Having recently worked with Lightsworns again, I can say I can probably give you some pretty good tips about your deck. So I'm going to do one of my extensive reviews, and explain, in detail, my recommendations for your deck. Hopefully, this will help your deck improve, and will help you become a better duelist.
To further add, this review will cover 5 sections of your deck. Monsters, Spells, Traps, the Side Deck, and the Extra Deck. Each section will start itself with a list of the cards you run, and at what quantities, and then will end with that same list, which will have short commentary on what I think you should do to that part of the deck. Within the section itself, every card that I believe should be changed in some way will be mentioned beside an explanation. Basically, if you're looking for reasoning, it's there, and if you're looking to, in short, just take my advice without looking for the reasoning behind it, you can do that too. So, enjoy.
Let's start this review. YAHOO!.
Okay, beginning with monsters, you run the following:
x1 Alexandrite Dragon
x1 Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid
x1 Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
x1 Blackwing - Zephyros The Elite
x1 Celestia, Lightsworn Angel
x1 Ehren, Lightsworn Monk
x1 Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior
x1 Honest
x1 Jain, Lightsworn Paladin
x2 Judgment Dragon
x2 Kuribandit
x2 Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner
x2 Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress
x1 Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden
x1 Necro Gardna
x3 Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn
x2 Rainbow Kuriboh
x2 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
x1 Wulf, Lightsworn Beast
My recommendations:
-Wow. Whole lot of diversity. Sadly, that doesn't really make for a super effective deck these days. So I'm going to do some major adjusting here and turn it into a nice and pretty Rulersworn deck, which I know works.
-First, we're going to be ditching the unnecessary Lightsworn monsters. These will include Druid, Celestia, Ehren, Garoth, Jain, and Ryko. Here's why:
Druid: This card is so bad for Lightsworns. Lightsworns are a deck that moves incredibly quickly in order to keep pace with the opponent and recover when needed. Druid will get run over by most things that are Rank 4 or Level 5, and the prevention of targeting doesn't help. Cards such as Torrential Tribute and Solemn Warning are popular in the format, and those cards don't target. Druid doesn't do really anything for the deck but waste space.
Celestia: Lightsworns should no longer have to Tribute Summon in order to run. Celestia is a huge slap to the face, because you need to Tribute Summon her with the deck. There are many monsters that can replace the slot this card takes up, that are a lot faster, have better ATK, and have better effects. This card, like Druid, isn't fast enough, and doesn't work well.
Ehren: Main reason I'm telling you to ditch Ehren is because I'm not recommending pure Lightsworns. Ehren won't work well in a Rulersworn deck, as she doesn't carry enough ATK, or an effect that works with the rest of the deck. If you'd like a pure Lightsworn build, you'd have to ask someone else. I don't know how to make them.
Garoth: He would be some nice Draw Power if he was a spell card. Sadly, Garoth is a monster with rather sucky ATK points that doesn't work well in any Lightsworn deck. Many other cards work much better in the deck, and Garoth, like many other Lightsworns, becomes a waste of space.
Jain: Jain is basically like Garoth. Bad effect, bad ATK, and doesn't work with the flow of the deck. So many other cards could take her place that are so much better.
Ryko: If you are asking to get killed, Ryko is the one who will make your plea. In times before, Ryko was a grand card that would destroy a key card the opponent had, and would allow you to start making your comeback. Now? Ryko should be renamed RoadKill. As always, this card is easily run over by other monsters, but now, his effect sucks as well. Destroying one card in this day and age would make your opponent love you. Let's take a look at why.
- Shaddolls. These things love to get destroyed. Half of their effects activate from being sent to the Graveyard. I mean come on. Destroying one of these things is like giving a 5-year-old a lifetime supply of candy.
- Elemental HEROs. These guys ALSO love being destroyed. Why? Because it activates effects as well. Elemental HERO Shadow Mist will search through the deck for another HERO card to add to hand because of Ryko. Elemental HERO The Shining will add banished HEROs back to hand. Elemental HERO Escuridao will gain more ATK because there is now an additional HERO in the Graveyard. You're also now giving Miracle Fusion more targets, and clearing up the field for more Masked HEROs.
- Fire Kings. Do I even need to say? You'll be letting Barong, Yaksha, or Garunix activate their effects, all of which will let the deck combo so hard you won't realise that you're having the shit beaten out of you until you're through the third wall of the apartment complex next door.
- Madolche. These guys will just recycle themselves back into the Main Deck, so what's even the point of blowing them up?
The list goes on and on, but I won't bore you with the details of everything that could possibly happen with RoadKill, Lightsworn Raccoon here. .-.
-Ditch the Alexandrite Dragon. Without an effect, this card is useless. I mean, he's just an over-powered Normal Monster, like over half the other Normal Monster shits out there. Not useful.
-While everyone loves Black Luster Soldier, Lightsworns don't run him very well. It's actually very hard to run him effectively in this deck, because a lot of the time, he'll be milled into the Graveyard. That's not very fun, so don't bother with this guy. He doesn't benefit anyone when he's milled, because you can't even use Soul Charge on him.
-Zephros was good thinking on your part. Take a deck that mills stuff, and add to it a card that I can use to Special Summon back to the field. However, Zephros just plain sucks in this deck. He'll bounce a card on your field back to the hand, and that's really it. His ATK is mediocre, his effect makes you take damage, and Lightsworn decks run no backrow that you'll be returning to the hand, so you'd have to return a monster. Not the best play in the world.
-Rainbow Kuriboh. Oh how I enjoy this card. I like the idea of using him in the deck. HOWEVER, he needs to be in the Hand to pull off his effect, and when he's not in the Hand, he's useless. This deck can only utilise him when he's in the hand, and seeing as you're milling a lot of your own stuff to the Graveyard every turn, your chances of getting him aren't great. You could probably ask Jj (Phoenix Wright) for the exact calculations. They're pretty dismal.
-Now the above suggestions are pretty depressing. I'm having you rip apart your deck, I know. However, not everything you added was bad for the deck, and so I'm monopolising on that.
-Add another Lumina. The more of her in your deck that there are, the higher the chance of drawing her out. Her effect of Special Summoning Lightsworns from the Graveyard is great. It allows for easy Synchro and Xyz Summons, along with other good effects to come into play.
-Kuribandit will be excavating the crap out of your deck, and tossing free spells into your hand. That's great, as whatever non-monsters Lightsworns run should be namely spells. Add another Kuribandit to your deck.
-Judgment Dragon is a sick card. He can hit the Field if there are more than 4 Lightsworns with different names in your Graveyard, carries 3000 ATK, and can nuke the Field if you give him 1000 life points. Add another one of these guys in here, as even when he's in the Graveyard, Rulersworns can abuse this guy.
-Necro Gardna stops attacks. Don't be shy, add two more of the guy. He's a great choice for a card, as even if you need to set him, he'll hit the Graveyard, and then say "Suck it" and prevent another attack from your opponent.
-Bump Wulf up by 1. This guy is a great great card that is usually milled. And if not, don't worry. Lumina is going to discard him to revive a friend anyways. : 3
-Throw in one of each Dragon Ruler card. These guys will combo fast and hard against your opponent, being able to let Number 11 and Number 74 touch the field to wreak havoc. The deck also kinda requires these cards to be called "Rulersworn". You'll be running another set of Dragons as well, so don't worry about the lack of them.
-Toss in triple Eclipse Wyvern. This guy is a Dragon-Type monster that is banished by the effect of the Dragon Rulers to summon them. Not only that, but he can also search out your Judgment Dragon, and add it to your Hand when he's banished. Don't let that go to waste. Monopolise on the searching effect.
-Throw in a single Black Dragon Collarserpent. This guy needs to banish a LIGHT monster to summon himself, and will work through your Graveyard when you need it. You can also use him to banish an Eclipse Wyvern in a pinch and grab your Judgment Dragon.
-Throw in a double Lightray Diabolos. With Lightsworns constantly milling cards into your Graveyard, you'll soon meet the requirements to summon this high ATK point beast to the field and say "Screw you" to everyone else. He's also a Dragon-Type monster, and can be used as Ruler banish material, or can be used as Xyz Material with them in order to bring out the Rank 7 Xyz Monsters.
In short, this is what I believe should happen to your monsters:
x1 Alexandrite Dragon - Remove
x1 Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid - Remove
x1 Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning - Remove
x1 Blackwing - Zephyros The Elite - Remove
x1 Celestia, Lightsworn Angel - Remove
x1 Ehren, Lightsworn Monk - Remove
x1 Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior - Remove
x1 Honest - Keep the Same
x1 Jain, Lightsworn Paladin - Remove
x2 Judgment Dragon - +1
x2 Kuribandit - +1
x2 Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner - +1
x2 Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress - Keep the Same
x1 Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden - Keep the Same
x1 Necro Gardna - +2
x3 Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn - Keep the same
x2 Rainbow Kuriboh - Remove all
x2 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter - Remove all
x1 Wulf, Lightsworn Beast - +1
+1 Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders
+1 Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms
+1 Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos
+1 Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls
+3 Eclipse Wyvern
+1 Black Dragon Collarserpent
+2 Lightray Diabolos
So, I've got ten minutes left on my computer. Woohoo! If I don't get this done today, it should be done by tomorrow.
Let's move onto spells! You run the following:
x1 Charge of the Light Brigade
x1 Foolish Burial
x1 Lightsworn Sanctuary
x1 Monster Reincarnation
x1 My Body as a Shield
x1 Prohibition
x1 Realm of Light
x1 Solar Recharge
My recommendations:
-Let's begin this. Ditch the Field Spells. Both Realm of Light and Lightsworn Sanctuary are too slow for this deck, and will not work very well because of it. Only about half of your monsters are Lightsworns, and neither card can recover themselves from the Graveyard if they're milled. In short, they're not that great.
-Monster Reincarnation is not needed with this deck. You'll have so many other ways in which you'll be grabbing back your monsters that this card is a literal waste of space in the deck. It doesn't do anything for you. Replace the thing.
-Remove My Body as a Shield. This card is useless for a few reasons. First of all, you'll be paying Life Points to activate it, something that you DO NOT WANT. Lightsworn decks love their Life Points, seeing as some of their plays may leave them open. Anything that takes those precious Life Points away doesn't work well. Secondly, Lightsworns have almost no interest in negating cards. This deck will be moving at such a fast pace that they won't bother to negate what the opponent plays. As a result, playing this card can slow the deck down. Not worth it.
-Prohibition is the same sort of deal as My Body as a Shield. This card will stop your opponent from activating certain cards in their deck, but will slow your deck down as a result. This card cannot recover itself from a mill, and is easily destroyed. There is no point in playing it.
-Add in another two Solar Recharge. This card is great Draw Power in the first few turns of the duel, and speeds up your deck a lot when you play it. Having it milled is no big deal, but when you can grab it, it speeds your deck up so much that you shouldn't waste the opportunity to run it at 3.
-Throw in a couple of Soul Charge. Recovering monsters from the Graveyard can really benefit you in a duel, and while Solar Recharge will be taking away your Life Points, it's for a much more conventional play than if it were My Body as a Shield. Bringing back Lightsworns allows for quick Synchro and Xyz Summons, and will benefit you tons.
So, in short, this is what I think should happen to your Spells:
x1 Charge of the Light Brigade - Keep the Same
x1 Foolish Burial - Keep the Same
x1 Lightsworn Sanctuary - Remove
x1 Monster Reincarnation - Remove
x1 My Body as a Shield - Remove
x1 Prohibition - Remove
x1 Realm of Light - Remove
x1 Solar Recharge - +2
+2 Soul Charge
Now to cover your Traps. : 3
You run the following:
x1 Beckoning Light
x1 Breakthrough Skill
x1 Luminze
And like, three other cards I don't recognise. .-.
My recommendations:
-Dump all of these. Lightsworns don't need any of them in the Main Deck.
-Add three Needlebug Nest. This card will speed up your deck via it's milling power. A lot of your deck loves to be sent to the Graveyard, so use Needlebug Nest to speed that up.
In short, this is what I think should happen to your traps:
x1 Beckoning Light - Remove
x1 Breakthrough Skill - Move to Side Deck and +1
x1 Luminize - Remove
x3 Cards I don't know - Remove
+3 Needlebug Nest
Now, let's move onto the Extra Deck, shall we?
You run the following:
x1 Armades, Keeper of Boundaries
x1 Black Rose Dragon
x1 Goyo Guardian
x1 HTS Psyhemuth
x1 Light End Dragon
x2 Michael, The Arch-Lightsworn
x1 Red Dragon Archfiend
x1 Scrap Dragon
x1 Shooting Quasar Dragon
x1 Shooting Star Dragon
x1 Stardust Dragon
x1 Lavalval Chain
x1 Silent Honor ARK
x1 Tiras, Keeper of Genesis
My recommendations:
-Too many Synchros and not enough Xyzs. Let's start this.
-Dump the Stardust, Shooting Star, and Quasar Dragons. Quasar is too hard to obtain for this deck, Shooting Star you can't actually get out, and Stardust just doesn't work. Essentially, this trio is kinda shit in this deck. Sorry mate. .-.
-Ditch Scrap Dragon, Light End Dragon and Red Dragon Archfiend. You can't really get them out, as they're Level 8, and you'll barely have anything that can Synch Level 8.
-Dump both Keepers. You can't make Level 5 monsters in the deck I've recommended. Sorry mate.
-Ditch Black Rose and HTS. There are so many better alternatives to these. (Note: Don't ditch Black Rose if you're keeping this deck solely TCG)
-If you're ditching Black Rose, add Moonlight Rose Dragon instead. This card is great for the deck, as it'll be bouncing back monsters to the hand.
-Throw Gaia Knight, The Force of Earth inside your deck to replace HTS. This card has higher ATK, and is a Level base for another Synchro Summon. It can defend itself a lot better than HTS as well, which is good.
-Throw in an Ancient Sacred Wyvern to your deck. This card abuses the hell out of LIGHT monsters with ATK manipulation based on Life Points. It's a great card that I wish I could run in all of my decks. Sadly, I can't. But in this deck, you can. : D
-Throw in another Michael. The cards itself is just great. Abuse the hell out of it while he's still at 3
-Toss in a Star Eater. He's less powerful than Quasar, but is still a big threat that is much more easily accessed via this deck.
-For Xyz Monsters, throw in Number 11: Big Eye, Number 74: Master of Blades, Starliege Paladynamo, Constellar Omega, and Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack. These cards are fantastic, and are easy to abuse in this form of Lightsworns. Don't pass them up.
In short, this is what I think should happen to your Extra Deck:
x1 Armades, Keeper of Boundaries - Remove
x1 Black Rose Dragon - Remove
x1 Goyo Guardian - Keep
x1 HTS Psyhemuth - Remove
x1 Light End Dragon - Remove
x2 Michael, The Arch-Lightsworn - +1
x1 Red Dragon Archfiend - Remove
x1 Scrap Dragon - Remove
x1 Shooting Quasar Dragon - Remove
x1 Shooting Star Dragon - Remove
x1 Stardust Dragon - Remove
x1 Lavalval Chain - Keep
x1 Silent Honor ARK - Keep
x1 Tiras, Keeper of Genesis - Remove
+1 Ancient Sacred Wyvern
+1 Gaia Knight, The Force of Earth
+1 Moonlight Rose Dragon
+1 Star Eater
+1 Constellar Omega
+1 Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack
+1 Number 11: Big Eye
+1 Number 74: Master of Blades
+1 Starliege Paladynamo
As for the Side Deck, I'll look into that a bit, as I'm not great with Lightsworn side decks. But for now, I hope this helped you, even if only a little.
Last edited by Naito Raizu on Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:48 pm; edited 2 times in total
LightswornsWed Jul 16, 2014 1:26 am