Deck Guide: Tenpai Dragon

Tenpai Dragon is an archetype that focuses on Dragon monsters with the Fire attribute, besides synchro summons as well. Its strategy centers around special summons and synchro summons during your battle phase, and its main goal is to finish the match in a single turn. As a result, Tenpai Dragon players mostly "go second" in their duels.

Check out everything you need to know about Tenpai Dragon!

Main Deck

Tenpai Dragon Paidra is this deck's most important normal summon, and will get you your spells/traps, whereas Tenpai Dragon Chundra is the most important monster in your main deck. It is the only tuner in this archetype and is also responsible for its consistency, as i ts effect summons another Tenpai from your deck.

As for Tenpai Dragon Fadra, it is your least important monster because it doesn't make your deck more consistent. Nonetheless, it is still a must because it helps you with your OTK and gives you some follow-up if you see yourself in a grind game.

Furthermore, all three Dragons in your main deck have the same effect: they let you synchro-summon something during the battle phase, which is what this deck does best!

Sangen Summoning is probably the best out of these three cards because it is useful in three ways: it makes your deck more consistent, protects your Fire Dragons during main phase 1, and makes it easier for you to OTK because it doubles one of your monsters' ATK.

As for Terraforming, in the purest version of this deck, it is only another copy of Sangen Summoning.

Sangen Kaimen is as important as your field spell, and you can use it as a "starter" or "extender", even though it doesn't give you any sort of protection.

Pot of Prosperity's job is to improve the deck's consistency, as it doesn't have many engines and therefore might be quite inconsistent at times. Even though this is an OTK strategy, you can deal so much damage to your opponent's life points (way more than 8000) that you can win even on a turn in which they can only take half that damage because of "Prosperity".

Bystial Magnamhut, besides an interaction, is a good target for Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres. It may guarantee you some follow-up on the following turn.

Kashtira Fenrir is a tech card with two jobs: make your going first better if your opponent tells you to start the match, and be a board breaker when you go second.

Because this deck has a lot of space for techs, it uses the most generic handtraps in this format: "Ash Blossom" and all "monster negates".

Another handtrap we use in this deck is Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit, which is popular right now mainly because of Tenpai Dragon itself. So, it is critical in the mirror.

To complete our main deck, we have Lightning Storm, which is critical to "clear your opponent's board", either by destroying their monsters or their spells/traps. As for Harpie's Feather Duster, its only job is dealing with the cards on our opponent's backrow.

Extra Deck

Sangenpai Bident Dragion is relatively essential for this deck's strategy because, besides reviving one of your Dragons (which is essential for your OTK), it is your only synchro tuner, and, as a result, your main way to get to your level 10 synchro monsters. Furthermore, we can destroy our field spell to double one of our synchro Dragon's ATK through one of its effects - the one that returns it from your graveyard.

Sangenpai Transcendent Dragion is this deck's boss monster. It both forces all monsters to swap into ATK position and prevents your opponents from activating cards or effects during the battle phase. This effect is quite oppressive, particularly if you summon it in your main phase with the protection of your field spell.

Even though this card isn't part of this archetype per se, Trident Dragion fits this deck perfectly and is one of your main finishers. It can attack up to 3 times with 6000 ATK if you have access to your field spell.

The "Rose Dragon" package is quite versatile and important for your strategy. Ruddy Rose Dragon is excellent to deal with any follow-up in your opponent's graveyard when you can't finish the match on turn 2.

Black Rose Dragon is a great way to clear boards that have "too many" cards, and no protection against destruction. Whereas Black Rose Moonlight Dragon is critical because it is an out for monsters you can't destroy during the battle phase or with an effect.

Besides critical in the mirror, Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon is a more "accessible" version of your boss monster. It has a similar effect, and you'll need less resources to summon it.

Kuibelt the Blade Dragon isn't essential, but it is still quite useful because it is an out for a monster and for a spell/trap. You can also use it to destroy your own cards if you have to.

Samurai Destroyer's main role is as an out for "Yubel" monsters, whose effects protect them from being destroyed in battle. It will greatly improve your matchup against these decks.

Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres is the most important link monster in the deck, and will usually form your "final board" when your opponent forces you to start the game.

Another critical link monster is Hiita the Fire Charmer, Ablaze, particularly because Fire decks are the best decks in the current format.

To complete our extra deck, we have Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames, Salamangreat Raging Phoenix, and Worldsea Dragon Zealantis. They're a way to OTK even if you took a Dimensional Barrier that turn.

When you go first, the plan is simple: put two Dragons on the board and summon Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres. However, this deck really stands out when you go second. This way, your plan is to OTK with a Trident Dragion as your finisher.

Standard Combo

Once this is an OTK deck, I'll show you how to combo when you're going second if you open with Tenpai Dragon Paidra:

> First, normal summon Tenpai Dragon Paidra and activate its effect to get Sangen Kaimen from your deck and put it in your hand;

> Go into the battle phase and activate Sangen Kaimen to get Tenpai Dragon Chundra from your deck and add it to your hand. Then, special summon it right afterward;

> Now, declare an attack with Tenpai Dragon Chundra. At the beginning of your damage step, activate its effect to summon Tenpai Dragon Fadra straight from your deck;

> After this battle, also attack with Tenpai Dragon Paidra and Tenpai Dragon Fadra;

> Next, use Tenpai Dragon Chundra's effect to synchro summon Sangenpai Bident Dragion by using it and Tenpai Dragon Paidra as material;

> When you summon Sangenpai Bident Dragion, use its effect to special summon Tenpai Dragon Chundra from your graveyard;

> Now, declare an attack with Sangenpai Bident Dragion. At the beginning of your damage step, activate Tenpai Dragon Fadra's effect to special summon Tenpai Dragon Paidra from your graveyard;

> Attack again with Tenpai Dragon Chundra and Tenpai Dragon Paidra. Next, activate Tenpai Dragon Paidra's effect to synchro summon Sangenpai Transcendent Dragion by using it and Sangenpai Bident Dragion as material;

> Attack with Sangenpai Transcendent Dragion and next activate Sangenpai Bident Dragion's effect so it self-summons from your graveyard. Attack with it as well;

> Now, activate Tenpai Dragon Fadra's effect to synchro summon Trident Dragion by using it and Sangenpai Bident Dragion as material;

> When you summon Trident Dragion, use its effect to destroy Sangenpai Transcendent Dragion and Tenpai Dragon Chundra. This way, you'll get two extra attacks with it. Attack three times with Trident Dragion;

> To finish, activate Sangenpai Transcendent Dragion's effect so it self-summons from your graveyard. Lastly, attack with it.

You'll deal a total of 28,200 damage to your opponent's life points, and that's more than enough to finish a match even if you used Pot of Prosperity in that same turn.

Another interesting point is that, even though the combo above considered an "empty" enemy board, that doesn't mean it is unlikely to get to play it out as a game plan. You have cards that will clear the enemy board for you, and, of course, this showcase didn't consider your field spell, which would double Trident Dragion's ATK. This way, you would attack with 6000 ATK three times.

Tenpai Dragon's going second is devastating. Besides the fact it has a lot of space for tech cards, it has an incredibly aggressive engine and also a protection that feels unfair because of its field spell. On the other side, its going first is quite weak. And many players choose to go second against Tenpai Dragon because they know it is its weak spot.

Because its going first and going second are so different, Tenpai Dragon's mirror match is considered a bad matchup by most players. It is usually decided on the dice - whoever goes second has the upper hand.

The main matchup in the current format, however, is against Snake-Eye, and, even though Tenpai Dragon is considered the second-best deck, it is quite far from Snake-Eye in power level. So, this is the matchup in which Tenpai Dragon will rely heavily on its tech cards.

So, what did you think of this deck? I hope you enjoyed learning more about it, and that you have a lot of fun with it.

You are welcome to tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.

Cards Ream thanks you for your support. See you next time!