Shaddoll

"Shaddoll" (シャドール Shadōru) is an archetype that debuted in Duelist Alliance. Their focus is the Fusion Summon of the more powerful "El Shaddoll" monsters, which restrict or punish Special Summons. The Main Deck "Shaddoll" monsters all have Flip Effects that focus on searching and field advantage, as well as secondary effects that focus on regaining advantage whenever they are sent to the Graveyard.

Appearance
The "Shaddoll" cards appear to be darker puppet versions of cards from other archetypes (including some from the Duel Terminal world), with their threads coming from the back of "El-Shaddoll Nephilim".

Etymology
"Shaddoll" is a portmanteau of the words "shadow" and "doll". "El Shaddoll" is a play on "El Shaddai", one of the Judaic names of God.

Story
In the abyss of this world, there is a certain something called the "Shaddoll Roots" (The Primordial "Core" of Shadow-Possession) which gives birth to shadows that absorb light, the "Shaddoll". "El-Shaddoll Nephilim" uses these shadow strings to control the manifested shadows, and with this to extend its influence and power...

Playing style
Although the main strategy of the deck is the Fusion Summon of "El-Shaddoll" monsters, the "Shaddoll" monsters themselves are rather disruptive, such as "Shaddoll Dragon", who bounces cards when flipped face-up or "Shaddoll Lizard", who destroys monsters when flipped. They also have extra effects that activate when sent to the Graveyard, such as "Dragon", which destroys the opponent's Spell/Trap cards. "Shaddoll Falcon" Special Summons itself in face-down Defense Position, while "Shaddoll Hedgehog" searches for more Shaddolls from the Deck. These effects give the player advantage and set ups for future plays, while punishing the opponent. Because "Shaddoll Falcon" is also a Tuner, a "Shadoll" player also can have Synchro Summoning options.

However all "Shaddoll" monsters can only use one of their effects and only once that turn so while the players are advised discretion, they can also plan ahead. Cards like "Facing the Shadows" can be very effective since they can send a "Shaddoll" monster from the Deck to the Graveyard and then flip any possible Set "Shaddoll" monsters to use many effects in combination during the opponent's turn.

All "El-Shaddoll" monsters can recycle the "Shaddoll" Spell/Traps as long as they are sent to the Graveyard, so even if their are destroyed during or after their Summoning they can still re-add cards like "Shaddoll Fusion" to prepare a Fusion Summon the next turn. Since using "Shaddoll Fusion" involves sending "Shaddoll monsters" to the Graveyard by a card effect, their effects can be activated as soon as one attempts to Fusion Summon them, creating even more advantage. One can also use "Cursed Shadow's Snare" to not only weaken the opponent's monsters but also use their monsters as Fusion Materials.

Sworndolls
This deck incorporates "Lightsworns" into the deck, to use their milling abilities to trigger the effects of "Shaddoll" monsters when sent to the Graveyard by a card effect. Since they are LIGHT monsters, they can be used as fodder for "El Shaddoll Nephilim", who requires a LIGHT monster as one of its Fusion Material Monsters. Cards like "Wulf, Lightsworn Beast", and "Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner" can be used for swarming. "Raiden, Lightsworn Assailant" in conjunction with "Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden" and "Shaddoll Falcon", open up Synchro Summon plays since they are Tuners. One can also use the powerful "Judgment Dragon", "Lightray" and "Chaos" monsters as well.You can also use Lightpulsar Dragon for triggering their effects.

Dollfacts
This variant mixes "Artifact" monsters with "Shaddolls". Usually, "Artifact Moralltach" and "Artifact Beagalltach" are used because they are the easiest to use in any Deck. Using cards like "Artifact Sanctum", the Deck can incorporate swarming and LIGHT fodder for "El-Shaddoll Nephilim", while including disrupting effects like "Moralltach" and "Sanctum" destroying cards. Since the "Artifacts" are Level 5, they can open Rank 5 Xyz Summon plays as well as level 7 Synchro Summons. With "Falcon" and any Artifact, it is possible to Summon "Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn", a powerful monster that can banish any card, further punishing the opponent and being an effective weapon against mirror matches.