The D/D/Detailed Guide to D/D/D Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of The D/D/Detailed guide to D/D/D. Here's part one for those who are just joining us.

Before we start, Ken Sir, the founder of Dueling Cancer has a few words to say:

Thanks to all who showed your support and interest in this article. As mentioned before, we plan to launch about five articles in this series, releasing two each week. 

-Ken Sir 

(Quite the slave drive huh? -GeoTheBacon)

I guess it is also time to formally introduce GeoTheBacon. GeoTheBacon is the third member to join Dueling Cancer. He has been playing D/D/D long before the structure deck was released, and is one of the most experienced D/D/D players in Singapore, I dare say - knowing the combos and best plays like the back of his hand, after analyzing the archetype for months.

Well, let's now have him say a few words to close this segment and we can proceed on with the article.

Also, pardon any grammer/spelling/typing errors, as it is a long article. Nevertheless, we will edit the errors once we spot it. And thank you for your patience and support once more.

- Ken Sir

I won't say I'm the most experienced D/D/D player here, I'm just your average player trying to play his favorite deck. I will try to share what knowledge I have learnt through other articles and battles.

-GeoTheBacon

D/D/Directory (links will be updated as the pages are put up):

1.     D/D/D's Spells and Traps

2.     D/D/D's Monsters

3.     Cards that can be tech-ed in.

4.     Deck Builds - How to play D/D/D

5.     How to play against D/D/D

Now, lemme begin~

In the previous article, we talked about D/D/D's spells and traps. Now we move on to the monsters. Before we start, I would like to state that the quantity we recommend are based on the current topping deck builds in the OCG, where D/D/D is currently at full power, as its archetype isn't affected by the banlist..... yet. Of course, you can always adjust the build to how you like them for casual plays or to match the play style in TCG, for our readers from the west.

Effect Monsters

D/D Swirl Slime

Quantity: 3

D/D/D's fusion combo-maker, this green slime allows you to fusion summon almost any D/D/D monster by using itself and another D/D monster in your hand. In your graveyard, you can banish it to special summon any one D/D monster from your hand, further extending your combo.

Pros:

• This card allows you to fusion summon without using fusion spells, which would otherwise take up deck space. This also bypasses Naturia Exterio's effect, as no spells are involved in the fusion summoning process.
• This card's effect is a fusion summon, meaning the materials are not sent to the graveyard as a cost. So even if cards like Macro Cosmos are on the field, you can still use its effect.
• Both of this card's effects can be used during the same turn. Fuse, then after it ends up in the graveyard, you can use its second effect!
• This card allows you to special summon any D/D monster from your hand, meaning you can bring out big monsters like D/D/D Doom King Armageddon or even D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok to go for big plays.
• The graveyard's effect of this card requires this card to be banished as a cost, being able to dodge D.D. Crow. Imperial Iron Wall also can't be chained to this card to prevent the resolution of the effect, as it would have already been banished as cost. Of course, as the graveyard effect is not quick-play, players seasoned against D/D/D decks are likely to take action upon it touching the graveyard.

Cons:

• The graveyard's effect of this card requires this card to be banished as a cost, thus, if your opponent chains Vanity's Emptiness to this card's activation, you would have wasted your resources.
• Each of this card's effects can only be used once per turn.
• This card needs another D/D in hand to work, making it a very bad top-deck game if you do not have any other D/D monsters in hand.
• It can only fusion summon monsters that require at least one D/D monster as its materials. This means it is unable to summon D/D/D Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarok as it requires 2 D/D/D monsters.

D/D Necro Slime

Quantity: 3

D/D/D's Miracle Fusion, this card is similar to it's green counterpart, except it allows one fusion summon from the graveyard. It works very well with D/D Swirl Slime. D/D Swirl Slime uses it's hand effect to send both itself and this slime as fusion material for the first fusion summon, followed up by D/D Necro Slime's effect to fusion summon a second time from the graveyard.

Pros: 

• This card's effect to banish itself is not a cost, so if your opponent chains Vanity's Emptiness, you will still be able to use the same slime at another time.
• This card is a level 1, making it easily searchable with cards like Where Arf Thou? and One for One.

Cons:

• This card has to be one of the materials for the fusion summon. Since it's not a cost to banish itself, the process is easily stopped by chaining cards that banish this target, or prevent the banishing of cards in general.
• This card's effect can only be used once per turn.
• This card needs another D/D in graveyard to work.
• It can only fusion summon monsters that require at least one D/D monster as material. These means it is unable to summon D/D/D Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarok as it requires 2 D/D/D monsters.

D/D Lamia

Quantity: 3

D/D/D's special summon-able level 1 tuner. This card can special summon itself from your hand or grave by sending one D/D or Dark Contract card from hand or your field to the graveyard, giving you easy access to Synchro monsters.

Pros:

• This card is a level 1, making it easily searchable with cards like Where Arf Thou? and One for One.
• This card can be special summoned from either the hand or graveyard, making it very versatile.
• This card has very high defense stat for a level 1 monster, which can be used as a shield against decks that aren't reliant on high attack stats, although that would be quite a desperate move.
• This card can be used to get rid of unwanted Dark Contracts cards on the field, eliminating any potential drawbacks such as the 1000LP burn.

Cons:

• It's a cost to send a D/D or Dark Contract card to the graveyard, so if there are cards that prevent things from touching the graveyard, you can't activate it's effect. You also cannot use pendulum monster and pendulum scales on the field as cost, as game mechanics dictate that you can't forcefully send pendulum cards to the grave from the field.
• If this card is special summoned by its own effect, it will be banished if it leaves the field. This means that if it goes to the grave or gets bounced back to hand, it will be banished instead. It is the only thing keeping it from swarming the field every turn.
• You can not send another copy of this card to the grave to use it's effect.
• This card's effect can only be used once per turn. (like the many OP cards in D/D/D, sadly)

D/D Night Howl

Quantity: 0

A Monster Reborn for D/D/D, functioning similar to Debris Dragon when this monster is normal summoned, you can special summon one D/D monster from the graveyard, but if you do, you can only summon fiend-type monsters for the rest of the turn. With a wide array of Synchro monsters being used in the current meta, this card's limitations are less than ideal, but in a classic pure-D/D deck, players can consider this card at 1-2.

Pros:

• The monster that is summoned by this monster retains its effect.
• This card can special summon any D/D monster.
• This card is a level 3 tuner.

Cons:

• This card's effect only triggers when it is normal summoned, so special summoning it would not do you much help.
• The monster summoned by this card's effect has its attack and defense reduced to 0, and should it be destroyed, you would take 1000 effect damage. That is a large price to pay, should this card be destroyed by cards such as Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit.
• As mentioned, the limitations restricts the summon of only fiend monsters.

D/D Berfomet

Quantity: 0

A level changer for your D/D monsters, you can target any D/D monster other than itself and change its level from 1 to 8, allowing easier Synchro or XYZ plays. This card limits the ability to extend into combos, however, as non-D/D cards are unaccessible for the rest of your turn. This card is still viable for a pure D/D/D build, but there are better options to use.

Pros:

• This card gives you easy access to Synchro and XYZ monsters, with its ability to tweak levels.
• This card's effect can be used more than once per turn if you have multiple copies of the same card.

Cons: 

• Once you use this card's effect you can only summon D/D monster, which limits your ability to extend your plays.
• Even if you control two copies of this card on your field you cannot use each of their effects on each other.

D/D Lilith

Quantity: 0

This card can retrieve your D/D monster from either your graveyard or your extra deck and put them into your hand. As it's effect requires a summon to trigger it, there are better options to both it's effect like D/D Savant Newton and D/D Savant Thomas.

Pros:

• It has a very high defense of 2100, which can be used as a meat shield, should the situation call for such a desperate play.
• It allows you to retrieve your D/D monsters to be reused for further combos.

Cons:

• Currently, there are better alternatives to this card if you want to recycle your resources.
• It requires you to waste a summon to trigger its effect, and in this meta, it isn't worth the summon, as you are likely to waste a turn too. Its low attack also discourages players from summoning it.

D/D Pandora

Quantity: 0

When this card is destroyed by battle or destroyed when it is in your possession (hand or field) by your opponent's card effect, you can draw 2 cards only if you do not control any other cards on the field.

Pros:

•  It's allow you to draw 2 cards. 

Cons: 

• This card's effect for activation is too specific and too situational.
• This card is a level 5 which means it will take a tribute to normal summon.
• This card needs to be destroyed and sent to the graveyard for it's effect to trigger, which can easily be avoided by your opponent. 
• All of these points to the fact that you should not run this card, as you are better off using cards like Allure of Darkness or Pot of Cupidity if you really want draw power.

D/D/D Kaiser the Conqueror

Quantity: 0

The finisher of a pendulum-centric D/D deck, this card negates all effects of your opponent's face-up cards when it is pendulum summoned, and during the turn it is special summoned, you can destroy up to 2 cards in your own S/T zone to allow this card to attack once more for each card destroyed. This card allows you to go for OTK plays but since D/D decks are currently not relying heavily on pendulum summoning, this card is not used in competitive builds.

Pros: 

• It negates all of your opponent's current face up cards, which eliminates possible threats and/or effects, should it be pendulum summoned.
• If this card's effect is used, it can attack up to 3 time in the same turn and since it's not once per turn if you have multiple copy of this card you can easily beat down your opponent.

Cons: 

• This card is not a pendulum monster, so it's effect can't be easily reused every turn.
• This card needs to be pendulum summoned for any of its effects to be activated. 
• This card is situational.

D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon

Quantity: 0

This is a cross between Dragons and D/D, you can special summon this card from your hand by tributing a dragon type and a fiend type monster from your hand and/or field. This card allows you to destroy one S/T card on the field and increases this card's attack by 500 once per turn by discarding a card. 

This card is not really playable in a D/D deck. To use it to its full potential, you are required to play a fiend and dragon deck, which isn't what D/D decks are designed to be.

Pros: 

• It can special summon itself from your hand.
• It can destroy a S/T card once per turn per copy of this card.

Cons:

• It requires both a fiend type and dragon type to special summon itself and there are hardly decks that runs both together.
• This card's effect is not a quick effect and thus loses out to other quick-play S/T removal.
• This card has close to zero synergy with the rest of the D/D archetype, which is its greatest drawback, as D/D/D is combo-centric deck.

Pendulum Monsters

D/D Savant Kepler

Quantity: 3

This card allows you to search out any of your dark contracts when it is normal or special summoned, or you can choose to return one other D/D card on the field that you control back to your hand. It also has a very high pendulum scale of 10. This card should be played at 3 in whichever D/D deck variant. It has access to almost any D/D or Dark contract, and it has a very high scale which can allows for pendulum summons if ever needed. It is the searcher of the archetype, much like Elemental HERO Stratos is to the HEROs, and how Tellarknight Deneb is to Tellars.

Pros:

• Similar to all level 1 cards - This card is easily searchable with cards like Where Arf Thou? and One for One.
• This card give you access to almost the rest of your deck.
• This card has a high scale of 10 which allows you to pendulum summon high level D/D monsters.

Cons: 

• This card is a level 1 pendulum monster, so once it leaves the field and enters the extra deck, it is extremely difficult to reuse him.
• It does not allow the pendulum summon of non-D/D monsters.
• Its pendulum scale reduces by 2 during each of your standby phase, and also destroys any non-D/D monsters that have levels greater or equal to this card's pendulum scale.
• It has very low stats.

D/D Savant Galilei

Quantity: 0

This card allows you to return any D/D or dark contract card that you control back to your hand during either's player's turn.

Pros: 

• This card allows you to bounce back any D/D or Dark Contract card at any time, potentially avoiding destruction or allowing reuse of resources.
• Its effect also allows you to escape the 1000 LP drawback trend of the D/D archetype.

Cons:

• This card is a level 10 monster which makes it impractical for Synchro plays.
• This card is a level 10 pendulum monster, so once it leaves the field and enters the extra deck, it is extremely difficult to reuse him.
• It does not allow pendulum summon for monsters other than D/D monster.
• Its pendulum scale increase by 2 every time your standby phase passes destroying any non-D/D monsters that has level less than or equal to this card's pendulum scale. 
• It has very low stats.

D/D Savant Copernicus

Quantity: 2-3

When this card is normal or special summoned, it allows you to send any one D/D or Dark contract card to the graveyard other than itself, allowing you to get cards with graveyard effect to where they need to be. This card's pendulum effect allows you to dodge an activated spell effect that will deal damage to you by destroying itself, which can combo with D/D Savant Thomas, allowing you to stall games and thin your deck with Dark Contract with the Gate until you draw the cards you need to get out of the pinch you are in.

Pros: 

• This card allows you to send cards to the graveyard when you need it, effectively making it another Foolish Burial.
• This card is a level 4, meaning it can be reused if it is in the extra deck.
• This card's pendulum effect allows you to dodge an activated spell effect that will deal damage to you by destroying itself.

Cons:

• It does not allow pendulum summon of monsters other than D/D monster.
• It has very low stats.

D/D Savant Newton

Quantity: 0

This card allows you to retrieve any D/D or Dark Contract card by discarding itself from your hand. This card is very useful in milling D/D/D decks as any useful D/D or Dark Contract card that has been sent to the graveyard can be reused in exchange for this card. This card isn't currently popular in meta decks as there aren't many mill-and-retrieve combos, essentially slowing the deck down.

Pros:

• This card's pendulum effect allows you to dodge an activated trap effect that will deal damage to you by destroying itself.
• It is a cost to discard this card and it does not requires this card to enter the graveyard, which enables it to be used even if cards like Macro Cosmos are active.
• It has a very high scale of 10 which allows for high level pendulum summons.

Cons:

• It does not allow pendulum summon for monsters other than D/D monster.
• It has very low stats.

D/D Savant Thomas

Quantity: 1

The latest addition to the savant team, this card's monster effect allows you to special summon any level 8 D/D/D monster with its effects negated from your deck, simply by destroying any one of your D/D pendulum scales. Even though it will cause your opponent to take only half damage this turn, it enables you to easily go into rank 8 plays. This card's pendulum effect allows you to retrieve one face-up D/D pendulum monster from your extra deck to your hand, which allows you to recycle cards like D/D Savant Kepler.

Pros:

• This card allows for easy access to rank 8 monsters.
• This card is able to bring back otherwise unusable cards from your extra deck.

Cons:

• This card's pendulum scale is 6 , an awkward number which restricts pendulum summoning - You can only opt to summon level 7 to 11, or 2 to 5, which is quite the restriction.
• If its monster effect is used, your opponent only takes half damage for the rest of the turn, making OTKs near impossible to accomplish.
• The monster card special summoned by this card's effect has its effect negated.

D/D Savant Nikola

Quantity: 0

When this card in your pendulum zone is destroyed, you can return a D/D/D monster you control to select up to 2 D/D pendulum monsters in your extra deck and place them in your scales, but you cannot use their effect the turn you do so. This card's pendulum effect allows you to boost one of your level 6 or lower D/D monster attack and defense by 2000 by discarding a card from your hand once per turn. As tempting as it might sound, it isn't really worth being included if we are talking about competitive deck-building.

Pros: 

• This card allows you to boost one of your D/D monster's attack and defense until the end of the turn by just discarding one card. The boost is very much appreciated, since most D/D monsters have very low stats.

Cons:

• Scale 8 is not a very good scale to have, as the most of the useful pendulum summonable cards are level 8 (D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok)
• There exists the recurring restriction of only being able to pendulum summon D/D monsters.
• This card's pendulum effect only works on level 6 or lower D/D monster, which means XYZ monsters cannot reap the benefits.
• This card's destruction effect has too many conditions to fulfill, which makes it hard to abuse.

D/D Orthros

Quantity: 0-1

This card allows you to destroy one S/T card on the field at the cost of another D/D or Dark Contract card. This card also prevent OTKs by summoning itself from your hand when you take damage. A very good card to tech in, as it is a pseudo-Scrap Dragon and Trageodia hybrid.

Pros:

• It's a level 4 tuner.
• This card can special summon itself if you receive any form of damage, be it effect or battle.
• This card can help you get rid of useless D/D and Dark Contract cards on your field and destroy another S/T at the same time.
• This card's destruction effect does not check its target on resolution, so even if one of the two target is no longer on the field, during resolution, the other card will still be destroyed.
• This card is a searchable answer to S/T floodgates, such as Ken Sir's favourite Vanity's Emptiness and/or Macro Cosmos.

Cons:

• When this card is special summoned, for the rest of that turn, you can only special summon Fiend-type monsters.
• This card's effect is not a quick effect. 
• As strong as it may be, Ken Sir's 3rd favourite floodgate - Anti-Spell Fragrance, cannot be destroyed by it, if this card was not set in the pendulum zone prior.

D/D Cerberus

Quantity: 0

This card's pendulum effect allows one of your D/D monsters with a level to be turned into a level 4 as long as the card stays on the field with a decent 400 attack and defense boost. If this card is pendulum summoned from your hand while you control another D/D monster, you can add one continuous spell card from your graveyard to your hand.

Pros: 

• This card give a small permanent boost of 400 attack and defense to any of your D/D monster.
• This card allows you to tweak your monster's level for easy rank 4 or even Synchro plays.

Cons: 

• This card's monster effect is too conditional and hard to use. 

D/D Proud Ogre

Quantity: 0

This card allows you to pay 500 life point to boost one of your D/D monster you control for the same amount in attack. This card, when normal summoned, can special summon one face-up dark pendulum monster from your extra deck with it's effect negated.

Pros:

• This card's attack boost is permanent.

Cons: 

• Its monster effect requires it to be normal summoned, and since it is a level 6, it requires a tribute. This means it requires quite a bit of set up.
• The monster summoned by this card's effect has it's effects negated, and for the rest of the turn, you can only special summon D/D monsters.

D/D Proud Chevalier

Quantity: 0

You can pay 500 life points to reduce one of you opponent's face-up monster's attack by the same amount. If this card is normal summoned, you can add one face-up dark pendulum monster from your extra deck to your hand.

Pros:

• The attack reduction is permanent.

Cons: 

• Its monster effect requires it to be normal summoned, and since it's a level 5, it requires a tribute.
• There are easier and faster ways to retrieve cards from your extra deck.

D/D/D Wisdom King Chaos Apocalypse

Quantity: 0

You can banish 2 D/D monsters in your graveyard when this card is in your pendulum zone to special summon it during your turn (this is not a quick effect).

You can special summon this card from your hand or graveyard during your opponent's turn by targeting 2 of your face-up S/T cards and destroying them (this is a quick effect). This effect can be used in combination with cards like Twin Twisters or Dark Contract with the Witch by discarding this card as a cost and then chaining this card's effect by targeting 2 of your face-up S/T which can include Twin Twisters' targets.

Pros: 

• This card allows you to get rid of dark contracts or any useless face-up S/T during your opponent's turn when you no longer need them. 
• This card's effect requires at least 1 of the targets left on the field upon resolution for it's effect to resolve successfully. 
• This card's effect can be activated from both the hand and graveyard.

Cons: 

• This card's effect can only be used during your opponent's turn.
• After this card is special summoned using it's monster effect, you can only special summon Fiend-type monsters for the rest of the turn (though it may not affect you much, since it isn't your turn).
• You are not that desperate to destroy your own S/T for a special summon. Useless Dark Contracts can be utilised better for cards like D/D Lamia.

D/D/D Rebel King Leonidas

Quantity: 0

D/D's own effect damage negation. When this card is in your hand and you take any effect damage, you can special summon this card and then recover the same amount. As long as this card is on the field, you will not receive any effect damage. This card's pendulum effect allows it to destroy itself if you eat effect damage and for the rest of your turn any effect damage will heal the players instead.

Pros: 

• This card completely shuts down decks that rely on effect damage.
• This card allows you to play around the effects of Dark Contracts that damage you on your own standby phases.

Cons: 

• This card summons itself after you take the effect damage, so if the effect damage you receive is more than your current life points, you cannot recover from it.
• D/D/D Oracle King D'arc is a better option to counter Chain Burn.

D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok

Quantity: 3

This card's pendulum effect allows you to special summon a D/D monster from your graveyard if you special summoned a D/D monster, but you will take 1000 effect damage and for the rest of the turn any damage your opponent takes is halved. When this card is normal or special summoned you can special summon a D/D/D monster from your graveyard. You can also tribute 1 other D/D monster you control to banish one of your opponent's monsters.

Pros: 

• This card's banishing effect is once per card so if you have more than one of this card, you can use it multiple times.
• This card's effect allows you to special summon from your graveyard, thus further extending your combos.
• This card has a very big defense of 3000. Special summon it in defense mode during a Time-Call, and watch your opponent struggle to bypass it.
• The 1000 damage you take is after you summon the monster. This is crucial how because if you choose D/D/D Oracle King D'Arc as your target, you will end up gaining 1000 LP instead.

Cons:

• If you use it's pendulum effect, your opponent takes halved damage, which doesn't really matter during the first turn if you use it to set up your field, but hampers OTK.
• This card's monster effect is only able to target D/D/D monsters and not D/D monsters.

D/D/D Doom King Armageddon

Quantity: 0-1

This card's pendulum effect gives a temporary boost of 800 attack to any of your D/D monster on the field, which may very well be the amount needed to run over big boss monsters. This card cannot be destroyed by card effect that doesn't target it. This card is also able to gain the original attack of monsters that you control that are destroyed by battle or card effects until the end of the turn, but cannot direct attack if this effect is used.

Pros:

• This card gives a decent boost of 800 attack for duration of a turn.
• This card cannot be destroyed by non-targeting card effects.
• This card can be used to destroy big monsters that can only be destroyed by battle by using a weaker monster to do a suicide first thus gaining its attack and overcoming other big monsters.
• This card has a high attack of 3000.

Cons: 

• Its attack boost is not permanent.
• If this card gains an attack boost using its own effect, it can't direct attack.

Extra Deck Monsters

D/D/D Flame King Genghis

Quantity: 2

This card allows you to special summon another D/D monster from your graveyard if you special summon a D/D monster. This card also allows you to retrieve a Dark Contract from your graveyard if it get destroyed by battle or card effect.

Pros: 

• This card is one of the key combo pieces that allow you to spam D/D monsters on the field through it's special summoning effect. This is extremely useful in the synchro-based D/D/D deck, as it is responsible for reviving D/D Lamia , without getting Lamia banished.
• This card's effect triggers even if you special summon a D/D monster during your opponent's turn.
• If this monster is destroyed, you can retrieve a Dark Contract from your graveyard.
• This card is easily summoned by fusing any 2 D/D monsters, or D/D/D monsters for that matter. This is because D/D/D is part of the D/D archetype.

Cons: 

• This card's effect is once per turn, such that if you have multiple copies, you can only use this card's effect once that turn.
• This card's attack is quite low, making it easy to kill.
• Metalfoe decks would side this card as a target for Super-Polymerisation.

D/D/D Dragonbane King Beowulf

Quantity:1

This card gives all D/D monsters on your field piercing battle damage. This card, during your standby phase, can also act as a Heavy Storm, allowing you to escape the 1000 LP damage from Contract cards.

Pros: 

• This card allows you to get over defensive decks by giving all your D/D monsters piercing damage.
• This card has relatively high stats.
• It is level 8, so it can be used in extended plays for Xyz summons. 
• This card removes threats in your opponent's S/T zones during your standby phase.
• This card's destruction effect is optional so you can choose not to use it too.

Cons: 

• This card requires one of the fusion material to be a D/D/D monster, which makes summoning it slightly harder.
• Similar to D/D/D Flame King Genghis, Metalfoe users can opt to include this for Super-Polymerisation purposes, with Beowulf being a more offensive option.
• This card only destroys cards in the S/T card zones, so pendulum cards and field spells are unable to be destroyed by its card effect.

D/D/D Oracle King D'Arc

Quantity: 1-2

This card converts any effect damage you take and heal you for the same amount instead. MY. FAVOURITE. CARD. She is the main reason for my LP being higher than 10000 in many games.

Pros:

• This card can be easily summoned by using 2 D/D monsters.
• This card completely shuts down decks that rely on effect damage.
• This card can be used with cards that deal effect damage to oneself as a cost to create a plus instead. Hence, Where Arf Thou's 2000 damage is as good as a free 2000 LP with this card on the field. This explains why D/D/D players can abuse Where Arf Thou? easily.
• Simply summoning this, with two contracts activated, suffices as a mediocre first turn field set-up.
• Being a level 7, Xyz-oriented decks usually summon two copies of this, using the effects of both slimes, and then Xyz summoning into Red-Eyes Flare Dragon.
• At level 7, to build an optimal first turn lockdown, this card is responsible for the summoning of D/D/D Hexblood King Siegfried.
• This card's effect is continuous so it cannot be negated by things like Solemn Strike.

Cons: 

• It's not sexy enough (really?)
• Being at 2800 attack doesn't give it major advantages. Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal from Burning Abyss decks also has 2800, but in its defense. Hence, D/D/D Oracle King D'Arc can't destroy a her easily. Metalfoe Orihulk also shares the same attack as D/D/D Oracle Moon King D'Arc , but with an extra destruction ability and piercing effect - D/D/D Oracle Moon King D'Arc loses out in this aspect, as it doesn't have much effects.

D/D/D Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarok

Quantity: 0-1

This card punishes your opponent if they overextend and have more than one more monster on their field. When an attack is declared involving this card, you can return one other D/D or Dark Contract card you control to equip a face-up monster your opponent controls other than the one this card is battling and gain the original attack of cards this card equips.

Pros: 

• This card doesn't target the monster that is to be equipped to this card.
• If this card's effect triggers, it prevents cards that negate battles (Mirror Force) to activate as this card is a trigger effect, which has the priority to be activated, causing cards that negate battles to miss their timing.
• At 3200 attack, it is only second to D/D/D Duo-Dawn King Kali Yuga.

Cons: 

• It requires a steep cost of 2 D/D/D monster as fusion material, which means it cannot be summoned using the slimes.
• It requires the opponent to have at least 2 or more monsters for this card effect to be used.

D/D/D Gust King Alexander

Quantity: 1

This card allows you to special summon a level 4 or lower D/D monster from your graveyard if you normal or special summon a D/D monster.

Pros: 

• This card effect can be triggered by either normal or special summons.
• Alongside D/D/D Flame King Genghis, it is crucial in the constant revival of D/D Lamia for the array of Synchro plays.
• Being a level 7 synchro monster, it fulfills the condition needed for the summoning of Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon. In the OCG, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon is crucial in building a first turn board, effectively locking down your opponent. Alongside D/D/D Hexblood King Siegfried, it provides a soft-lock of negating a S/T and Monster effect.

Cons:

• This card's effect can only be used once per turn regardless of how many copies of it are on the field.
• This card can only special summon level 4 or lower D/D monsters.

D/D/D Hexblood King Siegfried

Quantity: 1

This card allows you to negate a face-up S/T card until the next standby phase, once per turn either player's turn. When this card is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the graveyard, you gain 1000 LP for each Dark Contract card you control on the field.

Pros: 

• This card allows you to negate any S/T other than counter traps without destroying them.
• If this card is destroyed when you have Dark Contracts on your field, you gain back some life.
• This card allows you to dodge your Dark Contract's effect damage if you negate it during your opponent's turn.
• Main reason for D/D/D decks to go first in games. Summoning this card makes your opponent waste at least one S/T to bait its effect.
• You can use a non-D/D tuner to summon it. Hence, players usually opt for Formula Synchro and D/D/D Flame King Genghis to summon it, if not D/D Lamia and D/D/D Oracle King D'Arc.

Cons: 

• This card requires non-tuner D/D monsters as materials, meaning it is not generic, allowing only D/D/D decks to abuse it.
• This card's effect can only be used once per turn regardless of how many copies of it there is on the field.
• It negates a S/T, but it doesn't destroy it.

D/D/D Wave King Caesar

Quantity: 0

This card allows you to special summon back as many monsters from your graveyard that are destroyed at the end of the battle phase of the turn it uses its effect. You will take 1000 damage for each monster special summoned using this effect. If this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, you can add one Dark Contract to your hand from your deck.

Pros: 

• You can force your opponent to not enter their battle phase if they do not want to revive all your monsters.
• You can get a free Dark Contract if this card is sent from the field to the graveyard.

Cons: 

• Pendulum monsters cannot be revived by this card's effect as they do not go to the graveyard upon being destroyed.
• This card's searching effect only activated if this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, which makes it easily dodged and thus not reliable.
• Both of its effect can only be used once per turn, regardless of how many copies of it there is on the field.
• This card requires 2 fiend-type monster that are level 4 as materials, making the summoning conditions slightly steeper.

D/D/D Marksman King Tell

Quantity: 0

If you take effect damage during either player's turn, you can detach 1 Xyz material to target one monster on the field. It loses 1000 attack/defense and your opponent takes 1000 effect damage. If this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, you can send 1 D/D or Dark Contract to the graveyard from your deck.

Pros: 

• This card can be XYZ summoned by using D/D/D Wave King Caesar or any 2 lvl 5 monster.
• This card can take advantage of Dark Contract's effect damage and uses it to damage opponent.

Cons:

• This card's milling effect is too slow compared to cards like D/D Savant Copernicus.

D/D/D Duo-Dawn King Kali Yuga

Quantity: 0-1

When this card is Xyz summoned, it negates the effects of all other cards on the field and cards cannot be activated for the rest of the turn. This card can destroy all S/T on the field at any time (other than damage step) by detaching one Xyz material. This card can also set any Dark Contract cards in your graveyard to your side of your field during your turn by detaching one Xyz material.

Pros: 

• When this card is Xyz summoned, if the summoning is successful, its effect immediately negates all effect on the field. Since it doesn't start a chain, it cannot be stop by cards like Effect Veiler. In other words, once it touches down (summoning uninterrupted and not negated), all cards on the field become dead cards. No Compulsory Evacuation Device, no Torrential Tribute.
• This card is deadly against decks that rely heavily on setting S/T and activating them during opponent's turn.
• This card has a very high attack of 3500. The highest, in fact.
• This card's effect is a quick effect. It can destroy backrow even during your opponent's turn, making your opponent cautious about setting their pendulum and/or backrow cards.

Cons: 

• This card requires 2 level 8 D/D monsters as Xyz materials.
• This card's negating effect only activates if it is Xyz summoned. Xyz Universe doesn't trigger this effect.
• Its negation effect affects the user as well.

And that's all for the breakdown of all 32 monster cards that are in the D/D archetype (at the moment), we apologize for how long it took to finish this post due to real life commitments.

Many things regarding the archetype are still left unsaid, which is why there are still many parts left to this series of articles. With the banlist approaching, don't be surprised if a part 6 appears out of nowhere, where we focus on what has changed, why, and probably some new cards to be considered.

Generally, D/D/D being an archetype of DARK fiend monsters, share the same vulnerability as most dark monsters, such as Shadow Imprisoning Mirror. Being dark types also means that the Virus trap lineup can be abused in this deck. All these will be covered in the next article.

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This is GeoTheBacon, signing off.  

Edited by Burning Herpes-sama and Ken Sir.