Patterson is able to make amazing moves with his Scrap Deck. In addition to the standard plays he makes to Summon Scrap Dragon, like using Scrap Chimera to revive Scrap Beast and Tuning the 2 monsters together, he’s able to expand beyond the typical Scrap move set to surprise opponents with incredible attacks.
Meklord Emperor Granel is one of Patterson’s key cards. It can only be Summoned when one of his monsters is destroyed, but with Scrap Dragon, Scrapstorm, and Scrap Goblin making the destruction of his monsters so easy, Summoning Granel is easy too. It’s made even easier by the fact that opponents will constantly be trying to destroy his monsters with Spell and Trap Cards like Dark Hole and Torrential Tribute.
Since Granel hits the field with ATK equal to half of his Life Points, Summoning it early on forces his opponent to contend with a monster that has as many as 4000 Attack Points. “He allows you to put pressure on real early. 4000 attack, he makes people rethink their game play,” Patterson told me. His opponents can’t use a strategy that works against a typical Scrap Deck – they need to take into account this added threat, too.
Granel even allows Patterson to OTK his opponents, with just Reborn Tengu, Scrap Beast, and Granel. He can Tune Reborn Tengu with Scrap Beast in order to Synchro Summon Scrap Dragon (2800 ATK) and another Tengu. Then, he can use Scrap Dragon’s effect to destroy the new Tengu along with one of his opponent’s cards. Not only will that allow him to Special Summon another Tengu (1700 ATK) from his Deck, but he’ll also be able to Special Summon Granel from his hand since his first Tengu was destroyed. The combined ATK of Tengu, Scrap Dragon, and a 4000 ATK Granel early on provides more than enough power to wipe out any opponent in one turn.
Meklord Emperor Granel is also extremely effective against the most popular Deck of the previous YCS, Six Samurais. Granel can steal an opponent’s Synchro monsters, and its ability to gain control of Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En can be game-breaking. By Setting Scrap Goblin against a field of Samurais, including Shi En, while he has Granel in his hand, Patterson can be confident that his Granel will make it onto the field.
Granel also has strong synergy with the 2 copies of Fiendish Chain that Patterson runs. “Not only is it a Veiler and a Spellbinding Circle in one, it’s also a Venus Fly Trap for Granel,” he told me. Patterson uses Fiendish Chain to trap a Synchro Monster on the field, where it’s unable to attack or use its effect, and then absorbs it with Granel as soon as he gets the chance.
Granel can do tons of other cool things, too. When Patterson uses Scrapstorm to destroy his Scrap Goblin or Scrap Beast and activate its effect, he can choose whether to make the Scrap effect Chain Link 1 and Granel’s effect Chain Link 2, or Granel’s effect Chain Link 1 and the Scrap effect Chain Link 2. By making Granel’s effect Chain Link 1, he can prevent an opponent from using Royal Oppression or Solemn Warning to negate its Summon. By making Granel’s effect that Summons it to the field Chain Link 2, Patterson is able to prevent his opponent from flipping Torrential Tribute to destroy it when it’s Summoned.
Patterson’s Deck is also capable of Synchro Summoning a wide variety of monsters. Since Granel is a Level 1 monster, Patterson can Tune it with Scrap Beast to Synchro Summon Naturia Beast when Patterson’s Life Points and Granel’s Attack Points are low. Patterson can also Tune the EARTH Sheep Tokens he Summons with Scapegoat with his Scrap Tuners to Summon any of the Naturia Synchro Monsters.
Patterson has also made the calculated decision of using Royal Decree in a Deck with 6 other Trap Cards. “It’s a Trap Stun that stays,” he told me. Patterson uses Royal Decree to negate his opponent’s Traps, and if the opponent doesn’t destroy it, it sticks around for Patterson to destroy with the effect of his Scrap Dragon. Frequently, Patterson won’t even want to destroy the Decree, since it enables his Deck to make aggressive plays with his high-powered monsters and dominate the Duel.
Patterson is also using the new Scrap Orthros in his Deck to return Scrap Chimera from his Graveyard to his hand. Patterson likes to use Scrap Chimera to Special Summon Scrap Goblin from his Graveyard, and then Special Summon Orthros to destroy the Goblin and add Scrap Chimera from his Graveyard to his hand thanks to the Goblin’s effect. Then he can Tune his on-field Chimera with Orthros to Synchro Summon Scrap Dragon, while holding another Scrap Chimera in reserve.
Patterson had a lot of success with his Scrap Deck this weekend, and the release of Granel, Orthros, and Tengu make Scraps more powerful than ever before. Soon, we’ll see if Luke Patterson is able to take his Deck the distance and earn the first place spot here in Orlando!