Intro to Kozmo Part 3: Dealing with them

Ken Sir takes over...


Cosmic Cyclone

Kozmotown is capable of replacing itself by searching out another copy of itself upon destruction. There is also the option of searching out another Kozmo monster piece for the combo to be pulled off. This puts cards such as Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit, Mystical Space Typhoon and Typhoon out of the question. But Cosmic Cyclone, being a spell/trap removal option that doesn't involve destruction, is favoured in a Kozmo matchup as it effectively removes the field spell without triggering its effect.

Cosmic Cyclone has been gaining popularity, and at the very least, a side deck option to replace Twin Twisters in game 2 and 3, for certain matchups. It has proved to be effective against other decks, capable of removing the equipped ABC alphabet parts from the field without triggering their effect. Not only does this remove the protection ability, banishing a Union letter would mean that the opponent would have to retrieve another copy of it from their deck and replace it onto the field/grave. Combined with the effort of D.D. Crow/Ally of Justice Cycle Reader, it might just be sufficient in revoking opposing ABC players any access to their boss monster. That, and their Pot of Desires might do half the work for you.

Cosmic Cyclone has thus proved to be vital for the user, and fatal for the opponent and is slowing making its way to becoming a Main Deck staple card.

Imperial Iron Wall and friends

Kozmo revolves around banishing themselevs as cost to further their gameplay, and thus, Imperial Iron Wall-ish cards that stop them from banishing would prove to be crucial in shutting down the deck. Chaos Hunter is also gaining popularity, and is probably the only option that should be considered after Iron Wall. Artifact Lancea is too ineffective, as its effect only last for a turn, and Kycoo & Necrovalley doesn't provide sufficient coverage.

Since the monsters banish themselves as cost, it would be wise to activate Imperial Iron Wall ASAP, during the Standby Phase.

Cash Back

Cash Back exists as a negation, but not destruction, method to removing the Kozmo monsters. The attractiveness of testing this option out is supported by the fact that it has no cost whatsoever, and can even be used to negate opposing staple traps such as the Solemn Counter Trap series.

Being a counter trap allows it to be searched by Guiding Ariadne, which is usable in Metalfoes deck, and seems to be the general new direction the deck is heading towards.

 
Powersink Stone

An unorthodox method to stop them, but will only be effective if you yourself, the user, uses at most two monster effects per turn. Otherwise, it will hamper you as much as it hampers them.

It won't outright kill the deck, but Powersink Stone can slow Kozmo down.

Gendo

 

Similar to ABC-Dragon Buster and Majespecter Unicorn - Kirin, Gendo the Ascetic Monk is capable of 'grounding' monsters, disallowing them to access their monster effects to escape. This can be useful against opposing Kozmo monsters that threaten to banish themselves to special summon the spaceship monsters at any point of time, as you prevent the pilot monsters from escaping, and at the same time, manage to destroy them by battle.
 But it becomes a problem when you are facing a defense position card like Kozmo Tincan, which will be unaffected by Gendo's restriction effect.

 
Al-Lumi'Raj

 Al-Lumi'Raj does reduce their attacks to a manageable amount, but given that Kozmo spaceship monsters can float upon destruction, even if you do destroy Kozmo Dark Destroyer by battle, you will end up facing another spaceship.

Probably not the best method, but it is an available option is their massive attacks are more of your concern. On a related note, a hand-trap version of Al-Lum'Raj has just been released - Wight Princess.

Light-Imprisoning Mirror

 

Mirror is unlike Skill Drain in the way that Kozmo players can't play around it. As long as the light monster activates its effect in the grave or field, it will negate it.
It prevents their main form of non-spell/trap backrow removal - Kozmo Sliprider, as it is a LIGHT ATTRIBUTE monster. In addition, it prevents the Kozmo monsters from summoning their big guns. But the entire Kozmo archetype isn't just filled with LIGHT ATTRIBUTEs, and splashing in both Light and Dark Imprisoning Mirrors seems a bit too much such that it slows the user's deck down.

System Down

With their big bosses being machine types, System Down is an effective way to neutralise the threat. Non-targeting, non-destruction in the form of banishing. Now they have to rely on cards like Pot of Avidity or Kozmotown to retrieve those banished cards.



Last but not least, the MVP of the article....


Deck Lockdown

Deck Lockdown is an effective card in shutting the Kozmo archetype down. It stops searches, meaning you are safely destroy Kozmotown without worry. Preventing cards from being special summoned from the deck means that you are free to also destroy those large spaceship monster on the field.
The only problematic aspect of using Deck Lockdown is its time limit, which Metalfoes players can abuse by activating Metalfoes Counter upon its demise.
Also, Deck Lockdown is unable to stop the summons from hand. Hence you also require other cards like Light-Imprisoning Mirror and Imperial Iron Wall to work in tandem with Deck Lockdown in order to slay the Kozmo archetype.
Kozmo's other out to Imperial Iron Wall, apart from Twin Twisters is a Reasoning hoping to summon something big, or summon Kozmo Sliprider. Deck Lockdown prevents Reasoning from being activated, providing protection for your floodgate trap as well.

Conclusion

The main gist of playing against Kozmo is to negate the pilot monsters effect, with Solemn Strike or Solemn Warning. Their big boss monsters are untargetable, which won't matter with you flip them down, so cards like Book of Eclipse and Swords of Concealing Light remain relevant. The former is more favoured nowadays as it assures the opposing board monsters will end up faced down, and it baits the pilots' effects.

Even when face down, their effects will of course still trigger upon destruction. But even Kozmo Dark Destroyer is vulnerable to Kirin and ABC-Dragon Buster effects, when it is a mere face down defense position card.