Flash back towards November and December 2012. Abyss Rising had just come out, and the new Atlantean Structure Deck brought us the likes of Atlantean Dragoons, Marksman, and Heavy Infantry. Drawing into Mermail Abyssmegalo and Atlantean Dragoons in your opening hand, along with another WATER monster to pitch for Abyssmegalo's summoning effect, meant exactly 8K damage as long as you searched Deep Sea Diva with Heavy Infantry. Matches could've been over in the course of five minutes, and cards that were once powerful staples in any deck were now easily obliterated by Marksman and Infantry.
Flash forward towards the present, and Konami has hit Dragoons and Diva to one. As a result, the OTK that once made Mermails the powerhouse they used to be is no more. The deck can still function, but it now lacks a somewhat-major component from its past that made it so devestating.
This, however, does not mean you can underestimate Mermails. Marksman and Infantry are still pains in the ass for many decks, and outside of Macro Cosmos, Dimensional Fissure, and Soul Drain (which are all now at one, and is something not all decks can side nowadays), there is no way for players to really stop their effects from going off. Some of the Atlantean effects can also go uninterrupted through chain blocking (aka making the Atlanteans CL1, then having something like Gunde CL2, and Abyssmegalo's summon CL3; the only thing you can respond to is Gunde's effect and Abyssmegalo's summon, because the mandatory effects of the Atlantean monster and Gunde must be first in the Chain Link). Not to mention Tidal's release in Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy means that Dracossack, Big Eye, and Abyssgaios are relatively easy to make in this deck.
Alright, I'll admit it, the deck still has potential.
But this is what this article is about. How exactly do we combat such a deck with the resources we have, aside from the things that are already super-obvious to us (e.g. Mind Crush against Megalo/Teus when they drop for the summoning effect and Macro/D-Fissure/Soul Drain)?
1) GotSAG (aka Grave of the Super Ancient Organism)
GotSAG reads: "All face-up Level 6 or higher Special Summoned monsters on the field cannot declare an attack or activate their effects."
This card came out back in Raging Battle around three or four years ago, and since then, it has not made many competitive showings in many decks. If your Side Deck can accommodate this card, it can make Abyssmegalo, Abyssteus, and Abyssleed virtually useless outside of activating Atlantean monster effects and being used as overlay fodder. It's like Fiendish Chain for all of your opponent's boss monsters, except it's one card...and as long as Heavy Infantry isn't used, it lasts awhile, too. Not only can you side this card against Mermails, but you can use it against Karakuri (Geargia) and Dragon variants as well.
2) Crimson Blader
Not much explanation needed here. Kill something with Blader, and your opponent is virtually screwed for their next turn. You will usually be able to finish them off one turn later after they pass. It's simple, really, and any deck that can run a generic Level 8 Synchro already has this guy in there.
3) Steelswarm Roach
People seem to overlook Roach, since he is generally outclassed by other Rank 4 monsters. However, this isn't necessarily the case, since Roach does have its merits against Mermails, Karakuris, Dragon variants, and to an extent, even Spellbooks if you have ways to negate Fate (e.g. Lance). Against Dragon variants, this doesn't necessarily work as well due to the fact that Blaster (sadly) is a card, but to me, this guy really shines against Mermails. Your opponent is forced to waste their Heavy Infantry on this guy so that they can continue playing Yu-Gi-Oh. While he isn't the best of options, he's also something worth considering if you so need it.
4) MST THE FREAKING SPHERE...or should you?
Like against Infernity, saving MST for Abyss-sphere generally is a good idea. However, many Mermail decks run more than just triple Sphere; many of them have found ways to incorporate cards such as Abyss-Squall, Vanity's Emptiness, and sometimes even Royal Decree. Before you just MST Sphere upon activation, take a moment to examine how the Mermail player runs his deck. Are there a lot of Traps that you should be wary of? If so, holding on to MST and letting the Sphere resolve might not be that bad of an idea. It all really comes down to who you're playing against, and their own personal preference towards how to run this deck.
It also might not be a bad idea to side, or even start main-decking, Trap Stun should you anticipate this deck at where you play Yu-Gi-Oh and if you have the space in your deck to fit it in. Seven Tools of the Bandit could also work.
5) Maxx "C" = free turn
Like Infernity, this deck also Special Summons a lot too, and Maxx "C" is easily chainable to the summons of Abyssmegalo and Abyssteus. As a result, make use of the EARTH Insect against this deck.
6) Debunk
Debunk is the absolute nuts in this deck. Not only will you stop Megalo, Teus, and Leed (if they do for some reason randomly go for its summoning effect), but you will also negate things like Linde, Gunde, and even particular Atlantean effects based on what your opponent decides to chain block. It will also make sure an Abyssgunde later on in the duel won't be able to revive whatever you've decided to Debunk (unlike Mind Crush, which leaves that option open).
7) Diamond Dust
This card hasn't been released for the TCG yet, but when it does drop, I expect it to be a high-value card. Let's see why.
- Spoiler:
Diamond Dust
Normal Trap Card
Destroy all WATER monsters on the field, then inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each WATER monster in the Graveyard that was sent there because of being destroyed by this effect.
I feel as if Konami is somehow trying to bring Raigeki back into this game! Ahahaha. On a more serious note, though, this is the absolute nuts against Mermail players (even more nutty than Debunk). Using one card to generate something as simple as a 1-for-1 in the worst-case scenario (and it'll generally be at least a +1 or +2, I'll guarantee you that much) is just insane. The burn damage can't go unnoticed as well. Be sure to pick up a copy of this card when it drops for the TCG.
Again, this is by no means a complete guide; this is just to get the ball rolling. How do you combat Mermails? Comment below
Until next time, NA.
-MorphGuy1000
