Raidraptor

"Raidraptor", known as "Raid Raptors" ( Reido Raputāzu) in the OCG, is an archetype of DARK Winged Beast-Type monsters used by Shay Obsidian in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime and manga. They made their debut in Secrets of Eternity.

Appearance
"Raidraptor" monsters resemble various genus and species of birds of prey, albeit with a mechanized appearance and equipped with weaponry. Most of the Level 4 monsters (with the exception of "Raidraptor - Necro Vulture") are based on the lanius, a genus of passerine birds in the shrike family, while most of the Extra Deck monsters are based on falcons. Additional monster support includes cards based on vultures, eagles, and strixes, a genus of earless owls. The Level 3 and Rank 3 monsters are based on eagles, while the members based on vultures and strixes cover a wide range of Levels and Ranks. This naming pattern can be likened to codenames of different members belonging to the same military unit.

All "Raidraptor" monsters display the Raidraptor crest somewhere on their bodies. The crest itself is also used to represent their various "Rank-Up Magic" Spells.

In the dub, their attack names are all alliterative.

Playing style
Using the search effect of "Raidraptor - Force Strix" is this archetype's opening move to add "Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius" to Special Summon other "Raidraptor" Monsters from the Hand or "Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius" that can replace itself after being sent to the Graveyard. Most of the time, the deck's initial plays is to Summon multiple copies of "Force Strixes" to keep a steady number of cards in hand as preparations for all-out assault in later turns. "Tribute Lanius" is greatly helpful in this aspect, since it can help gathering cards necessary (in conjunction with "Mimicry Lanius") to Summon your "Force Strix" as early as possible.

One important note about this archetype is many of its best card effects restrict to you to Special Summoning only "Raidraptor" Monsters for the rest of the turn; careful considerations are necessary in order to utilize this to its maximum potential.

"Sharp Lanius" is best supported by an Xyz Monster while it is attacking, but sometimes to recover advantage you will need to use its effect to attack into an opposing high DEF Monster and purposefully take damage to enable your plays when there are no other options.

The effects of the Main Deck monsters are usually activated during the Main Phase of the turn that they were Normal or Special Summoned, and they focus on swarming the field to Xyz Summon Rank 4 or Rank 5 monsters. Cards like "Vanishing Lanius", "Sharp Lanius", "Fuzzy Lanius", and "Singing Lanius" allow quick Special Summoning from the hand or graveyard, while "Force Strix", "Nest", "Mimicry Lanius", "Tribute Lanius", and "Call" either search, dump, or Special Summon free cards from the deck. The archetype can also access other summoning and/or searching effects that benefit Level 4 and Winged Beast-type monsters, such as "Summoner Monk" and "Swallow's Nest" respectively.

The lower-Ranked Xyz Monsters have low ATK and high DEF for their Rank, but they make up for this with extremely powerful effects: "Rise Falcon" can gain a large amount of ATK, while "Blaze Falcon" can attack directly and destroy multiple monsters at once. The Rank 6 "Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon" combine elements from both "Rise" and "Blaze Falcon", albeit slightly different. The Rank 8 and 10 monsters, "Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon" and "Ultimate Falcon", have higher ATK but more focused on weakening the ATK of the opponents monster instead of outright destroying them (but those effects can work on any monster, not just Special Summoned monster). The new "Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon" is the oddball of the bunch, since it doesn't have any effect regarding winning battles or destroying Special Summoned monsters, but having more "assistance-like" effects instead that can provide more monsters to your field, or to make Summoning your higher Rank Xyz Monsters easier.

"Raidraptors" also supports Rank-Up strategy, due to a high number of "Rank-Up-Magic" Spells associated with the archetype. These cards usually focus on Ranking-Up any Xyz Monster into a "Raidraptor" monster, or vice-versa. Some of these cards can also revive a defeated Xyz monster before using it as Material for an even stronger one, and others can also Rank-Up Xyz monsters into others that are 2 Ranks higher (with "Soul Shave" and "Skip") or even double their Rank ("Doom Double"), greatly diversifying their options. As the "Rank-Up-Magic" card's usefulness depends on whatever Xyz Monster the player has on the field at the time (and the fact that those cards aren't easily searchable), "Raidraptor - Last Strix" can be utilized to provide Xyz Monsters straight from the Extra Deck, as Materials for Rank-Up if necessary. This tactic is also useful to bring out monsters that would be almost impossible to Summon otherwise, such as "Arsenal Falcon", "Satellite Cannon Falcon" or "Ultimate Falcon".

Overall, "Raidraptors" run in a manner similar to the "Blackwing" archetype. They are both DARK Winged Beast archetypes that can swarm the field with a wide range of flexible effects, but they rely mostly on their proficiency in battle to achieve victory against the opponent. Some "Blackwing" monsters such as "Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite" fit well inside the deck, due to their Level or effects, while also being searchable by "Force Strix" and "Arsenal Falcon".

Weaknesses

 * As the Deck relies heavily on Xyz Summoning, any cards that prevent Special Summoning will shut it down.
 * The Deck also has a reliance on "Rank-Up-Magic" cards, so Spell negation can also slow this Deck.
 * "Anti-Spell Fragrance" can help slow down "Rank-Up Magic" plays by forcing the opponent to Set their Spells before being able to use them. However, beware of Quick-Play "Rank-Up-Magic" cards such as "Revolution Force" or "Doom Double Force", which are often intended to be Set and used later.
 * The Deck has a reliance on "Vanishing Lanius", "Fuzzy Lanius", and "Force Strix" during the early game. Getting rid of them early will hinder this Deck's plays.
 * "Raidraptors" are all DARK Winged Beast monsters, so they can be vulnerable to certain Attribute and Type-based floodgate cards such as "Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror".
 * In general, "Raidraptor" decks put a heavy emphasis on battling opponent monsters to activate their card effects, so alternate means of monster removal can prevent them from making several key plays.

Trivia

 * Many Spell and Trap Cards supporting the "Raidraptor" archetype (apart from the "Rank-Up-Magic" Spells) depict bird-shaped figures made of light in their artworks.
 * In the Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, the "Raidraptor" monsters' cries are the same as "Earthbound Immortal Aslla piscu".
 * The archetype's initial Xyz Monsters ("Rise", "Blaze", and "Revolution Falcon") have an unique characteristic; as they're evolved, their design appears to become more simplified and streamlined (caused by losing most of their body parts). This may be alluding to their "growth" as they faced harsh battles and struggles, making them stronger (reflected by their increase in Ranks).
 * These three monsters also seem to represent the stages of a revolution, fitting Shay's background as a member of the Xyz Dimension's Resistance against Duel Academy.