Structure Deck: Shaddoll Showdown was just released on Friday, and it has already made its mark on competitive Dueling. Carl Manigat from New York used his Invoked Shaddoll Deck, packed with cards from this new Structure Deck, to take second place in this weekend’s Ultimate Duelist Series Invitational – Winter 2020. Check out the Deck he used to do it!

Monsters: 19
3 Aleister the Invoker
1 Naelshaddoll Ariel
1 Performage Trick Clown
3 Reeshaddoll Wendi
3 Shaddoll Beast
2 Shaddoll Dragon
3 Shaddoll Hedgehog
3 Shaddoll Squamata

Spells: 21
3 Allure of Darkness
3 El Shaddoll Fusion
3 Invocation
3 Magical Meltdown
3 Pot of Desires
3 Shaddoll Fusion
3 Super Polymerization

Traps: 0

Extra Deck: 15
1 Borrelsword Dragon
1 Cross-Sheep
1 El Shaddoll Apkallone
2 El Shaddoll Construct
2 El Shaddoll Winda
1 Gravity Controller
1 Invoked Caliga
1 Invoked Elysium
1 Invoked Mechaba
1 Invoked Purgatrio
1 Salamangreat Almiraj
1 Secure Gardna
1 World Chalice Guardragon Almarduke

Side Deck: 15
3 D.D. Crow
3 Droll & Lock Bird
3 Evenly Matched
2 Lightning Storm
2 Retaliating “C”
1 Starving Venom Fusion Dragon
1 Resh Shaddoll Incarnation

Manigat’s Deck is full of cards from Structure Deck: Shaddoll Showdown, including 3 copies of Reeshaddoll Wendi, a Naelshaddoll Ariel, and 2 copies of El Shaddoll Apkallone. His Deck is built to Fusion Summon powerful Shaddoll monsters including El Shaddoll Winda, which many other Duelists and Decks struggle to get through. Shaddoll Fusion is arguably the most powerful card in Manigat’s Deck, since a single activation of it can set off a string of effects and Summon a powerful monster while his opponent controls a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck. But Manigat’s Deck can also function without using Shaddoll Fusion to its fullest extent.

By using Aleister and Invocation in his Deck with the Shaddoll monsters, Manigat also opens up another avenue for Fusion Summoning. Although Invocation typically is used to banish monsters from the Graveyard and Fusion Summon an Invoked Fusion Monster, it can also be used in a pinch to fuse together Shaddolls in Manigat’s hand and Fusion Summon an El Shaddoll monster. El Shaddoll Fusion gives Manigat another way to reliably Fusion Summon his best Shaddoll monsters and pin down opponents with El Shaddoll Winda or El Shaddoll Construct.

The Link Monsters in Manigat’s Deck support his Fusion strategy by opening up zones for them to be Summoned into. Plus, Cross-Sheep’s effect, which lets him Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from his Graveyard when a Fusion Monster is Summoned to a zone it points to, helps Manigat extend his field and wipe out his opponent’s Life Points.

Manigat only had a couple of days to practice with this Deck, since Structure Deck: Shaddoll Showdown was just released a few days ago; but already he has proven the strength of Shaddolls and its potential to be a top contender in the new Advanced Format. Be on the lookout for Shaddoll Decks like Carl Manigat’s at next week’s Team Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series event in Las Vegas!