Ever since the Yugioh manga began in 1996, the franchise has captivated fans worldwide. The Yugioh card game has remained one of the most popular tabletop games for the whole of its existence. With nearly 20 years of history, Yugioh may appear daunting to an outsider. Luckily, Konami periodically releases Structure Decks for new players.

What is a Structure Deck?

Also known as a Pre-Con, or Starter Deck, Structure Decks are full, pre-built decks that can be played right out of the box. They usually follow a certain theme, archetype, or are built around the deck of an anime character. Yugioh structure decks often introduce new cards to support existing strategies, or introduce new strategies altogether.

How to pick a Structure Deck?

Yugioh Structure Decks are varied in their playstyle, theming, and power level. If you are only just starting out, it might be a good idea to ask your friends what deck they think you might enjoy. You can also pick a deck based on which one has the coolest monster on the box. Failing that, I will detail the pros and cons of some of the more popular decks.

Most Popular Structure Decks

Generally, the most popular Yugioh decks are the newest ones. This is because the general power level of new cards tends tends to creep upwards over time. This isn’t always true though, as newly released cards will often enable new combinations with older cards. The decks listed below are those that pair well with many different types of archetype and strategy.

Fire Kings

Fire King is an older Yugioh archetype that has recently received new support. The deck is made up of fire-themed Beasts, Winged-Beasts, and Beast-Warriors. These “Fire Kings” unleash a powerful effect when destroyed. The cover card is “Sacred Fire King Garunix”, a powerful phoenix that can destroy any monster in your deck. Depending on which card you pick, this can destroy all monsters on the field, wipe out every spell and trap, or summon a huge monster. This deck supports a lasting playstyle, where you gain consistent advantage over your opponents.
Fire Kings pair very well with many cards in the current meta, and the deck can be combined with others in a myriad of ways.

Albaz Strike

Albaz Strike introduced much of the support for the “Branded” archetype. Branded Yugioh decks focus on fusion summoning, a method that allows you to combine two weaker monsters into a powerful threat. The cover card is “Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon”, a fusion monster that can banish a card from the field, and destroys all your opponents monsters if it is forced to leave the field. The deck is built to perform consecutive fusion summons and end your turn with an impressive Mirrorjade guarding your life points. This deck can play through many interruptions, and still leave a potent field for your opponents turn.
Branded cards are used in many fusion decks, and can enable you to summon many other fusion monsters.

The Crimson King

The Crimson King is a deck built around the character “Jack Atlas” from the Yugioh 5ds anime. Jack’s ace monster, Red Dragon Archfiend, has received a huge upgrade in the form of “Scarred Dragon Archfiend”. This demonic dragon can summon another dragon, and destroy all attack position monsters your opponent controls. Jack’s deck focuses on synchro summoning, and chains together summons of dragons and fiends to end your turn with a board full of huge monsters. This deck is combo-focused, and an uninterrupted turn leaves a nigh-unbreakable presence on the board.
Red Dragon Archfiend has received other support recently, which can be added to this deck to make it more consistently threatening.

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