Ten years ago, back in 2003, Archfiends became their own Deck for the first time thanks to the “chess piece” Archfiends in Dark Crisis. Now, four more Archfiend cards are available in Judgment of the Light, making Archfiend Decks stronger than ever before!
First, there’s a new Archfiend boss monster!
Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror is a Level 8 monster with a whopping 3000 ATK! Once per turn, Archfiend Emperor lets you banish any Archfiend card from your hand or Graveyard to destroy any card on the field. You can’t Special Summon monsters other than Fiends while you control Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror; but for a dedicated Archfiend Deck that only Summons Fiends, that drawback is inconsequential.
Even though Archfiend Emperor is a Level 8 monster, it’s easy to Summon. You can Normal Summon it to the field without Tribute with half its original ATK and DEF. If you do this, Archfiend Emperor will be destroyed during the End Phase. Fortunately, you’ll still be able to use its effect to destroy an opponent’s card before your Emperor deserts you.
Joining the First Lord of Horror are two smaller support monsters that help your Archfiend Deck to get the cards it needs in the right places at the right times.
Archfiend Cavalry is a Level 4 Fiend with 1900 ATK and 0 DEF. If it’s destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon an Archfiend monster (other than Archfiend Cavalry) from your Graveyard. That monster can’t attack during the turn that it’s Special Summoned, but it’s free to immediately activate its effect.
Archfiend Heiress is a Level 3 Fiend with 1000 ATK and 0 DEF. If it’s sent to the Graveyard by a card effect or because it’s destroyed in battle, you can add any Archfiend card (other than Archfiend Heiress) from your Deck to your hand.
Archfiend Cavalry and Archfiend Heiress work great with one another, because they can recruit one another to your hand or field. In addition, they both work well with Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror because they can grab Archfiend Emperor.
Note that Archfiend Heiress can be Special Summoned from your Deck with the effect of Tour Guide from the Underworld. If you combine Archfiend Heiress with Tour Guide to Xyz Summon Wind-Up Zenmaines or Number 49: Fortune Tune, you’ll also be able to use your Heiress’s effect when it’s detached by the Continuous Effects of those cards.
And if you’re feeling like your Archfiends need a power boost, or some similarly Leveled friends, check out Archfiend Palabyrinth!
Archfiend Palabyrinth increases the ATK of all Fiend monsters by 500. Plus, once per turn, you can target an Archfiend monster you control and use Palabyrinth to banish another Fiend-type monster you control and Special Summon an Archfiend from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard with the same Level as the Archfiend monster you targeted.
Archfiend Palabyrinth is particularly useful with Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror. Normal Summon Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror from your hand with half of its original ATK and DEF, and use its effect to destroy an opponent’s card. Then, target Archfiend Emperor and banish one of your other Fiends with Palabyrinth to Special Summon another Archfiend Emperor from your Deck. Need another Fiend to banish? Try Shapesister. You can Special Summon it any time, and it’s a Fiend so you can play it while Archfiend Emperor is in play and banish it for Palabyrinth. And don’t forget, it’s a Tuner!
You can also combine all of the new Archfiend cards in Judgment of the Light with old DARK and Archfiend helpers, like Recurring Nightmare and Falling Down. By taking advantage of over a decade of card releases, you can build an Archfiend Deck that is stronger than ever before!