Koa'ki Meiru

Koa'ki Meiru, sometimes romanized as "Core Chimair" (a combination of the words "Core" and "Chimera," is a theme from Raging Battle, Ancient Prophecy, Stardust Overdrive, Absolute Powerforce, and The Shining Darkness. However the support card "Koa'ki Ring" and other anti-meta cards appear in Starstrike Blast.

The majority of their effects center around manipulating the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru or revealing one in hand to activate an effect. The strongest of the monsters require a maintenance cost in the form of sending an Iron Core to the grave or revealing a monster of the same type. There are exceptions such as that of Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand, where you must reveal a Normal Trap Card.

Koa'ki Meirus are all EARTH, WIND, WATER or FIRE attributes, rendering them immune to their own control based effects which often affect LIGHT and DARK monsters. All of the "Koa'ki Meiru" have the same mark (3 dragons) on some part of their body or on a weapon they have. Also, many Koa'ki Meiru and related cards' artwork uses yellow, orange, and red, except Koa'ki Meiru Ghoulungulate.

Playing Style
The theme was initially designed to bring down the dominating decks of over 2 banlists therefore centering around heavy control elements. Seeing as the meta was completely dominated by LIGHT and DARK decks, effects specifically targeted both Attributes therefore bringing about a specific Meta, Anti Meta theme. Because of their high ATK, 11 Level 4 monsters from 1900 ATK, topping out at 3000 (Koa'ki Meiru Valafar), and the nature of the new support, the theme has taken a more aggressive approach with powerful beatdown elements, namely Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord and Koa'ki Meiru Urnight.

Generally speaking, there are two ways to use Koa'ki Meiru cards. The most obvious is to simply use a dedicated deck; the other being to use individual Koa'ki Meiru monsters as a supplement to Type specific decks of their type, giving an Anti-Meta, controlling aspect to it as well asbeing able to maintain it through the alternative maintenance cost; for example, using Koa'ki Meiru Drago in a Dragon type deck as seen in Disaster Dragon builds.

In order to run a Koa'ki Meiru deck, no matter the style, you'll need multiple ways to retrieve the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru from your deck and graveyard such as Koa'ki Meiru Boulder, Koa'ki Meiru Crusader, and Core Transport Unit. Iron Core Immediate Disposal is also nice mid game, after building up resources in hand. You must also be wary of keeping more on field than you can maintain. Your field should max out at 2 Koa'Ki Meiru's requiring maintenance with multiple Cores in play as well as an alternative cost ready in hand.

Beatdown uses a different lineup, using a minimum of control but only the best in the form of Rooklord and Drago. The main attackers being Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak,Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand and Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord. With the addition of Koa'ki Meiru Urnight from Absolute Powerforce, you gain a swarm/toolbox element. Koa'ki Meiru Ghoulungulate is nice protection but your tribute fodder is best used on Rooklord. S/t protection is a better option.

You can also play a RFG Koa'ki Meiru deck. Ghoulungulate can protect your monsters while setting you up for Return from the Different Dimension. Milling elements are recommended to load your grave. The set up takes time so you can use Royal Oppression as you aren't in any rush. Cyber Valley is also a great asset to the deck.

Weaknesses
Because Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru may often be in the graveyard, it is vulnerable to cards that can remove it from play, such as Gladiator Beast Retiari, and Macro Cosmos. Also, having multiple Koa'ki Meiru monsters on the field at once can be extremely dangerous, as each one would require you to reveal or discard a card from your hand at the End Phase; leaving hand and field advantage very hard to maintain, unless multiple copies are used (for example, 3 Koa'ki Meiru Powerhands only require 1 Normal Trap Card revealed). Koa'ki Meirus are very reliant on the hand and so cards like Card Destruction, Mind Crush or D.D. Designator can completely disrupt the player's strategy, and cards like Trap Dustshoot or even Des Koala deal serious damage.

Amazingly, one way to beat the Koa'ki Meiru format is to have the opponent permanently reveal their hand to you on their turns in order to make them either discard an Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru or destroy the card, since they cannot "reveal" the card to you. Such cards include Respect Play and Ceremonial Bell. Remove from play Decks can remove "Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru" and so you have to rely on your revealing effect. It is best a good idea to have Necrovalley and a Burial from a Different Dimension in your Side Deck.

Hand Control decks present the biggest threat by being able to specifically remove assets essential to the deck.

Playing Tips
This deck revolves around Anti-Meta. Obviously, the most important card needed in the deck is "Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru", so having three in your deck is a must. Most of the monsters are used against Effect Monsters, mostly DARK and LIGHT monsters, since they are the commonly used decks (Infernities, Lightsworns, Blackwings etc.). Most Koa'ki Meiru decks should focus on Rock-Type and Beast-Warrior-Type monsters, using other Types according to the deck's main strategy.

Often overlooked is the fact that you can use "Iron Core Armor" to substitute for the maintenance cost of Koa'ki Meiru monsters. The main advantage of including "Iron Core Armor" in your deck is that there exists plenty of support for Equip Spell Cards. For example, using "Hidden Armory" to search for "Iron Core Armor" from your deck or graveyard may cause you to have one Koa'ki Meiru monster sent to your graveyard, which could be used to fuel the effect of "Koa'ki Meiru Ghoulungulate".

Trade-In can work well if using Beast King Barbaros to reveal for Koa'ki Meiru Urnight and Koa'ki Meiru Crusader. Other level 8 monsters to work with Trade-In are Koa'ki Meiru Valafar, and Koa'ki Meiru Maximus. Maximus can also reveal for Koa'ki Meiru Drago and Valafar is a strong beatstick that is immune to Torrential Tribute, Bottomless Trap Hole, Mirror Force, Call of the Haunted, and Core Reinforcement.

It would be wise to include cards that return monsters and other cards to yours or your opponents hands. Copies of Compulsory Evacuation Device or Penguin Soldier, for example, can both remove threats from the field or keep a Koa'ki Meiru alive for a turn, or even using him for the maintenance.

Usual Anti-Meta tricks like Grave of the Super Ancient Organism or Royal Oppression works fairly well, since Koa'ki Meirus can mantain a solid game even without Special Summoning.

Although most Koa'ki Meiru monsters have difficulty staying on the field, a few of them work incredibly well together, sharing types, or common reveals that help ensure their survival on the field.

With the release of the Machine Emperors in the OCG the Koa'ki Meiru can evolve and expand their Anti-Meta to an anti-synchro level, the advantage of running the machine emperors lies in the self-destruction effects that is common among the koa'ki meiru and also that all of them except Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity are not DARK or LIGHT attribute rending them immune to the Anti-Meta effects shared among the archetype. while also combining with the effect of Iron Core Specimen Lab to search for key monsters such as Koa'ki Meiru Urnight.


 * Koa'ki Meiru Urnight and Koa'ki Meiru Crusader share the Beast-Warrior type, and reveal requirement, while allowing for a good presence on the field and card advantage.


 * Koa'ki Meiru Sandman, Koa'ki Meiru Guardian, Koa'ki Meiru Boulder, Koa'ki Meiru Prototype and Gigantes can be extremely aggressive when combined, as well as controlling the field and hand.


 * Koa'ki Meiru Maximus can be used as the reveal cost for Koa'ki Meiru Drago. Drago's effect serves as disruption, while you gather Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru for Maximus's final push for game.


 * Koa'ki Meiru Doom and Koa'ki Meiru Valafar also work together, usually on its own deck revolving around Evil Hero Dark Gaia and Dark Fusion.


 * Koa'ki Meiru Speeder can null the costs for Koa'ki Meiru Tornado and Koa'ki Meiru Hydro Barrier, as well as working with Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand due to their high ATK and DEF and low Levels.


 * Koa'ki Meiru Ghoulungulate has a protection effect, which can be achieved easily by building up a good graveyard size with Iron Core Specimen Lab and Koa'ki Meiru Urnight. Koa'ki Meiru Ghoulungulate can easily be brought out with Pyramid Turtle's effect, and keeps a good Tribute fodder for Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord. Since both Remove from Play, Burial from a Different Dimension, and Return from the Different Dimension can be very powerful.

Finally, a few cards have a usually heavy cost of discarding a Spell Card from your hand (like Summoner Monk, Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell and Chiron the Mage), but Koa'ki Meiru decks can recycle the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru as long as they want to, making these much more consistent than any other deck.

Monster Cards
Rock(For Koa'ki Meiru Guardian/Koa'ki Meiru Sandman/Koa'ki Meiru Wall)
 * Gigantes
 * Neo-Spacian Grand Mole
 * Legendary Jujitsu Master

Beast-Warrior (For Koa'ki Meiru Crusader/Koa'ki Meiru Urnight)
 * Beast King Barbaros
 * Chiron the Mage
 * Pitch-Black Warwolf

Warrior (For Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak/Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord)
 * D.D. Warrior Lady
 * Blizzard Warrior
 * Cliff the Trap Remover
 * Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow
 * D.D. Destroyer

Spell Cards

 * Hand Destruction
 * Burden of the Mighty
 * Swords of Revealing Light

Trap Cards

 * Grave of the Super Ancient Organism
 * Fiendish Chain
 * Return from the Different Dimension
 * Soul Rope

Simple Build
The engine of this build involves Core Transport Unit, Iron Core Specimen Lab, and Koa'ki Meiru Urknight.

Monster Cards

 * Koa'ki Meiru Urnight
 * Koa'ki Meiru Crusader
 * Koa'ki Meiru Drago
 * Koa'ki Meiru Maximus
 * Koa'ki Meiru Guardian
 * Koa'ki Meiru Boulder
 * Koa'ki Meiru Sandman

Spell Cards

 * Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru
 * Core Transport Unit
 * Iron Core Specimen Lab
 * Smashing Ground
 * Book of Moon

Trap Cards

 * Iron Core Luster
 * Reckoned Power