Budget Deck: Skill Drain Archfiend

Skill Drain Archfiends

Hey everyone,

Curran back with another deck list for you.

With the release of the new ban list for January here, I've taken into account some deck ideas i had that couldn't get off the ground due to some consistency issues, be it 1 card or multiples.

With Tour Guide off the List, I've been able to test around with archfiends a bit more due to her search power, something that was hindered due to her being at 2 in the previous list.

Enough chit-chat, on with the deck:

monster line-up:

3x Archfiend Cavalry

3x Archfiend Emperor, First Lord of Horror

3x Archfiend Heiress

2x Archfiend Commander 

2x Trance Archfiend 

3x Tour Guide From the Underworld

2x Effect Veiler

2x Maxx "C"

2x Tragodia

spell line-up:

2x Falling Down

2x Forbidden Lance

2x Mystical Space Typhoon

2x Creature Swap

1x Dark Hole

1x Allure of Darkness

trap line-up:

3x Skill Drain

2x Archfiend's Roar

1x Escape from the Dark Dimension 

1x Call of the Haunted

1x Threatening Roar

extra deck:

1x Abyss Dweller
1x Downered Magician 
1x Evilswarm Thanatos
1x Number 66: Master Key Beetle
1x Number 101: Silent Honors Ark Knight
1x GaGaGa Cowboy
1x Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
1x Number 85: Crazy Box
1x Photon Papilloperative 
1x Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon
1x Number 49: Fortune Tune
1x Mechquipped Angineer
1x Leviar the Sea Dragon
1x Temtempo the Percussion Djinn
1x Wind-up Zenmaines 



the deck:


For someone who has never played archfiends before, it took a bit for me to get used to the deck. It seemed simple enough, use Cavalry to get back bigger archfiends that are in the grave through his effect when he's popped off, then using Satan to sit for days until they scoop because of a 3k beater they couldn't get over late game.
As Simple as this seems, it took a bit of time for me to get used to this idea of grave reliance. Adding Skill Drain to the equation just made my troubles that much more annoying when i only had so many options to go through during turns.
Or at least, that's what i thought for a while.
But eventually, i've gotten used to this idea, and eventually growing a liking to the deck.
Playing around skill drain was a big thing this deck is capable of if played correctly, which made it that much more fun.
Lets look at the star of the deck:

If this card is sent to the Graveyard because of a card effect or being destroyed by battle: You can add 1 "Archfiend" card from your Deck to your hand, except "Archfiend Heiress". You can only use the effect of "Archfiend Heiress" once per turn.

As simple as this card seems, The plays you're able to pull out of this card is phenomenal.

Since its searchable through Tour Guide, getting Heiress out the deck then utilizing her effect are a prime reason i chose this deck.

The search power heiress has isn't limited to Archfiend monsters, But also the trap in the deck, which can be a game-changer if used at the correct time.

One thing i see players try to combat is when heiress is detached from an xyz.

To clear this up, lets look at heiress' effect:

"If this card is sent to the graveyard because of a card effect"

This simple wording can make a difference if heiress' effect will activate when detached as an effect, or detached as a cost.

2 Level 3 monsters
During each of your Standby Phases: Gain 500 Life Points. This card cannot be targeted by card effects. If this face-up card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card instead. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: Target 2 Level 3 monsters in your Graveyard; shuffle them both into the Deck, and if you do, return this card from your Graveyard to the Extra Deck. You can only use this effect of "Number 49: Fortune Tune" once per turn.

2 Level 3 monsters
Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up Attack Position monster you control; change it to face-up Defense Position, and if you do, it cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects this turn.

There is one Crucial difference between these cards.

Angineer states that: 'you can detach 1 xyz material from this card,'

which means that this is a cost in order to activate this effect.

But, 

Fortune Tune states that: 'if this face-up card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 xyz material from this card instead.'

This effect, being a continuous effect, which heiress is able to activate off of.

Also, being an archfiend card, you're able to use cards like Falling and roar when you need them.

Satan allows for easy beating under skill drain,
but unlike most cards that are effected by the trap, his effect to destroy himself still applies at the end phase.
Its safe to keep that in mind to help get back with Calvary.

Overall the deck is fun to mess around with.
One thing to note is you want to do your silly shenanigans before skill drain is flipped,
the deck isn't hindered much under skill drain, but popping off things with emperor is a must before you lock the field down.


Q&A:



Why not two call of the haunted and one roar? seems to work a bit better for Cavalry.
This was just a personal preference, nothing between the two. You could easily swap between them.
I just chose with 2 roar because in some occasions i won't be able to get back a monster with cavalry, so i'd rather have him on the field as protection.


Favorite card in the deck?
Heiress hands down,
love the artwork.


What brought this deck about?
Just some ideas i had, nothing big behind it.





also i got a Facebooks now, would love to see ya there.



until next update.
Curran out-