Rock cards have been seriously underrated in the past. Now, with the release of “The Lost Millennium” and “Invincible Fortress”, we have all the support we need for this type of deck. For a long time, the only famous Rock-Type monsters were the Magnet Warriors, but they didn’t have much support. Now we have “Megarock Dragon” - one of the most underrated monsters in the game. In this article I will explain how to build an efficient Rock Deck that can defeat the feared Cookie-Cutter-Chaos.
As I said, the best Rock-Type monster is "Megarock Dragon":
Megarock Dragon
Attrib: Earth
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 7
ATK: ?
DEF: ?
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by removing from play a Rock-Type monster(s) in your Graveyard. The original ATK and DEF of this card become the number of Rock-Type monsters you removed from play when you Special Summoned this card x 700 points.
This card can be part of an awesome strategy in your Rock Deck. The most important thing to remember when building a strategy with this card is to put as many Rock-Type monsters in your Graveyard as you can. This can be done easily with the Trap Card “Rock Bombardment.” It sends a Rock-type monster from your Deck to your Graveyard. This monster needs the kind of support you’d find in one-turn-kill (OTK) decks, like “Giant Trunade”, “Heavy Storm” or “Big Bang Shot.” Also this card can offer support for other cards like “Gren Maju Da Eiza” or “Helios the Primordial Sun.” With “Megamorph,” you can end the game with only one monster if you have “Megarock Dragon.”
In my personal Rock deck, I play a lock and then summon “Megarock Dragon” and build an instant OTK. To build the lock you need the following cards:
Criosphinx
Attrib: Earth
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 6
ATK: 1200
DEF: 2400
While this card is face-up on your side of the field, when a monster is returned from the field to the owner's hand, the owner of the returned monster selects 1 card in their hand and sends it to the Graveyard.
This card offers an awesome effect for the cards that I'm going to describe next. Each time you return a monster to your opponent's hand, he/she selects a card in his/her hand and discards it. This is a cool effect, of course, if he/she doesn't run a Dark World deck. With “Golem Sentry” and “Guardian Statue” on the field, you can build your lock in no time. This is also an EARTH monster and has a lot of support, the most important being the fact that it has less than 1500 ATK and can be Special Summoned with “Giant Rat”, “Last Will” or searched for with “Sangan” and other cards. The only disadvantage is that it is a Tribute Monster, but that's not a major problem.
Hieracosphinx
Attrib: Earth
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 6
ATK: 2400
DEF: 1200
As long as this card remains face-up on your side of the field, your opponent cannot select a face-down Defense Position monster as an attack target.
This is the second card that helps you build your lock. It has the perfect effect for you, as your opponent cannot attack your face-down Defense Position monster.
Now think about “Golem Sentry”, who cannot be attacked and returns monsters back to your opponent’s hand. Using that effect in conjunction with “Criosphinx,” your opponent now discards a card too. It has a better ATK, but that's a little disadvantage here because it cannot be searched by anything. This is also an EARTH monster, meaning it gains all the support associated with that attribute. His disadvantage is the fact that he is also a tribute monster. The next monsters will complete your lock.
Golem Sentry
Attrib: Earth
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 800
DEF: 1800
You can flip this card into face-down Defense Position once per turn. When this card is Flip Summoned successfully, return 1 monster on your opponent's side of the field to the owner's hand.
Guardian Statue
Attrib: Earth
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 800
DEF: 1400
You can flip this card into face-down Defense Position once per turn during your Main Phase. When this card is Flip Summoned successfully, return 1 monster on your opponent's side of the field to the owner's hand.
Guardian Sphinx
Attrib: Earth
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 5
ATK: 1700
DEF: 2400
Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can flip this card into face-down Defense Position. When this card is Flip Summoned, return all monsters on your opponent's side of the field to the owner's hand.
These three monsters have the same effects with a small exception; the second monster's effect can only be activated in your Main Phase. (As if the first monster's effect could be activated in the Battle Phase. lol) The first one has better stats, but this isn't the reason you would run these cards. The reason is they have “Hane-Hane” effects, but you can flip them back down during your Main Phase, meaning you can activate their effects every turn. With “Criosphinx” and “Hieracosphinx” on the field he can't attack your face down monsters, and when you return his monsters back to his hand he discards one card from his hand. This is a cool thing, isn't it? So your lock is done and your opponent cannot do anything. Now is the moment to summon your huge “Megarock Dragon” and play “Giant Trunade” and then blast your opponent with some rocks.
Rock decks have other monsters that can offer support:
Legendary Jujitsu Master
Attrib: Earth
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 3
ATK: 1300
DEF: 1800
A monster that battles with this Defense Position card is returned to the top of the owner's Deck at the end of the Damage Step.
This card has a pretty good effect. The monsters that attack this creature while it is in Defense Position are returned to the top of the Deck. That's pretty cool and can offer an opportunity for “Megarock Dragon”, because it clears the field on your opponent's side and gives him dead draws. In addition, it has cool stats for a Rock-Type monster, although it can easily end up in the Graveyard due to a “Smashing Ground”.
Gigantes
Attrib: Earth
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 1900
DEF: 1300
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by removing from play 1 EARTH monster in your Graveyard. When this card is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the Graveyard, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field.
I personally do not recommend using this card in a Rock deck because it steals “Megarock Dragon's” food. You'd be better off running it in a straight EARTH Deck. Or if you run a Rock Deck without “Megarock Dragon”, it’s very good in some situations and can offer tribute material. “Gigantes's” stats aren't bad - 1900 can stop many monsters. More important is his second effect; it's like a built-in “Heavy Storm”. Unfortunately, not many monsters die in battle, but by “Sakuretsu Armor” or “Bottomless Trap Hole”. But having the optional "Heavy Storm”-type effect isn't all that bad.
Granmarg the Rock Monarch
Attrib: Earth
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 6
ATK: 2400
DEF: 1000
When this card is Tribute Summoned, destroy 1 facedown card on the field.
I would only run this card in a Rock Deck. The forgotten monarch is food for “Megarock Dragon” and has a decent effect. When it is Tribute Summoned you destroy a face-down card on the field, no matter if it is a Spell/Trap Card or a Monster. It has very good stats for a single tribute monster. I personally don't run this in my Rock deck because I don’t think it’s worth the space.
Morphing Jar
Attrib: Earth
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 2
ATK: 700
DEF: 600
FLIP: Both you and your opponent discard all cards in your hands. After that, both players draw 5 cards from their respective Decks.
I think most of you know this card very well. In a Rock Deck it can be an even greater asset. Take a close look at his effect. Discard many Rock-type monsters from your hand and then draw “Megarock Dragon” and summon it, not to mention it keeps your hand very fresh.
These Rock-Type monsters are the ones that I recommend using in a competitive Rock Deck. There are two other cards that are often seen in Rock decks, but I really don't recommend them.
Sand Moth
Attrib: Earth
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 1000
DEF: 2000
When this face-down Defense Position card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, except as a result of battle, switch the original ATK and DEF of this card, and Special Summon it to your side of the field.
I really do not recommend using this card in a Rock deck because it is very situational in most decks. When it is destroyed while face-down, it comes back with inverted stats. That may seem cool, but it only tends to trigger after a "Torrential Tribute" or “Mystic Swordsman” effect.
Stone Statue of the Aztecs
Attrib: Earth
Type: Rock/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 300
DEF: 2000
Double any Battle Damage your opponent takes when they attack this monster.
Even if it has a good effect I only recommend this card to a dedicated deck or an OTK deck.
Now I'll continue with the specific Spell Cards:
Ectoplasmer
Group: Spell Card
Type: Spell
Icon: Continuous
Only once during each player's End Phase, the turn player Tributes 1 face-up monster on his/her side of the field and inflicts damage to the opponent's Life Points equal to half of the original ATK of the Tributed Monster.
Most of the time you will only have face-down monsters on the field. This card can offer you huge field advantage. Your opponent's face-up monsters will have to be tributed at the end of the turn, while your face-down monsters will be safe. The only disadvantages are that you could possibly have face-up monsters and your opponent will burn you.
Hammer Shot
Group: Spell Card
Type: Spell
Destroy 1 face-up Attack Position monster with the highest ATK on the field. (If it's a tie, you get to choose.)
Your defense monsters don't shine in ATK power so you will more than likely be destroying one of your opponent’s monsters.
Shield and Sword
Group: Spell Card
Type: Spell
Switch the original ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters on the field until the end of the End Phase. Any additions and subtractions to ATK and DEF due to card effects are applied to the new ATK and DEF. Monsters Summoned after this card's activation are excluded.
This card can transform your low ATK monsters into huge attackers and your opponent’s high ATK monsters into tiny monsters.
Those were the Spell cards that are vital in any Rock deck. Now the specific Trap Cards:
Ordeal of a Traveler
Group: Trap Card
Type: Trap
Icon: Continuous
You can only activate this card's effect when your opponent declares an attack. Your opponent selects 1 random card in your hand and calls the type of the card (Monster, Spell, or Trap). If your opponent calls it wrong, the attacking monster is returned to its owner's hand.
This card can negate your opponent's attacks and, combined with “Criosphinx”, you can discard a card from your opponent’s hand.
Robbin' Goblin
Group: Trap Card
Type: Trap
Icon: Continuous
Each time 1 monster on your side of the field inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points, your opponent discards 1 random card from their hand.
You will deal a lot of battle damage with your high defense monsters, and with this card you can nuke your opponent's hand every time you attack.
Rock Bombardment
Group: Trap Card
Type: Trap
Select 1 Rock-Type monster in your Deck and send it to the Graveyard. Inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points. The Deck is then shuffled.
This is the last card that I'm going to talk about. As I mentioned before, this card can provide food for your “Megarock Dragon”, “Premature Burial”, “Call of the Haunted” and many other cards. Additionally it burns your opponent’s LP.
Most of the cards that I have talked about in this article are included in “Invincible Fortress” so you can easily build a cheap Rock deck that can be extremely competitive.
I hope you enjoyed this article as i do and because i like rock deck ;p. Jim Crocodile Cook
