Summary:
Warrior is a versatile, anti-meta aggro deck that uses Reinforcement of the Army to call upon the ideal monster for the task at hand. The Warrior deck has been around for a long time, even appearing before Goat Format itself. Historically, Warrior was an anti-meta deck, starting when it played 3 copies of D.D. Warrior Lady in the fast-paced Traditional Chaos Format, where banishing opposing monsters was at a premium. In Goat Format, the Warrior players ran into a formidable wall of Sheep tokens, and the deck underperformed at major tournaments. With no Warrior-type monster that directly punishes Scapegoat or Thousand-Eyes Restrict, the Warrior deck had to undergo some drastic changes to compete in the Modern Era
Warrior is a versatile, anti-meta aggro deck that uses Reinforcement of the Army to call upon the ideal monster for the task at hand. The Warrior deck has been around for a long time, even appearing before Goat Format itself. Historically, Warrior was an anti-meta deck, starting when it played 3 copies of D.D. Warrior Lady in the fast-paced Traditional Chaos Format, where banishing opposing monsters was at a premium. In Goat Format, the Warrior players ran into a formidable wall of Sheep tokens, and the deck underperformed at major tournaments. With no Warrior-type monster that directly punishes Scapegoat or Thousand-Eyes Restrict, the Warrior deck had to undergo some drastic changes to compete in the Modern Era
Details:
Typically the Warrior deck’s toolbox will include several Level 4 or lower Warrior-type monsters that perform different jobs. The Warrior deck is very good at dealing with face-down monsters and preventing Tsuku-locks, as it has access to Exiled Force, Blade Knight, and Mystic Swordsman LV2 (often sided). D.D. Warrior Lady is a solid attacker that can banish any major threat, so it is almost universally included. D.D. Assailant is a solid pick, as it holds the field without losing ground, though it’s not nearly as versatile as D.D. Warrior Lady. Don Zaloog has become increasingly popular lately as the ideal Warrior to summon when you want to attack directly. Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke is also popular as an out to Chaos Sorcerer (in defense mode), Gravekeeper’s Spy, Legendary Jujitsu Master, and Spirit Reaper. Other more fringe options include Blindly Loyal Goblin, Cliff the Trap Remover, Trap Master, Zombyra the Dark, and Sasuke Samurai #4.
One key improvement made to the Modern Warrior deck a reduction to its monster count. The normal summon is an important resource in Goat Format and it is even more important for the Warrior player because no monster in the deck can be inherently special summoned. If the Warrior player runs more than 14 monsters they will likely clump and limit the fluidity of their hands. Conversely, more traps are played in the Modern Warrior deck precisely because there is no mechanical limit on how many can be set each turn. Traps also happen to be some of the best simple answers in the format--they can be used to efficiently out threats and prevent the opponent from gaining card advantage without skipping a beat.
The Warrior deck’s biggest weaknesses are Thousand-Eyes Restrict and Chaos monsters, but it is quite capable of handling the more pedestrian monsters in the Goat Control and Chaos decks. Thus the remaining cards in the deck focus on simplifying the game and countering plays that generate card advantage for the opponent in order to keep the game state even or better. Perhaps no card accomplishes this goal better than Solemn Judgment, which is practically a staple at 3 copies. Either 2-3 copies of Book of Moon and/or Compulsory Evacuation Device should also be played in the Warrior deck, as the deck badly needs inherent outs to Thousand-Eyes Restrict and Snatch Steal. Multiple copies of Dust Tornado and Sakuretsu Armor are usually played in these decks as well. Since the Warrior deck has lots of good revival targets, it should play both Premature Burial and Call of the Haunted.
Now, the typical Warrior deck cannot play only Warriors, as there aren’t enough useful Warriors in the format and running multiple copies yields diminishing returns with Reinforcement of the Army. Therefore, other engines are often splashed together with the Warriors. Stun cards, like King Tiger Wanghu and Kycoo the Ghost Destroy, alternate beaters, like Skilled Dark Magician and Berserk Gorilla, and even Black Luster Soldier are usually the best options to round out the monster lineup. The Water engine (2 Abyss Soldier, Tribe-Infecting Virus, and Sinister Serpent) is also very popular as it has strong synergy with Premature Burial and Call of the Haunted, and it profitably outs Chaos monsters and Thousand-Eyes Restrict.
Perhaps the most underrated aspect of the Warrior deck is its ability to wear many hats. Because the deck is simple and versatile, it can play a wide variety of cards, and there is no standard list that the opponent can memorize. This strength carries over into the side deck, as the Warrior player can side lots of different monsters and singleton traps effectively, ranging from cards like Skill Drain, to Royal Oppression, to Deck Devastation Virus, to Possessed Dark Soul, to Mind Crush.
In conclusion, the Warrior deck is straightforward but efficient at what it does. It poses a formidable challenge to Goat Control decks, perhaps being Goat Control’s worst matchup in the format. Chaos can be a bit more difficult for the Warrior player to beat, but that can be overcome with a strong side deck. Thus, the Warrior deck fills a very important role in the metagame, and it will always be a popular dark horse tournament pick.
Typically the Warrior deck’s toolbox will include several Level 4 or lower Warrior-type monsters that perform different jobs. The Warrior deck is very good at dealing with face-down monsters and preventing Tsuku-locks, as it has access to Exiled Force, Blade Knight, and Mystic Swordsman LV2 (often sided). D.D. Warrior Lady is a solid attacker that can banish any major threat, so it is almost universally included. D.D. Assailant is a solid pick, as it holds the field without losing ground, though it’s not nearly as versatile as D.D. Warrior Lady. Don Zaloog has become increasingly popular lately as the ideal Warrior to summon when you want to attack directly. Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke is also popular as an out to Chaos Sorcerer (in defense mode), Gravekeeper’s Spy, Legendary Jujitsu Master, and Spirit Reaper. Other more fringe options include Blindly Loyal Goblin, Cliff the Trap Remover, Trap Master, Zombyra the Dark, and Sasuke Samurai #4.
One key improvement made to the Modern Warrior deck a reduction to its monster count. The normal summon is an important resource in Goat Format and it is even more important for the Warrior player because no monster in the deck can be inherently special summoned. If the Warrior player runs more than 14 monsters they will likely clump and limit the fluidity of their hands. Conversely, more traps are played in the Modern Warrior deck precisely because there is no mechanical limit on how many can be set each turn. Traps also happen to be some of the best simple answers in the format--they can be used to efficiently out threats and prevent the opponent from gaining card advantage without skipping a beat.
The Warrior deck’s biggest weaknesses are Thousand-Eyes Restrict and Chaos monsters, but it is quite capable of handling the more pedestrian monsters in the Goat Control and Chaos decks. Thus the remaining cards in the deck focus on simplifying the game and countering plays that generate card advantage for the opponent in order to keep the game state even or better. Perhaps no card accomplishes this goal better than Solemn Judgment, which is practically a staple at 3 copies. Either 2-3 copies of Book of Moon and/or Compulsory Evacuation Device should also be played in the Warrior deck, as the deck badly needs inherent outs to Thousand-Eyes Restrict and Snatch Steal. Multiple copies of Dust Tornado and Sakuretsu Armor are usually played in these decks as well. Since the Warrior deck has lots of good revival targets, it should play both Premature Burial and Call of the Haunted.
Now, the typical Warrior deck cannot play only Warriors, as there aren’t enough useful Warriors in the format and running multiple copies yields diminishing returns with Reinforcement of the Army. Therefore, other engines are often splashed together with the Warriors. Stun cards, like King Tiger Wanghu and Kycoo the Ghost Destroy, alternate beaters, like Skilled Dark Magician and Berserk Gorilla, and even Black Luster Soldier are usually the best options to round out the monster lineup. The Water engine (2 Abyss Soldier, Tribe-Infecting Virus, and Sinister Serpent) is also very popular as it has strong synergy with Premature Burial and Call of the Haunted, and it profitably outs Chaos monsters and Thousand-Eyes Restrict.
Perhaps the most underrated aspect of the Warrior deck is its ability to wear many hats. Because the deck is simple and versatile, it can play a wide variety of cards, and there is no standard list that the opponent can memorize. This strength carries over into the side deck, as the Warrior player can side lots of different monsters and singleton traps effectively, ranging from cards like Skill Drain, to Royal Oppression, to Deck Devastation Virus, to Possessed Dark Soul, to Mind Crush.
In conclusion, the Warrior deck is straightforward but efficient at what it does. It poses a formidable challenge to Goat Control decks, perhaps being Goat Control’s worst matchup in the format. Chaos can be a bit more difficult for the Warrior player to beat, but that can be overcome with a strong side deck. Thus, the Warrior deck fills a very important role in the metagame, and it will always be a popular dark horse tournament pick.
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.
WARRIOR - BLACK LUSTER VERSION
This deck is an adaptation of Calvin Tahan's list that replaces a Berserk Gorilla with the superior Blade Knight, and adds a Tsukuyomi in place of Mystic Swordsman LV2. This change gives the deck 4 Lights and 4 Darks, and both attributes can be tutored via Reinforcement of the Army, which is enough support to add Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning. Finally, the trap lineup is diversified to include more outs to Thousand-Eyes Restrict and Snatch Steal.
WARRIOR - CALVIN TAHAN
This is Calvin Tahan's Warrior deck (he calls it "Zoo", but half the monster lineup is Warrior) that he's used to great success in recent Luxury Gaming tournaments. The deck is fairly typical for a Modern Warrior deck. Note the low monster count and toolbox aspect of the various targets for Reinforcement of the Army. Calvin's list is somewhat unique in that he plays 3 copies of Book of Moon, and essentially 4 copies of Sakuretsu Armor by including Widespread Ruin. These choices promote a strategy of protecting his monsters at all costs. Every monster is a valuable resource that generates pressure and must be protected, as the deck has no way to generate new cards to replace its fallen beaters.
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. It is strongly recommended that you do not copy these decks and instead copy decks from 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. It is strongly recommended that you do not copy these decks and instead copy decks from the Modern Era.
WARRIOR - JAE KIM
This is Jae Kim's Warrior deck that he piloted to a top 4 finish at SJC Seattle in 2005. The deck is almost unrecognizable compared to today's Warrior decks, but it has some key features in common. Of course, it contains Reinforcement of the Army and a variety of different Warrior monsters that are good in different situations. D.D. Survivor is actually an excellent choice to counter a metagame filled with D.D. Assailants. The deck also contains inherent outs to Thousand-Eyes Restrict in Book of Moon, which is an absolute must for any aggro deck in a metagame where Goat Control is so popular. However, the deck also main decks flip effect monsters and a tribute monster, which are unheard of in the Modern Era. The deck also contains a lot of "tech cards" that are out of style, like Lightning Vortex and Mirror Wall. My Body as a Shield is actually somewhat analogous to Solemn Judgment, but nobody really considered playing 3 Solemn Judgment in any deck outside of Burn variants.
References:
Calvin Tahan's Video Deck Profile:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yola5nMt14Q
2005 SJC Seattle Top 8 Deck Lists:
http://kperovic.com/metagame/yugioha0fb.html?tabid=33&ArticleId=2921
Calvin Tahan's Video Deck Profile:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yola5nMt14Q
2005 SJC Seattle Top 8 Deck Lists:
http://kperovic.com/metagame/yugioha0fb.html?tabid=33&ArticleId=2921
