Deck Profile – Billy Brake’s Fire Fists
In Round 1 we saw Billy Brake take a narrow, thrilling victory with the deck he calls “Blasting The Axis”! While most Fire Fist Duelists prior to this weekend were debating the virtues of the Level 3 “3-Axis” build versus the Level 4 “4-Axis” version, Brake was figuring out how to combine the two to create a more versatile strategy.
The key to Brake’s success? Constant access to removal effects with Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear and Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Cardinal, and perhaps more importantly, repeatable plays that let him recycle Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Spirit.
[Check back later this weekend to see the complete Deck list!]
To me, the real genius here is the way Brake abuses Fire Formation – Tensu in conjunction with Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Lion Emperor. By Summoning Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Spirit, bringing back a Level 3, and then making Lion Emperor, Brake can use the Emperor’s effect to recur Spirit and use it again. And that’s good, but a couple of 2200 ATK monsters don’t often win Duels all on their own. It’s the ability to plunk down Tensu and use it create field-clearing plays in tandem with Lion Emperor that really makes this strategy. That lets him Brake escape the linear play patterns that make other Fire Fist Decks predictable, allowing aggressive attacks, controlling set-ups, or both. If he can control the game well enough to keep a Lion Emperor on the field for two full turns, its effect can quickly overwhelms an opponent. “No one understands how good that card is,” remarked Brake. “Everybody underestimates it.”
Rekindling and Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos provide even more Special Summoning power, giving Brake a mid-game swarming trick as well as a versatile 2800 ATK beater that can keep coming back, again and again. He maxes out on both to capitalize on the opportunities Bear and Cardinal create, allowing him a more explosive playstyle that most opponents just aren’t prepared for. Note that Rekindling works with a number of monsters here: Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Leopard; Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Spirit; and even Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Lion Emperor are all compatible, making the payoff for Lion Emperor sequences even higher.
With the recursive power of Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Spirit and Rekindling in the mix, Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos lets Brake load up his graveyard for instant Special Summons. He can use Phoenix Wing Wind Blast the same way, creating holes in his opponent’s defenses while setting up his graveyard for bigger combos. Note that while Brake only runs one copy of Coach Soldier Wolfbark, he can search it out as needed with Fire Formation – Tenki; it’s another strong card that helps him make the most of the graveyard infrastructure this deck naturally builds.
All that aside, it’s worth pointing out that Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Rooster plays a starring role here – Brake plays a full three copies. The classic combo that’s made this card so famous is to Normal Summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Spirit to Special Summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Leopard and Synchro Summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Horse Prince. That quick combo lets you Summon Rooster straight from your Deck, triggering its effect to search a Fire Fist monster for free. Rooster’s second ability then lets you trade a used Fire Formation – Tenki from your field for another, effectively getting you another free card. Note that while the Horse Prince maneuver is the trademark Rooster combo, you can also trigger Rooster’s search effect and bring its second ability online just by Special Summoning it with Spirit – that’s easier to do here than in other Fire Fist builds since Brake has such an incredible capacity to retrieve Spirit with Lion Emperor.
Billy Brake’s innovative Fire Fist build could carry him to Day 2, here in the same city where his reign as a Champion first begun. How poetic would it be if Brake were to score his third win, right here, in YCS Toronto?
