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Harpies for the Next Generation
Patrick Murray
11/29/2006  Click here to discuss this thread!I have been playing with the many versions of Harpie Lady since we started off with just the original, and trying to figure out which one to choose from the many variations can become quite the issue when constructing a deck that can be played at a tournament level. I have had to face many defeats until I was able to come up with the winning combination to bring home the gold. I will explain the means and tech best used for a successful Harpie Deck. You should first understand that Harpies can be temperamental, and that's not me trying to sound like a reject from the original YuGiOh series. It goes without Question that commonly used cards that have become firmly rooted in the current metagame may not find their way into a Harpie deck. So, here we go. First I will display the deck that has caused much stress to those that have faced it. The cards are (hopefully) easily found in your local game store and don't require an investment like the Cyber Dragon, Monarch, or Splash Stein. My deck cost a little more then normal only because I found the rare or ultra-rare for some of the commons that have been reprinted over the years.
For the more experienced duelist it is not hard to see the theme behind this deck. For the less experienced, let me explain the reason behind the madness. The general theme in this deck is Harpies. That we can all see, but the other theme, a little more under the surface, is permanent trap removal/effect destruction. How many times has your opponent flipped a Sakuretsu Armor, Dust Tornado, Torrential Tribute, Mirror Force, or Bottomless Trap Hole on you? Now imagine destroying not just one, but all of the copies in his/her deck with one single spell card. I am proud to introduce Nobleman of Extermination ...
As I mentioned above, commonly used cards may not find much play in a Harpie Deck. I run three Nobleman of Extermination so I have replaced the commonly used cards so when I target my opponents I do not have lose my copies as well. Also, with the threat of monarchs, mainly Zaborg and Mobius, I have had to overcome the loss of Bottomless and Sakuretsu Armor. The answer was Forced Back and Blast with Chain. These traps will return the threat while having them lose their tribute for nothing, or make it so that the monster they are tributing will be destroyed before they can even enter their battle phase. Karma Cut is my card of choice to make sure that pesky cards are removed from play so they can not be brought back with a Call Of The Haunted or a Premature Burial. I have even used it on a Sangan to prevent my opponent from getting its effect. You should have seen his face. I have attempted to remove the focus of the back field in order to force attacks from monsters. In an earlier article they spoke how monster life spans where dramatically short due to spells, traps, and monster effects upon summon or flip summon. I have generated a means to force the attack, leaving me to not fear the back field. Harpies have a natural swarm effect by design that, if played properly, will leave your opponent speechless. Let me explain some of the ways this deck can start the swarm that will end up a strong field presence before you even enter your battle phase.
Now we have seen his card in many warrior toolbox's, but Harpies fall right in sync with his ability as well. He can easily start the chain that places three or more monsters on your side of the field even before you enter your battle phase. Marauding Captain + Cyber Harpie Lady + Elegant Egotist for Harpie Lady Sisters' class=cardlink>Harpie Lady Sisters. Now you have three monsters from just one normal summon. Add in a Rising Air Current, Smashing Ground, or a Nobleman of Extermination and you can make an opening that causes major damage to their life points while still keeping a degree of hand control. Cyber Dragon + Marauding Captain + Cyber Harpie Lady + Elegant Egotist for Harpie Lady Sisters' class=cardlink>Harpie Lady Sisters. Now you may have a small hand, but you field presence will make your opponent Question his/her next move since in one normal summon you have 4 monsters facing them down. Plus, with spell and trap removal covering your back side, you can clear away their traps making your next attack more of a direct damage move. When dueling an opponent it seems that a 2400 attacker is the prime chose of most duelist. Monarchs, Jinzo, and other such monsters can be easily summoned with little to no effort. Harpies are lacking in the attack point department, but a creature that suits them well has opened the doors for evenly matched play. Insects have been a part of the Harpies history with a specific searcher named Flying Kamakiri #1. It effect allows you to search out a wind monster with a attack of 1500 or less from your deck and special summon it to the field. That covers 4 of the 5 playable Harpie Ladys, leaving only Cyber Harpie Lady to be summoned through other means. I started to wonder what other insects could I use in a Harpie deck that could pair off with the increasing number of 2400 hitters taking over the game of YuGiOh. The answer came to me through the advise of a good friend of mine. Chainsaw Insect. It is a 2400 attack 0 Defense 4 star monster that is missed by Smashing Ground. The fact that it is a four star monster means that I can normal summon it without tribute and can use it in conjunction with Marauding Captain's effect as well. The only drawback it that it's effect forces your opponent to draw a card if it battles a monster. Playing Appropriate works great with its effect because when flipped face up when your opponent draws a card outside of their draw phase you draw 2 cards from your deck. Unfortunately, it will become the target of your opponent quickly after you get its effect even once. Back to the topic at hand. Harpies! Harpies can be played with great results in the current metagame. One card that I failed to talk about was Hysteric Party. It serves as a Call Of The Haunted for Harpies allowing you discard one card from your hand to special summon as many Harpie Lady/Sisters (if they were properly summoned before they reached the graveyard) as you have in your graveyard. Just like Call Of The Haunted they last as long as the trap remains on the field. Once destroyed all of the Harpie Lady/Sisters that were special summoned from its effect are returned to the graveyard. Another card that appeared from that structure set that can be useful as well as harmful is Aqua Chorus. It increases monsters of the same name attack/defense by 500 points. However, this effect also works for your opponent. Since the wind structure deck fell short for the lack reliable support I dusted off the card graveyard pulling cards like Magic Drain, Karma Cut, Forced Back, and Blast with Chain. They have given me different ideas of how to play. Since I am running 3 Nobleman of Extermination it only made since to play cards that my opponent would not like play. I have found that removing from play, returning to their hand, forcing them to pay a additional card, or destroying a card that is not limited to monsters/spells/or traps has proven to be quite effective. Hopefully, I have shown you just some of the ways that Harpies can still be played in the current metagame. Compared to the cookie cutters these decks may not have a history of making the top 8 in any resent championships, however, this deck does offer a level of competition in any given duel with the reward of surprising your opponent when they have no idea what your next move will be. For those I have faced in the past they know that what I speak is true after swarming the field to win the duel. Creativity will always be the driving force in the world of YuGiOh as duelists continue to come up with flesh ideas and unseen combos. New decks will end up becoming the next cookie cutters for the future. New sets will offer unforeseen threats as the game continues to grow. One thing I know for sure. The cards of the past can still find a place in the decks of the future. With ban list changes or new rulings we will always find ways to keep the life force of this game going for another year. Later… Click here to discuss this thread!
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