And so we enter into one of the more beloved series of the franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, as we take a look at an archetype that has not seen any support ever since its release back in [Cyberdark Impact] - the titular [Cyberdark] monsters used by Zane Truesdale during Season 2. Its been pretty good for him recently, considering his [Cyber Art] deck will be seeing a brand new Fusion monster in the [Legendary Dragon Decks] box later this year. Unfortunately, the archetype does not exactly have the best track record - Rank10YGO did a review in his [Archetype Archive - Cyberdark] video, and although it isn’t completely unplayable, the deck has a difficult time developing a formidable field presence. The new support in the [Legendary Duelists] booster set was designed to help the deck’s issues of consistency and power, but will it be enough to really make it user friendly for new duelists joining the game? Without further ado, lets take a trip on the dark side as we explore the new Cyberdark support!
CYBERDARK
As is with every deck from GX, the Cyberdark deck focused on shuffling [Cyberdark Edge], [Cyberdark Horn], and [Cyberdark Keel] - all three are Level 4 DARK Machine-type monsters - back into the Deck by the effect of their in-theme “[Polymerization],” [Cyberdark Impact!], to Fusion Summon out their original boss monster, [Cyberdark Dragon], a Level 8 DARK Machine-type monster sitting on 1000 points in attack and defense. Their gimmick of equipping any Level 3 or lower Dragon-type monsters from the GY to themselves to boost their powers as well as provide protection from destruction by destroying the equipped monster - the only viable target back in the day was [Hunter Dragon] solely for its large attack points when attached to the Cyberdarks. The problem becomes pretty apparent when you look at how the deck works: the deck is comprised of Machine monsters, but for them to really stand out, you need to equip Dragons from your GY, and not even the stronger ones like [Stardust Dragon] or [Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon]. As a result, the deck suffered from controlling large, imposing monsters that could actually pressure your opponent. The new cards introduced have a lot riding on their proverbial shoulders as the development team hopes that this first - and perhaps only - wave of Cyberdark support cards will remedy the glaring issues of this deck.
To aid the deck in terms of monster support, [Cyberdark Cannon] and [Cyberdark Claw] will be introduced to provide a ton of effects that’ll be bound to improve your plays. They’re both Level 3 DARK Dragon-type monsters with similar effects:
Cyberdark Cannon
" If this card is sent to the GY while equipped to to a monster: You can draw 1 card. You can only use each of these effects of “Cyberdark Cannon” once per turn.
- You can discard this card; add 1 “Cyberdark” Machine monster from your Deck to your hand.
- If a monster this card is equipped to battles, during damage calculation: You can send 1 monster from your Deck to the GY. "
Cyberdark Claw
" If this card is sent to the GY while equipped to to a monster: You can target 1 “Cyberdark” monster in your GY; add it to your hand. You can only use each of these effects of “Cyberdark Cannon” once per turn.
- You can discard this card; add 1 “Cyberdark” Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand.
- If a monster this card is equipped to battles, during damage calculation: You can send 1 monster from your Extra Deck to the GY. "
There’s a lot to absorb, considering they’re packing quite a few interesting effects - Cyberdark Cannon acts as a draw engine, a “Cyberdark” monster searcher, and a [Foolish Burial], while Cyberdark Claw returns a “Cyberdark” monster from the GY back to the hand, acts as a “Cyberdark” Spell card searcher, and behaves like [Gale Dogra] without having to pay 3000 Life Points. These new monster additions do improve the consistency quite a bit, setting up your plays with some rather interesting combos - I’d suggest watching the video; Rank10YGO goes over few options for Cyberdark Claw’s Extra Deck monster dump. If you decide to pick up the deck, you’ll need 3 of each in your arsenal.
If there was a word to perfectly describe their new Field Spell, [Cyberdark Inferno], Rank10YGO chose the best one: bloated. It protects every “Cyberdark” monster equipped with a card from card effects, it returns any “Cyberdark” monster on the field back to the hand to conduct another Normal Summon of a “Cyberdark” monster - including the one you returned to the hand - and if it gets destroyed and sent to the GY, it lets you add any card with “Polymerization” or “Fusion” in the name. Strangely enough, it doesn’t search for Cyberdark Impact!, but it can add cards like [Ultra Polymerization], [Instant Fusion], and [Fusion Substitute]. In terms of application, by returning a “Cyberdark” monster, you can Normal Summon a new “Cyberdark” monster and equip a Dragon monster or resummon the monster you returned to re-equip a new Dragon monster. Despite the amazing third effect, it doesn’t really matter much due to the deck relies more on Cyberdark Impact! and Future Fusion, but it differs depending on your build. It helps resupply your monsters with new equipped monsters and helps them escape effects like [Fiendish Chain] - run 3.
The support also whips out a shiny, new Fusion boss monster, a retrain of the original Cyberdark Dragon - the slightly more threatening [Cyberdarkness Dragon]! The requirement for its Fusion Summon is rather steep - you need to fuse 5 “Cyberdark” Effect monsters! A Level 10 with 2000 attack and defense, it equips any Dragon or Machine monster from the GY to boost its power while also gaining a new weapon: when your opponent activates a card or effect, you can send any Equip Card on your field to negate and destroy. However, to offset this general improvement, Cyberdarkness Dragon is missing protection from destruction like his older counterpart has, but because it was Fusion Summoned properly, you can revive and reequip it with a new Dragon or Machine monster to keep your opponent on their toes. Despite the drawback, it definitely has a place in the deck alongside the original, as the two work really well together to control the field. Its a Cyberdark weapon like no other, a weapon to surpass… Cyberdark Dragon, at the very least.
Having play-tested the new support out of sheer curiosity when they were first announced, I can safely say that, despite the new additions and the disgusting combos that can arise with Cyberdark Claw, the deck still falls short in expectation, as relying on Equip Cards hasn’t exactly been the most strongest of strategies in the card game’s history. The original “Cyberdark” monsters that equip Cannon and Claw can only equip them on their Normal Summon, the Field Spell doesn’t protect any “Cyberdark” monsters lacking an equipped card, and summoning Cyberdarkness Dragon in the early game is - and I’m wording this gently - not likely. Not the most “new-player-friendly,” but an interesting deck for those experienced in the game and looking for a challenging deck to work with.