Yang Zing

"Yang Zing", known as "Dracomet" ( Ryūsei) in the OCG, is an archetype of monsters that debuted in Duelist Alliance. They resemble Dragon-like creatures, but with a slight appearance of Beasts, either by having a mane and/or tiger stripes, as well as Beast-like paws and claws; also, they have a bead inside a triangle on their chest and 3 others on their horns. All of them are Wyrm-Type, which was a new Monster Type at the time of this archrtype's debut; the variety of Attributes is also emphasized. The deck was the first solely Synchro-based archetype to be released since the debut of Xyz Monsters, with no Xyz support whatsoever.

Lore
A group of Wyrms who dwell inside the "Stars" of the Heavens and Earth. They are incarnations of elements found on the planet and the power of the bright stars in the sky brought forth by "Constellar Sombre", who has the same amount of power as a god. It's said that when the "Yang Zing" come together, a shining radiance will consume everything. (This is most likely referencing to the deck's primary Synchro Monster, "Baxia, Brightness of the Yang Zing", and its effect to clear away almost the entire field when Summoned.)

Origin
The "Yang Zing" are based on the Nine Offspring of the Dragon, characters of Chinese mythology. "Yang Zing" was likely altered from "Yang Xing" to avoid pronounciation difficulties. In Chinese, "Yang Xing" may be interpreted as either 陽星 yáng xīng, literally meaning "sun star", or 陽性 yáng xìng, meaning "positive" or "masculine".

According to Sheng'an Waiji by Yang Shen, the "9 sons of the dragon" are listed as the following order:

According to Huailu Tangji by Li Dongyang, they are listed in the following order:

"Wangtianhou, Origin of the Yang Zing" is based on Denglong, which is considered one of the sons of the Dragon King, but it is not mentioned in a particular list made by a scholar.

Playing style
Almost all of the Main Deck monsters focus on maintaining field presence by Special Summoning one another when they are destroyed. In addition, the non-Tuner, non-"Zefra" monsters are capable of Synchro Summoning during the opponent's Main Phase or Battle Phase, like "Urgent Tuning" or "T.G. Wonder Magician", and give bonuses to the Synchro Monster that they were used to Summon, as follows:

The Tuner monsters of the archetype, "Chiwen, Light of the Yang Zing" and "Jiaotu, Darkness of the Yang Zing" have effects that tend to speed-up Synchro Summons even more: the first one follows the trend of many Tuner monsters, such as "Plaguespreader Zombie", "Scrap Mind Reader" and "Re-Cover", by Special Summoning itself from the Graveyard in order to assist a Synchro Summon but being banished when it leaves the Field, if Special Summoned by its own effect; this effect can be triggered when a "Yang Zing" monster you control is destroyed. The second one can Special Summon 2 "Yang Zings" from the Deck by the cost of 2 "Yang Zing" cards in your hand, provided you control no other monsters; one can use its effect to have quick access to the "Yang Zing" Synchro Monsters.

The aforementioned Monsters are the ace cards of the Archetype:


 * "Baxia, Brightness of the Yang Zing": when Synchro Summoned, it shuffles cards from the field into the Deck, up to the number of different original Attributes of Wyrm-Type monsters used for its Synchro Summon; it can also destroy 1 card you control in order to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from the Graveyard. This can be used to set up more Synchro Summons, not only by bringing back a "Yang Zing" monster, but also by destroying a "Yang Zing" and triggering its effect.


 * "Yazi, Evil of the Yang Zing": cannot be targeted by an opponent's effects and can act like a "Yang Zing" version of "Scrap Dragon", destroying 1 of those monsters you control and one opposing card; in addition, it Special Summons any Wyrm-Type monster from the Deck when it is destroyed.


 * "Chaofeng, Phantom of the Yang Zing": it has a more intricate set of effects. First off, it locks the opponent's monsters from activating their effects, provided they share Attibutes with this monster's "Yang Zing" Synchro Materials. Its second effect searches any Tuner monster when it is destroyed. And finally, it Special Summons any Wyrm-Type monster from the Deck when an opponent's monster is destroyed, provided that Wyrm matches the Attribute of the destroyed monster.


 * "Wangtianhou, Origin of the Yang Zing": the first Tuner Synchro Monster of the theme, it has a set of three Deck-thinning effects. When Special Summoned, it fetches a "Yang Zing" card from the Deck. Its second effect mimmics the Level of a Wyrm-Type monster, by sending it from the Deck to the Graveyard. Finally, its last effect Special Summons a "Yang Zing" monster from the Deck whenever it leaves the Field, which can be triggered by simply using it as a Synchro Material for the other bosses of the Archetype.

Despite being a Synchro-reliant Deck, the Archetype also has 2 Pendulum Monsters:


 * "Zefraxi, Treasure of the Yang Zing" and "Zefraniu, Secret of the Yang Zing": with Pendulum Scales of 1 and 7, they allow many "Yang Zings" to be Summoned at once, accelerating even more the Synchro Summons. Also, under the right condition, the former's Monster Effect can make a non-Tuner "Yang Zing" be treated as a Tuner, giving even more flexible options to perform a Synchro Summon, whereas the latter's searches a "Yang Zing" Spell/Trap Card.

Support
The support cards of the Archetype are capable of accelerate the Synchro Summons, provide expressive card advantage, recycle cards and reward a player for having a Graveyard full of "Yang Zing" monsters; examples include "Yang Zing Creation", that Special Summons a "Yang Zing" from the Deck when a monster (be it a "Yang Zing" or not) is destroyed. This can be combined with the effects of "Baxia" and "Yazi" to fill the field with many "Yang Zings" in order to set up big Synchro Summons; "Yang Zing Path": it shuffles 3 "Yang Zings" from the Graveyard into the Deck and then gives 2 draws. As the game goes on, a dedicated "Yang Zing" deck can run out of resources, so this card is very important on keeping the strategy up; "Nine Branches of the Yang Zing" is a powerful Counter Trap Card that can negate anything but Summons, and shuffles the negated card into the Deck, which can be useful to avoid Graveyard effects. At the resolution, it destroys a "Yang Zing" card and if that card is a monster, its effect can be triggered.

Exploring the effects of the "Yang Zing" monsters
In a "Yang Zing" Deck, generic Synchro Monsters are even more powerful than normally, as they will gain additional bonuses when Summoned by using the "Yang Zing" monsters as Synchro Materials.

Using "Chiwen" as the Tuner:


 * "Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree": With "Suanni", "Bi'an" and "Pulao", it will have 3600 ATK and immunity against battle destruction and Spell Cards that would destroy it, such as "Dark Hole".


 * "Ascension Sky Dragon": Due to the above-average Draw power of this Deck, because of "Supply Squad" and "Yang Zing Path", this monster can have a huge ATK boost when Summoned; in addition, if somehow it be destroyed, it is possible to recover all "Yang Zing" used for its Synchro Summon.


 * "Black Rose Moonlight Dragon": If Summoned during the opponent's turn, it can act like a "Compulsory Evacuation Device", surprising them by returning a strong monster they control to the hand.


 * "Goyo Guardian": It can be Synchro Summoned with "Bi'an" and "Bixi", having immunity against monsters with higher ATK and against Trap Cards like "Mirror Force" and "Dimensional Prison", that would prevent it from resolving its effect.


 * "Underworld Fighter Balmung": Summon it with "Bi'an" so that the only way it will be destroyed it is by a card effect, which will trigger its effect.

Using "Jiaotu" as the Tuner, by Special Summoning 2 "Yang Zings" with its effect:


 * "Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier": Special Summon "Taotie" and "Bixi", giving it immunity against Trap Cards that would negate its effect, such as "Lose 1 Turn", "Fiendish Chain" etc.


 * "Beelze of the Diabolic Dragons": Special Summon "Suanni" and "Bixi", giving it an ATK/DEF boost and immunity against Trap Cards that would otherwise take it off the Field, such as "Dimensional Prison", "Phoenix Wing Wind Blast", etc.


 * "Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer": Special Summon "Zefraxi, Treasure of the Yang Zing" and "Zefraniu, Secret of the Yang Zing"; Synchro Summon this card by using "Jiaotu" and "Zefraniu" then, use this card's effect and destroy "Zefraxi" and shuffle one oppoing card.
 * With a "Yang Zing" card in each of the Pendulum Zones, it is possible to Pendulum Summon that previously destroyed "Zefraxi" and get rid of an opponent's card every turn.

It is also possible to use the effect of "Zefraxi, Treasure of the Yang Zing" to turn a non-Tuner "Yang Zing" into a Tuner, in order to achieve more flexible options:


 * "Beelze of the Diabolic Dragons": The effect of "Zefraxi" can turn "Taotie" into a Tuner and Synchro Summon this card; in addition, it will be immune against cards like "Number 11: Big Eye" and "Number 101: Silent Honor ARK".


 * "Metaphys Horus": By Synchro Summoning it with "Zefraxi" and "Bi'an", it will permanently negate the effect of an opposing card and give change the control of an opponent's monster, while also being immune against battle destruction.


 * "Naturia Barkion": Can also be Synchro Summoned by the aforementioned method.

Weaknesses

 * Since their effects rely on swarming the field, mainly when combined with "Yang Zing Creation", cards like "El Shaddoll Winda", "El Shaddoll Grysta" and "Summon Breaker" can slow down the Deck.


 * Cards that purely prevent Special Summons, such as "Vanity's Emptiness" and "Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo" are also good counters against them; one can also use "Macro Cosmos" or "Dimensional Fissure" to banish them when they are destroyed. "Soul Drain" and "Deck Lockdown" can prevent them from Special Summoning one another from the Deck when destroyed and, once they main focus is on Synchro Summoning, "Grisaille Prison", "Dimensional Boundary" and "Discord" can also be used.


 * The variety of Attributes also makes them vulnerable to "Gozen Match" and "Battle of the Elements". The dependability on Synchros, makes the Deck vulnerable to "Evilswarm Ophion".


 * A monster that can attack all opposing monsters, such as "Bujintei Susanowo" or "Number 39: Utopia" equipped with "ZW - Asura Strike" or a "Stardust Charge Warrior" (preferably equipped with "Moon Mirror Shield"), can be surprisingly effective against this Deck, since it will keep on attacking every "Yang Zing" monster Summoned by the one previously destroyed. "Evigishki Merrowgeist" can be a peculiar and efficient solution against the "Yang Zing" as well, shuffling them into the Deck instead of sending them to the Graveyard, and, consequently, prevent them from Special Summoning one another.


 * Monsters like "Armades, Keeper of Boundaries", "Gem-Knight Citrine" and "U.A. Mighty Slugger" prevent their effects from being activated when they are destroyed by battle.


 * Most of their effects can miss the activation timing due to being optional "When" effects. As such, a "Yang Zing" monster will not be able to activate its searching effect if it is destroyed by "Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend", "Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arms", "Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter", "Felis, Lightsworn Archer", or a destruction effect that activates as Chain Link 2 or higher, etc.

Trivia

 * The Japanese name 竜星 ryūsei literally translates to "dragon star". It may also be based on 流星 ryūsei, "meteor", and 竜生九子 Ryūsei Kyūshi, "Nine Offspring of the Dragon".


 * This archetype has many similarities with the "Gusto" archetype; both of them are Synchro Summon-oriented archetypes, they also have their own set of "recruiter loops" which also works similarly.
 * Both of these archetypes also have exactly 2 of their monsters corrupted and become "Shaddoll" monsters, while also one of each is combined in form of "El Shaddoll Winda" ("Winda, Priestess of Gusto" + "Pulao, Wind of the Yang Zing").