Invited Author: Garry Yeung
Country: Indonesia
Introduction
With BT9 released, I can finally get another chance with blue based armor deck with the power of Magnamon X Anti-body and Omnimon: Merciful Mode. Before BT9 was introduced, the deck was having a hard time to win because the lack of mega Digimon, with many decks in the meta can easily clear level 4 Digimon like Paildramon Jogress effect, minus DP from Kimeramon Jogress, and even Rapidmon / Yellow Hybrid can easily board wipe armor deck.
Now with the upgrade we get from Magnamon X, we can save it by changing the attack target to MagnamonX when the opponent's Digimon attacks and prevent his own deletion by place it at the top of our security stack. In this deck review, I will explain my deck composition, strategy, and match report.
Deck's Distribution
Digitama
Starting from the Digitama, we often see player using BT1 Upamon as a staple, but since the BT9 upgrade I feel like its harder to draw with Upamon effect since a rookie can digivolve with 0 cost to their x antibody upgrade. As for my response to the meta I’m using 4 EX2 Xiaomon, this can be really helpful in early game since usually our enemy can’t even attack our rested armor Digimon with the extra all turn+1000 DP and even in the late game it can help boost our Magnamon DP.
Rookies
For the rookies I only use the Veemon variant for the cheap digivolution cost that works really well with the deck. We don’t need any of the other staple rookie like ModokiBetamon or Syakomon since all the deck can control rookie pretty easily in this meta. One important note here is never play ST9 Veemon to search for Magnamon X since ST9 Veemon can only take [free] type Digimon and Magnamon X is not a free type Digimon so we can’t take it by using the Veemon search effect.
Armor Digimon
As for the Armor Digimon we use all the version from Veemon Armored Evolution line so we can get the cheap cost evolution. Usually we want to evolve into Flamedramon in early game so we can do some cheap damages to our opponent’s security while saving our Raidramon to rest our opponent’s lvl 4 or below Digimon if they play it. I usually save my Magnamon for midgame or late game since we can get boosted DP later in the game.
Both Flamedramon and Raiddramon are [Free] type Digimons.
Mega
I play of course the 4 Magnamon X Anti-body, this card done great job in saving our Armor Digimon in the battle and it can help prevent the OTK deck like Alphamon, Dukemon, Grandiskuwagamon, etc.. MagnamonX also helps to prevent cheap security check from Yellow Hybrid deck and Imperialdramon, usually when they desperate to kill our Magnamon X they will give us more memory just to destroy it. Then for the controversial composition of mega, I play 3 Omnimon: Merciful Mode and 1 Imperialdramon Paladin Mode that surprisingly works really well.
With Omnimon, you can improve control over the board that the deck lack of while discarding our enemy security every time our Omnimon survives the turn. Never digivolve into Omnimon if you know the opponent can kill Omnimon in the next turn then the Magnamon X will be wasted to the trash. But if the Omnimon Merciful Mode can survive, it will come back as Magnamon X in beginning of the turn and can block opponent's Digimon attack again (change attack's target).
Now we can easily have a lvl 7 White Digimon in trash we can finally use Imperialdramon Paladin Mode effect, we can reduce its digivolution cost by 4 and since we usually have a minimum of 2 duo color cards in our sources we can easily clear our enemy board. Usually the level 7 is they key to win the game when we can’t finish the opponent’s with Armor Digimon in early game.
Tamer and Option
I only play BT3 Daisuke as a searcher and a guaranteed start at 3 memory every turn. The reason I don’t want to bring the duo tamer Daisuke and Ken from BT8 is because in this fast meta putting too much tamer manually will cost you the game. Beside, with the help of the option card Golden Digizoid we can evolve our armor into Magnamon to unsuspend and finish the game (much like Armor Texture / Daisuke-Ken). Because I don’t use the duo tamer, I have more space for the Memory Boost since it is very important in the BT9 meta while we rarely see the memory blocker rookie and can easily finish them with Raidramon. The Memory Boost can’t be deleted by Megadramon or BlackWarGreymon effect.
For the Hammer Spark, its self-explanatory staple card in blue based deck. Then, the Golden Digizoid Option is a staple for the Armor deck so all Armor Digimon can easily evolve to Magnamon X with 3 cost. For Fire Rocket, I usually save it to finish the game rather than for early damage so even if we open some Tamer/Memory Boost in enemy’s security it doesn’t matter when we can finish the game.
Matchups
Format: Swiss Round BO1, Top 4 Single Elim BO3
W: Win, L: Lose, D: Draw
Round 1 VS Alphamon (w/Dex-Engine) (W)
My first opponent used the new Dex-Engine to play the Alphamon deck. In my opinion this is one of the top meta in the game right now and if I can’t finish the game early it will be hard to deal with the Alphamon that can De-Digivolve our armor Digimon every turn and finish the game with Alphamon: Ouryuken. In this game while I’m setting up my Veemon and Daisuke, my enemy having a bad time by putting 2 Dorumon in battle area to search for the lvl 4 Digimon. In their turn, they checked the security luckily my first and second security was memory boost. In the next turn I can clear them with Raidramon and use the Golden Digizoid to evolve to Magnamon X and hold the other rookie from checking my security further. The game went further with me also checking the security one after another. By the time my opponent’s moving his Digimon from the raising area he still don’t have the Alphamon BT9 rather he digivolved to Alphamon from BT6 and could not finish the game because I had my Magnamon X in the battle area and he also did not have the Alphamon: Ouryuken. The following turn I finished the game.
Round 2 VS Yellow Hybrid/Security Control (W)
My second opponent used yellow hybrid without Shinegreymon or Armor Rapidmon rather he use Black Digitama and Chikurimon for security. He also played many option cards like Chaos Degrade, Wyvern Breath, and Ultimate Flare. The tricky part is the BT4 Purple Hikari that easily gains back memory every time I check the security. This is one of that unlucky game because I already cycled my deck and realize that I only have 2 Magnamon in the deck (the rest in the security). The turn he play Susanoomon he can finish the game at that point but luckily hit Omnimon in second security check. After struggling checking security one by one (unfortunately my Flamedramon with 2 fire rocket hits Wyvern Breath), there’s a point I can’t finish the game with the enemy only having 1 security left. Then he put Dexmon in the battle area and I can’t swarm anymore with my Veemon. While holding with Magnamon X, I set up my memory boost and even evolve to magnamon behind so I can play Imperialdramon Paladin Mode without changing the turn in the following turn. After I get rid of the Dexmon and hit the last security the opponent forfeit because he don’t have anything left to recovery or deal with my Digimon in the battle area.
Round 3 VS Alphamon (without Dex-Engine) (D)
My third opponent playing the classic Alphamon-Oryumon deck from the meta before. At first I thought this gonna be an advantage for me since he don’t play the Dex-Engine but after he digivolve to Oryumon with blocker, reboot, and having a white X-Antibody Option I realized I can’t deal with this. I can’t play Omnimon Merciful Mode since Oryumon can’t be destroyed, I can’t even clear him with Imperialdramon Paladin Mode since he will still have the white Option X-Antibody in his sources. While struggling to clear the Oryumon I just play defensively with Magnamon and Magnamon X. There is a turn he have Oryumon and Alphamon: Ouryuken in the battle area, but I think he made a mistake by evolving his Oryumon and hitting me with the Alphamon: Ouryuken without being able to finish the game. By the next turn I have enough setup and memory to evolve to Imperialdramon Paladin Mode and clear the second Oryumon from the board and hitting the Alphamon: Ouryuken with the annoying white X-Antibody Option (The first Oryumon) so we both lose our mega but because of that I can hold the game and time runs out making it a draw.
Round 4 VS Beelstarmon (W)
My fourth opponent playing the Beelstarmon deck. I thought this gonna be the usual Beelstarmon until my opponent play the new double tamer Yamato and Sora from BT9. This tamer making him easily use the Red and Blue option card like Happy Bullet Showering and Cocytus Breath to clear my Mega while draw and discarding card with Impmon. At first I don’t realize that he can easily use the Red and Blue option card and evolving my Magnamon X to Omnimon Merciful Mode. Later he use Happy Bullet Showering to get rid of my single fighter Omnimon Merciful Mode (Dumb me, I thought I can get rid of his annoying security with Omnimon Merciful Mode effect). The game continues with both player hitting enemy security. Luckily there is nothing other than Nail Bone in his security and I can hit his security faster with Fire Rocket and finish the game with Magnamon.
Round 5 VS Metalgarurumon X-Antibody (W)
My fifth opponent play the Metalgarurumon X-Antibody deck with the Weregarurumon Promo that makes the deck hit really hard. I know this deck really well since I also play it and I don’t want to waste anytime since the deck can OTK me if my opponent finish his setup. Although I hit some Cool Boy and Memory Boost in security, his first Weregarurumon also hit my Magnamon X in security and since he don’t have the Garurumon X-Antibody in his sources he had to start again from rookie. The game ended after I hit and swarm him with Magnamon X-Antibody and Magnamon while he still have to search for his new evolution line with another Cool Boy and digivolve in the raising area.
Result: 4 Win – 1 Draw
Top 4 Cut BO 3
Semi-Final VS Alphamon (w/Dex-Engine) (W-W)
First match was a really fast game, my opponent brick really hard without Digivolving any rookie behind he put Cool Boy in the first turn. As response seeing him brick really hard I Digivolve Veemon with Jamming behind and play another one in the battle area. The next turn with 1 memory he still don’t have any rookie to play and put another Cool Boy and still don’t find another rookie. The next turn I hit twice with Veemon and play another one to search and take Flamedramon. After all the desperate search my opponent hard play Dexdorugamon giving me many memory. I Digivolve my jamming Veemon to Flamedramon and play two fire rocket to finish the game.
Second match, my opponent finally have rookie to play and the game goes on with playing Kouta. I also play my Tamer and play Veemon in response. This game I also just hit security while swarming him with the Veemon and Armor Digimon. The turn his Dorugreymon digivolve in the battle area I think my opponent make a mistake by not digivolving into DexDorugreymon to destroy one of my Veemon or Armor Digimon and He instantly digivolve to Oryumon to destroy one of my Veemon. The following turn I can finish the game by just hitting security and finish it with Magnamon.
Final VS GrandisKuwagamon (L-W-L)
First match was a disaster game for me, I can’t find my Tamer or Memory Boost and keep having memory choke at 1 every turn even worse my opponent’s already play his tamer Mimi from the second turn. I tried my best to keep up with the game but once he goes to GrandisKuwagamon, he can already finish the game. I think this is one of my worst match up since every turn he can easily hit my Digimon in battle area and getting benefit from it, +1 memory from Okuwamon or having piercing while destroying my Digimon. My opponent also play carefully by never hitting my security until he is sure he can finish the game in one turn.
Moving to second match it was much better for me since I find my tamer early and keep playing memory boost while swarming with Veemon and Armor. Luckily my opponent also having a hard time finding his mega level Digimon. Although I hit some tamer and memory boost the time he turn into GrandisKuwagamon he can’t finish the game because of Magnamon X. Although he easily clear my Magnamon X the following turn I have a surviving rookie in the battle area and one entering from raising area, from there I Digivolve it to Flamedramon and with two fire rocket ending the game from three security.
The final game, my unlucky Veemon hitting a Mimi in security early and with 2 Mimi in the game, my opponent can easily swarm me with Digimon, by the time I have Magnamon X the green player already have GrandisKuwagamon and GrandKuwagamon in the battle area. While I have Omnimon in my hand that might can kill one of them, I maybe play to greedy and hit the security hitting into another GrandKuwagamon, although after the game I realise that even if I destroy one of the mega he still have another GrandisKuwagamon in hand so I don’t think I had any chance from the start.
Result: 2nd Place
Overall, I had a good run from the tournament since I’m winning against a lot of top meta deck such as Yellow Hybrid and Alphamon. But I think its still hard to play defensive Digimon like Magnamon X and Omnimon Merciful Mode that have to survive a turn. Luckily I met no one with Omnimon X-Antibody with the Greymon X-Antibody evolution line, this might be very hard even with Imperialdramon Paladin Mode the Omnimon can survive if it have X-Antibody white option in sources.
I think the best way to upgrade the deck after this tournament is to add another Fire Rocket and adding Mega Death for security. Changing one Omnimon Merciful Mode and one memory boost might do the trick. I still having a hard time deciding to play the double tamer Daisuke-Ken the card is actually pretty good if we have a slow match but other meta deck right now can finish the game pretty fast. I also consider Armor Texture as an option because its literally the same effect as Daisuke-Ken unsuspend effect other than your Armor Digimon have to survive the first security check.
There is still a lot of potential in this deck, I saw other player in digimonmeta or twitter playing it with Imperialdramon, Paildramon, and Shakkoumon. I also wonder if Magnamon X-Antibody is compatible in a yellow based deck, love to see more variant. While Metalgarurumon X-Antibody get nerf really hard by Bandai because they ban the Garurumon and Weregarurumon promo in the upcoming DC-1 Asia, the Armor Deck might be the last hope for Blue Player besides playing Imperialdramon Jogress deck.
Hopefully this deck review can help other player that still struggling playing Armor Digimon deck. Since I rarely see them topping especially in my area. (Talking about my area, if you have time come and find me in Ogre Citra Card Shop and Hobbies, we have regular weekly tournament and I would love to play and talk about DCG).
