Forum:Deck Guide/Wind-Up

Wind-Up Guide
By BF2

Wind-Ups are an archetype first released in Generation Force. At first, they were lackluster - the fact that all the effects could only be used once, they didn't have much swarm power to enable the use of "Wind-Up Magician", and the fact that there weren't very many good cards made the archetype rather useless. When Photon Shockwave came around, some powerful cards were introduced - "Wind-Up Rabbit" could protect itself from almost anything, "Wind-Up Hunter" could make your opponent discard a card, "Wind-Up Kitten" could get rid of almost any big monster for free, and most of all, the insanely powerful "Wind-Up Zenmaines" which not only protects itself from destruction but also destroys your opponent's cards. However, this was still not enough - they lacked swarm power, even with "Rabbit" allowing them to maintain field presence. However, as soon as Order of Chaos was out, this group of monsters gained unforeseen abilities and powers - finally, there was a functional Xyz Deck that was to Xyz as Plant Synchro was to Synchro Monsters - it dynamically summoned Xyz, sometimes many in a turn, had many powerful combos and plays, and was extremely consistent. It had the ability to make Rank 3 Xyz Monsters with ease, as well as Rank 4s and 5s.

Pros
Easy Xyz Summoning: "Wind-Ups" are the most dynamic Xyz-based archetype around right now.

Hand Destruction: "Wind-Up Hunter" allows you to get rid of your opponent's hand.

Swarming Ability: "Wind-Up Shark", "Wind-Up Rat", "Wind-Up Zenmaighty", and "Wind-Up Magician" make swarming easy.

Search Power: "Wind-Up Factory", "Wind-Up Zenmaighty", and "Wind-Up Magician" all allow you to get any "Wind-Up" monster from your Deck.

Cons
Reliant on Monster Effects: "Skill Drain" will almost entirely cripple the Deck.

In the Metagame
As soon as the cards from Order of Chaos were announced, people realized that this archetype would become amazing. But it was not until the TCG Exclusive Monster, "Wind-Up Shark", was announced that people were finally able to see the full scope of its powers. This Deck contains a number of combos, some of the more powerful of which are listed here:
 * Special Summon "Wind-Up Rat" with "Wind-Up Zenmaighty". Change "Rat" to Defense Position to Special Summon "Wind-Up Hunter" from your Graveyard. Tribute "Zenmaighty" for "Hunter's" effect and then Xyz Summon another "Zenmaighty", allowing you to repeat this loop.
 * Normal Summon "Wind-Up Magician", then Special Summon a "Wind-Up Shark" from your hand, triggering "Magician's" effect and Special Summoning another "Magician". Use the effect of "Wind-Up Shark" to reduce itself to Level 3, Special Summoning "Wind-Up Hunter" from your Deck with "Magician. Perform the loop above and then Xyz Summon "M-X-Saber Invoker", using his effect to Special Summon "Wind-Up Soldier" from your Deck. Xyz Summon a Rank 4 Xyz Monster such as "Number 39: Utopia" or "Steelswarm Roach" while your opponent has lost four cards from their hand.
 * If you can't perform the above loops, you can also make a Rank 5 Xyz Monster and a Rank 4 Xyz Monster (or a monster such as "Vylon Disigma"). Normal Summon "Wind-Up Magician", Special Summon "Wind-Up Shark", Special Summoning "Magician" from your Deck, then use "Shark" to increase himself to Level 5. Use "Magician" to Special Summon "Soldier" and Xyz Summon a Rank 4 and 5 Xyz Monster.

With all of these combos, it's no wonder that "Wind-Ups" have insane power. Some Decks combine them with "Inzektors", although this isn't as effective as a pure build. Other builds focus on getting out multiple Level 3 Monsters, but with the release of "Wind-Up Shark" this strategy is no longer necessary - you can easily pull off your loop without any of these tricks using pure "Wind-Ups".

Monsters
Xyz Monsters:
 * Wind-Up Bat: "Wind-Up Bat" is a Level 1 monster. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can return a "Wind-Up" monster from your Graveyard to your hand. While it's not bad, it's not very good either as it doesn't have much ATK and is too low a Level to be useful in Xyz Summons.
 * Wind-Up Dog: "Wind-Up Dog" is a Level 3 monster with 1200 ATK. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can increase its ATK by 600 and its Level by 2 until the End Phase. This was useful for older Rank 5 Xyz Decks although now it's been replaced by "Wind-Up Warrior" and "Wind-Up Shark". It's also a "Horn of the Phantom Beast" target.
 * Wind-Up Honeybee: "Wind-Up Honebee" is a Level 1 monster. When it's destroyed by battle you can Special Summon another "Wind-Up" monster from your Deck. While toolboxers such as this monster are good, the current Deck is far too fast for it to be necessary.
 * Wind-Up Hunter: "Wind-Up Hunter" is a Level 3 monster with 1600 ATK. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can tribute a different "Wind-Up" monster you control to send a random card from your opponent's hand to their Graveyard. It's not very good alone but with "Rat" and "Zenmaighty" it becomes a very potent card. It's also a target for "Horn of the Phantom Beast".
 * Wind-Up Juggler: "Wind-Up Juggler" is a Level 4 monster with 1700 ATK. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can destroy a monster it battles after damage calculation. It can destroy "Spirit Reaper" or stronger monsters this way but the current Deck doesn't need it.
 * Wind-Up Kitten: "Wind-Up Kitten" is a Level 2 monster. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can return one monster your opponent controls to their hand - with this effect, you can get a +1 by returning a Synchro, Xyz, or Fusion monster to your opponent's Extra Deck. It's worth using one of in some builds and it's also a "Horn of the Phantom Beast" target.
 * Wind-Up Knight: "Wind-Up Knight" is a Level 4 monster with 1800 ATK. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can negate one attack against a "Wind-Up" monster. It's worthwhile using one copy in some builds.
 * Wind-Up Magician: "Wind-Up Magician" is a Level 4 monster with 1800 DEF. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can Special Summon a "Wind-Up" monster from your Deck when the effect of a "Wind-Up" monster you control activates. It's one of the most important cards in the archetype and is extremely useful.
 * Wind-Up Rabbit: "Wind-Up Rabbit" is a Level 3 monster with 1400 ATK. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can Banish one "Wind-Up" monster you control until your next Standby Phase - if the monster Banished was "Wind-Up Rabbit", then you can Banish it again as it's left the field. In addition to that, you can use this effect on either turn, allowing you to dodge effects that would get rid of it. Lastly, it's a "Horn of the Phantom Beast" target.
 * Wind-Up Rat: "Wind-Up Rat" is a Level 3 monster. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can change it to Defense Position to Special Summon a "Wind-Up" monster from your Graveyard in Defense Position. Every "Wind-Up" Deck should use three as it has an amazing effect. It's also a "Horn of the Phantom Beast" target.
 * Wind-Up Shark: "Wind-Up Shark" is a Level 4 monster with 1500 ATK. You can Special Summon it from your hand when a "Wind-Up" monster is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned to your side of the field. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can either increase its Level by 1 or decrease it by one until the End Phase. This card is amazing and leads to many combos. In addition to that, it can make "Black Ray Lancer".
 * Wind-Up Snail: "Wind-Up Snail" is a Level 2 monster with 2000 DEF. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can return one Set card to its owner's hand. Unfortunately, this isn't usually as useful as "Wind-Up Kitten".
 * Wind-Up Soldier: "Wind-Up Soldier" is a Level 4 monster with 1800 ATK. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can increase its ATK by 400 and its Level by 1 until the End Phase. You can use it to make Rank 5 Xyz Monsters.
 * Wind-Up Warrior: "Wind-Up Warrior" is a Level 4 monster with 1200 ATK and 1800 DEF. Once, while it's face-up on the field, you can increase the Level of one "Wind-Up" monster you control by 1 until the End Phase. While it seems like a useful card, making Rank 5 Xyz Monsters or increasing the Level of a "Wind-Up Rat" that Special Summons it to make a Rank 4 Xyz Monster, as it turns out "Wind-Ups" benefit more from lower level Xyz Monsters and as such they have no need of this monster.
 * Wind-Up Arsenal Zenmaioh: "Wind-Up Arsenal Zenmaioh" is a Rank 5 Xyz Monster with 2600 ATK. Once per turn you can detach a Xyz Material from it to destroy two set cards on the field. Given that this is a +2, it's an extremely useful monster to summon although current Decks focus more on the "Wind-Up" loop.
 * Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaighty: "Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaighty" is a Rank 3 Xyz Monster with 1500 ATK. It has two incredibly powerful effects, and you can use one of its effects each turn. The first is the ability to Special Summon a "Wind-Up" monster from your Deck by detaching a Xyz Material - you can Special Summon "Wind-Up Rat" from your Deck, change it to Defense Position, summon "Wind-Up Hunter", tribute "Zenmaighty" from "Hunter's" effect, and repeat, or get a swarm of three "Zenmaighty" and another monster, or perform many other combos. In addition to that, if a "Wind-Up" monster you control is destroyed by battle, you can detach a Xyz Material from "Zenmaighty" to return that monster to your hand. It's extremely powerful and worth using three of in every "Wind-Up" Deck.
 * Wind-Up Zenmaister: "Wind-Up Zenmaister" is a Rank 4 Xyz Monster with 1900 ATK. It gains 300 ATK per Xyz Material. Once per turn, you can detach a Xyz Material from it to flip one monster you control face-down and flip it face-up during the End Phase. Unfortunately, it's not very good in "Wind-Ups" - instead, it's most useful in "Worm" decks.
 * Wind-Up Zenmaines: "Wind-Up Zenmaines" is a Rank 3 Xyz Monster with 1500 ATK and 2100 DEF. If it would be destroyed, you can detach a Xyz Material to stop it from being destroyed. In addition to that, during the End Phase of a turn where it would have been destroyed, if it's still face-up on the field, you have to destroy a card on the field. It's extremely powerful and splashable.

Spells

 * Legendary Wind-Up Key: "Legendary Wind-Up Key" is a Quick-Play Spell Card that flips all "Wind-Up" monsters you control face-down. It's not particularly useful as most of the "Wind-Up" monster's effects only need to be used once.
 * Weights and Zenmaisures: "Weights and Zenmaisures" is a Normal Spell card that targets two "Wind-Up" monsters you control with different Levels - then, your opponent selects one and the other monster's Level becomes the Level of the first monster. If they pick the monster with a lower Level then you get to draw a card - while this card isn't bad, it's not really necessary because of "Wind-Up Shark".
 * Wind-Up Factory: "Wind-Up Factory" is a Continuous Spell Card that lets you search your Deck for a "Wind-Up" monster once per turn when the effect of a "Wind-Up" monster you control activates. It's quite useful in some builds although the faster Decks only need to use its effect to search a few times.
 * Zenmailfunction: "Zenmailfunction" is a Normal Spell Card that Special Summons one "Wind-Up" monster in your Graveyard in face-up Defense Position while negating its effects and preventing you from using it in a Synchro Summon. While its effects are negated, it can still activate them to trigger "Wind-Up Magician" and "Wind-Up Factory". Again, "Shark" makes this card obselete but in "Ryko"-"Hamster" Decks this card has many uses.

Traps

 * Overwind: "Overwind" doubles the ATK of one "Wind-Up" monster you control then returns it to your hand during the End Phase. You can only use one per turn, and current Decks don't leave a lot of non-Xyz Monsters out, so it's not particularly useful anymore.
 * Zenmailstrom: "Zenmailstrom" tributes one "Wind-Up" monster you control in order to Special Summon a "Wind-Up" monster from your hand and then Special Summon a "Wind-Up" monster from your Deck with the same ATK. It's not a bad card, but it's not as useful as it could be either.
 * Zenmairch: "Zenmairch" returns one face-up "Wind-Up" monster you control to your hand and then Special Summons another from your hand with the same Level. It's a -1 and thus isn't really worthwhile.

Monsters

 * Genex Ally Birdman: "Genex Ally Birdman" is a Level 3 Tuner monster that you can Special Summon from your hand by returning one monster you control to your hand. In "Wind-Up" Decks this can be used to make Rank 3 Xyz Monsters as well as Level 5, 6, 7, and 9 Synchro Monsters, lending more flexibility to the Deck. The downside to this is that the Deck already doesn't have much Extra Deck space.
 * Gilasaurus: "Gilasaurus" is a Level 3 monster that you can Special Summon from your hand in exchange for letting your opponent Special Summon a monster from their Graveyard. It's used to make Rank 3 Xyz Monsters but is no longer necessary with the advent of "Wind-Up Shark".
 * Inzektor Dragonfly, Hornet, and Centipede: A powerful archetype on it's own that has obvious synergy with "Wind-Ups" but in practice doesn't work as well with them as it could.
 * Marauding Captain: "Marauding Captain" is another Rank 3 enabler.
 * Super-Nimble Mega Hamster: "Super-Nimble Mega Hamster" is a Level 4 monster with 1800 DEF. When it's flipped, you can Special Summon a Level 3 or lower Beast-Type monster from your Deck in face-down Defense Position. You can get a "Wind-Up Kitten", "Wind-Up Rat", or "Wind-Up Dog" with it.
 * Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter: When "Ryko" is flipped, you can destroy one card on the field and send the top three cards of your Deck to your Graveyard. It's useful in "Hamster" builds.
 * T.G. Warwolf: "Warwolf" Special Summons itself from your hand when a Level 4 or lower monster is Special Summoned. It's another Rank 3 enabler.
 * Tour Guide From the Underworld (and Sangan): "Tour Guide" is obviously an amazing card and belongs in the Deck as having a "Tour Guide" in hand will allow you to make any Rank 3 monster.

Spells

 * Monster Slots: "Monster Slots" is a Spell Card that allows you to select one monster you control, then Banish a monster in your Graveyard with the same Level then draw a card and reveal it, Special Summoning that card if it's the same Level as the Banished monster. It's used in the Rank 3 turbo build to swarm the field.
 * Reinforcement of the Army: "Reinforcement of the Army" can search for "Soldier", "Warrior", and "Knight".

Traps

 * Horn of the Phantom Beast: "Horn of the Phantom Beast" is an amazing card that gives a lot of power to any Deck that can use it effectively. "Horn" based Decks may become popular after the March Banlist if "Wind-Ups" are hit as much as they should be.

Wind-Ups
Standard "Wind-Up" deck focused on making the loops.

Wind-Up Inzektors
A mix of "Wind-Ups" and "Inzektors".

Hamster-Ryko Rank 5
This build was created before any of the "Wind-Ups" from Order of Chaos were announced (and few of the Photon Shockwave "Wind-Ups" were known).