[Warmechs] My first DP archetype!

[Sander]

[spoiler=Warmech Version Alpha]

 

 

Warmech Version Alpha

Level 3 / LIGHT

Scale 2

Machine / Pendulum / Effect

Pendulum Effect: You can destroy this card in your Pendulum Zone; draw and reveal 1 card. If that card is a "Warmech" monster, Special Summon it. This effect of "Warmech Version Alpha" can only be activated once per turn.

Monster Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned: You can destroy this face-up card; destroy cards your opponent controls, up to the number of "Warmech" Pendulum monsters in your Pendulum Zones. This effect of "Warmech Version Alpha" can only be activated once per turn.

1200 / 1000

[spoiler=Warmech Version Beta]

 

Warmech Version Beta

Level 4 / LIGHT

Scale 2

Machine / Pendulum / Effect

Pendulum Effect: You can destroy this card in your Pendulum Zone; draw and reveal 1 card. If that card is a "Warmech" monster, Special Summon it. This effect of "Warmech Version Beta" can only be activated once per turn.

Monster Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned: You can destroy 1 other face-up "Warmech" card on the field; Special Summon 1 "Warmech" Pendulum monster from your Extra Deck. This effect of "Warmech Version Beta" can only be activated once per turn.

1500 / 1300

[spoiler=Warmech Version Gamma]

 

Warmech Version Gamma

Level 5 / LIGHT

Scale 9

Machine / Pendulum / Effect

Pendulum Effect: You can destroy this card in your Pendulum Zone; draw and reveal 1 card. If that card is a "Warmech" monster, Special Summon it. This effect of "Warmech Version Gamma" can only be activated once per turn.

Monster Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned: You can add 1 Level 6 or lower "Warmech" monster from your Deck to your hand, except "Warmech Version Gamma". This effect of "Warmech Version Gamma" can only be activated once per turn.

1800 / 1600

[spoiler=Warmech Versoion Delta]

 

Warmech Version Delta

Level 6 / LIGHT

Scale 9

Machine / Pendulum / Effect

Pendulum Effect: You can destroy this card in your Pendulum Zone; draw and reveal 1 card. If that card is a "Warmech" monster, Special Summon it. This effect of "Warmech Version Delta" can only be activated once per turn.

Monster Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned: You can target 1 face-up "Warmech" monster on the field; equip this card to the target. If the equipped monster would be destroyed to activate a "Warmech" monsters effect: You can destroy this card instead, then draw 1 card.

2100 / 1900

[spoiler=Warmech Prototype]

 

Warmech Prototype

Level 1 / LIGHT

Machine / Tuner / Effect

You can Tribute this card; place 1 "Warmech" Pendulum Monster from your Deck in your Pendulum Zone, except "Warmech Prototype". This effect of "Warmech Prototype" can only be activated once per turn.

600 / 100

[spoiler=Warmech Version Epsilon]

 

Warmech Version Epsilon

Level 7 / LIGHT

Scale 9

Machine / Pendulum / Effect

Pendulum Effect: You can destroy this card in your Pendulum Zone; draw and reveal 1 card. If that card is a "Warmech" monster; Special Summon it. This effect of "Warmech Version Epsilon" can only be activated once per turn.

Monster Effect: Once, during either players turn, if a card effect is activated: You can destroy 1 other "Warmech" monster on the field; negate the effect's activation, and destroy the card whose effect was activated.

2400 / 2200

[spoiler=Warmech Version Zeta]

 

Warmech Version Zeta

Level 8 / LIGHT

Scale 2

Machine / Pendulum / Effect

Pendulum Effect: You can destroy this card in your Pendulum Zone; draw and reveal 1 card. If that card is a "Warmech" monster; Special Summon it. This effect of "Warmech Version Zeta" can only be activated once per turn.

Monster Effect: When a "Warmech" monster attacks or is attacked, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step. During either players' turn: You can destroy this face-up card; add 1 "Warmech" monster from your Graveyard or Extra Deck to your hand.

2700 / 2500

[spoiler=Warmech Weaponry]

 

Warmech Weaponry

Continuous Trap Card

Once per turn: You can destroy 1 other "Warmech" card on the field to target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy that target. You can only control 1 face-up "Warmech Weaponry".

 

 

 

Currently 8 cards. Probably going to leave it @8, now I just need to balance the whole idea behind them. From what I've seen from testing, the problem cards here are Alpha, Prototype, Weaponry and to some degree, Beta, depending on what it can get back. Also Zeta does shenanigans as well, given that the best play that it probably has in to recycle Prototype.

 

[spoiler=Probabably a standard build for Warmechs - Spell/Trap choices may vary - Extra Deck is irrelevant]

 

[VCR_CAT]

Well, you've got a good start on the archetype in terms of what you want to make, but there's a lot that's seriously unbalanced with this archetype, and I'll be going through it one card at a time.

 

[spoiler=Pendulum Effect]

First off, the common pendulum effect. The way it's worded, it's a draw 1, then reveal any Warmech in your hand and summon it. It's not an excavation effect; it's a simple -1 trigger for quickly summoning your monsters and bypassing the OPT Pendulum Summon restriction. Coupled with the fact that every pendulum monster has this effect basically makes the point of the Hard OPT useless. If I'm correct, I think the idea you wanted is something like an excavate and reveal, which adds a bit of a luck factor and not a guaranteed gain. If that's what you're going for, I might suggest an effect that's like:

Excavate the top card of your deck, and if it's a "Warmech" Pendulum Monster, Special Summon it to your side of the field. If not, send it to the Graveyard."

This puts in a way that it can go badly, and doesn't guarantee a gain each time.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Alpha]

Alpha's effect is way too good. With the pendulum effect as it is right now, the deck will fill up the Extra Deck really fast, which means you'll be able to get a lot out of this effect. To top it off, it does not target, which is really dangerous considering what it lets you get over. As well, its effect destroys as cost I believe, which means it dodges any kind of monster effect negation barring Quasar effects as well as Bottomless. Finally, it's a Pendulum Monster, which means you can resummon it every time.

 

To mitigate all of this as a removal card and balance it out, I suggest these changes:

- Trigger on Normal Summon to remove the re-usability of the Pendulum mechanics so you can't just nuke every turn

- Limit what it can destroy, and how much.

- Make it target.

- Destroy itself at the end of its effect, or as part of the effect. Like this: When this card is Normal Summon, you can target [how many/what you can target] your opponent controls: Destroy this card, and if you do, destroy the targeted cards. This means that your opponent can counter this effect with commonly used cards effectly, and this is a good thing for its balance.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Beta]

Beta's effect on paper isn't too bad, but as-is it's really way too good considering what it can summon and how those cards activate their effects. As-is, its effect alone is okay, so I don't think this card needs to be changed too much. But the other cards will be taken into heavier consideration.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Gamma]

Gamma's effect is really way too strong as-is. For starters, the search effect should be edited to not be on a summon and have an appropriate effect to make it a +0 at best. Having a search effect on a Pendulum Monster as a monster effect is already very risky, so I would consider maybe reworking how this card functions to avoid free +1's every turn.

 

The scale and pendulum effects need to be reconsidered, though. I'll get to the scale further on down, but right now it's way too high for no restriction. Consider that Qliphorts have Scale 9 monsters and how restricted their summoning effects are, as well as the current Scale 8 monsters that are openly useable. If the high scale ends up being changed (which it should, but more on that later) to something lower, then it would be fine. So far, it looks like the focus is on the level 6 and lower monsters, so I would actually consider making the typical high-scale a 7 if you don't want any kind of summon restrictions. More on the scales later and the reason for making a lower scale.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Delta]

Delta's effect should not be a total mitigation of the other monster effects, as it makes the existing powerful effects way too powerful. If you want the effect to kind-of-mitigate costs, I would consider changing its effect to "If a "Warmech" you control is destroyed by the effect of a "Warmech" monster you control, you can draw 1 card. You can only use this effect of Delta per turn". However, I would maybe consider changing the role of this monster from cost-mitigation to monster-protection like a typicaly Union monster; except in a way like "If it would be destroyed by your opponent's card (either by battle or by effect)". Cost mitigation is very, very good in this game, and I would tread lightly in its use and application. It can make card effects very powerful very fast.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Prototype]

Prototype, as a searcher, needs a little consideration in its cost and effect. If Delta's mitigation effect is toned down or removed, making this card kind-of a Pendulum Terraforming prevents this card from being a total searcher. Remember that the Extra Deck in a Pendulum deck essentially becomes an extention of your hand; with how the Pendulum Monsters destroy themselves and with how in your current version every card can be Pendulum Summoned; this card becomes a universal searcher. But, if the previous changes are taken into consideration, we can look at how this card would work now:

- If the scale is lowered to 7, then the higher-level monsters won't be immediately pendulum summoned, which means that searching them out isn't immediately beneficial (this is a good thing).

- If the pendulum effect is toned down to a more risk vs. reward with no guarantee of advantage gain, then placing a Pendulum Monster into the scale won't be a universally beneficial effect either.

- Delta not being a mitigation card makes the cost of this effect not a real plus, so it won't be a huge gain in advantage.

But, to play it safe, I would maybe go back and make other searching effects (Gamma) and recycle effects limited to Pendulum Monsters to remove the possibility of abusing this card. Being able to search this and then tribute it for another search becomes very, very good for deck thinning and consistency. I would consider adding another restriction, such as needing another Warmech pendulum in the scale already, to limit the immediate advantage this card can generate.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Epsilon]

Here's reason 1 why the scale should be lowered to 7. Being able to immediately Pendulum Summon this card puts its ease-of-summon on the same level as the level 3 monster makes this card incredibly powered. If the design is for this to be a boss, then there needs to be some kind of wall in place for you to get over. Boss cards need effort to be summoned; it makes their more powerful effects justified and adds the strategy for getting it out. By making the high-scale of your archetype 7, this card won't be possible to just Pendulum Summon which means that it's not an easy, instant boss. I would suggest, first off, making this card impossible to Special Summon except by its own effect. This also removes the possibility of sacking into it with the pendulum effects of your other cards, which already makes this card way too powerful for its ease of summon. Second off, I would make the summon effect something like "If you have X number of Warmechs face-up in your Extra Deck and you can Pendulum Summon Level 6 monsters, you can Pendulum Summon this card." This means that the card requires some set-up, which goes with the flow of the game, as well justifies its stronger effect and stats.

 

Now for its effect, this also needs a good nerf. First off, I would make this effect a hard OPT, even with a cost. Secondly, I would limit its effect for what it can negate. A full Quasar effect is incredibly strong, and to balance it out without making it useless, I would suggest an effect such "If your opponent activates an effect that targets a face-up "Warmech" monster you control..." With a hard OPT, this effect remains pretty good, but it won't out-right stop your opponent from doing anything. It leaves an opening for your opponent get through, but still presents an obstacle to overcome. This, overall, is very good in tems of the card's overall balance and how it helps player interaction.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Zeta]

And reason 2 why the scale should be lowered to 7. Just to re-iterate, boss monsters with powerful effects need effort to be summoned to add to the strategic use and balance. In the case of pendulum archetypes with high scales, Qliphort monsters require to be Tribute Summoned to use their more powerful effects and stats. In the case of bosses that you can Pendulum Summon, the Yosenju boss requires a specific combo of cards in order to be summoned successfully. In the case of Zeta as the main boss, I would make its summoning requirement harder to achieve than Epsilon (whatever you decide that requirement should be). As per Epsilon; can only be Special Summoned by its own effect. Normal Summoning might also be too powerful, but that can be understood from practice.

 

For its effect, to balance it, I would change from a full Armades effect to only when your monsters to attack, to (again) give your opponent some way to get over it without needing specific cards. Still very good, but for 2700 it means that it won't be unstoppable for a lot of decks. Finally, if Delta no longer mitigates destruction costs, its effect is fine except that it should only recycle Pendulum monsters (to avoid abuse of Prototype). If the requirement to summon this card is appropriately difficult, this card will be fine with those changes.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Weaponry]

Weaponry as removal is overkill with Alpha in consideration. For its effect, I would reconsider how it works and maybe change its effect to destroying your own Warmech monster (instead of any card) and grant a modest, yet still respectable, stat boost to your other monsters until the end of the turn. Hard OPT would be needed with this kind of effect.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Other changes]

I would consider changing the attribute of this archetype, considering that overall benefits LIGHT Machines have with Cyber Dragons that make this archetype stronger than your example build implies. Thankfully, because of how Pendulum monsters work, Xyz plays aren't made absolutely broken because of the materials being sent to the grave, but I would still consider tightening the level range of the entire archetype to restrict the toolbox it has access to (Level 4 for Alpha, Beta; Level 5 or Gamma/Delta), as well the attribute change would remove cards like Pleiades from the huge toolbox this deck has access to. Then the scales can be 3/6 for reasonable, generic use. Then, the bosses can remain levels 7 and 8 while still maintaining whatever alternate summoning method you come up for them. Prototype can remain level 1.

 

 

 

 

Balancing archetypes right off the bat is a difficult feat to achieve, and don't feel bad at all that this deck is considered broken. My first archetypes were incredibly busted, and balance is something we all learn through trail and error. I think with appropriate balancing, testing, and even re-thinking for how the archetype works, you can come up with something very unique and creative. The potential is already there, and I look forward to seeing what you can think up for this archetype.