We just saw Matthew Nunn defeat Dueling veteran Ryan Spicer in our Round 9 Feature Match, taking a 2-1 victory with an all-new build of Samurai that’s devastated opponents this weekend!  Forget Upstart Goblin: this Deck uses Shien’s Dojo, Elder of the Six Samurai, and Asceticism of the Six Samurai to Synchro Summon Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En and Naturia Beast with horrifying consistency on turn 1.  Here’s what Nunn’s Deck looks like:

Matthew Nunn’s Ascetic Samurais – 40 Cards
Monsters: 14
3 Legendary Six Samurai – Kizan
3 Kagemusha of the Six Samurai
2 Legendary Six Samurai – Kageki
2 Elder of the Six Samurai
1 Grandmaster of the Six Samurai
1 Legendary Six Samurai – Enishi
1 Shien’s Squire
1 Hand of the Six Samurai

Spells: 19
3 Asceticism of the Six Samurai
3 Shien’s Dojo
3 Six Samurai United
3 Shien’s Smoke Signal
2 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Giant Trunade
1 Monster Reborn
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 Book of Moon
1 Gateway of the Six

Traps: 7
3 Double-Edged Sword Technique
2 Solemn Warning
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Royal Oppression

Take everything you know about Six Samurais, and then amp it up to a whole new level.  The old combos still remain: Nunn can Normal Summon Legendary Six Samurai – Kageki and use its effect to Special Summon Kagemusha of the Six Samurai for Shi En, sure.  But in a field where Effect Veiler is everywhere, that combo’s taken a back seat.  Shien’s Dojo lets Nunn Summon a Level 4 Samurai like Kizan, Special Summon Shien’s Squire, and go straight into Shi En OR Naturia Beast depending on his matchup.  He can also use Kageki to bring down any other Samurai, throw 2 Bushido Counters on Dojo, and then search Kagemusha out that way.

He can do the same thing with Asceticism of this Six Samurai. It’s a Quick-Play Spell Card that lets Nunn select a Six Samurai he controls and Special Summon a Six Samurai from his Deck with a different name and matching ATK.  That means that if he can Summon Elder of the Six Samurai or Kagemusha, he can bring out whichever one he doesn’t have – straight from his Deck – with Asceticism.  Again, since both monsters are EARTH, he can use them to Synchro Summon Shi En or Naturia Beast.  The Spell-driven combos are so strong that Nunn doesn’t even play a full 3 copies of Kageki.  It’s better to max out on the combo pieces that can’t be stopped by Veiler.

With an even greater capacity to stack Samurai monsters to the Graveyard, Nunn can make incredible use of Legendary Six Samurai – Enishi, as well.  Bouncing away opposing Synchro Monsters, defenders, or big attackers – and doing it on EITHER Duelist’s turn – Enishi is a defensive powerhouse and an aggressive enabler.  We first saw Enishi make an impact in Thomas Alexander’s hands, as he made Top 32 last month at YCS Anaheim.

It was an interesting call there, as Alexander was running a quirky Samurai build that featured Main Decked Dimensional Fissures: a Continuous Spell that actually conflicts with Enishi’s need for Samurais in the Graveyard.  It still won him Matches anyways, including his Day 1 Feature Match.  But it’s a much better fit here in Nunn’s Deck, with Dojo and Asceticism bringing so many more Samurais to the field, and with more Synchro Summoning sending those monsters to the Graveyard.  The versatility of Enishi can’t be overstated, and it absolutely shines here.

Matthew Nunn’s Samurai Deck is faster, more consistent, and far more disruptive than the Samurai strategies we’re used to seeing.  With an 8-1 record headed into Round 10, he’s making a strong bid for the Top 32, and could very well be a shoe-in.