Hey everyone, I’m Faris from Malaysia. I’ve been playing Digimon TCG since BT8, but this is my first time writing an article about my tournament experience.
I recently competed in the Ultimate Cup in Malaysia and managed to secure 2nd place with my deck, Royal Knights Alter-B. The “B” in the name stands for Black, as I run more Black Digimon compared to the standard RK builds, which usually lean heavily on Red RK Digimons such as Gallantmon and Jesmon. This deck has been my staple since BT20 dropped, and after refining it over multiple sessions, I was able to take it deep into the tournament.
Deck Build
Tournament Run & Matchups
1st Match: Loogamon (Win ✅)
Going up against Loogamon, I knew I had to play a defensive game while setting up my Omnimon rush for the win. The key play in this match was utilizing BT13 Alphamon alongside BT13 Gankoomon to resummon Alphamon from Drasil, giving me just enough sustainability to keep up with Loogamon’s aggression.
A major advantage came from BT13 Alphamon’s effect, which prevents Digimon with a play cost of 10 or more from attacking the player. This forced my opponent into a two-turn stall, completely cutting off their offensive momentum.
On the following turn, my opponent got trapped when he destroyed one of my Royal Knights, triggering Cool Boy’s effect to summon a free BT20 Omekamon. As attack shenanigans unfolded and Omeka eventually got deleted, I safely tucked it back into Drasil. With only one security left, I was able to resummon Omeka from Drasil, digivolve into BT20 Omnimon X-Antibody, and shut down the Lv 7 Fenriloogamon attack chain before it could finish me.
From there, it was game over for my opponent, as I cleared their remaining 4 security in the next turn and secured the win.
2nd Match: MirageGaogamon (Win ✅)
From my experience fighting MirageGaogamon, their Level 5 lineup almost always includes the EX6 Huankumon, which can pull an Evolution Source to the field, and of course the Lv 3 in the breeding area is the dreaded EX7 Otamamon, which prevents cost reduction. Knowing this, I decided to take a approach right from the start.
Since my opponent did not have a Digimon on board to reduce my play cost, I went all in and hard-played MedievalGallantmon for its full 11 cost on my first turn. This completely threw my opponent off their rhythm, as they were unable to set up their full toolbox to control the game.
From there, it turned into a massacre. My opponent managed to evolve to MirageGaogamon BM, because of how much memory I gave him and managed to bounce my Medieval, only for me to play it again the next turn. The rest of the match was just Medieval Gallantmon leading a relentless Alliance attack, securing me a win without the need for BT13 Omnimon.
3rd Match: AeroVeedramon (Win ✅)
Against AeroVeedramon, I relied on the same Alpha-Gankoomon combo that helped me in my first match. By resummoning Alphamon from Drasil using BT13 Gankoomon, I could stall and delay my opponent’s attacks for 2 turns, enough for me to set up my win condition.
The key to victory in this match was buying time and me making chip damage with my Omekas. With AeroVeedramon’s aggressive tempo and OTK potential, I needed to hold off their swings until I could establish my full board presence. Once I had BT13 Omnimon in play, I could finally summon the rest of the Royal Knights, quickly overwhelming my opponent and closing out the game.
4th Match: Leviamon (Win ✅)
This was a tricky matchup because my opponent knew I was playing Royal Knights, and his first move was playing Biting Crush—immediately forcing me to second-guess every decision for the rest of the game. To make things worse, I had my BT20 Jesmon GX ACE tucked under Drasil, making Overflow a serious risk if I misplayed.
Despite my caution, I took a calculated gamble and played BT13 Omnimon to advance my game plan. As expected, my Jesmon GX got deleted by Leviamon, triggering Overflow and passing my turn immediately. At this point, things were looking rough, as I did not have enough Digimon to end the game on my next turn—but then, Shoto came in clutch.
With two Shoto tamers in play, I was able to give two of my Royal Knights Blocker, effectively preventing my opponent from making any impactful plays on his next turn (Thank you Shoto!). This bought me enough time, and on the third turn after my BT13 Omnimon blew up Drasil, I was finally able to finish off my opponent’s security and close out the game.
5th Match: Imperialdramon Red/Purple (Double Loss ❌❌ – Time Out)
This was the dreaded matchup for any Royal Knights player. My opponent seemed to always have the perfect pieces at the right time, effectively preventing me from executing my game plan.
The biggest roadblock was BT20 Imperialdramon, which completely shut down my ability to summon Royal Knights from Drasil using BT13 Omnimon, stalling me for a brutal three turns. Normally, this would spell disaster, but Shoto once again saved me, allowing my Digimon to block incoming attacks and keep me from outright losing.
Honestly, my opponent could have won if he played more aggressively, but having so many Blockers can be unnerving for many players—so he opted to play cautiously instead. (Thank you, Shoto!)
With neither side able to close out the game, time was called, and the match ended in a double loss.
6th Match: Purple Hybrid (Win ✅)
Purple Hybrid is a tough matchup if you don’t have the right pieces in your hand from the start. Their strategy thrives on deck destruction, trash manipulation and recursion, making it difficult to break through unless you have a solid game plan.
Luckily, my mulligan was a godsend—I drew one of my Gallantmon CM. From that point on, all I had to do was wait for my opponent to discard enough cards to fill both our trashes, while making sure I don’t die in the process (again, thank you Shoto!), setting up my BT20 Omnimon X and Gallantmon CM combo at just the right moment. When the time came, I swung in with Gallantmon CM and, if I’m not mistaken, trashing three of my opponent’s security in a single attack, ending the game decisively.
7th Match: 7 Great Demon Lords (Win ✅)
This matchup was special because I was facing the person who originally inspired me to create this deck—the great Shahdude himself.
I personally believe that 7GDL has more tools and shenanigans than Royal Knights, making it a stronger deck in a straight-up comparison. Unfortunately for my opponent, just like RK, 7GDL takes time to set up, and I managed to strike before he could unleash Ogudomon.
The key turning point was early chip damage—my opponent couldn’t handle the pressure I applied in the first few turns. On top of that, my deck’s natural immunity to most deletion effects completely threw him off his game, disrupting his usual play patterns and slowing down his setup. Gallantmon CM stole the show, tearing through his security before he could fully stabilize, securing me the win.
8th Match: Gracenova Engine (Win ✅)
Gracenova engine was insanely fast, and this match came down to pure luck. My opponent had a fully equipped board, featuring MedievalGallantmon, Dinorexmon, and either Metallicdramon or Volcanicdramon—I can’t remember which.
However, my saving grace was one of his Digimon digivolved on top of a Garudamon ACE. The moment I destroyed that Garudamon, I was able to swing the momentum back in my favor, stopping him from finishing me off.
A huge factor in my survival was BT13 and BT20 Omekamon, which kept blowing up throughout the match. Each time it got deleted, I was able to slot an RK or another Omeka into Drasil, keeping my resources up just enough for me to hang on for dear life. From there, I managed to stabilize and control the board, securing the win.
Finals: Loogamon (Loss ❌)
This time, Alphamon was nowhere to be found when I needed it most. Without its ability to stall my opponent’s attacks, I was easy picking for the opponent who got his board set up nicely.
I did manage to kill off one Lv 7 Fenriloogamon, only for another to appear 2 turns later. The first Fenriloogamonhad already torn through all my security, leaving me completely exposed. When the second Fenriloogamon swung in for the final blow, my Omnimon X simply couldn’t handle the relentless multi-attacks, and that was it—I lost the match, finishing in 2nd place overall.
Honorable Mentions
While I didn’t personally face them in this tournament, there were several decks worth mentioning due to their strength, impact on the meta, or sheer difficulty as a matchup:
- Lucemon – This deck is piloted by my good friend Ihsan. The biggest issue when facing Lucemon is that it isn’t shy about giving away memory, and unfortunately, Drasil’s effect can only be used once per turn. This often puts me in an awkward position where I either end my turn giving too much memory to him or pass at 3, ultimately helping Ihsan more than hurting him due to how his deck operates. I have a poor record against this deck, losing 8 out of 10 times I played against him, due to him giving me too much memory and me unable to fully utilize it due to the expensive regular summoning cost of RKs.
- Dukemon X – Both Naqib and Ramzi showed me how weak RK can be against Dukemon X. The deck has multiple ways to blow Digimon off the field, which results in me unable to place my Digimon under Drasil at the start of my turn. This forces me to change my strategy into a more defensive, turtle-like approach so they don’t get the full payoff from deleting my Digimon. However, one interesting counterplay is turning Dukemon X’s aggression against itself. Since reducing RK’s security to 1 or less actually enables Omnimon X to evolve for free on top of BT20 Omeka, the strategy shifts to letting Dukemon tear through my security while setting up Omeka for destruction. Even though my opponent gains memory or other effects, a dead Omeka is a good Omeka, since its on-deletion effect lets me continue fueling Drasil and preparing for the counterattack.
- Royal Knights Mirror Match – A regular RK build is way more aggressive than mine, aiming to rush out Royal Knights faster and overwhelm opponents with sheer tempo. However, my defensive playstyle usually blocks enough damage to give me time to fill up Drasil and stabilize my board. One of my biggest advantages in this matchup is resource control—while aggressive RK decks try to push damage quickly, I usually am able to destroy their Digimon, forcing them to lose their sources while I continue growing mine. This means that as the game drags on, I often find myself in a better position, eventually outpacing them in a longer fight.
- Other non-Purple Hybrid – First of all, huge thanks to Riz (and also Shawal and Amri) for training me against Hybrid decks. My experience facing the power of the Ancient's effect was one of the main reasons my deck leans more heavily on Black Digimon—giving me better protection against removal and ensuring my key Digimon aren’t affected by opposing effects. Riz and Shawal was also the main inspiration for me to include Shoto. Their constant harassment with their small-bodied Digimon constantly chipped away at my security, which made me realize that having Shoto’s Blocker effect would be the perfect counter to stall out Hybrid strategies and prevent unnecessary security loss.
- Magnamon X – Magnamon X is a deck that, when left unchecked, can be an absolute pain to deal with. Its ability to be immune when security is lost is what makes it dangerous, so the key to beating it is denying it the opportunity to execute its shenanigans in the first place. The addition of Durandamon that gives Magnamon piercing in some builds gives Magnamon X more offensive presence, making it a stronger threat on the field. However, a well-timed ACE Digivolution or even a slap of BT20 Alphamon Ouryuken on the field is usually enough to keep the blasted thing in check before it snowballs out of control. As always, Shoto would be a godsend against this deck, making sure I have enough Blockers to stop chip damage while I set up my win condition.
Deck Strategy
The core strategy of RK Alter-B revolves around controlling the tempo of the game while setting up for a decisive late-game swing. Unlike traditional RK decks that rely on rushing out Royal Knights, this version prioritizes survival, board control, and efficient memory use.
1. Shoto – The Key to the Deck
This deck relies heavily on Shoto, as it provides:
✔ Another way to trigger Omekamon’s deletion effects, by blocking big bodies in battle ensuring constant RK stacking in Drasil
✔ Extra memory gain, which can be used to either extend plays or secure a final turn win
✔ Turning defensive bodies into Blockers, giving me more time to set up my board
Shoto isn’t just a defensive tool—it’s a key piece for memory control and RK cycling, making sure that every Omekamon deletion is a benefit rather than a setback.
2. Alphamon – The Timing is Everything
Rather than spamming Alphamon early, the correct timing of its summon is crucial to blocking big plays by the opponent. Since BT13 Alphamon restricts Digimon with a play cost of 10 or more from attacking player, dropping it at the right moment can completely stop aggressive pushes and force the opponent into wasting turns without attacking.
3. Defensive Bodies > Purge of the Royal Knights
Many RK decks rely on Purge of the Royal Knights to summon one RK, particularly Gallant X (which is relatively weak when played outside its own engine), but through my testing, I found that having strong defensive bodies on the field is much better because:
✔ If they survive, I can swing for chip damage on the next turns.
✔ They provide an actual board presence, forcing my opponent to deal with them.
✔ They allow me to slow down the game, which benefits my long-term Drasil stacking.
For this reason, BT13 Omekamon is often overlooked, but I strongly believe it’s a better card than Purge of the Royal Knights, as it fits perfectly into the defensive + stall playstyle of RK Alter-B.
4. The Importance of BT20 Omekamon in Drasil
One of the most important things to do in this deck is to get BT20 Omekamon under Drasil as soon as possible. It plays a major role in key plays down the road, giving me:
✔ A free source to cycle RKs into Drasil when Omeka gets deleted.
✔ A way to keep fueling Drasil, ensuring I always have access to my Omeka in late game.
✔ A solid fallback plan, as Omeka’s on play effect at 1 security helps stabilise even in bad positions.
By prioritizing Omeka early, I set myself up for bigger late-game swings, making it much easier to win the grind game against decks that rely on outpacing RK.
5. BT13 Omnimon is Not the Main Go-To Strategy Anymore
While BT13 Omnimon was once considered the go-to finisher for RK decks, in this build, Omnimon X-Antibody has proven to be strong enough to carry games on its own. Why Omni X is the Stronger Win Condition:
✔ Potential early chip damage – Unlike BT13 Omnimon, Omni X can start applying pressure earlier, softening up security while still maintaining a defensive presence.
✔ Combo potential with Gallantmon Crimson Mode – Late-game, pairing Omni X with Gallant CM is often more devastating than the traditional RK-wide summon play.
✔ Better survival & board control – Since Omni X doesn’t rely on a mass summon effect, it’s more flexible and resilient, making it a more reliable win condition in grind-heavy matchups.
When you do use your BT13 Omnimon, calculate your timing well. Before making the final push, ensure that your opponent can’t summon Blockers or interrupt your attacks and you’ve cleared key threats that could stall your turn. Finally, if you have at least three RK in Drasil, as that is usually enough to end the game in one explosive final turn.
Final Thoughts & Acknowledgments
Finally, a huge thank you to my good friend Quad Vesper, who never stops ranting about how underrated Black cards are. As someone who originally played Black before jumping ship, I have to admit—his wisdom holds true. Black’s resilience and defensive playstyle have been a crucial factor in shaping my RK Alter-B deck, and this tournament run wouldn’t have been the same without that foundation.
Have fun playing the deck… but please, don’t play it against me. 😆