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Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Gem-Knights Deck List & Card Guide
★Events: NIJISANJI Campaign | Duelist Cup★
★Updates: 12/05 Maintenance | 12/05 Banlist★
★Newly Released Card Packs:
┣ Secret Packs: Atonement's End | Fruits of the Sinful★
┗ Selection Pack: The End of Guilt★
The Gem-Knights are a Fusion-centric Aggro Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel, making use of multiple Fusion Spells to swarm the board with monsters that can overwhelm the opponent with high ATK. See the core deck list, key combos, strategies how to play & beat as well as free-to-play (F2P), budget and alternate options here!
Gem-Knights Deck List
| Main Deck: 44 cards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
x3 |
x3 |
x3 |
x3 |
x2 |
x2 |
x2 |
x2 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
x3 |
x3 |
x3 |
x3 |
x3 |
x2 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
- | - | - | - |
| Extra Deck: 15 cards | ||||
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
x2 |
x1 |
- |
Gem-Knights Breakdown
Monsters
Spells
Traps
Extra
| Rarity | Name | Qty |
|---|---|---|
 | Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring | 3 |
| Gem-Knight Nepyrim | 3 |
| Maxx "C" | 2 |
| Mulcharmy Fuwalos | 2 |
| Mulcharmy Purulia | 2 |
 | Gem-Knight Quartz | 3 |
| Gem-Knight Hollowcore | 3 |
 | Shaddoll Dragon | 1 |
 | Gem-Armadillo | 2 |
| Nehshaddoll Genius | 1 |
| Shaddoll Beast | 1 |
| Rarity | Name | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Brilliant Fusion | 3 |
| Gem-Knight Dispersion | 3 |
| Super Polymerization | 3 |
| Forbidden Droplet | 3 |
| Lightning Storm | 2 |
| Heavy Storm | 1 |
| Shaddoll Fusion | 3 |
| Gem-Knight Fusion | 1 |
| Scatter Fusion | 1 |
| Rarity | Name | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Harpie's Feather Storm | 1 |
Gem-Knights Deck Guide: How to Play
Since their introduction to Yu-Gi-Oh!, the Gem-Knights have evolved their playstyle centered around their Fusion Monsters. They were once a beatdown Deck that thrived in summoning multiple Fusion Monsters, to then be associated with an first-turn kill (FTK) strategy.
Now, with legacy support being added to Master Duel in the Regeneration of Stars Selection Pack, the Gem-Knights have circled back to bringing out multiple Fusion Monsters to win the game by going second.
Playstyle and Win Condition
Gem-Knight Cards
With the newer set of Gem-Knight monsters in the Main Deck, there is no longer a need for a Garnet—a Yu-Gi-Oh term coined by this archetype for a monster that needs to be in the Deck as a combo extender, but loses its value when drawn instead.
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Gem-Knight Nepyrim basically acts as a Mathmech Circular for the Gem-Knights, which is a one-card combo starter that leads to full combo. It also provides an additional Normal Summon for a Gem-Knight monster, and is also a searcher for a Gem-Knight card on Summon.
The other new card is Gem-Knight Hollowcore, which becomes a negate when in the GY by banishing itself and two other Gem-Knight cards and an ATK boost in a single effect. It can also Special Summon itself from the hand by sending Gem-Knight Fusion.
Both cards are perfectly complimented with the older Gem-Knight Quartz, which can discard itself to set a Gem-Knight Fusion from the Deck. If used as Fusion Material, this card adds back a Gem-Knight monster from the GY back to the hand.
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There is a total of 6 different Fusion Spells in the Deck, and 4 of them are dedicated for the Gem-Knights. Included is the newly-Unlimited Brilliant Fusion, which uses monsters from the Deck as materials.
Then the classic Gem-Knight Fusion is also available, which can retrieve itself from the GY after being sent there by Gem-Knight Quartz.
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The newer dedicated Fusion Cards enable the Deck even more so. Gem-Knight Dispersion is at 3 copies, and can use monsters from the Extra Deck or Main Deck if the monsters there are not Rock-type, and Gem-Knight Fusion is in the GY, making this one of the best cards to have on a starting hand.
Scatter Fusion supplments this by Fusion Summoning a non-Rock Gem-Knight monster from the Extra Deck. This is a Continuous Spell, thus while the opponent contols a monster this Fusion effect can be used once per turn while on the field.
Gem-Knight Fusion Monsters
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Gem-Knight Master Diamond remains the big monster with high ATK for the Gem-Knights. It gets stronger for every “Gem-” monster in your GY, can take on the name and effect of a Gem-Knight it banishes from the GY.
Its retrain, Gem-Knight Master Diamond Dispersion, is more of a combo extender to win the game. By sending itself from Field to the GY, it can ignore summoning conditions and Special Summon 3 other Gem-Knight Fusion Monsters from the Extra Deck. It can then revive itself from the GY if a Gem-Knight Fusion Monster you control gets destroyed.
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The monsters Master Diamond Dispersion normally summons are great in the Battle Phase. Gem-Knight Ruby can tribute another Gem-Knight monster and grant an ATK boost based on the tributed monster's ATK.
Gem-Knight Aquamarine bounces a card the opponent controls from the hand, and Gem-Knight Topaz can attack twice
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Gem-Knight Lady Rose protects its fellow Gem-Knight Fusion monsters, and by banishing another Gem-Knight monster from the GY this card can use a card destruction effect.
Its retrain, Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond, needs 3 Gem-Knight monsters as Fusion Material, but in turn can Special Summon a Gem-Knight Fusion monster much like Master Diamond Dispersion.
Shaddolls as Support
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The Shaddolls are here to support the Gem-Knights with their Fusion ability by either acting as floodgate, or sending a monster from the Deck to the GY as part of the Fusion Summon.
Each one has a different effect when sent to the GY via card effect. Nehshaddoll Genius negates a monster on the field for the rest of the turn, Shaddoll Dragon destroys a Spell or Trap, and Shaddoll Beast draws a card for free.
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Using Shaddoll Fusion, players can go into El Shaddoll Construct, and it can make use of Nepyrem as material. On Special Summon, it sends a Shaddoll monster from the Main Deck to the GY, which tosses one of the cards above to make use of their effect. Then it automatically destroys a Special Summoned monster it battles.
El Shaddoll Winda is more of a defensive option with its floodgate effect. Both players are bottlenecked to only 1 Special Summon per turn.
Gem-Knights Counters: How to Beat
Best Decks against Gem-Knights
Ryzeal
The main culprit for Ryzeal being a strong Deck against Gem-Knights is Ryzeal Detonator, with its ability to destroy a card on the field by detaching a material. That effect has no once-per-turn clause, meaning while it has material it can keep destroying cards.
It can also negate a monster effect through Ryzeal Cross, and another card destruction effect in Ryzeal Plugin.
Maliss
Maliss is the undisputed best Deck of the format alongside Ryzeal, and somehow it got even stronger with the addition of @Ignister Cyberse support like Wizard @Ignister and Allied Code Talker @Ignister.
It bypasses a number of popular hand traps and interruptions due to the advantages they get when being banished. Then come the bosses, where White Binder and Hearts Crypter will massively mess up a player with their own banishing effects.
Tearlaments
Tearlaments, even after being hit over the years with their synergy to effects, is still one of the better Fusion archetypes in the game. In fact, some parts of the Gem-Knights can also be used by the Tearlaments monsters depending on the mosnters they have in the Main Deck and Extra Deck.
Cards like Tearlaments Scream and Tearlaments Kashtira will mill cards from the Deck, something the Gem-Knights might want if they get some crucial cards sent there. However, they can end up milling the Fusion Spells and cards needed on hand as material.
| Tearlaments Deck Guides | |
|---|---|
| Tearlaments | Horus Tearlaments |
Sky Striker
Sky Striker is still in a good position right now as a powerful toolbox Deck, filled to the brim with Spell Cards that can break any board once they manage to search the right cards. It helps that Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage!, the best searcher in the game, is at full power at Unlimited.
Then comes a variant involving the Tenpai Dragons, where all it takes is the right timing to summon Tenpai Dragon Paidra or activation of Sangen Kaimen can lead to a full combo with a Sangenpai Transcendent Dragon guaranteeing a win by the Battle Phase.
Sky Strikers Deck List & Card Guide
Best Cards to Tech Against Gem-Knights
| Super Polymerization | |
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Be careful when going up against the Fusion-based Decks, as they do have a small chance of running this Super Polymerization. It can make use of monsters on both sides of the field as material, and neither player can respond to this card's activation. |
| Mulcharmy Fuwalos and Maxx "C" | |
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Maxx "C" and Mulcharmy Fuwalos are the bane of the Gem-Knights due to them giving the hand trap user draws as the summon from the Main Deck and Extra Deck. Even better is that these two monsters' effects will stack, meaning they can be used one after the other. This can lead to baits to make the opponent use their counters for hand traps like Ash Blossom and Called by the Grave. |
| Soul Drain | |
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While Soul Drain is face-up and active on the Field, players cannot activate monster effects from the Graveyard and Banishment. This means the GY effects for a number of Gem-Knight monsters will not be activated |
| Necrovalley | |
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Necrovalley will prevent Gem-Knights from moving their cards out of the GY, which they tend to do to activate their effects, or retrieve them to be used during your turn. |
| Dimensional Barrier | |
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For Decks that are heavy on Trap Cards, Dimensional Barrier can call Fusion Monster and they are effectively banned for the rest of the turn after activation. |
Related Packs to Gem-Knights
| A Song of Zephyr and Petals | Deceitful Wings of Darkness |
| Enchanted Threads of Shade | Legacy Pack |
| Master Pack | Pyroxene Relinquished |
| Regeneration of Stars |
Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Related Guides
Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Deck Archetypes
Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Decks
Deck Tier List: Best Decks for Season 48
List of All Covered Decks
World Champion Decks
Decks Used in Worlds 2024
| Decks Used By All Teams in Worlds 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| snipehunters | CER | Hero's Future |
| BOTB | MYYGO | Thank Love |
| CER 2 x FCG | BRAZ IL | Maxx “Yee” |
| Double Noir | Rogue Ruler | |
Aggro Decks
Control Decks
Burn Decks
| List of All Burn Decks | ||
|---|---|---|
| Red-Eyes Burn | Timelord Burn | Chain Burn |
| D.D. Dynamite | Igknight OTK | Cubic |
| Dinosaur Bishbaalkin FTK | Volcanic Snake-Eyes | Transaction Rollback Burn |
Alt-Win Decks
| List of All Alternate Win Decks | ||
|---|---|---|
| Crooked Cook Exodia | Flower Cardian Exodia | Treasure Panda Exodia |
| Suicide | Defense OTK | |
All Budget Decks
Best Cards for Decks
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Gem-Knights Deck List & Card Guide
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