Chapter 211. The Forbidden-History "El Shaddoll Construct"! "Left Winda, Right Construct—Pure Profit from the Light of Fusion?"
After a round of searching—
Sei Yuki locked onto the forbidden-history topic of Shaddolls.
Seeing the short video's content,
Sei Yuki couldn't help wearing a look of reminiscence.
Back then, Shaddolls' impact could be called a pure dimensionality-reduction strike on the Yu-Gi-Oh! duel environment!
Although they're also a Fusion-centric deck and not as powerful and elegant as Tearlaments,
the influence they brought to dueling is beyond dispute.
It's still worth watching!
"OK! Decided! We'll go with the Shaddoll deck!"
"Let's see what kind of faces the Duelists across the Duel Worlds will make after watching this!"
Decision made, Sei Yuki confirmed it.
Very quickly, the short video was finalized.
The title also appeared across the various Duel Worlds:
"The Forbidden-History 'El Shaddoll Construct'! The Former Star Seraph Scramble!"
Shaddolls?
What are "Shaddolls," again?
When Duelists across the Duel Worlds saw the title, they all paused for a moment.
In their impression,
Shaddoll cards didn't seem to show up very often.
But that name—
where had they heard it before?
Yugi Muto and the others wore thoughtful expressions,
as if straining to recall something—
yet they just couldn't bring it to mind.
Inside the short video,
the uploader, a Shaddoll player, quickly began the explanation.
Shaddoll Player: "Welcome, fellow cardheads, and thanks for clicking into my video!"
Shaddoll Player: "Today I'm bringing you a historical breakdown of the Shaddoll deck, which once dominated the scene and caused an uproar!"
Shaddoll Player: "Before we talk Shaddoll history—"
"we first have to understand what makes Shaddolls tick."
"First off, Shaddolls are all about Fusion."
"Also, many of the in-archetype low-Level monsters use Flip effects."
"The deck itself also needs a certain amount of Graveyard setup."
"For example, Tearlaments often play more of a blind mill,"
"but for Shaddolls, a lot of the effects are precise mills."
"The entire Shaddoll system—"
"one card can represent its full power."
"Shaddoll Fusion!"
"Yes, you heard that right—within the Shaddoll engine,"
"the strongest signature card isn't anything else;"
"it's Shaddoll Fusion!"
"This card's effect is: from your hand or field, send Fusion Materials listed on a Shaddoll Fusion Monster to the Graveyard, then Fusion Summon that monster from your Extra Deck."
"If your opponent controls a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, you can also use monsters from your Deck as Fusion Material."
"Reading the whole thing, it looks like a straightforward 'Deck Fusion,' right?"
"Now compare it to Fusion Destiny and Red-Eyes Fusion!"
"It's easy to see Shaddoll Fusion is strong because after it resolves, there's no self-lock!"
"In other words, once the condition is met it's simply a Deck Fusion—"
"with no self-restriction attached."
"That's terrifying."
"It means after you activate Shaddoll Fusion, a lot of your follow-up lines won't be affected."
"And this card is an in-house precise mill."
"That's also why Shaddolls can be splashed as an engine."
After that preface on Shaddolls,
Duelists across the Duel Worlds couldn't help their startled expressions.
It's really true!
Shaddoll Fusion—
there's no self-restriction after activation.
You can just proceed with your plays.
Look at Red-Eyes Fusion:
it locks you for the turn—you can't Normal or Special Summon except by that card's effect.
Now look at Fusion Destiny:
after it resolves, for the rest of the turn you can only Special Summon DARK "HERO" monsters.
And then look at Shaddoll Fusion:
plain and simple—just meet the condition and perform a Deck Fusion.
By comparison,
the value of Shaddoll Fusion is indeed frightening.
But—
if that were all,
they still couldn't determine how strong the Shaddoll deck really was,
or
what kind of waves it had stirred up in history.
Shaddoll Player: "Now that we know the Shaddoll core is Shaddoll Fusion, "
"next, let's get to know the key cards in the Shaddoll deck."
Shaddoll Player: "Card #1, Level 5 Shaddoll Beast."
"FLIP: draw 2, then discard 1; if sent to the GY by a card effect: draw 1."
"Card #2, Level 4 Shaddoll Dragon."
"FLIP: bounce a card; if sent to the GY by a card effect: destroy a Spell/Trap."
"Card #3, Level 4 Shaddoll Squamata."
"FLIP: destroy a monster; if sent to the GY by a card effect: send a Shaddoll card from Deck to GY."
"Card #4, Level 3 Shaddoll Hedgehog."
"FLIP: add a Shaddoll Spell/Trap; if sent to the GY by a card effect: add a Shaddoll monster."
"Card #5, Level 2 Shaddoll Falco."
"FLIP: Special Summon a Shaddoll from GY face-down; if sent to the GY by a card effect: Special Summon itself face-down."
"It's not hard to see—"
"the Shaddoll low-Level monsters rely more on their sent-to-GY effects."
"FLIP was used less in that era's environment, but could occasionally be clutch."
"For example, using Shaddoll Falco to proactively Special Summon, then bring back another monster."
"Put together, these low-level Shaddolls could sometimes steal wins."
"Of course, the focus is still on a few key Fusion monsters in the Extra Deck,"
"the ones nicknamed 'Construct (Mom)' and 'Winda (Mi).'"
"El Shaddoll Construct!"
"Effect 1: on Special Summon, send a Shaddoll card to the GY."
"The key is Effect 2:"
"At the start of the Damage Step, when this card battles a Special Summoned monster—destroy that monster."
"Effect 3: if this card is sent to the GY: target 1 Shaddoll Spell/Trap in your GY; add it to your hand."
"And the one nicknamed 'Mi'—"
"El Shaddoll Winda!"
"Effect 1 provides protection from being destroyed by the opponent's card effects."
"Effect 2 is the big one:"
"As long as this card remains in the Monster Zone, each player can only Special Summon once per turn."
"Effect 3 is the same recycle on being sent to the GY."
"The entire Shaddoll engine could be said to rely on these two cards."
"In that era, it was absolutely thriving."
"Combined with Xyz options like Number 16: Shock Master and Evilswarm Exciton Knight, which weren't forbidden yet at the time,"
"plus a few Synchros like Black Rose Dragon and Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, etc., "
"an Extra Deck centered on Shaddolls for that environment was basically complete."
"And because the core takes little space, it paired with many shells,"
"typically with Lightsworn."
After that simple overview of the Shaddoll system,
all the Duelists across the worlds were getting antsy.
Especially when they heard that a Shaddoll deck
was fully online just by relying on those two Fusion monsters.
They were shocked, bewildered—
even incredulous.
As for the low-Level Shaddolls,
they just couldn't see the power at a glance.
Right!
Looking only at those low-Levels—
Flip-to-pop, Flip-to-revive, and other "old-school" Shaddolls—
their first reaction was:
Classic-era Yu-Gi-Oh.!
Could a deck like that
really make tidal waves in its environment?
In the DM world—
"It seems the Shaddoll low-Levels really fit our era!"
"I feel like this engine was born for our era!"
Joey Wheeler looked at the familiar Flip low-Levels;
a sense of returning to the classics put a smile on his face.
"Joey, don't celebrate too soon."
"Even though the low-Levels need to flip to get full value,"
"don't forget: their sent-to-GY effects also trigger."
"And Shaddolls focus on Fusion, not Tribute mechanics."
At his side, Yugi Muto smiled faintly,
quickly bringing Joey back to reality.
Right!
This deck relies on milling,
not purely on flipping.
That part—
he had almost forgotten.
In the GX world,
a world centered on Fusion,
when Jaden Yuki, Aster Phoenix, and Zane Truesdale heard this engine only needed two Fusion monsters,
they were stunned.
They couldn't believe what they were hearing.
Who runs a deck with only two Fusion monster types?
Jaden—looking at the HERO Fusion lineup—
wants to cram every single one into the Extra Deck.
But Shaddolls—
only two kinds of Shaddoll Fusions are enough?
Isn't that way too few?
Shaddoll Player: "Next, let's talk about why Shaddolls were strong,"
"and the deck's history and development."
Shaddoll Player: "Early on, it was Lightsworn Shaddoll—"
"basically backed by Lightsworn blind mills plus Shaddoll precise mills,"
"and it was already doing great."
"In the environment back then,"
"archetypes like Chronomaly, Geargia, Dragon Ruler, Madolche, etc., gradually dropped in share."
"And why could Shaddolls pull that off?"
"It still comes down to El Shaddoll Winda and El Shaddoll Construct."
"Going first, in that environment, it was very easy to make Winda."
"And Winda's effect—we already said it."
"Protection + floodgate + simple board presence."
"These three points were outright oppressive back then."
"How does the saying go?"
"In 2014 they were restricting Winda, in 2020 restricting Winda."
"In 2022 restricting Winda—by 2024 they're still restricting Winda."
"Spanning a decade—no matter what deck you play—"
"if your opponent sticks a Winda,"
"you'll start to ache: that lock on Special Summons is a dimensionality-reduction strike for many decks."
"Say you're on HERO—how do you solve Winda with only in-archetype tools on the spot?"
"What about Dark Magician or Blue-Eyes White Dragon back then?"
"Simply put,"
"no matter how advanced the cards get, answering Winda is tricky."
"Maybe Winda looks weak as a lone 2200 body,"
"but once you actually try to crack it, you realize it's troublesome."
"Without an in-system answer, you're relying on outs,"
"but can you draw those every game?"
"And Winda, at that time, was trivially made every game."
"....."
At this point,
all the Duelists across the worlds were unsettled.
The moment they first saw El Shaddoll Winda,
it felt familiar.
Thinking back now—
didn't Tearlaments splash El Shaddoll Winda?
They used Shaddoll low-Levels,
paired with Tearlaments, to make El Shaddoll Winda.
Even the mighty Tearlaments would include it.
Even if they still didn't fully grasp Winda's power,
they had to grow solemn now.
Yugi Muto: "Indeed, just looking at Winda's 2200 ATK might seem weak, but it's already more than enough against low-Levels."
Jaden Yuki: "Yeah—trying to Normal Summon through Winda is awkward; if you Special Summon once, you're done Special Summoning."
Yuma Tsukumo: "And the fact it can't be destroyed by the opponent's card effects is ridiculous! Dark Hole and Raigeki don't work!"
Yusaku Fujiki: "I get Winda's strength now, but what about El Shaddoll Construct?"
The group chat immediately broke into a chorus of voices.
They could more or less understand Winda.
But El Shaddoll Construct—
why was that also one of the most crucial Shaddoll monsters?
Very quickly, the veterans realized what was off.
If Winda is your going-first piece,
then Construct must be your going-second piece.
Shaddoll Player: "We're done covering Winda's strength."
"Next is Construct."
Shaddoll Player: "At first glance, El Shaddoll Construct looks simple, right?"
"Mill on summon + battle-step removal + recycle on GY."
"Not even non-battle removal."
"So why did this card become part of the Forbidden history?"
"The reason is simple."
"Shaddoll Fusion into Construct = pluses, removal, and recursion."
"Fusing into Winda is just going-first suppression,"
"but Construct is different."
"Profit: on summon, you reliably send a Shaddoll card to the GY for value."
"Removal: in that era, the big bosses were usually Special Summoned—start of Damage Step, destroy them; and 2800 ATK isn't low."
"Recycle: after clearing a threat, Tribute Summon Shaddoll Beast, and you can add back Shaddoll Fusion or other cards."
"In summary, this card's power—"
"in my view, it's absolutely the true Shaddoll core."
"After all, Shaddolls lack easy OTK lines and diverse removal."
"If you only had Winda, you'd have suppression—but no fighting power."
"With Construct, Shaddolls are complete."
"A Shaddoll without Construct is practically a slow death."
"Winda is hard to answer, but that doesn't mean it's impossible."
"The longer the game drags, the worse it gets."
"Shaddoll Fusion itself doesn't go minus; Construct sending Shaddoll Beast = draws."
"Sending Hedgehog is a search; sending others is removal or pluses."
"And Construct has another advantage."
"In that metagame, it was the only card that could proactively do something by itself on your turn."
"These two together shift Shaddolls from defense to offense."
"For example, mill Shaddoll Dragon to blow up a Spell/Trap."
"And since Construct needs a LIGHT monster as material, it improves deckbuilding flexibility."
"Going first, if you can't Deck-Fuse, making Construct is still guaranteed profit."
"Bricked? Then just make a Winda—do you think Shaddolls are afraid of you?"
"Put it all together—"
"remember the golden maxim!"
"Left Winda, Right Construct—pure profit from the Light of Fusion!!"
After the more detailed breakdown of Construct's strength,
in that instant,
all the veterans were thoroughly shaken.
So—
in the whole Shaddoll deck,
besides Shaddoll Fusion,
the true powerhouse is Construct?
And Winda—
is just the concession piece, or the going-first bricked-hand suppression?
Thinking of this,
Yugi Muto, Yusei Fudo, Yuma Tsukumo, and the others took a deep breath,
carefully savoring Construct's strength.
Before savoring it,
maybe they didn't quite feel it—
but after they did,
their pupils shrank, a chill running down their spines.
That's exactly how it was.
In that environment, many decks were on the slower side—
and the Shaddoll deck, with Construct's proactive aggression and effortless plusses,
even if it bricked,
a single Winda made it very hard for the opponent to OTK Shaddolls in one go.
So then—
as long as Shaddolls made Construct,
everything started moving.
After all, the Shaddoll low-Levels aren't pushovers one by one.
And the non-in-house Shaddoll techs weren't for show either.
Having finished mulling it over,
the veterans took a deep breath.
They now had to re-evaluate these two Shaddoll Fusions.
No wonder they're called core.
If they aren't core,
then who is?
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