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"Ghostrick" (ゴーストリック Gōsutorikku) is an archetype of DARK monsters with Types that vary between Fairy, Fiend, Spellcaster, and Zombie. This archetype debuted in Shadow Specters.

Design[]

Appearance[]

"Ghostrick" monsters are based on, and named after, various characters of folklore and Halloween monsters (with "Ghostrick Festival" as an exception).

Etymology[]

"Ghostrick" is a portmanteau of the words "ghost" and "trick".

Members[]

Ghostrick Origin
Alucard Count Alucard/Dracula
Angel of Mischief Fallen angel
Doll Bisque doll
Dullahan Dullahan
Fairy Fairy
Festival Festival
Ghoul Ghoul
Jackfrost Jack Frost
Jiangshi Jiangshi
Lantern Jack-o'-lantern
Mary Bloody Mary
Mummy Mummy
Nekomusume Nekomusume
Skeleton Grim Reaper
Siren Siren
Socuteboss Succubus
Specter Ghost
Stein Frankenstein's monster
Warwolf Werewolf
Witch Witch
Yeti Yeti
Yuki-onna Yuki-onna

Commonalities[]

All of the Main Deck monsters have a common effect:
"Cannot be Normal Summoned, unless you control a "Ghostrick" monster. Once per turn: You can change this card to face-down Defense Position".

Also, the Xyz Monsters, except for "Ghostrick Socuteboss" and "Ghostrick Angel of Mischief", share the following common effect:
"If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 other "Ghostrick" card in your Graveyard; add that target to your hand".

Playing style[]

With the exception of the Link-1 "Ghostrick Festival", the Levels and Ranks of "Ghostrick" monsters are either 1, 2, 3 or 4, with their Types differing based on their Level/Rank, being Fiend, Spellcaster, Zombie, and Fairy, respectively.

They feature a variety of effects, mostly revolving around flipping monsters face-down (both yours and your opponent's) and protecting themselves as long as they are face-down. The three strata of monsters each follow a set of general effect guidelines:

  • The Level 1 Fiend monsters have effects that trigger while in the hand, and they react to destruction, attacks and damage, providing bonuses and acting like hand traps; design-wise, they share a prankster, infantile appearance, maybe hinting to the "tricks" they play against the attacks of the opponent's monsters.
  • The Level 2 Spellcaster monsters have effects related to Battle Position control, allowing its controller to search for a monster or stall the opponent's moves; they share a feminine, delicate, appearance.
  • The Level 3 Zombie monsters all provide useful bonuses while they are face-up or when flipped face-up. Their effects range from searching to burning, or even milling the opponent's deck or giving bulk to a "Ghostrick" monster; their motif is basically of male figures of Halloween and Folklore.
  • "Ghostrick Siren" is the first Level 4 "Ghostrick" Fairy Main Deck monster that can either searches for "Ghostrick" Spells/Traps or changes the opponent's Effect Monster to face-down Defense Position.

The deck's main goal is to produce strong attackers over a prolonged game, which can attack directly using the field spells "Ghostrick Mansion", "Ghostrick Museum" though the archetype also contains elements of milling, burning, lockdown and most recently an Alternative Win Condition.

Most of the "Ghostrick" monsters aren't strong by themselves, thus they're left relying heavily on getting "Ghostrick Mansion" on the board as soon as possible in order to launch several consecutive direct attacks early in the game. Since "Mansion" also protects any face-down monsters from attacks, it is easy to repeatedly activate "Ghostrick" monster's effects like "Ghostrick Jiangshi" and "Ghostrick Witch". "Ghostrick Scare", "Floodgate Trap Hole" and "Swords of Concealing Light" are also useful in this deck to provide disruptions and lockdown.

The support provided by the on-theme Spell/Trap Cards is also diverse, with effects that range from protecting "Ghostrick" monsters from targeting and destroying effects, switching the battle position of opposing monsters, reviving "Ghostrick" monsters and locking the opponent from Flip Summoning. The only Spell Cards of the Deck are a trio of Field Spell Cards that share the common effect of allowing a player from attacking direcly if all opposing monsters are in face-down Defense Position. They can either search for resources, halve the battle damage and manipulating the battle position of the opponent's monsters.

Recommended cards[]

Basic Ghostrick[]


Zombie Ghostrick[]

Most of Ghostrick monsters are Zombies, so it's possible to use support for it in this Deck. "Skull Conductor" can be used to summon "Mummy" + "Des Lacooda" or "Jiangshi" / "Plaguespreader" / "Painter" + "Stein" / "Bone Crusher" for a Xyz or Synchro Summon.


Ghostrick Burn[]

This Deck focus on lock your opponent's moves and causing effect damage. "Ghostrick Museum" is the only recommended Field as it's the only to not affect the damage.


Ghostrick Mill[]

This Deck focus on milling your opponent's Deck and win by Deck out. "Ghostrick Parade" is the only recommended Field because of its searching effect and damage to your opponent is unecessary. Note that sending cards to your opponent's Graveyard may help their strategy, so "Ghostrick Skeleton" and "Masked HERO Dark Law" are used to banish the cards instead.


"Ghostrick" Deck recipes sample[]


Weaknesses[]

Despite this archetype's unorthodox "bait and switch"—like tactics, "Ghostricks" have many weaknesses.

  • Firstly, cards like "Dark Simorgh", "Searchlightman", and "Light of Intervention" will prevent "Ghostrick" monsters from being Set or flipped face-down in first place. Cards like "Jurrac Velphito" and "Search Striker" are also dangerous to "Ghostricks" because they destroy face-down monsters immediately without them ever flipping face-up.
  • Other cards which prevent battle position changes, whether of the "Ghostrick" player's monsters or the opponent's, such as "Gaap the Divine Soldier" and "Gravity Axe - Grarl" can halt most, though often not all, of the "Ghostrick" player's moves. In addition, a monster Summoned by "Raging Cloudian" will be nearly impossible for the "Ghostrick" player to get rid of.
    • The debut of Link Monsters and Master Rule 4 have further aggravated this, as not only do they share battle postition immunity akin to "Raging Cloudian", but their essentiality to most swarm Decks nowadays makes avoiding them near close to impossible (though "Ghostrick Ghoul" and "Ghostrick Dullahan" can make quick work of them.)
  • "Goblin Fan" is a continuous trap that can destroy any monster card that is Level 2 or below the second it's Flip-summoned. This includes about 2/3 of the Ghostrick monsters, and since many of them rely on their Flip effects, rather than raw power, this one trap card can be devastating to any Ghostrick user's strategy.
  • Most "Ghostricks" depends on their Field Spell Cards, "Ghostrick Mansion" and "Ghostrick Museum", to deal damage, and will struggle to do much Battle damage to your opponent without it, due to most of them having low ATK stats. This can be even worse with cards like "Spell Shattering Arrow" and "Eradicator Epidemic Virus" around.

Trivia[]

  • The "Ghostrick" monster's battle-flipping effects resemble the activities of children pranksters or mischievous spirits: popping out and scaring people, then running away and hiding. This is underscored by the archetype name "Ghostrick" a blatant portmanteau of the words "ghost" and "trick".
  • The "Ghostrick" archetype was originally released in Shadow Specters, which debuted in the U.S. in November 2013, and may have been intended to coincide with the celebration of Halloween. The "Ghostrick" monsters are largely based on mythological creatures that children in the western world would dress up as for Halloween (witch, ghost, Jack-O'-Lantern, Frankenstein's Monster, Mummy, etc.), and their playstyle (as described above) mirrors the tradition of trick-or-treating.
  • "Ghostrick" monsters' artworks share the background scheme with the "Lightsworn"s, as they have the same concept of patterning.
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