'Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel': Phantom Knights Deck Guide

The Phantom Knight archetype may have fallen from its previous status as the strongest deck in the TCG, but it still retains much of its oppressiveness in “Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel” thanks to a few cards that Konami hasn’t banned yet.

Even without such forbidden cards, the Phantom Knights are still able to stand on their own as a very aggressive beatdown deck that makes heavy use of graveyard effects and Xyz summons to call forth strong monsters with ludicrously high ATK numbers.

Here’s an overview of how to play the Phantom Knights deck for those who are struggling to win their games.

The Phantom Knight Playstyle

The main game plan when playing Phantom Knights is to overwhelm enemies with strong Xyz monsters like Rusty Bardiche, Divine Arsenal Zeus and Arc Rebellion Xyz Dragon through a combination of card and monster effects that can allow for safe and easy summoning.

All of the normal Phantom Knight monsters are designed to be used as searchers and Xyz fodder. All PK monsters can be banished from the graveyard to activate effects that let players search for specific spells or special summon other monsters.

How to play Phantom Knights

Due to the very specific nature of each normal PK monster, knowing their designated roles is paramount. They are as follows:

• Torn Scale – Card search/fodder for Xyz summon combos
• Stained Greaves – Raider’s Knight summon material
• Shade Brigandine – Raider’s Knight summon material
• Silent Boots – Spell/Trap search card
• Ancient Cloak – Monster search card
• Ragged Gloves – Monster search card/Xyz stat booster

As for non-PK monsters, players can opt for Effect Veiler or Ash Blossom for extra defense against monster effects. Maxx C and Danger Tsuchinoko/Jackalope cards are also great for adding extra cards to the hand.

Use Shade Brigandine and Stained Greaves to quickly summon Raider’s Knight, then summon Arc Rebellion Xyz Dragon. Keep in mind that the dragon gains ATK based on the monsters on the field, so it may be best to save this when there are many monsters on the board at the same time.

Rusty Bardiche is best used to control the board by destroying enemy cards whenever Xyz monsters are summoned. Be sure to have a few Break Swords ready to activate this effect. Remember that Rusty Bardiche’s effect can still be used during the opponent’s turn as long as an Xyz monster is summoned in the correct position on the board.

As always, save Divine Arsenal Zeus for when the enemy board gets too overpowering.