Forum:Deck Guide/Karakuri

Karakuri Guide
By BobaFett2

"Karakuri" monsters were first released in Starstrike Blast. They are a group of Machine-Type monsters which are not truly in control of their own actions-they must attack if able and change to Defense Position when attacked (the newer ones just change Battle Position). While alone these traits may seem like something that could potentially ruin a good archetype, they were supported by a few great cards-"Karakuri Cash Cache", "Karakuri Merchant mdl 177 “Inashichi”", "Karakuri Anatomy", and "Karakuri Shogun mdl 00 “Burei”". In Storm of Ragnarok, "Karakuri Steel Shogun mdl 00X “Bureido”", allowed for OTK strategies with "Instant Fusion" and "Machine Duplication" and "Karakuri Muso mdl 818 “Haipa”" allowed you to draw cards with "Bureido". It also enabled the creation of Karakuri-Machina-Plant decks. Two further additions in Extreme Victory allowed for even more powerful OTK strategies-"Karakuri Ninja mdl 7749 “Nanashick”" allows you to get multiple "Bureido" in one turn for more draw power and "Karakuri Komachi mdl 224 “Ninishi”" allowed you to Normal Summon a second "Karakuri" monster each turn, meaning that you no longer need "Instant Fusion" for the OTK.

Ratings
Power: 8/10 Quite a few "Karakuri" monsters have high ATK but all of their no-tribute Normal Summon-able monsters have low DEF and since all of their non-Synchro Monsters have to change to Defense Position when attacked they are very vulnerable.

Consistency: 8/10 "Karakuri" decks have consistency but are hit hard by sided "System Down" and if the initial chain of OTKs is stopped they have trouble coming back (they are vulnerable to "Effect Veiler").

Speed: 10/10 "Karakuri" decks are very fast-even without "Machine Duplication", they do not lose advantage in Synchro Summoning and work quite quickly. They share quite a few traits with "Six Samurai", the fasted decktype around.

Draw/Seach Power: 10/10 "Karakuri" decks have "Merchant", "Anatomy", and "Cash Cache" for draw/search power plus "Bureido" and "Nanashick" (although the latter isn't often summoned except with the Synchro Monster's effects.

Overall: 9/10 So far, "Karakuri" decks haven't made Tier 1 although they do have the potential to do so if a few good tech cards are discovered for the deck.

Monsters

 * Karakuri Barrel mdl 96 “Shinkuro”: "Barrel" is a Level 2 Tuner monster, which in itself is not very useful for "Karakuri" decks. It's effect is somewhat useful-once per turn, it can't be destroyed by battle. Unfortunately for "Karakuri" decks this card just isn't all that useful.
 * Karakuri Bushi mdl 6318 “Muzanichiha”: Like "Barrel", "Muzanichiha" simply isn't necessary for "Karakuri" decks. While it does have 1800 ATK (and it gains 400 ATK when another "Karakuri" monster is destroyed), it only has 600 DEF.
 * Karakuri Komachi mdl 224 “Ninishi”: "Ninishi" is the best "Karakuri" Tuner monster. Not only does it have 1900 ATK but it also has the ability to allow you to get a second Normal Summon if your target is another "Karakuri" monster.
 * Karakuri Merchant mdl 177 “Inashichi”: "Inashichi" is necessary for every "Karakuri" deck-it gives you a search (usually for "Cash Cache", which is then used to get another search)
 * Karakuri Muso mdl 818 “Haipa”: "Haipa" is a powerful addition to the "Karakuri" archetype. As it has 2100 ATK and requires no tributes, it is formidable in battle. It changes to Defense Position after attacking but this is really not an issue-it would change to Defense Position is attacked anyway. In addition to that, this triggers the effects of "Karakuri Anatomy" and "Bureido".
 * Karakuri Ninja mdl 339 “Sazank”: "Sazank" is a powerful monster on its own but it isn't a common card in "Karakuri" decks. The reason is this: it's too slow for them. When it is flipped face-up it can attack directly (if you have a Battle Phase that turn) and you must send one face-up monster on the field to the Graveyard. This allows it to get rid of "Stardust Dragon". It has 1200 ATK and DEF which is pretty low so it's not very useful after it uses its effect.
 * Karakuri Ninja mdl 7749 “Nanashick”: "Nanashick" is an odd card-normally, Level 5+ monsters other than "Monarchs" and "Cyber Dragon" are not very useful. However, "Nanashick" is an exception for two reasons. The first is that it allows you to draw cards-if you Normal Summon "Komachi" then use "Machine Duplication" and use the second summon to Tribute Summon "Nanashick", you can draw two cards if you Special Summoned the "Ninishi" in Defense Position, then you can follow up with a chain of Synchro Summons. The second is that it can be used with "Ninishi" to make "Bureido"-this means that with "Machine Duplication" and "Ninishi" + a Level 4 "Karakuri" monster you can get a "Burei" and two "Bureido" plus a "Haipa"-this means that you will get to draw two cards off of "Bureido" and you'll have more powerful monsters.
 * Karakuri Ninja mdl 919 “Kuick”: "Kuick" is one of the better "Karakuri" monsters. With 1700 ATK, it can defeat most monsters in battle and when it destroys your opponent's monster as a result of battle you can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Karakuri" monster in your Graveyard in Defense Position.
 * Karakuri Soldier mdl 236 “Nisamu”: "Nisamu" is also one of the better "Karakuri" monsters. When it is destroyed by battle you can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Karakuri" monster from your deck.
 * Karakuri Spider: "Karakuri" isn't really a "Karakuri" monster-it's a low-powered monster from the beginnings of the OCG that was only recently reprinted. Its effect allows it to destroy DARK monsters in battle after damage calculation if it attacks them.
 * Karakuri Strategist mdl 248 “Nishipachi”: "Nishipachi" used to be the main "Karakuri" Tuner monster-when it is Summoned you must change the battle position of a face-up monster on the field. It is no longer used because "Ninishi" has made it unecessary.
 * Karakuri Watchdog mdl 313 “Saizan”: "Saizan" is a "Karakuri" monster only used in Karakuri-Machine-Plant decks. It's a Level 4 Tuner monster and not a "Machine Duplication" target so it isn't incredibly useful for "Karakuri" decks.
 * Karakuri Shogun mdl 00 “Burei”: "Burei" is a Level 7 Synchro Monster that requires a Machine-Type non-Tuner monster. When it's Synchro Summoned you can Special Summon a "Karakuri" monster from your deck. In addition to that, you can change the battle position of any monster on the field once per turn and it has 2600 ATK which is some of the highest for a Level 7 Synchro Monster.
 * Karakuri Steel Shogun mdl 00X “Bureido”: "Bureido" is the new "Karakuri" boss monster. It's a Level 8 Synchro Monster so you can make it with "Burei" and a Level 1 Tuner monster. In addition to that, it has 2800 ATK (high for a Level 8 Synchro Monster) and you can draw a card once per turn when the battle position of a "Karakuri" monster is changed.

Spells

 * Karakuri Anatomy: "Karakuri Anatomy" is one of the best "Karakuri" support cards-whenever the Battle Position of a "Karakuri" monster is changed you can put a counter on it (maximum of two). You can tribute it to draw cards equal to the number of counters on it.
 * Karakuri Cash Cache: "Cash Cache" is another of the best "Karakuri" support cards-it lets you search your deck for any "Karakuri" monster by changing the battle position of a "Karakuri" monster you control.
 * Karakuri Gold Dust: "Gold Dust" is a useless Quick Play Spell Card that only works while there are two face-up Attack Position "Karakuri" monsters on the field. One of them is changed to Defense Position and the other gains ATK equal to the other's ATK.
 * Karakuri Showdown Castle: "Showdown Castle" is the Field Spell Card for "Karakuri" decks. It isn't particularly necessary although it can be used.
 * Runaway Karakuri: This card is next-to-useless: It gives a "Karakuri" monster you control 1000 ATK and negates its effect until the End Phase of the turn.

Traps

 * Karakuri Cash Shed: "Cash Shed" allows you to negate a Spell Card while you control a face-up Defense Position "Karakuri" monster.
 * Karakuri Klock: "Karakuri Klock" allows you to destroy all of your opponent's face-up monsters when they select a face-up Defense Position "Karakuri" monster as an attack target. Unfortunately, this does not happen often (usually they are in Attack Position when selected as an attack target).
 * Karakuri Trick House: "Trick House" destroys a card on the field when a "Karakuri" monster you control changes battle positions. It's generally considered too slow but it isn't a bad card.

Monsters

 * Cyber Saurus: A Level 5 Machine-Type monster that is a target for "Instant Fusion".
 * Dandylion: "Dandylion" alone isn't all that useful in "Karakuri" but it's necessary for the Plant Synchro Engine.
 * Glow-Up Bulb: "Glow-Up Bulb" can be tuned with "Burei" to Synchro Summon "Bureido", allowing you to Special Summon another "Karakuri" monster from your deck. It's also used with "Dandylion" tokens.
 * Lonefire Blossom: "Lonefire Blossom" isn't useful for "Karakuri" decks alone but it is an integral part of the Plant Synchro Engine.
 * Machina Fortress: "Machina Fortress" is the ideal Machine Deck support-it is an easy-to-summon monster with 2500 ATK that can be Special Summoned from your Graveyard with its own effect and that has two good effects-when it's destroyed by battle you can destroy a card your opponent controls, and when it's targeted by the effect of your opponent's monster you can look at your opponent's hand and make them discard a card. In addition to that, it can be tuned with "Glow-Up Bulb" or "Spore" to Synchro Summon "Bureido".
 * Machina Gearframe: "Machina Gearframe" is has 1800 ATK which is good on its own but it also searches for "Machina Fortress", which means a +1 in terms of advantage. It also is a Union Monster and it can be Tuned with "Saizan" to Synchro Summon "Bureido" or with a Level 3 Tuner monster to make "Burei".
 * Naturia Beast: "Naturia Beast" can be made from "Ninishi" and "Inashichi" (or any combination as "Karakuri" monsters are all EARTH. It also can negate Spell Cards by sending the top two cards of your deck to your Graveyard.
 * Spore: "Spore" is an integral part of the Plant Synchro Engine and it can be used with "Burei" or "Machina Fortress" to Synchro Summon "Bureido" or with "Machina Gearframe" after Banishing "Lonefire" or "Dandylion" to Synchro Summon "Bureido".

Spells

 * De-Synchro: This allows you to re-Synchro Summon a "Karakuri" Synchro Monster, Special Summoning a "Karakuri" monster from your Deck. It's not necessary but it works.
 * Instant Fusion: The old Karakuri OTK used this due to not having "Ninishi".
 * Limiter Removal: A staple in all Machine Decks-it doubles your Machine-Type monsters' ATK.
 * Machine Duplication: This allows you to perform the Karakuri OTK by getting three "Ninishi" or "Nishipachi".
 * One for One: Part of the Plant Synchro Engine-it allows you to Special Summon "Glow-Up Bulb" or "Spore" from your Deck.
 * Pot of Avarice: Allows you to return cards to your Deck to draw cards (and re-set the OTK).

Traps

 * Royal Decree: Works with "Naturia Beast" for a Spell and Trap Card lockdown.
 * Trap Stun: Use this to prevent your opponent from stopping the OTK.

Karakuri OTK (Old)
The old "Karakuri" OTK required you to use "Nishipachi", "Instant Fusion", and "Machine Duplication" to Special Summon "Bureido", two "Burei", and a "Haipa" to deal over 8000 points of damage in one turn.

Karakuri OTK (New)
The new Karakuri OTK deck uses "Ninishi", "Machine Duplication", and any "Karakuri" monster to Synchro Summon either two "Burei" and a "Bureido" or two "Bureido" and a "Burei" plus "Haipa" or "Nanashick".

Karakuri Stun
The Karakuri Stun deck uses "Ninishi" and "Inashichi" to Synchro Summon "Naturia Beast" and "Royal Decree" to stop Trap Cards.

Karakuri Machina Plant (Before EXVC)
The Karakuri Machina Plant deck was one of the top decks at a 2011 YCS, after which its popularity soared. It is no longer very popular due to "Ninishi" making Karakuri OTK decks more viable and because the deck isn't top tier. Karakuri Machina Plant, or KMP, is a combo-based deck-there are lots of possibilities for Synchro Summoning "Bureido" and "Burei" and there are many powerful effet monsters.