Summary:
Soul Control is a tribute-based control deck that uses Soul Exchange and Monarchs to generate card advantage while simultaneously outing monster threats. Perhaps the most memorable deck to appear at the beginning of Goat Format, Soul Control was famously debuted by Evan Vargas who finished in the top 4 at SJC Los Angeles. After the battle-position rule change in June 2005, the metagame became less hospitable toward Soul Control, with Tsukuyomi seeing increased play. Thus, the Modern Soul Control player has to adjust the deck to the new reality of 2 Tsukuyomi appearing in most Goat Control, Chaos Control, and Flip Control deck lists.
Details:
Unlike other Monarch decks, the Soul Control deck is almost always built around 3 copies of Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch. Only a handful of cards in Goat Format “float in the hand”, such as Sinister Serpent, Thunder Dragon, and Night Assailant, thus making Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch the most reliable Monarch at generating card advantage in the format. Thus, the greatest strength of the Soul Control deck is its core combo: Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch and Soul Exchange. The effect of Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch strips the opponent of a card in hand while Soul Exchange typically removes a Flip monster or a boss monster from the field, thus resulting in a free, floating Monarch.
In order to reliably pull off this combo, the typical Soul Control player has to max out on 3 copies of Soul Exchange. To further push this edge, the deck should run additional Monarchs to combine with Soul Exchange. Exactly how many or which ones is up for debate, but many players like Mobius the Frost Monarch, as it complements the ability of Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch rather nicely, and it is useful in many different matchups.
Many versions of Soul Control, including the original list by Evan Vargas and the Modern list by Siwski and Nicey, take advantage of the deck’s synergies with Thousand-Eyes Restrict and Metamorphosis. For one, Metamorphosis plus Soul Exchange is a combo that can be used to convert opposing boss monsters into strong Fusion monsters. In addition, Thousand Eyes-Restrict does not need the battle phase to blow up a board, so the cost of Soul Exchange is mitigated. But perhaps most importantly, Thousand-Eyes Restrict is the most efficient tribute fodder available in the format, and combined with Scapegoat, it is one of the best ways to summon two monsters in a single turn.
To further synergize with Metamorphosis, the Soul Control deck should play as many Level 1 monsters as is practical, including options like Dark Mimic LV1, Magician of Faith, and Sinister Serpent. Magical Merchant is considerably less useful as the Monarch player does not want to fill the graveyard with Monarchs, but would rather draw them. Many Soul Control decks also do not include Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, since the Monarchs themselves are off-attribute, further reducing the want for Magical Merchant.
The strongest Flip effect by far in Soul Control is Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive. Its strong stats make it good independent of other cards, something this deck tends to lack (Soul Exchange, Metamorphosis, and the Monarchs are all combo cards). In addition, a flip-summoned Dekoichi is excellent tribute fodder, as it can hold the board until the moment is right.
In a similar vein, the final two monsters in the featured Soul Control list are Sangan and Breaker the Magical Warrior, two strong, stand alone cards that can be used as tribute fodder. In addition, Sangan and Breaker the Magical Warrior help to stabilize the early game, as the Soul Control player typically needs a couple of turns to accumulate his simple combos.
Since this deck is constructed with beating Goat Control in mind, it should also main 3 copies of either Book of Moon or Compulsory Evacuation Device, two versatile cards that can stop opposing an Thousand-Eyes Restrict from taking your Monarchs. Which card you choose is largely personal preference, as each has distinct advantages. Book of Moon has strong synergy with the Flip-effect monsters in the Soul Control list, and it acts as an additional defensive out to Tsukuyomi. Compulsory Evacuation Device, on the other hand, has better synergy with the Monarch monsters themselves, as they can be returned to the hand to dodge destruction and subsequently generate more card advantage the next time you summon them.
Finally, the sole purpose of this deck’s trap lineup is to protect its monsters from being destroyed in battle, thus the deck maxes out on Sakuretsu Armor and fogoes Torrential Tribute. The flip effect monsters need to be protected in order to become good tribute fodder, and Sakuretsu Armor is also an effective way to deal with your opponent’s Tsukuyomi, as it cannot be redrawn or revived once destroyed. The version of the deck above chooses not to play Trap Dustshoot in the main deck, another popular pick for catching Tsukuyomi, as it has some negative synergy with Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch.
All that said, the Soul Control deck still has some weaknesses that are difficult to overcome. For one, Sangan and Sinister Serpent are a huge pitfall for this deck when it comes to stealing face down monsters with Soul Exchange and Thousand-Eyes Restrict. Secondly, Mobius the Frost Monarch is somewhat exploitable with good play, as a clever opponent will set chainable backrow and side out his non-chainable backrow.
In conclusion, the Soul Control deck, when built correctly to counter Tsukuyomi, is fairly reliable in a diverse metagame. The deck has few particularly bad matchups, and it is rather strong against aggro decks, if those are more popular in your metagame. Two exceptions to this statement might be Reasoning Gate Turbo and Empty Jar, as the Soul Control deck is typically quite passive in the early game. Thus the side deck for the Soul Control player should try to compensate for these matchups in particular.
- Siwski
Soul Control is a tribute-based control deck that uses Soul Exchange and Monarchs to generate card advantage while simultaneously outing monster threats. Perhaps the most memorable deck to appear at the beginning of Goat Format, Soul Control was famously debuted by Evan Vargas who finished in the top 4 at SJC Los Angeles. After the battle-position rule change in June 2005, the metagame became less hospitable toward Soul Control, with Tsukuyomi seeing increased play. Thus, the Modern Soul Control player has to adjust the deck to the new reality of 2 Tsukuyomi appearing in most Goat Control, Chaos Control, and Flip Control deck lists.
Details:
Unlike other Monarch decks, the Soul Control deck is almost always built around 3 copies of Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch. Only a handful of cards in Goat Format “float in the hand”, such as Sinister Serpent, Thunder Dragon, and Night Assailant, thus making Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch the most reliable Monarch at generating card advantage in the format. Thus, the greatest strength of the Soul Control deck is its core combo: Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch and Soul Exchange. The effect of Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch strips the opponent of a card in hand while Soul Exchange typically removes a Flip monster or a boss monster from the field, thus resulting in a free, floating Monarch.
In order to reliably pull off this combo, the typical Soul Control player has to max out on 3 copies of Soul Exchange. To further push this edge, the deck should run additional Monarchs to combine with Soul Exchange. Exactly how many or which ones is up for debate, but many players like Mobius the Frost Monarch, as it complements the ability of Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch rather nicely, and it is useful in many different matchups.
Many versions of Soul Control, including the original list by Evan Vargas and the Modern list by Siwski and Nicey, take advantage of the deck’s synergies with Thousand-Eyes Restrict and Metamorphosis. For one, Metamorphosis plus Soul Exchange is a combo that can be used to convert opposing boss monsters into strong Fusion monsters. In addition, Thousand Eyes-Restrict does not need the battle phase to blow up a board, so the cost of Soul Exchange is mitigated. But perhaps most importantly, Thousand-Eyes Restrict is the most efficient tribute fodder available in the format, and combined with Scapegoat, it is one of the best ways to summon two monsters in a single turn.
To further synergize with Metamorphosis, the Soul Control deck should play as many Level 1 monsters as is practical, including options like Dark Mimic LV1, Magician of Faith, and Sinister Serpent. Magical Merchant is considerably less useful as the Monarch player does not want to fill the graveyard with Monarchs, but would rather draw them. Many Soul Control decks also do not include Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, since the Monarchs themselves are off-attribute, further reducing the want for Magical Merchant.
The strongest Flip effect by far in Soul Control is Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive. Its strong stats make it good independent of other cards, something this deck tends to lack (Soul Exchange, Metamorphosis, and the Monarchs are all combo cards). In addition, a flip-summoned Dekoichi is excellent tribute fodder, as it can hold the board until the moment is right.
In a similar vein, the final two monsters in the featured Soul Control list are Sangan and Breaker the Magical Warrior, two strong, stand alone cards that can be used as tribute fodder. In addition, Sangan and Breaker the Magical Warrior help to stabilize the early game, as the Soul Control player typically needs a couple of turns to accumulate his simple combos.
Since this deck is constructed with beating Goat Control in mind, it should also main 3 copies of either Book of Moon or Compulsory Evacuation Device, two versatile cards that can stop opposing an Thousand-Eyes Restrict from taking your Monarchs. Which card you choose is largely personal preference, as each has distinct advantages. Book of Moon has strong synergy with the Flip-effect monsters in the Soul Control list, and it acts as an additional defensive out to Tsukuyomi. Compulsory Evacuation Device, on the other hand, has better synergy with the Monarch monsters themselves, as they can be returned to the hand to dodge destruction and subsequently generate more card advantage the next time you summon them.
Finally, the sole purpose of this deck’s trap lineup is to protect its monsters from being destroyed in battle, thus the deck maxes out on Sakuretsu Armor and fogoes Torrential Tribute. The flip effect monsters need to be protected in order to become good tribute fodder, and Sakuretsu Armor is also an effective way to deal with your opponent’s Tsukuyomi, as it cannot be redrawn or revived once destroyed. The version of the deck above chooses not to play Trap Dustshoot in the main deck, another popular pick for catching Tsukuyomi, as it has some negative synergy with Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch.
All that said, the Soul Control deck still has some weaknesses that are difficult to overcome. For one, Sangan and Sinister Serpent are a huge pitfall for this deck when it comes to stealing face down monsters with Soul Exchange and Thousand-Eyes Restrict. Secondly, Mobius the Frost Monarch is somewhat exploitable with good play, as a clever opponent will set chainable backrow and side out his non-chainable backrow.
In conclusion, the Soul Control deck, when built correctly to counter Tsukuyomi, is fairly reliable in a diverse metagame. The deck has few particularly bad matchups, and it is rather strong against aggro decks, if those are more popular in your metagame. Two exceptions to this statement might be Reasoning Gate Turbo and Empty Jar, as the Soul Control deck is typically quite passive in the early game. Thus the side deck for the Soul Control player should try to compensate for these matchups in particular.
- Siwski
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.
SOUL CONTROL - SIWSKI
This is Siwski's Soul Control deck, which he used to achieve the Master Rank on the GoatFormat.com ladder in February 2019.
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.
SOUL CONTROL - VARGAS
This is Evan Vargas's Soul Control deck that was piloted to a top 4 finish at SJC Los Angeles in 2005.
References:
2005 SJC Los Angeles Deck Profile: Evan Vargas:
http://kperovic.com/metagame/yugioh638b.html?tabid=33&ArticleId=1578
2005 SJC Los Angeles Deck Profile: Evan Vargas:
http://kperovic.com/metagame/yugioh638b.html?tabid=33&ArticleId=1578
