Yugioh - Masked HERO Deck Feb16 TCG [Adjusted Banlist]

This is possibly my favourite deck I've owned for any card game. I think I've had this deck for like 10 years now since the introduction of HEROs in Yugioh GX during my early high school days...damn I feel old though obviously the deck is much different than it once was.

"If all the heroes run and hide, who will stay and fight?"

- One Punch Man: Saitama-sensei

It's mainly built to play against meta at my locals right now which is heavily dominated by monarchs and kozmos now that the "Adjusted List" is live. So here it is an in depth deck profile:

Masked HEROs (M-Hero)

Main Deck:

3 Goblindbergh

3 E-HERO Shadow Mist

2 E-HERO Bubbleman

2 Summoner Monk

3 E-Emergency Call

2 Instant Fusion

3 A HERO Lives

1 Raigeki
1 Dark Hole

1 Reinforcement of the Army

1 Mask Charge

1 Book of Moon

3 Mask Change

2 Forbidden Chalice

3 Twin Twisters
1 Soul Charge

1 Bottomless Trap Hole

1 Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare

3 Call of the Haunted

2 Dark Bribe

1 Solemn Warning

Extra Deck:

2 M-HERO Dark Law

1 M-HERO Anki

1 M-HER Acid

1 Elder Entity Norden
1 Cairngorgon, Antiluminescent Knight
1 Number 39: Utopia
1 Number S39: Utopia Prime
1 Super Quantal Mech Beast Aeroboros
1 Number 86: Heroic Champion - Rhongomyniad

1 Gagaga Samurai

1 Heroic Champion - Excalibur
1 Abyss Dweller

1 Traptrix Rafflesia
1 Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer

Side Deck:

2 Swords of Concealing Light

2 Terraforming

2 Zombie World

1 Vanity's Emptiness

2 Mischief of the Gnomes

2 Mirror Force

3 Imperial Iron Wall
1 Treacherous Trap Hole

The aim of this deck is to get Shadow Mist on the field asap>make Dark Law and protect him!

The HERO Engine>>>

3 E-HERO Shadow Mist
If this card is Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Change" Quick-Play Spell Card from your Deck to your hand. If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "HERO" monster from your Deck to your hand, except "Elemental HERO Shadow Mist". You can only use 1 "Elemental HERO Shadow Mist" effect per turn, and only once that turn.

This is the core card of the deck and is pretty much the only reason HEROs are still running around. Being at dark type hero he gives access to one of the most powerful monster in the game right now M-HERO Dark Law but most importantly when special summoned or sent to the grave he nets you a +1 (either searching for a change card or e-hero monster) making xyz and mask change plays less costly. 

*Tip: Normally when you make a Masked HERO or xyz monster you're using 2 cards to make 1; therefore its a -1 for you. Shadow Mist gives you a card (Mask Change) when special summoned or sent to grave (HERO mosnter) therefore making it a 0 cost.*

3 E-HERO Bubbleman

If this is the only card in your hand, you can Special Summon it (from your hand). When this card is Summoned: You can draw 2 cards. You must control no other cards and have no cards in your hand to activate and to resolve this effect.

A very strong card to run in HEROs and what made them competitive post xyz era with the "Bubblebeat" decks. Bubbleman is able to summon himself to the field to make xyz plays as well as being a search target for E-Call and Shadow Mist; he is also a water target to access M-Hero Acid and also has a secondary effect to draw 2 cards (pot of greed =D) which can be pretty clutch in games where both plays are literally top decking to win.

It's such a good card why not play 3? Running him at 3 WILL clog, you generally don't want to open with too many monsters and definitely don't want to see 2 of these guys in your opening hand with another monster! 2 is a good number for me, I've never really needed more and games just don't last long enough to warrant a 3rd Bubbleman.

3 Mask Change

Target 1 "HERO" monster you control; send it to the Graveyard, also, after that, if it left the field by this effect, Special Summon 1 "Masked HERO" monster from your Extra Deck with the same Attribute that the sent monster had when it was on the field(its original Attribute, if face-down).

Obviously we need this to make Mask Heros...but also has some cool utilities such as using it for attack extensions, dodging card effects and continuously keeping a Masked Hero on the field.

3 E-Call & 1 ROTA

- Add 1 "Elemental HERO" monster from your Deck to your hand.

- Add 1 Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type monster from your Deck to your hand.

Since ROTA is at 1 now I play 3 E-Calls; not as good as ROTA but still a good card that searches like half our monster lineup...when unneeded it can used as fodder for Summoner Monk.

I run a low monster count of 10 (pretty standard in mhero builds though) and these basically function as monsters and upstarts effectively giving you the missing monster you need for your combo and deck slimming.

The Rank 4 Engine>>>

Since the HERO engine are all level 4 monsters it's only natural that their partners will be level 4 as well for easy access to rank 4 monsters.

3 Goblindbergh & 2 Summoner Monk

- When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your hand, also, after that, change this card to Defense Position.

- While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be tributed. If this card is Normal or Flip Summoned: Change this card to Defense Position. Once per turn: You can discard 1 Spell Card; Special Summon 1 Level 4 monster from your Deck, but that monster cannot attack this turn.

Multiple copies of Goblindbergh is run because ROTA is at 1 now and I really want to have him in my hand. Both these cards serve the same purpose; to special summon Shadow Mist>make Dark Law and to make rank 4 xyz plays. These 2 guys are probably the best pair to open with in this deck assuming their effects don't get negated =S
*Tip: Goblindbergh can special summon Monk in your hand; pitch a spell for Monk's effect to special summon Mist from deck>Mist's effect gets you a Mask Change from deck. 
You now the cards to make a rank 4 xyz and Dark Law.*

2 Instant Fusion & 1 Elder Entity Norden

- Pay 1000 LP; Special Summon 1 Level 5 or lower Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, but it cannot attack, also is destroyed during the End Phase. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.) You can only activate 1 "Instant Fusion" per turn.

- 1 Synchro or Xyz Monster + 1 Synchro or Xyz Monster
When this card is Special Summoned: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it, but its effects are negated, also banish it when this card leaves the field.

This gives you Norden one of the best level 4 fusions in the game; essentially this cup of noodles is a "1 card" xyz. The ratio is 2:1 because extra deck space is quite tight, I really only need Instant Fusion to go off once (if I do get the 2nd copy later I can use it as fodder for Twin Twisters or Summoner Monk) and since Ptolemaeus is no longer a thing I don't need the extra ramen to abuse it/bait out opposing Ptolemaeus.

3 A Hero Lives

If you control no face-up monsters: Pay half your LP; Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Elemental HERO" monster from your Deck.

*Tip: Use AHL effect> gets Shadow Mist; effect>gets Mask Change>set Mask Change. During your opponent's turn activate the set Mask Change to make Dark Law >Shadomist's effect> get Bubbleman.*

Basically like Instant Fusion its a "1 card" Dark Law/Anki. This card gives you an extra monster to work with; its great for first turn Dark Law+more plays and EXTREMELY strong late game especially if your in the top decking scenario.

I'm super yolo with this deck so half my LP is nothing where I can potentially take control of the game from here.

For the rest of the deck I'll only be explaining cards that I feel need an explanation/or are personal choices as most of the cards are self explanatory or standard in most builds.

Pressure/Board Clearing Cards>>>

My deck suffers greatly from backrow and big monsters; Dark Law can easily be bricked walled or run over and can be easily removed by backrow thus why I play these cards.

1 Raigeki

Destroy all monsters your opponent controls.

Still one of the strongest cards in the game since its release and probably the most powerful card combined with Dark Law on the field; it'll banish ALL of your opponents monsters allowing you to OTK, bait out card effects and protect Dark Law. 

One of the best cards in the deck combined with  Dark Law, Forbidden Chalice or Dark Bribe.

1 Dark Hole

Destroy all monsters on the field.

It's Raigeki with a handicap. But I also play a lot of recovery cards so generally it's not a big deal; no target monster removal is so important because decks like Monarchs literally say "you can't play Yugioh" if they have a established board and Kozmos just chain to everything.

3 Twin Twisters
Discard 1 card, then target up to 2 Spell/Trap Cards on the field; destroy them.

This is the new MST (mystical space typhoon). Yes it has a cost but is generally well worth it since backrow will completely stop your plays.
*Tip: Twin Twisters have some small utility with Bubbleman and Mist; ditch an unneeded monsters to make it easier to special Bubbleman from hand.* 
*Tip 2: Discard Shadow Mist>pop 2 spell/trap>grab Bubbleman from the deck via Shadow Mist's effect.*

Number 86: Heroic Champion - Rhongomyniad

2 or more (max. 5) Level 4 Warrior-Type monsters
During each of your opponent's End Phases: Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card. This card gains effects based on the number of Xyz Materials attached to it. ● 1 or more: Cannot be destroyed by battle. ● 2 or more: Gains 1500 ATK and DEF. ● 3 or more: Unaffected by other card effects. ● 4 or more: Your opponent cannot Normalor Special Summon monsters. ● 5: Once per turn: You can destroy all cards your opponent controls.

I never use this guy for its 4th or 5th material effect (if I do pull it off its a plus =P and I do pull off 4 materials quite often with CoTH and Soul Charge) but its 3 material effects make it a safer and alternative beater to Excalibur; its main purpose though is still the same as Excalibur, a BIG BEATER! Having multiple beaters is super useful against Kozmos and Monarchs.

Number S39: Utopia Prime

3 Level 4 LIGHT monsters

You can also Xyz Summon this card by using a "Number 39: Utopia" you control as the Xyz Material. (Xyz Materials attached to that monster also become Xyz Materials on this card.) If your opponent's LP is at least 3000 higher than yours: You candetach 3 Xyz Materials from this card and pay LP so that you only have 10 left; destroy as many Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls as possible, and if you do, banish them, then inflict 300 damage to your opponent for each monster banished.

I originally had this as a joke but has now become one of my favourite cards to play if I'm behind or as a follow up to A HERO Lives. LP is irrelevant to me as long as I don't lose the game immediately. Prime is basically Raigeki in monster form against any deck that isn't Gradles, Monarchs or Yosenjus... It's worth it because I've won every time I played it.

Disruption/Protection Cards>>>

Everything here is used to keep Dark Law on the field as long as possible. 

1 Book of Moon & 2 Forbidden Chalice
- Target 1 face-up monster on the field; change that target to face-down Defense Position.

- Target 1 face-up monster on the field; until the end of this turn, that target gains 400ATK, but its effects are negated.

Book has been a strong card in the past; it lost its usefulness in the previous couple of formats but imo is an extremely strong card this format that functions similarly to Forbidden Chalice. I mean there's a reason it's at 1 right?

Book is a good card all round but is super useful when going second against decks that opened with a troublesome play; you can do things like book a big monster face down so you can run it over with Dark Law or flip troublesome cards such as Rafflesia or Evilswarm Nightmare to dodge their effects.

Chalice is the monster negation card in this deck since Breakthrough Skill and Fiendish Chain are too slow this format and Effect Veiler doesn't function well with Bubbleman. Chalice is super strong in this deck similar to Book it can be used immediately when you draw it. Other than that it's ATK modifier so its pretty nifty during the damage calculation to run over monsters and negate things like Kozmo Farmgirl.

* Tip: Book of Moon is super versatile; 

If you control only 1 monster: You can flip your own monster face down with Book and then play AHL to special a HERO monster.

You can target your own monster to the chain of cards like Bottomless Trap Hole, Mirror Force etc to dodge destruction.*

 1 Bottomless Trap Hole & 1 Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare

- When your opponent Summons a monster(s) with 1500 or more ATK: Destroy that monster(s) with 1500 or more ATK, and if you do, banish it.

- When a monster that was Special Summoned this turn activates its effect on your opponent's side of the field: Negate that effect, and if you do, destroy that card.

Both these cards are extremely strong monster no target monster removal tools and can snatch you games when used correctly. But more importantly they are "trap hole" cards for Rafflesia's effect.

2 Dark Bribe

When an opponent's Spell/Trap Card is activated: Your opponent draws 1 card, also negate the Spell/Trap activation, and if you do, destroy it.

Dark Bribe's been a powerful card since release; the ability to negate any spell/trap is strong but allowing your opponent to draw a card is a hefty drawback as it turns this 1 for 1 card to a +1 for your opponent but Dark Law removes this drawback as the draw from Dark Bribe will proc Dark Law's "random discard" effect effectively making this card a 1 for 1. Dark Bribe's main purpose is to protect myself from board wipes/card removals such as Twin Twisters, Dark Hole/Raigeki, Monarch Stormforth and other cards that may generate a bigger advantage for the opponent.

Number 39: Utopia

2 Level 4 monsters
When any player's monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the attack. When this card is targeted for an attack, while it has no Xyz Materials: Destroy this card.

Nice simple effect prevents Dark Law from being run over; also a decent beater and gives access to Utopia Prime (and Lightning soon~ =D).

Cairngorgon, Antiluminescent Knight

2 Level 4 monsters
During either player's turn, when another card or effect is activated that targets exactly 1 card on the field (and no other cards): You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target another card on the field that would be an appropriate target for that card/effect; that card/effect now targets the new target.

Since Ptolemaeus is no longer available; Cairngorgon is a worse but decent replacement that allows it to redirect anything targeting Dark Law.

Traptrix Rafflesia

2 Level 4 monsters

This card is unaffected by Trap effects while it has Xyz Material. "Traptrix" monsters you control, except "Traptrix Rafflesia", cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. Your opponent cannot target "Traptrix" monsters you control, except "Traptrix Rafflesia", with card effects. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and send 1 "Hole" Normal Trap Card that meets its activation conditions from your Deck to the Graveyard; this effect becomes that Trap Card's effect when that card is activated.

Rafflesia is honestly Dark Law's best ally fighting crime. Having her on the field is basically the same as having an extra trap card face down. She also has decent defense and is unaffected by traps which allows her to slip by cards such as Solemns, Trap Holes, Torrential Tribute etc...

Win More/Recovery Cards>>>

These cards are the double edged swords of this deck; they're too good not to play in this deck imo but are also the cards that can completely ruin your day but since HEROs don't generally generate card advantage themselves; any card advantage I can get I'll take.

1 Mask Charge

Target 1 "HERO" monster and 1 "Change" Quick-Play Spell Card in your Graveyard;add them to your hand.

The biggest 50/50 card of the deck, I'm always on the fence with Mask Charge and most of the time its the card I use to side out. It can be amazing at times for combo extension and recovering resources but can also be the card to brick your hand and be completely useless since it requires some sort of setup.

I'd like to talk more about this card but the amount of combos you can do with a set up grave is stupid...

1 Soul Charge

Target any number of monsters in your Graveyard; Special Summon them, and if you do, you lose 1000 LP for each monster Special Summoned by this effect. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activate this card. You can only activate 1 "Soul Charge" per turn.

There's a reason why this card is at 1...one of the best combo extension cards and monster revival cards in the game; its extremely strong turn 1 (assuming you have the relevant cards in hand) and gives this deck easy access to one of the strongest monsters in Yugioh; Number 86. Losing the Battle Phase is fine when I can establish a board of monsters and use monsters effects to get rid of problematic cards or even prevent my opponent from playing the game...

3 Call of the Haunted

Activate this card by targeting 1 monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target in Attack Position. When this card leaves the field, destroy that target. When that target is destroyed, destroy this card.

CoTH is a very powerful card in HEROs and functions similarly to Mask Charge though it is useless turn 1 its functions as a play maker (attack extensions & getting free cards on board) and recovery tool warrants an important spot in this deck. It combos very well with Shadow Mist and Norden...

*Tip: Use this during your opponent's end phase to bring back Shadow Mist> effect gives you Mask Change>and then make Dark Law during your turn> Shadow Mist effect gives you HERO monster.* 
*Tip 2: If Norden is in your grave via Instant Fusion...play CoTH>bring back Norden>effect to bring back another lv4 monster>free xyz (now imagine Norden in the grave with a few other monsters and a couple of CoTH set...)*

Side Deck Choices>>>

I wanted to separate my Side Deck explanation to my Main deck because it is heavily based on my local's meta.

2 Swords of Concealing Light

When this card resolves, all monsters your opponent controlled when this card was activated are changed to face-down Defense Position. Monsters your opponent controls cannot change their battle positions. Destroy this card during your 2nd Standby Phase after activation.

An extremely undervalued card in the TCG imo; it's super useful against decks with lots of monster disruption or big beaters. Flipping opposing monsters face down for essentially 2 turns gives me time to set up/recover plays or simply just let me run over things with Dark Law since there aren't many monsters with 2400 defense.

2 Terraforming & 2 Zombie World

- Add 1 Field Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.

- All monsters on the field and in every Graveyard become Zombie-Type monsters. Neither player can Tribute Summon monsters, except Zombie-Type monsters.

These are what I side in every game for Monarchs and Majespecters. Most people use Mask of Restrict and it is the better card however I personally prefer Zombie World because it is faster (spell) and searchable via Terraforming meaning I won't need to run 3 Zombie Worlds/Mask of Restrict because 3 increases the chance of drawing in 2 copies (same as the Bubbleman theory). I don't want that is a deck so combo/set up heavy. Having this on the fieldn effectively shuts down more than half of Monarchs and Majespecters' strats.

*Note that Monarchs can still play Erebus so be prepared for that!*

1 Vanity's Emptiness

Neither player can Special Summon monsters. If a card is sent from the Deck or the field to your Graveyard: Destroy this card.

Traditionally since Dark Law.dek is a control deck this should be in the main deck but a lot of decks (Monarchs T_T) at my locals don't really special summon so it's sided instead.

2 Mischief of The Gnomes

This turn, reduce the Levels of all monsters in each player's hand by 1 (even after they are Summoned/Set). You can banish this card from the Graveyard; this turn, reduce the Levels of all monsters in each player's hand by 1 (even after they are Summoned/Set).

An EXTREMELY underrated card. Great against xyz and synchro reliant decks such as PePe, Tellars, Junk Synchro & Speedroids. The turn I play this means my opponent can't push big plays.

*Tip: REMEMBER! This is a trap card! This means you can activate Gnomes' effect during your opponent's turn even when it's in the grave!*

2 Mirror Force
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Destroy all Attack Positionmonsters your opponent controls.

A powerful classic trap card or so it once was...Mirror Force isn't played much anymore because there are so many grave effects or simply destroying monsters isn't good enough *ahem, pendulums* but combined with Dark Law this card is pretty amazing as it banishes any threats to Dark Law. I usually side these in only if I know I'm going first and against decks with big beaters.

3 Imperial Iron Wall
Neither player can banish cards.

Play this against Kozmos for basically auto win; Yes it contradicts with Dark Law but Dark Law's random discard effect is strong enough by itself and I also play Anki which works extremely well under IIW...if they can't get rid of this they're basically playing a deck of vanilla monsters...they'll lose. 



1 Treacherous Trap Hole

If you have no Trap Cards in your Graveyard: Target 2 monsters on the field; destroy those targets.

This card is like a mini Raigeki that can be used on your opponents turn. It might seem weird to play this when I play so many traps but it's very common for a turn 1 Dark Law+Rafflesia or even just Rafflesia by herself so you almost always get Treacherous off. I usually swap Trap Hole Nightmare for this against Monarchs and non-special summon reliant decks or if I need more monster removal.

*all images from yugioh.wikia.com