There’s something special about Trap decks in Yugioh. The commitment to playing fair, slow-paced games is contrary to the very fiber of modern card design, and even the most deliberate, plodding archetypes still rely on a bevy of handtraps to function. While that’s not necessarily the case here, I can say that I’m extremely excited for a few of the slower decks from Doom of Dimensions. Releasing mid-September, we still have ample time until the set reaches Western shores, but between support for Dogmatika, Tri-Brigade, and even Mystical Space Typhoon, this is a set with fan favorites being touched-on in ways not seen for some time. I want to examine how one of those, Dogmatika, interacts with a recent support card released for Joey Wheeler’s beloved ace monster, the Flame Swordsman, in the most recent core set. Strap in for some nostalgia, because we’re diving into Flame Swordsman Dogmatika.
Two questions emerge—Why Dogmatika, and why Flame Swordsman? The fact that neither of this strategy’s archetypal cores are currently meta relevant might be setting off alarm bells, but don’t worry, as DOOD provides. Dogmatika Fleurdelis, the Thunderous is a brand-new Level 8 handtrap that does a lot for the strategy, emerging from the hand for free and setting one of our Dogmatika Traps, with a good chance it’s live right then and there. Unlike the rest of the archetype, it doesn’t lock us from the Extra Deck, meaning that if we go second we still have access to the Flame Swordsman Fusion core on our turn, which is a huge plus. You likely already know about Dogmatika Punishment, one of the most ubiquitous ‘fair’ Traps printed in the last decade, but in Doom of Dimensions there’s another contender: Quadogmatika Beast.
Seeing a semi-generic Summon from your GY or banishment might be setting off alarm bells, but don’t worry, there aren’t any Barrier Statues here. In an earlier version, this deck made use of Gizmek Uka, the Festive Fox of Fecundity for access to both the FIRE Barrier Statue as well as Dogmatika Ecclesia, the Virtuous given her ATK equals her Defense, but we’ve come a long way since then. No, we’re actually using it as a means of looping an already-made Ultimate Flame Swordsman over and over, getting its effect in spite of the hardlock applied to our Extra Deck. Not only that, we can also use it to extract more value from something like an Ecclesia, or even our Fighting Flame Swordsman. One may think this deck lacks plays if it has to Extra Lock too early, but there’s another secret lurking at the end of its 40 cards—a whopping 19 Traps.
The ‘Peepsian’ way of piloting Flame Swordsman, so called because of Peeps Yugioh’s ability to actually perform with the strategy, is to jam upwards of 20 Traps into the deck. While I disagree on the exact number, especially given we’re in a format where decks will randomly play a copy of Harpie’s Feather Duster for their 3 copies of Triple Tactics Thrust, there is merit in the Trap package for a deck that grinds out games so well. Case in point, Flame Swordsdance.
Dance is an absolutely backbreaking card, as a combined Book of Moon plus double Fusion, whose resolution can singlehandedly put you back in a game you had every right to lose. Notably, this is a card that gets much better if we’re able to play 2, even 3 copies of Ultimate, but because of both Dogmatika and one other package we’ll talk about shortly, space is fairly tight. At the very least, being able to send Fighting Flame Dragon as a ‘break in case of emergency’ tool with our Dogmatika cards can kickstart Flame Swordsman lines after a full turn cycle.
See, turning cards face-down doesn’t just stop them from being used as non-Fusion Material—it makes them ‘forget’ certain aspects associated with their status on the field. There’s a trick here, a ploy that helps make the various Book effects even better: Soul of the Supreme King. You get a free Z-ARC…awesome? Z-ARC is obviously massive, but given its effects are gone, that’s all it is, a beater.
If we flip it face-down, however, such as via the effect of our Dance, Destructive Daruma Karma Cannon, or even the new Tri-Brigade Arms Mouser, coming out in DOOD, suddenly things change. All connections that Z-ARC had to the lingering effects of Soul of the Supreme King vanish, no longer removing itself or being negated. If we then either destroy it, or flip it face-up, suddenly our beater is quite a bit more significant, or placed in our Pendulum Zone, where it is a profoundly unfair floodgate.
Both halves of this strategy, by way of Mouser and/or Dance, can flip Z-ARC down, then via Elder Entity N’tss or a pop effect, can move it to the Pendulum Zone. Moreover, because this can all happen at Quick Effect speed, there’s a world where we can go turn 0/1 playing Dogma, and then explode once the lock is over, engaging with both sides of this strategy.
We haven’t even had time yet to speak on the new release for Flame Swordsman though, Dark Flare Swordsman.
Dark Flare is what’s known colloquially as a ‘Circular’, named after Mathmech Circular, a term of…questionable endearment for legacy support that fixes every gap present in an archetype. Indeed, Dark Flare is a 1 card combo+, actually ending you ahead of the normal main line combo beginning from Fighting Flame Swordsman, and not even needing the Normal Summon to do so. It also makes a reasonable case for Mirage Swordsman, though I’ve forgone that card for reasons of its being lackluster independent of Dark Flare.
In terms of your Side, you are a backrow deck which means you need to be scared at all times of cards like Lightning Storm or Duster, as mentioned above. That means you’re looking to fill your options with things like Solemn Judgment, Mulcharmy Fuwalos for going second, and I even like Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay right now as a tool against Yummy and Vanish Soul K9. Your options are fairly open, and the world where you run a Gallant Granite line to pitch the EARTH Barrier Statue for Quadogmatika…may be the world we live in. Truth be told though, so long as you cover for the blowouts as a backrow deck, your Side is going to be fairly easy to build.
One thing worth remembering is that Dark Flare enables your Dogmatika Maximus with ease, and because it sends for cost, you can use it as a means to fight through negation. Ending on something like a Fleur de Lis of both forms in hand with a Dogmatika Trap set is a very real endboard if interrupted, and it’s exceptionally easy to tack on an Ultimate Flame Swordsman if you open any of that engine’s starters. That being said, the card I miss most here is Triple Tactics Thrust, and there’s even an argument for going to ~44 cards to play 3x Thrust and 1x Triple Tactics Talent. Being able to set a piece you’re missing, such as Soul or Swordsdance sounds fantastic, and at worst, a good DDKC can end the turn.
I was shocked to learn that not only does this deck feel good to play, but it manages to have three independent micro-engines each with internal synergy. I’ve covered Soul before, when I played it back with Dinomorphia, but here it’s far more at home with the various means of turning things face-down. Ultimately though, what stops this deck at this point is a lack of space in the Extra, and more testing is needed before settling on a 15 I’m fully satisfied with.
With that being said, how do you feel about Flame Swordsman in the coming meta? What are you excited for in Doom of Dimensions? Do you like this style of legacy support, or is it almost too much? Let me know in the comments below!
