Forum:Deck Guide/VWXYZ

by Gadjiltron

Intro
When one speaks of Union Monsters, the first thing that comes to mind is the VWXYZ archetype. (Second would be the Itsus.) Used famously by Seto Kaiba, the archetype at first consisted of X, Y, and Z, which combine into the kickass-looking XYZ Monster. Chazz Princeton then added on to the archetype by adding V and W to further upgrade the combining mecha.

Mechanics
The VWXYZ archetype is more or less the pioneer for Union monsters, where the Union monster is capable of equipping to a base monster, boosting its ATK and DEF and protecting it from destruction (in battle) once. But in addition to doing that, the VWXYZ archetype is capable of combining to form its Fusion monsters. Take note that these Fusions are summoned by banishing the component cards from the field, making them different from typical Fusions.

Strengths

 * Great destructive ability - Once the star Fusions of the Deck get into place, they can wreak havoc on the field by destroying anything that may be in their way, multiple times per turn.
 * Good searchability - There exist multiple methods of searching out the individual pieces. Only problem lies in getting them onto the field quickly.

Weaknesses

 * Summoning difficulties - Getting the Union monsters into the hand or onto the field is easy since they qualify for several search criteria. The Normal monsters, on the other hand...
 * Worth the effort? - Some question whether VWXYZ is worth summoning, since its effects are slightly weaker than the original XYZ.

The Basics
Now, let's look into the archetype. There's only the 5 base monsters and 6 Fusions, with no S/Ts around. All Union members of the archetype will only protect from destruction in battle.


 * X-Head Cannon - A decent Normal Monster standing at 1800/1500, and the strongest of the base monsters. It can definitely hold its own in battle, but searching for it is difficult. Max it out since you definitely can use extra firepower.
 * Y-Dragon Head - A Union Monster with stats of 1500/1600. It's right at the edge of searchability. It can Union onto X, granting a 400 ATK and DEF boost.
 * Z-Metal Tank - Slightly different from Y, Z has stats of 1500/1300. It can Union onto either X or Y and grants a 600 ATK and DEF boost, making it a little more useful than Y.
 * V-Tiger Jet - The other Normal Monster with average stats of 1600/1800. 1600 ATK isn't stellar, but keeps it just out of searching reach. Its 1800 DEF can wall off quite a few monsters though.
 * W-Wing Catapult - The newer Union Monster goes hand-in-hand with V, attaching to it to grant a 400 ATK and DEF boost. It's a little weak, though, having stats of 1300/1500.

And here are the fusions...


 * XY-Dragon Cannon - Made using X and Y with stats of 2200/1900. Probably one of the weakest of the Fusions, since it can only destroy a face-up S/T at the cost of a hand card.
 * XZ-Tank Cannon - Made using X and Z with stats of 2400/2100. At the cost of a hand card, it can destroy a face-down S/T, making it one of the strongest two-monster Fusions in the archetype.
 * YZ-Tank Dragon - Made using Y and Z, this stands at 2100/2200 and destroys a face-down monster at the cost of a hand card. At least it can clear out potentially nasty Flip Effects to make it better than XY.
 * XYZ-Dragon Cannon - The original star of the show, made of X, Y and Z. With impressive stats of 2800/2600 and the ability to destroy any card at the cost of a hand card, it's both awesome and practical.
 * VW-Tiger Catapult - This addition works a little differently from the other Fusions in the archetype. Rather than destroying stuff, VW discards to change monster battle positions. With meager stats of 2000/2100, it's more or less necessary for VW to take down monsters that would be too big for it. At least Flip Effects are not set off.
 * VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon - The ultimate goal of the archetype. Standing tall at 3000/2500, VWXYZ mercifully isn't made from all 5 base monsters at once, but from the Fusions VW and XYZ. It can banish a monster a turn without any cost, and when it attacks a monster it can forcibly change the target's battle position without triggering Flip Effects. However, because VWXYZ's effect is once-per-turn and can't clear S/Ts, people argue that it's better to simply stick with XYZ. Your call on whether to run the full set or the original three.

Supplementary Cards
Naturally, an archetype consisting of just monsters won't run. What do we do? Look into the database and find stuff to support it.


 * Jade Knight - I know, it's intended for Gradius cards and will be unable to protect the rest of the monsters. But when it's destroyed, you get to add a LV4 LIGHT monster from your Deck to your hand, thereby allowing one to search whatever monster they're lacking. Its odd rulings prevent the search effect from activating if attacked face-down, so be prepared to take some damage.
 * Shining Angel - On destruction in battle, you get to Special Summon a LIGHT monster with 1500 ATK or less. This pretty much means searching for the Union monsters, but on the other hand, it also means that you spend fewer turns on Normal Summons.
 * Machina Peacekeeper - It's another Union which helps protect any Machine from any kind of destruction. When destroyed while on the field (Unioned or not), you get to add a Union monster from your Deck to your hand. Not quite as efficient as Shining Angel, but an addtional degree of protection is welcome.
 * Summon Priest - Once per turn, at the cost of a Spell from your hand, you get to Special Summon a LV4 monster from your Deck, but that can't attack that turn. Chances are, whatever you're Special Summoning will disappear off the field to summon a Fusion.
 * Elemental HERO Prisma - Alright, suppose you're missing a piece, but alas, that piece is the Normal Monster. Not a problem. Just duplicate its name with Prisma and you're set to combine.
 * Honest - In a Deck filled with LIGHT monsters, why not? This allows any one of your pieces to instantly trump a battle and deter further attacks for the turn.
 * Geargiganto X - This Deck is teeming with LV4 Machines, and thus can Special Summon it easily. By detaching a Xyz Material, you get to add a LV4 or lower Machine from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand, letting you find whatever piece you're missing.
 * Frontline Base - Once per turn, you get to Special Summon a LV4 or lower Union monster from your hand. It's basically a key card in the Deck as it accelerates the summoning of the Fusions.
 * Dimension Explosion - Since the VWXYZ Fusions are summoned a little differently, they can't use De-Fusion normally as the material is banished. Dimension Explosion allows you to "de-fuse" a 2-monster Fusion, like XY/XZ/YZ, in case you have either one of them present and draw into your last piece to make XYZ.
 * Roll Out! - This Trap equips a Union monster from your Graveyard to an appropriate monster. In this Deck, it would function as a pseudo-revival card for W, Y, or Z, provided you can attach them properly.
 * Return from the Different Dimension - At half your LP you Special Summon all your banished monsters for the turn. This either means that you're going for a game-ending swarm, or using said swarm to pull out VWXYZ all at once.

And I'll Form The Head!
This Deck attempts to make the most out of all 5 elements of the VWXYZ archetype. Most of the searching is done by Shining Angel or Jade Knight. Shining Angel even can bring out Jade Knight if one of the Normal Monsters are urgently needed.

Transform and Roll Out!
Those who find that VW and VWXYZ are not quite worth the effort instead choose to focus solely on XYZ, using the extra Deck space for more support cards. Roll Out is emphasized in this Deck a little more to abuse with Machina Peacekeeper for protection and searching.

Other Tips
Several other cards can be thrown in to improve the VWXYZ Deck to various degrees of success.


 * Cyber Valley - VWXYZ deals a little more with banished monsters than most other Decks. Valley can either help hold off attacks while netting you cards to draw, or banish another monster you control to draw more cards and fuel a Return swarm.
 * Guardian of Order - You can Special Summon this guy from your hand while you control 2 or more LIGHT monsters, granting you a beatstick that deters attacks while you continue to set up for the grand combination.
 * Trigon - Yet another Union that attaches to a Machine. Trigon is searchable with Peacekeeper and can be Special Summoned with Frontline Base, and the Machine it Unions to can Special Summon a LV4 or lower LIGHT Machine from the Graveyard. Problem is getting your Machines strong enough to use this effect consistently...
 * Heavy Mech Support Platform - Another Union monster that attaches to a Machine. This one provides the same degree of protection as Trigon or Peacekeeper, but instead of giving any special search/Summon effect it gives a 500 ATK and DEF buff.
 * Number 39: Utopia - While not as synergenic with the rest of the Deck as Geargiganto X, Utopia can protect your monsters by negating attacks. Use the Union Monsters to Xyz Summon him so that you can get them back later with Roll Out.
 * Luminous Spark - Turns your X-Head Cannon into a 2300 beater, letting you put on an offensive pressure so that you can continue to summon the other parts without worry of destruction in battle. Maybe combo with Trigon or something too.
 * Machine Assembly Line - A slight 200 ATK boost doesn't look like much, but 2000 ATK on a LV4 monster can take out a bunch of stuff. It also accumulates Junk Counters as your Machines get destroyed over time, and just 2 destroyed Machines are enough to revive any one part that you'll need.
 * Light of Redemption - Allows you to add a banished LIGHT monster to your hand. But most of the time, you'd rather be Special Summoning that monster since there isn't much that can help you Special Summon from the hand.
 * Ultimate Offering - Extra Normal Summons are always welcome. You can even Set all your pieces to dodge Bottomless Trap Hole since they don't need to be face-up to combine.