Summary:
Goat Control was the most popular and dominant deck in 2005, winning virtually every event and filling out 90% of the spots in top cuts at Shonen Jump Championships. It remains very popular today, and has continued to achieve success during the Revival Era of Goat Format (2012-present). While other decks have ‘caught up’, so to speak, Goat Control is still extremely effective. Its main advantage is its sheer versatility, as it has almost no bad match-ups, except against Aggro decks, which are constructed as anti-meta decks.
Goat Control is arguably the best deck in the format, but it has a pretty high learning curve, so it is less popular with newer players. However, I would recommend that anybody serious about learning the format spends a decent amount of time learning how to pilot the deck. Experienced players will likely find that they can obtain their highest personal win-rate with some version of Goat Control or a deck constructed on similar principles, like Chaos Control.
Goat Control was the most popular and dominant deck in 2005, winning virtually every event and filling out 90% of the spots in top cuts at Shonen Jump Championships. It remains very popular today, and has continued to achieve success during the Revival Era of Goat Format (2012-present). While other decks have ‘caught up’, so to speak, Goat Control is still extremely effective. Its main advantage is its sheer versatility, as it has almost no bad match-ups, except against Aggro decks, which are constructed as anti-meta decks.
Goat Control is arguably the best deck in the format, but it has a pretty high learning curve, so it is less popular with newer players. However, I would recommend that anybody serious about learning the format spends a decent amount of time learning how to pilot the deck. Experienced players will likely find that they can obtain their highest personal win-rate with some version of Goat Control or a deck constructed on similar principles, like Chaos Control.
Details:
The heart of the deck is 3 Metamorphosis, 2-3 Scapegoat, and 2 Tsukuyomi. This allows ease of access to Thousand-Eyes Restrict, which can repeatedly absorb monsters once per turn in conjunction with Tsukuyomi. This creates a soft lock of the field that can only be broken with a handful of removal cards in the format. Importantly, Thousand-Eyes Restrict punishes opponents who commit non-floater monsters to the field. So important is this engine to the deck’s success that it often chooses to incorporate 2 Magical Merchant, a Level 1 Light monster with a solid effect but relatively weak stats.
Magical Merchant leads into the second strength of the deck: its emphasis on the power spells. Because Magical Merchant digs straight to a spell or trap, it skips over monsters like Airknight Parshath, Sangan, and Sinister Serpent, that the Goat Control player would rather have access to in the graveyard than draw for turn. Power spells like Pot of Greed, Delinquent Duo, and Graceful Charity need no explanation, but other spells in the deck like Metamorphosis, Nobleman of Crossout, Snatch Steal, Heavy Storm, Mystical Space Typhoon and Book of Moon let the player who flip-summoned Magical Merchant begin to take control over the game. These spells can then be recycled with Magician of Faith, and loops involving Tsukuyomi can quickly put the game out of reach for the opponent.
Abyss Soldier, Airknight Parshath, and in some lists, Asura Priest, are the primary means by which the deck converts its card advantage into tangible pressure. These monsters are constant threats, demanding an answer because of the damage and card advantage they can generate each turn. However, an opponent who is already behind in card advantage will have a difficult time mounting a response. These cards become even more imposing in conjunction with the revival cards, Premature Burial and Call of the Haunted. If the opponent can somehow answer Abyss Soldier and Airknight Parshath, finishing blows can be dealt by cards like Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, Tribe-Infecting Virus, Premature Burial, or Ring of Destruction. This gives Goat Control one of the strongest late games of any deck in the format.
The remainder of the deck is constructed on the principle of balance. You may have noticed an inordinate number of cards run in 2 copies, including simple spot removal cards like Dust Tornado and Sakuretsu Armor, which can be used with good timing to set up the signature advantage-generating plays of the deck. It takes discipline and experience to understand the flow of Goat Control, but generally the deck is kind enough to provide its user with a versatile array of options for any given game state. On the off-chance the game state gets out of hand, the experienced Goat Control player can use Morphing Jar to swing the game back in his favor. Of all the cards in the deck, Morphing Jar is perhaps the most powerful and most prone to backfire, requiring a mastery of timing and deception to reap its full benefits.
Finally, the Extra Deck in Goat Format (i.e. the Fusion Deck) was considered an afterthought at the time, because there was no upper limit to the number of cards players could include in it. However, on modern dueling simulators, it is customary to limit ourselves to a 15-card Extra Deck. Here is an example Extra Deck, along with some recommendations about how to construct your own and utilize said fusions:
The heart of the deck is 3 Metamorphosis, 2-3 Scapegoat, and 2 Tsukuyomi. This allows ease of access to Thousand-Eyes Restrict, which can repeatedly absorb monsters once per turn in conjunction with Tsukuyomi. This creates a soft lock of the field that can only be broken with a handful of removal cards in the format. Importantly, Thousand-Eyes Restrict punishes opponents who commit non-floater monsters to the field. So important is this engine to the deck’s success that it often chooses to incorporate 2 Magical Merchant, a Level 1 Light monster with a solid effect but relatively weak stats.
Magical Merchant leads into the second strength of the deck: its emphasis on the power spells. Because Magical Merchant digs straight to a spell or trap, it skips over monsters like Airknight Parshath, Sangan, and Sinister Serpent, that the Goat Control player would rather have access to in the graveyard than draw for turn. Power spells like Pot of Greed, Delinquent Duo, and Graceful Charity need no explanation, but other spells in the deck like Metamorphosis, Nobleman of Crossout, Snatch Steal, Heavy Storm, Mystical Space Typhoon and Book of Moon let the player who flip-summoned Magical Merchant begin to take control over the game. These spells can then be recycled with Magician of Faith, and loops involving Tsukuyomi can quickly put the game out of reach for the opponent.
Abyss Soldier, Airknight Parshath, and in some lists, Asura Priest, are the primary means by which the deck converts its card advantage into tangible pressure. These monsters are constant threats, demanding an answer because of the damage and card advantage they can generate each turn. However, an opponent who is already behind in card advantage will have a difficult time mounting a response. These cards become even more imposing in conjunction with the revival cards, Premature Burial and Call of the Haunted. If the opponent can somehow answer Abyss Soldier and Airknight Parshath, finishing blows can be dealt by cards like Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, Tribe-Infecting Virus, Premature Burial, or Ring of Destruction. This gives Goat Control one of the strongest late games of any deck in the format.
The remainder of the deck is constructed on the principle of balance. You may have noticed an inordinate number of cards run in 2 copies, including simple spot removal cards like Dust Tornado and Sakuretsu Armor, which can be used with good timing to set up the signature advantage-generating plays of the deck. It takes discipline and experience to understand the flow of Goat Control, but generally the deck is kind enough to provide its user with a versatile array of options for any given game state. On the off-chance the game state gets out of hand, the experienced Goat Control player can use Morphing Jar to swing the game back in his favor. Of all the cards in the deck, Morphing Jar is perhaps the most powerful and most prone to backfire, requiring a mastery of timing and deception to reap its full benefits.
Finally, the Extra Deck in Goat Format (i.e. the Fusion Deck) was considered an afterthought at the time, because there was no upper limit to the number of cards players could include in it. However, on modern dueling simulators, it is customary to limit ourselves to a 15-card Extra Deck. Here is an example Extra Deck, along with some recommendations about how to construct your own and utilize said fusions:
Level 1: (3) Thousand-Eyes Restrict
In most games, all you will need from your Extra Deck is Thousand-Eyes Restrict, as it is the easiest card to summon given your deck’s construction, and it is often the best value to be had from Metamorphosis. You definitely want to run 3 of them.
Level 3: (1) Dragoness the Wicked Knight
Dragoness the Wicked Knight is occasionally useful when you need to fill your graveyard or when you want to get your search from Sangan immediately. Its stats are unimpressive.
Level 4: (1-2) Darkfire Dragon
Darkfire Dragon is occasionally useful when you need to summon a 1500 ATK monster to the field but all you have is a Tsukuyomi, when you need to fill your graveyard, or when you don’t want to give a borrowed Level 4 monster back to your opponent.
Level 5: (1-2) Dark Balter the Terrible, (1) Fiend Skull Dragon, (0-1) Giltia the D. Knight, (1) Reaper on the Nightmare
In some circumstances, you may want to make your Airknight Parshath into a Level 5 Fusion monster. Dark Balter the Terrible is great when you want to negate an effect monster or block your opponent from responding with a normal spell on the following turn. Additionally, Dark Balter the Terrible is a crippling floodgate against Combo decks, many of which are reliant on spells to function. Fiend Skull Dragon is awesome when you absolutely need to negate a Flip monster without risking a trap. Reaper on the Nightmare is good for sniping your opponent’s hand or playing around Snatch Steal. Finally, Giltia the D. Knight is sometimes needed to get an extra Light into the graveyard.
Level 6: (1) Ryu Senshi, (1) Dark Blade the Dragon Knight, (0-1) Ojama King
Even though there are some solid Level 6 fusion monsters, Goat Control rarely has access to them with its Main Deck. Ryu Senshi is great for ending games, and it is also immune to Book of Moon and Snatch Steal. Dark Blade the Dragon Knight is occasionally spectacular when you need to dismantle your opponent’s graveyard. Ojama King is used to get a Light monster in the graveyard, and in rare instances, to lock down the opponent's field.
Level 7: (0-1) King Dragun, (0-1) The Last Warrior from Another Planet
You will almost certainly never play a Level 7 monster in your Main Deck, but you may occasionally steal an opposing level 7 monster (perhaps Fusilier Dragon the Dual Mode Beast). King Dragun is useful because it cannot be targeted, while The Last Warrior from Another Planet will prevent your opponent from summoning Chaos monsters or activating something such as Dimension Fusion.
Level 8: (1-2) Gatling Dragon
An underrated and fairly powerful play is to convert your Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning into a Gatling Dragon, so it can either become a 2600 ATK attacker or clear out multiple monsters in the same turn. This also ensures that your Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning hits the graveyard, turning Premature Burial and Call of the Haunted into a strong follow up play.
In most games, all you will need from your Extra Deck is Thousand-Eyes Restrict, as it is the easiest card to summon given your deck’s construction, and it is often the best value to be had from Metamorphosis. You definitely want to run 3 of them.
Level 3: (1) Dragoness the Wicked Knight
Dragoness the Wicked Knight is occasionally useful when you need to fill your graveyard or when you want to get your search from Sangan immediately. Its stats are unimpressive.
Level 4: (1-2) Darkfire Dragon
Darkfire Dragon is occasionally useful when you need to summon a 1500 ATK monster to the field but all you have is a Tsukuyomi, when you need to fill your graveyard, or when you don’t want to give a borrowed Level 4 monster back to your opponent.
Level 5: (1-2) Dark Balter the Terrible, (1) Fiend Skull Dragon, (0-1) Giltia the D. Knight, (1) Reaper on the Nightmare
In some circumstances, you may want to make your Airknight Parshath into a Level 5 Fusion monster. Dark Balter the Terrible is great when you want to negate an effect monster or block your opponent from responding with a normal spell on the following turn. Additionally, Dark Balter the Terrible is a crippling floodgate against Combo decks, many of which are reliant on spells to function. Fiend Skull Dragon is awesome when you absolutely need to negate a Flip monster without risking a trap. Reaper on the Nightmare is good for sniping your opponent’s hand or playing around Snatch Steal. Finally, Giltia the D. Knight is sometimes needed to get an extra Light into the graveyard.
Level 6: (1) Ryu Senshi, (1) Dark Blade the Dragon Knight, (0-1) Ojama King
Even though there are some solid Level 6 fusion monsters, Goat Control rarely has access to them with its Main Deck. Ryu Senshi is great for ending games, and it is also immune to Book of Moon and Snatch Steal. Dark Blade the Dragon Knight is occasionally spectacular when you need to dismantle your opponent’s graveyard. Ojama King is used to get a Light monster in the graveyard, and in rare instances, to lock down the opponent's field.
Level 7: (0-1) King Dragun, (0-1) The Last Warrior from Another Planet
You will almost certainly never play a Level 7 monster in your Main Deck, but you may occasionally steal an opposing level 7 monster (perhaps Fusilier Dragon the Dual Mode Beast). King Dragun is useful because it cannot be targeted, while The Last Warrior from Another Planet will prevent your opponent from summoning Chaos monsters or activating something such as Dimension Fusion.
Level 8: (1-2) Gatling Dragon
An underrated and fairly powerful play is to convert your Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning into a Gatling Dragon, so it can either become a 2600 ATK attacker or clear out multiple monsters in the same turn. This also ensures that your Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning hits the graveyard, turning Premature Burial and Call of the Haunted into a strong follow up play.
Modern Era Deck Lists (2017 - present):
The Modern Era of Goat Format coincides with the release of DuelingBook.com, which offers a Goat Format dueling lobby. These lists are a collection of personal, contributor, and tournament winning decks.
The Modern Era of Goat Format coincides with the release of DuelingBook.com, which offers a Goat Format dueling lobby. These lists are a collection of personal, contributor, and tournament winning decks.
GOAT CONTROL - WHALE VERSION
This is a modern adaptation of Kris Perovic’s Goat Format War League list. It replaces the two copies of Exarion Universe with one copy of Abyss Soldier and one copy of D.D. Warrior Lady. This is my latest personal build.
GOAT CONTROL - REAPER VERSION
This is a modern adaptation of Kris Perovic’s SJC Boston Goat Control list. It replaces the single copy of Exarion Universe with a single copy of Magical Merchant. It was used by several members of Detox in Season 1 of DGZ Warring.
GOAT CONTROL - SPY VERSION
This is a modern adaptation of Max Suffridge’s US Nationals Goat Control list. It makes up for a deficiency of LV1 targets for Metamorphosis by playing 3 copies of Scapegoat and Magician of Faith. It also takes full advantage of Gravekeeper's Spy's ability to stick to the field by playing 3 copies of Airknight Parshath.
Exarion Era Deck Lists (2012 - 2016):
The Exarion Era of Goat Format coincided with the reign of DuelingNetwork.com, which sparked the revival of Goat Format. Contrary to mistaken popular belief, Exarion Universe was not included in the Historic Era of Goat Format.
The Exarion Era of Goat Format coincided with the reign of DuelingNetwork.com, which sparked the revival of Goat Format. Contrary to mistaken popular belief, Exarion Universe was not included in the Historic Era of Goat Format.
GOAT CONTROL - KRIS PEROVIC
This is Kris Perovic’s 2014 1st place Goat Format War League list that was piloted to an astonishing 21-1 record in best-of-5 matches. This is still the most famous Goat Control list, and it has been widely shared and prominently displayed on this site for years.
GOAT CONTROL - MICHAEL BONACINI
This is Michael Bonacini’s 2014 1st place DGZ Swiss Tournament list. This was a very influential list at the time, as it began to establish the supremacy of Exarion Universe in its era. He was also one of the first serious goat format players to record and publish match videos from his vantage point, greatly expanding the pool of high quality content for the fledgling revival community.
Historic Era Deck Lists (2005):
The Historic Era of Goat Format coincided with the Advanced Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG tournaments that took place between June and August of 2005. The purpose of displaying these decks is to give historical context to the decks of the Modern Era.
The Historic Era of Goat Format coincided with the Advanced Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG tournaments that took place between June and August of 2005. The purpose of displaying these decks is to give historical context to the decks of the Modern Era.
GOAT CONTROL - MAX SUFFRIDGE
This is the deck that won the 2005 US National Championship, piloted by the legendary Max Suffridge. During the beginning of the online revival period, it was heavily net-decked. This build was quite revolutionary in 2005. With its splashed Gravekeeper engine, Max successfully countered a metagame bloated with too many copies of Blade Knight, D.D. Assailant, and Enraged Battle Ox.
GOAT CONTROL - WILSON LUC
This is Wilson Luc's Goat Control deck that placed 2nd at SJC New Jersey in 2005, the first major event after the battle position rule change went into effect. This is perhaps the most influential list from the first tournament in Goat Format, as it is one of the purest Goat Control decks in the top 8, using 3 copies of Scapegoat and Metamorphosis, as well as 2 copies of Tsukuyomi. This Goat Control list likely inspired many other players, and also defined the trends in the metagame that every player looked to counter.
References:
Jazz's 2018 DCS Juneau Tournament Report:
http://duelistgroundz.com/index.php?/topic/172295-dcs-juneau-1st-place-report-goat-format/
Perovic's 2014 Goat Format War League Report:
http://kperovic.com/blog/goat-format-war-league-report/
Bonacini's 2014 Goat Controller Tournament Report:
http://duelistgroundz.com/index.php?/topic/159678-1st-place-goat-control-tournament/&page=1
2005 US Nationals Top 8 Deck Lists:
http://kperovic.com/metagame/yugioh2988.html?tabid=33&ArticleId=2839
2005 SJC New Jersey Top 8 Deck Lists:
http://kperovic.com/metagame/yugiohdb61.html?tabid=33&ArticleId=2606
Jazz's 2018 DCS Juneau Tournament Report:
http://duelistgroundz.com/index.php?/topic/172295-dcs-juneau-1st-place-report-goat-format/
Perovic's 2014 Goat Format War League Report:
http://kperovic.com/blog/goat-format-war-league-report/
Bonacini's 2014 Goat Controller Tournament Report:
http://duelistgroundz.com/index.php?/topic/159678-1st-place-goat-control-tournament/&page=1
2005 US Nationals Top 8 Deck Lists:
http://kperovic.com/metagame/yugioh2988.html?tabid=33&ArticleId=2839
2005 SJC New Jersey Top 8 Deck Lists:
http://kperovic.com/metagame/yugiohdb61.html?tabid=33&ArticleId=2606
