The Agent

"The Agent" (代行者 Daikōsha) is an archetype consisting of LIGHT Fairy-Type monsters. They were introduced in Ancient Sanctuary, and were reprinted in Dark Revelation Volume 2. They made a return in the new Lost Sanctuary Structure Deck. These monsters are especially designed for Decks containing the card "The Sanctuary in the Sky". They are all named "The Agent of - ".

Playing style
Similar to Psychic-Type and "Archfiend" monsters, the first of "The Agents" focused on Life Points: the ATK of "The Agent of Force - Mars" is increased when the controller's Life Points are higher than the opponent's. "The Agent of Judgment - Saturn" can inflict damage to opponent equal to the difference in the players' Life Points. Their rather weak effects saw them almost totally ignored in favor of more powerful cards (such as "Zaborg the Thunder Monarch" which was released around the same time).

With their new coming in the Lost Sanctuary, the "Agents" now focus on banishing: "The Agent of Miracles - Jupiter" can banish any "Agent" monster in the Graveyard to increase a LIGHT Fairy-Type monster's ATK by 800. Also, when "The Sanctuary in the Sky" is on the field it then lets the player Special Summon 1 banished LIGHT Fairy-Type monster by discarding a Fairy-Type monster.

More importantly, "Master Hyperion" can be Special Summoned by banishing an "Agent" from your hand, field or Graveyard. Also, by banishing another LIGHT Fairy-Type monster, you can select and destroy any card on the field. If you have "The Sanctuary in the Sky" on the field you may use this effect twice per turn.

"The Agent of Mystery - Earth" lets the player add any "Agent" monster or "Master Hyperion" (if "The Sanctuary in the Sky" is on the field) to the hand from the Deck and is also a Tuner monster (giving Synchro potential to "Agents").

Due to March 2012 Lists, Agent decks were severely weakened by Limitation of "The Agent of Mystery - Earth" and "T.G. Striker (for T.G. Agents variant). However, September 2012 Lists put "The Agent of Mystery - Earth" to Semi-Limited status, allowing Agent decks and its variants to resurge once again.

Strategies and Tips
A common strategy is to use "The Agent of Creation - Venus" to Special Summon 1-3 "Mystical Shine Balls" by paying 500-1500 Life Points (respectively) in order to set up the Graveyard for either the summon of an "Archlord Kristya" or "Master Hyperion" - as soon as the very next turn. If the opponent tries to avoid such a fate by not attacking the "Mystical Shine Balls" then they still run the risk of a summoned "The Agent of Mystery - Earth" being tuned in to almost any 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 star Synchro (in addition to the Fairy-Type player gaining a free card with "The Agent of Mystery - Earth" effect). Also with Xyz Monsters "Venus" makes it very easy to summon "Gachi Gachi Gantetsu" or "Number 96: Dark Mist" and thus protect his future plays or simply stall. "The Agent of Mystery - Earth", can search for any "Agent" and "Master Hyperion" (provided "The Sanctuary in the Sky" is on the field) when it is Normal Summoned. "Genex Ally Birdman" can also be used for Synchro Summoning or Xyz Summoning a Rank 3 monster.

Other monsters in the Deck commonly include "Dimensional Alchemist" or "Herald of Orange Light" and (depending on the version) may also run the "Herald of Perfection" as well as Ritual-supporting cards such as "Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands" and "Advanced Ritual Art".

Mars, Mercury and Saturn seldom see play in a competitive-scene Agent Deck. In fact, even the signature Fairy Field Spell Card "The Sanctuary in the Sky" is a rare card to see played. This is perhaps due to the rather weak effect the Field Spell bestows.

"Agent" Decks, being almost fully comprised of LIGHT Fairy-Type monsters always use "Honest" and sometimes main Deck one or two copies of "Gozen Match" in order to shut down non-single attribute Decks in the format (Six Samurai, Tengu Plant Synchro, Gladiator Beast, even Wind-Up and Dino Rabbit). Combined with their often main Decked copies of the "Herald of Orange Light" this Deck certainly has enormous potential to contend. Also, Agent Decks can be considered as recommended for budget players, since most necessary cards for the Deck are included in Lost Sanctuary Structure Deck, and other cards that make the Deck run smoothly aside from "Archlord Kristya" and "Pot of Duality" aren't really expensive (due to reprint), making this Deck quite accessible to most players. In addition, the Deck is shown to be quite powerful, as it managed to top the 2011 World Championships.

Herald of Perfection Control
This deck uses numerous "Fairy" monsters to serve as the cost to summon "Herald of Perfection." With its 2800 DEF, "Herald of Perfection" can stall out the opponent for numerous turns, allowing you to draw key cards such as "Master Hyperion" and "Archlord Kristya." It will negate all effects, par Counter Trap Cards. It has a very strong control aspect, and can use "Royal Decree." The card is very useful against Macro Rabbit, which Agent decks typically have a poor matchup against.

Valhalla Beat-Stick
This Deck build focuses on Level 8 Fairy-Type monsters, "Tethys, Goddess of Light", and "Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen". A common strategy for this Deck is to use "Hecatrice" and "Zeradias, Herald of Heaven" to get cards into your Graveyard to play "Kristya" and use "Trade-In" as draw power and targets for "Master Hyperion", and use either "Miraculous Descent" or "D.D.R. - Different Dimension Reincarnation" to Special Summon them. "Archlord Kristya's" effect works well with the effect of "Tethys" so you are guaranteed an extra draw without letting anyone know your hand. For added power and OTK potential, some Darklord cards such as "Darklord Superbia" and "Darklord Asmodeus" can also included.

Weakness
Despite the enormous potential and consistency that Agent decks can have, they are not without their weaknesses. "Archlord Kristya", a oft-played trump card in Agent decks themselves, can be as strong of a foe as it is an ally. Kristya's effect prevents an Agent duelist from summoning "Master Hyperion" and "Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning", key cards to maintaining a foothold in the game. Due to the LIGHT monster emphasis, "Light-Imprisoning Mirror" and most Ally of Justice monsters can also prove dangerous for most Agent decks. Most of the competitive Agent decks are also hybrids, i.e. (Chaos, T.G., and Tele-Agents), making "Gozen Match" another potential threat. Lightray and Lightsworn hybrid decks are spared this weakness, however.

Gravekeepers also pose a distinct threat with "Necrovalley". Its effect of sealing the graveyard locks down most of the power plays an Agent deck may have."Skill Drain", "Effect Veiler" and the opposing "Herald of Orange Light" are also grave issues, as the combos in most Agent decks are highly reliant on monster effects.

Perhaps the most effective cards to play against Agents are "Dimensional Fissure" and "Macro Cosmos", because they instantly close any Graveyard access for storing resources. They also render "Effect Veiler" and "Herald of Orange Light" useless, as their activation costs cannot be paid. For this reason, one should consider siding, if not maining multiple copies of "Mystical Space Typhoon," "Twister," and "Dust Tornado."