Yu-Gi-Oh! Rogue Report: Fuwalos Floowandereeze
It’s finally time for the next version of Maxx “C” to hit the TCG, and players across the spectrum, from jank to YCS competitors, are worried. Yes, Mulcharmy Fuwalos is going to cause an immediate and massive impact in the format, but thankfully it’s at the very least difficult to find access to the fluffy bird when it would be live and worrisome.
That said, there is one rogue deck in the format that’s gone quiet since the meta shifted towards Snake-Eye, which has the capability to play a full suite of “unfair” cards that might just place it back on the map. I’m talking about Floowandereeze, a deck which not only gets to use the new Fuwalos in a way no other deck can, but also doesn’t lose to its resolution, or Dimension Shifter, something impressive right now. So, with the birds now flocking after the release of Rage of the Abyss, I’d like to interrogate the return of Floowandereeze: Presenting, Fuwalos Floo.
As a brief bit of background, Floowandereeze was one of the many strategies in the history of Yugioh which was overevaluated prior to its release, then performed well-but-not-exemplary. Think Magical Musket, or Infernoble Knight. Floo is a Normal-Summon based strategy of Winged Beasts that somewhat plays like “banish” Monarchs, summoning out a few smaller Level 1 birds, such as Robina, Stri, or Eglen, before pivoting into a suite of potent Tribute Summoned birds, such as Empen, Mist Valley Apex Avian, or Raiza the Mega Monarch.
Notice three factors at play — Normal Summon based, Winged Beast, and Banish based. This allows you to play a full suite of troublesome cards, and one of the last unlimited ways to find them. In the case of Normal Summon based, you’re able to not just play Fuwalos, but also not lose to it, as your strategy has not a single effect or need to Summon from the Deck or Extra Deck. Winged Beast means you’re actually able to search the card, via either Robina or Cowrie (before clearing your board by pivoting off of a bounced Apex Avian), and even jam Harpie’s Feather Storm, a Trap VFD effect. Finally, you get to be a deck using Dimension Shifter, an obnoxious floodgate which can even be accessible after turn 1 by way of banishing out a card from your GY via Floowandereeze & Stri.
While Pot of Prosperity has since been limited, Floowandereeze are allowed to readily play its cousin, Pot of Duality, given you generally do not intend to Special Summon at all during the course of your turn.
Moreover, the strategy gets to essentially play 5 copies of the roughly-same card, split between 3 Floowandereeze and the Advent of Adventure, and 2 Swallow’s Cowrie, the latter of which is cut down slightly due to its Level restriction. This means that if your opponent uses something like an Effect Veiler or Infinite Impermanence, you’re able to chain these effects, pivoting out while retaining advantage, and your effect. Doubly notable, in the case of Robina specifically, you can search something like Fuwalos with its effect, then pivot prior to resolution into Eglen (or another Floo name), given those are Level 1 Floowandereeze and otherwise generally more accessible. We’re also on 1 lone copy of Simorgh, Bird of Perfection as a free Normal Summon that also just so happens to be Cowrie-pivot-able off of Fuwalos, if we’re not able to ensure the Maxx bird is live.
Floowandereeze excels at being able to play a different type of game than most decks are expected to, and I would strongly believe this to be a preferred anti-Meta Rogue Strategy compared to the currently popular Ritual Beast. While both, yes, get to play Dimension Shifter and do unfair things, only one of those decks loses hard to Fuwalos’ resolved effect, and it isn’t Floo.
The other main difference is one of secondary “unfair” cards, as Ritual Beast makes good use of the Nemeses/Colossus line, while Floo instead gets Feather Storm; these are both high-quality equalizers for non-meta strategies, and Floo actually has a lot of trouble against Colossus…but none against Archnemeses Protos, as Protos only restricts Special Summons with the declared Attribute. This theme of Floo skirting the line against things tailored to beat decks they simply are not, continues.
The interaction available to Floo is also especially good against the current top deck, Yubel Fiendsmith. Being able to prevent them from resolving effects in Attack Position with Empen stops the Unchained & Fiendsmith portions full stop, and between Raiza & Floowandereeze and the Dreaming Town, you have a wealth of ways of dealing with boards highly constrained by their ignition effects not having a window to resolve. Even against Tenpai, if they’re not summoning in Attack Position…what are they going to do? Every deck at the moment desperately requires some degree of aggressive setup, and Empen is perfectly positioned to deal with those uppity strategies.
As far as ones’ Sidedeck, there is one card that’s come out recently I feel deserves a slot, and that’s Spell Card “Soul Exchange”. This card is functionally a double Monarchs Stormforth, with the caveat that your opponent can then Tribute Summon; this is incredible going second, especially when accessed via a Triple Tactics Thrust, being able to land something like an Empen or Raiza far earlier in the turn than you normally could. Floo has always had an issue going second, and this card helps immensely, especially if you increase your density of Tribute birds from 4 to 5, maybe including another Empen in the side. Beyond that, there are scenarios you’d want to consider Lightning Storm, Dimensional Barrier, and Imperm, as well as Crossout or Called By if you find yourself being ruined by Ash Blossoms (if unable to properly chainblock).
Fair warning, the Extra Deck here is really quite unnecessary, with the caveat that maybe 1-in-5 games you may need to Link Ladder into something like Accesscode, or use Zeus or Ty-Phon when the game goes long (such as against a deck like Labrynth). The ratios here are both tight and flexible; some duelists may enjoy including an additional Simorgh, as well as their Field Spell Elborz, the Sacred Lands of Simorgh (and Set Rotation), which can help play through some specific targeted negation & hate.
Generally speaking, you should be relatively unafraid of going either first or second, as you pack a pronounced suite of handtraps which can assist in equalizing even against meta decks, but knowing whether you’ll be able to pivot off-board (via Avian) to end on a live Fuwalos going second is an important skill to learn.
So, with that, I want to urge you strongly to consider Floo as the perfect anti-meta option for the coming meta. Fuwalos being good not only helps the deck, but also assist insofar as Floo is functionally immune to Fuwalos…and everyone is going to be on 3 copies, if they can afford the $200-500 presale price. The good news is that Floo is quite cheap, meaning it’s…potentially offsetting the price of Fuwalos? Rather unfortunate that the bird is going to be a meta mainstay, but the good news is that you won’t be groaning when an opponent drops it against you in your Standby Phase, like everyone else.
What deck do you think has a shot in the post-ROTA meta, that didn’t before? What should I cover now that the new set has started to see testing in earnest? Is Dragon Link back, or will ROTA end up being a dud set with the exception of Fuwalos? I’d love to hear what you’ve been thinking in the comments below!
Community
Related Products
Accessories
