Deck Doctor: Lightsworn

Another day, another Deck Doctor! I'm really surprised at the amount of submissions and requests I've been getting for these articles, but I'm glad that they're doing so well. Since I started writing Deck Doctor articles the traffic on this blog has quite literally tripled, and I couldn't be happier with that! I enjoy writing them, and I'm sure that you all enjoy reading them as well. It's a win-win situation for both of us! I get to test my knowledge on various decks while helping you all make your decks better.

So, without further adieu, this time we have a Lightsworn submission brought to us by Pockyx3 over on the WBO forums! Lightsworn have enjoyed something of a renaissance since the release of Starstrike Blast via cards like Glow-Up Bulb, and have often been a deck I've enjoyed playing this format.

Let's get started! Here's Pockyx3's original deck list:

Monsters: (26)

X2 Wulf, Lightsworn Beast
x2 Celestia, Lightsworn Angel
x2 Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress
x2 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
x2 Judgment Dragon
x2 Honest
x1 Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner
x1 Necro Gardna
x1 Gorz, Emmisary Of Darkness
x1 Ehren, Lightsworn Monk
x1 Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid
x1 Plaugespreader Zombie
x1 Glow-up Bulb
x1 Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior
X1 Jain,Lightsworn Paladin
x1 Card Trooper
x2 Thunder King-Rai Oh
x2 Effect Veiler

Magic: (14)

X3 Solar Recharge
x1 book of moon
x1 charge of the light Brigade
x1 Foolish Burial
x1 Pot of Avarice
x1 Monster Reincarnation
x1 Cold Wave
x1 Dark Hole
x1 Giant Trunade
x1 Monster Reborn
x1 Gold sarcophagus
x1 My Body As a Shield

Traps: (2)

x2 Beckoning Light

First Impression:

This is a pretty solid and standard build, though I do take issue with a few omissions, such as two more Book of Moon, a missing Tragoedia (practically a staple in Lightsworn) and an extra Pot of Avarice or two. I also don't particularly care for the incredibly small amount of traps in the deck. Lightsworn is a deck that needs as much protection as possible, especially since their best cards (Lumina and Charge of the Light Brigade) have been limited.

Proposed Changes:

- 1 Necro Gardna, - 2 Thunder King Rai-Oh, - 1 Monster Reincarnation, - 1 Giant Trunade, - 1 Gold Sarcophagus, - 1 My Body as a Shield.

+ 1 Tragoedia, + 2 Book of Moon, + 2 Pot of Avarice, + 1 Mirror Force, + 1 Torrential Tribute.

Breakdown:

Lightsworn is inherently an inconsistent deck due to its basic function: milling. Not to mention that a lot of cards are run at one or two copies in the deck, which is a recipe for inconsistency. I am of the opinion that the more cards you run that do not directly support the milling/Judgment Dragon engine of the deck the worse the deck becomes. It's tempting to run cards that benefit from being sent to the graveyard (Necro Gardna, etc.) but they almost always turn into dead draws that you'll have a very hard time getting rid of. The best Lightsworn decks are focused and built specifically around abusing their own monsters effects.

So, having said all of that, there are reasons I chose to remove Necro Gardna and Thunder King Rai-Oh. Necro Gardna used to be amazing in Lightsworn before it became limited, but at one copy it doesn't do much to protect you as a player and just eats up space in the deck that could be better served with cards like Tragoedia. Tragoedia is absolutely amazing in Lightsworn, due almost solely to the fact that you will almost always have hand advantage against your opponent, and should they ever clear your field you will have a gigantic monster to fall back on whose summon, barring Solemn Warning, cannot be stopped. It's also a great discarding engine. I can't count the number of times I've used Tragoedia's effect to discard a dead Wulf, piling up the number of different Lightsworn names, taking control of an opponent's monster and then using it to synchro into Brionac, ditching even more Lightsworn creatures and clearing the opponent's field to make a huge and devastating Judgment Dragon play. In other words, Tragoedia is an absolute must in any Lightsworn deck, especially coupled with Card Trooper. I've covered this combo in a previous Deck Doctor article, check that out for more information.

Thunder King Rai-Oh is a great card this format due largely to its effects, and while it's Light attribute and high attack would make it seem like a no-brainer to include in a Lightsworn deck, it really doesn't perform that well. Like I mentioned previously, I'm of the opinion that if the card doesn't directly benefit the main Lightsworn engines (I.E. milling or supporting Judgment Dragon), then it shouldn't be in the main deck. Thunder King is a great card, but it belongs in the side deck.

My other subtractions came in the form of Magic cards, and I feel they are pretty self-explanatory. Monster Reincarnation is a straight -1 in terms of card economy, and at one you will almost never see it because it will most likely get milled. The same can be said for Trunade, My Body and Gold Sarc.

Pot of Avarice is quite honestly completely broken and one of the last straight +1's left in the game. If you want to recycle milled monsters, Pot of Avarice is absolutely the way to go, not Monster Reincarnation. It allows you to put five of your best creatures back in the deck, many of which are amazing when recycled (Effect Veiler, Judgment Dragon, Honest, etc.), which is great because Lightsworn always run the risk of milling out, and it also gives you an extra card in your hand. If any deck can get away with running three Pot of Avarice, it's absolutely Lightsworn. I played the deck this way when I was still playing it and I loved it, and I have a feeling that Pockyx3 will too. Running three Pot of Avarice will also greatly boost your consistency, because not only will you be more likely to see Pot of Avarice, but you will also be more likely to see your best monsters because of Pot's recycling effect.

I removed Giant Trunade because it's counter-productive to the Lightsworn strategy. Lightsworn is all about the destruction of cards, and while playing Giant Trunade before summoning a Judgment Dragon may guarantee your summon, it will only guarantee that your JD will stay on the field for that turn, because all your opponent has to do is re-set the back rows you just bounced. Cold Wave into Judgment Dragon is a MUCH better play, and typically turns into +2's and sometimes +3's. You should always save your Cold Wave for Judgment Dragon plays, and never just willy-nilly throw down a Cold Wave into JD play. Save it for when it will truly benefit you and give you the most advantage. If your opponent only has, say, one monster and one back row, don't bother with Judgment Dragon -- wait for your opponent to over-commit to the field and then punish them for it with Cold Wave and JD.

My Body as a Shield and Gold Sarcophagus are good cards that will help you get JD to your hand and then keep it on the field once its summoned, but they're both completely unnecessary, and run at one copy each, they also hurt consistency. Pockyx3 already ran two Beckoning Light, and with our added two copies of Pot of Avarice, you should almost never have to worry about getting JD to your hand. My Body as a Shield is a situational card that will almost always end up dead in your hand or milled, and it doesn't benefit the player enough to warrant playing. If you're intent on playing My Body as a Shield, side deck it, and at two copies at least.

Following up on my point about Lightsworn needing protection for their monsters, I chose to add in two Book of Moon, a Mirror Force and a Torrential Tribute. Book of Moon may be a minus one in card economy, but there's a reason almost every deck still runs it -- it's an amazing card that frequently changes the pace and advantage of the game. It can keep your Lumina on the field for another turn to further abuse with Garoth, it can stop your opponent from making a board-breaking Synchro summon when you have control over the board, etc. It's just a great card that should almost always be run at two in every deck, no matter what.

Mirror Force and Torrential Tribute are rather self-explanatory additions. Lightsworn are a slower-paced deck when compared to other current top-tier meta decks, and can easily be overwhelmed in terms of field presence. Mirror Force and Torrential Tribute will both allow you to reset control of the board and the game, and since Lightsworn rarely has more than two creatures on the field at a time, you'll almost never be at a disadvantage in activating either of them.

So, here's our new list after all the changes have been made!

Monsters: (24)

Judgment Dragon x 2
Celestia x 2
Wulf x 2
Lyla x 2
Ryko x 2
Lumina x 1
Ehren x 1
Aurkus x 1
Garoth x 1
Jain x 1
Honest x 2
Effect Veiler x 2
Gorz x 1
Tragoedia x 1
Glow-up Bulb x 1
Plaguespreader Zombie x 1
Card Trooper x 1

Magic: (14)

Solar Recharge x 3
Book of Moon x 3
Pot of Avarice x 3
Cold Wave x 1
Foolish Burial x 1
Dark Hole x 1
Monster Reborn x 1
Charge of the Light Brigade x 1

Traps: (4)

Beckoning Light x 2
Mirror Force x 1
Torrential Tribute x 1

These changes should help make the deck much more consistent and competitive. Try the build out and let me know what you think!

That's all for this time guys, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! As always, if you'd like to submit a deck for a future deck doctor article, you can do so by e-mailing me at: ssroan [at] gmail [dot] com.