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"Tellarknight" (テラナイト teranaito) is an archetype that debuted in Duelist Alliance. It is mainly composed of LIGHT Warrior monsters that focus on the quick and easy Summoning of monsters, their effects often activating upon being Summoned by any means, including Normal Summon, Special Summon and even Flip Summon.
This archetype's artwork, name and type of gameplay is similar to that of the "Constellars". The archetype contains a sub-archetype, "Stellarknight".
Origin
Lore
As if in a resonance with the birth of the giant divine dragon "Baxia, Brightness of the Yang Zing" by "Chiwen, Light of the Yang Zing"’s power, warriors of light descended from the brilliant stars in the sky.
They are the descendents of the "Constellar", the brigade of saviors that fought to save this planet in the previous great war. "Constellar Sombre", being herself the result of the fusion of the 12 "Constellar" heroes, released the power of the 12 constellations, the "12 constellation rings", from herself, and returned them to the new warriors. The warriors of light, upon regaining that power, turned them into the "Tellarings", and transformed themselves into the Tellarknight, the protectors of the planet. With their new power, the warriors headed toward the battlefield to confront the "Shaddoll".
Names
This archetype's name is a portmanteau of the words "(s)tellar"/"(sa)tellar" and "knight".
The "Satellarknight" monsters are named after the brightest stars in our night sky, while the "Stellarknight" monsters are named after the asterisms formed by those stars. The background of their artworks all feature the constellations that contain their respective namesake stars, with the locations of said stars in those constellations denoted by the star being distinctly encircled.
Artworks
| Armor | While each member represents a single star, their armor is designed after the entire constellation. Its representation can mainly be seen in the helmet of the member. For exemple, the head of the serpent can be seen in the helmet of Unukalhai, while its tail follow his body.
All members incorporate yellow parts on their armor. The yellow is most often associated with the color of kings, but also the friendship or the light, which perfectly fits this archetype. |
| Ring | All "Satellarknight" monster are encircled by a slightly inclined ring. The ring symbolizes the power of connecting the stars, which is used to connect stars between them and call a monster that is the result of this fusion.
Strongly inspired by that of the Constellars, the emblem of this archetype represents a star, nor the brightness of the light. It can mainly be found at least one time on the armor of each member. |
| United form | The concept of asterism is retaken here with the "Stellarknight" monsters, the association of different "Satellarknight" monsters. In the case of Delteros, pieces of armors, as well as the rings of Deneb, Altair and Vega are united together in order to evolve and form the Summer Triangle and its shield. On the latter is proudly worn the armory of the archetype, such as knights. |
| Physical details | Each member carries a color in accordance with the symbolism of their constellation. Moreover, a star can be seen in each member's eyes while their mouth is hided by a piece of cloth. In some case, the background's color is retaken from the star's color herself. |
Members
Each star mainly comes from a constellation that was present in the Almagest, a work describing the original 48 constellations created by Ptolemy in the second century.
| "tellarknight" card | Origin | Belongs to the constellation... |
|---|---|---|
| Alsahm | Alsahm | Sagitta |
| Altair | Altair | Aquila |
| Betelgeuse | Betelgeuse | Orion |
| Capella | Capella | Auriga |
| Deneb | Deneb | Cygnus |
| Procyon | Procyon | Canis Minor |
| Rigel | Rigel | Orion |
| Sirius | Sirius | Canis Major |
| Unukalhai | Unukalhai | Serpens |
| Vega | Vega | Lyra |
| Zefrathuban | Thuban | Draco |
| Zefraxciton | Musca | |
| Constellar Diamond | Winter Hexagon | |
| Delteros | Summer Triangle | |
| Triverr | Winter Triangle | |
| Ptolemaeus | Ptolemy's geocentric model | |
| Batlamyus | بَطْلُمْيوس Batlamyus (Ptolemy's name in Arabic) |
Through their artworks, some spell cards shows the creation of certain monsters:
| "tellarknight" spell card | Representation |
|---|---|
| Stellarknight Alpha | Creation of "Delteros", the Summer Triangle. |
| Satellarknight Skybridge | "The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd". |
| Tellarknight Genesis | Creation of "Batlamyus". |
Playing style
The archetype focuses on rapid swarm tactics and easy pluses through its "Satellarknight" monsters, both of which are used to fuel the Summon of the "Stellarknight" Xyz Monsters. This generally revolves around the use of "Satellarknight Altair" and "Satellarknight Vega" in succession to generate advantage and field presence, with the one played second Summoning another "Tellarknight" to the field. At this point, multiple options can be pursued based on the situation, allowing the archetype a great level of toolboxing capabilities.
"Satellarknight" cards
Summoning "Satellarknight Deneb" allows the player to add 1 "tellarknight" monster from their Deck to their hand. Although this excludes Spell/Trap support, it is of invaluable help to the archetype, as it is not only the third Xyz Material needed to Summon a "Stellarknight" monster but also sets up later Xyz plays with "Altair" and "Vega".
"Satellarknight Alsahm" is another useful card for the theme, as it goes some way to secure potential OTK opportunities. With its 1000 LP deduction, "Alsahm" can be used alongside the "Magician"/"Odd-Eyes" Pendulum engine perform one example of an OTK using a "tellarknight" Deck. It is also useful throughout a duel in damage limitation, such as against popular meta game threats such as "Solemn Warning" and "Soul Charge".
"Satellarknight Unukalhai" can be a big help in setting up plays with "Altair", and makes itself at home in the slower non-Pendulum variant. Although its effect can be somewhat lackluster when used in conjunction with the aforementioned Pendulum engine it can occasionally be of some use, especially in combination with "Satellarknight Skybridge" for an immediate tag-out for "Altair". Its 1800 ATK also makes it useful in attacking over monsters when the Extra Deck in unavailable (this is most notable when you cannot Special Summon, such as when facing "El Shaddoll Winda", "Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo", "Archlord Kristya" or "Vanity's Emptiness").
First introduced in The New Challengers were "Satellarknight Betelgeuse", "Satellarknight Procyon" and "Satellarknight Sirius". All of them focus on manipulating your hand and Graveyard, with the latter two allowing you to draw while the former trades field presence for recycling. Ending your combo with "Betelgeuse" can be useful if you have more monsters than necessary to Summon the desired Xyz Monster. Then, after using that monster's effect, "Betelgeuse" can return the detached material to your hand for use next turn. Although "The Warrior Returning Alive" may seem like a wiser choice, as it does not require you to Summon anything and does not run the risk of monster interception, "Betelgeuse" can reach the hand or field very easily and can also serve as an Xyz Material if no other monsters are available. Finally, its 1900 DEF makes it the second strongest Main Deck monster defensively (besides "Satellarknight Capella"), making him a suitable wall against almost all meta game Level 4 or lower monsters stat-wise.
"Procyon" can sometimes be useful not only for easy draws, but also for turning "Deneb" searches into "Altair" or "Sirius" targets. When used alongside "Sirius, it can allow for quite a strong draw engine; however, this can take time and does not keep up with the high Xyz-churning speed of the Deck. Also, considering that such a combo can strike inconsistency between "Vega" and "Altair", "Procyon" is seen by most as a poor card that does nothing to fix the archetype's flaws or contribute to its play style.
By far the best Main Deck card released for "Tellarknights" in The New Challengers, "Sirius" helps the Deck in many ways and resolves previously unaddressed problems. It serves as a "Pot of Avarice" for the Deck and, despite only providing 1 extra card, lets the "Telllarknights" regain resources and "Deneb" search targets. All going well, its effect is almost always live after a couple of Xyz plays and, like "Betelgeuse", can be left on the field after a play to clean up the Graveyard and top it off with a draw. Be aware, however, that this can mitigate the grave-loading effects of "Unukalhai" and "Procyon", and limit the effectiveness of "Altair". At the same time, both of the aforementioned cards can be used in combination with "Sirius", as said combo either leaves cards in the Deck (with "Unukalhai") or puts cards from your hand into the Deck for extra draws beforehand (with "Procyon") and effectively allows for free draws, whilst also leaving/making targets for "Skybridge".
"Stellarknight" cards
Thus far, there are five "Stellarknight" Xyz monsters: "Delteros", "Triverr", "Diamond", "Ptolemaeus" and "Batlamyus". Introduced in Duelist Alliance as the archetype's first Xyz boss, "Delteros" has three effects. The first is a Continuous Effect that prevents your opponent from activating cards or effects upon the Summon of ANY monster you control whilst "Delteros" has Xyz Material, including "Delteros" itself: since the "Satellarknights" and "Triverr" all work upon their Summon, this effect is extremely helpful in securing your long strings of Summons to create your Xyz Monsters against anti-Summon threats such as "Bottomless Trap Hole", "Torrential Tribute" and "Solemn Warning". The second is an Ignition Effect: by detaching 1 Xyz Material from "Delteros", you can destroy 1 card your opponent controls. This effect is less useful than it might seem at first, since the meta game is riddled with cards that either can't be destroyed or rely on destruction, and it also can only be used twice before the first effect of "Delteros" becomes useless. The final effect Special Summons a "tellarknight" from your hand or Deck when "Delteros" hits the Graveyard: this also occurs when its Summon is negated, and allows the Deck to maintain advantage. For this reason, it is often good to leave "Delteros" on the field for at least a turn before using it, as you will then be able to use your the effects of "tellarknight" when "Delteros" is destroyed. This archetype can Summon rather easily "Number 86: Heroic Champion - Rhongomyniad" at full power to devastate your opponent's resources if played well.
"Triverr" is a very powerful card and a welcome addition to the "Tellarknight" entourage. Unlike "Delteros", "Triverr" requires 3 Level 4 "tellarknights" to be Summoned. Upon Summon, "Triverr" returns all other cards on the field to the hand. This already powerful ability can be combined with the first effect of "Delteros" to prevent anything from stopping "Triverr". Once per turn, "Triverr" can send a random card from your opponent's hand to the Graveyard by detaching 1 material, a potentially deadly effect for themes that require a large and/or specific hand setup. The final effect is much the same as "Delteros", except "Triverr" Special Summons the replacement "tellarknight" from the Graveyard instead. Another advantage to "Triverr" is the fact that its all-field-bounce effect can reuse dead copies of "Call of the Haunted" and "Fiendish Chain", much like how "Giant Trunade" did in the past.
"Stellarknight Constellar Diamond" introduced in Secrets of Eternity, can be Xyz Summoned by using a "tellarknight" Xyz Monster you control as the Xyz Material during Main Phase 2. Alternatively, the effect of Satellarknight Capella can be used to make any Level 4 "Tellarknight" monsters you control Level 5 to fulfill the Summoning condition of "Diamond". This card's three effects are highly effective against "Lightsworn" Decks, as well as DARK Decks such as "Dark World", "Shaddolls" and "Infernity".
"Tellarknight Ptolemaeus", introduced in Crossed Souls, can be Xyz Summoned with two or more Level 4 monsters. This Deck can easily gather as many materials as needed on the field, preferably three or more, to use the first effect of "Ptolemaeus". This effect uses "Ptolemaeus" and its Xyz Materials to Summon a Rank 5 non-"Number" monster. A common tactic is to use the effect of "Ptolemaeus" to Summon "Cyber Dragon Nova", then use it to Summon "Cyber Dragon Infinity". The turn-skipping effect of "Ptolemaeus" will rarely come into play unless the player has attached "Stellarknight" monsters to it or used cards such as "Overlay Regen".
Weaknesses
- The whole deck revolves around Special Summonning, and is very easy to counter. Playing "Vanity's Emptiness", Vanity's Ruler, Vanity's Fiend or "Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo" will completly shut down the deck.
- The deck is really sensitive to negating effects. Majesty's Fiend or Skill Drain will stop the Altair-Vega-Deneb combo, aswell as the Xyz Monsters.
- The Satellarknights relies a lot on the Graveyard. If you want to counter the deck, play cards that can banish monsters such as Helios - The Primordial Sun
- Going against Masked HERO Dark Law is one of the fear of the deck. Indeed, Dark Law completly stops the vital effects of Deneb and Unukalhai.
- The deck has usually a small first turn play -like summonning Deneb or Unukalhai to prepare the next turn-, so the tellarknight player would rather go first to set his traps to stun the opponent's first turn.
- One of the danger of the deck is to having too many traps or too many monsters as the first hand.
- Most of the main deck monsters have a maximum of 1800 ATK (except Rigel that can goes up to 2400 ATK).
Trivia
- This archetype has won the Yu-Gi-Oh! 2015 World Championship.
- Betelgeuse and Rigel are the only "tellarknight" monsters to share the same constellation : Orion.
- "Darktellarknight Batlamyus" is the only member to not figure any constellation in his background, aswell as the only DARK monster in the archetype.
- "Stellarknight Zefraxciton" and "Stellarknight Constellar Diamond" are the only members to not be Warrior Type monsters.
- "Stellarknight Constellar Diamond" is the only monster that isn't Level/Rank 4.
- It is the only member to be part of the "Constellar", "tellarknight" and "Stellarknight" archetypes.
- "Stellarknight Constellar Diamond" is the only monster that isn't Level/Rank 4.
- "Satellarknight Zefrathuban" and "Stellarknight Zefraxciton" are the only Pendulum monsters.
- They're also the only members to be part of the "Zefra", "tellarknight" and "Stellarknight" archetypes.
- "Stellarknight Zefraxciton", named after the Musca constellation, is the only member whose constellation is not one of the original 48 constellations created by Ptolemy.
Decklist
Recommended cards
- Satellarknight Alsahm
- Satellarknight Altair
- Satellarknight Betelgeuse
- Satellarknight Capella
- Satellarknight Deneb
- Satellarknight Procyon
- Satellarknight Rigel
- Satellarknight Sirius
- Satellarknight Unukalhai
- Satellarknight Vega
- Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning (in Chaos builds)
- Lightray Gearfried
- Blue Mountain Butterspy
- Doggy Diver
- Ehren, Lightsworn Monk
- Honest
- Photon Thrasher
- Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn
- Summoner Monk
- Kagetokage
- Shining Angel
Zefra Tellarknight
This deck focuses on swarming the field through Pendulum Summon, and using the effects of the "tellarknight" Pendulum Monsters to destroy your opponents cards.