yugioh A guide to making custom archetypes

[Surge77754]

Cohesive in custom archetype design is referring to the ability for other people to guess what your cards do as a whole.  This is determined by taking 4 or 5 cards of said archetype and try to figure out what the cards in general want to do.  If one can determine from reading those cards that a possible mechanic (an goal, or both a mechanic and a goal) can be found, then it is said to be cohesive.  

However, if the cards are ALL over the place randomly scattered in terms of effects, then said archetype is not cohesive.  This means that the archetype may not have a goal/common mechanic or it has no idea of what it wants to do as a whole.  

Even if there was a lot going on in the archetype, it can still be cohesive if all the cards in the custom archetype align together as a whole to do something.

Edited December 8, 2022 by Surge77754

[Surge77754]

Most custom archetype that want to put an explosive turn 1 board full of disruptions (they don't always have to be negates) have a terrible grind game.  The moment that they get Nibiru'ed their end board will be weak.   Even an Ash Blossom or Imperm to them can cripple them even more.

A going 2nd gameplay on the other hand tries to OTK the opponent at the right time.  

Always make your custom archetype with this mentality - "I'd like the opponent to break my board going 2nd so I'll make a custom archetype whose turn 1 end board is very reasonable."  

 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by Surge77754
grammar fixes

[Surge77754]

Whether an archetype is linear or non-linear does NOT mean that the archetype is broken.  Linear simply refers to the fact that the archetype must have a specific combo you must use to end on a specific end board, and non-linear is basically the opposite of linear.  

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Surge77754

[Surge77754]

Sometimes an archetype can have a boss monster.  Usually the boss monster is one that utilizes the full potential of the archetype.  It is perfectly fine for an archetype to NOT have a boss monster to be reasonable.

 

 

Edited December 14, 2022 by Surge77754

[Kenneth Cline]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this since I'm pretty much brand new to this site, but I have a very basic idea for a ritual based archetype. It's not very fleshed out, in fact the only thing I have at the moment is a fairly solid idea of the archetype's common mechanic. The archetype would focus on discarding to activate effects when they are on the field, and would have an effect they can use when in or sent to the GY. Again sorry if I'm not supposed to put this here, I don't know where else to put it.

Edited January 8, 2023 by Kenneth Cline

[Surge77754]

On 1/8/2023 at 5:40 PM, Kenneth Cline said:

I don't know if this is the right place to post this since I'm pretty much brand new to this site, but I have a very basic idea for a ritual based archetype. It's not very fleshed out, in fact the only thing I have at the moment is a fairly solid idea of the archetype's common mechanic. The archetype would focus on discarding to activate effects when they are on the field, and would have an effect they can use when in or sent to the GY. Again sorry if I'm not supposed to put this here, I don't know where else to put it.

Don't worry, Kenneth Cline.  You can post it here. This is what this channel is for anyways.  

That is a good starting point for your Ritual Deck because you have a good idea for a mechanic.  Your cards have 2 effects, an on field effect, and have a GY effect.  

[Kenneth Cline]

6 hours ago, Surge77754 said:

Don't worry, Kenneth Cline.  You can post it here. This is what this channel is for anyways.  

That is a good starting point for your Ritual Deck because you have a good idea for a mechanic.  Your cards have 2 effects, an on field effect, and have a GY effect.  

Since the time I made that post I developed the archetype a bit further. The monsters are DARK Attribute and Fiend Type, and the archetype as a whole is called Disfiend. The name came from the fact that they are fiends who's primary effects require you to discard cards. Here's the ones I've made so far, Disfiend Marksman, Disfiend Berserker, and Disfiend Scout.

I'm still more than willing to change them if need be. My intention for Marksman and Scout is to have them serve kind of like searchers for the archetype, and can help getting the Ritual Spell(s) and Ritual Monsters out quicker.

[Veyson]

On Disfiend Berserker you could write the first effect as
Once per turn: discard 1 card from your hand; this card can make a second attack on monsters during each Battle Phase this turn.

It's basically the same effect but it better follows the standard text and it also specify how it works for multiple Battle Phase (could become a thing in the future, right now just few cards allows you to do that).

Waiting for more cards of this archetype.

[Kenneth Cline]

2 hours ago, Veyson said:

On Disfiend Berserker you could write the first effect as
Once per turn: discard 1 card from your hand; this card can make a second attack on monsters during each Battle Phase this turn.

It's basically the same effect but it better follows the standard text and it also specify how it works for multiple Battle Phase (could become a thing in the future, right now just few cards allows you to do that).

Waiting for more cards of this archetype.

Made the change you suggested to Disfiend Berserker. I also made the archetype's first spell card! Still unsure if I want the archetype's Spell/Trap cards to also have a GY effect, so it might be changed in the future.

[Surge77754]

On 1/10/2023 at 12:40 PM, Kenneth Cline said:

Made the change you suggested to Disfiend Berserker. I also made the archetype's first spell card! Still unsure if I want the archetype's Spell/Trap cards to also have a GY effect, so it might be changed in the future.

No matter what, we are here to help you if you want custom archetype help.  

[Kenneth Cline]

Made the Ritual Spell for the archetype. Not sure if I'm going to add a secondary effect to it or maybe make another Ritual Spell that has an alternate effect and just have this one be the basic archetype Ritual Spell.

[Surge77754]

One more thing, if Konami wouldn't do this when making a custom card, you probably shouldn't.  There are toxic players on DuelingBook (like acaciapeincess) whose philosophy is making the opponent play solitaire with a negate board, or to make the opponent quit playing against them.  

Custom cards are about having a good time in a two sided interactive duel, as in you and your opponent can interact, and experimenting with your creation.  If it doesn't work, try another - that goes true when building an archetype, or experimenting with a single card in an archetype.  

It is inadvisable to use the meta game to make your customs, because the meta game as of right now is like stale bread that can at best be used for bread pudding.  Simply put, it's not very interactive. 

Some custom card servers offer a chance for you to errata your card, which is a good thing. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Surge77754

[Surge77754]

If you have duelled a toxic player, don't use that experience to make your custom cards because that is like the equivalent of getting back at a bully.  Two wrongs don't make a right.  

 

 

[Surge77754]

Make something that you like when making customs so you can cope with meta does NOT mean copying the meta to do so.  If we look at the TCG meta right now, it is like extremely stale bread.  Hence using your custom archetype to copy the meta makes one no better than plagiarists.  For example, if your custom archetype is based on Rokkets, what can they do that is unique from Rokkets?

Toxic players on DuelingBook like to make customs to win because they want to win.  Hence they want to assemble their negate board and force the opponent to rage quit.  But what is the point of making customs if you want cards that win - none, because custom archetypes will eventually win when the time is right.  These toxic players want to make cards that win without considering the fact that their opponent wants to play against them.

 

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Surge77754

[Surge77754]

Some archetype you see have a boss monster.  A boss monster is something that ties the archetype together, but keep in mind the effects you put on it, as in some cases, their effects can be game winning if they resolve.  Not all archetypes need to have a boss monster in order for it to be cohesive.  

 

 

[D1G1TAL]

On 1/20/2023 at 11:05 AM, Surge77754 said:

Some custom card servers offer a chance for you to errata your card, which is a good thing. 

Could you please give some examples of custom card servers and what you can do there? This is a whole new concept for me.

[Surge77754]

4 hours ago, D1G1TAL said:

Could you please give some examples of custom card servers and what you can do there? This is a whole new concept for me.

There's one that I am a part of - it is called CCT Format, and we focus on custom cards. 
Here is link to it: https://discord.gg/HeTkXTE5SX

 

[Surge77754]

Keep in mind that customs are about using your imagination and experimenting with new ideas.  Take for example, Bait Doll.  

Bait doll hasn't been used in the TCG meta as of right now, so making it into an archetype would be good.  However, keep in mind that the ceiling of this archetype is dependent on how often your opponent plays "Set back row and pass".  

 

 

[Surge77754]

More examples on how to decide on custom archetypes

1. Mekk-Knights are column based in design.
2. Dinomorphia are based on sacrificing your LP in order to gain powerful effects.  Quite the opposite of Aroma though, which focuses instead on gaining LP to achieve various effects.  
3. Weathery focuses on gaining effects through their continuous Spell/Traps.  
4. Amazement are a equip Trap based deck 

Do what you like when designing custom cards.  For example, a going 2nd control based deck is very unusual (but inventive) in card design because control decks are usually designed to strictly go first or go for broke.

Keep in mind "If Konami wouldn't do X, you shouldn't do X when making your custom archetype. And also avoid floodgates."

Follow all previous guidelines here and you should be fine. This is the true end of the lecture, and I hope you have a fun time. 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Surge77754

[Surge77754]

One more thing to keep in mind - use the mechanic throughout when designing the archetype.  For example, if your mechanic is putting Counters on the opponent's monsters make the counters have meaning.  If not, the mechanic does nothing.  

If an archetype has a mechanic that consists of 2 parts, BOTH parts 1 and 2 must be implemented into the archetype.  Otherwise the archetype loses its identity.  

[Surge77754]

The Side Deck is meant for cards to play against certain matchups.  Kaijus, Lava Golem, Ra - Sphere Mode, and Divincarnate are examples of side deck cards.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by Surge77754

[Surge77754]

In the next section, we will talk about what it means for a custom archetype to utilize its mechanics. It is best to stick to a simple idea and work with that idea. 

If an archetype really cohesive, every card in that archetype fully utilizes the mechanics of that  archetype.  Keep in mind, even the simplest of ideas can have A LOT of potential when making custom cards.  

There are cases where custom archetypes tend to focus on their end board first.  This can be problematic because you have lost focus on why you designed your cards in the first place. Also, an end board archetype can feel like a sucker punch, which is no fun at all.  

What you should do instead if focus on the design first principle of custom archetypes, which involves looking for a mechanic and utilizing said mechanic to the fullest. An example of a mechanic would be to "temporarily change the Attribute of a monster to a declared Attribute until the end of this turn, and when said monster changes Attribute, do X".  

Like before, look for ideas that have been lost to history. 

Nowadays archetypes tend to play on the opponent's turn so you have to make sure that the opponent has a good time dueling against your archetype. 

Edited April 29, 2023 by Surge77754

[Surge77754]

Stick to one point when making when making a mechanic.  For example, utilizing Counters can be one thing.  You have cards that generate Counters as resources and you spend resources (Counters) for an effect.  

If your mechanic for your custom archetype involves Union monsters, one way to unleash potential is to take advantage of the cards equipping/unequipping.  You can take this a bit further with some of the Union monsters being Tuners and make a Synchro archetype.  

The simpler the mechanic for your custom archetype is, the easier it is for you to expand in the long run.  

What is important is to focus on the mechanic that you have created earlier.  Like we said before, looking for ideas that were lost to history and implement them.

 

 

 

 

[Surge77754]

If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). is a way of saying going 1st. This is building when the opponent's field is not there. 

If your opponent controls more monsters than you, you can Special summon this card from your hand is a way of saying going 2nd.  This is building when the opponent has a field present. 

Midrange archetypes do NOT care about going 1st or 2nd, so keep this in mind.  

 

Edited April 29, 2023 by Surge77754

[Surge77754]

Here's a food for thought. 

The mechanic of an archetype is what gives the archetype its purpose and identity. Sure, archetypes have a searcher to get what they want from their Deck, but the main point is that the archetype should have a purpose when looking at the cards of said archetype.

Do not bloat too many ideas on when making a mechanic for an archetype. Instead keep it simple - for example, a union synchro deck which utilizes BOTH level manipulation and Union monsters (which themselves are a mechanic due to them equipping and unequipping to Special Summon themselves).  Hence the union synchro idea has 2 parts of a mechanic and each part of the mechanic must contribute to the union synchro idea - the unions need the synchros, and the synchros need the unions.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by Surge77754