Welcome to the next installment of my CDS articles, this time focused on an archetype that is infamous for it’s ‘1-card OTK’. That’s right, we’re going to be talking about the Atlantean monsters, specifically what happens when you build a Atlantean-centric strategy. Let’s dive headfirst into the depths of the sunken city, all further puns intended.

Introduction: 

So how do these two archetypes fit together? Besides Grampulse’s utility for the deck, there is actually a bit more crossover than you might expect. Since Blue Layer is a Level 3 WATER monster, it can also help to fuel the Special Summon of Poseidra with its effect. Also, who doesn’t love being able to use Emergency Teleport! If you decide to run a couple of Psychic-type tuners as well, that could actually give you even more options than most Mermail hybrids as you also are able to unlock the power of WATER Synchro monsters as well! This is especially important with the upcoming Coral Dragon, but you can also use the tuners to summon out Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. Both of these Synchro monsters will trigger your Atlanteans while destroying card(s), so that’s just one more option on the table to give your deck a bit more versatility. The other benefit is that the Atlanteans are pretty much shut down by cards that stop monsters from being sent to the Graveyard. The Super Quant can give you time to be able to handle the floodgate and move on towards victory.

Key Cards:

• Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince
  • Powerful search monster, key to the 1-card OTK, pretty much amazing to the deck in every sense of the word. Unless your opponent manages to negate his summon or prevent his effect from activating, you are in a pretty good spot whenever you get him to do his thing.
• Atlantean Dragoons
  • The other key searcher of the archetype, except this one also searches out other Sea Serpents as well such as Deep Sea Diva and Mermail Abyssmegalo.
• Atlantean Marksman & Atlantean Heavy Infantry
  • These two are the Atlanteans that provide additional destruction, therefore they are the main cost fodder. Additionally, Infantry helps you spam the field to make Poseidra live and Marksman adds even more pressure on the opponent, because if its attack gets through, that’s even more free advantage.
• Poseidra the Atlantean Dragon
  • The boss monster for a pure Atlantean deck, clears the way for your bigger plays while simultaneously triggering up to 3 Atlantean effects. Also is the main Xyz fodder for Rank 7 Xyz monsters.
• Legendary Atlantean Tridon
  • If you run Poseidra, it is always a good idea to run the direct tutor for it. This guy combos with Heavy Infantry and Marksman extremely well, and also stops your opponent from responding to your Poseidra with Bottomless Trap Hole.
• Deep Sea Diva
  • Key tuner for the deck, also it serves as another copy of Neptabyss. Searchable by Dragoons and is limited for a reason.
• Mermail Abyssmegalo
  • You need an effective, searchable way to trigger Atlantean effects from the hand. Best part is, Megalo doesn’t even waste your Normal Summon to do so. I’ve been over this before, being stubborn and refusing to run this just for the sake of building a pure Atlantean deck is pretty foolish if you are building to win.
• Call of the Atlanteans
  • Searchable recovery card, great for the mid and late game.
• Salvage & Surface
  • Less advantage-amazing recovery cards, but they provide even more resources for the deck to utilize. Surface is great specifically for bringing back a Neptabyss that your opponent just tried to destroy.
• Super Quantum Blue Layer, Super Quantum Red Layer, Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit, & Emergency Teleport
  • These four cards make up the Super Quant engine, and provide the deck with much needed alternative options when you don’t open up a duel with the Prince.
• High Tide on Fire Island
  • The benefits and downsides were already described before, but I believe in the potential of this card in the case that the plays you poured tons of resources into go south. It has worked out great for me throughout my testing when working on this article.

Additional Tech Options to Consider:

Many of the following Tech Options are WATER monsters that trigger Atlanteans and that’s really their only job. Other cards just work on building the OTK. Remember, you have a ton of options with Atlantean decks just due to the nature of their effects.

• Fishborg Archer – Level 3 tuner, gives access to the main Synchros such as Coral Dragon or Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier. It also serves as another required WATER monster that discards as a cost, while also doubling as a tribute for Poseidra or a discard for Megalo.
• Fishborg Launcher – Useful only in the early game before your other non-WATER Synchro or Xyz monsters get into the Graveyard. The Level 1 tuner option that also happens to function well with Red Layer to form Synchro Summons without wasting a Normal Summon.
• Abyss Warrior – WATER that functions well against Graveyard-dependent decks, and it triggers Atlantean effects.
• Mermail Abysspike – WATER monster that searches out another WATER monster while triggering an Atlantean in the process. Remember, these two archetypes work together well and were designed to do so!
• Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord – With so many recovery options, you can control your Graveyard exceptionally well. Well enough that Moulinglacia is not just considered a first-turn combo play.
• Genex Undine & Genex Controller – The Genex engine is infamous for how well it works with the Atlantean monsters. The other benefit, specifically in here, is that you do have a couple of ways to get Synchro material onto the field to work with Controller. 
• Abyss Soldier – Especially good at dealing with monsters Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, it performs well in certain metagames. 
• Aquarium Stage – While the other Aqua Actress support Spells really can’t help the Atlanteans, Stage can match well with Prince by forcing them to get around Neptabyss in interesting ways. But if you draw Neptabyss, you should already be in a good spot for the duel.
• Bubble Bringer – Since you are running so many low-level WATER monsters, this card can combo into Poseidra rather well. Sadly, Call of the Atlanteans outclasses it due to versatility in activation timing, but this trap does have the protection from direct attacks.
• Moray of Greed – Generic draw card for WATER decks, great in the early stages of the game, but can easily be a dead draw later on.

Check out my sample decklist hidden in the spoiler below:

SpoilerMain Deck:
|| Atlantean Dragoons
||| Atlantean Heavy Infantry
||| Atlantean Marksman
| Deep Sea Diva
| Fishborg Archer
| Fishborg Launcher
| Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit
|| Legendary Atlantean Tridon
|| Mermail Abyssmegalo
||| Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince
|| Poseidra the Atlantean Dragon
|| Super Quantum Blue Layer
|| Super Quantum Red Layer
| Abyss-Scale of the Mizuchi
|| Call of the Atlanteans
|| Emergency Teleport
| Foolish Burial
| One for One
||| Salvage
||| Surface
|| High Tide on Fire Island

Extra Deck:
| Armades, Keeper of Boundaries
| Assault Blackwing – Onimaru the Thunderbolt
| Black Rose Dragon
|| Coral Dragon
| Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier
| Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
| Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend
| Stardust Charge Warrior
| Tatsunoko
| Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
| Cat Shark
| Mecha Phantom Beast Dragossack
| Mermail Abyssgaios
| Super Quantal Mech Beast Grampulse

As always, the above list is just my personal build. The Atlantean archetype really has a bunch of potential, especially once you break free from the stereotype that they must be used in Mermail decks and nothing more. Feel free to tinker and improve on it however you can. Until the next time, keep innovating and building creative decks! Most of all, just enjoy dueling for the fun that it can be!