Robbie Stargel’s Deck is an extension of the Caliber Cat Deck that Grant Kelly played at YCS Chicago. But instead of his entire X-Saber lineup being Airbellums and Darksouls, Stargel has decided to add XX-Saber Fulhelmknight to his team and leave out Doomcaliber Knight. After omitting Doomcaliber Knight from his line-up, Stargel decided to name his Deck “X-Caliber Cat,” noting Doomcaliber Knight’s absence.

Monsters:

1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness

2 Caius the Shadow Monarch

1 Thunder King Rai-oh

2 XX-Saber Fulhelmknight

3 X-Saber Airbellum

2 XX-Saber Darksoul

1 Rescue Cat

1 Summoner Monk

2 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter

2 Gravekeeper’s Spy

1 Gravekeeper’s Guard

1 Sangan

1 D.D. Crow

1 Super-Nimble Mega Hamster

Spells:

1 Heavy Storm

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Brain Control

1 Smashing Ground

2 Book of Moon

2 Pot of Avarice

1 Mind Control

1 Cold Wave

1 My Body as a shield

Traps:

1 Mirror Force

1 Torrential Tribute

2 Bottomless Trap Hole

1 Solemn Judgment

1 Dust Tornado

1 Compulsory Evacuation Device

1 Gottoms’ Emergency Call

Stargel’s Deck is a hybrid of Synchro Cat and X-Sabers. He’s sacrificed the OTK potential of X-Sabers in favor of the consistency of Synchro Cat. By keeping XX-Saber Faultroll out of his Deck, he can’t draw it while he’s unable to Summon it. Stargel’s Deck is also a lot more defensive than typical X-Saber Decks, while remaining slightly more aggressive than ordinary Synchro Cat Decks.

Like many Synchro Cat Decks, Stargel is running Gravekeeper’s Spy and Gravekeeper’s Guard in his Deck. Stargel says the Gravekeeper’s engine provides him with a “strong defense” while giving him the Spellcasters he needs to Synchro Summon Arcanite Magician. This is especially important in Stargel’s X-Caliber Cat Deck, since he’s running 5 Level 3 Tuners that can be Tuned with any Gravekeeper’s monster to Synchro Summon Arcanite Magician.

The inclusion of XX-Saber Darksoul gives Stargel an extra monster he can choose to Special Summon with Super-Nimble Mega Hamster. He can use it to Special Summon a Tuner, X-Saber Airbellum, a non-Tuner, XX-Saber Darksoul, or a monster with a destructive effect, Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, depending on the cards he has in his hand or on the field. This easy access to the exact monster he needs, when he needs it, can give him a big edge over an ordinary Synchro Cat Deck. Stargel can also use the effect of his Darksoul to search for XX-Saber Fulhelmknight if he’s on the defensive or X-Saber Airbellum if he’s being aggressive. If he needs another non-Tuner, he can also choose to search his Deck for another Darksoul to add to his hand. The ability for Stargel’s X-Caliber Cat Deck to adapt to varying situations is one of its greatest strengths.

XX-Saber Fulhelmknight also lets Stargel set up some of his biggest plays. If he uses it to Special Summon Darksoul from his Graveyard, he can quickly Synchro Summon his monsters to bring out a stronger monsters and nab a free search for any X-Saber in his Deck. Special Summoning X-Saber Airbellum with the effect of XX-Saber Fulhelmknight is also a strong play for Stargel whenever his opponent has a clear field. It enables Stargel to score a direct hit with Airbellum and nail a free card from his opponent’s hand.

This ability for Stargel to limit his opponent’s options by discarding cards with Airbellum can be dangerous when coupled with Stargel’s power to increase his own options so easily. The effects of Darksoul and Pot of Avarice allow Stargel to easily load up his hand, and with cards like Gravekeeper’s Spy and Super-Nimble Mega Hamster helping Stargel quickly swarm his field and load up his Graveyard with Effect Monsters and Synchro Monsters, he’s easily able to put Pot of Avarice to use. Gravekeeper’s Spy and Super-Nimble Mega Hamster also make it easy for Stargel to perform Synchro Summons and Tribute Summon Caius the Shadow Monarch to get rid of his opponent’s troublesome cards.

“One of my favorite plays is Summoning Summoner Monk and using its effect to Special Summon Rescue Cat. Then I can Tribute Rescue Cat to Special Summon X-Saber Airbellum and Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, and Tune all 3 monsters together for Mist Wurm,” Stargel said. This is a play that most X-Saber Decks aren’t capable of making.

Stargel is also using Gottoms’ Emergency Call in his Main Deck. “Running Gottoms’ Emergency Call lets me be aggressive against X-Saber Decks,” he said. He can use it to revive his opponent’s X-Sabers. But even if his opponent isn’t running X-Sabers, Stargel has plenty of X-Sabers in his own Deck to revive with Gottoms’ Emergency Call.

Stargel’s X-Caliber Cat Deck puts a cool new twist on a slightly older Deck.