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Imperial Flames – Unleashing Uria
Beau Butler
8/18/2012 7:00:00 AM  Ever since the debut of the Egyptian God Cards, I've had a powerful affinity for Slifer the Sky Dragon. Red was always my favorite color; the winding, long style of dragon had been my favorite since I'd gotten into DragonBall Z as a toddler; and he controlled fire and lightning. Everything about Slifer was made for me. Unfortunately, I was doomed to never play my then-favorite monster, since it lacked a TCG-legal version. Then, years later, a TCG iteration of my favorite God Card was released under a new name: Uria, Lord of Searing Flame.
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Again I found myself enamored with him visually and by concept of both name and effect. Despite being so different to the Slifer I knew, I was practically ecstatic. SO many things about Uria are worth noting right off the bat! For starters, it retains the Slifer-esque, “1000 ATK per X scenario” boost, albeit this version relies on Continuous Trap cards in the Graveyard rather than cards in hand. Its Special Summon condition is to tribute three face-up Trap cards, which means the attack will usually start out at 3000. That's a big number, both for Uria's time of release and today! Another point about the ATK is that it's printed at 0, not “?”. That means effects that search for cards based on low attack points can retrieve it, like Sangan for example. Lastly, and arguably most importantly, Uria can destroy a face-down Spell or Trap under your opponent's control in a very unique way: the activation of that effect cannot be responded to with other Spells or Traps. That wording is especially important to keep in mind, because it only limits those types of effects. An opponent with chainable monster effects can still chain one of them and then chain as many Spells or Traps as they desire. Maximizing Uria's effectiveness is the biggest thing we want to do here, and we're not exactly going to do it in a common way.
This deck list features a lot of unorthodox choices in both the monster and trap line, and it's accompanied by a particularly specific Extra Deck. Catching opponents off guard is going to be easy since Uria isn't a popular deck anyway, and we're going to have even more of a surprise factor since the way we're going about things is downright weird. Out of the Ashes At the time of Uria's debut to the world, the Dueling community was largely unmoved by its arrival. The number of Continuous Traps released at the time was far too low to facilitate a deck based around it, and their effects weren't very versatile. Now that new and better options have been put at Uria's disposal, though, a strategy centered on it is fully viable. Previously, decks focused on Uria were heavily defensive and lacked any kind of speed. For that reason, many decks nowadays would just out-speed the older Uria strategies, and set up against it too quickly. This build tries to avoid that scenario by shedding some defensive layers in the name of increasing speed. In the hope of facilitating a faster gameplan, Uria picked up a new set of wheels in Cardcar D. Built for a deck that doesn't frequently Special Summon on its owner's turn, Cardcar D is perfect to complement the low monster count of a deck based on heavy trap lines.
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While it's true that cards like Graceful Revival and Limit Reverse would have been perfect for Cardcar D, that unfortunate “Cannot be Special Summoned” line in its effect essentially means that those Continuous Traps are off limits here. However, in exchange for your ability to Special Summon Cardcar D (or other monsters during the turn you activate its effect), you can Tribute Cardcar D for two cards and then end the current turn. Since the typical Main Phase 1 scenario for this strategy is to set the majority of your hand, Cardcar D's hindrances are entirely moot. The extra horsepower helping you draw through the deck means you'll be able to reach Uria more consistently as well, and on a play that gives you increased hand size. Any time you can generate a +1 in card presence while still furthering your campaign towards victory, you should do it. Pot of Duality augments the thinning and consistency by letting you see more cards. Sine it prevents you from Special Summoning for the duration of the turn on which it's activated, it can be used on the same turn as Cardcar D with virtually no negative consequences. Tragoedia also makes an appearance due to the deck's low number of monsters, and the fact that it can be Special Summoned regardless of set spells or traps, unlike Gorz the Emissary of Darkness. With Cardcar D helping keep cards in your hand and Pot of Duality giving you more reliable access to your choice effects, Tragoedia can finish games by itself. Setting Fires This deck's ensemble of trap cards is where the really outlandish choices start to emerge. Without an overabundance of defensive effects, we can play an absurd amount of raw draw power. Between three copies each of Accumulated Fortune, Cardcar D, Pot of Duality, Legacy of Yata-Garasu, Jar of Greed, and Reckless Greed, the deck sports an impressive EIGHTEEN-card draw engine. Given that they allow you to cumulatively draw a total of twenty-seven cards, you'll never need them all, but Pot of Duality and Cardcar D can lead to the kind of opening plays that almost assuredly gain you cards. Along with Tragoedia, such an array of draw power can be deadly in its own respect, not mentioning the basic function of rushing through to Uria and your Continuous Traps. Drawing four to six cards in response to an attack against your own Tragoedia can lead to huge Life Point swings that no foe's going to be excited about. Beyond a ludicrous amount of draw support, the deck has quite a lot of flexibility thanks to the cache of Continuous Traps. Imperial Custom is arguably the number one Continuous Trap for this deck. Ever. It allows your face-up Continuous Traps to handle anything that would result in destruction with impunity. Skill Drain is kind of an easy and direct choice. While it's true that it'll negate Uria and Tragoedia's abilities, monsters like Cardcar D, Sangan and the hand trap monsters are unaffected. Since the effect of trap monsters like Zoma the Spirit and Metal Reflect Slime that treats them as monsters is that of a trap card, they slide under Skill Drain's negation. The same applies to the effect that grants them their ATK, DEF, Level, Type and Attribute. It will negate any abilities Trap Monsters have that are considered to be their effects as monsters, but only if they resolve face-up on the field. Zoma the Spirit doesn't, so you'll still get its burn damage. Zoma and Slime are perfect for this deck, because it's so easy to sit behind them and activate handfuls of draw power for a turn or two before you explode. Even the times where Imperial Custom has yet to show itself and your trap monsters are vulnerable to destruction, you can count on Zoma the Spirit pushing in damage for you. That can be a good deterrent for attacks in the mid- and late-game, depending on your opponent's Life Points. You may not even need other protection at that point! You have additional protective traps in Scrubbed Raid, Safe Zone and Fiendish Chain. The ultimate defensive Continuous Trap, Scrubbed Raid, can send a card you control to the graveyard and end either player's Battle Phase. There are just so many applications for that card's effect. Not only does it protect your monsters from battle, but by activating it during your own Battle Phase, you can essentially “dodge” the effects of things like Dimensional Prison that would affect an “attacking monster”. Another point to be made about Scrubbed Raid is that it can activate as a Spell Speed 2 effect after already being face-up on the field previously. By chaining it to cards that would go to the Graveyard after resolution anyway, like Jar of Greed or Legacy of Yata-Garasu, you can mitigate the cost of having to lose a card. Fiendish Chain can also halt monsters in their tracks, and buy you extra turns to bring Uria's burning judgment to the field. Safe Zone is another defensive card with a lot of offensive and tactical applications. While it can be used to keep your monsters safe, it can also be chained to your opponent's Heavy Storm or Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy a monster on the field; chained to Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier's effect to the same result; or used to target an opponent's monster before sending it to the Graveyard to Special Summon Uria. Even without the destruction of an opponent's monster, it can be used to turn a Cardcar D or trap monster into a Spirit Reaper on steroids, or to save Uria from something like Dark Hole. It can even be sent to the Graveyard via Scrubbed Raid to destroy a monster while you end the Battle Phase. Extra Thoughts Even though the Main Deck is lacking in monsters, the Extra Deck is a fully-stocked toolbox with all the effects that would ever need to be put onto the field. Being able to Xyz Summon using trap monsters means that Rank 4's are available, and having extensive options at your fingertips can be game changing. Two Zoma can mean access to big beaters, attack negation, and the ability to change monsters' battle positions and negation of Special Summons. A third Zoma, however uncommon, can mean the global negation of a single card type thanks to Number 16: Shock Master. Regardless of the frequency with which those plays are made, the possibility of making them is always significant. Multiple Cardcar D or a Cardcar D plus Tragoedia can lead to Rank 2 summons. Gachi Gachi Gantetsu is the one you'll make almost every time you get a chance. The extra defense of either Gachi Gachi Gantetsu or Number 39: Utopia can be another huge boon. Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En and Shadow of the Six Samurai - Shien are included solely because they are glorious in every aspect, and there was no need for any more Xyz Monsters. Without Monster Reborn or Mind Control, there aren't any occasions to make Xyz Monsters that aren't specifically able to be summoned by the monsters in the Main Deck. Heat Reactions Most metagames are heavy on Inzektors, Wind-Ups, Chaos Dragons and Dino-Rabbit right now, and when I write an article about a deck list, I always make sure to point out how the deck functions in those match-ups. This strategy is a little different from previous articles, because the overall gameplan doesn't change much between match-ups. That's not to say that the deck only has one approach, but your main goal is always going to be unleashing Uria against every opponent. Scrubbed Raid is definitely going to be your go-to option against Chaos Dragons, with Fiendish Chain to hold back Dark Armed Dragon from destroying it. As long as you can keep those two cards safe with Imperial Custom or Solemn Judgment, you'll have an exceptional time dealing with their battle tricks. Without battle or Dark Armed Dragon, that deck is hard-pressed to achieve victory. Zoma the Spirit is also going to be really relevant in that match-up because Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and Lightpulsar Dragon do a lot of damage when they attack over it. Metal Reflect Slime can handle anything in that deck with its 3000 DEF, and Tragoedia gets big enough to be a powerful attacking force through the hordes of draw cards you can activate after it's on the field. Mystical Space Typhoon should definitely be at three copies in the Side Deck for this match, since Royal Decree is no stranger to a Chaos Dragon duelist's Side. Twister might also be something to consider, but base your decisions on what's being played around you the most. Inzektors are a little more difficult, but Fiendish Chain and Skill Drain keep Inzektor Hornet plays at bay very effectively, and Safe Zone can destroy an Inzektor Dragonfly before it activates its Special Summon ability. Scrubbed Raid can let you defend against Overwhelming attack power from Inzektor Giga-Mantis and Inzektor Sword - Zektkaliber. Holding back your opponent's Xyz Monsters can be difficult if they're using monsters already equipped with Fiendish Chain as material, because you can run out of options. Side Decking in Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror is definitely going to be a big thing during this match-up. Against Wind-Ups, Fiendish Chain is going to be really important. Negation of your opponent's Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity effects can mean bad things for a Wind-Up Duelist, protecting your hand from unwanted discarding. In addition, because a lot of your opening hands are going to involve setting three or more Traps, this deck can limit its own weakness to hand disruption. Even if your hand is partially discarded, though, Zoma the Spirit and Metal Reflect Slime can be enough of a wall to hold the field for a short time and accumulate a new hand. Summon Limit shines in the Side Deck against Wind-Ups, and can cause alot of trouble for them. Thunder King Rai-Oh or Doomcaliber Knight would also be choices worth considering, or Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo. Anything that can either wipe a Wind-Up Duelist's field or cut off their Supply of Wind-Up monsters from Wind-Up Factory is both helpful and worth using. Compulsory Evacuation Device can be a big factor as well, since it rips Xyz Monsters away from the field with no cost. In terms of how to approach Dino-Rabbits, Fiendish Chain is your strongest option to prevent a Tour Guide From the Underworld play early on. Book of Moon is the closest thing you have to an answer against Rescue Rabbit, though, so your Side Deck is going to be massively important. Skill Drain has the ability to shut down Evolzar Laggia and Evolzar Dolkka before they come out and keep them from disrupting your plays. Forbidden Lance can prove to be an irritation, but if either of the Evolzars are suffering Lance's ATK decrease they can be destroyed by Zoma the Spirit in battle. Compulsory Evacuation Device is a relevant card in this match as well, since it can bounce a Sabersaurus or Kabazauls Summoned by Rescue Rabbit to the opponent's hand, leaving the other to die at the end of the turn. Gozen Match and Rivalry of Warlords can be exceptional against the deck as well, preventing your opponent from Xyz Summoning either of their Evolzars. Every instance of a disrupted Evolzar summon means you get more time to build your card presence and set up big plays. Rogue decks like Dark World and Six Samurai can be handled by Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror, Gozen Match, Rivalry of Warlords, or Summon Limit. The Side Deck is definitely one of the biggest parts of an Uria duelist's bag of tricks. If you can master that element of the deck, the world of competitive success can open up to you. Burning Future Uria, Lord of Searing Flames is definitely a gimmick card, and there's no way around that, but it's a gimmick with the support to perform under competitive conditions. The strategy has a lot of potential, and there are a million directions that it can be taken. After only a week of testing, nothing should be considered the right way to run a deck around Uria, and the only limitations on the deck are the Continuous Traps released to date and your own innovation. It's definitely fun to play with, and fantastic for local or Regional competition. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in straying away from popular choices and doing their own thing. -Beau 
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this card!
