Yubel (archetype)
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 "Yubel - The Ultimate Nightmare", with "Yubel" atop it. | |||||||||||||||||
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"Yubel" (ユベル Yuberu) is an archetype of 0 ATK/DEF DARK Fiend monsters that are all based on the various forms of the card with the same name. All of them were used by the Duel Monster Spirit, Yubel in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime. While the "Yubel" archetype was minimally supported in the anime by the anime version of "Neos Wiseman", it was not officially supported as an archetype in the OCG/TCG until Phantom Nightmare. OCG/TCG support for the "Yubel" archetype featured retrained versions of cards that were used by the Yubel character in the anime, specifically during their duel against Jaden Yuki in episodes 153, 154 and 155.
Playing style[edit]
"Yubel" monsters share the common effect that they cannot be destroyed by battle and the controller does not take any battle damage from battles involving them. Also, when an Attack Position "Yubel" monster is attacked by an opponent's monster, before damage calculation, they take damage equal to that monster's ATK. When using the more powerful monsters of the archetype, the latter effect also triggers when the "Yubel" monster battles and is also able to remove the opponent's battling monster from the field.
The archetype's original strategy was to have the original "Yubel" monsters being destroyed which triggered their effects that trigger to Special Summon the more powerful forms of "Yubel"; destroying the original "Yubel" allows the Special Summon of "Yubel - Terror Incarnate", which can destroy other monsters on the field during each turn. Making "Terror Incarnate" leave the field enables "Yubel - The Ultimate Nightmare" to be Summoned, which can battle an opponent's monster, inflict damage and destroy them. The effects of "Yubel" monsters discouraged the opponent from trying to deal with them by battle, let alone Summoning their monsters in the first place, making them useful for stalling. However, the strategy was not a threat throughout the game's history due to the limited number of viable choices that could Summon the original three "Yubel" monsters. "The Ultimate Nightmare" lacks additional protection or a floating effect upon its destruction, forcing the player to go through the original "Yubel" and "Terror Incarnate" again in order to Special Summon "The Ultimate Nightmare" again.
In Phantom Nightmare, the archetype has received its first wave of support that aided the archetype's original strategy. "Samsara D Lotus" can Tribute itself to Special Summon a "Yubel" monster from the Deck while if left alone on the field, it can make any monster effect into destroying a "Yubel" monster on the field, making it easier to trigger the destruction effects of the "Yubel" monsters. It is able to recur itself from the GY to make use of its effects constantly each turn. "Geistgrinder Golem" can reveal a "Yubel" monster to Special Summon itself to the opponent's field while Special Summoning the revealed monster. If "Geistgrinder Golem" battles its opponent's "Yubel", the opponent (mainly the card's original owner) gains 3000 LP. While both of these monsters can Special Summon the original "Yubel", the optimal "Yubel" monster to Special Summon is "Spirit of Yubel", which upon being Special Summoned, it can search a Spell/Trap card that mentions "Yubel". Upon its destruction, "Spirit of Yubel" can also Special Summon the original "Yubel".
"Gruesome Grave Squirmer" acts as both an extender and possible means for "Yubel" monsters to "dodge" disruptive effects by Summoning itself and optionally destroying such monsters on the field as a Quick Effect, which facilitates Summoning of their subsequent forms. True to its original form, it can also revive a Fiend monster with 0 ATK/DEF (including the aforementioned "Yubel" monsters) to further aid in the deck's extension and longevity.
"Nightmare Pain" can destroy a DARK monster to add another support card for "Yubel" (thus triggering the destruction effects of "Yubel" monsters) and force all of the opponent's monsters to attack a "Yubel" monster. It also makes the opponent take battle damage from battles involving "Yubel" monsters which is independent of the "Yubel" monsters' shared effects of inflicting effect damage when they are attacked/battled, essentially making the opponent take damage double of their monster's ATK. This also makes the card "Nibiru, the Primal Being" a powerful utility card for the deck (especially going second). Not only can it clear the field of the opponent's powerful monsters that would otherwise disrupt the deck's setup, but the resulting "Primal Being Token" can accrue especially high ATK with which to inflict massive damage by repeatedly attacking it with "Yubel" monsters, potentially resulting in an OTK.
"Mature Chronicle" makes use of Chronicle Counters earned from Special Summoning "Yubel" monsters or monsters that mention "Yubel" to either revive "Yubel", recur a banished card, banish a card from the Deck, destroy a card on the field, or even search "Super Polymerization".
The archetype features a new boss Fusion Monster, "Yubel - The Loving Defender Forever", whose generic materials makes it a prime choice for Fusion Summoning with "Eternal Favorite" or "Super Polymerization" to clear away the opponent's monsters. Upon doing so, it furthers the archetype's ability to burn by inflicting 500 damage for each Fusion Material that comprised it. It now gains effect destruction immunity in addition to battle destruction immunity and upon battling an opponent's monster, it will banish said monster after damaging the opponent.
Another Fusion Monster for the archetype comes in the form of "Phantom of Yubel", which serves as an additional "monster effect overwriter" alongside "Samsara D Lotus" as essentially an upgraded form of the latter's Quick Effect. Additionally, seeing as it is Special Summoned by shuffling its materials from the hand, field, or GY into the Deck, it acts as a method to recycle both "Yubel" monsters and fellow Fiends for future use, such as the aforementioned "D Lotus" and "Gruesome Grave Squirmer".
"Nightmare Throne" can be used to search or remotely destroy (effectively sending them to the GY whilst also enabling possible on-destruction effects similar to "Fire King" cards) Fiend monsters with 0 ATK/DEF both within and outside the "Yubel" theme, as well aiding the deck's ability to swarm by Summoning an additional "Yubel" form to one that leaves the field to tutor its next form in line (or even its previous form if it has one Level lower).
One method to quickly Fusion Summon "Yubel - The Loving De fender Forever" by using the opponent's monsters requires only "Samsara D Lotus" and any other card in hand. "Samsara D Lotus" can Tribute itself to Special Summon "Spirit of Yubel" from the Deck, which can add "Nightmare Pain" to the hand. Next, "Nightmare Pain" can destroy "Spirit of Yubel" to add "Eternal Favorite" to the hand, while triggering "Spirit of Yubel" to Summon the original "Yubel" from the Deck. After Setting "Eternal Favorite", "Samsara D Lotus" can Special Summon itself during the End Phase, and be Tributed by "Yubel" to keep itself on the field. At any moment during the opponent's turn, "Eternal Favorite" can be activated by discarding a card and Fusion Summon "Yubel - The Loving Defender Forever" using "Yubel" and all of the opponent's monsters.
While various staples can send "Yubel" monsters to the GY in preparation of Special Summoning them later, the most notable outsider cards for supporting the archetype's playstyle are the Sacred Beasts-related cards, namely "Dark Beckoning Beast" and "Opening of the Spirit Gates". The former offers an additional Normal Summon of a Fiend with 0 ATK/DEF to open the door for extending with Link Monsters and is an elligible Fusion Material for "Phantom of Yubel", while the latter is able to revive "Yubel" or "Spirit of Yubel" and recover a Continuous Spell from the GY to the hand (such as "Nightmare Pain" and "Mature Chronicle") while the player controls a Level 10 monster. Cards such as those of the "Unchained" archetype and a more specific example in "Abyss Actor - Super Producer" can destroy "Yubel" monsters on the field proactively in order to tutor their subsequent forms, whilst being Fiends themselves to act as material or fodder for support monsters like "Muckraker From the Underworld". Because "Phantom of Yubel" is a Fusion Monster that can be Summoned by recycling monsters in the GY, "Cross-Sheep" is another good option for the Deck given the ease of Summoning "Phantom" to its pointed Monster Zone, therefore reviving a Level 4 or lower monster to extend the user's plays.
Cards that negate effects of monsters on the field such as "Skill Drain" or an opposing "Destiny HERO - Plasma" may seem detrimental for "Yubel" Decks, but they enable "Yubel" monsters to tag out into their other forms to repeatedly inflict damage with "Nightmare Pain" by negating their battle destruction immunity and removing them from the field, thereby assisting the deck's beatdown ability instead.
Recommended cards[edit]
Official Decks[edit]
A Deck that combines "Yubel" and "Madolche", and makes use of "Madolche Fresh Sistart" from "LINK VRAINS PACK".
"Yubel – Terror Incarnate" destroys all monsters on the field except itself, while "Madolche Fresh Sistart", on the field, can return a "Madolche" monster from your GY to the Deck to remain on the field.
In tandem, you can activate "Madolche Ticket" to Special Summon "Madolche" to the field, so you can Sweep your opponent’s field each turn, while preserving your own field, making it a strong combination.[1]
Yubel + Madolche
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Weaknesses[edit]
- Common Spell/Trap Card removal options (e.g. "Harpie's Feather Duster", "Lightning Storm", "Cosmic Cyclone") are highly effective against "Yubel" decks as they are highly dependent on their supporting face-up Continuous Spells/Traps, "Nightmare Throne" and/or a Set "Super Polymerization". In particular, any means of removing the Continuous Spells/Traps and "Nightmare Throne" in response to the activation of their face-up effects (such as the Quick Effect of "Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit") will cause them to resolve without effect, slowing down "Yubel" strategies significantly as these cards' effects have a once per turn restriction on their usage.
- Opposing cards that would remove "Yubel" monsters from the field other than destroying them such as the effects of "S:P Little Knight", "Knightmare Unicorn" and "Kashtira Fenrir" or monsters which can remove "Yubel" monsters as part of their Summon procedure (e.g. "Kaiju" monsters, "The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode" and "Underworld Goddess of the Closed World") can also pose a serious treat. However, most of these effects will still trigger the effect of "Yubel - Terror Incarnate" to Special Summon "Yubel - The Ultimate Nightmare", as well as "Nightmare Throne" to recurse and possibly even Summon the removed monster again later).
- As all "Yubel" Main Deck monsters are Level 10+ monsters and they do not have any useful effects while in the hand (aside from "Spirit of Yubel"), they become troublesome bricks if the user does not open with another card to make immediate use of them. As such, "Yubel" decks suffer from consistency problems if their most important card effects get interrupted by common opposing hand traps.
- The high-level of "Yubel" monsters also means that cards that prevent Special Summons are also troublesome to deal with since only the original "Yubel" and "Spirit of Yubel" can be Normal Summoned (each requiring 2 Tributes).
