Naturia, Beast, and Amazoness Decks all got big boosts from Duelist Revolution, but the only completely new Deck theme to make its debut in the set is Scraps: a new family of monsters based around reusing cards from the Graveyard, and Synchro Summoning a big attacker every turn.  Scrap Decks want to send Scrap Goblin and Scrap Beast, Level 3 and Level 4 Tuners respectively, to the Graveyard.  Then, they can Normal Summon the Level 4 Scrap Chimera, and its effect Special Summons either Tuner so it can be Tuned to the Chimera.

The Chimera can only Tune with other “Scrap” monsters, and it has to Summon “Scrap” Synchro Monsters, so you use it to Synchro Summon the Level 7 Scrap Archfiend and Level 8 Scrap Dragon. Both monsters have a lot of Attack Points, and Scrap Dragon also has an effect that simultaneously destroys 1 card on each side of the field once per turn. That effect is more than just good, its also the basis of a really strong strategy.

Scrap Goblin and Scrap Beast each have an effect that triggers when they’re destroyed by the effect of a “Scrap” card and sent to the Graveyard: they let you return a “Scrap” monster with a different name from your Graveyard to your hand.  So if you destroy your own Scrap Tuner with Scrap Dragon, you’ll destroy one of your opponent’s cards, and get to add a “Scrap” monster from your Graveyard to your hand.  If you take Scrap Chimera,you can Summon it next turn, use its effect to Special Summon another Tuner, and Synchro Summon again. It’s a combo McCarthy can repeat over and over.

Scrap Goblin and Scrap Beast are integral to the deck’s early game plans, too.  The Spell Card Scrapstorm lets you pick a face-up “Scrap” monster you control.  Then it sends a “Scrap” monster of your choosing from your Deck to the Graveyard, lets you draw a card, and destroys the “Scrap” monster you picked at activation.

If you pick your face-up Scrap Goblin or Scrap Beast, then send Chimera to the Graveyard, you’ll be able to add Chimera to your hand once Scrapstorm’s effect destroys the Goblin or Beast.  Sound a little complicated?  Think of it this way: if your opening hand has Scrapstorm and a Scrap Tuner, you have everything you need to get Scrap Chimera and start Synchro Summoning on your second turn.

Kenneth McCarthy is one of the intrepid Duelists piloting Scraps here this weekend.  Here’s what his build looks like:

Monsters:

2 Scrap Golem

3 Scrap Beast

3 Scrap Goblin

3 Scrap Chimera

2 Battle Fader

1 Breaker the Magical Warrior

1 Cyber Dragon

1 Spirit Reaper

1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness

Spells:

3 Scrapstorm

1 Scrapyard

1 Mind Control

1 Foolish Burial

1 Giant Trunade

2 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Dark Hole

1 Monster Reborn

Traps:

2 Dust Tornado

3 Dimensional Prison

1 Magic Drain

1 Torrential Tribute

1 Mirror Force

1 Trap Hole

2 Bottomless Trap Hole

1 Solemn Judgment

Extra Deck:

3 Scrap Dragon

2 Scrap Archfiend

2 XX-Saber Gottoms

1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

1 Black Rose Dragon

2 Stardust Dragon

1 Thought Ruler Archfiend

1 Colossal Fighter

1 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon

“I decided to play Scraps because it’s so similar to decks like Blackwings (the Special Summoning) and Zombies (working from the Graveyard), two Decks I never got to run in their best formats.”  McCarthy is playing 3 copies each of Scrap Beast, Scrap Goblin, Scrap Chimera, and Scrapstorm, since they’re the heart of the Deck’s Synchro Summoning strategy.

He’s also playing Scrap Golem, a Level 5 monster that can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower “Scrap” monster from his Graveyard to either side of the field each turn.  The Golem is cool because it opens up alot of useful plays: you can Special Summon Scrap Goblin to your side and Tune it to Golem for any Level 8 Synchro Summon, or send the 0 ATK Goblin to the opponent’s side of the field so you can attack through it and deal damage.

Scrap Golem can also Special Summon Scrap Beast, the Level 4 Tuner.  That lets McCarthy pull a page from the X-Saber Deck’s playbook by Synchro Summoning XX-Saber Gottoms: he can Synchro Summon it by Tuning Beast and Golem, since they’re both EARTH monsters. McCarthy: “I can Tribute Scrap Beast for Golem, then Special Summon Beast to Tune for Gottoms and beat Stardust Dragon or Gladiator Beast Heraklinos.”

McCarthy runs Battle Fader to keep up his defenses, and it helps him Tribute Summon Scrap Golem.  But he doesn’t actually have to Tribute Summon the Golem to get it to the field: he can bring it out with Scrap Dragon, too. Scrap Dragon’s destruction effect and 2800 ATK means that it’s being played in all sorts of Decks this weekend, but it has a second effect that’s for Scrap Duelists only: when it’s destroyed by an opponent’s card and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon a non-Synchro “Scrap” monster from your Graveyard.  Scrap Golem is the Special Summon of choice, because as long as it survives until your next Main Phase, its effect will allow the Scrap Duelist to Special Summon a second time without any cost.

Once McCarthy’s Graveyard is has the Tuners he needs, he can use his Scrapstorms to send Scrap Golem to the Graveyard instead of more Goblins or Beasts, making it easy to set up the Dragon + Golem combo.  Remember, Golem can Special Summon Scrap Goblin, letting you Synchro Summon another Scrap Dragon.

That means you can repeat the combo each time your Scrap Dragon is destroyed as long as you have another one in your Extra Deck. Using Scrap Golem this way doesn’t even require a Normal Summon, which means that once he’s cleared away Spells and Traps with Scrap Dragon, McCarthy is free to Summon another Scrap Chimera and really put the pressure on his opponents.

Don’t forget, Scrap Dragon’s effect can also be used to destroy Scrap Goblin or Scrap Beast, triggering their effects.  That means that once McCarthy has a single Scrap Dragon, he can destroy 1 of his Tuners each time he uses the Dragon’s effect to destroy 1 of his opponent’s cards, getting back a card in the process.  That doesn’t just mean he’ll destroy cards without losing any: it also means he can trade his Tuners for more Chimeras, and unleash more Synchro monsters.

With so many ways to put together fast, high-level Synchro Summons, this Deck could make a big impact over the coming months.  But for now, McCarthy is thinking only about this weekend.  His Scrap Deck is going to take alot of Dueliss off-guard, and that could lead to a strong performance in today’s Swiss Rounds.  That innovation may pay off.