Gishki

Gishki, known as Ritua in Japan, are an archetype of monsters released in Duel Terminal - Raid of the Inverz!!. Their team symbol is a blue sapphire mirror that all the members wear, usually around their necks or on their staves. The Ritual Monsters (and, starting with "Merrowgeist", Xyz Monsters) of the group all have "Evigishki" at the beginning of their names, with the name of the kind of creature they've become at the end.

Their Japanese name, "Ritua", is a corruption of the English word "Ritual", used in the TCG terms "Ritual Spell Card", "Ritual Summon", and "Ritual Monster". Their English name, "Gishki", is a corruption of the Japanese word "Gishiki", meaning "Ritual" (in the context of "Ritual Spell Card", "Ritual Monster", and "Ritual Summon"). The choice for the English name not only translates the play on words perfectly, but also prevents the need for explaining how cards with "Ritual" in their name aren't part of the archetype.

All known "Gishki" monsters are WATER, and many are Spellcaster, Sea Serpent, or Aqua. Their playstyle is focused on Ritual Summoning and either searching and returning cards to the Deck.

The "Gishki" archetype has three Ritual Spell Cards; "Gishki Aquamirror", "Gishki's Duplicate Soul Mirror", and "Forbidden Arts of the Gishki". "Gishki's Duplicate Soul Mirror" in particular is very unique, as it is the first Ritual Spell Card that allows you to use Life Points instead of Tributes for the Ritual Summon, allowing an easier way to call "Gishki" Ritual monsters.

Story
"Gishki" is an organization that wields the same power as the "Ice Barrier" but uses it for the “Aquamirror Meditation” to create wicked ancient rituals. In order to gain the bountiful resources of the Mist Valley Marshlands, they invade the "Gusto". However, the "Steelswarm" interrupted their fight and started to take over the surface land. The "Gishki" had no choice but to work with the other clans. With the "Vylon's" temporary union, they obtained new powers to fight back the "Steelswarm". Soon, the union finally defeated the invaders, but conflicts haven't lowered yet; the "Vylon" decided to stop fights between clans by exterminating them completely. Out of options, the "Gishki" chose to team up with the other clans again in order to cease the actions of the "Vylons". The new union proved their victory as the "Vylons" fled. As the "Vylons" left, the team broke apart, and the "Gishki" used the "Lavals" to power their rituals. Since they needed even more materials, they invaded the regions of "Mist Valley" and lead a massive onslaught of the "Gustos". the "Verz" virus has begun to spread, corrupting souls of the living and dying creatures. Apparently, even after bringing back the dragons of the "Ice Barriers" from the dead to fight the "Verz", most of the "Gishki" tribe could no longer fight the disease and became one of the many infected. Not knowing what they were doing, they revived the leader of the "Steelswarms".

Playing Style
"Gishki" Decks focus on Ritual Summoning and then recycling cards to regain advantage. "Gishki Aquamirror" can be used to Ritual Summon a "Gishki" monster then returned to your Deck in order to add any "Gishki" Ritual Monster from your Graveyard to your hand. "Gishki Shadow" and "Vision Gishki" allow you to Ritual Summon a "Gishki" monster with themselves as the whole Tribute. "Salvage" can return both of these cards to your hand as well as many other "Gishki" cards.

In addition to that, many of the "Gishki" monsters have searching effects, with "Gishki Abyss" adding any "Gishki" monster with 1000 or less DEF to your hand when summoned, "Gishki Ariel" searching your Deck for any "Gishki" monster when flipped, "Gishki Shadow" discarding itself to search for any "Gishki" Ritual Spell Card and "Vision Gishki" discarding itself to search for a "Gishki" Ritual Monster.

The best Ritual Monsters to summon are "Evigishki Levianima", "Evigishki Zealgigas", and "Evigishki Soul Ogre". "Soul Ogre" isn't as good as "Levianima" but it lets you get over locks and wall monsters. "Levianima" lets you draw a card whenever it attacks, allowing you to quickly regain the advantage you lost in Ritual Summoning it. "Zeal Gigas" is used for its gigantic 3200 ATK, and its effects are similar to that of "Levianima". "Evigishki Gustkrake" is a decent card, allowing you to return one of two cards in your opponent's hand to their Deck, but it doesn't continually give you advantage, while "Evigishki Mind Augus" lets you return 5 cards from either player's Graveyard to their Decks when Ritual Summoned. It's not as good as the rest of the cards, because you don't gain any advantage, but its Graveyard-recycling effect can be useful in some cases to reuse Limited cards once more.

The "Djinn of Rituals" can be used in a "Gishki" Deck, although they tend to slow down the flow of Ritual Summons that a pure "Gishki" Deck is capable of producing. If one does intend to use them, then cards such as "Armageddon Knight" and "Foolish Burial" are useful for getting them into the Graveyard quickly. One useful card for the archetype is "Forbidden Arts of the Gishki" which allows you to Ritual Summon using monsters on both sides of the field - similar to "Super Polymerization" being able to Fusion Summon from both sides of the field - but you must use monsters whose levels total exactly that of the monster you are attempting to Summon. The downside is that the monster's ATK is halved and you cannot conduct your Battle Phase that turn. This is most useful for bringing out "Evigishki Soul Ogre", as it's Level 8 and most Decks contain a high number of Level 4 monsters. A popular combo in the TCG is to summon "Tour Guide From the Underworld" and use that effect to Special Summon "Djinn Releaser of Rituals", then Ritual Summon any Level 6 "Evigishki" Ritual Monster. "Djinn Releaser of Rituals" is searched from your Deck, used for a Ritual Summon, and placed in the Graveyard where you need it, with one card; "Tour Guide From the Underworld", which has earned its place in many prototype decks in the TCG.

Monsters

 * Deep Sea Diva
 * Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands
 * Lost Blue Breaker
 * Djinn Releaser of Rituals
 * Gishki Abyss
 * Gishki Avance
 * Gishki Ariel
 * Gishki Marker
 * Gishki Shadow
 * Vision Gishki
 * Evigishki Soul Ogre
 * Evigishki Levianima
 * Evigishki Zealgigas
 * Tour Guide From the Underworld

Spells

 * Forbidden Arts of the Gishki
 * Gishki Aquamirror
 * Gishki's Duplicate Soul Mirror
 * Preparation of Rites
 * Salvage

Traps

 * Aquamirror Meditation
 * Trap Stun

Extra Deck

 * Daigusto Emeral
 * Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier
 * Evigishki Merrowgeist
 * Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
 * Lavalval Chain
 * Leviair the Sea Dragon

Xyz Gishki
This deck uses "Gishki Beast" to swarm the Field with Rank 4 Xyz Monsters.

Monsters

 * Deep Sea Diva (can add some Synchro elements, also for Xyz Summoning Rank 2 Xyz Monsters)
 * Evigishki Levianima
 * Evigishki Mind Augus
 * Gishki Abyss
 * Gishki Beast (key card of this deck)
 * Gishki Chain ("Gishki" version of "Pot of Duality")
 * Gishki Ariel (searches "Gishki Beast", also can be Special Summoned via "Gishki Beast's" effect)
 * Gishki Shadow
 * Vision Gishki
 * Lost Blue Breaker (can be paired with Deep Sea Diva for some backrow control)

Spells

 * Gishki Aquamirror
 * Pot of Avarice
 * Salvage
 * Forbidden Lance
 * My Body as a Shield

Traps

 * Aquamirror Meditation
 * Royal Decree
 * Trap Stun

Extra Deck

 * Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
 * Number 39: Utopia
 * Steelswarm Roach
 * Evigishki Merrowgeist
 * Gem-Knight Pearl
 * Gachi Gachi Gantetsu (if using Deep Sea Diva)
 * Number C39: Utopia Ray (if using Number 39: Utopia)

Hand Control Gishki
This deck focuses on using the effect of "Evigishki Gustkrake" to return cards from hand to the deck. By summoning 2-3 of them as early as possible, combined with "Mind Crush", "D.D. Designator", or "Spiritual Water Art - Aoi", this deck can quickly limit your opponent's options.

Monsters

 * Gishki Abyss
 * Gishki Beast
 * Gishki Ariel
 * Gishki Shadow
 * Vision Gishki
 * Evigishki Gustkrake
 * Evigishki Mind Augus

Spells

 * Gishki Aquamirror
 * My Body as a Shield.
 * Salvage
 * D.D. Designator

Traps

 * Mind Crush
 * Spiritual Water Art - Aoi

Extra Deck

 * Evigishki Merrowgeist
 * Number 39: Utopia
 * Steelswarm Roach
 * Sacred Ptolemys M7

Weakness
Despite having enormous potential on their high-speed Ritual Summoning technique, Gishki deck still have weakness. The first is the one that also shared with today's Metagame: Anti-Special Summon cards. "Archlord Kristya" and "Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo" can ruin this deck's overall strategy, due to this deck's overdependent of their Ritual Monsters (or Xyz Monsters, in some variant). "Thunder King Rai-Oh" also poses trouble, since it can block the effects of "Gishki Shadow", "Gishki Chain" and "Vision Gishki".

Another weakness is cards that can banish cards, such as "Dimensional Fissure", "D.D. Crow", and "Macro Cosmos", because they mostly utilize the Graveyard for their drop-and-recycle strategy (a trait shared with their rival, Gusto). Banishment renders almost all the Gishki key cards are unusable, including "Gishki Aquamirror" and "Gishki Beast".

"Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier", "Mist Wurm", "Raiza the Storm Monarch", "Penguin Soldier", "Neo-Spacian Grand Mole", and "Compulsory Evacuation Device" can also annoying, simply because they can get rid the Gishki Ritual Monsters(and also Xyz Monsters) without much effort by returning them into hand (in Raiza's case, top of the deck), as Ritual Monsters cannot be re-Summoned without their respective Ritual Spell Cards. This can be painful if the Ritual Monster was Summoned via "Gishki's Duplicate Soul Mirror", which means disadvantage in both Field presence and Life Points. Siding in "Effect Veiler", "Divine Wrath" and in Grand Mole's cases, "Dimensional Prison" or "Chivalry" can help you avoid those threats. Most of the Gishki decks can also run "Royal Decree" to stop not only Complusory Evacuation Device, but also "Solemn Warning", "Solemn Judgment", and "Bottomless Trap Hole" that may disrupt your Ritual/Xyz Summoning routine.

Due to their needs to keep Ritual Summoning monsters, they cannot maintain hand advantages quite well, and also having high risk of dead draws. Fortunately, "Evigishki Levianima" can adding cards to your hand more quickly, while dead draw problems can be solved with "Moray of Greed".

Trivia

 * All of the "Gishki" monsters, except "Gishki Diviner", are even Level monsters.
 * Curiously, it seems as though the "Evigishki" monsters are members of the "Gishki" archetype that have been transformed using their rituals into part-beast, and from the artwork of "Ceremonial Mirror of Illusion", the transformations aren't always voluntary.
 * However, based on "Evigishki Tetrogre" and "Evigishki Psychelone", both of whom involve "Gishki Noellia", it would appear that the transformations are reversible.
 * Furthermore, this archetype, with its transformative and occult elements, seems to borrow ideas from H.P. Lovecraft.