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Deck Profile – Adam Corn’s Salvo Deck
For a few months now, Adam Corn has been building and rebuilding his Black Salvo Deck. A successful bid at a California Regional sparked interest in the Deck, and once Corn’s friend Cesar Gonzalez got ahold of it, the two of them just ran with it. This is the result of several months of testing and design at this point, and for these two Duelists it all comes down to this – the last SHONEN JUMP Championship of the format.
| Monsters | Spells | Traps | Side Deck | Extra Deck |
1 Destiny Hero – Plasma |
2 Gold Sarcophagus |
2 Bottomless Trap Hole |
1 Morphing Jar |
1 Goyo Guardian |
The core of the Deck is a pair of “Black Salvo” and a pair of “Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive.” Together, those two cards can Synchro Summon “Black Rose Dragon,” one of the most high-impact Synchros in the format. Adam explains:
“The Deck makes its plays and whittles the opponent down with stuff like “Cyber Valley” and “Mind Control.”” Plays that don’t actually cost Corn anything in the long run, but that take cards away (card by card on a grinding basis) from the opponent. “Cyber Valley’s” really important. Not only does it allow for a quick aggressive play with “Mind Control” and “Brain Control,” but it allows a flipped Dekoichi that would otherwise be at risk in battle to be traded for a second card. It can then be brought back later with “Return from the Different Dimension.”
The Valleys allow Corn to draw through his deck, too, getting him to important one-ofs like “Dark Armed Dragon” and Return. It can be tricky at times to follow up on a successful “Black Rose Dragon” Summoning. Making effective use of the “Black Salvo” into Dekoichi play means finesse and set-up, so extra draw power from “Cyber Valley” (as well as Allure and “Destiny Draw”) make those win conditions easier to get to.
But don’t get me wrong – the Deck isn’t just a one-trick pony. Far from it. Simple pushes with “Elemental Hero Stratos” and big combos with “Dark Grepher” create a variety of offensive options that make the Deck very similar to Tele-DAD. “I feel like I’m playing my old Deck!” is the way Cesar explained it, and it’s an observation that’s really worth noting. The Deck attacks from a lot of different angles – Beatdown, Return combos (fed by Allure, “Gold Sarcophagus,” Malicious, “Plaguespreader Zombie” and more), OTK threats, and the ubiquitous “Dark Strike Fighter.” Corn and Gonzalez have spent months figuring out new ways to fit win conditions into the Deck, and in the hands of players with their level of experience, a versatile Deck that can take any number of differing approaches is a very dangerous weapon.
Case in point? “Destiny Hero - Plasma.” Not exactly a first-pick for an early version of this Deck, it smacks of being a later addition. “Black Salvo,” “Machine Duplication,” “Return from the Different Dimension,” “Plaguespreader Zombie,” and Malicious are all cards that serve set purposes in the Deck, but they all give support for Plasma as a natural progression of the Deck’s strategy. So, it’s here.
“Threatening Roar” and “Scapegoat” factor into the same offense, by providing defense that helps the deck bait out the opponent. That means protection for potential Tribute fodder for Plasma, and more importantly defense to survive OTK turns. This Deck often wins by punishing those big pushes after warding them off with “Threatening Roar” or “Scapegoat,” but Corn’s rolling the traditional payoff of that play (a “Black Rose Dragon”) into a chance to Summon Plasma and grab a big monster. Everything’s very circular, and all the combos are tightly intertwined. It’s a great build.
