Forum:Deck Guide/Qliphort

by Gadjiltron

Intro

God is dead. Her vicious cycle of destruction and rebirth has been averted due to the combined efforts of Constellar Sombres and Evilswarm Kerykeion. However, the system has taken notice, and has initiated a backup plan. A series of alien machines have entered the fray, proving to be nigh-unstoppable as they shrug off the effects of lesser beings' attempts to stop them. The puppet master glances upon them, and smiles...

Mechanics

The Qliphoth are an archetype of EARTH Machine Pendulum Monsters designed around Pendulum Summons and Normal Summons. A recurring theme among their Effect Pendulums is that while they can be Normal Summoned without Tribute, their Levels are reduced to 4 and they turn into 1800/1000 bodies. The same happens if they're Special Summoned. There's a reason for it - any Normal Summoned Qliphort monster is immune to any monster effect originating a monster whose original Level or Rank is lower than it. This encourages players to Tribute Summon them to make the most of their mightiest monsters.

LV6 Qliphorts are 2400/1000 and have effects that trigger when they are Tributed for any reason, be it Tribute Summon or for a card effect, while the 2-Tribute Qliphorts are 2800/1000 and gain effects if they're Tribute Summoned using Qliphort monsters.

The next thing to note is that while their Pendulum Scales offer an impressive range of 1 to 9, the Qliphort Pendulum effects have an unstoppable restriction that keeps you from Special Summoning non-Qliphort monsters, preventing you from exploiting their wide range and restricting their Tribute fodder to whatever Qliphorts you can Pendulum out. Such is the fate of having reusable Tribute fodder in the form of Pendulum Monsters. All Scale 1 Qliphorts give your monsters a 300 ATK boost, while most Scale 9 Qliphorts, barring Tool, cut your opponent's monsters' ATK by 300.

Naturally, the Deck has various ways to ease the Tribute Summoning of the Qliphorts, either by discounting the Tributes or granting extra Normal Summons, allowing you to work almost completely without the need to Pendulum if you so please.

Analysis

Strengths

• Almost Normal Summon exclusive - Lots of lockdown effects prevent Special Summons or kill Special Summoned monsters, due the number of Decks that can Summon a bunch of monsters in one turn. Being centred around Normal Summons means Qliphorts don't see this as a big an issue as others do.
• No Sell - The meta tends to revolve around monster-based removal. Look no further than Number 101: Silent Honor ARK being used as a difficult-to-prevent monster denial. However, Qliphorts bluntly don't care about these monsters and proceed without flinching as the monster effects bounce off their AT fields.

Weaknesses

• Combat tricks - These monsters may be able to shrug off an opposing monster's effect, but there's nothing stopping you from overpowering them the old-fashioned way. Bring out a monster with over 3000 ATK and Qliphoths tend to struggle a little bit. Bujins provide a difficult matchup with their pseudo-Honest effects.
• Persistent S/T removal - While Qliphoths can function with little need for Special Summons, they shine best in using their Pendulum Monsters as recurrent Tribute fodder to bring out their big beaters. Mess up their scales and Qliphoths are slowed down somewhat.
• Mask of Restrict - High Level monsters and Normal Summons mean Tribute Summons. Mask of Restrict prevents Tributes in all forms, stifling their means of getting their beaters at their strongest and triggering their field control mechanisms.

The Basics

Monsters

• Qliphort Scout - The central piece to the Qli strategy, while also providing information in its flavour text that shows how and why the Qliphorts are here in the first place. As a 1000/2800 LV5 Normal Pendulum, Tool has no place on the field as a monster. Instead, its value shines best in the Pendulum Zone. Its Scale 9 easily sets the upper bound that opens up all the Qlis to Pendulum Summon, and once per turn, Tool in the Pendulum Zone can help you tutor a Qli card, except another Scout, of course, at a cost of 800 LP. Such potent tutoring ability adds a crazy amount of consistency to the Deck, allowing you to fish out the cards you need to further your dominance or turn the board state around, to the point where it become Semi-Limited on both sides of the pond in April 2015. Run the max of 2.
• Qliphort Assembler - Hailing from SECE, Assembler is the next in line of Qli LV5 Normal Monsters, creating more targets for Summoner's Art. And decent stats to boot at 2400/1000, with the usual Scale 1 effects. While it does beat good face when you get around to Summoning it, its Pendulum effect is not as omnipresently useful as Scout. At the end of the turn where you Tribute Summoned a Qli monster, you draw cards equal to the number of Qli monsters Tributed, about 1-2 cards on average to keep your momentum going. Combos well with Disk for extra muscle when you get the swarm off. 2-3 is recommended.
• Qliphort Carrier - One of the two LV6 Qli Effect Pendulums. Weighing in at 2400/1000, Archive has the standard Monarch stats, Scale 1, and the usual Qli abilities as described above. When Tributed, Carrier lets you bounce target monster on the field. Not as useful as it seems, but it helps you circumvent monsters too big to trump in a straight-up battle or screw over most Extra Deck monsters. Good in numbers of 2-3. Maybe 3 to make Scale 1 more available.
• Qliphort Helix - One of the two LV6 Qli Effect Pendulums. Weighing in at 2400/1000, Helix has the standard Monarch stats, Scale 9, and the usual Qli abilities as described above. Genome lets you destroy a S/T when it is Tributed, helping you clear out threatening face-down S/Ts that your other Qlis aren't immune to, cripple opposing Pendulums, or even free up a Pendulum Zone if you want to replace it. It's a great asset in helping to counter the Qlis' weaknesses. Max it out.
• Qliphort Cephalopod - Scale 9, 2800/1000, LV7, standard stuff. Its effect kicks in when you have fewer monsters in your Graveyard than your opponent - and considering the nature of Pendulum Monsters, you'll have next to none while the average opponent has a good amount, either by them setting up or you beating their face in. When it goes off, you gain LP equal to the difference x300, and the same amount is inflicted as damage to the opponent. The LP swing can help you recover, especially if you've been paying through your nose for Scout, and the damage can sometimes end games, but in most other situations this might not always be as helpful compared to the other 2-Tribs. 0-2 will suffice.
• Qliphort Stealth - As if Qlis are not incredibly powerful enough, Alias hails from SECE to add another degree of removal. On Tribute Summon, it gets to target and bounce a card on the field, and the opponent cannot respond to this in any way. When you've Tributed a couple Qlis, usually Carrier and/or Helix to Summon this card, due to SEGOC, you can arrange the Chain such that this effect is last, and your opponent can't do anything in response to what's about to happen. You can even bounce your own Tool from the Pendulum Zone to re-set it and get another tutor! Run at least 2.
• Qliphort Disk - Disk has an impressive-looking 2800/1000 body for 2 Tributes, and all the usual things that come with being a Scale 1 Qli Pendulum monster. If Tribute Summoned using a Qli Monster, Disk lets you pull out 2 more Qli monsters from your Deck, at the cost of them getting destroyed during your End Phase and the fact that they nerf themselves when Special Summoned anyway. Still, it's good for making a massive push, or if you have extra Normal Summons, use those monsters you fetched to Tribute Summon another Qli monster. It also puts the monsters in your Extra Deck where they're available to Pendulum in future turns. Run between 2-3, depending on your preference.
• Qliphort Shell - Shell is the main assault force of the Qlis, and usually responsible for any game-ending damage pushes. 2800/1000 is already decent for 2 Tributes, but when Tribute Summoned using a Qli Monster, Disk can attack twice per turn and inflicts piercing damage. Recall facing Cyber Twin Dragon? Shell is that on steroids, what with the additional piercing damage and the immunity to about 90% of activated monster effects. Run 2-3, as its offensive pressure is too good to pass up.
• Apoqliphort Towers - The boss monster of the Deck, and surprisingly, not a Pendulum Monster. Nope, it's a plain Effect Monster that requires you to Tribute 3 Qli monsters to Normal Summon it. For your efforts, you get a hulking 3000/2600 behemoth that is immune to all S/Ts, and effects from LV9 or Rank 9 or lower monsters. The immunity cuts both ways, though, in that you can't buff it either. However, it also has the ability to weaken all Special Summoned monsters' stats by 500 each, letting it, at the very least, tie with Shooting Star Dragon. Once per turn, you can force your opponent to send a monster on their field or hand to the Graveyard - an effect that bypasses indestructibility and targeting immunity and doesn't set off Dark World or Fabled effects - and if they have no monster to give up, you get to see their hand to confirm that too. Careful if you use that effect around Shaddolls, as it plays right into what they want. Run 2 due to its tendency to be a dead draw.
• Apoqliphort Skybase - The secondary boss monster of the Deck. Like Towers, Kernel is non-Pendulum, needs 3 Qli Tributes, and is immune to nearly everything. It's 2900/2500 and doesn't cut Special Summoned monsters' stats, but it has a different kind of mean effect that targets steals an opponent's monster for the turn, something objectively more powerful than Towers. Like with Towers, though, run a maximum of 1.
• Qliphort Genius - Bestowed to the archetype after the Link update, Genius is a 1800 ATK Link 2, delivering as much hurt as a no-Trib Qliphort monster. Unlike its predecessors, Genius has immunity to S/Ts and other Links, but remains vulnerable to any other type of monster effect. Each turn it can temporarily negate one card both players control, letting you nudge a Qliphort monster you've Summoned without Tribute or Pendulum Summoned back to its base stats. If you've Pendulum Summoned 2 monsters to the linked zones, you get to tutor a high-Level Machine monster, letting you pick up literally any Qliphort you got, up to and including Towers. It synergizes perfectly with the strategy, and frees up more spaces for Pendulum Summon shenanigans so you can play Qliphorts like they were in their prime. Definitely take at least 2.

Spells & Traps

• Laser Qlip - A Field Spell for Qlis that grants you an extra Normal Summon for a Qli monster per turn, allowing you to easily pull out the LV6 ones without needing extra assistance or Special Summons. As icing on the cake, the Normal Summons of your Qli monsters cannot be negated, letting you operate without worry of Solemn Warning or the likes. Run 1-2 since Tool can fish it out with relative ease.
• Saqlifice - An equip for Qlis that grants it 300 ATK, immunity to destruction by battle, and the ability to double-Tribute for a Qli monster. But wait, there's more! If it's sent from the field to the Graveyard for any reason - including the equipped monster being Tributed for a Tribute Summon, you get to tutor a Qli monster. It's essentially Scout's other half. So good was its search capability, it got Limited on both sides of the pond in April 2015. Run the 1 you can afford to run.
• Qlimate Change - The thing that checks Pendulum Monsters is the relative difficulty in retrieving them from the Extra Deck. Sometimes you just want a certain Pendulum in that Pendulum Zone. Worry no more - Qlimate Change lets you pick up to 3 Qli Pendulum Monsters in your Extra Deck and put them in your hand, granting you the option of Normal Summoning them again, or reusing them in your Pendulum Zones. Run 1-2 as it is best mid-late game.
• Qlipper Launch - All Normal Summoned Qli monsters, for the turn, gain 300 ATK, immunity to other Spell/Trap Cards, but have their effects negated as well. What this means is that if you Normal Summoned a Qli monster without Tribute then follow up with Launch, you push it back to its base stats with a 300 ATK boost on top, along with the immunity granted from Forbidden Lance. Yes, it does mean your opponent will then kill that monster with a monster effect if they see it coming. It's more of a card to use for offensive pushes through Mirror Force and the like. Run up to 2 as you're unlikely to keep a No-Trib Normal Summoned Qli on the field for long.
• Re-qliate - A special kind of Skill Drain that requires another Qli card to stay on the field. Whenever LV4 or lower monsters are Normal/Flip Summoned, their effects are negated until the end of the turn, essentially letting you Normal Summon any Qli monster without Tribute at full power, and only compromising its monster immunity for that turn. Whenever LV5 or higher monsters are Special Summoned, their effects also get negated until the end of the turn and they get banished if they would leave the field, tripping up many high-Level-dependent Decks that aren't Qlis, while non-Normal Qlis themselves become LV4 on Special Summon and bypass this effect. That said, Xyz Monsters still get around it. Depending on build, run 1-2. It's handy.

Example Deck

Backup Drive

Monsters

Monsters

• Qliphort Scout x2
• Qliphort Assembler x3
• Qliphort Carrier x3
• Qliphort Helix x3
• Qliphort Shell x2
• Qliphort Disk x2
• Qliphort Stealth
• Qliphort Cephalopod
• Apoqliphort Towers
• Apoqliphort Skybase

Spells & Traps

Spells

• Saqlifice
• Laser Qlip x2
• The Monarchs Storm Forth x2
• Mystical Space Typhoon x3
• Dark Hole
• Book of Moon
• Limiter Removal
• Enemy Controller x2

Traps

• Qlimate Change x2
• Re-qliate
• Qlipper Launch
• Bottomless Trap Hole
• Mirror Force
• Torrential Tribute
• Compulsory Evacuation Device

Tag Duel Options

Be mindful of what format of Tag Duel you're using. Because the Pendulum effects of Qlis outright restrict Special Summoning of other monsters, it's very difficult to partner up with another player if both partners share the same field. In these cases, work with players who don't Special Summon a lot. Partner with Monarch Decks since the Qli monsters tend to stats that are the same as many Monarchs and Mega Monarchs, and they can also utilize various Tribute Summon-enhancing Monarch support.

Other Tips

While Qliphorts tend to embody "I work alone" in not allowing any other monsters to be Special Summoned, there are still several other cards outside the archetype that have a place in the Deck.

• Performapal Trampolynx - Scale 4 may seem restrictive, but as all Qliphorts so far that can be Pendulum'd are Levels 5-8, it's no big deal. It has insane synergy with Scout. After you Pendulum Summon, you bounce Scout, reactivate it in the Pendulum Zone, and get yet another search off it. And since you momentarily don't have a Qli Pendulum down, you get to Special Summon non-Qli monsters from your Extra Deck using whatever you Pendulum Summoned, which you otherwise can't do. That aside, Trampolynx as a Pendulum Card can also bounce itself to free up a Pendulum slot.
• Performapal Tiptoad - Trouble comes knocking when Qlis encounter a monster with 3200 or more ATK. Usually said monsters also have a smaller DEF, well within the strongest Qli's killing range. That's where Tiptoad's stat-swapping Pendulum ability comes in handy.
• Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon - It has an ability, as a Pendulum Card, that keeps you from taking battle damage involving any Pendulum Monster. Well it just so happens that majority of the Qliphort monsters are Pendulums and are immediately compatible with that. But what's more important is the second Pendulum effect - destroying itself as a pseudo-Sangan for Pendulum Monsters. Yes, it can search Scout and Trampolynx.
• Beast King Barbaros - Opponent's field too dense for a mix of Helix, Carrier, and Alias to safely clear? Pendulum out 3 monsters and let the King show you how it's done by blowing up everything your opponent holds dear. Barbaros can be a direct alternative to Apoqliphort Towers due to being a boardwipe on a body.
• Summoner's Art - Who knew that such an overlooked card in the past would become so valued? Summoner's Art immediately pulls Scout or Assembler from your Deck, allowing you to set scales with it and begin tutoring to victory.
• The Monarchs Storm Forth - Every now and then, you'll come across a monster too big to punch in the face, yet also is protected from both targeting and destruction. No problem - just use it in a Tribute Summon. Unlike Soul Exchange, Storm Forth neither targets nor denies you a Battle Phase. You do lose access to your Extra Deck for the turn, but you can still Pendulum cards out of your hand.
• Skill Drain - Akin to how Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast becomes a no-Tribute 2800/2000 beater with this on the field, your Qliphorts can also become 2400/1000 or 2800/1000 beaters without needing any Tributes. They do, however, lose their immunity to monster effects, but then again a majority of monsters no longer do anything once Skill Drain is active. Should Towers or Skybase appear while Skill Drain is active, it too loses its uber protection - unless it was already there when Skill Drain was activated. Run at your own risk, especially since this now competes with Re-qliate.