Forum:Deck Guide/Koa'ki Meiru

by Gadjiltron

Intro
In February 2009, war had broken out. Across many tournaments, Dark Armed Dragon and its endless forces was seen clashing with the Lightsworns faction. In between, Gladiator Beasts occasionally found some place in the midst of the carnage. But other than those factions, no other Deck stood a chance.

Then came Raging Battle, bringing a faction designed to end the war of Light against Dark. This newfound strength could only be contained and tapped on from a humble steel core. With this, came the Koa'ki Meiru theme.

Mechanics
The main principle behind the Koa'ki Meiru Deck is Anti-Meta, where it is designed to combat most popular Decks that top tournaments. Since the shutting down of Teleport Dark Armed, and the rise of Blackwings and Synchro Cat, the Koa'ki Meiru theme has evolved from plain countering Light and Dark to fending off many forms of Special Summoning. While they are not as strong against non-tournament-oriented "rogue" Decks they still have an edge in the form of their sheer stats to trump other monsters in battle.

One thing to note is that most of the monsters have a maintenance cost - either send an "Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru" to the Graveyard, or reveal a certain kind of card in hand, at each of your End Phases. (The latter shall be referred to throughout the guide as "alternative maintenance".)

It is to be noted that while the sending of the Core is for individual maintenance, a single card revealed in hand can keep out multiple kinds of Koa'ki Meiru monsters. (e.g. 3 Powerhands require 3 Iron Cores to be discarded, but revealing 1 Normal Trap can keep all 3 out at once)

While this guide will be focusing on how to build a Koa'ki Meiru Deck, keep in mind that the way the monsters function allow them to be used as anti-meta options in other Deck themes.

Analysis

 * Speed - While the Koa'ki Meirus boast a few draw cards, it is rather situational and often limits their speed. Their maintenance cost also makes it hard to swarm with them. However, they make up for this by crippling the normally-fast tournament Decks' speed as well.
 * Power - Almost all the LV4 Koa'ki Meiru monsters have sheer ATK and DEF in the 1900 range or so, allowing them to take down nearly any threat through sheer brute force.
 * Consistency - The Koa'ki Meiru theme, however, is not so consistent in warding off the various situations that several meta Decks will present to it, as the monsters and cards used are quite situational. Get the wrong cards at the wrong times and the Deck goes down quickly.
 * Risk - Fortunately, there are several monsters that don't have the annoying maintenance cost at all, and the problem with maintenance can be averted by Setting in order to defend oneself for the time being. The Deck's various ways to get the Core where it wants it to be can also reduce the risk factor in Dueling.
 * Meta Ranking - Konami has tried, but the clumsiness of the theme has led to the Deck sometimes falling before the meta it was designed to combat. However, it has opened up several antimeta tech options for other Deck themes.

The Basics
To the best of my knowledge there is no notable variation on the Koa'ki Meiru theme, so instead we shall look into and evaluate the various members of the Koa'ki Meiru theme. But first, the core (no pun intended) of the Deck:


 * Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru - The basis of the Deck. While it does nothing on its own, it is the all-purpose means of maintaining your monsters as it can be discarded to maintain any Koa'ki Meiru monster. It also can find its way back into your hand, either by forgoing your Draw during your Draw Phase, or by discarding a Koa'ki Meiru monster in your hand that you do not need.

And now, we look at the monsters:


 * Koa'ki Meiru Boulder - It has relatively low stats for a Koa'ki Meiru monster, but it can search out an Iron Core or a Koa'ki Meiru monster from your Deck and add it to your hand when it is destroyed by battle. Coupled with the fact that it has no maintenance cost and this allows the Deck to quickly pick a Core up for the other cards to use or find an immediate solution to an impending problem. A must for the Deck.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Tornado - For a LV4 monster, it presents average stats of 1500/1200, but it also has no maintenance costs. Its effect is where it shines - by tossing a Core from your hand ot the top of your Deck you get to wipe out all of your opponent's Special Summoned monsters. With all the Special Summoning going around, this card can quickly take care of Synchro monsters and other swarming tactics.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Hydro Barrier - Once again, no maintenance costs. It has a lackluster ATK of 1000, but a rather impressive DEF of 1900, allowing it to function as a temporary wall. In addition to this its effect, at the cost of tossing a Core to the top of your Deck, functions as a Skill Drain across the board, with your Koa'ki Meiru monsters being exempt from it. Very useful, considering that it extends into your opponent's turn and the importance of monster effects in the present day.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand - As his name implies, Powerhand's stats are massive for a LV4, as few monsters of its level can trump 2100 ATK. Its effect sees little use, though, for few Light or Dark monsters have threatening effects when engaging in battle. He's quite easy to maintain, with the mere revealing of a Normal Trap in hand as an alternative maintenance cost.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Drago - Considering how often Special Summons are performed by the meta Decks, Drago is a force to be reckoned with. 1900/1600 is enough for the Dragon to hold its own, and its effect stops Light and Dark monsters from being Special Summoned, period. This cripples many Decks, like Blackwings, Lightsworns, and DAD, while the Koa'ki Meiru theme, having no Light or Dark monsters of its own, gets around this completely. His alternative maintenance cost requires a Dragon in hand - thankfully, other copies of him will suffice.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Guardian - He can beat face with stats of 1900/1200, and furthermore, his effect is a nifty one: Tribute him to negate a monster effect activation and destroy the monster. The fact that this guy is no longer on the field after negating said effect also means that you don't need to maintain him after he has served his purpose, but should you need to, there's always Boulder or other Guardians to support him.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Ice - Like Guardian, stats of 1900/1200 allows him to hold his own. His effect puts him at odds with Tornado, though - rather than topdecking a Core to nuke all of the opponent's Special Summoned monsters, he sends a card in hand to the Graveyard to destroy a Special Summoned monster. While he does not possess the magnitude of destruction that Tornado has, he does not disrupt the next Draw and hence can be more splashable. Note that his maintenance alternative of a Continuous Spell is a little hard to achieve.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Doom - At LV3, 1700/800 is pretty decent. His effect negates the effects of Light and Dark monsters, but only if said effects activate in the Main Phase. His alternative cost of a Fiend in hand is a little hard to play with, too, considering that Fiends are underlooked at the moment. Perhaps best in a Side Deck, should the need arise.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Crusader - His great stats complement his effect - when he destroys a monster by battle he can recover a Koa'ki Meiru card from the Graveyard, be it the Core or a fellow monster. A great way of getting the Core back without sacrificing potential hand addition the next turn, and other copies of himself can support him for his maintenance cost.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Speeder - 2200 DEF is very hard for LV4 or lower monsters to bypass, and it is clear that this guy is designed to work in tandem with the monsters that involve topdecking a Core for their effects. Should you draw a Core during the Draw Phase, which is always the case after you use one of said effects, you get an extra draw. His maintenance cost allows for Powerhand to support him, but considering that you're not going to get his effect off very often, he's better off Tributed or something.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Seapanther - He holds the standard 1900 ATK, and a flexible maintenance cost of revealing any Water monster in hand. His effect, however, is not as good - at the cost of sending a Core to the Graveyard, a Spell Card can be placed on the top of the Deck. Maybe useful with Speeder by topdecking the Core itself, but it is often better for a Spell to be in the hand.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak - An OCG exclusive, Bergzak has 2000 ATK, and the ability to attack again if it scores a kill, which it would most of the time. He's good for crowd control, provided you can maintain him by revealing a Warrior in hand, and protect him from effects that threaten to stop him from rampaging.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Valafar - Don't let his Level fool you - he can be Summoned just by Tributing only one Koa'ki Meiru monster. And for 3000 ATK, Trample, and being unable to be destroyed by Traps, he's a fearsome beatstick. However, many other Traps can circumvent his indestructibility, and he has no alternative maintenance other than discarding a Core.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord - Like Valafar, Rooklord can be Summoned by Tributing one Koa'ki Meiru monster. In addition to this, on summon he can take out 2 of your opponent's cards in exchange for a Koa'ki Meiru monster in the Graveyard. Definitely worth running if you can keep a monster out for Tribute, and his alternative maintenance allows for monsters like Bergzak to support him.
 * Koa'ki Meiru War Arms - An interesting TCG exclusive with an unusual effect, which allows him to equip fallen LV3 or lower Warriors in order to raise his ATK. Considering this and his alternate maintenance cost of revealing of Warriors, it would be safest to run him in a Warrior Deck, rather than a Koa'ki Meiru Deck.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Ghoulungulate - Another TCG exclusive, with 2500 ATK at LV5. He can protect other Koa'ki Meiru monsters from destruction in battle or effects by removing Koa'ki Meiru monsters in the Graveyard, but his level and Type makes him hard to summon and maintain.
 * Koa'ki Meiru Gravirose - Yet another TCG exlusive, with the standard beatstick stats at LV4. Her effect of sending a LV3 or lower monster to the Graveyard does not seem to fit much in a Koa'ki Meiru Deck, though, and seems to go better with War Arms.

With the Core and monsters explained and evaluated, let's look into the other support Spells and Traps:


 * Ability Absorption Core - This seems like a response to the Gladiator Beast War Chariot phenomenon. Its activation situation is very easily fulfilled, seeing that the Core is often thrown to the Graveyard to maintain some Koa'ki Meiru monsters. This essentially makes it a free monster effect negation, which is very handy.
 * Automatic Laser - By revealing a Core in hand when the opponent Normal or Special Summons monster(s) with 1000+ ATK, you can destroy them all. Perhaps good for taking out multiple monster swarms, but Bottomless Trap Hole seems to be better, considering more people playing bigger monsters more often.
 * Core Blaster - A recyclable Koa'ki Meiru-only equip, it allows for monsters to skip damage calculation when they engage in battle with Light or Dark monsters and emerge immediately victorious. It's good for evading threats like Honest and Blackwings, but most of time the opponent will find a way to circumvent this when their turn rolls around. Maybe a copy or two is fine in a Koa'ki Meiru Deck, but no more.
 * Core Compression - The draw card for the Koa'ki Meiru theme, which is always helpful. However, in addition to discarding a Koa'ki Meiru monster you also need to reveal a Core in hand. Generally, it will need careful handling of where the Core is going to end up next.
 * Core Reinforcement - Call of the Haunted for Koa'ki Meiru monsters. Good for surprising the opponent by calling up a Valafar to stop their attack, or quickly pulling up a Koa'ki Meiru monster to Tribute for one of the bigger ones. If you're going to use said monster for its effects, maintain it carefully, lest you risk burn on your end.
 * Iron Core Immediate Disposal - Dumps out an Iron Core into your Graveyard, from which you can then proceed to manipulate its location to pick it back into your hand, or use other cards that need it in the Grave. A fine choice for the Deck, perhaps in 2 copies.
 * Iron Core Luster - A Counter Trap that negates a Spell or Trap activation in exchange for revealing a Core in hand. Extremely useful, as S/T negation at nearly no cost is always welcome.
 * Iron Core Storage - Another Koa'ki Meiru-only equip. It reduces the ATK of the monster the equipped monster battles by 100 x the equipped monster's level, which, under most circumstances would be by about 400 ATK or so. However, it also allows the equipped monster to last one extra turn without any efforts to maintain it, as the equip can send itself to the Grave to pay for the maintenance.
 * Reckoned Power - By revealing a Core in hand, you get to destroy all of your opponent's Set Spells and Traps. However, this means that the opponent can circumvent this by chaining their S/Ts if they can. Its status as a Normal Trap also slows it down a bit, so it is best played minimally.
 * Urgent Synthesis - By returning a Core from your Graveyard to your Deck, you can Special Summon a Koa'ki Meiru monster from your hand or Graveyard. This works fine when combined with Immediate Disposal for a temporary swarm of Koa'ki Meiru monsters, but just be sure that you can maintain them.

Example Deck
Knowing the advantages and drawbacks of the various Koa'ki Meiru cards, it is up to you to judge what to run, and how many copies of it. Here is an example Koa'ki Meiru Deck, and it is highly recommended that you try to vary yours.

How Do I Play It?
Piloting a Koa'ki Meiru Deck is not easy. Here are a few tips to keep mind of when using the Deck:
 * Considering that the Koa'ki Meiru monsters usually have problems when present in numbers, it is best that you avoid trying to swarm with them, unless pushing for a win. One or two monsters with maintenance costs at a time should suffice.
 * Sometimes, it is best to let your monsters blow up. Those with one-shot effects would have served their purpose to get rid of something in your way, and so you can conserve your resources and let them leave the field.
 * Keep the next few turns ahead in mind. There are several times when the location of your Iron Core is crucial to how you are going to play. Sometimes it is okay to skip that next draw so as to recover that Iron Core from the Graveyard.
 * When in doubt, Set. You conserve resources in avoiding the need to maintain your monsters.

Other Tips
The Koa'ki Meiru Deck, being of anti-meta nature, can synergize with other cards of similar nature:
 * Dimensional Fissure - With a lot of meta decks greatly involving monsters and the Graveyard, Dimensional Fissure is there to remove the monsters from play, whilst still allowing the Koa'ki Meiru Deck to function as it will not remove the Core if it hits the Graveyard. Just note that your revival will be sealed off, too.
 * Thunder King Rai-Oh - Another beatstick which prevents cards from being added from Deck to hand, and can also Tribute itself to negate a Special Summon. Just note that this will prevent your Boulder from working, too.
 * Burden of the Mighty - Weakens your opponent's monsters so that your opponent has a harder time trying to deal with your already strong Koa'ki Meiru monsters in battle.
 * Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer - He removes your opponent's monsters in the Graveyard, and prevents your opponent from taking out the Koa'ki Meiru monsters that you need in yours.
 * Book of Moon - It cuts monsters off from using their effects as they're face-down, and allows for your Koa'ki Meiru monsters to take them out in battle, should they sport a low enough DEF.
 * Neo-Spacian Grand Mole - This little guy can return what your Koa'ki Meiru monsters can't take down to the owner's hand, and with no Battle Damage being risked.
 * King Tiger Wanghu - It has a large ATK and has an effect that can take down smaller monsters before their effects can trigger.
 * Threatening Roar - If you're somehow stuck with the weaker of your Koa'ki Meiru monsters, this card can stop your opponent from unleashing an all-out attack on you for the turn.
 * Royal Oppression - At 800 LP, it negates a Special Summon or an effect that Special Summons. Definitely handy in stopping swarming from getting out of the Koa'ki Meiru's control.