Capturing three of the Top 4 spots at YCS Leipzig, Inzektors are one of the most popular decks going.  One Inzektor on its own might not be a problem, but when they swarm and work together, look out!  Inzektors command some of the most destructive combos of all time; since they have powerful search effects, they’re really easy to pull off.  Inzektors are strong because they let you do the following:

-Combo Inzektor Dragonfly and Inzektor Hornet to destroy an opposing card, and Special Summon Inzektor Centipede from your Deck.  Use Hornet and Centipede to blow away another card, and get another Dragonfly.

-Make easy Rank 3 Xyz Summons, thanks to Inzektor Dragonfly’s Special Summon ability and an entire hive of Level 3 monsters.

-Use search effects for relentless consistency.

Four Inzektor Duelists made it to the Top 16 of YCS Leipzig, but one stood out from the rest.  Ioannis Mourelatos played a bunch of cards most Inzektor Duelists aren’t running yet, and the result was more aggressive, more destructive, and less dependent on just one combo.  Here’s what he played – see if you can spot the cards that made his build unique!

Ioannis Mourelatos’ Inzektors – Top 4, YCS Leipzig

Monsters: 19

1 Dark Armed Dragon

2 Effect Veiler

1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness

3 Inzektor Centipede

3 Inzektor Dragonfly

1 Inzektor Giga-Mantis

3 Inzektor Hopper

3 Inzektor Hornet

2 Maxx “C”

Spells: 17

1 Allure of Darkness

1 Book of Moon

1 Dark Hole

2 Forbidden Lance

1 Heavy Storm

3 Inzektor Sword – Zektkaliber

1 Mind Control

1 Monster Reborn

3 Mystical Space Typhoon

3 Pot of Duality

Traps: 6

2 Fiendish Chain

2 Solemn Warning

1 Torrential Tribute

1 Trap Dustshoot

Extra Deck: 15

1 Ally of Justice Catastor

1 Armory Arm

1 Black Rose Dragon

1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

1 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon

2 Leviair the Sea Dragon

1 Number 17: Leviathan Dragon

1 Number 20: Giga-Brilliant

1 Number 39: Utopia

1 Number C39: Utopia Ray

1 Scrap Dragon

1 Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

2 Wind-Up Zenmaines

Side Deck: 15

1 Cyber Dragon

2 D.D. Crow

2 Deck Devastation Virus

2 Dimensional Prison

1 Effect Veiler

2 Royal Decree

2 Snowman Eater

3 Thunder King Rai-Oh

Mourelatos played more themed Inzektor cards than we’ve ever seen in the final tables of a YCS, and the results were surprising.  Most Inzektor Decks are really focused on the Dragonfly / Hornet combo. They can wreak a lot of havoc, but they have trouble with cards like Effect Veiler and Fiendish Chain, which can stop you from equipping Inzektor Hornet and destroying cards.  Most Inzektors really lose their sting without their effects, so Mourelatos created a deck that could beat those negation cards while also making strong attacks in entirely different ways.  Here’s a look at the cards that let him do that.

Hop To It!

Most Inzektor Duelists that have been topping major tournaments don’t play Inzektor Hopper, but Mourelatos played a full three copies.  Hopper is a Level 4 monster with 1700 ATK, and when it’s treated as an equip card, you can send it to the Graveyard to let the monster it was attached to make a direct attack.  That’s a good way to get in some fast damage, but it also accomplishes a lot of other things:

-With 1700 ATK, Inzektor Hopper is a solid attacker.  Combined with ATK-boosting effects, it’s a big threat to your opponent’s Life Points.  Even just Inzektor Hornet gets Hopper to 2200 ATK.

-Like most Inzektors, Hopper can equip another Inzektor from your hand or Graveyard.  That gives you more ways to destroy your opponent’s cards with Hornet.

-By equipping Hopper to Inzektor Dragonfly or Inzektor Centipede, Mourelatos could send it to the Graveyard for its ability, triggering the search effect of the equipped Inzektor.  Mourelatos played Hopper instead of Foolish Burial or Tour Guide from the Underworld, because he knew that Hopper’s effect would let him search his Dragonflies and Hornets.

By playing Inzektor Hopper, Mourelatos created opportunities for entirely new Duel-winning combos.  Playing it also opened the door for another “Inzektor” card…

A New Kaliber Of Aggression

Inzektor Sword – Zektkaliber is an Equip Spell that boosts an Inzektor by 800 ATK.  If it’s ever face-up and sent to the Graveyard, you can return an Inzektor from your Graveyard to your hand.  Most Equip Spells are tough to play, because if the equipped monster’s destroyed you lose two cards – your monster and your Equip.  But when Inzektor Sword hits the Graveyard, you can grab an Inzektor monster to replace it.  By playing Zektkaliber, Mourelatos got a bunch of cool advantages:

-He could deal more damage, and win faster.

-Smaller Inzektors became more threatening, attacking over monsters they normally couldn’t handle.

-He could reuse Inzektor Dragonfly with ease.

-He could tackle Dino Rabbit Decks more easily, because they have a tough time getting past a 2500 ATK Inzektor Hopper.

Mourelatos was the only Inzektor Duelist in the Top 16 to play Forbidden Lance, too.  Lance reduces the ATK of a targeted monster by 800, giving Mourelatos more ways to trump Evolzar Laggia or Evolzar Dolkka.  It also protects the targeted monster from the effects of Spells and Traps for a turn.  That’s important, because it meant that if Mourelatos tried to equip an Inzektor and his opponent responded with Fiendish Chain, Mourelatos could chain Lance and still use his effect.  Again, the result is more aggression, both with combos and through battle.

Looking Forward

This Deck doesn’t lose much in the new Advanced Format: you’ll have to drop Trap Dustshoot and Trishula, but that’s not a big deal.  Not only will Inzektors continue to be a powerful Deck, but as Dino Rabbit sees more play (it won YCS Leipzig), this variant will become more powerful.  Mourelatos really played to the Inzektor theme, and the result is a Deck that’s better-equipped to handle some of the biggest challenges in Dueling.