Marked [14/14] [Revisiting Old Favorites]

[VCR_CAT]

-Marked was the first archetype I made for the 2099 format, and thus its balance was tooled for that custom pool of cards. I went back to them recently and did some fixing around with their stats, effects, etc. in an effort to fine-tune their potency while maintaining some balance, while also simplifying some cards and touching up the card grammar. The flavor behind this archetype is based around angels that have been chosen/marked by two different deities in order to fight their war; angels summoned from the Portal by one of either rival Gatekeepers.
 
This archetype is a bit of a black sheep among my designs, in more ways than one. For starters, the strategy is a lot more control-centric than my usual battle/aggro-focused decks. The original inspiration was to be something that played a little like Cardians; large combos with weak engine monsters that culminate in larger bosses to maintain field control. So let's get to it.
 
[spoiler=Monsters]

 

If you control face-up "-Marked" monster(s), you can Special Summon this card from your hand. You can only control 1 face-up Level 12 "Gatekeeper" monster. This card cannot be destroyed by battle. If this card battles a Special Summoned monster, at the start of the Damage Step: Destroy that monster, then end the Battle Phase and this card gains 1000 ATK. Once per turn: You can make the Levels of every monster you control equal to the number of "-Marked" monsters you control x4 (max. 12). If you would Xyz Summon a Rank 12 monster the turn you use this effect, it must be "Nihilus, Arbiter of the Void".

 

 

 

If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). During either player's Battle Phase: You can discard this card; reduce the next battle damage you would take this turn to 0. You can banish this card from your Graveyard; add 1 "Zero-Marked" monster or 1 Level 12 "Gatekeeper" monster from your Deck to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Infini-Marked Archer" once per turn.

 

 

 

When this card is Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 "Infini-Marked Lancer" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard, but you cannot Summon monsters for the rest of the turn except Fairy-Type monsters. You can only use this effect of "Infini-Marked Lancer" once per turn.

 

 

 

If you control face-up "-Marked" monster(s), you can Special Summon this card from your hand. You can only control 1 face-up Level 12 "Gatekeeper" monster. This card cannot be destroyed by card effect. This card's ATK and DEF are equal to the number of cards on the field x300. If this card attacks or is attacked, at the end of Damage Calculation: End the Battle Phase. Once per turn: You can make the Levels of every monster you control equal to the number of "-Marked" monsters you control x4 (max. 12). If you would Xyz Summon a Rank 12 monster the turn you use this effect, it must be "Nihilus, Arbiter of the Void".

 

 

 

If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If your opponent activates a card or effect that targets a face-up "-Marked" monster you control: You can discard this card; negate that effect. You can banish this card from your Graveyard; add 1 "Infini-Marked" monster or 1 Level 12 "Gatekeeper" monster from your Deck to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Zero-Marked Bard" once per turn.

 

 

 

If you control a face-up "-Marked" monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. You can only Special Summon 1 "Zero-Marked Caster" this way per turn. If this card is Summoned: You can increase the ATK and DEF of all face-up Level 1 "-Marked" monsters you control by 500 for each "-Marked" monster you control, but they cannot attack your opponent directly this turn.

 

 
[spoiler=Extra Deck]

 

2 Level 4 Fairy-Type Monsters

Cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects. Once per turn, you can detach 2 Xyz Materials from this card: This card gains ATK and DEF equal to the number of cards on the field x400. If this card leaves the field, you can target 1 Level 1 "-Marked" monster in your Graveyard: Special Summon that target.

 

 

 

 

3 Level 8 Fairy-Type Monsters

Cannot be destroyed by battle. If this card battles a Special Summoned monster; At the start of the Damage Step, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card: Banish that monster, then this card gains 1500 ATK and DEF. If this card leaves the field, you can target 1 Level 1 "-Marked" Monster in your Graveyard: Special Summon that target.

 
 

 

2 or more Level 1 Monsters
When this card is Xyz Summoned, its original ATK and DEF become equal to the number of Materials used for its Xyz Summon x500. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and target 1 monster your opponent controls: It's ATK and DEF become 0, and its effects are negated. This card gains effects equal to the number of Xyz Materials attached to it. ● 1 or more: This card gains 200 ATK for each card your opponent controls. ● 3 or more: The first time each turn this card would be affected by an opponent's activated card effect, it is not. ● 5 or more: This card's effect can be activated during either player's turn.
 
 

 

2 or more Level 12 Monsters
Must first be Xyz Summoned using at least 1 Level 12 "Gatekeeper" monster as Xyz Material. While face-up on the field or in the Graveyard, this card is also LIGHT-Attribute. This card's original ATK and DEF are equal to the number of Xyz Materials attached to this card x1000. The first time each turn this card would be affected by an opponent's activated card effect, it is not. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card: Banish 1 card your opponent controls face-down.

 

[spoiler=Spells and Traps]

 
You can discard 1 Level 12 monster: Draw 2 cards. You can banish 1 LIGHT monster and 1 DARK monster from your Graveyard: Special Summon 1 "-Marked" monster or 1 Level 12 "Gatekeeper" monster from your Deck in face-up Defense Position. You can only use each effect of "Gateway of the Marked" once per turn.
 
 

 
Target up to 3 Level 1 "-Marked" monsters in your Graveyard: Special Summon them in face-up Attack Position and negate their effects, then pay 1000 LP for each monster Summoned. You cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of the turn except Fairy-Type monsters. You can only activate 1 "Redemption of the Marked" per turn.
 
 

 
Discard 1 "-Marked" monster and target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls: Take control of that target, and if you do, its Level becomes 1, its name becomes "Null-Marked", its effects are negated, its Attribute becomes the Attribute of the monster discarded, and its ATK and DEF become 100. When it leaves the field, destroy this card.
 
 

 
When this card is activated: You can send 1 "-Marked" monster from your Deck to your Graveyard. Once per turn, during your opponent's turn, you can discard 1 card and send 1 of your banished "-Marked" monsters  or 1 of your banished Level 12 "Gatekeeper" monsters to the Graveyard: All monsters your opponent controls lose ATK and DEF equal to the Level/Rank of the sent monster x100 until the end of the turn.

 

 

[VCR_CAT]

It's not often I make changes this early, but here they are:

• Infini-Marked Archer's text has been cleaned up
• Zero-Marked Caster's stat boosting effect has been fixed to read as it's intended to work
• Zero-Marked Bard's discard effect has been changed
• Infini-Marked Ascendant now banishes instead of send
• Gateway's Dragon Ruler OPT has been changed to simple hard OPT's

I've struggled to find a place for Bard that's unique for his niche, while still baring similarity to Archer and remaining useful himself. Hopefully this version accomplishes that intention. Ascendant needed a buff, I knew that, but in hindsight "sending to grave" has some mixed interactions, and I felt that banish was a good, solid buff that will also make the card more user friendly.

[MUDKIPISAWESOME!!!]

Overall, this looks like a super fun Archetype to play. I especially like that the "Infini-Marked" cards only search "Zero-Marked" cards and vice versa. I feel like "Redemption in the Marking" could stand to be a little less crazy cost-wise, but I'm also not sure how I would suggest changing it so…yeah. Also, the artwork is gorgeous, where'd you find it?

[VCR_CAT]

Overall, this looks like a super fun Archetype to play. I especially like that the "Infini-Marked" cards only search "Zero-Marked" cards and vice versa. I feel like "Redemption in the Marking" could stand to be a little less crazy cost-wise, but I'm also not sure how I would suggest changing it so…yeah. Also, the artwork is gorgeous, where'd you find it?

 

the "cost" on Redemption is more or less a gate lock as well as to balance out what is something that lets you plant 3 monsters on the field for one card. The idea is that, having this kind of cost on the card, limits its use in the lategame and, as such, a topdeck if you're desperate for a win. On the one hand, those kind of moments are sweet, but on the other, they can be pretty cheap, and planting 3 monsters on the field would be pretty cheap if you could just sack into it whenever. An alternative to that card's effect while removing the LP cost would maybe be either costing the Battle Phase and/or only being able to activate it while you control no monsters. It's worth some reconsideration, so I'll keep that in mind.

 

All artwork is pulled from JasonTN on Deviant Art here: http://jasontn.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=0 His is one of those golden finds of artists there where you get a solid collection of art for monsters and spells/traps that all fits an archetype well, so I was pretty pumped when I stumbled across his stuff.