Labyrinthine/Djinn/Gate Guardian | Gate Guardian Retrain Archetype/Sub-Archetype

[kanokarob 0]

This set serves as a total retrain not only of Gate Guardian and his three pieces -- Kazejin, Suijin, and Sanga of the Thunder -- but also as a retrain of the Labyrinth cards/ideas used by the Paradox Bros. in the anime, merging the two groups into one coherent deck.

The Labyrinthine cards focus on generating board presence in preparation for the Djinns and Gate Guardian. They have effects dependent on monsters with 2000 or less DEF, which means paying attention to your available Main Deck resources, as the Djinns and Gate Guardian are all Link monsters.

Kazejin, Suijin, and Sanga have been reimagined as Link 2 monsters, using monsters with 2000 or more DEF as Link materials. They all have a targeted disruption effect on-summon, and an effect that halves their ATK to perform some advantage-generating effect, such as in Kazejin and Sanga's cases, or a defensive effect in Suijin's case. They're also no longer called by these names. Immortal Gate Guardian, the retrain of his mortal counterpart, is a Link 6 monsters that uses 3+ Djinns with different names as Link materials. While you have Labyrinthine Pendulum Spells, he's unaffected by other card effects, but is hampered by his non-optional effect that can change the way both you and your opponent proceed with the game. His high ATK makes up for this, though.

Click the image below to see the set on DuelingBook, or look further down for the written stats and effects.

Main Deck Monsters

Spoiler

Labyrinthine Wall
Level 5 EARTH Rock Pendulum Normal
Scale 3
0 ATK / 3000 DEF
Pend Effect:
Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if this card was activated this turn: You can change the Battle Position of 1 monster you control; add 1 "Labyrinthine" card from your Deck to your hand.
Monster Effect:
In time, the darkness in the Labyrinth grew more powerful, and the maze became more treacherous. The evils inside were becoming too great and too numerous to contain. The threshold needed guarding, and the guardian needed improving.

Labyrinthine Creeping Shade
Level 4 DARK Fiend Pendulum Effect
Scale 3
1300 ATK / 2000 DEF
Pend Effect:
You can destroy this card in the Pendulum Zone; activate 1 face-up "Labyrinthine" monster from your Extra Deck in your Pendulum Zone. You can only activate this effect of "Creeping Labyrinthine Shade" once per turn.
Monster Effect:
If you control a "Labyrinthine" card in a Spell/Trap Zone, this card can attack directly. When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent: Change its Battle Position; Special Summon 1 "Wall Shadow Token" (1600 ATK/2000 DEF/DARK/Fiend/Level 4) in Defense Position.

Labyrinthine Shadow Gate
Level 6 DARK Rock Pendulum Effect
Scale 8
0 ATK / 3000 DEF
Pend Effect:
Discard 1 monster with 2000 or more DEF; draw 1 card. You can only activate this effect of "Labyrinthine Shadow Gate" once per turn.
Monster Effect:
If the effect of a "Djinn" monster is activated: Draw 1 card. During the End Phase of the turn this effect was activated: Change this card's Battle Position.

Labyrinthine Shadow Ghoul
Level 7 DARK Fiend Pendulum Effect
Scale 8
1600 ATK / 2000 DEF
Pend Effect:
You cannot Pendulum Summon more than 1 monster. When you Pendulum Summon a "Labyrinthine" monster: Special Summon 1 "Wall Shadow Token" (1600 ATK/2000 DEF/DARK/Fiend/Level 4) in Defense Position.
Monster Effect:
If you control a "Labyrinthine" card: You can banish this card from your hand; Special Summon 1 "Wall Shadow Token" (1600 ATK/2000 DEF/DARK/Fiend/Level 4) in Defense Position. During your End Phase, if you control a "Djinn" Link monster: You can Special Summon this banished card to a zone that monster points to.

Labyrinthine Tanker
Level 7 EARTH Machine Pendulum Effect
Scale 3
2400 ATK / 2400 DEF
Pend Effect:
When a "Labyrinthine", "Djinn", or "Gate Guardian" monster you control destroys an opponent's monster by battle: You can draw 1 card.
Monster Effect:
This card inflicts piercing damage. When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: You can add 1 "Labyrinthine" card from your Deck, or face-up from your Extra Deck, to your hand.

Labyrinthine Para Gate
Level 5 EARTH Rock Pendulum Effect
Scale 3
1300 ATK / 2000 DEF
Pend Effect:
If you don't control "Labyrinthine Dox Gate" in your other Pendulum Zone, this card's Pendulum Scale becomes 5. "Djinn" and "Gate Guardian" cards you control cannot be targeted by cards or effects.
Monster Effect:
While this card is in your hand: You can destroy 1 card in your Pendulum Zone; for the rest of this turn, you cannot Summon "Gate Guardian" monsters, also Special Summon 1 "Wall Shadow Token" (1600 ATK/2000 DEF/DARK/Fiend/Level 4) in Defense Position. You can only activate this effect of "Labyrinthine Para Gate" once per turn.

Labyrinthine Dox Gate
Level 5 EARTH Rock Pendulum Effect
Scale 8
500 ATK / 2800 DEF
Pend Effect:
If you don't control "Labyrinthine Para Gate" in your other Pendulum Zone, this card's Pendulum Scale becomes 5. Other "Labyrinthine" cards you control cannot be targeted by card effects.
Monster Effect:
Reveal this card in your hand; for the rest of this turn, you cannot Summon "Gate Guardian" monsters, also if you would Link Summon a "Djinn" monster, you can use Tokens your opponent controls as Link Materials as though you controlled them. You can only activate this effect of "Labyrinthine Dox Gate" once per Duel.

Spell/Trap Support

Spoiler

Labyrinthine Gate Threshold
Continuous Spell
When a monster is Link Summoned: Its controller Special Summons 1 "Wall Shadow Token" (1600 ATK/2000 DEF/DARK/Fiend/Level 4) in Defense Position. This effect of "Labyrinthine Gate Threshold" can only be activated once per turn. "Labyrinthine", "Djinn", and "Gate Guardian" monsters cannot be destroyed by battle, except by monsters with the same ATK.

Labyrinthine Corridor
Equip Spell
Equip only to a monster with 2000 or more DEF. The equipped monster's ATK becomes 1000, also it cannot be destroyed by battle. If a "Djinn" monster is Special Summoned, or if this card is sent to the GY: You can add 1 "Labyrinthine" card from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate this effect of "Labyrinthine Corridor" once per turn.

Gate Guardian's Riddle
Normal Spell
Add 1 "Labyrinthine Para Gate" and 1 "Labyrinthine Dox Gate" from your Deck to your hand. You cannot Summon monsters from the Extra Deck, or conduct your Battle Phase, during the turn you activate this card. If a "Labyrinthine" card in a Pendulum Zone would be destroyed by a card or effect, you can banish this card from your GY instead. You can only use each effect of "Gate Guardian's Riddle" once per turn.

Extra Deck Monsters

Spoiler

Clouded Sky Djinn
Link 2 WIND Spellcaster Effect
2400 ATK
2 monsters with 2000 or more DEF
When this card is Link Summoned: You can target 1 card on the field; return it to the hand. During either player's turn: You can halve this card's ATK; add 1 "Labyrinthine" card from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate this effect of "Clouded Sky Djinn" once per turn.
Arrows: Bottom Left, Bottom Right

Swirling Mist Djinn
Link 2 WATER Spellcaster Effect
2400 ATK
2 monsters with 2000 or more DEF
When this card is Link Summoned: You can target 1 card on the field; shuffle it into the Deck. During either player's turn: You can halve this card's ATK and target 1 "Labyrinthine" card you control; this turn, it is unaffected by cards or effects. You can only activate this effect of "Swirling Mist Djinn" once per turn.
Arrows: Top Right, Right

Striking Thunder Djinn
Link 2 LIGHT Spellcaster Effect
2400 ATK
2 monsters with 2000 or more DEF
When this card is Link Summoned: You can target 1 card on the field; destroy it. During either player's turn: You can halve this card's ATK; Special Summon 1 monster with 2000 or more DEF from your hand or GY. You can only activate this effect of "Striking Thunder Djinn" once per turn.
Arrows: Top Left, Left

Immortal Gate Guardian
Link 6 LIGHT Warrior Effect
3750 ATK
3+ "Djinn" monsters with different names
As long as you control a "Labyrinthine" card in both of your Pendulum Zones, this card is unaffected by other card effects. As long as your opponent controls no Attack Position monsters, this card can attack directly. When a monster is Summoned to a zone this card points to: Change the Battle Position of every monster on the field.
Arrows: Top Left, Top, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom, Bottom Left

Edited January 24, 2019 by kanokarob

[Summer Darj 292]

Still grasping how the entire archetype works but got some thoughts already.
- Note that these cross-support with other Djinn monsters, like the Ritual and Xyz Djinns.
- A couple of conflicts with precedence and mechanics. Creeping Shade and Para Gate have effects that destroy as cost, and so far that is not a thing and usually is done as part of the effect (e.g Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon). There is destruction as maintenance cost, but that's a different matter.
- Likewise, IDK why but there is no precedence of a Pendulum Effect that activates the moment the card is activated, Tenki-like, like Wall does. Instead, the closest is like Monkeyboard, Dag Daggerman, Zany Zebra, an effect you can activate during the Main Phase of the turn the card was activated as a Spell. Thus, if you want to stay consistent with Konami's trends, I suggest to make Wall's effect more like Monkeyboard's.
- I don't quite get why you remade the Guardians as Spellcasters and all with the same ATK. Don't see why they don't keep their original ATK and Types.

[kanokarob 0]

13 hours ago, Darj said:

Still grasping how the entire archetype works but got some thoughts already.
- Note that these cross-support with other Djinn monsters, like the Ritual and Xyz Djinns.
- A couple of conflicts with precedence and mechanics. Creeping Shade and Para Gate have effects that destroy as cost, and so far that is not a thing and usually is done as part of the effect (e.g Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon). There is destruction as maintenance cost, but that's a different matter.
- Likewise, IDK why but there is no precedence of a Pendulum Effect that activates the moment the card is activated, Tenki-like, like Wall does. Instead, the closest is like Monkeyboard, Dag Daggerman, Zany Zebra, an effect you can activate during the Main Phase of the turn the card was activated as a Spell. Thus, if you want to stay consistent with Konami's trends, I suggest to make Wall's effect more like Monkeyboard's.
 - I don't quite get why you remade the Guardians as Spellcasters and all with the same ATK. Don't see why they don't keep their original ATK and Types.

1. Yes, they do, but that would greatly detract from the efficacy of the rest of the deck, so if people want to use alternative Djinns to make it harder to summon IGG and ultimately make it weaker, then by all means.

2. Not having a precedent doesn't make it incorrect, and there would be reasons to want destruction in the cost; for example, to force the user to have to utilize that resource even if the effect is negated. Since both Shade and Para Gate utilize a card in a Pendulum Zone in a resource, it can't just be Tributed for cost, hence destroy. And since none of the Labyrinthine Pendulum monsters have effects that activate when they're destroyed, there's no conflict of interest in using them as costs.

3. Again, there's no need for a precedent in this situation for it to be incorrect, but there's certainly no reason in this case that I can't adjust it to match the current trend.

4. While the deck has no direct Spellcaster support, since I opted to drop the original names for their retrains and unite them under the almost-common "Djinn" sounds, it made sense to make them all Spellcasters for consistency across them. Regarding the ATK, I gave them all 2400 ATK for balance purposes; 2400 is already fairly high for a Link 2, even if it permanently halves its ATK to activate an effect. Conveniently, in addition to being the lowest ATK among the original trio, Kazejin, 2400 is easy to halve several times if it stays on the field long enough to do so, helping both players to quickly read the boardstate as opposed to going from 2500>1250>625 or 2600>1300>650.

If you'd like a better explanation of how the deck works, I can update the OP with further details of intended synergies and such.

[Summer Darj 292]

It's not that I don't get how it works, I just haven't read the effects carefully to get their interactions.
Yeah, wanted to point out the mechanic and precedence inconsistencies. I guess it's fine to destroy as cost, but IDK if hat could interfere with other interactions, such as Supply Squad or effects that involve destruction by battle or effects but not by mechanics or costs.
I see little problems with the ATK halving but alright. I do still feel the are missing out on some flavor, but that's up to you.