Notes & Combos

Vanquish Soul K9 has got to be one of my favorite decks in the game to play. It really rewards good sequencing and resource management. Here's a brief rundown if you're new to the deck:

Both VS and K9 synergize super well

• VS lines get you access to Ripper which bridges into the K9s for a bunch of additional Xyzs and usually an Izuna in hand. K9 lines don't directly bridge into VS, but K9 lines can easily make Saryuja (which almost always draws into VS) or a bunch of strong Xyzs.

In-archetype handtraps

• Izuna send Lupis is non-target removal or a Book of Moon. Lupis by himself is an untargetable TY-PHON with the benefit of no lock on your turn. Sue + DARK & EARTH is a steal. Sue + DARK & FIRE is effectively two pops, both of them non-targeting.

Nearly unbreakable endboard

• The full endboard is super layered and just a ton of strong interruptions. If the opponent doesn't have a Raigeki, Evenly Matched, or other boardbreaker, they're probably losing.

Great matchup against Dracotail

• Izuna is always live against Dracotail and hard-counters Faimena if you make Ripper at the end of their Turn 1. VSK9 is also very resistant against the Dracotail traps since it doesn't rely on ATK position monsters, GY plays, or Spells most of the time.

-----------------------------------

Now I'm going to discuss my deckbuilding choices:

Why no Mulcharmies?

• I don't like how the Mulcharmies aren't EARTH, FIRE, or DARK attribute since those are the attributes VS needs. The Mulcharmies are really bad to open going first in this deck since they don't do anything, and drawing a dead attribute can potentially brick your hand. It's not wrong to include Mulcharmies given how they're still so good going 2nd, but I just don't like them in this deck.

Why 3x Borger?

• Because I like Borger lol. I guess a better reason is that it's a VS name which makes Sue more likely to be live. Dodging targeted interaction with Borger is also appreciated. 3x Borger is not standard at all, but I like this ratio.

What do the Rescue-ACEs do in this deck?

• The R-ACE cards are FIRE attributes that can draw into your handtraps. You chain Impulse to an opponent's search effect to summon Fire Attacker which draws on resolution. They're mostly played for their FIRE attribute since we're low on FIREs otherwise.

VSK9 is not only a top-tier deck, but also a really fun one. Hoping the banlist won't touch this deck for a while so I can keep playing it for the next few months.