Yu-Gi-O! Deck Debut: Ghoti Fish
The release of Power of the Elements will mark a turning point in the current meta of Yu-Gi-Oh!, irrevocably shifting the top decks to both Spright & Tearlament. However, within this powerful pack of cards, a new TCG Exclusive strategy is emerging from deep space - Ghoti. Ghoti focus on Fish monsters, being the first actual fully Fish archetype (Sharks don’t actually mention themselves, just their Level, Attribute, and Type). From what we’ve heard from Konami, their goal is to return to form, and make Ghoti a contender with the meta along the lines of Burning Abyss. But, have they succeeded?
Historically, Fish monsters have never had a real place in the metagame, with only short stints of rogue playability, or the occasional combo variant focusing on Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth. That said, one subtheme of the type as a whole was Banishing, and Ghoti provide benefits to that in spades. Eanoc, Sentry of the Ghoti in particular is going to make a splash as by far the best Ghoti monster, allowing both set-up, extension, and consistency in his effects, which only grow more powerful if Ghoti gets another Trap or two, down the road.
This core of cards, both Eanoc & Ghoti Chain, create a sound core for the strategy, allowing you to port between each piece with ease. Chain pays for itself by summoning Eanoc, who in turn summons the monster banished for its effect, and can then banish yet another Fish, to search for yet another Chain. A loop like this harkens back to the Cir/Dante loop of yore, and it seems that Konami TCG certainly kept Burning Abyss in mind when approaching Ghoti.
Yet, a Synchro strategy is only as good as its Tuners, and the tools provided to Ghoti are nothing to scoff at! Both Shif, Fairy of the Ghoti & Paces, Light of the Ghoti share a similar recursive effect: They Summon themselves the turn after they’re banished, and in that turn’s Main Phase, they can perform a Crystron-like Synchro Summon, at Spell Speed 2. While each of these may seem somewhat redundant, their first effects set them apart. Shif banishes itself from the GY (representing a truly free body), and Paces banishes itself from the field to Summon a Fish from hand. As mentioned, being able to readily Summon a Fish from hand often coincides with Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth being a key playmaker, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see both him, and Eanoc, as likely benefactors from this effect.
The last Ghoti support card I want to touch on is that of their Field Spell, which is unfortunately not a “Ghoti” card itself. The Most Distant, Deepest Depths, aside from being a mouthful of a name, ties together the general consistency engine of Ghoti, being difficult to interact with, on top of searching their starters, or even adding itself back to hand from the Grave. While it’s unfortunate that this card is not a “Ghoti’ card, making it significantly less searchable, it nonetheless will likely see play for the sole reason that it can kick off your general lines involving Eanoc. The bosses of the Ghoti archetype are unfortunately unremarkable, being two different forms of removal (field wipe, and direct banishing), but are thankfully extremely easy to make, so despite having less impact than one might want, both Ghoti of the Deep Beyond & Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti will be making plenty of appearances over the source of the game.
All and all, the new Ghoti archetype seems to be trending towards Burning Abyss & Beetrooper, rather than something like War Rock, in terms of power. The numerous tools that Fish have, which have yet to be utilized, such as Abyss Shark, Abyss Keeper, and Beautunaful Princess all find places in a Ghoti deck, as extra bodies, ways to search, and removal on top of extension. That said, the most exciting aspect of Ghoti is not what we have, but what we don't yet have! Konami made sure to state that Ghoti is getting a pivotal second wave, so much so that they’re delaying their own official strategy guide until Darkwing Blast’s release a few months down the road; this means that picking up a Ghoti core now could pay dividends later, if they get more cards of a similar quality.
As someone who feels strongly about Ghoti, and has been testing it since the very moment we’ve gotten our hands on these cards, this is my personal list for the strategy. You may notice some strange choices here, most notably that of both Sprights & the Nimble monsters, but those (alongside both Paces & Shif) represent a fintastic way to open up your combos, and prepare your tunas, or, Tuners, to Synchro during your opponent’s turn. Ice Barrier specifically plays a pivotal role in this deck, being able to search Abyss Shark, for extension, Eanoc, Sentry of the Ghoti if you’re trying to play under Nibiru, or even Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth himself if you know you can play around handtraps well. The haymakers, as well, of both Dark Ruler No More & Triple Tactics Talent ensure that we’re able to catch up going second, or, if we go first, have insurance against cards like Gamma, or Ash Blossom. All in all, this list has performed exceedingly well for me, and I’m exceptionally excited for the next wave.
One thing that sets Ghoti apart from other strategies is that we know they’re getting a second wave, coming in Darkwing Blast, and that Konami has promised it’ll be of a similar quality to this one. So, learning how these fish play, what their choke-points are for both playing the deck, or against it, and getting copies of the cards in case of price spikes will all be important parts of contending with their place in the upcoming meta. I’m frankly shocked how decently Ghoti do into the likes of Spright or Tearlament, and if this is their first wave, what comes next should certainly push their opponents off the deep end.
I hope that this was a compelling introduction to Ghoti, a new archetype in Power of the Elements! There’s certainly a lot to look at, as far as their options & uses go, and I’m thrilled to see a TCG-Exclusive deck like this already seem ready to make waves!
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