Introduction
Recently (after the release of starter decks for Dukemon and UlforceVeedramon) I've noticed more and more megazoo-like decks created and winning tournaments.
The interesting thing with recent trend is the sheer number of option cards played in a 50-card deck. These decks are now commonly known as Security Control decks.
FYI: If you cannot recognize the cards in the top-left corner due to glare, they are Omegamon Zwart Defeat.
This deck caught my eye at first glance. With almost half the deck being big option cards, I could sense the sheer pressure in my opponents, having their Digimons and board wiped clean so easily!
Security Control
With these expensive option cards, your opponent's Digimon will never be able to escape devastation: 4 copies of Gaia Force and 1 copy of Plasma Stake to deal with the biggest Digimons, and 4 copies of Transcendant Sword just because you cannot have 8 Gaia Force in your deck. This deck plays only 4 copies of Omegamon Zwart Defeat and no other Digimons with [Greymon] in their name, so the chances to maximize Transcendent Sword's damage (to 15000 DP) is not high.
Besides removing the biggest Digimons, this deck also runs cost-effective board control options for lower DP Digimons.
[BT4-100] Trident Revolver deletes a Digimon 6000 DP or lower and then plays a tamer for free, which is very viable in such decks that typically run more than 6 tamers.
The new option card [ST7-12] Atomic Blaster costs only 5 to play, is easily one of the most flexible removals around: use it on a threatening LV5 Digimon, or on a few pesky rookies.
[BT5-105] Ultimate Flare is also very common in such decks, with many choosing to play between 2 to 4 copies. Not only are they the deck's best bet against a rookie rush, but also incredibly effective for crippling anti-deletion Digimons such as Craniamon, [BT4-091] Chaosmon Valdur Arm and [BT5-086] Omegamon.
Security Digimons
Security control decks typically run 2-4 copies of [ST8-06] Coredramon is for the much-needed draw power. He is a great Digimon to have in your security at any time!
Another staple in these decks is none other than [BT5-112] Omegamon Zwart Defeat: running maximum copies in hope that he ends up in your security.
There are a couple of ways to "place" these cards into your security, in which we will get to very soon below.
Recovering your arsenal
The idea is simple: with the security being your best asset, maximize cards that can recover your security.
[BT1-060] Magnaangemon provides unconditional recovery, making him a great early game or turn-1 play. Subsequently when you have exhausted some security, the LV6 [BT2-039] Magnadramon offers a larger <Recovery+2> effect. Use his [When Attacking] effect to put a [BT4-115] Lucemon for free and another recovery.
If you have decent handsize and a surplus of Magnadramons in hand, you may consider digivolving your MagnaAngemon into Magnadramon for 3-cost, and then immediately using his [When Attacking] effect to drop a Lucemon to the field. While this diminishes the recovery value that Magnadramon provides, it is an efficient way to widen your board without damage to hand size (digivolving will cycle your hand anyways).
Sometimes, recovery-based options are also played in these decks. [BT1-107] Holy Wave is expensive hence usually intended to be activated from security, while [BT4-105] Tactical Retreat!! has the same security effect while costing significantly less!
I will recommend using Tactical Retreat over Holy Wave. When played from hand, use Tactical Retreat on your Omegamon Zwart Defeat or Coredramon.
Tamers
Tamer cards are great for security control, as they play from security and helps tremendously with slower setups in such decks.
One of the most common choices would be [BT4-096] Izzy Izumi, for sorting the next 3 cards of your deck. This is a crucial play for deciding when and what to recover. However, do note that Izzy reveals the top 3 cards to your opponent as well, so they may very well know the contents of your recovered security (and may play accordingly to work around it).
Another common choice for tamer is [BT5-093] Tai & Matt, which has excellent value in these decks since your opponent's board will almost always have a big Digimon given the large amounts of memory gifted to them in almost every single turn. Tai & Matt also buffs your Zwart Defeat, making a middle/late-game Zwart Defeat extremely potent!
Hit for the win!!
This deck use Guildmon-Dukemon warp evolution to deal with opponent's security stack and last hit for the win. With large memory plays and security control, it is easy to lure the opponent into building a large stack which you can easily delete, filling up their trash rather quickly. The [BT2-020] Gallantmon can easily trash 1-2 of your opponent's security when attacking, and nets you a win if you opponent is unable to block your attack when he/she only has 1 or 2 securities left.
Digivolve Gigimon into Guilmon in the nursery, and do not be too hasty in moving him into the battlefield. This deck has a rather slow draw power, so you might not draw into your second Gallantmon even if youre lucky enough to have the first, so save it for that last hit!
Weaknesses: Playing against security control
Security control decks generate a lot of value from their security, so it's best to avoid hitting them too early.
Avoid proper digivolutions if possible, and avoid investing into a single stack of Digimon as it can easily be deleted by option cards such as Gaia Force.
One of the most effective ways against security control decks is to build a wide board of hard-played Digimons or shallow digivolutions, at a variety of play-costs. This will make them less susceptible to single-deletion cards such as Gaia Force and cannot be board-wiped by Ultimate Flare. In addition, this also helps to slow down your play to match your opponent's tempo (and avoiding a deck out).
Try not to lower your opponent's security beyond 4, to avoid a massive recovery using Magnadramon. Build a board wide enough to remove all his/her securities in a single turn.
Conclusion
Security control decks are loads of fun to play, but also loathed by many due to its unconventional plays and potency. They do not have the clear weaknesses of a rookie rush deck, and do very well against one.
These are no-doubt expensive decks, but you can always build around the cards you have (without the most expensive cards Zwart Defeat and Lucemon) without losing too much value.
This deck absolutely terrifies me, I hope that more Digimon like BT1 WarGreymon are released in the future that can be a good counter to option heavy decks.
I think it is new trend in BT5 meta. You can check more "megazoo" decks in deck-list.