Digimon Card Game – The Seven Great Demon Lords

Some of the most popular Digimon are the Seven Great Demon Lords. Each of them represents a different Deadly Sin, which have been of interest to fantasy enthusiasts for years (spurned on by Fullmetal Alchemist). To that end, for those who might be looking to build decks around these demons, here’s a quick rundown of how they work, overall, and what to build with them.

Lucemon: King of the Game

As the sin of pride, Lucemon cards are all about lording your power over your opponents. These cards force your opponents to make choices, all of which benefit you. In other words, they are forced to play the game by your rules. You are the king, and they have bow to your whims.

Cards that complement this style are ones that both protect Lucemon and make your opponent’s decisions harder. For example, if your opponent has to choose between Deleting one of their Digimon or letting your Recovery a Security Card, wouldn’t it be nice to have a tamer that gives you a Memory whenever you add a Card to your Security? That way, your opponent has even more factors to weigh when making your decisions.

Lilithmon: Mother of Pain

As would be appropriate for the sin of lust, Lilithmon, with one exception, is a spawner/resurrector. She can let you play Digimon for your Hand or Trash and, in one case, even bring back option cards from the Trash.

Some of her cards also include some self-preservation elements, which allow her to Delete other Digimon to protect herself. It should be noted that these “other Digimon” include your opponent’s Digimon, which means she can inflict pain for her own pleasure. There’s a word for that, but I’m not sure I can say it.

To build around her, you’d need a lot of little minions to do her bidding.

Barbamon: All for Me

Greedy Barbamon is the only one allowed to have good things. As such, these cards are all about denying your opponent options by targeting their Hand. All Barbamon cards have some effect that causes your opponent to Trash cards from their Hand. Only Barbamon can have a horde.

To that end, cards that Trash your opponent’s Hand are excellent with Barbamon. Each card also has a spawning component, so make sure to pick cards that follow within those parameters.

Leviamon: Rise up from the Depths

These cards are all about being petty, which is apropos for the sin of envy. All of them compare your Battlefield against your opponent’s. Usually, if your opponent has more Digimon/Tamers than you, they end up suffering severely. Leviamon is, therefore, very good at helping you win from behind.

It’s a little hard to build around Leviamon, since you kind of want to keep your resources low until it’s time to strike. Recovery cards and strong Blockers are probably your best bet.

Belphemon: All in Due Time

The sin of sloth is all about cycling. You have to switch between Sleep Mode and Rage Mode to fully exploit his potential. Setup is also key. This means that there will be a long period of passivity before a sudden burst of aggression. Makes sense for the sleepy goat.

Focus on cards that speed up the advent of Rage Mode and can bring it back from the Trash if necessary. Protection is also highly valuable.

Beelzemon: Enough is Never Enough

These cards are all about hurting yourself to gain better rewards. Your Trash plays a massive role in these cards’ ability, some of which are excessive. These cards are about finding a happy medium between filling up your Trash and staying in the game. Basically, it’s a race between how much you can gluttonously gorge versus how fast you can destroy your opponent’s Security.

Cards that Trash from your deck or have an effect based on your Trash work well with Beelzemon, as well as cards that Return things from your Trash as well.

Creepymon: Strike Fast and Strike Hard

I’m, appropriately, still very wrathful that they changed this Digimon’s name. Daemon fit so much better. In any event, this card rewards aggression. It wants you to attack, even if it means your Digimon will be Deleted, because if you have enough cards in your Trash, these cards can inflict some massive damage to your opponent’s deck.

Shock troops are your best bet. Digimon you can spawn quickly and cheaply while you build up Creepymon in the background. Also, these cards have a spawn effect, so make sure to add accordingly. The BT8 version can let you spawn Lucemon: Chaos Mode for free. Just something to be aware of.