively against them.
Monsters2x Asura Priest 2x Blade Knight 1x Breaker the Magical Warrior 1x D.D. Warrior Lady 3x Gearfried the Iron Knight 3x King Tiger Wanghu 1x Tribe-Infecting Virus Vertical Divider
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Spells2x Book of Moon 1x Delinquent Duo 1x Graceful Charity 1x Heavy Storm 1x Mystical Space Typhoon 2x Nobleman of Crossout 1x Pot of Greed 2x Reinforcement of the Army 3x Smoke Grenade of the Thief 1x Snatch Steal Vertical Divider
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Traps1x Dust Tornado 1x Mirror Force 1x Ring of Destruction 2x Sakuretsu Armor 3x Solemn Judgment 1x Torrential Tribute 3x Trap Dustshoot |
Meanae Warrior
Meanae Warrior is built around trying to deal battle damagewith the name sake Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn. This is done either by landing an attack, or allowing a weaker monster to attack her while face-down. If successful, Meanae will search for a Dark Scorpion monster to the player’s hand. This provides additional toolboxing and card advantage beyond what Reinforcement of the Army traditionally provides Warrior decks. Meanae can get Cliff the Trap Remover to remove back row, Chick the Yellow to remove any problem card or disrupt opponents draws, or perhaps just add another Meanae for further card advantage down the line. Meanae’s low attack power makes landing the initial hit with her somewhat difficult, but she is always a potential tool that Warrior decks can make use of.
Monsters1x Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning 3x Blade Knight 1x Breaker the Magical Warrior 1x D.D. Warrior Lady 1x Dark Scorpion - Cliff the Trap Remover 3x Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn 1x Don Zaloog 1x Exiled Force 2x Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer 1x Mystic Swordsman LV2 1x Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke 1x Sangan Vertical Divider
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Spells1x 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 Vertical Divider
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Traps2x Dust Tornado 1x Mirror Force 1x Ring of Destruction 3x Sakuretsu Armor 3x Solemn Judgment 2x Widespread Ruin |
Necrovalley Warrior
A combination of Gravekeepers and Warriors, the deck makes use of both a truncated warrior engine and of Necrovalley and the tools offered by the Gravekeeper monsters. The warriors bring their usual one-for-one answers to monsters and high powered threats, while Gravekeepers add defense and versatility through Gravekeeper’s Spy. The Gravekeeper's monsters also provide punishing answers to goat tokens through both Spear Soldier and Assailant, and defensive removal through Gravekeeper’s Guard. The inclusion of Necrovalley can also be quite oppressive for decks built around chaos monsters, cutting off some decks’ primary answer to high attack monsters like Blade Knight or an Assailant boosted by Necrovalley. These two decks work quite well together in that neither has to sacrifice much in the way of spell/trap lineups when they combine.
This is Fusion's version of the deck, which they piloted to a third place finish at the Goat Format Championship 12 event in may of 2021.
This is Fusion's version of the deck, which they piloted to a third place finish at the Goat Format Championship 12 event in may of 2021.
Monsters1x Blade Knight 1x Breaker the Magical Warrior 1x D.D. Warrior Lady 1x Don Zaloog 1x Exiled Force 1x Gravekeeper's Assailant 1x Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier 3x Gravekeeper's Spy 3x Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer 1x Mystic Swordsman LV2 1x Tribe-Infecting Virus Vertical Divider
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Spells1x Delinquent Duo 1x Graceful Charity 1x Heavy Storm 1x Mystical Space Typhoon 3x Necrovalley 2x Nobleman of Crossout 1x Pot of Greed 2x Reinforcement of the Army 1x Snatch Steal Vertical Divider
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Traps2x Dust Tornado 1x Mirror Force 1x Ring of Destruction 2x Sakuretsu Armor 3x Solemn Judgment 3x Trap Dustshoot |
Sanctity Warrior
Sanctity is a deck focused on using Card of Sanctity combined with D.D. Survivor and/or D.D. Scout Plane to accrue advantage. It tries to simplify the boardstate incredibly quick through the use of cards like Time Seal, Trap Dustshoot, and Dragged Down to the Grave so that few cards are actually lost once the Sanctity is played. From there it beats down with Survivor's 1800 body and with other warriors, as Survivor happens to be searchable by Reinforcement of the Army. Also searchable is Strike Ninja, which can be used to recover Survivors and Scout Planes which have hit the graveyard. While Sanctity is capable of exciting advantage plays, it is greatly hampered by its use of specific, synergy-based cards over more versatile threats and answers.
Monsters2x Blade Knight 1x Breaker the Magical Warrior 3x D.D. Scout Plane 3x D.D. Survivor 1x D.D. Warrior Lady 1x Exiled Force 1x Strike Ninja 3x Thunder Dragon 1x Tribe-Infecting Virus Vertical Divider
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Spells1x Card Destruction 3x Card of Sanctity 1x Delinquent Duo 3x Dragged Down into the Grave 1x Graceful Charity 1x Heavy Storm 3x Mind Control 1x Mystical Space Typhoon 1x Pot of Greed 2x Reinforcement of the Army 1x Snatch Steal Vertical Divider
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Traps1x Ring of Destruction 3x Time Seal 2x Trap Dustshoot |
Wanghu Warrior
A variant of warriors defined by the inclusion of three King Tiger Wanghu. this list opts for an Abyss Solider + Sinister Serpent package for even more versatility and answers.
Monsters2x Abyss Soldier 2x Blade Knight 1x Breaker the Magical Warrior 1x D.D. Warrior Lady 1x Exiled Force 3x King Tiger Wanghu 2x Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer 1x Sangan 1x Sinister Serpent 1x Tribe-Infecting Virus Vertical Divider
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Spells1x 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 Vertical Divider
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