Raidraptor

"Raidraptor", known as "Raid Raptors" ( Reido Raputāzu) in the OCG, is an archetype of DARK Winged Beast-Type monsters used by Shay in Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V. They made their debut in Secrets of Eternity.

Appearance
"Raidraptor" monsters resemble various genus and species of birds of prey, albeit with a mechanized appearance and equipped with weaponry. Most of the Level 4 monsters with the exception of "Raidraptor - Necro Vulture" are based on the lanius, a genus of passerine birds in the shrike family, while a large number of the Extra Deck monsters are based on falcons. Additional monster support includes cards based on vultures, eagles, and strixes, a genus of earless owls. The Level 3 and Rank 3 monsters are based on eagles, while the members based on vultures and strixes are from different Levels and Ranks. This naming pattern can be likened to codenames of different members belonging to the same military unit.

Playing style
In the anime, this archetype's strategy is heavily focused on Xyz Summoning with the use of monsters with the same name (multiple copies of the same monster). In the OCG and TCG, however, the archetype's effects mostly support any "Raidraptor" monster/card, which leads to a more general focus on quick Xyz Summons of "Raidraptor" Xyz Monsters. Most of these Xyz Monsters have effects that punish Special Summoned monsters on the field.

The effects of the Main Deck monsters are usually activated during the Main Phase of the turn that they were Normal or Special Summoned, and they focus on swarming the field to Xyz Summon Rank 4 or Rank 5 monsters. Cards like "Vanishing Lanius", "Sharp Lanius", and "Fuzzy Lanius" allow quick special summoning from the hand or graveyard, while "Mimicry Lanius", "Tribute Lanius", "Force Strix", "Nest", and "Call" search free cards from the deck. (The archetype also has access to other summoning and/or searching effects that benefit Level 4 and Winged Beast-type monsters, such as "Summoner Monk" and "Swallow's Nest".)

The Xyz Monsters generally have low ATK and high DEF for their Rank, but they make up for this with extremely powerful effects: "Rise Falcon" can gain a large amount of ATK, while "Blaze Falcon" can attack directly and destroy monsters with its effects. "Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon" combines elements of both of these effects. "Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon" is the first inversion, with high ATK but a more restrained effect in regards to monsters.

"Raidraptors" also have a Rank-Up strategy that includes a high number of Quick-Play Spell Cards in addition to the usual Normal Spell Card "Rank-Up-Magics"; generally, either any Xyz Monster can be Rank-Up into a "Raidraptor" monster, or any "Raidraptor" monster can be Ranked-Up into any Xyz Monster. "Rank-Up-Magic Raptor's Force" can be used to revive fallen Xyz Monsters and then evolve them into more powerful forms, or "Rank-Up-Magic Revolution Force" can Rank-Up either their own monsters or their opponent's, effectively acting as impromptu removal, though this will deny full access to "Revolution Falcon's" effects unless one is retaking control of one of their monsters or the opponent also uses "Raidraptors". "Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force" is a simple "Rank-Up-Magic" that can also recover other "Rank-Up-Magics" by banishing itself and a "Raidraptor" from the player's hand; a cost that is somewhat mitigated by the high search power that "Raidraptors" boast. "Rank-Up-Magic Soul Shave Force" is extremely flexible; at the simple cost of half of the player's LP it can revive any "Radiraptor" Xyz Monster and Rank-Up that monster to any Xyz Monster that is two Ranks higher. "Rank-Up-Magic Death Double Force" is similar to "Raptor's Force", but in exchange for only being able to revive monsters that were destroyed in battle, it can Special Summon any Xyz Monster with double the revived monster's Rank. The difficulty of dealing with the multiple Ranks of the Xyz Monsters can be somewhat eased by the effect of "Raidraptor - Last Strix", which can Tribute itself to Special Summon any "Raidraptor" Xyz Monster from the Extra Deck for the turn with its effects negated.

"Raidraptors" overall run in a manner similar to the "Blackwing" archetype. They can swarm, and have different and flexible effects, but rely mostly on their proficiency in battle to achieve victory against the opponent. Both are DARK Winged Beast archetypes, and some "Blackwing" monsters such as "Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite" fit well inside the deck, due to their Level or effects, while also being searchable by "Force Strix".