Performapal

"Performapal", known as "Entermate" ( Entameito) in the OCG and the English One-Shot Chapter and as "Enter-Mate" in the English Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V manga, is an archetype used by Yuya and Yusho Sakaki in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime and manga.

Appearance
The archetype is primarily designed around circus animals, donning apparel such as top hats and polka dot bow ties. Yuya uses the archetype's diversity in appearance to traverse around the Duel Fields, using "Whip Snake" to scale high buildings and "Skeeter Skimmer" to travel across water. Many of the members of this archetype have a colored star on their bodies, as well as some of them having nearly the same background with stars and circles but different colors.

Etymology
Both the English and Japanese names are simple portmanteaus: "Performapal" is a portmanteau of "performance" and "pal", while "Entermate" is a portmanteau of "entertainment" and "mate".

The "Performapal" archetype members tend to have their names formed of portmanteaus, usually of a description of what purpose they serve or what they are based off of, plus what animal/circus entertainer they are. For example, the Japanese name for "Performapal Hip Hippo" is "Discover Hippo", which reflects how it is Yuya's main mode of transportation during Action Duels to find Action Cards. Another example is "Sword Fish", which is based off a sword-shaped fish.

Playing style
"Performapal" monsters possess varied effects giving the archetype a lot of versatility. Many of the weaker monsters possess strong effects that work well when used together. Monsters like "Cheermole" and "Sword Fish" can manipulate ATK and DEF permanently in large increments and continue to do so if they can remain on the field while others like "Fire Mufflerlion" and "Spikeagle" grant bonuses for attacking by providing a second attack for one of your monsters and piercing damage respectively.

As the first Pendulum Monster archetype, "Performapal" features a large number of Pendulum Monsters designed to make the most out of the Pendulum Zones. "Silver Claw" is a powerful beater in the Monster Card Zone that boosts all "Performapal" monsters' ATK when in the Pendulum Zone. "Pendulum Sorcerer" boosts all "Performapal" monster's ATK by 1000 during a turn when the player Pendulum Summons. "Skullcrobat Joker" and "Odd-Eyes Unicorn" offers the highest Pendulum Scale of the archetype (8), with the effect of "Skullcrobat Joker" allowing to add a "Performapal" monster, a "Magician" Pendulum Monster, or an "Odd-Eyes" monster from the Deck to the hand with its effect, while "Odd-Eyes Unicorn" gives a boost in ATK to a selected target with its Pendulum Effect and helps recover LP with its normal effect.

"Performapals" can lack pushing power on their own, especially when used as a Rank 4 Monster engine, and can used alongside the "Dracoslayer", "Magician", and other Pendulum archetypes to even out Special Summoning, with "Lizardraw" and "Guitartle" as the draw combo "Monkeyboard" and "Skullcrobat Joker" can search for "Partnaga" for ATK and "Turn Toad" can weaken opposing monsters. "Wavering Eyes" or "Pendulum Sorcerer" can clear the Pendulum Scales for the next round of effects the following turn.

The archetype is also highly capable at searching and drawing its members out of the Deck through multiple cards. Of these, "Pendulum Sorcerer" is the most potent as it can search for two "Performapal" monsters every turn, and due to its ability to target itself with its destruction effect, can send itself to the Extra Deck to be Pendulum Summoned later. Combining it with effects like "Supply Squad" and "Lizardraw" allow you to gain card advantage quickly, and using "Friendonkey" is an easy way to initially Special Summon it from the hand. "Secondonkey" provides the archetype with another avenue to search out its cards, sending a "Performapal" monster from your Deck to your Graveyard for later revival via "Friendonkey", or if both your Pendulum Zones are occupied, letting you add the searched "Performapal" monster to your hand instead.

On its own, the archetype is capable of quickly swarming the field and gain large ATK boosts through their Pendulum Monsters' effects. "Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer" and "Partnaga" can greatly boost the ATK of one or all "Performapal" monsters until the end of the turn. As such, it's relatively easy to come into the Battle Phase with at least 1 monster with over 2500 ATK.

The strongest monster in the "Performapal" archetype is "Elephammer" at 2600 ATK, which can be Normal Summoned without tribute if the player controls two or more other "Performapals", and bounces all of the opponent's Spell and Trap Cards when it attacks. Together with the swarm capabilities afforded by Pendulum Summons, "Elephammer" can make a good finisher for the archetype.

With the release of Structure Deck: Master of Pendulum and Shining Victories, the "Performapal" archetype has become more intimately entwined with the "Odd-Eyes" and "Magician" archetypes through cards like "Performapal Skullcrobat Joker", "Sky Iris", and "Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn", which gives the Deck more efficient use of outside cards that were previously just splashable–especially "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon".

Weaknesses
Though many of the Level 2 and 3 "Performapals" possess strong effects, the only "Performapal" monsters with a Scale of 1 are "Performapal Monkeyboard" (which is Forbidden in the TCG and OCG) and "Performapal Gumgumouton", making it very difficult to retrieve those Level 2 Pendulum Monsters from the Extra Deck without relying on Pendulum Monsters from outside the archetype.

While "Performapals" are outstanding in manipulating ATK and granting special combat tricks to Pendulum Monsters during the Battle Phase, they suffer a debilitating lack of power under most circumstances. Outside of your own Battle Phase, "Performapals" lose most of the ATK bonuses they gain and are left stranded with their very low original ATK (with the exception of the outstanding 2600 ATK of "Performapal Elephammer", most barely scrape over 1800 for ATK or DEF). Combined with the issue of getting support monsters out consistently, dedicated "Performapal" Decks will often be left with a field with a few low ATK monsters if you don't have protection such as "Last Minute Cancel" on hand. On top of all of this, "Performapal" cards in general (Monster, Spell, and Trap) have a near-random assortment of effects which make building a Deck around them convoluted or predictable.

As "Performapal" Decks greatly rely on their capacity to Pendulum Summon and their Spell and Trap Cards to maintain advantage, "Anti-Spell Fragrance" is especially debilitating to the Deck, preventing any Pendulum Scales from being placed and forcing at least one turn of waiting before any Spell Cards can be activated. "Magic Deflector" and "Spell Canceller" negate most Spell Effects all together.

"Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon" also hinders this deck greatly when it comes to Pendulum Summoning, as it prevents each player from Summoning more than once monster at the same time. With its 3000 DEF, a "Performapal" will likely not win a battle against it. "Spirit Dragon" can also negate the activation of Graveyard effects "Performapal" monsters may have. Paired with its ability to dodge being targeted or destroyed by opposing effects by replacing itself with "Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon", "Spirit Dragon" is probably one of the most troublesome cards for "Performapal", and Pendulum Decks as a whole, to deal with.

Official Decks
The following Decklists may contain copies of cards that exceed the maximum amount allowed by the current Forbidden & Limited List. These should not be changed, as these Decklists are copied verbatim at the time they were published.

Trivia

 * This archetype has the most Type diversity, with members belonging to 14 of the 24 Types: Aqua, Beast, Beast-Warrior, Dragon, Fairy, Fiend, Fish, Insect, Plant, Reptile, Rock, Spellcaster, Warrior, and Winged Beast.