A Water/Darkness control deck built around "Death Puppet," which excels at hand destruction (the tactic of making the opponent discard). It chips away at the opponent's hand, steals their options while dragging the game out, and finally decides things with a "one-shot kill combo" that nearly seals counterattacks.
Thanks to the Water/Darkness control cards that have increased recently, it can parry decks that just swing straight at you while it fights. The play pattern of stealing the opponent's options with hand destruction tests sense and knowledge, making it enjoyable for beginners and experts alike.
From the early game, disrupt the opponent with hand destruction and meta creatures → stack draw and hand destruction to widen the card gap → once you've stolen all the opponent's options, put out V Charon while Kareiko's Shadow is present to set the opponent's shields to 0, then direct-attack with your board creatures to win.
| Creatures | 28 |
| Twinpact Cards | 2 |
| Spells | 6 |
| Tamaseeds | 4 |
| Total | 40 |
Role: The core of Death Puppet
Just Diver, Double Breaker. Grants Blocker to all your Death Puppets (including itself). When it enters, put the top 2 of your deck into the graveyard and revive a cost 4 or less Death Puppet. Each time a Death Puppet leaves, draw 1 + opponent discards 1. A single card creates the insidious synergy of revive → discard → block → discard. Reaching here first is your initial goal.
Role: Early-game hand destruction
When it enters, destroy itself to make the opponent randomly discard one card. The basic turn-2 move. It becomes a revival target for Mary Jenny, Dragon Queen Doll, and when it's on the field, its "when it leaves" effect also triggers for the nice combo of "random discard → draw 1 + another discard." There's also the option to keep it as a Blocker.
Role: Bounce + hand destruction + draw meta
Blocker. When it enters, return one opponent element to hand, then 1 random discard (if the opponent's hand is 0, it becomes removal that makes them discard the returned trump card). With Hyperize (tap one other creature) it becomes power 6000, Double Breaker, and triggers a discard each time the opponent draws their 2nd or later card that turn. It punishes opponents who flee via hand replenishment.
Role: Selective hand destruction
When it enters, look at the opponent's hand and choose 1 to discard. Drop the card that troubles them, considering their tactics and next mana. Reading the opponent's deck tendency from their hand and predicting the card to deal with is also important.
Role: Hand destruction + draw, or a defensive trigger
The creature side is Blocker + random discard when it enters + "once per turn, draw 1 when the opponent discards." Just playing it nets you +1 card and the opponent -1 card. You also draw when the opponent discards on their own (hand exchange, etc.). The spell side is a Shield Trigger that lets you choose "draw 1" / "return an opponent creature to hand" twice, almost never a dud.
Role: Cheat-meta
Can't be chosen by the opponent. During the opponent's turn, if they put a creature into play by means other than summoning, you can return it to hand. It punishes opponents who try to win on speed via cheating. Leverage the can't-be-chosen ability to also serve as a finisher. Note it only functions during the opponent's turn and doesn't respond to "cheating via summoning" like Mechraid.
Role: Defense + hand exchange
When it enters, draw 2 and discard 1 (good as a turn-3 play since there are many revival tactics). With Shield Trigger Plus, if it comes out of the shields when 2 or more were broken on the opponent's turn, the opponent can't attack with creatures that turn. It also serves as a trigger for Baiken, Blue Dragon of the Hidden Blade described below.
Role: Irregular defense (counter)
Double Breaker. When it would be discarded from hand during the opponent's turn, it enters the battle zone instead of going to the graveyard and can return one battle-zone creature to hand. Dropping it with the "discard" effect of The Mute, Doomsday or Brain Slash lets you spring it out on the opponent's turn. Effective as a counter against hand-destruction opponents too.
Role: Hand exchange + revival + defense
Shield Trigger. Choose "draw 3, discard 1" / "put a cost 8 or less creature from graveyard into play." If you have Water and Darkness on the field, you can use both. Revival candidates are the heavier Mary Jenny, Dragon Queen Doll, or Vamilia Barrel, Maid Doll which draws while chipping the opponent's offense. Since it "draws and discards," it can also trigger Baiken, Blue Dragon of the Hidden Blade.
Role: All-purpose spell (hand destruction / revival / removal)
Choose twice from "hand destruction" / "revive a cost 4 or less Darkness creature/aura" / "power -4000." It can also be cast from the graveyard, and since it returns to the bottom of the deck when cast, the more you fire it the more you chip the opponent's options. It also serves as a recovery means that cancels out a deck-out loss in a long game. Creating the situation to fire it is the mid-game goal.
Role: Deck meta + half of the one-shot kill combo
When a card would be placed from any deck into a zone other than hand, it goes to the graveyard instead. It punishes mana boost, shield-adding, cheating via Mechraid, etc. (spells move after resolving, so it won't stop them). As a Tamaseed it's harder to deal with than a creature. The key to the combo described below.
Role: Half of the one-shot kill combo
Double Breaker. When it enters, completely swap the chosen player's hand and shields. Using it on the opponent while Kareiko's Shadow is present sends all the shields that should be swapped from the top of the deck to the graveyard, setting the opponent's shields to 0. Then direct-attack with your board creatures to win. Fishing it out of the graveyard with Brain Slash to land it as a surprise is also effective.
Above all, move fast to disrupt the opponent. Stop their intended plays with the hand destruction of Jenny, the Suicide Doll and the meta of Onikamas, Strange Flow. With the stance that "the longer the game, the better for you," steal their options and stop them before you get attacked.
Keeping your early advantage, connect into Fumishuna, Sword Reaper and Mary Jenny, Dragon Queen Doll to widen the hand gap further. Since there's no card that finishes the opponent by itself, advance draws while stacking hand destruction. Against opponents who hang on via hand replenishment, use Vamilia Barrel, Maid Doll's Hyperize. If you might get counterattacked, weather it with Perfect Darkness.
Once you've stolen all the opponent's options, go for the one-shot kill combo. With Kareiko's Shadow present, put out V Charon to set the opponent's shields to 0, then attack with your board creatures to win. Hyperizing Vamilia Barrel, Maid Doll in advance lets you squeeze the opponent's hand.
A Water/Darkness control deck that steals the opponent's options with Death Puppet hand destruction, secures the advantage in a long game, then closes with the Kareiko's Shadow + V Charon one-shot kill combo. With meta and irregular defense, it can parry aggression too. Its weaknesses are thin defensive cards and the knowledge required to judge hand-destruction targets.