Dueling like a Mad Scientist: Wind-Up Theory I

Data Log 37:

Been extensively testing E-Tele and Instant Fusion in Wind-Ups as well as fluctuating how much defensive traps I run. The conclusions I'm drawing are first and foremost, whether it be hand or normal traps, you MUST run traps to survive this format. Trying to run Wind-Ups so aggressively that you forgo traps is almost suicide. Maxx "C" and Veiler or normal traps are just too important to survive a format where almost every deck is capable of overextending into a OTK. E-Tele has been working wonderfully, letting me combo out of a hand that would otherwise be terrible if I so choose (lone Rat/Rabbit/Shark in hand become workable with E-Tele). Having the option to go into the Naturia Syncros as well as easy access to Stardust after a combo via lvl 5 Shark is VERY nice, especially at the end of a long Wind-Up combo. The same goes for Instant Fusion, its pretty much almost the same thing as E-Tele except a tiny bit less flexible. The only problem I'm having with E-Tele is deciding how many psychics to run. I've tried variations of 1/2 Psychic Commander, 0/1 Esper Girl, and 1/2 Serene Psychic Witch, to varying levels of success. More experimentation is required...

And now please enjoy the main article!


This will more or less be a discussion about Wind-Up theory and the greater purpose of the deck. Its amazing how the goals and purpose of the deck have shifted with each successive release of support. In GENF the only cards released for Wind-Ups were Soldier, Dog, Magician, and Wind-Up Factory. Nobody knew or cared about Wind-Ups at that point (including me for a short while) but at the slight prodding of one of my friends, I checked them out. Starting out as a Gadget-like beat down deck, they have evolved from that into a advantage keeping Stun-like deck, where the many disruptive monsters like Juggler and Knight teamed with the reliable Soldier and Magician, all the while keeping advantage with Factory. With the release of ORCS they have matured into a deck absolutely unrivaled in Xyz summoning power. A deck that I truly believe is one of the most flexible and powerful archetypes to date. Or, as they are most infamously known as, a deck capable of neutralizing an opponent on the first turn of a duel by dropping their entire hand.

So with the cursory introduction out the way, the real questions can now be asked. What is the best way to run the deck? What should the Wind-Up duelist keep in mind? What is the best endgame scenario a Wind-Up player can aspire for? Whats the best way to use each Wind-Up card, and for that matter what are the best Wind-Up cards? Unfortunately these questions have many answers, but I will aspire to discuss what I truly believe every Wind-Up player should know about their chosen archetype as well as my opinions on the answers to the above questions. The first thing I believe every Wind-Up player should know is that through extensive testing I've come to the conclusion that the Wind-Up hand loop, while a very powerful weapon in the arsenal of a Wind-Up player, cannot be counted on to consistently bring you victory as it is now, espically at a large event like a Regionals or YCS. I would personally never go for the 3 card loop, it is sub-optimal and will lose you games if you get unlucky and hit the wrong things. The 4-5 card loop is the only one you should consider ever using, and even then give very serious thought to if it's worth going for. The price you pay for hitting your opponents hand is very steep. 0 Zenmaitys and 0 Rats ensure that unless you have some way to revive rat or Pot of Avarice you will have no explosive plays left in your deck.

All of what I said before only applies to a first turn loop, and mostly if your playing multiple rounds at a major event where probability will bite you eventually. At a locals tourney, as long as your running the best build possible you probably wont have to worry about the random games you'll lose because you discarded the wrong cards from their hand, they drew into Maxx "C" or Veiler, or you just didn't draw the right cards. Its important that if you decide to make the Wind-Up loop your win condition that you run the optimal build because after you loop your opponent first turn your basically telling them "try to break me with what you have left." I am personally very wary of doing the loop first turn unless I draw into multiple Solemns (to make sure my field survives till next turn) or Pot of Avarice (to hit their entire hand). I feel the loop is much more potent later in the game when the odds of dropping power cards they've been holding are much higher, but I realize that many of you do not share this belief so this advice is for you. Tour Guide, Tour Bus, 2 Hunters, and Instant Fusion/Emergency Teleport are absolutely crucial to any Wind-Up deck that is trying to loop first turn consistently. Those cards allow you to beef up your field presence at the end of a loop and do it more consistently, increasing the odds that your setup wont be broken by random power cards. Since everything will be done in the first/second turn, hand traps are obviously preferred.

Konami sold Wind-Ups as the Xyz archetype, so its only natural that this is what they are most proficient at doing. The deck was literally made for doing this and after months of testing I feel like this will be the optimal way to run the deck for the foreseeable future if you are in a competitive mindset. More and more powerful Xyz monsters are being released with each new set, and Wind-Ups will have access to the lions share of them. Being able to toolbox into any Xyz monster and not just rely on whats given to you from your deck is what I feel makes a Xyz focused Wind-Up deck stronger than its variants.

In the next part I'll discuss some lesser known ways to run Wind-Ups, as well as answer the rest of the questions posed in this article. Till next time!