Welp, Since This Is Theory... (Raidraptor Archetype Analysis & Discussion)

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Why do Raidraptors keep getting shafted by Konami so they can't be a competent archetype?

I did hate the deck in the beginning because of how Shun played it, but I gradually came to like how it worked, especially the fact that it supported one of my favorite underutilized Xyz mechanics: Rank-Up-Magic cards.
But they lack very little offense, despite their capability to get out Xyzs fairly consistently.

They currently have...
Rise Falcon: A 3-mat Rank 4 with 100 ATK that can gain, not drain, just gain, the ATK of a Special Summoned monster. It can also attack all Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls. In rare situations, it is good as a counter. In most cases, it isn't.
Force Strix: A 2-mat Rank 4 with 100 ATK that can gain 500 ATK and DEF for each other Winged beast you have, and can detach an Xyz Material to add a LV4 DARK Winged Beast to the hand. Pretty much the workhorse of the deck, it's why Raidraptors are even a thing in the OCG. It enables Mimicry and Fuzzy by getting them into the Grave for even more pluses. But it only has a maximum ATK of 2100 under its own power.

Blaze Falcon: A 3-mat Rank 5 with 1000 ATK. It can attack directly, and whenever it inflicts battle damage, it blows up a monster. Furthermore, it can detach to destroy all of your opponent's Special Summoned monsters and inflict 500 for each. Currently the only option for Raidraptor Ranking Up, Blaze Falcon leaves a lot to be desired. At 1000 ATK, it's pretty vulnerable, and while it can attack directly, and it destroys a monster upon hurting the opponent, that, and its effect that can only hurt Special Summoned monsters, are really the only thing going for it. You basically have to babysit it with stuff like Readiness.

Revolution Falcon: A 3-mat Rank 6 with 2000 ATK. By detaching an Xyz Material, it can attack all monsters the opponent controls, and whenever it fights a Special Summoned monster, it makes their ATK and DEF permanently become 0. Furthermore, if it has a Raidraptor Xyz Monster as the Xyz Material, it can, once per turn, blow up a monster, then inflict damage to the opponent equal to half the ATK. The only truly offensive Raidraptor Xyz, it can really ruin one's day if Astral Force'd from a Force Strix, which is the best way to get it out. By using its Rank-Up effect to take care of problem monsters, then wipe the board against the rest, it has the potential to end a game. The key is potential. It requires the opponent to not have some sort of backrow or card in the hand or Graveyard to deal with Revolution, which is pretty common. But if conditions are ideal, and the opponent has no idea what they are up against, they will be standing on the edge of a Revolution.
Devil Eagle: A 2-mat Rank 3 with 1000 ATK. It detaches to blow up a Special Summoned monster and inflict damage equal to half the original ATK. That's it, and that's all it has going for it. For a Rank 3 Volcasaurus, the price of using 2 LV3 Raidraptors, a Level the Raidraptors only recently got and do not have the synergy to utilize, is high. And despite the seemingly offense-oriented effect, its ATK is effectively useless, as it can't even attack directly like Blaze Falcon.

So what went wrong? Why can't Raidraptors actually do anything in-archetype, and mainly have to rely on outside attackers, such as Ice Beast Zerofyne?

[UltimateIRS]

No need to give an archetype options its Deck already has.

[evilfusion]

Because Raidraptors' entire theme is around annihilating players who SS a LOT and rely on these SSed monsters. It's the theme Shun works with, and the archetype is remaining more or less true to this theme, with a few changes. Rise Falcon actually KEEPS its ATK buff, whereas the anime one lost it (but also gained for all of them, so it was an OTK machine).

 

Nothing is really going wrong, the archetype is finally getting supported, but with all archetypes, the support can range from trash to brokenly good. But with only a few exceptions, Raidraptors aren't limited to their own Xyz, which lets them take advantage of Utopia and its plethora of "gimme Rank-Up-Magic" support.

 

Raidraptors don't look like they're truly supposed to be archetype-limited. There are tons of aggressive Rank 4s, so Raidraptors can use their own awesome stuff, or use a more generic Rank 4 to fill their situation. (I think Dark Rebellion is an amusing touch for an aggressive Rank 4 if you're still trying to stick to a Shun-type Deck).

 

The real downer is that Blaze Falcon is the weak link. It's mediocre as a Rank 5 that's easiest Summoned with a Raidraptor RUM. Revolution Falcon is awesome, but Blaze Falcon is meh. And Devil Eagle is meh because it's a Rank 3, but it CAN Rank-Up into the Rank 4s, which is pretty cool. We just need more RR Level 3s to justify the idea.

 

I'm hoping Raidraptors get more Rank-Up toys.

[Dramatic Crossroad]

Those are the specifics of the deck.... kind of like how Yusenju shenanigans work best/only on their own turn.

 

I think it's too early to cross the archetype as low-tier, we they still have only a few cards out, and still a few to have their effects confirmed: 

1. Rank-up Magic Raid Force!!!
2. Raidraptor Devil Eagle (TCG name could differ, they tend to censor "devil","demon" etc.)
3. Some card to make Devil Eagle actually playable - Since there aren't any Level 3 Raidraptors (in the OCG/TCG) and it is indeed rumored to appear in the upcoming pack, to pull it off, they either make a remodeled "Skull Eagle" to fit in the Level 4 dominated deck, some Rank-Down Magic OR a Mimicry counterpart that levels down Raidraptors (unlikely unless more Rank3s are released). Maybe Konami will give players the finger and shove "Level Tuning" in their faces.
4. Other support cards used in the anime with more plausable effects: "Raidraptor - Call/Symbol"(?), which are both 1 for 1 with cheesy conditions, "Necro Vulture" maybe with revised,more versatile effect...
5. .... a Rank 7 Raidraptor Xyz - even though "Revolution Falcon" is an OK ace for the moment, something more epic and powerful should come out, should the archetype prevail, continue to evolve and get support... there are ways to pull off a rank 12, with this myriad of Rank-Up magic spells. )LOL(

 

 

Here are a few honorable mentions if not too obvious, that could potentially work well with RR and are worth considering:

Ice Beast Zerofyne (negating always helps)

Ice Princess Zereort (x2 ATK nulifier 2500ATK beatstick)

The Thunder Charger (when your rank 5/6 Xyz is not enough/expired its use),

Inferno Reckless Summon (easy to counter the drawbacks),

Stoic Challenge (plausable)

Xyz Gift (if your fear your Xyz won't survive opponent's next turn)

Xyz Shift (Strix to Rise Falcon or vice-versa)

[CLG Klavier]

Because archetypes are never designed to be closed themes and usually have a bunch of open ends so they can get type/attribute/card type support as well? I mean, you're complaining a Winged Beast archetype uses an outside Winged Beast as one of the bosses. That's wrong? That's why types and attributes exist in this game. So a newly released archetype can get even more indirect support by the cards that exist. It's not anime after all.

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

I mean being 5% of the OCG metagame isn't terrible. Wind Up's with basically full power still can't manage that

[CLG Klavier]

I mean being 5% of the OCG metagame isn't terrible. Wind Up's with basically full power still can't manage that

I mean yeah, Raidraptors are genuinely a good deck at this point (not in TCG because of lack of Tribute Lanius), but in DNCG/OCG, they're really solid. Saying they're weak at this point is kinda circlejerking. Not a tier 1 material by any means, but tier 2-ish for sure.

[Expelsword]

Because Raidraptors' entire theme is around annihilating players who SS a LOT and rely on these SSed monsters. It's the theme Shun works with, and the archetype is remaining more or less true to this theme, with a few changes. Rise Falcon actually KEEPS its ATK buff, whereas the anime one lost it (but also gained for all of them, so it was an OTK machine).

 

Yet, for all my playing Infernoids, I rarely if ever lose to Raid Raptors. It seems to me like most players don't understand how the Extra Deck works, as everyone on DevPro goes into Strix in situations where actually attacking would be a better idea.

 

Overall, RR are another Rank 4, which should be automatically powerful; certainly not terrible.

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

I mean yeah, Raidraptors are genuinely a good deck at this point (not in TCG because of lack of Tribute Lanius), but in DNCG/OCG, they're really solid. Saying they're weak at this point is kinda circlejerking. Not a tier 1 material by any means, but tier 2-ish for sure.

For once I may agree with you. 

 

I'm really tired of people wanting every deck to be the next Nekroz/Hero/BA to be considered good......I mean Yang Zing won the YCS in Japan...nobody is praising that, they just love to complain, and can't see anything good in life