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Deck Profile:
Chris Bowling, Kyle Bowling, and Ryan Spicer
We didn’t really get to see much of Chris Bowling’s deck in that Round 1 Feature Match, but since it was so fast we’ve got some extra time to take a look at what Bowling’s running. This Synchro Cat variant was developed by former SHONEN JUMP Champion Ryan Spicer and later shared with Chris and his younger brother Kyle (who is a Day 2 player in his own right). They liked Spicer’s Deck so much that they tested it extensively themselves, and eventually decided to make a few changes and run it here this weekend. Spicer’s build is a little different, but here’s a look at the version Chris and Kyle are playing.
| Monsters (18) | Spells (14) | Traps (8) | Side Deck (15) | Extra Deck (15) |
| 3 X-Saber Airbellum 2 Rescue Cat 2 Summoner Monk 2 Gravekeeper’s Spy 1 Gravekeeper’s Guard 1 Mystic Tomato 1 Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind 1 Sangan 1 Rose, Warrior of Revenge 1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness 1 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter 1 Dark Panther 1 D.D. Crow |
2 Pot of Avarice 2 Book of Moon 2 Mind Control 1 Allure of Darkness 1 Smashing Ground 1 Giant Trunade 1 Brain Control 1 Heavy Storm 1 Mystical Space Typhoon 1 My Body As A Shield 1 Monster Reborn |
1 Torrential Tribute 1 Crush Card Virus 1 Royal Oppression 2 Bottomless Trap Hole 3 Solemn Judgment |
2 D.D. Crow 1 Card Trooper 1 Legendary Jujitsu Master 1 Dark Armed Dragon 1 Blackwing – Sirocco the Dawn 2 Dragonic Knight 1 Scapegoat 1 Trap Dustshoot 1 Mirror Force 1 Dust Tornado 1 Mirror of Oaths 2 Light-Imprisoning Mirror |
1 Black Rose Dragon 1 Magical Android 1 Gaia Knight, The Force of Earth 1 Goyo Guardian 2 Arcanite Magician 1 X-Saber Urbellum 1 Blackwing Armor Master 2 Dark Strike Fighter 1 Thought Ruler Archfiend 1 Stardust Dragon 1 Red Dragon Archfiend 1 Colossal Fighter 1 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon |
Bowling has decided to ignore some of the trends set by Charles Easton, and is Main Decking 2 copies of “Gravekeeper’s Spy” and a single copy of Guard. He’s also running one copy of “Mystic Tomato” though, hedging his bets between two potentially successful approaches. Despite his more classical Gravekeeper lineup, Bowling’s deck is packed with innovative choices that solve long-standing problems for the Synchro Cat archetype.
Do you hate drawing “Sea Koala”? I do. Despite only running one copy, I see “Sea Koala” smiling at me from my opening hand in half the games I play. And if you draw “Sea Koala” instead of Special Summoning it from your Deck with “Rescue Cat,” it’s almost always disappointing. Bowling’s solution? Just don’t run it. Bowling and Spicer play “Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter” instead, filling the quota for “Rescue Cat”-friendly Beast monsters but adding another live draw to the Deck. Ryko’s a great choice, tearing apart problem monsters like “Colossal Fighter” and “Blackwing Armor Master.”
“My Body As A Shield” has exploded in popularity this weekend, and Bowling is one of many Duelists Main Decking a single copy. Again, the use of “My Body As A Shield” shores up traditional weaknesses Synchro Cat suffers from. It can be Set alongside defensive or developing plays like “Gravekeeper’s Spy” to ward off threats like “Arcanite Magician” or “Celestia, Lightsworn Angel,” and it can be activated as a surprise play from the hand to negate effects like “Bottomless Trap Hole,” “Torrential Tribute,” and “Mirror Force.” That particular application’s going to be catching a lot of people unawares here today.
“Light-Imprisoning Mirror” is a big tech pick for Lightsworn Duelists here today, who are looking to activate it once their field is dug in and “Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner” has already done her job. It’s a technique that hearkens back to the use of “Royal Oppression” in Gladiator Beasts over the past year, a trick that Spicer and Bowling are tapping yet again. Bowling is playing a single copy of “Royal Oppression,” activating it once he’s made his Special Summons and Synchro Summoned a monster or two. He’s also packing 3 copies of “Solemn Judgment,” not exactly a common choice for Synchro Cat today. It gives him superior control (especially in the mirror match), and it helps ensure that when he flips “Royal Oppression” he keeps that controlling force on the field until he finally wins.
Other Main Decked picks include “D.D. Crow,” a random copy of Gale, two “Mind Controls,” and more. The Side Deck is even better and has to be seen to be believed – you can check that out once the Swiss rounds are over and the full Deck list is posted. There’s one Side Decked choice made for the Blackwing matchup that’s pretty nuts, and could definitely become a standard in the future.
Jason Grabher-Meyer
