Lesson 01: Qliphort 101

First topic message reminder :



Hello and greetings students and members of North Academy. Today marks my first official day as a teacher here and I hope to be the best I can for you all. That said, let's get right to it. As many may know, I posted a poll for what my first lesson should be about yesterday. The results of that poll have said that I should post a deck guide and I thought to myself: What better deck to cover than one of the biggest decks in the metagame?

That's right, Qliphort. Also referred to as "Qli," this archetype of EARTH Machine-type monsters has been a force to be reckoned with ever since it was released. I'll be covering the essential deck rather than a full look at the archetype.

What are Qliphorts?

The Qliphort archetype are made up of EARTH attribute, Machine-type monsters that focus on Pendulum Summoning to be used for Tribute Summon. The Pendulum monsters in this archetype tend to be levels 5 - 8 and their Pendulum Scales are 1 or 9.

Each of the Qli Pendulum monsters  have 2400 or 2800 ATK and 1000 DEF (Except for Scout who's stats are reveresed) and share the same unique effects. As a Pendulum Scale, they lock you from Special Summoning anything that isn't a "Qli" monster and as a Monster, they have an effect that allows them to be Normal  Summoned without a Tribute, however they are reduced to Level 4 monsters with 1800 ATK if they are Summoned in such a way OR if they are Special Summoned. Basically if you don't Tribute Summon them, they're gonna get a bit weaker. They also share the ability that make them unaffected by monsters' activated effects that have an original Level or Rank lower than themselves.

Also, each Pendulum Qli monster affects the ATK of the monsters in play. The scale 1 Qli raise the ATK of all your Qli monsters by 300 while the Scale 9's lower your opponent's monsters by 300 ATK. Handy for when you don't Tribute Summon your Qliphorts~

The Cards

Let's take a moment to examine each of the cards seen in the deck. First up are the Qliphort cards that make the cut.

"Qliphort Scout"


The one card that every Qliphort player will tell you to max and if you don't have it...you're doing it wrong. As a Pendulum, this little beauty lets you search your deck for any "Qli" card and add it to hand or the low low price of 800 LP! (Yes it says LP on the card now). This guy is one of the most, if not THE most, important monsters in the deck.

Run 3

"Qliphort Disk"


One of the Qliphorts that can be Normal Summoned without a Tribute, so its has that snazzy effect as mentioned above but if Disk is Tribute Summoned by tributing a "Qli" monsters, you can Special Summon 2 "Qli" from your deck! They explode at the end of the turn, but if they're your Pendulum Monsters then they just go sit pretty in the Extra deck until you can Pendulum Summon next~

Run 3

"Qliphort Carrier"


Another Pendulum who can be summoned without having Tribute but this guy has a spiffy effect that goes off if it gets used for a Tribute: It bounces a monster! Not too shabby. Monarchs are considering a lawsuit soon.

Run 2-3

"Qliphort Shell"


One of the big monsters in the deck. If he's Tribute Summoned by tributing a "Qli" monster, then he can make 2 Attacks a Battle Phase AND inflicts Piercing Damage (for those who don't know, that's when you can still do damage to DEF monsters)

Run 0-2

"Qliphort Helix"


Sort of the counterpart to Carrier. When Helix is used as a Tribute, you get to pop a backrow. Yep, Monarchs are REALLY looking into a lawsuit now.

Run 2-3

"Apoqliphort Towers"


Considered the "boss" monster of the archetype but rarely sees a lot of play. Its not a terrible card per se, but its not worth running more than 1. Towers cannot be Special Summoned (So no Pendulum) and requires 3 tributes to summon...specifically 3 tributed Qli monsters. On the plus side: Towers lowers all Special Summoned monsters' ATK and DEF by 500, is immune to Spells and Traps as well as activated monster effects with a lower Level/Rank than itself. (He's a Level 10 btw). It also can force your opponent to send 1 Monster card from their field or hand to the Graveyard. Pretty good for control.

Run 0-1

"Saqlifice"


This handy equip spell gives a "Qli" monster 300 ATK and lets you use the equipped monster as 2 tributes for a "Qli" monster. Oh, and once "Saqlifice" goes to the Grave from the field, you can fetch a "Qli" monster.

Run 3

"Laser Qlip"


The Field spell, because all good archetypes need their own Field Spell. Laser Qlip gives you an extra Normal Summon of a "Qli" during your Main Phase once a turn and the normal summons of your "Qli" monsters cannot be negated. Not too shabby.

Run 1

"Qlimate Change"


If you have any "Qli" Pendulum monsters in your Extra deck but need them back in your hand, this little number can snag up to 3 of them. Limit of one "Qlimate Change" per customer.

Run 0-1

Other Cards to Run

The following are cards you should really considering using in a Qliphort deck (apart from the usual staples like MST).

"Summoner's Art"


Normal Spell that adds 1 Level 5 or higher Normal Monster to hand, which lets you have quick and easy access to Scout.

Run 3

"Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon"
Fits within the scales made by Qliphorts AND can also help you search for Scout via its own suicide effect. Plus, his ability to deal double the battle damage is pretty sweet~
Run 0-2

"Skill Drain"


What was that about my Level and ATK going down for not being Tribute Summoned?

Run 3

"Forbidden Chalice"


Absolutely amazing for this deck. Can get rid of pesky effects while at the same time can be used to surprise an attacker by resetting your Qli monsters' stats!

Run 2-3

Weaknesses

Like many of the big decks today, Qliphorts can struggle if they can't Special Summon. They don't NEED to Special as much as Shaddolls or Burning Abyss, but in a pinch, cards like "Vanity's Emptiness" will hurt them.

Their bigger weakness is losing their Pendulums, particularly Scout. Stopping their ability to search is a problem for them and one that they sometimes can't fix. A great counter card is "Anti-Spell Fragrance" which will stop their ability to even play their Pendulums. "Spell Shattering Arrow" and "Fairy Wind" are common solutions as well. If you're the type to Side "Prohibition," then you're likely to gun for Scout.

"Destiny HERO - Plasma" is another good option. Most of the Qliphorts are under level 8 which means his field-blanketing effect will still hit them."Outer God Nyarla" has an ability which can increase its own Rank, so it can make itself a challenge for the Qliphorts if needed.


Closing

Qliphorts are one of the stronger decks of this format and probably the most expensive one currently. I myself have spent some time recently trying to learn more about them and even how to play with and against them. They've proven to be a good challenge.

Assignment

For this lesson's assignment, I'd like for you to come up with a deck that you think can best Qliphorts, duel against them and come out on top! Burning Abyss and Shaddolls will not be permitted for this assignment however. Please post your deck list and each Duel Result Screen. You'll be rewarded DP based on the deck you chose and the Match

results.
2-0 will earn you 500 DP
2-1 will earn you 300 DP
Decks can earn up to 500 DP

I look forward to seeing your wins. If anyone has questions, comments or concerns regarding this lesson and/or assignment, please post or PM me. See you next time!

Its all just point of preference.

Question y not vanitys aren't vanity drain the main setup of qlis

KidChaos wrote:

kirito wrote:

imo this bulid suks coming from a qli player dissponted y not 3 helix bruh 3 helix 3 disk 3 carrier 1 shell and 3 squot 3 skill drain 3 vanitys are the musts killer no need 1 challice is enough u need the performal to bounce scout and use the eff twice

well uh.....hes got a point lawl

oh i thought he was talkin about this qli player agaisnt pharoah lawl your qli build was decent lawl