Expert: Damien Carey - 6/19/2007

Question
I got sucked into this when my daughter wanted to learn how to play.  I have had some success locally (meaning I can make it to the final 8 sometimes) with this deck, but it needs some tuning I can't figure out.  Any advice you can provide would be appreciated.  Thanks for your time.

Monsters  (21)
B.E.S. Tetran
Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys
Armed Dragon LV5
Hand of Nephthys
Swift Birdman Joe
Harpie Queen (3)
Harpie Lady 1 (3)
Harpie Lady Sisters (2)
Flying Kamakiri #1 (3)
Birdface (2)
Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds
Harpie's Brother (2)

Spells  (13)
Mystical Space Typhoon
Lightning Vortex
Swords of Revealing Light
Heart of Clear Water
Triangle Ecstasy Spark (2)
Harpies' Hunting Ground (3)
Nobleman of Crossout
Heavy Storm
Elegant Egotist (2)

Traps  (9)
Judgement of Anubis
Hysteric Party
Magic Jammer
Bottomless Trap Hole
Xing Zhen Hu (2)
Icarus Attack
Dust Tornado
Call of the Haunted


Answer
Ok. I’m glad to see more Harpie Decks being used as of late and I have had some fun putting them together.

However as much as I like your deck there are some contradictions and common mistakes that we will have to deal with before we can in fact fine tune your Harpie deck.

Yugioh Rule 1 Cards that make you discard a card (unless you need that card in the graveyard for a combo) is a bad deal regardless of the effect.

So say goodbye to:

-Judgment of Anubis
-Lightning Vortex
-Magic Jammer
-Armed Dragon Lv 5

Yugioh Rule two - Spells and traps that negate attacks or delay attacks cost you a card but cost your opponent nothing this is considered poor card economics. Also cards that make you pay two cards to kill one of your opponents cards (like mystic box) are considered awful. Therefore the following cards need to be removed:

-Swords of Revealing Light   (Love the card in decks that need to stall but not here.)
-Xing Zhen Hu  (it is always better to destroy a card then to stall)

Yugioh Rule 3 - Unless you have an exceptionally good reason (attack and defence are not a good reason as this means nothing to sakuretsu armor) you must never play normal monsters.

-Harpie’s Brother

Yugioh Rule 4 - You cannot have a deck (in most situations) that is considered "worthy" without Mirror Force, Ring of Destruction and Torrential Tribute. Since Tribut can be gotten as a common, and ring as a rare that leaves the only real problem to be mirror force. But it is the king of trap cards.

Next:

I used to play tetran when I was a Machine Duelist. It was nice spell trap removal and could do some nice damage when comboed with limiter removal. But the idea behind a Harpie deck is to combo Summoning Harpie’s with Harpie’s Hunting Ground in play to destroy them for you. Tetran’s ability to stall is admirable but not as admirable as spirit reapers and as Tetran is a tribute he is being axed.

Sacred Phoenix is another spectacular card but you can’t play it in this deck I’m afraid. When Playing Continuous Traps like Hysteric Party or Field Cards you can’t afford a monster whose effect could be turned against you.

Heart of Clear water looks like a great card at first glance but remember that spells like fissure and smashing ground  or Torrential Tribute. It can still be targeted by spells and traps that do not destroy like Brain Control and Soul Exchange.
And Finally Harpie Lady Sisters and Trainagle Ecstacy Spark are far two situational for competitive play. And we need the room.

Raiza is the star of any wind/winged beast deck at the moment and with the release of Harpie Queen we have seen a breath of life breathed back into the Harpie deck. By Combining Raiza, Harpie Queen, Icarus attack and Hunter Owl we have a new deck type. The Flying Kamikiri searches out Harpie Lady 1, Behemoth, Hunter Owl and itself while maintaining field presence to tribute for Raiza.  Harpie Lady 1 gives all wind monsters a 300 attack boost this can make Harpie Queen a 2200 attacker, Raiza a 2700 attacker or Twin Headed Behemoth 1800. Harpie Queen has an excellent attack is counted as a Harpie while on the field or in the Graveyard but not to your Harpie Total. Discarding her gets you Harpie’s Hunting Ground, a field card that lets you destroy a spell/ trap card when a Harpie is summoned but also gives all winged beasts another 200 attack boost. My favourite monster to add here though is Hunter owl. Here are his stats in case you haven’t heard of him.

Card #-GX03-EN002
Card Name-Hunter Owl
Card Type-Monster
Monster Type-Winged Beast
Attribute-WIND
Level-4
Attack-1000
Defense-900
This card gains 500 ATK for each WIND monster on your side of the field. While there is another WIND monster on your side of the field, your opponent cannot select this card as an attack target.

Notice how it does not say for each other wind monster. Already he is a 1500 by being a wind monster himself. With just one other wind monster on the field he becomes a 2000 attack monster that cannot be selected as an attack target. So let’s say you have Harpie Lady 1 and Hunter Owl on the field. Hunter Owl just jumped another 300. And with just those two monsters on the field you have a 2300 attacking monster. Harpie’s Hunting Ground could potentially raise him further to 2500, with 1 field card and two weak monsters. Two Hunter Owls on the field by themselves initiate a delicious loop with you having two 2000 attacking monsters that your opponent cannot attack. Nice.

Any way here is the finished deck.

Monsters: 21
3 Raiza the Storm Monarch
3 Cyber Dragon
3 Harpie Lady 1
3 Harpie Queen
3 Flying Kamakiri #1
3 Hunter Owl
1 Twin Headed Behemoth
1 Sangan
1 Spirit reaper
Spells: 14
3 Harpies’ Hunting Ground
2 Shrink
1 Snatch Steal
1 Confiscation
1 Heavy Storm
1 Elegant Egotist
1 Premature Burial
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Nobleman of Crossout

Traps: 7
2 Icarus Attack
2 Hysteric Party
1 Mirror Force
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Ring of Destruction

If you have any more questions please let me know.