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Psychics Two Ways
Ben McDowell
8/1/2012 10:38:00 AM 
Hi there! Today we're going to talk about a monster Type that's been touched on before, but that I want to take in some interesting new direction. Psychics!A Brief History Of Psychics I believe that the key cards for Psychics came at three separate times. The first batch of important cards arrived with the Psychic-Type's initial release in The Duelist Genesis. The Type received a big boost when their Synchro Fusion, Ultimate Axon Kicker was released in The Duelist Revolution, and they then received more powerful cards in Extreme Victory. Extreme Victory heralded a new age for Psychics. No longer would they be slow; have to pay to achieve their most powerful effects; or suffer a lack of high-ATK monsters. Extreme Victory brought real beatsticks into the Psychic arsenal, ones that could replace themselves when they were destroyed. You can't just attack into a Silent Psychic Wizard, lest it release whatever Psychic-Type it banished previously. Combos with Esper Girl and Serene Psychic Witch created heavy consequences for the opponent's aggression. Suddenly Psychics had the ability to maintain hand and field presence, and it revolutionized the way Psychics could be played. Fast forward to today: Psychics aren't receiving new cards on a regular basis, but the simple fact is that they don't need them. There's already almost any kind of Psychic card one could need, and today I'm going to go over what I believe are the best and most usable Psychics. Evaluating the Extra-Sensory Psychics have been blessed with some of the strangest monsters ever printed, including a Wind-up. Wind-Up Juggler is monster removal wrapped in a 1700 ATK frame. Its removal effect kicks in at a very specific time, where most cards can't respond to it. Since Juggler 's ability activates in the damage step after damage calculation, its effect can still trigger even if it's attacked face-down. Juggler's a great way to bait out opposing trouble, such as an Evolzar Laggia or Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, while at the same time having enough flexibility to put a decent amount of hurt on the opponent should tempo move the other way.
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Wind-Up Juggler is the clearest example of the new age Psychics. They're monsters that have great effects, with no serious cost attached, and their stats don't suffer for it. In the vein of monsters with high ATK and great effects, Silent Psychic Wizard is one of the best. It's a pretty simple card, combining aggressive ATK with a ridiculously good fallback plan. When you Normal Summon it, the Wizard banishes a Psychic-Type from your graveyard. Should the Wizard then be sent to the yard itself, by any means whatsoever, the monster it banished comes to the field in whatever position you wish. On top of that, if the monster you banish and Special Summon is something like Esper Girl, its effect triggers netting you a free draw. You can Summon the Wizard, banish something, and run headfirst into another 1900 ATK monster like Thunder King Rai-Oh and get a quick +1 in card presence by Special Summoning whatever you banished. Or you can Summon the Wizard; activate its banish effect and choose your target; then let your opponent chain Torrential Tribute. Torrential will resolve to destroy your Wizard; the banish effect will still work; and then the Wizard's mandatory effect will start a new chain to Special Summon whatever you removed. Again, that can be an easy +1 scenario. With these aggressive and controlling monsters, Psychics are good, but what makes them great is their crack squad of defensive monster. Serene Psychic Witch is the defensive beast of the theme. With a respectable 1400 ATK and 1200 DEF, the Witch can go toe-to-toe with recruiting monsters like Mystic Tomato, and if it's destroyed and sent to the graveyard its effect activates. Her Special Summon effect has to be negated at activation, too, something alot of players don't realize. The Witch combos really well with the new be-all end-all Psychic Tuner, Esper Girl. While her stats are nothing heavy to say the least, Esper Girl is by far the Tuner of choice. At Level 2, she's perfect for searching out with Psychic Witch or Emergency Teleport. However, what makes Esper Girl really shine is her ability. Her mandatory effect might as well say "draw one card," and it turns her into a definite plus. You'll get to claim the card you banished even if you use Esper Girl as a Synchro Material, making Synchro Summons even better. Psychics can tap into plenty of boss monsters too, with the big ones being Hyper Psychic Blaster, Thought Ruler Archfiend, and Ultimate Axon Kicker. I'll get more into their higher Level monsters later. Moving on, the only theme-stamped spell that's reliably going to benefit Psychics right now is probably Emergency Teleport, which stands as one of their most versatile tricks. That's not to say that there aren't other Psychic cards that could be playable in the right build: we just won't be playing them in either of today's decks. Future Glow and Psychic Feel Zone are great cards that can lead into powerful plays. I can't include Miracle Synchro Fusion as a Psychic-specific card, since it isn't limited to just this theme. But thanks to the ease with which it lets you Summon Ultimate Axon Kicker, it may as well be, as it's essentially the easiest of the Synchro Fusions to Summon. These are what I would consider to be the staples for most Psychic decks, and they're by far the easiest cards to splash into other strategies to create something unique and original. Let's take a look at a few of the simple ways we can combine these Psychics with cards from other archetypes, and find some ridiculous combos to boot!
If there was ever a defensive deck that can turn wildly aggressive at the drop of a hat, I would have to say this is it. With six chances to draw into the all-important Tanngnjostr of the Nordic Beasts, this deck loves playing both aggressively and defensively. The ability to abuse Emergency Teleport should be quite evident, allowing you to quickly unleash the Naturia Synchros and make the most of the huge fields this deck can generate. On the other hand, the ability to set Fenrir' rel="/db/WP-CH.asp?CN=Gleipnir, the Fetters of Fenrir">Gleipnir, the Fetters of Fenrir is a boon as well, working as a powerful bluff and getting you to Tanngnjostr plays. Tanngnjostr's effect Special Summons Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts, allowing quick, one-card access to three Level 7 Synchros. Black Rose Dragon, Psychic Lifetrancer, and Ancient Sacred Wyvern all have their places, and can easily turn the tide of a Duel. Lifetrancer has a dual purpose: beyond being a Psychic Synchro with the ability to banish Psychics for Life Points, it's also fuel for the Psychic's boss monster, Ultimate Axon Kicker. Axon Kicker is a nightmare to so many competitive decks right now. Some, like Inzektors, are known to just admit defeat the moment this thing hits the field. But Axon Kicker isn't the only signature boss monster this strategy's packing! Thor, Lord of the Aesir knocks blocks off, eliminating monsters that would otherwise be extremely difficult to remove such as Wind-Up Zenmaines and Spirit Reaper. With an intimidating 3500 ATK, the only widely-played monster that can top Thor right now is Five-Headed Dragon. Beyond that, anything that would destroy Nordic God and send it to the grave is only a temporary solution, since Thor wields the ability to banish a Nordic Tuner to revive itself from the graveyard and smack the opponent for 800 damage! This build was designed for consistency. I've eschewed Solemn Warning and Solemn Judgment due to their Life Point costs, and I've done that for two reasons. First, this deck often absorbs damage by drawing out attacks: it's necessary to do that some times, in order to play some of your best monster effects. In addition, Ancient Sacred Wyvern can simply end games when opponents have no response to it, and its potential to devastate your opponent is directly linked to your Life Point total. It's really cool, because it multiplies the impact of every monster that attacks before it. This deck's really good at protecting itself, deterring the opponent from attacking, and then building towards aggressive plays that Multiply card presence and generate big, tough attackers. Up next, we're going to take the Psychic theme in a totally different direction, pairing them with Tech Genus!
This strategy works on a similar principal as the Nordic build, but thanks to the self-replacing ability of the Tech Genus theme it can afford to be more aggressive. It also has access to the Tech Genus Synchros. T.G. Wonder Magician was devastating in previous formats, and its ability to crush backrow cards is still just as volatile. When Emergency Teleport and T.G. Warwolf come into play, T.G. Blade Blaster doesn't seem as impossible as it might seem in dedicated Tech Genus decks. Although this deck doesn't place as much emphasis on getting out Ultimate Axon Kicker, it's far more focused on making big plays. Since T.G. Warwolf can be summoned off of nearly any effect, setting up bigger Synchros isn't a problem. Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning and Dark Armed Dragon are easy to Summon at almost any point in a Duel, thanks in part to the T.G. searching ability quickly filling your graveyard. This build doesn't play Wyvern, and as such can afford to play Solemn Warning and Solemn Judgment. On top of that, it's more focused on grinding out card advantage on a play by play basis, as opposed to trying to build massive advantage in a single turn. The Psychic monsters are still a powerful Synchro-oriented archetype that can fit into alot of other strategies. They're adaptable, and enjoy quite very unique abilities that you just can't find in other themes. These decks today, as unique as they are, are far less centered on control than some other Psychic builds. That's just a point of personal taste for me, but you may find that they work well for you, too. -Ben McDowell 
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this card!