Qli

"Flavor text of "Qliphort Scout""

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"Qli", known as "Qliphort" (クリフォート Kurifōto) in the OCG, (note that the monsters still contain the term "Qliphort" in their names in the TCG) is an archetype of EARTH Machine-Type monsters introduced in The New Challengers that are designed to take advantage of the Pendulum Summon mechanic. This is reflected in the eye-shaped motifs visible in their appearances; these motifs are flanked by two crystals, one blue and another red, that are identical to the indicators of a Pendulum Scale.

Design
"Qliphort" is a pun on Qliphoth (lit. "peels", "shells" or "husks"), the representation of evil or impure spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism, and "fort". The Qliphoth is documented in some texts of Kabbalah, a set of teachings originated in Judaism. The ten emanations of Qliphoth form the Qliphoth Tree (aka "Tree of Death"), and each of them is associated with a type of demon and a Devil.

Most currently known "Qli" monsters are somehow or somewhat related to computing, as inferred from their names and flavor texts ("Access", "Alias", "Archive", "Assembler", "Disk", "Kernel", "Killer", "Shell", "Tool"). "Genome" refers to the genomes of biological organisms, as they bear resemblance with how computers store their data. Each name also referenes a member of the Qliphoth.

Playing style
Their focus is to Pendulum Summon monsters to fuel Tribute Summons, with effects that activate when Tributed or when Summoned by Tributing members of the archetype.

All "Qli" Pendulum Monsters have 2400/2800 ATK and 1000 DEF (except "Scout", who has 1000 ATK and 2800 DEF), like the "Monarchs", and possess the following effects:


 * Pendulum Effect: You cannot Special Summon any monsters, except "Qli" monsters (this effect cannot be negated).


 * Monster Effect: You can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. If this card was Special Summoned or Normal Summoned without Tributing, its Level becomes 4 and its original ATK becomes 1800. If this card was Normal Summoned, this card is unaffected by effects activated by monsters whose original Level or Rank is lower than this card's Level.

In addition, the "Qli" Effect Pendulum Monsters can manipulate the ATK of monsters on the field; those with a Pendulum Scale of 1 boost the ATK of your "Qli" monsters by 300, while those with a Scale of 9 reduce your opponent's monsters' ATK by 300.

Finally, each "Qli" Pendulum Monster is a unique combination of a Level from 5 to 8, and a Scale of 1 or 9, with the Level 5 ones being Normal Monsters with Pendulum Effects that provide card advantage for its owner, the Level 6 ones activating effects whenever they are Tributed and serving as spot removal, and the Level 7 and 8 triggering their effects when they are Tribute Summoned. The Level 9 and 10 are not Pendulum Monsters and each of them require 3 "Qli" monsters to be tributed for their Normal Summon.

Strategy
The main strategy is to use "Qliphort Scout" to gain card advantage, allowing Pendulum Summoning a number of "Qli" monsters. The effects of "Qliphort Carrier" and "Qliphort Helix" trigger when being Tributed, so by using them to Tribute Summon "Qliphort Disk", "Qliphort Shell" or the aces of the archetype: "Apoqliphort Towers" and "Apoqliphort Kernel", which resist card effects of any kind (with the exception of Continuous Monster Effects), can generate further Field Advantage.

"Qli" Decks support Tribute Summon, therefore they can put to use the "Monarch" series, which, depending on which Monarchs are used, can cripple the opponent in various ways. The Egyptian God Cards can also prove useful in this deck under certain situations, due to the tribute fodder provided. However, a Normal Summon can only be conducted once per turn. Hence to avoid potential Dead draws, "Monarch" monsters are rarely seen in decks for competitive plays. "Performapal Trampolynx" is a very good support for "Qliphort Scout". Its ability allows an extra search per turn and access to Special Summon non-Qliphort monsters like "Abyss Dweller" to grant extra powers against the opponent.

Spell Cards such as "Summoner's Art", "Saqlifice" and "Pot of Duality" contribute to searching the key card "Qliphort Scout". "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" is capable of searching either "Qliphort Scout" or "Performapal Trampolynx" with a drawback of one-turn delay. The defense line mainly consists Trap Cards that either wipe off opponents' monsters or prevent them from expanding. "Skill Drain" can dramatically increase the Damage output from "Qli" monsters and lockdown opponent's field monster effects. "Laser Qlip" is also worth including, as not only does it allow you to Normal Summon another "Qli" monster in addition to your regular Normal Summon each turn, it also prevents your opponent from negating the Normal Summons of your "Qli" monsters. Other powerful Trap Cards like "Vanity's Emptiness" and "Torrential Tribute" are suggested as well since "Qli" monsters have a fairly high ATK with the support of "Saqlifice" and returns to the Extra Deck when sent to the Graveyard, thus can be brought back to the field by Pendulum Summoning.

Weaknesses
Due to the fact that "Qli" Decks very much rely on "Qliphort Scout", a simple floodgate is to use cards with effects that can destroy opponent's Continuous Spell Cards, such as "Mystical Space Typhoon" and "Fairy Wind". These cards can also counter opponent's "Skill Drain" or "Vanity's Emptiness", which are common and can be fatal to certain decks if not dealt with. Cards like "Prohibition", "Thunder King Rai-Oh", "Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell", and "Mask of Restrict" that prohibits either the use of "Qliphort Scout" or Tribute Summon are effective as well, but they become futile once the opponent has already set up a field.

When playing a "Qli" deck, be aware of threats such as "Mystical Space Typhoon" and "Bottomless Trap Hole". It is suggested that before extending, clear the opponent's backrows as many as possible by using cards like "Night Beam", which counters free-chain cards such as "Mystical Space Typhoon" and "Sinister Shadow Games". "Qlimate Change" (can be searched by "Qliphort Scout") returns "Qli" monsters in the Extra Deck to hand and can be fairly effective when the opponent is focusing on destroying cards in Pendulum Zones.

While Towers and Kernel are the trump cards of this deck, owing to their immunity to almost all card effects, they are still vulnerable to Continuous Monster Effects. Monsters such as "Destiny Hero - Plasma" can shut these cards down completely, as not only he negate his opponent's Monster Effects, he can also equip an opponent's monster to himself, providing himself with an ample ATK boost. It is also interesting to note that usual Machine counters like "Chimeratech Fortress Dragon" while ineffective against most of the deck, can still be used against the Apoqliphort monsters, because they are not Pendulum Monsters.