Introduction
"Qli", known as "Qliphort" in the OCG, (note that the monsters still contain the term "Qliphort" in their names in the TCG) is an archetype of Machine-Type EARTH monsters introduced in The New Challengers that are designed to take advantage of the Pendulum Summon mechanic. This is reflected in the eye-shaped motifs visible in their appearances; these motifs are flanked by two crystals, one blue and another red, that are identical to the indicators of a Pendulum Scale.
"Qliphort" is a pun on Qliphoth (lit. "peels", "shells" or "husks"), the representation of evil or impure spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism, and "fort". The Qliphoth is documented in some texts of Kabbalah, a set of teachings originated in Judaism. The ten emanations of Qliphoth form the Qliphoth Tree (aka "Tree of Death"), and each of them is associated with a type of demon and a Devil.
Most currently known "Qli" monsters are somehow or somewhat related to computing, as inferred from their names and flavor texts ("Access", "Alias", "Archive", "Assembler", "Disk", "Kernel", "Killer", "Shell", "Tool"). "Genome" refers to the genomes of biological organisms, as they bear resemblance with how computers store their data. Each name also referenes a member of the Qliphoth
Archtype Cards :
Apoqliphort Skybase (Kernel) :
Cannot be Special Summoned. Requires 3 "Qli" monsters to Normal Summon/Set. If this card is Normal Summoned/Set, it is unaffected by Spell/Trap effects and by activated effects from any monster whose original Level/Rank is lower than this card's current Level. Once per turn: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; take control of that monster until the End Phase.
Apoqliphort Towers (killer) :
Cannot be Special Summoned. Requires 3 "Qli" monsters to Normal Summon/Set. If this card is Normal Summoned/Set, it is unaffected by Spell/Trap effects and by activated effects from any monster whose original Level/Rank is lower than this card's current Level. All Special Summoned monsters lose 500 ATK and DEF. Once per turn: You can make your opponent send 1 monster from their hand or their side of the field to the Graveyard (their choice).
Qliphort Cephalopod (Access) :
Pendulum Effect
You can only Special Summon "Qli" monsters. This effect cannot be negated. All monsters your opponent controls lose 300 ATK.
Monster Effect
You can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. If this card is Normal Summoned without Tributing or is Special Summoned, its Level becomes 4 and its original ATK becomes 1800. If this card is Normal Summoned/Set, it is unaffected by activated effects from any monster whose original Level/Rank is lower than this card's current Level. When this card is Tribute Summoned by Tributing a "Qli" monster(s), if your opponent has more monsters in the Graveyard than you do: You can gain LP equal to the difference x 300, and if you do, inflict that much damage to your opponent.
Qliphort Stealth (Alias) :
Pendulum Effect
You cannot Special Summon monsters, except "Qli" monsters. This effect cannot be negated. All "Qli" monsters you control gain 300 ATK.
Monster Effect
You can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. If this card is Normal Summoned without Tributing or is Special Summoned, its Level becomes 4 and its original ATK becomes 1800. If this card is Normal Summoned/Set, it is unaffected by activated effects from any monster whose original Level/Rank is lower than this card's current Level. When this card is Tribute Summoned by Tributing a "Qli" monster(s): You can target 1 card on the field; return it to the hand. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this effect's activation.
Qliphort Monolith (Assembler) :
Pendulum Effect
You cannot Special Summon monsters, except "Qli" monsters. This effect cannot be negated. During the End Phase, if you Tribute Summoned a monster(s) this turn: You can draw a number of cards equal to the number of "Qli" monsters you Tributed for Tribute Summons this turn.
Qliphort Carrier :
Pendulum Effect
You cannot Special Summon monsters, except "Qli" monsters. This effect cannot be negated. All "Qli" monsters you control gain 300 ATK.
Monster Effect
You can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. If this card is Normal Summoned without Tributing or is Special Summoned, its Level becomes 4 and its original ATK becomes 1800. If this card is Normal Summoned/Set, it is unaffected by activated effects from any monster whose original Level/Rank is lower than this card's current Level. If this card is Tributed: You can target 1 monster on the field; return it to the hand.
Qliphort disk :
Pendulum Effect
You cannot Special Summon monsters, except "Qli" monsters. This effect cannot be negated. All "Qli" monsters you control gain 300 ATK.
Monster Effect
You can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. If this card is Normal Summoned without Tributing or is Special Summoned, its Level becomes 4 and its original ATK becomes 1800. If this card is Normal Summoned/Set, it is unaffected by activated effects from any monster whose original Level/Rank is lower than this card's current Level. When this card is Tribute Summoned by Tributing a "Qli" monster(s): You can Special Summon 2 "Qli" monsters from your Deck, but destroy them during the End Phase.
Qliphort helix :
Pendulum Effect
You cannot Special Summon monsters, except "Qli" monsters. This effect cannot be negated. All monsters your opponent controls lose 300 ATK.
Monster Effect
You can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. If this card is Normal Summoned without Tributing or is Special Summoned, its Level becomes 4 and its original ATK becomes 1800. If this card is Normal Summoned/Set, it is unaffected by activated effects from any monster whose original Level/Rank is lower than this card's current Level. If this card is Tributed: You can target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target.
Qliphort scout (Tool) :
Pendulum Effect
You cannot Special Summon monsters, except "Qli" monsters. This effect cannot be negated. Once per turn: You can pay 800 LP; add 1 "Qli" card from your Deck to your hand, except "Qliphort Scout".
Qliphort shell :
Pendulum Effect
You cannot Special Summon monsters, except "Qli" monsters. This effect cannot be negated. All monsters your opponent controls lose 300 ATK.
Monster Effect
You can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. If this card is Normal Summoned without Tributing or is Special Summoned, its Level becomes 4 and its original ATK becomes 1800. If this card is Normal Summoned/Set, it is unaffected by activated effects from any monster whose original Level/Rank is lower than this card's current Level. If this card is Normal Summoned by Tributing a "Qli" monster(s), it can make a second attack during each Battle Phase, and if it attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.
Saqliphort :
Equip only to a "Qli" monster. It gains 300 ATK and cannot be destroyed by battle. The equipped monster can be treated as 2 Tributes for the Tribute Summon of a "Qli" monster. If this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Qli" monster from your Deck to your hand.
Laser Qlip :
During your Main Phase, you can Normal Summon 1 "Qli" monster in addition to your Normal Summon/Set. (You can only gain this effect once per turn.) Normal Summons of "Qli" monsters cannot be negated.
Qlipper Launch :
Until the end of this turn, all Normal Summoned/Set "Qli" monsters currently on the field gain 300 ATK, but are unaffected by other Spell/Trap effects, also their effects are negated.
Qlimate Change :
Add up to 3 face-up "Qli" Pendulum Monster Cards from your Extra Deck to your hand. You can only activate 1 "Qlimate Change" per turn.
Reqliate (Re-qliphort) :
When a Level 4 or lower monster is Normal or Flip Summoned: Negate its effects until the end of this turn. (This negation remains even if this card leaves the field.) When a Level 5 or higher monster(s) is Special Summoned: Negate its effects until the end of this turn, also banish it when it leaves the field. (This negation remains even if this card leaves the field.) If the only "Qli" cards on the field are "Reqliphort", send this card to the Graveyard.
Most commonly used Non-Archtype Cards :
Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon
Performapal Trampolynx
Summoner's Art
Skill Drain
Playing style
Their focus is to Pendulum Summon monsters to fuel Tribute Summons, with effects that activate when Tributed or when Summoned by Tributing members of the archetype.
All "Qli" Pendulum Effect Monsters have 2400/2800 ATK and 1000 DEF ("Scout" has 1000 ATK and 2800 DEF), like the "Monarchs", and possess the following effects:
Pendulum Effect: You cannot Special Summon any monsters, except "Qli" monsters (this effect cannot be negated).
Monster Effect: You can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. If this card was Special Summoned or Normal Summoned without Tributing, its Level becomes 4 and its original ATK becomes 1800. If this card was Normal Summoned, this card is unaffected by effects activated by monsters whose original Level or Rank is lower than this card's Level.
In addition, these "Qli" Pendulum Monsters can manipulate the ATK of monsters on the field (with the exception of "Scout" and "Assembler"); those with a Pendulum Scale of 1 boost the ATK of your "Qli" monsters by 300, while those with a Scale of 9 reduce your opponent's monsters' ATK by 300.
Weaknesses
Due to the fact that "Qli" Decks very much rely on "Qliphort Scout", a simple floodgate is to use cards with effects that can destroy opponent's Continuous Spell Cards, such as "Mystical Space Typhoon" and "Fairy Wind". These cards can also counter opponent's "Skill Drain" or "Vanity's Emptiness", which are common and can be fatal to certain decks if not dealt with. Cards like "Prohibition", "Thunder King Rai-Oh", "Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell", and "Mask of Restrict" that prohibits either the use of "Qliphort Scout" or Tribute Summon are effective as well, but they become futile once the opponent has already set up a field.
When playing a "Qli" deck, be aware of threats such as "Mystical Space Typhoon" and "Bottomless Trap Hole". It is suggested that before extending, clear the opponent's backrows as many as possible by using cards like "Night Beam", which counters free-chain cards such as "Mystical Space Typhoon" and "Sinister Shadow Games". "Qlimate Change" (can be searched by "Qliphort Scout") returns "Qli" monsters in the Extra Deck to hand and can be fairly effective when the opponent is focusing on destroying cards in Pendulum Zones.
While Towers and Kernel are the trump cards of this deck, owing to their immunity to almost all card effects, they are still vulnerable to Continuous Monster Effects. Monsters such as "Destiny Hero - Plasma" can shut these cards down completely, as not only he negate his opponent's Monster Effects, he can also equip an opponent's monster to himself, providing himself with an ample ATK boost.
Deck Sample :
Last edited by Tequila on Sat Oct 03, 2015 12:23 am; edited 3 times in total
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