The Six Samurai

The Six Samurai (六武衆) are a series of Warrior-type monsters that debuted in Strike of Neos, with further support included in Gladiator's Assault. Their names include "The Six Samurai" or "Shien". They, as well as other related support, rely on having other Six Samurai on the field to use their effects, and as such a Deck revolving around them is often based on swarming the field.

The "Six Samurai" monsters consist of the original six, as well as their allies and masters. "Shien" cards are supported by this theme, "Great Shogun Shien" seeming to be the warlord they serve. The overall theme seems to be futuristic, while in some form drawing most inspiration from feudal Japan.

The basic Six Samurai monsters (the initial '6') all have the effect "If this card would be destroyed you can destroy another "Six Samurai" monster you control instead" and also "While you control another "Six Samurai" monster with a different name, this card can... " referring that their effects activate when another "Six Samurai" monster is on the field.

Strengths
Six Samurai tend to be flexible enough to be able to respond to most situations, though they can be highly dependent on swarming and Warrior support cards such as "Reinforcement of the Army", "The A. Forces", Koa'ki Meiru War Arms and other support cards like Solidarity, Rivalry of Warlords, Ancient Forest Double Summon. Most of their support cards help prevent them from being destroyed or allows Six Samurai monsters to be re-used, such as Cunning of the Six Samurai, Backs to the Wall, Return of the Six Samurai and Double-Edged Sword Technique. They also have strong draw support with Six Samurai United and Spirit of the Six Samurai, since the more powerful monsters in the Archetype (such as Grandmaster of the Six Samurai, Enishi, Shien's Chancellor and Great Shogun Shien) are usually summoned from the hand using their own effects rather than the relying on support that searches Six Samurai monsters from the Deck.

Most Six Samurai monster effects revolve around destroying your opponent's cards on the field, either in battle or by not attacking. Since these effects have no other cost, their user can maintain field advantage. The Six Samurai monster's destruction effects make them especially useful against opponents who play defensively or use stall tactics.

Six Samurai are at their weakest against opponents capable of either swarming the field with strong monsters early in the game faster than they can, or against opponents capable of using card effects that negate special summons (except for Grandmaster of the Six Samurai who can simply return himself to the owner's hand after being destroyed by effects) thereby slowing the swarming ability of the deck (though many decks in the current metagame have that problem). They are particularly vulnerable to things that clear monsters out en masse, like Lightning Vortex, Torrential Tribute and Black Rose Dragon.

Most Six Samurai Decks focus on getting two or more Six Samurai monsters on the field at a time so as to use their effects. Any monster card with "Six Samurai" in its card name is considered a "Six Samurai" monster.

They are also able to take advantage of standard Warrior support cards, such as "Reinforcement of the Army" and "The Warrior Returning Alive", in addition to their own support cards. "Reasoning", "Reckless Greed", "My Body as a Shield and "Solemn Judgment" also work extremely well with a Six Samurai deck.

=Weaknesses=

The Six Samurai cards have trouble being found inside the deck through card effects. In order to make up for this flaw, Shien's Footsoldier can search out level 3 and lower Six Samurai monsters, and Spirit of the Six Samurai and Six Samurai United help draw through their effects, as well as Reinforcement of the Army, which can search any level 4 or lower Warrior Type monster.

Most of the Six Samurai have relatively low ATK values. Some cards easily placed in most Six Samurai decks include Comrade Swordsman of Landstar, The A. Forces and Solidarity. Ancient Forest can be played so that your opponent can be forced to wait until you're at a monster advantage, at which point you can feel free to attack away.

The Six Samurai don't have the same swarm abilities as some other decks, including Gigaplant OTK, Lightsworns and Blackwings. Although the Six Samurai can swarm the field using card effects, they are also hindered by those same card effects (Return of the Six Samurai and Double-Edged Sword Technique both destroy the summoned monsters during the End Phase of the turn that they were activated. These disadvantages can be avoided or negated by using cards such as Cunning of the Six Samurai, which switches out one Six Samurai for another in your graveyard (it could be the one sent to the graveyard for the cost of Cunning of the Six Samurai) or Hand of the Six Samurai, who can use her effect while you control another face up Six Samurai on herself, which destroys a monster your opponent controls.

Six Samurai Archetype Cards
Monsters:
 * Grandmaster of the Six Samurai: This card needs one face-up Six Samurai monster to use special summon itself, and you can only control one of these (at a time). In addition, if this card's ATK is pumped up enough (preferably with The A. Forces, Solidarity, Comrade Swordsman of Landstar, or indirectly through Shien's Castle of Mist so as all of your face up Six Samurai monsters will get bonuses, too), it practically has to be destroyed by a card effect (or returned to your hand through Compulsory Evacuation Device, but the final result will still be the same), at which point you can add one Six Samurai monster from your graveyard to your hand, which includes itself. You can repeatedly add this guy back to your hand until you win (or you can use the effect for another monster). Beware of removal cards such as D.D. Warrior Lady, D.D. Warrior, D.D. Assailant, Caius the Shadow Monarch, Karma Cut, Banisher of the Light, Banisher of the Radiance, Dimensional Fissure and Macro Cosmos, because those cards can remove this card from play, at which point you will not be able to use its last effect.
 * Great Shogun Shien: This card needs two face-up Six Samurai monsters to special summon itself. While this card is face up, your opponent can only activate 1 spell or trap card per turn, which usually means 1 spell card for destruction or drawing during their turn and then 1 responsive/destruction trap (Mirror Force, Bottomless Trap Hole, Trap Hole, Dust Tornado, etc.) during your turn. The limiting effect allows you act with greater boldness than normal, but since your cards are going to be destroyed from various effects or by battle, you need to play this card with your normal responsive cards (Cunning of the Six Samurai, Return of the Six Samurai and Double-Edged Sword Technique during your turn). Its 2500 ATK is nice, but it's only enough to take out most level 7 synchros, level 4 and lower monsters, but it can be destroyed by battle by Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind (if it's using its effect on Great Shogun Shien).
 * The Six Samurai - Yaichi: This card is invaluable in any Six Samurai deck because of its effect: if you control another Six Samurai monster, once per turn, you can destroy 1 face-down spell or trap card, but you can't attack with that card if you do. It can be searched with Reinforcement of the Army and Shien's Footsoldier. It can re-use its effect through Cunning of the Six Samurai or Koa'ki Meiru War Arms.
 * The Six Samurai - Zanji: If you control another Six Samurai monster, this card destroys any card that it attacks (but not if it's attacked, mind you) at the end of the Damage Step, which makes it very good at killing stuff. Unfortunately, you still take Battle Damage,
 * The Six Samurai - Irou: If you control another Six Samurai monster, when this card attacks a face-down monster, that monster is destroyed with Irou's effect (the same way Mystic Swordsman and Drillroid's effects work) without flipping it face-up or applying damage calculation. This card will only consistently work against defensive or stall decks, and against Gladiator Beasts, Blackwings and Lightsworns, this card is next to useless. This card can be searched with Reinforcement of the Army.
 * The Six Samurai - Kamon: If you control another Six Samurai monster, you can give up this card's attack to destroy a face-up spell or trap. This card, like Irou, is very inconsistent against Gladiator Beasts (unless it depends heavily on Ancient Forest, Blackwings and Lightsworns, which are a sizable majority of today's top decks. This card can be searched with Reinforcement of the Army and Shien's Footsoldier, and its effect can be re-used with Cunning of the Six Samurai and Koa'ki Meiru War Arms.
 * The Six Samurai - Yariza: If you control another Six Samurai monster, this card can attack directly. With 1000 points of original attack, it can't do much damage on its own. This card is mediocre at best, considering that it requires a lot support to deal over 2000 points of direct damage. This card can be searched with Reinforcement of the Army and Shien's Footsoldier, and its effect can be re-used with Cunning of the Six Samurai.
 * The Six Samurai - Nisashi: If you control another Six Samurai monster, this card can attack twice. If you have an open field, this Six Samurai can deal the most damage. It's more useful than Yariza, because its ATK can also be boosted to destroy more monsters by battle and when attacking directly, it can do a lot more damage than any other Six Samurai monster (assuming all of them are being boosted by an equal amount).
 * Spirit of the Six Samurai: This card can equip itself to another Six Samurai monster you control, and that monster gains 500 ATK and DEF, and when that equipped monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, you can draw a card. This card can be brought back and re-used with Koa'ki Meiru War Arms, and can be searched from the deck with Shien's Footsoldier.
 * Enishi, Shien's Chancellor: This card's special summoning effect requires that you remove 2 Six Samurai monsters in your graveyard from play, and can destroy 1 face-up monster in exchange for this monster not be able to attack. This card's effect can be re-used with Cunning of the Six Samurai. Considering that Hand of the Six Samurai destroys monsters a lot easier, this card would probably be better off attacking.
 * Hand of the Six Samurai: While you control another Six Samurai monster, you can tribute any Six Samurai monster to destroy 1 monster. This card is your go-to monster removal solution. It can be searched with Reinforcement of the Army or Shien's Footsoldier, and it can be revived back to the field with the effect of Koa'ki Meiru War Arms.
 * Spirit of the Six Samurai: This card can equip itself to another Six Samurai to have that monster gain 500 ATK and DEF, and when that monster destroys another monster by battle, you can draw 1 card. This card can be searched with Reinforcement of the Army and Shien's Footsoldier. Its effect can be re-used with Koa'ki Meiru War Arms.
 * Shien's Footsoldier: This card searches a level 3 or lower Six Samurai monster from your deck and special summons it to the field when this card is destroyed by battle.

Spells:
 * Six Samurai United:
 * Cunning of the Six Samurai:
 * Shien's Castle of Mist:
 * Legendary Ebon Steed:

Traps:
 * Double-Edge Sword Technique: This card special summons two Six Samurai monsters from your graveyard to the field in face-up Attack Position. Since those monsters are destroyed and you take damage equal to the combined ATK of those two monsters during the End Phase of the turn that this card was activated, it's best to destroy or remove those special summoned monsters with card effects before the nasty drawback kicks in. Some cards to do this with include: Cunning of the Six Samurai and Hand of the Six Samurai.
 * Backs to the Wall:
 * Breakthrough!:
 * Return of the Six Samurai:
 * Swift Samurai Storm!:
 * Swiftstrike Armor:

Six Samurai Optional Support Cards

 * Koa'ki Meiru War Arms This card can special summon either Comrade Swordsman of Landstar, Spirit of the Six Samurai or Hand of the Six Samurai and equip it to itself once per turn from your graveyard due to its effect, and Koa'ki Meiru War Arms gains half of the ATK of the equipped monster (resulting in 2250 ATK with Comrade Swordsman of Landstar, 2200 ATK with Hand of the Six Samurai, 1650 ATK with Spirit of the Six Samurai, 2150 ATK with The Six Samurai - Kamon, 2050 ATK with The Six Samurai - Yaichi, 1900 ATK with The Six Samurai - Yariza and 1750 ATK with Shien's Footsoldier).
 * When this card is equipped with Comrade Swordsman of Landstar, all face up Warrior type monsters you control gain 400 ATK, and you can tune Comrade Swordsman of Landstar for use in Synchro Summons.
 * When this card is equipped with Hand of the Six Samurai, you can use Hand of the Six Samurai's effect.
 * When this card is equipped with Spirit of the Six Samurai, you can re-equip Spirit of the Six Samurai to another Six Samurai.
 * When this card is equipped with The Six Samurai - Kamon, you can use its effect while you control another face-up Six Samurai monster to destroy 1 face-up spell or trap card.
 * When this card is equipped with The Six Samurai - Yaichi, you can use its effect while you control another face-up Six Samurai monster to destroy 1 face-down spell or trap card.
 * When this card is equipped with The Six Samurai - Yariza, you can't activate any effects.
 * When this card is equipped with Shien's Footsoldier, you can't activate any effects.
 * REMEMBER: Since Koa'ki Meiru War Arms's effect can be activated once per your turn, you can re-use this effect to recycle any of these cards again.


 * Comrade Swordsman of Landstar: This card's effect increases the attack of all of your face-up Warrior type monsters by 400, and is a Tuner monster. This card also combos well with Koa'ki Meiru War Arms (see above for specifics).


 * Marauding Captain: This card allows you to summon another level 4 or lower monster from your hand when it's normal summoned, which will usually be (in this case) any of the "Original Six" Samurai. In addition, it forces your opponent to attack itself if you only control face up Warrior type monsters, and if you have two face-up Marauding Captains face up on your side of the field, your opponent cannot attack any face-up Warrior type monsters that you control.


 * Freed the Matchless General: This card allows you to add one level 4 or lower Warrior type monster from your deck to your hand instead of your normal draw. You won't be able to get any higher level Warrior type monsters or spell and traps from your normal draw. You can use the draw power of Spirit of the Six Samurai and/or Six Samurai United to help get around this disadvantage.

Aesthetic Trivia
The basic Six Samurai monsters (the initial or original '6') artwork features each of them holding a weapon which refers to their effects.

Each Six Samurai holds a different attribute, and those with polar attributes have opposite effects. Yaichi's opposite is Kamon. Nisashi is Yariza, and Irou is Zanji. While Yaichi destroys face-down spell/trap cards, Kamon destroys face-up ones. Nisashi can attack and potentially destroy several monsters at once, while Yariza bypasses monsters entirely to attack directly. Irou is designed to take down monsters with his own effect before they become a threat, while Zanji can be suicide (a D.D. Warrior Lady) to take out an already opposing threat. Yaichi, Nisashi and Irou also are all in a calm stance, while Kamon, Yariza, and Zanji are all in action poses (this is because while Kamon stance is calm he's holding some dynamite; and appearing ready to throw it).

The name of the archetype may be derived from the 1945 japanese film, "Seven Samurai," by Akira Kurosawa.