In the previous format, one Deck that didn’t get nearly as much love as it once had was Synchro Cat withFlamvell Firedog, Flamvell Magician, and Rekindling.. Using Flamvell Firedog, Flamvell Magician, Gravekeeper monsters, and Rescue Cat, this Flamvell Deck made very large waves at premier tournaments all over the world. Flamvell Firedog’s 1900 ATK, combined with the fantastic defense of Gravekeeper’s Spy and Super-Nimble Mega Hamster provide an excellent base to a strategy that Summons Level 8 Synchro Monsters at alarming speeds.

With the release of Duelist Revolution, a lot of great new cards became available for this Deck. With Solemn Warning, you’re able to protect your important monsters cards from things like Caius the Shadow Monarch and Black Rose Dragon. And thanks to Pot of Duality, you’re able to get exactly what you need when you need it, a very important factor in any Deck.

Now that Rescue Cat is no longer allowed in Advanced Format Decks due to the new Forbidden and Limited List as of September 1st, a new twist has to be put into motion in order to keep the Deck moving forward. James Neumann is one of the Duelists looking to make this twist happen.

Neumann has made a new sort of Synchro Cat Deck that he likes to call “Synchro Dog”. This Deck still uses the Flamvell monsters and Rekindling, but has eliminated the old Decks reliance on Rescue Cat. The the end result is one of the most consistent and powerful Decks at the tournament today, which you can see in action in this Round 1 Feature Match. Here’s what it looks like:

Monsters: 18

3 Flamvell Firedog

3 Flamvell Magician

3 Gravekeeper’s Spy

1 Gravekeeper’s Descendant

3 Super-Nimble Mega Hamster

3 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter

2 Light and Darkness Dragon

Spells: 11

3 Pot of Duality

3 Rekindling

2 Book of Moon

1 Dark Hole

1 Giant Trunade

1 Monster Reborn

Traps: 12

2 Dimensional Prison

2 Trap Stun

3 Solemn Warning

2 Bottomless Trap Hole

1 Solemn Judgment

1 Trap Dustshoot

1 Mirror Force

“My main reason for playing this Deck is because I think it’s one of the only Decks people are not prepared for and I think I can take a lot of people by surprise considering that.” Neumann decided “Synchro Dog” was a good choice due to the fact that Decks like it are played much less in tournaments at the moment when compared to other Decks like X-Sabers and Gladiator Beasts. This allows him to get attacks through more easily with Flamvell Firedog due to the opponent’s lack of preparation.

“I have really good matchups against Gladiator Beasts and Machina Decks, not to mention my X-Saber matchup is really good if they don’t know what I’m running. This usually lets me get a quick Firedog activation off, and I can usually set the pace from there.” With such a huge benefit gained from the activation of one Firedog, it’s easy for this Deck to explode and create a great wall of Stardust Dragon and Solemn Warning. With his opponents locked down and unable to counter, it’s only a matter of time before Neumann wins the Duel.

“Flipping Super-Nimble Mega Hamster and activating its effect to Special Summon Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, then summoning Flamvell Magician and Synchro Summoning into Stardust Dragon with [multiple Set Spell or Trap Cards] is one of my favorite plays this Deck makes.” With the power of Pot of Duality on his side, being able to get the one card he needs in order to make his big combos like this one is easier than ever.

“Three Solemn Warnings and three Pots of Duality make this Deck ridiculous, protecting my Set cards and making my Deck really consistent. This Deck will always have a turn one play.” This is something the Synchro Cat Deck fought with for ages. Hands with no possible set up or good plays are something of the past now thanks to Pot of Duality, Gravekeeper’s Spy, and Super-Nimble Mega Hamster.
With such a powerful set of new and unexpected cards together in one package, Synchro Dog just might be one of the Decks we see moving on to Day 2. On that note, it could also be a Deck we are going to see a lot of in the future of this format. With James Neumann at the helm, there’s no telling how far this Deck can go.