Karakuri is Going to WCQ 2013!!

US WCQ 2013 is this Saturday, July 13th, and I can't wait! This will be the first time I have been to Nationals; although I have been playing since the games release. Sadly, in the past I was not able to play as competitively as I would like to have, but that all changed this year after a long break from the game. I have played Karakuri since their release and have loved the deck even more each format, and to my loyalty, they have brought me to a WCQ! Over the years, the deck has evolved and has become increasingly more stable and without further a due, here is my Karakuri Can OTK build for Nats!


Decklist: Karakuri Can OTK v5 Rev. A
Total: 41

Monsters: 23
x1 Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders
x2 Solar Wind Jammer
x3 KK Komachi
x2 KK Merchant
x2 KK Strategist
x1 KK Watchdog
x2 KK Nisamu
x2 KK Kuick
x1 KK Haipa
x2 Psychic Commander
x3 Maxx "C"
x2 Effect Veiler

Spells: 13
x3 Instant Fusion
x3 Emergency Teleport
x1 De-Synchro
x1 Monster Reborn
x1 Pot of Avarice
x1 Heavy Storm
x1 My Body as a Shield
x1 Book of Moon
x1 Limiter Removal

Traps: 5
x3 Compulsory Evacuation Device
x2 Breakthrough Skill

Extra Deck: 15
x2 Cyber Saurus
x1 Temtemp the Percussion Djinn
x1 Number 11: Big Eye
x1 Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack
x1 Ally of Justice Catastor
x1 Naturia Beast
x1 Naturia Landoise
x2 KK Burei
x3 KK Bureido
x1 Stardust Dragon
x1 Crimson Blader

**Yes, this is a 41 card deck, but with a deck that searches and searches, and MORE searches, the count doesn't matter that much.

Side Deck: 15
x1 Effect Veiler
x2 Mystical Space Typhoon
x2 Imperial Iron Wall
x2 Rivalry of Warlords
x2 Gozen Match
x2 Mind Drain
x2 Soul Drain
x2 Trap Stun

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Rev. A changes:
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Main Deck:
-1 Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders
-1 De-Synchro
-1 Solemn Warning

+1 KK Strategist
+1 Maxx "C"
+1 Compulsory Evacuation Device

Side Deck:
-1 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon
-2 Cyber Dragon

+1 Effect Veiler
+2 Trap Stun


Maxx "C" needs to be in the Main Deck at 3 for the Elemental Dragon matchup. Drawing cards is better in this matchup than Effect Veiler stopping Dracossack's effect or Big Eye's effect; especially when Compulsory Evacuation Device and Breakthrough Skill are being used. Solemn Warning was removed to add in a third Compulsory Evacuation Device. CED is a better in the Evilswarm matchup, due to it can remove an Ophion if it's on the field; you can use in the End Phase to remove Ophion and if Pandemic is on the field, the player would use it then. This would hopefully leave Ophion unprotected on my turn. In the Elemental Dragon matchup, CED and Solemn Warning achieve the same thing. CED is simply 'chainable' and be used at any time. A second KK Strategist is needed to ensure draws and to help in an Ophion play(KK Komachi + KK Strategist = Tilt Ophion, overlay Temtempo, Profit.

Card Choices

 I have played this deck in grind after grind and have been in COUNTLESS situations to know exactly what needs to be done with this deck to get out of every corner. Many players have looked at some of my tech choices in the past and have stated other cards were better, and although they may have been better, players play differently than others and that is why I chose my choices over theirs; because I set up for the situations they were saying. Hence the name "Karakuri CAN OTK", meaning that I don't have to.

-Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders
This card simply put is better than Iron Call and makes access to Big Eye and Dracossack almost instant.

-My Body as a Shield
Many players have tried to argue to me that Forbidden Dress or Forbidden Lance is better, and had this deck not be a 'swarm' based deck, they would be correct. The problem with Lance and Dress is that they only protect one monster from destruction and how I commence my plays is I bait out certain cards to key me in on how my opponent is going to defend against my play. My Body as a Shield protects all my monsters, and does something that neither Dress or Lance do, and that is destroy the card played against me; such as Dracossack. Also, the key thing that KK is vulnerable to is massive trap lineups. My Body as a Shield protects me from Bottomless Trap Hole, Torrential Tribute, and Mirror Force; to name a few. MBaaS has saved me too many times not to run. At Madison, I used 2 Forbidden Lances over this card to test for effectiveness and although Lance did good and what I needed it to do, My Body as a Shield would have been just as good, if not better at times.


-Book of Moon
BoM is a VERY underplayed card this format and with Effect Veiler running in ALL the decks I will see at WCQ, this will help me get around that beast of a card; not to mention how effective it is against Dracossack and friends. This has been the best 'Spell Trap' in the game for format after format and I simply love how this counters countless cards that hurt KK. Thunder King Rai-Oh is going to be sided and mained in a lot of decks to combat against Spellbooks and when my opponent has a Thunder King with a set Solemn Warning, I'm going to neg way too much around that setup. BoM helps alleviate this pain. Also, 99% of a Spellbook decks are maining Jowgen the Spiritualist and this helps combat against that card allowing me to make a Main Phase 1 play and attack for more damage. Simply put, this card is too good not to run.

-Limiter Removal
My only TRUE fear headed to WCQ this format is Evilswarms. Ophion simply makes this deck 'sad face' and if I can't get Compulsory Evacuation Device, Breakthrough Skill, Solemn Warning, or Temtempo on the field, this is another out in hopes of getting over it with an attack from Kuick, Nisamu, or Haipa. I understand Limiter Removal is a 'win more' card, but the ability to do 8000 damage with 3 cards, 2 of which are interchangable monsters, is too good not to have going up against this format. If Ophion wasn't such a threat, I would run a 2nd My Body as a Shield or cut the deck down to 40.

-KK Haipa
I see Thunder King Rai-Oh being used a lot at WCQ, especially knowing that Anti-Meta decks will be around everywhere, and KK Haipa is my out to that. Typically T-King has a Solemn Warning set behind it, and with KK Nisamu or KK Haipa, I will be forcing that card to see play when they will not want to use it. Ram KK Nisamu, take 500 dmg, SS KK Haipa and attack over T-King. I have seen VERY FEW decks run KK Haipa and I don't see players not allowing the summon and attack of Haipa knowing that I will just explode with summon after summon if they were to waste the Warning. Plus, it plays nicely with Limiter Removal to get over any monster in the game.

-Side Deck
Chimeratech Fortress Dragon and Cyber Dragon are Auto-Side cards(meaning they don't mess up the main deck). Against Draccossack, Cyber Dragon is a 4000 Dark Hole that doesn't use up your Normal Summon! That is huge in a format where Dracossack is litereally in EVERY deck at WCQ. Also, if the Mirror Match or Gadget matchup ever arises, I have a side for them. 
**Removed for consistency reasons and needed more side on Evilswarms**

Trap Stun was added in Rev. A to combat against possible Chain Burn decks and Mainly to assist in Evilswarm matchups. Also, should some side of a trap be HIGHLY effective, this is a counter side for that. Royal Decree stops my traps from working and I rely on them for the main matchup I would use it in, Evilswarms.

As stated earlier, KK is vulnerable to Backrow and with only a single Heavy Storm in the main deck, I want MST at the least in the side deck. Backrow still exists and should it arise, here is my answer. Fire Fists and Evilswarms are going to be around, especially the latter, and here is a good side to help me push through.

Imperial Iron Wall, E-Dragon hate and Spellbook hate. Should I say more? Dragon Rulers can only SS with the babies and Spellbooks can't use Fate or High Priestess' effect. GG both players. I side 2 and would like to fit 3 but I haven't decided what to take out for it(read on to find out why).

Rivalry of Warlords is good against any rouge deck that may be at Nats, but that is not why it's here. If this is played against an Evilswarm player, they can NOT bring out Ophion unless they deal with this card first. Even if Ophion were to come out before this card, you prevent a second Ophion from seeing play and you prevent any other monsters from seeing the field. Evilswarms have a BAD follow up if you can get rid of Ophion quickly, and you would be almost forcing players to use the second material to grab a 2nd Pandemic; freeing me to summon all I want and play against their traps. I like it at 2, 3 would be nice if I were to only be playing Evilswarms, but I don't expect to see them past round 3 or 4 of the tourney, should I win out.

Gozen Match is so good against so many situations its unbelievable. Imperial Iron Wall can do only so much against E-Dragons and should that player open with 2 baby dragons, they will make the Dracossack to pop your Imperial Iron Wall and free their Big Dragons to swarm. Gozen Match is the optimal Side against that situation because it prevents more than one dragon from seeing the field and making that matchup so much easier. Spellbooks don't like this card for the fact that they have so many attributes to run effectively, only some can see the field should this be out. This hits the 2 most played decks at WCQ, 3 would be optimal but I can only run 2.

Mermails are still seeing play and I need an out to it; Soul Drain inbound! This slot is almost going to be Dimensional Fissure but I can't come to a solid decision. Soul Drain does thing that Dimensional Fissure can't such as stop E-Dragon searches and keeps them in the grave without the ability to resummon. Dimensional Fissure stops Maxx "C" and Effect Veiler from working and ask any KK player what is the worse scenario, next to Ophion, is getting hit by Maxx "C" or Effect Veiler . In the Mermail matchup, Soul Drain and Dimensional Fissure do the same thing and that's prevent Marksman and Heavy Infantry from working. Soul Drain is the current option for the fact that it plays nicely with Naturia Beast.

Mind Drain is another excellent side against the E-Dragon player, as well as Prophecy players. This would prevent High Priestess from seeing the field and prevent E-Dragons from using their effect to SS from hand and their effects. Another great card to go alongside Imperial Iron Wall to further lock the decks down. Also, this is great to counter side against ALL the hand traps, such as Swift Scarecrow, Maxx "C", Effect Veiler, Trag, and Gorz.

That is the overview of the side deck. At the time of writing, this is how it will be, but I may take Gozen Match out or Mind Drain out to put Imperial Iron Wall at 3 and either Mind Drain or Gozen Match at 3. Either have advantages and disadvantages, such as the Maxx "C" and Effect Veiler I main are useless with Mind Drain on the field. My typical plays end with Crimson Blader in the E-Dragon matchup whether I have several or no other Monsters on the field. Leave thoughts and opinions and don't forget to subscribe to find out how the deck did at the 2013 US WCQ!!!!

-Peperm1nt