We already took a look at Sorosh Saberian’s Quickdraw Dandywarrior Deck, a great example of a focused Quickdraw build with all the plays and combos you can expect to see in the months to come. Now, we’re going to look at a Duelist who’s taken the strategy in a new direction: Michael Smith-Grant is playing a similar core of cards, but he’s using them in different ways to surprise and outplay his opponents. Check it out:

Monsters:
3x Light and Darkness Dragon
1x Tytannial, Princess of Camellias
3x Caius the Shadow Monarch
3x Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
2x Super-Nimble Mega Hamster
2x Dandylion
2x Debris Dragon
1x Treeborn Frog
2x Lonefire Blossom
3x Quickdraw Synchron
1x Sangan 

Spells:
1x Soul Exchange
1x Brain Control
1x Charge of the Light Brigade
1x Foolish Burial
2x Book of Moon
2x Pot of Avarice
1x Heavy Storm
1x Mystical Space Typhoon
2x Trade-in
1x Card Destruction 

Traps:
2x Dimensional Prison
1x Bottomless Trap Hole
1x Torrential Tribute
1x Mirror Force
1x Trap Dustshoot

Smith-Grant has been refining his version of the Quickdraw Deck since early March. “This version of Quickdraw takes advantage of Light and Darkness Dragon,” he explained. “Not only does this deck have the capabilities of the regular Quickdraw deck, it also has a general lock that allows me to keep Summoning Light and Darkness Dragon.” Remember how Quickdraw Dandywarrior Decks use Drill Warrior to bring back and discard Dandylion over and over? Smith-Grant has taken that same trick, but applied it differently; when Light and Darkness Dragon is destroyed, he can use Drill Warrior to retrieve the Dragon. With Treeborn Frog in the Graveyard, he can Special Summon the Frog, Special Summon Drill Warrior, take back his Light and Darkness Dragon, and Tribute Drill Warrior and Treeborn to Summon Light and Darkness.

The trick works to refresh a weakened Light and Darkness Dragon too, so long as Smith-Grant has another copy in his Graveyard. “If I control a Light and Darkness Dragon, I can keep attempting to Special Summon Treeborn Frog until Light and Darkness can’t negate its effect anymore.” At that point, Smith-Grant can Special Summon his Treeborn, bring back Drill Warrior, take back Light and Darkness Dragon from his Graveyard, and Tribute 2 monsters for a fresh Dragon. If his opponent activates Torrential Tribute in response to the Treeborn Frog’s Special Summon, it won’t really matter, as Smith-Grant will Special Summon a monster with the destroyed Light and Darkness Dragon’s effect, a well as his Treeborn Frog. Drill Warrior then hits the field and grabs either copy of Light and Darkness Dragon so it can be Tribute Summoned.  Smith-Grant can remove his Drill Warrior before making the Tribute Summon, ensuring that his loop remains intact

Smith-Grant also runs a pair of Super-Nimble Mega Hamsters, getting to his Rykos even faster than Saberian. “Hamster into Ryko sets up for Light and Darkness Dragon on my second turn,” he remarked, emphasizing how powerful an early game Dragon could be. “Ryko’s purpose is to get rid of my opponent’s back row, but it combats Flamvell Firedog and Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame as well. This version of Quickdraw allows for maximum control, and it opens up some more conservative and aggressive plays.”  While Hamster can be vulnerable to Fire Dog, its presence as an 1800 DEF monster adds another layer of defense to a Deck that already shrugs off attacks with Fluff Tokens, making it a really tough Deck to attack through.

The last card that really sets Smith-Grant’s Deck apart from more conventional Quickdraw builds is Trade-In. With 3 copies of Light and Darkness Dragon and 1 Tytannial, Trade-In is very reliable, and another important tool to load the Graveyard. Those Light and Darkness Dragon plays that require 2 copies of the Dragon might sound far-fetched, but when you’ve got 3 Rykos, a Charge of the Light Brigade, 2 Trade-Ins, and Card Destruction feeding the Graveyard, they’re more reliable than they might first seem.

This Deck mixes the beguiling tricks and evasive tactics of Drill Warrior, with the added defensive power of Super-Nimble Mega Hamster and the superior control of Light and Darkness Dragon. Smith-Grant has taken a popular strategy and made it his own by changing up a handful of card choices. His innovation may pay off this weekend, and it’s a great example of how a good Duelist can take any Deck and make it their own.