Invited Author: Mickey
Country: Indonesia
Greetings, Tamers across the world! I’m Mickey from Indonesia! Welcome to my guide on one of the most popular decks of BT13 meta – Royal Knights!
Royal Knights (RK) is probably the most unique deck in DCG history so far – they eschew evolution and conventional playstyle for directly playing Mega-level RK Digimon to be absorbed into Yggdrasil_7D6. Then, Omegamon would summon the absorbed RK for a final attack!
In this guide, I was specifically requested by Digimon Card Meta to address this deck’s matchups against other competitive decks in the current metagame. We will not be discussing deckbuilding and card choices here. I also have included some tips that can be beneficial when playing this deck.
Without further ado… Digital Gate – Open!!
Strength and Weaknesses
STRENGTHS:
- Ability to play powerful Digimon (all are Megas except Magnamon) at a discount.
- Variety of powerful effects that can answer almost any situation. When multiple RK are present, their effects work with each other and increase their effectiveness!
- Very flexible build. The amount of RK you put is based on preference. However, some RK are very useful that 3-4 copies of them is highly recommended.
- Pressures your opponent to defeat you ASAP before you have a lot of sources under Yggdrasil.
- Excels at mid / late game.
- Very fun and satisfying to play – especially when Omegamon arrives!
WEAKNESSES:
- Vulnerable to early game aggression.
- Play cost reduction floodgates e.g. Psychemon, Chikurimon, Solarmon are very effective against it.
- On average, can only play 1 RK per turn.
- Very dependent on Omegamon to win.
- Skill ceiling and decision-making level required is moderately high.
- Very expensive $$$
TIPS & REMINDERS
- A lot of players tend to forget that most RK have more than 1 effect and that can significantly impact a game’s flow. I recommend you (esp. if you can’t read Japanese) recite their effects when you play them. That helps you to remember any other effects they have and keeps your opponent informed (technically this is basic player etiquette in card games).
- Yggdrasil_7D6’s discount is optional – you can choose which RK to apply the discount on. I saw some players wasting Dukemon’s innate discount because they thought Yggdrasil_7D6’s discount is mandatory when they would play an RK.
- Our boi Omekamon is an X-Antibody Digimon so it is a valid target for Alphamon’s effect.
- Examon’s [All Turns] effect works against Digimon that unsuspends when they attack. After they attack (suspend) and unsuspend themselves first due to turn player priority, Examon’s effect will activate and suspend them back – preventing another attack.
- You can evolve after Yggdrasil_7D6 is deleted by Omegamon’s second effect. So, you can evolve a Red / Blue RK into an Omegamon to delete something or Jogress a Green + Blue Lv. 6 RK (Duftmon + UlforceVeedramon) into an Examon for extra attacks!
- Some RK effects that require other RK or Digimon to be played will trigger when multiple RK are played simultaneously. This applies to e.g. Dynasmon, Duftmon, and UlforceVeedramon’s second effects. The latter even counts itself for its second effect when it’s played alone!
- Omegamon’s second effect gives [Rush] to all your Digimon for the turn – it’s not limited to RK only. Get Omekamon and Sistermon to join the fray!
- Sleipmon’s first effect gains you 3 memory if the total security of both players is 6 or less. With Sleipmon under Yggdrasil, you can safely play Omegamon if you’re at 1 memory and have at least 3 RK under Yggdrassil (10 cost reduction, play Omegamon for 4, Sleipmon adds back 3). It is a solid play too since you’re able to attack 5 times (Sleipmon can attack twice).
- Sometimes, using Omegamon’s second effect and passing turn can be the right play. Don’t tunnel vision and think that you only should play Omegamon when you have enough memory and RK under Yggdrasil to win the game on the same turn. This requires thorough judgment though – so weigh your options carefully!
DECKLIST
For reference, this guide will use the decklist below:
MULLIGAN GUIDE
Keep if you open with any of cards like ST12 Sistermon Blanc, Omegamon, BT13 Magnamon, BT13 Dynasmon or the option card "Purge of the Royal Knights".
VERSUS GUIDE
1. Versus: ShineGreymon
Watch out for these card(s):
Key card(s) in this matchup:
Possibly the strongest deck in the current meta right now. ShineGreymon’s strength comes from its ability to play multiple Masarus for free and overwhelms you with free evolutions from BT12 Masaru Daimon’s effect, multiple minus DP effects against your Digimon, and finish you off with Burst Mode.
Try to remove any Agumon / Greymon on the field so they can’t promote Masaru as an attacker.
Omegamon’s first effect is a surefire way to remove a ShineGreymon in play. For the smaller Digimon, you can use e.g. Jesmon, UlforceVeedramon, or an RK played by Purge of the RK to answer them e.g. Dynasmon or Sleipmon.
Don’t rely too much on Duftmon or Magnamon to block since the minus DP effects can remove them easily. Craniummon is the best blocker in this matchup because it blocks anything other than ShineGreymon: Burst Mode. Don’t hesitate to sacrifice it to block a big attack. Winning or losing can be decided by blocking the correct attack!
You may need to play Omegamon early because this deck puts high pressure on you as well as having lots of security at mid / late game due to Masaru attacking and recovered by RizeGreymon’s effect when it is deleted, so you don’t have the luxury of time and may need 2 turns to finish your opponent after Omegamon’s second effect. With a myriad of removals and blockers, ShineGreymon doesn’t have an easy way to rebuild while answering a board full of RK.
2. Versus: Royal Knights
Watch out for these card(s): [BT13-075] Alphamon and BT13 SEC Omnimon.
Key cards for this matchup: [BT13-075] Alphamon, BT13 SEC Omnimon and option "Purge of the Royal Knights".
Kind of self-explanatory: In the mirror match, in general, whoever is first to play Omegamon and attack wins. Alphamon changes that dynamic into whoever was first to stop playing Alphamon loses.
Keep track of the number of sources under your opponent’s Yggdrasil. Play Alphamon if you think that they will have enough sources and play cost reduction to play Omegamon next turn.
Purge of the RK helps to speed up your race for the Omegamon timer. Be careful on using the Delay effect, since your opponent can easily remove the RK you brought out.
Don’t miss an opportunity to attack or remove an opponent’s RK, but don’t become too intent on it that you end up spending key RK effects that are better used at a different timing.
A good thing to remember in the mirror match is that Yggdrasil_7D6’s inherited effect works anytime an Option with RK trait is placed – doesn’t matter who does it. So, if you check security and it’s Purge of the RK or From Master to Disciple, you will gain memory. However, since it’s a mandatory once per turn effect, you won’t gain memory if you place your own RK trait Option after.
3. Versus: WarGreymon
Watch out for these card(s): BT9 MetalGreymon X, BT12 WarGreymon, BT9 WarGreymon X, BT11 BlackWargreymonX and BT10 OmnimonX
Key card(s) in this matchup: Royal Knights BT13 Alphamon and BT13 Dukemon (Gallantmon)
WarGreymon’s position in the metagame might be affected post April 1, 2023 due to BT11 Greymon X-Antibody being limited. However, it is still a strong, explosive deck that needs to be respected.
Beware of the deck’s ability to suddenly check 3-4 security out of nowhere and have your RKs removed by their Mega lineup such as the cards shown above.
Dukemon is good in this matchup because the Greymon Megas tend to have high DP, so it will delete them twice, which can push through their protection effects in general.
Alphamon and Examon can buy you time as well. Remember that Examon’s [All Turns] effect can activate on BT12 WarGreymon when it unsuspends and stops it from attacking again.
4. Versus: Belphemon
Watch out for these card(s): BT8 Spychemon, BT13 Kurata Tamer and duo Belphemon Sleep Mode and Rage mode.
Key card(s) in this matchup: BT13-081 Porcupamon ([On Play][On Deletion] Delete one of your opponent's LV3 Digimon.), BT13 RoyalKnights Alphamon and Ulforce, the option card "Purge of the Royal Knights".
This matchup is quite favorable if not for Psychemon. It is the reason why most RK decks now include either BT13 Porcupamon or BT13 Masaru Daimon to remove it ASAP.
RK is severely hindered if it’s being locked by Psychemon for multiple turns and it can be a decisive factor for the matchup. Jesmon is your last resort if you don’t have Porcupamon / Masaru, or a Purge set to bring out removals like Dukemon or Sleipmon. It’s better to pay 11 memory rather than being unable to play at all. There were games where I had to play Jesmon for 11 to remove multiple Psychemon and I still won.
I chose Porcupamon because it can delete twice, costs 4, and an extra body to attack. Masaru is also a good choice since it’s a memory setter and can work when checked from security. In my opinion, RK doesn’t really benefit much from starting at 3 memory every turn and in practice, my opponents have another Psychemon to play again after I remove 1. This is up to player’s preference, so there are no right or wrong choices.
Control the board from the small Digimon and the Gizmon. UlforceVeedramon is good in this matchup since it bounces and prevents any on deletion effects, which is Purple’s main gimmick.
Keep an eye on your opponent’s hand count – the magic number is 6. Don’t attack recklessly if Belphemon: Sleep Mode is in play and they have 8 or less cards in hand. It’s better to lose 2 security instead of 4.
One thing that RK can capitalize against Belphemon is that they always telegraph Belphemon: Rage Mode by playing Belphemon: Sleep Mode first. When that happens, play Alphamon. Belphemon: Rage Mode won’t be able to attack and next turn it can be easily removed by the likes of Dukemon, Omegamon, and UlforceVeedramon. Also, Belphemon: Rage Mode’s boardwipe effect doesn’t really affect RK other than Magnamon and deleting cards like Omekamon helps you instead.
Beware of Akihiro Kurata’s [Opponent’s End of Turn] effect that deletes 1 Lv. 6 Digimon by attaching it under a Belphemon. Remember that it’s a Tamer effect, so even Craniummon is not immune to it. That’s why Alphamon is perfect for this matchup since it stops Belphemon: Rage Mode from attacking and can protect itself against Kurata.
5. Versus: Beelzebumon
Key cards for this matchups
Beware of the many removal tools this deck has – at least during mid game where they have enough trash setup to delete your RK. This can get very annoying since it prevents your RK from being absorbed into Yggdrasil. LordKnightmon can recycle a key RK that was removed.
Try to block as much attacks as possible from their small Digimon. Only their Megas can get through your RK and they’re only enabled when the trash is filled enough.
In this matchup, accept that eventually your security will be gone because of Beelzebumon X-Antibody. Don’t be afraid – if they can’t land the final attack on you, you are still in the game. Craniummon is risky since Seventh Full Cluster can trigger when they evolve into Beelzebumon X-Antibody. Having multiple blockers from Duftmon’s effect or Gankoomon is better in this matchup. Alphamon stops their Beelzebumon > Beelzebumon X-Antibody > Beelzebumon: Blast Mode finisher from happening.
Dukemon gets a bonus in this matchup since the Trash fills up fast. Go figure.
6. Versus: Hunters
Watch out for these card(s):
Key Cards for this matchup: BT13 RoyalKnights Leopardmon, Ulforce and Craniamon.
Unless they have a very good start and aggro you fast, RK should have a good matchup vs. Hunters. OmegaShoutmon needs to be juiced up with sources to be able to delete anything besides Magnamon. Arresterdramon: Superior Mode can’t remove an RK easily because the deck rarely has more than 1 Digimon in play and rarely plays Tamers at all. Craniummon absolutely stops them. However, don’t underestimate them, because they can suddenly make an explosive move out of nowhere and catch you off guard.
Use UlforceVeedramon’s effect to strip as many sources as possible. The small [Save] Digimon can’t pass through blockers such as Magnamon, Gankoomon, and any other RK affected by Duftmon’s effect easily.
An inherent benefit that RK has against Hunters is that our security is filled with high DP Digimon, and their boss monsters OmegaShoutmon and Arresterdramon: Superior Mode doesn’t have material save if they die (unless Clockmon is in their sources).
Quartzmon is not even a threat to RK because we usually don’t have a lot of Digimon and Tamers out on the field and all our suspended RK are absorbed into Yggdrasil anyway. It is also very easy to remove with Dukemon, Omegamon, or stalled by Alphamon or Examon.
7. Versus: Red Hybrid (Takuya)
Key cards for this matchup: BT13 Royalknights Ulforce, Alphamon and Craniamon.
Red Hybrids can pressure you fast with a combination of Flamon swarm and high DP Hybrids, then finish you off with KaiserGreymon.
Defend as best as you can – blocking attacks and removing their Digimon at any given opportunity. Be prepared to sacrifice your blockers, as this is now a battle of attrition of whether you can hold on until your opponent runs out of fuel.
Alphamon is perfect to stop KaiserGreymon from attacking and protects itself from the deletion effect. Craniummon is ready to serve Yggdrasil with its life by taking a big hit from KaiserGreymon. Always learn to accept that you will lose security against aggro decks and try your best to prevent the final attack to the player.
UlforceVeedramon is the perfect counter to Red Hybrids since it strips sources and bounces, preventing on deletion effects to trigger. Against BT12 KaiserGreymon, it is very good because it will completely stop it from gaining anything when removed. Keep in mind that you need 3 RK to do this on a KaiserGreymon stack (6 sources), so Gankoomon / Duftmon / Purge of the RK helps to increase the RK count.
Beware of BT7 KaiserGreymon and Brahmastra since they will grant lots of memory if you decide to block them. It’s your call to decide the importance of the attack and whether to block or not.
8. Versus: Blue Flare
Key Cards for this matchup: BT13 RoyalKnights Ulforce and Craniamon.
Blue Flare is a very difficult matchup for RK. They are very hard to interact with since BT10 MetalGreymon appears on their turn with [Rush], while also stunning your blockers. Even Alphamon can’t stall them since only ZekeGreymon have a play cost above 10. They also discourage you from having more than 1 Digimon in play, or else it will enable a lot of their effects.
UlforceVeedramon helps in trashing MetalGreymon’s sources so they will have less materials saved. Craniummon is very important because it’s immune to stun and no Blue Flare Digimon can get past through it naturally.
Just like against any other aggro decks, you need to defend and control the board as best as you can. If there is any opportunity to remove their Digimon, especially MetalGreymon, then do so. Purge of the RK helps you with that.
Beware of Sourai because it will completely stun you and it’s even worse when checked in security during your Omegamon turn. Duftmon and LordKnightmon can salvage the game for you when that happens. The former can create a lot of blockers – hopefully more than your opponent can stun. The latter limits the number of your opponent’s plays if they decide to attack.
CONCLUSION
That concludes my guide on Royal Knights in the BT13 meta. I hope this guide can benefit all Tamers who seek to be better at playing the deck and assemble The Thirteen!
If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me at Discord. My user ID is kyrios99999#8451.
I would also invite you to join our Digimon TCG 2020 Discord – we have a channel dedicated to RK deckbuilding and discussion there.
I wish you all good luck and to have fun every time you play this awesome card game!!