Graveyard Reliance and Its Counters

The current format features decent diversity—seven different decks showed up in the Top 16 of the Luxury Championship Series. However, it appears that most strategies coincidentally rely on the graveyard, in one way or another, some more than others. You should build your side deck accordingly, and you can!

Right now, most viable decks heavily rely on the graveyard to make their plays. It's a theme common enough to prompt some swift replies in the side deck. Looking over the state of the format, here's the Top 16 breakdown of the Luxury Championship Series XIV:

5 Pure Zoodiac
4 Zoodiac Tri-Brigade
3 Dragon Link
1 Drytron
1 Dogmatika Invoked Shaddoll
1 Prank-Kids
1 @Ignister

The latest Benelux Extravaganza wasn't much different. Just swap Prank-Kids and @Ignister for Dinosaurs and Paleo Frogs.

How Deep Is the Grave Reliance Here?

First up, let's head to the zoo. Zoodiac needs to send to the graveyard to bring it back with as an xyz material, or for to summon it back to the field, yet Zoodiac isn't exactly that dependent on the graveyard in comparison to the other decks we are going to discuss. Sure, it is nice to be able to summon back a , but going second, all the deck needs to do is summon a and attack with it before overlaying into a few more materials to fuel .

Next on the list is Tri-Brigade. One card that adds durability to the deck and helps it stage unlikely comebacks is . My colleague Robin Schrecklinger even wrote an entire article about it because of the confusion it causes players in its interaction with some cards. Anyway, the deck relies heavily on the graveyard since most of the on-theme monsters let you manipulate the graveyard to summon a beast, beast-warrior, or winged beast link monster from the extra deck while fueling your graveyard with materials. and are good examples of the deck's graveyard reliance.

Moving on to Dragon Link decks. helps fuel the graveyard to get your plays going, either through or . helps bring back key options that you need from your graveyard to your hand such as , while ensures the continuation of your plays by giving you a sort of effect.

Up next is Drytron. helps start your plays by sending to the graveyard to trigger its search effects. Most of the Drytron monsters have the following text, "You can Tribute 1 other 'Drytron' monster, or 1 Ritual Monster, from your hand or field; Special Summon this card from your hand or GY in Defense Position," solidifying their reliance on the graveyard. Other cards such as also activate their effect in the graveyard.

Shaddoll monsters trigger their effects when sent to the graveyard and have utilize the graveyard to bring out or any other fusion Shaddoll monster. Meanwhile sends itself back to the deck from the graveyard to bring back a banished which tends to replace itself on the field with another monster while sitting tight in the graveyard, ready to be banished with said Invocation first. All Prank-Kids main deck monsters trigger in the graveyard, allowing you to continue your plays. Dinosaurs rely on destroying themselves and banishing from the graveyard while other decks not mentioned above such as Eldlich and Ogdoadic are also very graveyard-reliant decks.

Popular Graveyard Counters

Macro Cosmos and Friends

Although limited, is a card feared by many decks. It doesn't just deal with the graveyard – it turns it off completely. There are other options that act as a pseudo-Macro Cosmos such as , , and . Shenshen is generic and can be splashed into any deck that can synchro summon, while Shifter is a hand trap best utilized for going first. These cards might not be a huge problem for Zoodiac and, to some extent, maybe Tri-Brigade variants, but most other graveyard decks can't play around it.

Imperial Iron Wall and Artifact Lancea

is your reverse Macro Cosmos. Cards cannot be banished. The wording on the card is so simple, and yet so powerful. The card itself does not see much play currently, but given the impact it has on decks like Eldlich, Dragon Link, and Shaddoll, it might be worth a second look as it can stop a lot of cards on its own. There might be better options around though.

does something similar, but as a quick effect during the opponent's turn. While both cards are not specifically counters to graveyard cards, they stop effects that banish from the graveyard at least.

Necrovalley

"Cards in either player's Graveyard cannot be banished. Negate any card effect that would move a card in the Graveyard, other than itself, to a different place." When I was talking about better options, I meant this one. is far superior to Imperial Iron Wall. First, it is searchable not only by , but also by in addition to cards such as and . Moreover, it stops any card from leaving the graveyard except by its own effect while stopping any card from being banished. I would say this is probably the best floodgate against graveyard-reliant decks IF Edlich was not a factor since the spell and trap cards banish themselves to activate their own effects while can find its way out of the graveyard with its own effect.

Called by the Grave

Sadly limited, is one of the best cards that can deal with monsters in the graveyard, whether offensively or defensively. I hope the next Forbidden and Limited List will address this matter. Its versatility is enough for it to be included in most decks, even though it is a one-of and there is a decent chance you may not see it. It can stop Shaddoll monsters from triggering in the grave, can take care of Golden Lord, and can stop Prank-Kids from achieving that snowball of advantage that everyone fears.

Skull Meister and Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion

I wrote <a href=" https://insight.cardmarket.com/en/Insight/Articles/Graveyard-Shift-Crow-vs-Skull-vs-Ghost " target="_blank" rel="nofollow>an entire article comparing c{" name":"skull="" meister","displayname":"skull="" meister","frontimage":"="" static.cardmarket.com="" img="" 3660af732e89ee7bfadc4b521fe525c1="" cardimagenotavailable.png","producturl":"https:="" www.cardmarket.com="" en="" yugioh="" cards="" skull-meister"},="" c{"name":"ghost="" belle="" &="" haunted="" mansion","displayname":"ghost="" mansion","frontimage":"https:="" product-images.s3.cardmarket.com="" 5="" wi26="" 898597="" 898597.jpg","producturl":"https:="" ghost-belle-haunted-mansion"},="" and="" c{"name":"d.d.="" crow","displayname":"d.d.="" crow","frontimage":"https:="" qcac="" 813684="" 813684.jpg","producturl":"https:="" dd-crow"}="" how="" they="" deal="" with="" the="" graveyard.="" i="" would="" like="" to="" add="" a="" small="" update="" that="" article="" as="" we="" now="" have="" an="" updated="" ruling="" regarding="" activation="" of="" effects="" when="" card="" changes="" location="" before="" its="" activation.="" this="" new="" rule,="" d.d.="" crow="" c{"name":"ally="" justice="" cycle="" reader","displayname":"ally="" reader","frontimage":"https:="" mp25="" 843439="" 843439.jpg","producturl":"https:="" ally-of-justice-cycle-reader"}="" can="" prevent="" being="" sent="" graveyard="" from="" triggering="" their="" since="" are="" no="" longer="" in="" resolve.<="" p="">

<a href=" https://insight.cardmarket.com/en/Insight/Articles/Graveyard-Shift-Crow-vs-Skull-vs-Ghost " target="_blank" rel="nofollow>an entire article comparing c{" name":"skull="" meister","displayname":"skull="" meister","frontimage":"="" static.cardmarket.com="" img="" 3660af732e89ee7bfadc4b521fe525c1="" cardimagenotavailable.png","producturl":"https:="" www.cardmarket.com="" en="" yugioh="" cards="" skull-meister"},="" c{"name":"ghost="" belle="" &="" haunted="" mansion","displayname":"ghost="" mansion","frontimage":"https:="" product-images.s3.cardmarket.com="" 5="" wi26="" 898597="" 898597.jpg","producturl":"https:="" ghost-belle-haunted-mansion"},="" and="" c{"name":"d.d.="" crow","displayname":"d.d.="" crow","frontimage":"https:="" qcac="" 813684="" 813684.jpg","producturl":"https:="" dd-crow"}="" how="" they="" deal="" with="" the="" graveyard.="" i="" would="" like="" to="" add="" a="" small="" update="" that="" article="" as="" we="" now="" have="" an="" updated="" ruling="" regarding="" activation="" of="" effects="" when="" card="" changes="" location="" before="" its="" activation.="" this="" new="" rule,="" d.d.="" crow="" c{"name":"ally="" justice="" cycle="" reader","displayname":"ally="" reader","frontimage":"https:="" mp25="" 843439="" 843439.jpg","producturl":"https:="" ally-of-justice-cycle-reader"}="" can="" prevent="" being="" sent="" graveyard="" from="" triggering="" their="" since="" are="" no="" longer="" in="" resolve.<="" p="">Looking at the decklists from Luxury Championship Series XIV, it appears that most decks have chosen to either main or side Skull Meister as the superior option. Konami is also giving us affordable reprints for this popular card, which is something a lot of players need.

Are there any other cards that deal with the graveyard that you believe can or should be added to this list? Tell us about it in the comments section below!

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