Infernity. One of the most sackiest decks in existence, and is one of the only decks that can constantly search out copies of Solemn Judgments in the form of triple Infernity Barrier to lock you out of the game and not let you play Yu-Gi-Oh. In a sense, the deck is what I would like to call a "pseudo-solitaire" deck, meaning that once their combo goes off and you don't have Maxx "C"/Veiler/a Trap to stop them, you lose.
As a X-Saber player, I have lost to this deck many times, and around a few months ago I asked my friend (who runs the deck) to test with me. He still won, but the deck is by no means something that you cannot win against. It all comes down to a) how well they draw and b) how to use your cards wisely and effectively.
After conducting my "research", I wanted to write this article in an attempt to help those who feel that they've been sacked by Infernity duelists time and time again. There are many things that you may or may not have known about the deck, and I wish to exploit their weaknesses to you...
Anyways, here are some tips:
1) Save your Book of Moon for the turn they go off.
Let's read the card text of Infernity Barrier:
"When your opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card, or monster effect, while you control a
face-up Attack Position "Infernity" monster and have no cards in your hand: Negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that card."
In order for your opponent to make use of their archetype's Solemn Judgment, they need a face-up Infernity monster to activate it. As a result, using Book of Moon during your opponent's End Phase after they have gone off ensures that you have a slightly higher chance of resolving the plays that you need to make and using your own resources to lock them out of the game. Having a Set Fiendish Chain or making a Photon Strike Bounzer after you have cleared their field is generally game for the opposing Infernity player, since if they do topdeck something like Archfiend or Necromancer, they can't resolve it and re-start whatever combos they need to get back into the game. Their only true out is Dark Hole, and if that happens...well, you made the best play possible already, and your opponent simply luck-sacked you there. There's not much you can do about that.
2) Get something into their hand through Compulsory Evacuation Device, Vulcan the Divine, Constellar Pleiades, or anything else you may have that can bounce stuff.
In order for an Infernity deck to run, they need to have nothing in their hand. If they have something in their hand, Necromancer, Archfiend, Barrier, and Break all cannot function. This is where bouncing stuff can come in; if you bounce something into their hand, it kills them for the turn and gives you an opportunity to set up and make your plays against the deck. You can even bounce something back to their hand in response to Necromancer, Archfiend, and Break's activation to negate it, as long as Barrier isn't set or they have something to negate your bouncing effect.
NOTE: Constellars generally have an advantage against Infernities because of the fact that Pleiades' effect is a Quick Effect, and because of this you can generally negate any effect (and in turn, offensive play) that your opponent might do against you.
3) Maxx "C" can, and usually will, outright steal the game from your opponent.
The Infernity Deck Special Summons a lot. And when I say a lot, I really do mean A LOT. Chaining Maxx "C" to Necromancer or Stygian Street Patrol will instantly net you a +1 with Maxx "C", and if the Infernity player isn't a complete idiot, they will stop their turn right there. At the very least, it thins out your deck by one card and buys you a turn.
4) Save MST for Launcher if you can.
An Infernity player top-decking/searching Launcher is an instant +3 for them. Not only do they get Necromancer and Archfiend back from the grave, BUT they also get to resolve their effects as well. It's like your opponent saying "You're dead and you can't do a **** thing about it" to you. However, having Launcher being a Continuous Spell card means that you can simply use MST on it and stop your opponent from getting probably one of the easiest +3s in the game.
5) Trap Stun/Royal Decree/Seven Tools, and to an extent even Naturia Barkion, is a **** for the Infernity player.
The average Infernity duelist runs a large Trap lineup. If you can stop their Traps from going off, it's pretty much game for them because they have no way to defend against your plays.
There are obviously more ways to combat the deck and beat it, but hopefully this should get your juices running. I did not include any side-deck shenanigans in this article since I wanted to make it as generic as possible, but noteworthy mentions include Vanity's Emptiness, D.D. Crow (to target Archfiends when Necromancer brings them back/Street Patrols milled due to Lavalval Chain), Mistake, and Thunder King Rai-Oh (no searches from Archfiend for you, good sir).
Until next time, my fellow NA members.
-MorphGuy1000
