First Impressions: X-Saber Deck

Posted on Wednesday, August 26, 2009

X Sabers are a theme that revolves around discarding cards from the opponents hand. The main way that the deck does this is through two cards. One being XX-Saber Gottoms and the other one being X-saber Airbellum. The deck accomplishes this through either looping things with XX-Saber Faultroll and XX-Saber Gottoms, or getting attacks through with multiple X-Saber Airbellums.

First things first, the deck is primarily an aggro control deck. It plays it field aggressively while maintaining control. The main feeling I had when playing with this deck was that the deck needs to gain an early +1 or 2 to win. If it could do this it would be in a pretty good spot. The main thing I noticed is that the job is A LOT easier when a Rescue Cat can go off. Immediately the card nets you to Airbellums, as well as loading up the Airbellums in the graveyard for further plays in the next two turns. Which brings me to the next point, that the graveyard is an important piece of the puzzle for the deck to work correctly.

The graveyard is primarily important for the deck. Gardstrike, a card that revolves around having 2 X-saber in the graveyard is a great starting place for extending into the game winning field for the deck, Ragira, and Faultroll, also need X-saber monsters in the graveyard to work. The deck accomplishes this through mills from Card Trooper, and Raiko Lightsworn Hunter, and of course a Rescue cat play.

The game winning field for the deck usually involves some back row destruction (Mystical Space Typhoon, Heavy Storm, Cold Wave, Giant Trunade, and Solemn Judgment) 2 X Saber Monsters, and a Faultroll. This field wins by being able to discard multiple cards out of your opponent’s hand, limiting their abilities to make a comeback next turn. The field this way is almost guaranteed to get the multiple pluses that the deck needs to win. In order to get this field you’ll probably have to overextend, or in other words, get multiple X-saber monster on the field to discard the opponents hand, the real trick with this deck is knowing when the best time to overextend is.

If by some reason, you can’t get the game-winning field, it becomes a control game until you can. The deck can make small pushes with X-sabers and sets with Ryko to keep the field in check. You want the presence of floaters in the early game as well. Cards that can have replacing effects but not take a massive amount of card advantage to pull off. Most of these cards are defensive. The cards being Gorz, Sangan, Card Trooper, Giant Rat, and Ryko. The reason being is that you want to maintain this card advantage over the opponent. In my minor preliminary testing, I’ve found that the deck has trouble coming back from being hit with a minus. Cards that are able to do this would be cards like Raiza or Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, any card that can mess with the decks tempo and your card advantage has a huge effect on the deck. The deck plays a lot like Cat Synchro in this aspect.

The Weaknesses the deck has?

The X-Saber deck doesn’t always get the best hands. If you draw a lot of graveyard reliant cards, or back row removal, you end up being royally screwed. The deck also has problems if it can not control the tempo early game. If you play into your opponent’s cards you end up losing with the deck really easily (playing the rescue cat with no back row destruction and getting the X-saber Airbelluns bottomlessed, usually means game for you)

With that being said, this is my basic analysis of the deck. The deck is okay, I think it needs a bigger push to be top tier, but ultimately the deck works fairly well.