We are back with a brand new Gate Ruler deck profile and today we have a doozy. Specifically and as evidenced by the title, we will be covering one of my main decks, the absolute bread and butter of my archetype line-up; Knight Dragon Genesis. Fresh from going 5-0 in the lower bracket semi-finals of the Gate Ruler World Team Circuit, the deck seems to have certainly retained a large part of its meta relevance, despite all the sparkling new archetypes that have arrived onto the scene, courtesy of Set 4; Become the Hero! Let’s get into it.
The Decklist
While this specific build only utilises a handful of cards from the latest set, nonetheless they are impactful enough to demonstrate a shift away from the previous ‘Genesis Playstyle‘ that sought to summon a single large unit per turn with the occasional high-roll.
Rather, with the inclusion of various smaller warrior units, which will be illustrated below, the archetype has diversified not only its spread of levels but also its arsenal in dealing with various archetypes, taking a page out of the Reginleif handbook. Unfortunately, we have greatly reduced our anti-special summoning package, by cutting down on Rey Gargora – Bane of Sorcerers and other Beasts. However, it is fairly easy to increase its consistency again, should your local metagame dictate the need to shut down such opposing strategies.
Unit Line-Up
Albavolt – Platinum Grand Dragon and Aras – Guardian of the Divine Winds are the absolute core staples of the deck and synonymous with the ‘Genesis Mechanic‘ as a whole. Particularly, the former carries the archetype to a great extent. Breakthrough and healing for one, on top of having 7 ATK is premium value and that is not even taking into consideration the synergy it has with Paula – Prodigy of the Wizard Academy. For a card that was printed in the very first set, Dawn of the Multiverse Alliance, this Unit has absolutely done all the heavy lifting necessary and more.
With regard to the latter Level 3 Unit, with the inclusion of more ‘warrior attribute’ units, as demonstrated below, its relevance has risen significantly. Effectively, its ‘Damage Reverse‘ skill can now be used both for Tempo and for Combo plays, depending on what ends up in the damage zone.
Though it might be slightly contrary to the lore of the game, a pact has been formed with the main trio of Darknights: Gododdin, Zahar, and Vamel. The former level 2 Unit is simply amazing, as he facilitates the revival of the level 1 units and in addition to that provides them with ‘Deadly‘, effectively allowing them to remove any large unit regardless of health, an effect that is extremely useful against a deck like Wizard Alice, for example.
On to the level one units, Zahar has breakthrough on top of receiving an attack buff from each ‘Dark Knight‘ in the drop zone. As such, it is quite realistic that even in the absence of ‘Deadly‘ this small unit will still have enough ATK to even be able to punch over cards like Space King Arthur ft. Adriano, on a consistent basis. Of course, Vamel operates as a nifty little shield, with layered synergy, that cannot be sniped effectively from hand. Lastly, both Zahar and Vamel can be semi-searched with Paula.
Alternate Build
Though I vastly prefer the initial build with the Yomajin Front, coupling the archetype with ATLAS is also an option, on account of the new CNT Armor of Ambition and the defensive event Dimension Lamination. Thusly the deck is afforded substantially more defensive options but it comes at the cost of tempo. Realistically, I think the former playstyle functions in a smoother fashion but this latter colour combination certainly boasts its own merits.
Final Thoughts
Even though the deck has performed well at locals and had a fantastic first showing in the GR World Team Circuit, I am still apprehensive about placing it squarely into the ‘Tier 1’ category of decks for set 4. It certainly ticks all the boxes, in so far as it has healing, breakthrough, deck shuffling, six health units, and effect-based removal on top of being capable of massive tempo swings. Yet, the vast majority of its CNTs have no effect on the board state when checked as damage thus forcing the archetype to be more aggressive in its pursuit of victory.
As a result, from a personal perspective, I would be so inclined to categorise Dragon Knight Genesis, in the submitted form, as a high tier 2 deck with genuine rogue potential. However, its tournament results dictate that it is much closer to tier 1, retaining its original standing from Set 3. Overall, despite the minor nuances of competitive classification, the archetype is in a really good spot, especially since the meta has not really caught on just yet, with the lack of a majority of ‘Giant Killer‘ effects, which were extremely prevalent during the previous set’s metagame.
Thank you for reading and I do sincerely hope you enjoyed this write-up. If you are curious to see more, do not forget to give me a follow on Twitter and if you would like to be a part of the creative process that goes into doing these write-ups, you can also check out my Patreon. Your further support would be very much appreciated.
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