Infernity

Infernity, a portmanteau of the words "Infernal" and "Infinity", are all DARK monster cards with effects activated when a player has no cards in their hand. This archetype resembles much of the wild west, with cards such as "Infernity Archfiend", "Infernity Necromancer", and "Infernity Mirage" alluding to the native Americans while cards like "Infernity Avenger", "Infernity Randomizer", and "Infernity Launcher" (whose original Japanese name was Infernity Gun) relate to the cowboys. This archetype was used by Kalin Kessler in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. In episodes 33, 34, and 35 in the English version of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, these Infernity Monsters, Spells and/or Traps were known as Infernalty.

The first Infernity cards were released as promotional cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator: "Infernity Archfiend", "Infernity Dwarf", and "Infernity Guardian". "Infernity Destroyer" was released in the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator - World Championship 2009 Game Guide in Japan.

The first "Infernity" card released in a booster pack was "Infernity Beast" in Ancient Prophecy. Two additional "Infernity" cards soon followed with the release of Stardust Overdrive: "Infernity Necromancer" and the first "Infernity" Trap Card "Infernity Force". With the release of The Shining Darkness, fifteen more cards were added to the "Infernity" archetype for further support. The Shining Darkness also includes an "Infernity" Synchro Monster known as "Infernity Doom Dragon".

Playing style
As the monster's Effects imply this deck is focused on having no hand. Using discarding effects, such as "Raigeki Break" and "Phoenix Wing Wind Blast" is the fastest way to empty your hand while setting up your Graveyard for cards like "Infernity Archfiend" and "Infernity Avenger".

You can add "Fabled" cards to an "Infernity" deck. Notable cards are "Fabled Raven" (a Level 2, 1300 ATK Tuner monster which lets you discard any number of cards to increase its Level by 1, and its ATK by 400 for each card). This lets you empty your hand to have a high Level, powerful Tuner monster) and "Fabled Soulkius" (a Level 6, 2200 ATK monster which lets you send two cards to the Graveyard to Special Summon it from the Graveyard, fitting perfectly into the themes of the "Infernity" cards). On top of that, the "Fabled" are all LIGHT monsters, while the "Infernity" cards are all DARK monsters so "Chaos Sorcerer" can be splashed into this deck and you can use "Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End" and "Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning" in Traditional Format.

As of The Shining Darkness release, the "Infernity" archetype has become much more Graveyard based. Both "Infernity Mirage" and "Infernity Launcher" can quickly and effectively Special Summon your monsters from your Graveyard. Because the most common way of emptying your hand is discarding you'll have plenty of "Infernities" in your Graveyard to Special Summon. "Infernity Avenger" can also Special Summon itself and become one of the only Level 5+ tuners. Because of new Graveyard tactics, the "Infernity" have become less and less reliant of top decking, turning this rather risky deck type into a much more consistent deck type.

It's usually not good to use cards such as "Full Salvo", "Fine" and "Rope of Life", since, while they empty your hand, they also give very small benefits and most times the loss outweighs the gain.

A well-built "Infernity" deck can summon several high-level Synchro Monsters every turn, providing the right cards exist on the field or in-hand. A popular choice is "Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier" while a cheaper alternative is "Mist Wurm". You can also Synchro Summon "Red Nova Dragon" with "Red Dragon Archfiend" and 2 "Infernity Beetles". "Infernity Launcher" (whether in the hand or on the field) will allow the player to summon a second "Wurm" via "Infernity Necromancer", "Infernity Archfiend", "Infernity Beetle" and another copy of "Infernity Launcher", to clear the opponent's field, hand and Graveyard of any cards blocking a direct attack. Another good Synchro Monster is "Hundred-Eyes Dragon" due to the fact that it can copy most of the abilities used by a "Infernity" deck. However, you want your "Infernity" monsters in the Graveyard so it can be a double-edged sword (with the exception of "Infernity Mirage", which is used with "Hundred-Eyes Dragon" to gain advantage). Another Synchro Monster target is "Infernity Doom Dragon".

Strengths
Currently, the most noticeable strength of an "Infernity" deck is its ability to Synchro Summon quickly thanks to cards like "Infernity Launcher" and "Infernity Necromancer", which allow for very fast Special Summoning from the Graveyard. Similarly to "Launcher", "Infernity Mirage" can Special Summon two more "Infernity" monsters by being Tributed and it's easy to keep a hand empty thanks to many cards such as "Raigeki Break", "Phoenix Wing Wind Blast", "Into the Void" and so on. Also, the "Infernity" archetype has its own specific Counter Trap Card in the form of "Infernity Barrier", a card that can Negate almost anything by itself ("Infernity" decks create a long chain of Synchro Summons, at the end of which they have three "Infernity Barriers" set along with their Synchro Monsters, making them almost invincible if not stopped at the start).

If properly used it can use the many ways it has to Special Summon from the Graveyard to provide material for Synchro Summons without having to rely on big plays.

Weaknesses
"Infernities", despite their enormous Synchro Summoning ability, have a number of crucial weaknesses. Of course, the foremost one is the one shared among most of today's competitive decks. Cards such as "Royal Oppression", "Macro Cosmos", and "Dimensional Fissure" are giant threats because they stop the entire "Infernity" strategy. "Skill Drain" is also a huge threat as it stops "Infernity Archfiend", "Hundred-Eyes Dragon", and "Infernity Necromancer". Side-Deck "Chaos Hunter" or "Burial from a Different Dimension" to combat against the removal cards and use "Mystical Space Typhoon" to deal with "Royal Oppression". Cards like "Effect Veiler" and "Battle Fader" that can be activated in your hand can prevent an "Infernity" combo. You can use "Infernity Barrier" and "Debunk" to stop these cards. Cards like "Threatening Roar" and "Waboku" can slow down "Infernity" decks for a turn, giving the player time to counter.

Also, by themselves they are a fairly weak archetype, with the most powerful non-Synchro card being "Infernity Destroyer", which only has 2300 ATK and an effect that works once. Hindering the key cards of the deck with "Prohibition" and "Discord" and the like can also disrupt their strategy dramatically since this will leave cards in hand, stopping the effects of "Infernity" monsters.

"Infernity" monsters are also severely affected by "Consecrated Light". This monster prevents the Summoning of DARK monsters; therefore disabling Synchro-Summoning. Be careful, Dark monsters can be Flip-Summoned. "Consecrated Light" will only stall for a turn or two. "Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror" can also stop "Infernities".

Some good cards to side against "Infernities" include "D.D. Crow", "Crevice Into the Different Dimension" and likes shuts down any "Infernity" OTK move.

The fact that this deck depends on having no cards in your hand can be a weakness itself. If you play a large number of cards and then your opponent plays a field-clearing card such as "Judgment Dragon" or "Black Rose Dragon" you may find yourself without options. To keep this from happening, "Infernity Guardian" is a great defense since it can't be destroyed by effects. Use "Infernity Force" to bring back "Infernity Doom Dragon" and counterattack. Another weakness of an "Infernity" deck is that it can be completely shut down by "Ambitious Gofer" due to the fact that it takes advantage of an empty hand.

Post-September 2010 Strategy
After the September 2010 Forbidden list, the "Infernity" strategy became less OTK oriented and more control oriented. The place of primary Tuner, once held by "Infernity Beetle", now belongs to "Infernity Avenger". In addition, the loop is now about summoning Level Eight Synchro Monsters, not Level Nine Synchro Monsters.

"Hundred-Eyes Dragon" has become a much more important card. It is used to remove "Infernity Mirage" then Special Summon "Infernity Archfiend" and "Infernity Necromancer". This is to obtain an extra search with "Infernity Archfiend", usually for "Infernity Barrier", "Infernity Launcher", or "Infernity Break". Another major Level Eight Synchro Monster is "Infernity Doom Dragon" which not only gives you a 3000 attacker with a Burn and destruction effect but also a name for "Infernity Barrier". "Infernity Necromancer" is used to Special Summon "Infernity Avenger", which is used to Synchro Summon for another Level Eight. "Stygian Street Patrol" is now being used to Special Summon "Infernity Archfiend" while it is the last card in hand, thus generating a search. It is also used to Special Summon searched "Infernity Mirages" to continue the combo or search for "Infernity Necromancers" and "Infernity Avengers" to obtain missing pieces of it. "Armageddon Knight" has replaced one "Dark Grepher" as its worse to discard "Infernity Archfiend" now.

And a good way to save and "re-use" your removed from field monsters would be "Return from the Different Dimension" and "Burial from a Different Dimension" if you are playing with "Allure of Darkness", "Plaguespreader Zombie", "The Dark Creator" and constantly using the effect of "Hundred-Eyes Dragon" to remove your monsters from your Graveyard and gain their effects such as the effect of "Infernity Necromancer" to Special Summon the "Infernity Archfiend" to bring to your hand an "Infernity Barrier" or a Tuner Monster if you have make a Normal Summon this turn or remove the "Infernity Mirage" after attack to Special Summon "Stardust Dragon".

This archetype can easily Summon "Red Nova Dragon", just by simply using "Infernity Archfiend", "Infernity Necromancer" and "Infernity Avenger" to Summon "Red Dragon Archfiend" then Summon "Infernity Beetle" and activate its effect to Special Summon two more "Infernity Beetles", then tune both with "Red Dragon Archfiend" to Special Summon "Red Nova Dragon".

Monsters

 * Infernity Archfiend
 * Infernity Necromancer
 * Infernity Avenger
 * Infernity Mirage
 * Infernity Beetle
 * Stygian Street Patrol
 * Plaguespreader Zombie
 * Armageddon Knight
 * Dark Grepher

Spells

 * Infernity Launcher
 * Mystical Space Typhoon
 * Foolish Burial
 * One for One
 * Reinforcement of the Army

Traps

 * Infernity Barrier
 * Infernity Break
 * Infernity Inferno
 * Trap Stun
 * Call of the Haunted
 * Escape from the Dark Dimension

Extra Deck

 * Hundred-Eyes Dragon
 * Infernity Doom Dragon
 * Stygian Sergeants
 * Dark End Dragon

Infernity Burn OTK
An Infernity Burn OTK Deck is built around dealing 8000 Burn damage to your opponent in one turn. This is done using the overwhelming Swarming capabilities of "Infernity Mirage" and "Infernity Launcher" and Tributing those monsters for "Shadowpriestess of Ohm".

Required Cards

 * Infernity Archfiend
 * Infernity Beetle
 * Infernity Mirage
 * Infernity Necromancer
 * Infernity Launcher
 * Stygian Street Patrol
 * Shadowpriestess of Ohm

Suggested Cards

 * Sangan (Tribute this card for "Shadowpriestess of Ohm's" effect then search for "Infernity Mirage")
 * Double Summon (Normal Summon "Shadowpriestess of Ohm" then Normal Summon "Infernity Mirage")
 * Foolish Burial (Use this card to send "Stygian Street Patrol" from your Deck to the Graveyard)
 * Infernity Inferno

How it works
The combo starts with a hand consisting solely of "Infernity Mirage" and a field consisting of a "Shadowpriestess of Ohm". You also need "Infernity Archfiend", "Infernity Necromancer", "Infernity Beetle" and "Stygian Street Patrol" in your Graveyard.


 * 1) Normal Summon "Infernity Mirage".
 * 2) Tribute it to activate its effect, Special Summoning "Infernity Necromancer" and "Infernity Archfiend" from your Graveyard.
 * 3) "Infernity Archfiend's" effect activates, searching your deck for any "Infernity" card. Pick "Infernity Launcher".
 * 4) Activate "Infernity Launcher" (Note that it does nothing at the moment).
 * 5) Activate "Infernity Necromancer's" effect, Special Summoning "Infernity Beetle" from your Graveyard.
 * 6) Activate "Infernity Beetle's" effect, by Tributing itself to "Special Summon" two more "Infernity Beetles" from your Deck.
 * 7) Using the effect of "Shadowpriestess of Ohm", Tribute the 1st "Infernity Beetle", the 2nd "Infernity Beetle", "Infernity Necromancer" and "Infernity Archfiend" for a total of 3200 points of Burn Damage.
 * 8) Activate "Infernity Launcher's" effect, Special Summoning "Infernity Necromancer" and "Infernity Archfiend" from your Graveyard.
 * 9) Using "Infernity Archfiend's" Effect, add another "Infernity Mirage" to your hand.
 * 10) Activate the effect of "Stygian Street Patrol", removing itself from play to Special Summon "Infernity Mirage" from your Hand.
 * 11) Activate "Infernity Necromancer's" effect, Special Summoning "Infernity Beetle" from your Graveyard.
 * 12) Using the effect of "Shadowpriestess of Ohm", Tribute "Infernity Beetle", "Infernity Necromancer" and "Infernity Archfiend" for a total of points of 2400 Burn Damage.
 * 13) Tribute "Infernity Mirage" to activate its effect, Special Summoning "Infernity Necromancer" and "Infernity Archfiend" from your Graveyard.
 * 14) When "Infernity Archfiend" is Special Summoned, DO NOT use its effect to add an "Infernity" Card from your Deck to your Hand (unless you are adding an "Infernity" trap card to set, but since this is an OTK it hardly matters).
 * 15) Activate "Infernity Necromancer's" effect, Special Summoning "Infernity Beetle".
 * 16) Using the effect of "Shadowpriestess of Ohm", Tribute "Infernity Beetle", "Infernity Necromancer" and "Infernity Archfiend" for a total of 2400 points of Burn Damage.
 * 17) By now, you have successfully inflicted 8000 points of Burn Damage to your opponent.

Infernity World
This deck revolves around the not having any cards in your hand as well but use the "Dark World" Swarm.

Monsters

 * Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World
 * Sillva, Warlord of Dark World
 * Stygian Street Patrol
 * Fabled Raven
 * Infernity Mirage
 * Infernity Archfiend
 * Infernity Beetle

Spells

 * Dark World Lightning
 * Dark World Dealings
 * The Cheerful Coffin
 * Card Destruction

Traps

 * Infernity Inferno

Trivia

 * In the Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's when Kalin says Infernity, you can hear him mispronouncing it Infinity.


 * In Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's episode 54 and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's episode 55 the word Infernity was used instead of Infernality (ep. 33-35). For example, when Kalin played his "Infernality Fiend" in episode 33, he then later called it by its TCG name when dueled Yusei again (ep. 54-55).


 * The more recent additions of the "Infernity" archetype seem to have a Western Shootout theme to them.


 * The new "Infernity" cards used in the manga have a Medieval theme.


 * The handless effect of the "Infernity" archetype is identical to the "Hellbent" effect of the "Rakdos" related cards from Magic: The Gathering.
 * Additionally, the "Rakdos" cards use Red/Fire and Black/Darkness mana, while the "Infernitys" are DARK-attribute monsters and their artwork generally depicts them with fire.