Attention Duelists! Have you ever wanted to be the envy of the table, what about controlling the duel to your very will, how about having the option to merge with multiple archetypes… Well, do I have the deck for you in our Snake Eyes deck tech.
I would like to introduce Snake-Eyes, and if you have been following the meta for quite some time, this little deck here can’t seem to leave the big leagues no matter what gets thrown into the mix, which is crazy. Since its inception from Duelist Nexus, the deck has just been getting better with almost every new booster set that comes out, with the most recent one being Phantom Nightmare adding in Snake-Eyes Poplar. The archetype has seen lots of pro play and is still going strong in the TCG and even the OCG since it has many customisation opportunities and can adapt to situations quickly. As of the making of this blog, it’s ranked number one in the world for popular decks, with a bunch of Snake-Eyes sub decks scattered into the listings.
Now I’ve got all that wonderful information out of the way. It's finally time to show you how to build and play this serpent-themed deck so without any further ado let's slither onto the guide and get stuck in!
Table of Contents
Key Monsters and Utility: Time to be a Slippery Snake
We can now get into the meat and bones of this deck to find out what makes it tick. Now, I will say the problem with this deck is the fact that most of the cards are scattered around all over the place, but you can find the two newest additions to the deck (Bonfire and Snake-Eyes Poplar) in the boosters sets Maze of Millenia and Phantom Nightmare, respectively. You can pick up the rest of the cards individually, or if you're feeling the luck of the draw, try your hand at some booster packs such as Duelist Nexus or Age of Overlord.
At its core Snake-Eyes is all about summoning level one FIRE monsters since the name “Snake-Eyes” is in reference to the dice roll of two ones. Also, you can use your effects to bring back monsters as continuous spells, then summon them back into the fray when the time is just right.
Snake-Eye Ash
This card is one of two main combo starters, the other being Snake-Eyes Poplar. When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can add one level one FIRE monster from your deck to your hand. Also, when this card is on the field, you can send two monsters on the field (including this card) to special summon on Snake-Eyes monster from your hand or deck.
Snake-Eyes Poplar
This new card that was introduced in Phantom Nightmare synergizes really well with Snake-Eye Ash but can also be set up for some light combos by itself. If this card is added to your hand, except from drawing this, you can Special Summon it to the field. Then if this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can add one “Snake-Eyes” spell or trap card to your hand.
If this card ever leaves the field, you can target one FIRE monster in your grave and place it face-up in the spell and trap zone as a continuous spell card.
Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon
Flamberge Dragon is going to act as one of your boss monsters, essentially. This monster is able to target any monster on the field or in either player's GY and send it into the spell and trap zone as a continuous spell. This card combos well with Snake-Eyes Ash since it has the ability to Special Summon any monster that is in the spell and trap zone that’s counted as a continuous spell, which might I add, is a Quick Effect.
If this monster was sent from the hand or field to the graveyard, you can summon back two level one FIRE monsters from the grave, e.g. Snake-Eye Ash & Snake-Eyes Poplar. This monster gels well with the aforementioned monsters.
Diabellstar the Black Witch
This is the star of the show, Diabellstar the Black Witch. When this card is in your hand, you can Special Summon it by sending a card from the hand or field to the Graveyard. Also, when this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can place one “Sinful Spoils” spell or trap card directly from the deck.
Now, this monster can be a pain for the enemy to get rid of since its last ability is a doozy. During the opponent's turn, if Diabellstar the Black Witch is sent from your hand or field you can throw away one other card from your hand or field to bring this baby back!
WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils
WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils
The last card on our list is your go to utility since this quick play spell lets you add one “Diabellstar” monster to your hand from your deck or graveyard. Not only that, you can then banish this card from your graveyard to bring one “Sinful Spoils” spell or trap from your banished pile or graveyard except WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils, of course.
Making and Upgrading Your Snake-Eyes Deck
This is probably the most expensive deck I’ve talked about, which can be a pain, but just know that if you can’t fit some of the extra deck into your build, don’t fret. You can always do that later or not at all since this is only to maximize your potential in every situation.
Main Deck Monsters
Main Deck Spells/Traps
Extra Deck
Optional Upgrades
A few swaps here and there from your side deck couldn't hurt if you're facing an enemy that you're having trouble with, so these are my picks that should be useful in a pinch.
Example Combos
The amount of combo potential in this deck can get a little overwhelming, but I’m here to show you a couple of amazing combos that are sure to get the duel ready to go.
All you'll need for this first combo is Snake-Eye Ash. It's just that simple. I’ll guide you through the next few steps to get it down.
Combo #1
- Normal Summon Snake-Eye Ash to the field.
- Use Snake-Eye Ash to add Snake-Eyes Poplar to your hand.
- Special Summon Snake-Eyes Poplar from adding it to your hand.
- Add Divine Temple of the Snake-Eye to the hand from the effect of Snake-Eyes Poplar.
- Using Divine Temple of the Snake-Eye effect then, place Snake-Eyes Diabellstar in the spell/trap zone.
- Use Snake-Eye Ash to send itself and Snake-Eyes Diabellstar to the grave to Special Summon Snake-Eyes Oak.
- Use Snake-Eyes Oak to Special summon Snake-Eye Ash back to the field.
- Finally Send Snake-Eyes Oak and Snake-Eye Ash to the grave to Special Summon Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon
From here on, you can get crazy by adding in a bunch of Link Summons into the mix, such as I:P Masquerena, then after Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames.
Combo #2
Now, this combo here is all about Diabellstar the Black Witch if you somehow didn’t draw Snake-Eye Ash or Snake-Eyes Poplar on your first turn. All you need to start it off is WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils, so let's get into it.
- First, you want to activate WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils to add Diabellstar the Black Witch to your hand.
- Then activate Diabellstar the Black Witch to special summon itself by discarding a card from your hand.
- When Diabellstar the Black Witch is summoned you can place Original Sinful Spoils - Snake-Eye onto the field.
- Use Original Sinful Spoils - Snake-Eye to send Diabellstar the Black Witch to the graveyard to Special Summon Snake-Eye Ash.
- Since Snake-Eye Ash was Special Summoned, you can add Snake-Eyes Poplar to the hand to Special Summon it to the field.
- Once Snake-Eyes Poplar is summoned onto the field you can place Divine Temple of the Snake-Eye into the field spell zone.
- Finally, you can use Divine Temple of the Snake-Eye to place Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon in the spell/trap zone.
Doing all this allows you to set yourself up to summon Relinquished Anima and get into some spicy link summons for future plays.
Support Engines: Splicing the Deck
An interesting thing this archetype has going for is its potential for heavy customization and merging of different engines, which is probably why this deck has seen so much play. Outside of the fact it has a good chunk of firepower on its own but by combining other strategies, it’s become an unstoppable powerhouse.
Kashtira Engine
Out of all the deck combinations, this one is run the most in pro play and is possibly the most reliable since it flows quite nicely into the deck and doesn’t take up much main space for “Snake-Eyes” cards. I would choose to run these cards in the deck.
Kashtira Engine Combo:
For a quick combo to get you started with these cards, this is what you should do; keep in mind this combo does require you to have either Terraforming or Pressured Planet Wraitsoth in the hand and a copy of WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils to get out Diabellstar the Black Witch.
- First, use Terraforming to add Pressured Planet Wraitsoth to the hand.
- Place Pressured Planet Wraitsoth into the field spell zone and add Kashtira Unicorn to the hand.
- Special Summon Kashtira Unicorn to the field and add Kashtira Birth to the hand.
- Then activate WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils in the hand to add Diabellstar the Black Witch.
- Send Pressured Planet Wraitsoth to the grave using Diabellstar the Black Witch to Special Summon itself to the field.
- Finally, add Original Sinful Spoils - Snake-Eye to the field to end the combo and set yourself up for future plays.
Fire Kings Engine
Ah, good old Fire Kings always find their way back into the fray and thank the dueling gods that these archetypes work so well together since they are both FIRE types. They already have good potential in their own right, but when they are mashed together, it becomes beautiful! What you are going to want to run in the hybrid deck is as follows:
Snake-Eyes/Fire Kings Combo:
This is where I will show you a cheeky starter combo to get you going for the rest of the duel, and all you need to start it is Snake-Eyes Ash so here we go, people.
- First Normal Summon Snake-Eye Ash to Special Summon Snake-Eyes Poplar to the field
- Then you want to add Original Sinful Spoils - Snake-Eye to the field for later
- You will have to Link Summon Relinquished Anima using Snake-Eyes Poplar to the Graveyard.
- Then use Snake-Eyes Poplar to place itself into the spell/trap zone and use Original Sinful Spoils - Snake-Eye to Special Summon Legendary Fire King Ponix
- Use Legendary Fire King Ponix to add Fire King Sanctuary to your hand.
- Place Fire King Sanctuary in the spell/trap zone to play Fire King Island in the field spell zone
- You can then use Snake-Eyes Ash to send itself and Relinquished Anima to the grave to Special Summon Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon
- Use Fire King Island to destroy Legendary Fire King Ponix to then Special Summon Sacred Fire King Garunix
- Use Sacred Fire King Garunix to destroy Fire King High Avatar Kirin
- Finally use the effect of Fire King High Avatar Kirin to bring back Legendary Fire King Ponix to the field.
And just like that, it’s as easy as pie, I’m hoping this has helped you out just a bit to learn how to rock this hybrid deck like a champ!
Final Thoughts
Ah, we’re finally at the end, and sadly, it’s time to say goodbye… But hey, what do I truly think of this intriguing deck? It’s actually fantastic! I’m glad that this deck is so versatile with the chance to get stronger when new archetypes come out. I always enjoy writing about different play styles that are around the Yugi-verse and learning what they bring to the table, but this one, damn, I want to get my hands on the deck and start experimenting myself.
Well, that’s enough about me now, I hope that you, dear reader, learned something new and got you pumped to play Snake-Eyes. If this blog hasn't scratched your itch yet, look around for some more top notch content, and why not browse the Gathering Games store while you're at it? You never know when you might find your next favourite game.
That’s it from me now, but remember to keep it real and play it cool at Gathering Games so until next time see ya!
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