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Beware, TRAPTRIX!
The Beware of Traptrix Structure Deck, the first YuGiOh! product to bare the “25th anniversary” logo, the first structure deck of 2023 and quite possibly the best value for money product Konami have produced for YuGiOh! thus far. Beware Traptrix has brought back the Traptrix archetype, providing a nice and easy way to guarantee you get every Traptrix card in a single product for the first time with some common rarity printings for cards that have never been lower than super rare. In addition the structure deck contains new cards that have raised the archetypes ceiling to bring it swinging back to the top tiers of competitive play with very few upgrades needed. The structure deck also contains a nice collection of staple cards that not only carry a value greater than the structure deck itself but that also makes the structure deck a great start point for any collection or deck building for either casual or competitive players.
The Traptrix deck revolves around using normal trap cards to stall and block opponents whilst you build up the monsters needed to take them down. The competitive strategy has always begun with Traptrix Sera, their link monster, which allows you to gain resources off the activation of both monster effects and trap effects. The new cards improve on this strategy with half of them improving consistency and the other half improving the decks power level and ceiling.
What’s New?
First up is the new Traptrix Puddica, a new monster that, when summoned can search the new card Traptrip Garden. Traptrip Garden, the new Traptrix field spell, grants you an additional normal summon each turn as well as providing previously non-existent within the archetype battle protection. Next is Traptrix Aracnochampa, another monster that can special summon itself when you have another Traptrix monster and also protects your traps from being destroyed. Lastly when it comes to consistency cards we have Traptrix Holeutea, the new normal trap card that allows you to, when set, discard a normal trap to summon it as a monster, triggering Traptrix Sera’s effect if you have it. This card is integral to most Traptrix strategies now, and with how easy it is to search normal traps in the Traptrix deck it is very easy to utilise.
These new cards all synergise with the previously released, and included in the structure deck, Traptrix cards. They pair especially well with the link moster Traptrix Sera, the XYZ monster Traptrix Rafflesia, the normal monsters Traptrix Myrmelleo, Traptrix Dionea and Traptrix Mantis and the many normal trap “trap hole” cards, many of the best of which being reprinted in Beware Traptrix.
Now, all three of the remaining new cards help boost the power level of Traptrix decks. First, the other new normal trap, Terrifying Trap Hole Nightmare, allows you to punish your opponent for special summoning by destroying a monster with 2000 attack if they special summon (even if the monster they special summon has less than 2000 attack). Then we have the two new extra deck monsters. Traptrix Pingulicula the XYZ monster and Traptrix Atypus the link monster. Pingulicula is a very fun Traptrix monster to play with, being a monster that gets progressively harder to get rid of, but one of the other XYZ monsters, the previously mentioned Traptrix Rafflesia, is often a much better choice to summon and thus Pingulicula is better as a backup plan. Meanwhile Atypus gives all your Traptrix monsters a 1000 attack boost whilst a normal trap is in the graveyard. In a Traptrix deck it is hard not to have a normal trap in the graveyard, making this link three monster a great option to summon after turn one to give your monsters enough attack to defeat your opponent in a single turn. Atypus solves a problem Traptrix had before now, the fact they had to rely on lots of monsters to win rather than large monsters. Now Atypus provides the step up that the Traptrix needed. There is also a new normal spell, Traptantalising Tune, but rarely will it’s discard one to draw two effect be more useful than replacing it in the deck with something else.
As well as the Traptrix archetype, the Beware Traptrix Structure Deck has plenty of generic cards well worth picking up. First there is Ash Blossom of Joyous Spring, a card you can never have enough of, even if it got a reprint just last year. Next is Raigeki, a great spell card for clearing all your opponents’ monsters and another useful reprint. Thirdly is the normal trap Evenly Matched, with its first printing in a product for which the contents are fixed. Not only does it synergise with Traptrix as a normal trap card but with its estimated value of around £4-5, combined with a estimated value for Ash Blossom of Joyous Spring, these two cards alone can make this product a cost effective pick up for any YuGiOh! player, be they new, returning or veteran. The last card, or rather group of cards, of note be it to old or new players are all the trap hole cards and the rank 4 XYZ monster Traptrix Rafflesia. Traptrix Rafflesia has seen use competitively on and off since its release thanks to the fact it can search and activate trap holes from the deck, especially Gravedigger’s Trap Hole, a card that can single-handedly stop a plethora of cards and strategies making it a worth while inclusion in any deck that has the space and ability to summon her.
Competitive Potential
Whilst I can easily say that three copies of the Beware of Traptrix Structure Deck is enough to get started, it can benefit from upgrades to take it to a competitive level. If you don’t care for the competitive tables then you can stop here. Know that it is a great entry product into YuGiOh!. Know that for less than £30 you can have the beginnings of a deck viable enough to last a solid year or more in the casual tables and that as far as YuGiOh! products are concerned it is a solid 5 out of 5 in terms of value. However, if you are completely new to YuGiOh!, I can only give it a 3 or 4 out of 5 in terms of how easy to pick up and learn it is. It is still one of the easier decks to learn but without someone to give you a hand it can take some learning. Finally, in terms of enjoyment, provided you have someone to play with, it is only a 4 out of 5. “Why only a 4? You’ve been singing its praises!” I hear you ask. Well, I think you as the one using the deck will find it a 5 out of 5, seeing as it is a deck built around preventing your opponent from doing things, a opponent who does not like playing against such decks may ruin some of the fun for you. YuGiOh! as a game, especially with where the game is now competitively, it has a large emphasis in doing things during your opponents turn, which some people just don’t enjoy and if you are one such person than for you the enjoyment will be a lot lower.
Upgrades, People, Upgrades
The first upgrade would be to get three “Infinite Impermanence” normal traps that can be found in the Cyber Strike Structure Deck a few years ago which can still be found in shops. Next would be the three copies of the monster card Parallel eXceed along with Rikka Queen Strenna and Sacred Tree Beast, Hyperton the XYZ monsters and Aromaseraphy Jasmine the link monster. These cards all synergise together to provide easier ways to pull out the Traptrix XYZ monsters as well as a nice defensive play in the form of Hyperton. These 6 cards are slightly harder to track down and, although both the XYZ monsters have had recent prints, they are probably best bought individually.
Lastly is the XYZ monster Number 41: Bagooska the Terribly Tired Tapir which is a great option if you need to stall since all the Traptrix monsters are level 4 monsters so work with Number 41 well. Number 41 is another card though that, although it has had many prints and reprints, is best hunted for individually. There is also the normal trap Ice Dragon’s Prison which can be a useful addition to a Traptrix deck, but is nowhere near as useful as the other upgrades available for this structure deck. These upgrades, although small in number, are not particularly expensive for YuGiOh! standards and will still leave room for you to experiment and mix and match numbers as you see fit. To make your deck how you want with the one downside that they are all, except for Number 41, collections of cards you need to add to the deck together before they make a difference.
