Yu-Gi-Oh!: The 10 Best Archetypes In Photon Hypernova

Each Yu-Gi-Oh! booster set features a mix of new members for older archetypes, support for newer archetypes, and sometimes even brand-new archetypes. Photon Hypernova is no different, adding a variety of new cards to help strengthen your deck.

This 100-card set may add new cards for a variety of archetypes, but there aren't always many cards added, with some archetypes getting one or two new cards and others getting up to five. The ones with more support are typically the best of the set, so let's see what Photon Hypernova has to offer.

10 Gold Pride

An archetype introduced in Photon Hypernova, the Gold Pride archetype focuses on summoning monsters from the Extra Deck, clearing your opponent's field after being placed there, and using additional effects when your Life Points are lower than your opponent's.

The five Gold Pride monsters introduced are Captain Carrie, Nytro Head, Nytro Blaster, Leon, and Star Leon, while there's also the Start Your Engines Trap card and The Crowd Goes Wild Spell card. Nytro Blaster and Star Leon are Extra Deck monsters, a Link Monster and a Synchro Monster, respectively. Because Photon Hypernova marks its debut, the archetype still needs time to prove itself, despite its intriguing strategy.

9 Ninja

An older archetype with a more unconventional strategy, Ninja gets more support through Photon Hypernova. This includes the Green Ninja and Jioh The Gravity Ninja Effect Monster cards, the A World Shrouded In Darkness Spell card (which is treated as a Ninjitsu Art card), and the Fusion Monster Yaguramaru The Armor Ninja.

A World Shrouded In Darkness is the most interesting of the three Ninja-related cards, as it is the second Field Spell and can destroy one of your opponent's cards any time a Ninja monster inflicts battle damage. If it's sent to the Graveyard or banished by an opponent's card effect, you can Special Summon any number of Ninja monsters from your Graveyard in face-down Defense Position.

8 Abyss Actor

The Abyss Actor archetype is supported by Abyss Script Spell cards and revolves around Pendulum Summoning, and is an annoying opponent to players not fond of the summoning method. Photon Hypernova adds three Abyss Actor monsters, and two Spell cards into the mix.

Abyss Actor – Super Producer is a Link Monster that can activate the Abyss Actor – Fantastic Theater Field Spell from your deck, or put one Abyss Actor Pendulum Monster in a Pendulum Zone as long as you have destroyed one of your face-up cards during the Main Phase. Both new Spell cards focus on getting cards of the archetype from your Main Deck to your hand or field.

7 Springans

The Springan archetype, along with the related Gigantic and Therion archetypes, also gets some support in Photon Hypernova, with the Tally Ho Springans Spell card, the Gigantic Champion Sargas Xyz Monster, and the Gigantic Thundercross Trap card. These cards revolve around summoning powerful Xyz Monsters, such as Springans Ship – Exblower.

Gigantic Champion Sargas is the most notable of these three new cards because it can summon an additional copy of itself by using another Springan Xyz Monster, add one Springans or Therion card from your deck to your hand as long as it has material, and destroy or return to the hand one targeted card on the Field.

6 Gishki

The Ritual-focused Gishki archetype uses strategies that revolve around sending your opponent's cards back to their deck from nearly any other area on the field, helping interrupt strategies that focus on discarding, swarming, or destruction. Photon Hypernova adds a few new cards to the archetype with Gishki Grimness, Evigishki Neremanas, Gishki Nekromirror, and Focused Aquamirror.

Evigishki Neremanas is the strongest of these new members, as it can Special Summon any Water monster from the Graveyard when Ritual Summoned. It also can't be destroyed by battle by monsters special summoned from the Extra Deck, and can negate your opponent's monster's effects by returning one controlled Gishki monster to your hand and shuffling it into the deck.

5 Dogmatika

The Dogmatika archetype has effects that counter or disrupt the opponent's monsters summoned from their Extra Deck. Photon Hypernova adds the Dogmatikamatrix Spell card and the Dogmatika Alba Zoa Ritual Monster card.

Dogmatikamatrix allows you to search your deck for a Godmatika Ritual Monster, or a Ritual Spell, and add it straight to your hand. It even allows you to go searching for a second Dogmatika card if your opponent controls a monster of their own. If you control a Dogmatika Ritual Monster, it also allows you to send one card from either Extra Deck to the Graveyard, potentially either setting you up for explosive plays later on, or shutting down the key cards in your opponent's extra deck.

Alba Zoa protects Dogmatika monsters from Extra Deck monsters' effects. It can also send cards from the opponents' hand or Extra Deck to the Graveyard and return their controlled Extra Deck monsters from the field.

4 Icejade

The Icejade archetype focuses on stalling the opponent through monster effect negation and attack point reduction. Photon Hypernova added two Icejade cards: Icejade Gymir Aegirine, and Icejade Manifestation.

Gymir Aegerine is a Synchro Monster that prevents your monsters from being destroyed or banished by card effects and can banish additional copies of a card when directly responding to an effect. It can also be Special Summoned from the Graveyard if one of your cards is banished by an effect of your opponent.

Icejade Manifestation allows you to summon an Icejade monster from your deck or send it to the Graveyard. It can also banish a card your opponent controls when in the Graveyard if your opponent causes a face-up Icejade monster to leave the field.

3 Chaos

The Chaos archetype has been around since the Pharaohs' Servant booster pack from 2004, and, as such many longtime players are familiar with them. It has received a lot of additional support over the years, with Photon Hypernova adding some new powerful cards. This includes Chaos Mirage Dragon, Chaos Archfiend, Chaos Beast, Chaos Phantasm, Chaos Witch, Core of Chaos, and Shell of Chaos.

Of these cards, the most notable is Chaos Archfiend, a Synchro Monster that gains 2000 attack points on any turn a card is banished, can attack all opponent's monsters once each, banish any it destroys by battle, and Special Summon another Chaos Synchro Monster if the opponent causes in to leave the Field.

2 Kashtira

The Kashtira archetype was first introduced in the Darkwing Blast booster pack, released just before Photon Hypernova. This archetype focuses on banishing cards, specifically in face-down position, and activating additional effects through successful banishment.

Photon Hypernova adds Kashtira Riseheart, Kashtira Arise-Heart, Scareclaw Kashtira, Tearlaments Kashtira, Kashtira Big Bang, Kashtira Overlap, Kashtiratheosis, and Pressured Planet Wraitsoth.

Kashira Arise-Heart is the strongest of these cards, which is an Xyz Monster able to summon additional Arise-Hearts by using a Kashtira monster you control, banish any card sent to the Graveyard and use it as material, and banish one card face-down by detaching three materials.

1 Photon, Galaxy, Galaxy-Eyes

The Photon, Galaxy, and Galaxy-Eyes are related archetypes that have been around since the Photon Shockwave booster pack from 2011, getting new support every so often. Being named after the Photon archetype, Photon Hypernova adds a few more powerful cards.

The most notable of these are Number C62: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon, a powerful cXyz version of Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon that can attack three times and gain additional effects with Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon as material, and Galactikuriboh, the archetype's Kuriboh monster that can special summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon when attacked, change it to the target, and then become Xyz Material. It can also be banished to prevent the destruction of other archetype members.

Source: Read Full Article