In a Top 32 packed with Dino Rabbit and Wind-Up Decks, Marquis Henderson triumphed over the competition to take first place with his T.G. Deck! Take a look at the Deck he used and some of the strategies that helped him along the way.

Marquis Henderson – 1st Place

Monsters: 15

2 T.G. Striker

3 T.G. Warwolf

3 T.G. Rush Rhino

3 Reborn Tengu

2 Thunder King Rai-Oh

2 Beast King Barbaros

Spells: 7

3 Pot of Duality

1 Pot of Avarice

1 Monster Reborn

1 Dark Hole

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

Traps: 18

3 Horn of the Phantom Beast

3 Skill Drain

2 TG1-EM1

1 Solemn Warning

1 Solemn Judgment

2 Bottomless Trap Hole

1 Torrential Tribute

1 Mirror Force

2 Dimensional Prison

2 Starlight Road

While most Duelists in the Top 32 ran less than 10 Trap Cards, Henderson packed his Deck with a whopping 18 Traps! These Traps make up the heart of Henderson’s Deck. Unlike some of the other Decks in the Top 32, which shoot for a quick win without playing much defense, Henderson’s T.G. Deck takes a different approach. It uses its Trap Cards to control the pace of the Duel and limit the effectiveness of an opponent’s plays.

Henderson’s 3 copies of Skill Drain shut down most Decks, including Wind-Ups, by negating the effects of his opponent’s key monsters. T.G. Warwolf, which Henderson can Special Summon from his hand whenever a Level 4 or lower monster is Special Summoned, can also be used to defend against big plays, including the Wind-Up Hunter loop. When an opponent Special Summons a Wind-Up Shark or uses Wind-Up Rat’s effect in an effort to pull off the loop, Henderson Special Summons T.G. Warwolf from his hand so that it can’t be discarded and can let him search for a new monster.

Henderson’s hefty Trap lineup, which includes Bottomless Trap Hole and Dimensional Prison, can be used to take down the toughest monsters an opponent throws at him, while TG1-EM1 can steal an opponent’s strongest monster and turn the tables in Duel. Horn of the Phantom Beast allows Henderson to boost a monster’s ATK so that it can destroy almost anything, and then lets Henderson draw more cards as that monster wins battles.

While defending with his Trap Cards, Henderson’s T.G. lineup, consisting of 8 T.G. monsters, applies pressure to his opponents. Each of these monsters replaces itself with a new T.G. monster when it’s destroyed, giving Henderson a constant influx of monsters to use on the offensive. In a pinch, he can use his Tuner, T.G. Striker, to Synchro Summon a monster like T.G. Wonder Magician or Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. Henderson’s Beast King Barbaros, Thunder King Rai-Oh, and Reborn Tengu round out his monster lineup with some strong attackers that let Henderson land some heavy hits, even with (or especially with!) Skill Drain on the field.

The March 1st, 2012 Forbidden & Limited List forces some changes upon Henderson’s Deck. But the heart of his Deck – the heavy Trap lineup – remains entirely intact. In fact, his Trap lineup will be bolstered by the addition of a second copy of Torrential Tribute.

T.G. Striker became Limited on March 1st and Reborn Tengu became Semi-Limited, so Henderson will need to find replacements for those monsters in order to take his Deck into the new format. But even if Henderson’s monster lineup is modified, his incredible Trap lineup assures that the Deck remains competitive.

At YCS Atlanta, Henderson proved that a Trap-heavy Deck has what it takes to beat speedy Decks like Wind-Ups, Dino Rabbit, and Inzektors. This remains true even under the current Forbidden & Limited List. Following in Marquis Henderson’s footsteps, we’re likely to see lots of success from a bunch of different Trap-heavy Decks at future YCS tournaments.