Enter Qliphort:

So let’s introduce the themes that the majority of Qliphort monsters share. First, all of the Pendulum Qliphorts are either scale 1 or 9.  They all contain the line: “You cannot Special Summon monsters, except “Qli” monsters. This effect cannot be negated.” so you should immediately think of only running the theme in a pure fashion. The effect monsters can be Normal Summoned without tributing, but if you do they become level 4 and drop to 1800 ATK. This ATK and Level drop also occur if they are Special Summoned. While this seems like a ton of restrictions off the bat, this theme has a ton of powerful effects in its favor.

Equipping your Armada:

Don’t Forget the Supply Train:

So now that I’ve covered the major players for today’s build, lets take a look at the decklist and see how it can all come together!

Sample Decklist:

Monsters: 24
||| Qliphort Scout
|| Qliphort Monolith
|| Qliphort Stealth
||| Qliphort Disk
| Qliphort Cephalopod
| Qliphort Shell
||| Qliphort Helix
||| Qliphort Carrier
|| Infinitrack Anchor Drill
||| Infinitrack Doom Dozer
| Infinitrack Tunneler

Spells: 12
||| Saqlifice
|| Laser Qlip
||| Summoner’s Art
|| Raptinus’ Supreme Magicblade (YGOrg Translation)
|| Urgent Schedule

Traps: 4
||| Armory Call
| Qlimate Change

Extra: 15
||| Qliphort Genius
| Heavymetalfoes Electrumite
| Black Luster Solider – Soldier of Chaos
| Borrelsword Dragon
| Abyss Dweller
| Tornado Dragon
| Infinitrack Goliath
| Infinitrack River Stormer
| Infinitrack Earth Slicer
| Phantom Fortress Entreblathnir
| True King of All Calamities
| Superdreadnaught Rail Cannon Gustav Max
| Superdreadnaught Rail Cannon Juggernaught Libee

Tactical Deployments:

First, you need to get your ships into position. To do that, this list maximizes the potential for opening a Qliphort Scout and get your remaining combo pieces. With all of your search capabilities, your chances of getting to that initial scout is quite high. That includes Summoner’s Art, Qliphort Genius, River Stormer, Electrumite, and Saqlifice. Wow, that’s a lot of search power, and that’s exactly what you need to make sure your fleet is ready to engage any enemy.

Additional Tech Options:

Conclusion:

In short, the Qliphort theme has a ton of potential, even in today’s game. With a bit of creativity and innovation, it’s possible to shift the theme to a more aggressive footing and wield your armada of ships to query your opponent’s defenses. Additional Normal Summons for a tribute-centric theme is awesome, especially when you have a nigh-unlimited source of tribute fodder. With that, I hope you had a bit of fun with today’s article, and hope you check in for my next article coming down the pike! Happy 2020!

Reminder, I also take suggestions for future CDS articles! I really want to see some input from you! If you wish to see a CDS article about the archetype, theme, or strategy you love, feel free to private message me on the YGOrg Discord server, the YGOrganization Forums, or just post a comment in response to this article on our Facebook page with your ideas to keep under consideration! On most YGO-related communities my username is Quincymccoy, so feel free to reach out.