Wind-Up

Wind-ups are gay! "Wind-Up", known as "Zenmai" (ゼンマイ) in the OCG, is an archetype of wind-up toy-like monsters that premiered in Generation Force and received further support in Photon Shockwave and Order of Chaos. There are monsters of all Attributes, though EARTH is most prominent, and 4 Xyz Monsters.

The effects of the known "Wind-Up" monsters vary from Special Summon and Swarm tactics to Level- and ATK-manipulation to gaining hand advantage. Each non-Xyz "Wind-Up" monster can only use its effect once while it's face-up on the field ("Wind-Up Shark" is the only exception so far). Many support cards revolve around flipping them face-down or otherwise recycling them.

Play style
A "Wind-Up" Deck uses a variety of single-use monster effects to control the field while "Wind-Up Factory" generates hand advantage. You can use "Tour Guide From the Underworld" to Xyz Summon "Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity" and proceed to Summon whatever you need from your Deck. "Wind-Up Soldier" can change its Level to 5, allowing you to use "Cyber Dragon" or "Instant Fusion" to produce Rank 5 Xyz Monsters. "Wind-Up Kitten" works with "Junk Synchron" for Level 5 Synchro Summons.

"Wind-Up" is an excellent Deck for Xyz Summons, taking advantage of easily increasing their Levels with "Wind-Up Soldier", "Wind-Up Warrior", "Wind-Up Dog", and "Wind-Up Shark". Summoning any of the first three and then summoning "Shark" allows for an easy Rank 5 Xyz Summon, using cards like "Wind-Up Arsenal Zenmaioh" to break Set monsters and Spell and Traps, "Number 61: Volcasaurus" and "Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon" to destroy any opponent's face-up monster (and, in the case of "Number 61", deal massive damage) which you couldn't beat with ATK alone, or provide a monster which can survive a surprise "Mirror Force", in the form of "Tiras, Keeper of Genesis". If dominating, "Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry" is also an option, allowing destruction of up to 3 cards, but due to it needing quite some material, most Rank 5 Xyz monsters outclass it, due to the amount of effort lost when it meets cards like "Bottomless Trap Hole".

Any Rank 4 Xyz Monster can also easily be summoned by the combo of "Shark" with any of the Level 4 monsters, and due to the speed, allows 3 material monsters like "Vylon Disigma", and Numbers 10, 16, and 32

"Wind-Up Rat", "Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity", and Wind-Up Hunter can produce a loop that can result in your opponent sending from 2-6 cards from their hand to grave. First, you must have Wind-Up Hunter in your graveyard. Then, you must have Wind-Up Zenmaity on the field, and activate it's effect to special summon a Wind-Up Rat. Then activate Wind-Up Rat's effect to special summon Wind-Up Hunter from the graveyard. Use Wind-Up Hunter's effect to tribute Wind-Up Zenmaity and make your opponent send a random card from their hand to the grave. Then use Wind-Up Rat and Wind-Up Hunter as Xyz Materials to get another Zenmaity, and then repeat the loop twice by sending Wind-Up Hunter to the graveyard to special summon another Wind-Up Rat.

However, due to limitation of "Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity" in September 2012 Lists, most Wind-Up decks have switch goals from depleting opponent's hand into Xyz Summoning numerous Xyz Monster in just one turn using cards like "Wind-Up Magician", "Wind-Up Shark", bolstered with "Wind-Up Factory" to finish off the opponent (possibly in that same turn).

"Wind-Up Factory", "Zenmaity", and "Honeybee" can provide you with single-use monsters to address any situation. You can toolbox "Soldier" to kill low-Level beatsticks, "Juggler" to break walls, "Kitten" to deal with Extra Deck monsters and defuse Flip Effects, "Rat" to produce Rank 3 Xyzs, "Rabbit" for reuse and deflection, or "Knight" for defense.

Some "Wind-Up" Decks swarm low-ATK monsters by looping "Wind-Up Rat" to produce multiple "Zenmaity". This can be used alongside "Wind-Up Magician" to create OTKs.

Another way to OTK is by using "Zenmairch" alongside "Zenmailstrom", and utilizing "Soldier" and "Knight". Having both "Soldier" and "Knight" on the field, along with activatable "Zenmairch" and "Zenmailstrom" on the field is needed, together with either another Knight or Soldier in the hand. The combination lands for at least 9000 damage, but 9400 with an activated Soldier.

Weaknesses
Depending on which direction you are going with the Wind-Ups, there are a few strategies that can stop Wind-Ups in their tracks. If you are attempting the Wind-Up Hunter loop, your opponent can side deck cards like Neko Mane King and Elephant Statue of Disaster, which can hurt you and cause the loop to fall short. Activating Prohibition, declaring Wind-Up Hunter, Wind-Up Rat, or Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity making the loop impossible, also be careful if your opponent use Infernity deck which gain advantage when there is no cards in their hands. While for Wind-Up Swarm players, cards that counteracts swarming or effects like "Torrential Tribute", "Maxx "C"", "Effect Veiler" or even recently "Needle Ceiling" can stop the swarming chains if activated at the right time. Due to most Wind-Up decks are composed of different Types and Attributes (much like Gladiator Beasts), both "Rivalry of Warlords" and "Gozen Match" can stop this deck effectively.

Monsters

 * Wind-Up Magician
 * Wind-Up Rabbit
 * Wind-Up Rat
 * Wind-Up Shark
 * Tour Guide From the Underworld
 * Sangan

Extra Deck

 * Wind-Up Zenmaines
 * Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity
 * Wind-Up Arsenal Zenmaioh
 * Tiras, Keeper of Genesis
 * Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon

Spells

 * Wind-Up Factory

Trivia

 * An actual wind-up toy is wound up (Summoning it), doing what the toy was made to do (activating the effect), then is completed (effect can only activate once). Returning to hand or flipping it face-down and back up signifies "winding-up" the monster.
 * All "Wind-Up" cards with "発条, Zenmai" are spelled "Zenmai" in their TCG names.