5:27 ball incoming! I don't even expect ra in a deck that runs the ball that often. Tributing is just such a power play. I love it. 13:23 did i just get time warped to back when super fusion was also the power play? hah! 18:06 with double edged sword in hand, it looked like trying to set up an OTK, but walking into the lilith again, perhaps? sword up and no skill drain would have made it a win for them, absent the activation of the super fusion you have set. I love playing Mikanko, but this would be a hard spot. 18:48 this looks to me like they were commiting to a defeat on their side and got cut off, absent some flash m/t removal on their side. reminds me of what happened today playing a different card game. 28:04 early wave D/D/D to now. machinex is just.. so darn amusing for his value in any deck that can make any of the d/d/d exceeds, let alone in regular D/D/D where on top of his abilities it's a very easy way to activate some of the other D/D/D on summon of anothers effects. 32:32 as this duel continues i have so many questions. why summon the lava golem in attack mode when you have a window to optimize the damage. why bounce the lair with Mayowashidori that'll just be played again instead of the golem thats likely going to be tributed one way or another to replay it? why the nuzzler? I've asked that one a good 4 times already. theres just so many other cards that could have been more useful to the mikanko gameplan. 36:31 there just times running control where the matchup either recognizes they don't really have an out, or a tableflip occurs. was on the other side of that earlier, like i mentioned. Lair is a powerful deck where it's abusing a mechanic most decks still can't come to terms with. it's a fun time, for absolute certain.
Yes that’s literally my favorite monster to use to tribute their cards. Especially with LOD because I get three tokens as well. I was as surprised as you were when they hit me with a super poly, I didn’t expect it from a Kash player lol. I figured you’d look at what the Mikanko player did and see their misplays honestly, I’m not familiar with what they could have done. I just knew that I had to get the equip spells and the mikanko monsters off the field as soon as possible lol. I completely understand in terms to when someone knows they just don’t have enough resources to compete and they scoop. Thanks for taking the time to check out this video and give your feedback. I tried to step up my production value on this one lol. This is definitely my longest video I’ve done but it’s the archetype I’m the most familiar with and comfortable with for sure. 🔥🔥
@@YugiSmoove Hail Ra! I tend to favor the Kaijus, and as revenge for the archetype basically being impossible to play pure, i like throwing them. Mikanko is a deck i love to highlight and talk about. the thing is without generic M/T destruction their wheelhouse is more bouncing, like Espirit/Shinobirds also is, which is another deck i think ive said i enjoy. that player just utterly confused me. theres a number of non-mikanko equips that work with the deck, but none of them are nuzzler. in fact Nuzzler counters the point of mikanko which is reflecting battle damage you where supposed to take into your opponent by functionally mesmerizing or tripping the monster back into you. Lava golem is common in mikanko due to how many run hidden armory already and they work together fine, but they lava golem you, put it in defense which with the right cards could have stopped them from winning the match in and of itself... but then didn't bounce back the golem they ran into to resummon it on you later after seeing how tribute happy you are? the random timelord in the video just... Mikanko is basically the life damaging timelords strategy focused and better, and theres even negative synergy because of how timelords work, another deck I wish was better. Just felt like someone who had cards from the deck and didn't know what they were doing with it yet. I'm glad to comment. hopefully the comments aren't to long or anything.
@@DarkCTYou hit it on the head. When I’ve played Mikanko in the past I’ve noticed they always bounce the kaiju back to their hand, I was definitely surprised by their plays. I think your suspicions are correct, I think they just had the cards and didn’t quite know the combo lines. It’s never too long, I always appreciate the detailed responses it gives me a great idea of what stands out in the video. 🔥
@@YugiSmoove well, theres usually a fair bit i can comment on between your commentary itself or the events on screen. there's a few things i could call out, but they just seem ike recording mistakes, like Marincess or Muckraker. it's nice to see control at play regardless.
@@DarkCT I really do appreciate it, yes for sure. I always notice a few hiccups myself after I’ve already uploaded it lol. At that point I’m like well I’ll keep it in lol. 😂
That’s a great call out, I actually put that in the budget deck video too. I love that card it just banishes itself after the second use but other than that it’s awesome plus it works on all special summon monsters and not just extra deck which gives it an edge too. Great call out and thanks for watching
Lair of Darkness is the only control deck that truly makes your opponent feel helpless. I adore it. They can banish, negate, destroy, do whatever they want, they can have monsters who can't be targeted or destroyed or banished But as soon as that Field Spell hits the board, they're at your mercy. I can count on one hand the amount of monsters immune to tributing. I really a suggest a card called "Share the Pain" for starter lair decks. It normally makes both you and the opponent tribute one monster, but with Lair, you can get two enemy monsters tributed.
31:35 I feel like that was the wrong play. Draw 2 cards, then flip summon Alice, then crash into the Mikanko, which has 700 ATK. Alice goes to GY, you get to search Lilith with Alice (no Ash in their hand after the Deck Devastation). Summon Lilith, activate Lair, tribute the Mikanko. Remember: Alice allows you to search even if she was destroyed by battle.
I like to play Lair a bit differently. I have a few Labrynth cards in there, as they're all dark fiends which leads to great synchronicity (also makes Ties Of The Brethren better as it gives something to work off of with Ahrima/Labrynth Servants) and provides more firepower with Lovely/Lady (along with trap search/recovery). I also lean more into the tributing, with stuff like Ballista Squad, Painful Escape, and Mystik Wok. With these cards, what I've found is that Lair isn't quite as aggressive, but it can outlast a lot of decks. The biggest example I can think of is the time I went 19 turns against Labrynth and only lost due to a Magic Cylinder that was set literally 14 turns prior, which was entirely my mistake and not Lair's shortcoming, as I had Diabolos on the field (unaffected by Cylinder) but didn't attack with it. But my endboard was Diabolos, Ahrima, and Triphyoverutum even after those 19 turns, and that Cylinder was all he had left on his field.
Amazing deck man! I'm smitten by LoD too, I've been playing the Critias version which is really fun but might have to switch up to this one Also your channel seems criminally underrated, you make some good stuff
Thank you for sharing, it’s always nice talking to a fellow LOD lover like myself. I’ve played that version as well, it’s a lot of fun but I’ve gotten more wins with the one I showcased above: Thank you for that feedback, I figure if I keep creating the world will see it one day lol. 🔥
I'm thinking about getting back into Yugioh after having not played since literally over a decade ago. Last deck I had centered around Shinato King of a Higher Plane. Really interested in making a Lair of Darkness deck! This video was great. You explain things exceptionally well and you don't have an air of extreme arrogance like I've seen others.
Thank you for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate that. It’s definitely a great time to get back into it, I’m like you I hadn’t played since 2007. This is my first time playing any video game since then but I’ve always loved the strategy behind this game and deck construction. I’m really happy to get that feedback that the information I provided was helpful and that you may even use Lair of Darkness yourself. 🔥💯
For sure. Back in the day, I went to tournaments and everything. Seems like for my lifestyle now Masterduel is a great middle ground between itching my urge to get back into Yugioh and playing the physical card game. Yeah, I've watched a handful of videos about this deck type specifically, and it seems to be not as complex as others while centering around controlling the pace of the game. My kinda style. Also, I feel like there's a lot of variation you can build around....
@ThatCho I’ve never done the tournaments that must have been a lot of fun. I agree that this should be a great balance for you. Also you are definitely right this deck is not as complex as a lot of others.
returning player here, only ever played original duel monsters era, so even XYZ is new to me haha, had made a monarch deck as it seemed the most friendly to me since i dont understand all the extra deck nonsense yet, but i got a secret pack involving Lair and the tribute shenanigans seems super interesting to me. Thank you for explaining the interactions mid game play it really helped me follow much better, but you also didnt over explain which is also refreshing! I am curious if i could somehow make a decent for funsies mix of lair and dark monarchs.
I just watched the infernoid duels where you essentially through your entire deck into the GY lol with monster gate. That’s a smart play when majority of your cards can be played from the graveyard. I’m sure the Runick/Spright player was confused lol 😂.
Amazements are my favored control deck currently. I use Lillith and Heavenly Prison in that deck as well. Most people that I've seen use that deck don't run both the assistants, They use Comica over Della for the normal summon search. But I like both and use both. Anyways, I like Lair of Darkness, because you don't see it used often. The trap based, control decks that are used most often are Traptrix, Labrynth, and (used not as often now, but still strong) Eldlich. Also, as far as your imperm play went, it was good, but I usually go for the Splash Mage when it comes to Link decks. They usually scoop when they can't extend with Splash Mage.
I like your approach, one of”s. Makes for a bigger toolkit. I adopted a similar philosophy after playing lab, yes I play lab like a scrub but lod is pretty sweet, I’ll build one soon.
That’s true I definitely could have attacked with it and then hit him with the Lilith and link spider than linked it off in main phase 2 that’s a great point. Great call outs!! And thanks for tuning in I really appreciate it. 🔥🔥
Nice video I picked up lair when it first came out I’m gonna try something like this in OCG and see how it goes lol I’d say tcg but I’m not there anymore, by the way with that unknown deck you can always go to confirm opponents deck haha
Absolutely! It’s a must have, they use to have it at 3 but when Labrynth came out they put it down to one copy per deck. It really gives you an edge and allows you to have more control over the duel.
Thank you for taking the time to comment and I appreciate your kind words. This absolutely does better going first but the build I created makes it pretty good second as well. The two evenly matched, lightning storm and three super polys help you break boards when going second.
I know this is old and 1st time watching cause I saw the field and wanted to make a deck idk if you thought of this but have you tried lair of darkness with labyrinth?if not I'm gonna try
"Mikanko" and "fun to play against" are two things that don't go together in the same sentence. Great vid though, I don't play LoD but this definitely convinced me to pick it up. How do you feel about people trying to get EEV and cards like it banned, will the deck become unplayable without it?
I was making a LoD deck and i was trying it out with "where did dai go", do you think its good? (my deck is a cheap for fun deck i also use some of the dragon that you can fusion summon using traps)
I would like to ask you what changes would you do if you played this deck in tcg (without maxx c and verte) plus an alternate card for thrust cause its too expensive
Thank you for taking the time to check out my video and comment. Here are my suggestions based off of your comment. If I took Maxx C and thrust out that gives me four spots to fill in the main deck. I’d add two Ash blossom and Niburu and one additional imperm or destructive trap card.
That’s a great callout, I’ve thrown it in on some duels in the past but when it was at two. I may actually put it in as a one of in the deck. I was actually thinking of adding the other Pot card that doesn’t let you special summon but it lets you look at your top three cards and pick one. Thanks for taking a moment to comment. 🔥
5:27 ball incoming! I don't even expect ra in a deck that runs the ball that often. Tributing is just such a power play. I love it.
13:23 did i just get time warped to back when super fusion was also the power play? hah!
18:06 with double edged sword in hand, it looked like trying to set up an OTK, but walking into the lilith again, perhaps? sword up and no skill drain would have made it a win for them, absent the activation of the super fusion you have set. I love playing Mikanko, but this would be a hard spot.
18:48 this looks to me like they were commiting to a defeat on their side and got cut off, absent some flash m/t removal on their side. reminds me of what happened today playing a different card game.
28:04 early wave D/D/D to now. machinex is just.. so darn amusing for his value in any deck that can make any of the d/d/d exceeds, let alone in regular D/D/D where on top of his abilities it's a very easy way to activate some of the other D/D/D on summon of anothers effects.
32:32 as this duel continues i have so many questions. why summon the lava golem in attack mode when you have a window to optimize the damage. why bounce the lair with Mayowashidori that'll just be played again instead of the golem thats likely going to be tributed one way or another to replay it? why the nuzzler? I've asked that one a good 4 times already. theres just so many other cards that could have been more useful to the mikanko gameplan.
36:31 there just times running control where the matchup either recognizes they don't really have an out, or a tableflip occurs. was on the other side of that earlier, like i mentioned.
Lair is a powerful deck where it's abusing a mechanic most decks still can't come to terms with. it's a fun time, for absolute certain.
Yes that’s literally my favorite monster to use to tribute their cards. Especially with LOD because I get three tokens as well.
I was as surprised as you were when they hit me with a super poly, I didn’t expect it from a Kash player lol.
I figured you’d look at what the Mikanko player did and see their misplays honestly, I’m not familiar with what they could have done. I just knew that I had to get the equip spells and the mikanko monsters off the field as soon as possible lol.
I completely understand in terms to when someone knows they just don’t have enough resources to compete and they scoop.
Thanks for taking the time to check out this video and give your feedback. I tried to step up my production value on this one lol. This is definitely my longest video I’ve done but it’s the archetype I’m the most familiar with and comfortable with for sure. 🔥🔥
@@YugiSmoove Hail Ra! I tend to favor the Kaijus, and as revenge for the archetype basically being impossible to play pure, i like throwing them.
Mikanko is a deck i love to highlight and talk about. the thing is without generic M/T destruction their wheelhouse is more bouncing, like Espirit/Shinobirds also is, which is another deck i think ive said i enjoy. that player just utterly confused me. theres a number of non-mikanko equips that work with the deck, but none of them are nuzzler. in fact Nuzzler counters the point of mikanko which is reflecting battle damage you where supposed to take into your opponent by functionally mesmerizing or tripping the monster back into you. Lava golem is common in mikanko due to how many run hidden armory already and they work together fine, but they lava golem you, put it in defense which with the right cards could have stopped them from winning the match in and of itself... but then didn't bounce back the golem they ran into to resummon it on you later after seeing how tribute happy you are? the random timelord in the video just... Mikanko is basically the life damaging timelords strategy focused and better, and theres even negative synergy because of how timelords work, another deck I wish was better.
Just felt like someone who had cards from the deck and didn't know what they were doing with it yet.
I'm glad to comment. hopefully the comments aren't to long or anything.
@@DarkCTYou hit it on the head. When I’ve played Mikanko in the past I’ve noticed they always bounce the kaiju back to their hand, I was definitely surprised by their plays.
I think your suspicions are correct, I think they just had the cards and didn’t quite know the combo lines.
It’s never too long, I always appreciate the detailed responses it gives me a great idea of what stands out in the video. 🔥
@@YugiSmoove well, theres usually a fair bit i can comment on between your commentary itself or the events on screen. there's a few things i could call out, but they just seem ike recording mistakes, like Marincess or Muckraker. it's nice to see control at play regardless.
@@DarkCT I really do appreciate it, yes for sure. I always notice a few hiccups myself after I’ve already uploaded it lol.
At that point I’m like well I’ll keep it in lol. 😂
Lost Wind is a slightly weaker but cheaper alternative to titanocider for anyone who's wondering
That’s a great call out, I actually put that in the budget deck video too.
I love that card it just banishes itself after the second use but other than that it’s awesome plus it works on all special summon monsters and not just extra deck which gives it an edge too.
Great call out and thanks for watching
I can't craft lost wind it says it must be pulled..
Lair of Darkness is the only control deck that truly makes your opponent feel helpless. I adore it. They can banish, negate, destroy, do whatever they want, they can have monsters who can't be targeted or destroyed or banished
But as soon as that Field Spell hits the board, they're at your mercy. I can count on one hand the amount of monsters immune to tributing.
I really a suggest a card called "Share the Pain" for starter lair decks. It normally makes both you and the opponent tribute one monster, but with Lair, you can get two enemy monsters tributed.
31:35 I feel like that was the wrong play.
Draw 2 cards, then flip summon Alice, then crash into the Mikanko, which has 700 ATK. Alice goes to GY, you get to search Lilith with Alice (no Ash in their hand after the Deck Devastation).
Summon Lilith, activate Lair, tribute the Mikanko.
Remember: Alice allows you to search even if she was destroyed by battle.
You are absolutely right, that would have been a much better play in that situation. That’s a great call out, thank you for sharing that. 🔥🔥
I like to play Lair a bit differently. I have a few Labrynth cards in there, as they're all dark fiends which leads to great synchronicity (also makes Ties Of The Brethren better as it gives something to work off of with Ahrima/Labrynth Servants) and provides more firepower with Lovely/Lady (along with trap search/recovery). I also lean more into the tributing, with stuff like Ballista Squad, Painful Escape, and Mystik Wok. With these cards, what I've found is that Lair isn't quite as aggressive, but it can outlast a lot of decks. The biggest example I can think of is the time I went 19 turns against Labrynth and only lost due to a Magic Cylinder that was set literally 14 turns prior, which was entirely my mistake and not Lair's shortcoming, as I had Diabolos on the field (unaffected by Cylinder) but didn't attack with it. But my endboard was Diabolos, Ahrima, and Triphyoverutum even after those 19 turns, and that Cylinder was all he had left on his field.
Amazing deck man! I'm smitten by LoD too, I've been playing the Critias version which is really fun but might have to switch up to this one
Also your channel seems criminally underrated, you make some good stuff
Thank you for sharing, it’s always nice talking to a fellow LOD lover like myself.
I’ve played that version as well, it’s a lot of fun but I’ve gotten more wins with the one I showcased above:
Thank you for that feedback, I figure if I keep creating the world will see it one day lol. 🔥
I'm thinking about getting back into Yugioh after having not played since literally over a decade ago. Last deck I had centered around Shinato King of a Higher Plane. Really interested in making a Lair of Darkness deck! This video was great. You explain things exceptionally well and you don't have an air of extreme arrogance like I've seen others.
Thank you for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate that.
It’s definitely a great time to get back into it, I’m like you I hadn’t played since 2007. This is my first time playing any video game since then but I’ve always loved the strategy behind this game and deck construction.
I’m really happy to get that feedback that the information I provided was helpful and that you may even use Lair of Darkness yourself. 🔥💯
For sure. Back in the day, I went to tournaments and everything. Seems like for my lifestyle now Masterduel is a great middle ground between itching my urge to get back into Yugioh and playing the physical card game.
Yeah, I've watched a handful of videos about this deck type specifically, and it seems to be not as complex as others while centering around controlling the pace of the game. My kinda style. Also, I feel like there's a lot of variation you can build around....
@ThatCho I’ve never done the tournaments that must have been a lot of fun.
I agree that this should be a great balance for you. Also you are definitely right this deck is not as complex as a lot of others.
returning player here, only ever played original duel monsters era, so even XYZ is new to me haha, had made a monarch deck as it seemed the most friendly to me since i dont understand all the extra deck nonsense yet, but i got a secret pack involving Lair and the tribute shenanigans seems super interesting to me. Thank you for explaining the interactions mid game play it really helped me follow much better, but you also didnt over explain which is also refreshing! I am curious if i could somehow make a decent for funsies mix of lair and dark monarchs.
Very nice video! I'm also a LoD fan and got my ID with some very tasty replays in case you'd like to seem them let me know!
Thank you for taking the moment to comment! I really appreciate that, I’d love to check them out drop your ID. I’ll add you. 🔥
@@YugiSmoove ID 659-268-846, I'll add you back bro.
Just followed you. 🔥💯
@YugiSmoove Thx bro, let me know what you think of my LoD cooking, also some Infernoid LoD in there too
I just watched the infernoid duels where you essentially through your entire deck into the GY lol with monster gate. That’s a smart play when majority of your cards can be played from the graveyard.
I’m sure the Runick/Spright player was confused lol 😂.
Amazements are my favored control deck currently. I use Lillith and Heavenly Prison in that deck as well. Most people that I've seen use that deck don't run both the assistants, They use Comica over Della for the normal summon search. But I like both and use both.
Anyways, I like Lair of Darkness, because you don't see it used often. The trap based, control decks that are used most often are Traptrix, Labrynth, and (used not as often now, but still strong) Eldlich.
Also, as far as your imperm play went, it was good, but I usually go for the Splash Mage when it comes to Link decks. They usually scoop when they can't extend with Splash Mage.
I like your approach, one of”s. Makes for a bigger toolkit. I adopted a similar philosophy after playing lab, yes I play lab like a scrub but lod is pretty sweet, I’ll build one soon.
Bro you are balling in all those matches. Really nice
34:24 instead of using the Lava Golem for the Link, you could've attacked and gotten 2000 damage in.
That’s true I definitely could have attacked with it and then hit him with the Lilith and link spider than linked it off in main phase 2 that’s a great point.
Great call outs!! And thanks for tuning in I really appreciate it. 🔥🔥
FINALLY A BREATH OF FRESH AIR TO YUGIOH. SOMEONE NOT DOING META
Nice video I picked up lair when it first came out I’m gonna try something like this in OCG and see how it goes lol I’d say tcg but I’m not there anymore, by the way with that unknown deck you can always go to confirm opponents deck haha
LoD works exceptionally well with Labrynth, you should try mixing them together, it really adds that last bit of power you need.
hey nice video, keep it up. Love your commentary got my sub.
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback I really appreciate it. 💯🔥
I’ll definitely keep it coming.
Brother are you a main protagonist? That comeback vs the 2nd Kashtira deck was awesome! Top deck after top deck!
Eradicator really was eating in these duels.
Absolutely! It’s a must have, they use to have it at 3 but when Labrynth came out they put it down to one copy per deck.
It really gives you an edge and allows you to have more control over the duel.
Is this a going first kind of deck?
Great video.
Thank you for taking the time to comment and I appreciate your kind words.
This absolutely does better going first but the build I created makes it pretty good second as well.
The two evenly matched, lightning storm and three super polys help you break boards when going second.
I know this is old and 1st time watching cause I saw the field and wanted to make a deck idk if you thought of this but have you tried lair of darkness with labyrinth?if not I'm gonna try
"Mikanko" and "fun to play against" are two things that don't go together in the same sentence. Great vid though, I don't play LoD but this definitely convinced me to pick it up. How do you feel about people trying to get EEV and cards like it banned, will the deck become unplayable without it?
I was making a LoD deck and i was trying it out with "where did dai go", do you think its good? (my deck is a cheap for fun deck i also use some of the dragon that you can fusion summon using traps)
why didnt the branded player resolve guardian chomera? They basically threw the game lmao
How bout mixing lair with labrynth
hello :D are you using the same deck or you made some changes? :D
I would like to ask you what changes would you do if you played this deck in tcg (without maxx c and verte) plus an alternate card for thrust cause its too expensive
Thank you for taking the time to check out my video and comment.
Here are my suggestions based off of your comment.
If I took Maxx C and thrust out that gives me four spots to fill in the main deck. I’d add two Ash blossom and Niburu and one additional imperm or destructive trap card.
Perfect thank you very much
why not Pot of Extravagance ? Since you don't use your extra deck a whole lot
That’s a great callout, I’ve thrown it in on some duels in the past but when it was at two. I may actually put it in as a one of in the deck. I was actually thinking of adding the other Pot card that doesn’t let you special summon but it lets you look at your top three cards and pick one.
Thanks for taking a moment to comment. 🔥
this is like lab. but actually less toxic and infuriating 😂
Prech that Titan SR call 🤞, But Golden land is better 😂
Do you have a dang of critias build of this?