Mikanko Deck List & Card Guide

Mikanko is an Aggro deck in Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel, focusing on Ritual Monsters and Equip Spell Cards to deal damage even with monsters that have 0 ATK. Check out the core deck list, key combos, as well as how to play & counters!

Mikanko Deck List

Main Deck: 40 cards
x2	x1	x3	x3	x2
x2	x2	x2	x1	x3
x3	x3	x2	x2	x2
x1	x1	x1	x1	x1
x1	x1	-	-	-
Extra Deck: 15 cards
x1	x1	x1	x1	x1
x1	x1	x1	x1	x1
x1	x1	x1	x1	x1

Mikanko Breakdown

Tier Evaluation

Tier Ranking
Tier 1
Deck Archetype		Deck Difficulty
Control		Easy
Deck Evaluation
Ritual-based Deck with optional Extra Deck pivots Specializes in reflecting Battle Damage with Monsters with Equip Spells Uses a lot of "Kaiju" monsters to disrupt the opponent

Mikanko Deck Guide: How to Play

Playstyle and Win Condition

Main Deck Monsters

The Mikanko monsters all have 0 ATK and DEF, but their stats can be quite deceiving from their true strength. Once they have Equip Spell Cards on them, they become a dangerous set of monsters that are surprisingly hard to remove from the Field.

The three Effect "Mikanko"monsters--Ha-Re, Ni-Ni, and Hu-Li-- share the effect that depends if its equipped with a Equip Spell or not. If not equipped, the owner does not receive battle damage involving them. However, if they are equipped, they become immune to battle destruction, and they reflect the damage recieved back to the opponent.

Each one also provides a special individual effect when they are equipped with a Equip Spell Card.

	・Searches and adds a "Mikanko" Equip Spell Card from the Deck to the hand.
	・ (Quick Effect) Take control of a monster the opponent controls, druing the opponent's turn, until the End Phase.
	・ Provides blanket immunity to all "Mikanko" cards from targeted card effects.

Getting these monsters equipped as soon as possible is key, especially Hu-Li to give your "Mikanko" cards the crucial immunity from targeted card effects.

The big monster in the Maind Deck is Ohime the Manifested Mikanko, who can reflect damage back to the opponent even without an Equip Spell Card on it. It can also act as a searcher while in the hand, to get another "Mikanko" card from the Deck.

While on the field, it can use its effect to get an Equip Spell Card from the GY, and then equip it to a monster that's able to. Depending on the target Equip Spell, it can be benificial to equip it to your opponent's monster.

The quintessential hand trap, Maxx "C", is the only hand trap for this Deck. Because of how this Deck plays, it's highly encouraged to let the opponent do their shenanigans and bring out their boss monsters on the field. Regardless if its effect pushes through or gets negated, you still have plays because of the various Equip Spells.

The "Kaijus" and "Lava Golem" are in the Deck to provide a way to get rid of boss monsters from the Field easily, as well as serve as damage fodder when being attacked by the "Mikanko" monsters.

Spell & Trap Cards

The core strength of the Deck lies in these Equip Spell Cards. Each one has specific effects that make their equipment situational,

Card	Effect	Who to Equip
	・Special Summon a "Mikanko" monster from the GY ・Effects are negated ・Immune to card destruction while equipped.	・Your own monster
	・Equipped monster immune to card destruction ・Special Summon a "Mikanko" monster from the hand or Deck with different name ・Return the first monster equipped with this card, then equip to the second monster.	・Your own monster ・Your opponent's monster
	・Equipped monster immune to card destruction ・If your "Mikanko" monster attacked, bounce a card from the field to the hand ・Can Special Summon a "Mikanko" monster from the GY, and equip this card also from the GY.	・Your own monster
	・Neither player can activate effects of equipped monster ・Take control of the monster equipped with this card ・Sends equipped monster to the GY if this card is sent there	・Your opponent's monster

The most dangerous of these is Mikanko Water Abaresque because of its ability to Special Summon monsters from the hand, or even straight from the Deck. Ideally, you want to equip this first onto your opponent's monster first, to bounce them back to the hand (or Extra Deck if it's an Extra Deck Monster).

Mikanko Reflection Rondo is a desperation choice to steal a key monster from the opponent. It's often paired with the effect of Mikanko Rivalry, to equip the card even during the opponent's turn.

One of the most crucial Spell Cards is The Great Mikanko Ceremony--which serves as the perfect substitute for a Ritual Spell Card to summon Ohime. Simply take note that the summoned monster will be sent back to the hand at the end of the opponent's turn.

Players can also banish this card from the GY to send a "Mikanko" card from the Deck to the GY a la Foolish Burial, which should provide synergy if the card sent there is Mayowashidori or Mikanko Rivalry.

The other two Equip Spell Cards are more situational, and equipping it to who depends on the current game state. For example, Axe of Fools boosts a monster's attack, but has their effects negated so long as they are equipped with it--perfect to equip to a monster the opponent controls if you have "Mikanko" monsters ready to go.

Another is Double-Edged Sword, which can provide a massive boost. This is a good Equip Card to use onto a high-ATK monster the opponent controls once you have Ohime on the field.

For searchers, Preparation of Rites is great to search out Ohime, which in turn has its own in-build search effect. Meanwhile, Hidden Armory can search out an Equip Spell to the hand, at the cost of not being able to Normal Summon for the turn.

As the Deck technically does not need to rely on the Extra Deck, players can rely on using Pot of Extravagance without having to worry at the trade-off of banishing a boss monster you can end up needing later in the turn.

Because you run two "Kaiju" monsters in the Deck, you can technically run a copy of Interrupted Kaiju Slumber to destroy key monsters the opponent controls to summon Kaijus in their place. They are also forced to attack, which can enable an OTK depending on how the Battle Phase plays out.

The other interruption for the Deck is Mikanko Rivalry, which equips an Equip Spell Card onto a suitable monster. This is usually used to equip Axe of Fools to negate effects, or Reflection Rondo to steal the monster so long as it's equipped. Banishing this card from the GY also lets you recycle an Equip Spell Card from there back to the hand.

Core Combos and Interactions

Preparation of Rites-Armory Call Start

If you have these two Spell Cards on hand at the start of your turn, plenty of options open up to you. This is why it's important to field three copies each of Hidden Armory and Preparation of Rites.

Card(s) Needed on Hand
Step	Description
1	Activate Preparation of Rites, and search out a copy of Ohime the Manifested Mikanko from the Deck to your hand.
2	Activate Hidden Armory; send the top card of your Deck to the GY, and search out a "Mikanko" Equip Spell Card from the Deck to your hand. ・If you have a "Mikanko" monster in the GY: search Mikanko Fire Dance ・If the opponent has a monster and you do not: search Mikanko Water Arabesque.
Assuming we go with Mikanko Water Arabesque...
3	Activate Mikanko Water Arabesque, and equip it to your opponent's monter. Then, activate its second effect while on the field; Sepcial Summon Hu-Li the Jewel Mikanko from the Deck, bounce back the monster equipped with this Equip Spell, then equip Water Arabesque to Hu-Li.
4	Now equipped with an Equip Spell, activate Hu-Li the Jewel Mikanko's effect; search out the one copy of Mikanko Rivalry from the Deck to the hand. Set it afterwards.

Boss Monsters

	Ohime the Manifested Mikanko
	Ohime the Manifested Mkianko might be a Ritual Monster, but the Deck can even run this card without Ritual Spells with the help of The Great Mikanko Ceremony. Not only is this monster immune to being destroyed by battle, the opponent also receives the battle damage dealt if this monster attacks or is attacked.
	Thunder King, the Lightningstrike Kaiju
	Thunder King, the Lightningstrike Kaiju is one of two Kaijus with the highest ATK in the entire archetype, which the "Mikanko" cards can take advantage of by attacking onto it. It can safely remove boss monsters from the opponent's side of the field, then Special Summons itself there.
	Accesscode Talker
	Accesscode Talker is more of a last resort monser to Summon, but the option is very much avaialble due to the Extra Deck having quite a number of LINK-2 monsters for easy access and synergy. It can boost its ATK depending on the Link Monster it used as material, and can destroy cards by banishing your Link Monsters from your GY.
	Underworld Goddess of the Closed World
	Much like Accesscode Talker mentioned above, Underworld Goddess of the Closed World is more of a last resort monster to Summon. It helps that it can use a monster the opponent controls as one of its materials. When it hits the field, it can negate the effects of all monsters the opponent controls. On top of that, it can also negate effects that involve Special Summoning monster(s) once per turn.
	Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder
	In this Deck, summoning Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder is more of an option for the player in case they need to clear the field of pesky cards, especially those immune to being targeted. This can be summoned using an Xyz Monster that successfully launched an attack during the Battle Phase.

Mikanko Counters: How to Beat

Best Decks to Use Against Mikanko

Dragon Link

If Dragon Link manages to go first, they can be susceptible to having their monsters tributed with the help of Kaijus or Lava Golem. However, should you not have any of those cards on hand, and they can set up their various Boss Monsters with negates, it can be hard for Mikanko to deal with their strong field presence.

Dragon Link Deck List & Card Guide

Melffy Spright

Most of the monsters in a Melffy Spright Deck have low stats, which while setting up should be a good way to not leave themselves open to an OTK attack via battle. When fully set up, it should have enough negates, bounces and interruptions to deal with the Mikanko Deck setting up their monsters and Equip Spells.

Melffy Spright Deck List & Card Guide

Labrynth

Labrynth Decks might have the best response against Mikanko, considering their use of Trap Cards to control the pace of the Duel. They can make use of Trap Cards that can specifically deal with a Mikanko Deck's advantage.

Labrynth Deck List & Card Guide

Best Cards to Tech Against Mikanko

	Dark Ruler No More
	Dark Ruler No More effectively negates all the monsters the opponent controls on the field, at the cost of dealing damage to the opponent for the rest of the turn. Against Mikanko, this is crucial to make getting rid of their Monsters equipped with Equip Spells easier.
	Harpie's Feather Duster
	Harpie's Feather Duster destroys all Spells and Traps the opponent controls, no exceptions. This card does not target either, making it the perfect counter against Mikanko's plethora of Equip Spell Cards that make their monsters extremely hard to remove from the field.
	Anti-Spell Fragrance
	Due to the sheer number of Spell Cards in a "Mikanko" Deck, slowing down the player from using them should give you an advantage in the long run. Anti-Spell Fragrance forces both players into setting their Spell Cards first before activation, regardless of their card type.
	Mirror Force
	The Deck revolves around letting the 0 ATK "Mikanko" monsters attack your monsters and send the damage dealt to you. If none of the "Mikanko" monsters have the effect that protect them from card destruction effects, Mirror Force is a good option to run. Its other variants are equally as powerful, depending on the strategy of your Deck.
	Skill Drain
	So long as Skill Drain is active and face-up on the field, all monsters on the Field have their effects negated. This also means that even while equipped with Equip Spells, "Mikanko" monsters are effectively sitting ducks to attacks and effects.

Related Packs to Mikanko

Cosmic Mechanical Entities	Emerging Monstrosity Recon!
Galactic Evolution	Legacy Pack
Master Pack	Soldiers from the Storm
Spiritual Mastery

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 35

List of All Covered Decks

World Champion Decks

2024 World Champions: Team 7
Horus Tearlaments	Yubel	Fire King Snake-Eyes
Salamangreat	Purrely	Vanquish Soul

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

List of All Aggro Decks
D/D/D Aggro	Code Talker / Prank Kids	Zoodiac
Blue-Eyes	Virtual World	SPYRAL Control
Toon Kingdom	Red-Eyes	Blue-Eyes
Zoodiac	Prank-Kids	Zoodiac Tri-Brigade
Pure Tri-Brigade	Ancient Gear	Dragonmaid
Tri-Brigade Lyrilusc (Bird Up)	Dinosaur	Raidraptor
HERO	Dragon Link	Despia
Magikey	Adamancipator	Black Luster Soldier
Pendulum Magician	Stardust Dragon	Tenyi Swordsoul
Cyberdark	@Ignister	Cyber Dragon
The Winged Dragon of Ra	Despian Predaplant	Despia Darklord
Odd-Eyes Performapal	Numeron FTK	Six Samurai
ABC	Trickstar Windwitch	Blackwings
Fluffal	Cupid Pitch Turbo	Lunalight
Vampire	Ultra Athletes	Thunder Dragon
Z-ARC Pendulum Magician	Adventurer Rose Dragon Tenyi	Adventurer P.U.N.K.
Suship	Pure D/D/D	Numeron Egyptian Gods
Galaxy Eyes OTK	Borrelend Dragon Link	Vaylantz
Beetrooper	Icejade Ra	Therion ABC
Libromancer	Mathmech	Spright Evil☆Twin
Spright Tri-Brigade	Ishizu Chaos	Slifer Arcana Knights
Gaia OTK	Vernusylph	Ancient Warriors
Ghoti	Springans	8-Axis Gizmek Orochi
Danger! Dark World	Mikanko	Scareclaw Kashtira
Zombie World P.U.N.K.	Hungry Burger Nouvelles	Obelisk the Tormentor
Mannadium	Gate Guardian	Gold Pride P.U.N.K.
Superheavy Samurai	Nemleria	Dragon Rulers
Snake-Eye	T.G. Diabellstar	Skull Servant
Kaiju	Resonators	Earthbound
Malefic	Kozmo	Armored Xyz Shark
Unchained	Battlin' Boxer	Chimera Illusion
Fire King Snake-Eyes	Vaalmonica	Memento
Horus Tearlaments	Centur-Ion	Dragon Master Magia
Ice Barrier	Infernoid	Lightsworn
Ogdoadic Ragnaraika	Genex	Tenpai Dragon
Goblin Biker	Infernoble	Armed Dragon
Flame Swordsman	Melodious

Control Decks

List of All Control Decks
Invoked Shaddoll	Eldlich Control	Drytron Fairy
True Draco	Dark Magician	Traptrix
Phantom Knights	Madolche	Relinquished
P.U.N.K.	DPE Scythe	Evil★Twin
Paleozoic Frog	Salamangreat	Gravekeepers
Monarch	Tellarknight	Agent
Exosisters	Darklord	Plunder Patrol
Rikka	Floowandereeze	Adventurer Phantom Knights
Dinomoprhia	Tri-Brigade Gladiator Beast	Adventurer Witchcrafter
Dark Magician Gravekeeper	Branded Tri-Brigade	Branded Despia
Zombie Vampire	Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon	Spellbook
Branded Cyber Dragon	Branded Zombies	Pure Scareclaw
Dinomorphia	Runick	Labrynth
Harpies	Buster Blader	Umi Control
Endymion	Nekroz	Spright
Spright Runick	Ishizu Runick	Branded Ishizu
Crystal Beasts	Orcust	Altergeist
Witchcrafter	Subterror Krawler	Mayakashi
Ishizu Tearlaments	Evilswarm	Melffy Spright
Bystial Branded	Dogmatika Bystial	Naturia Runick
Generaiders	Kashtira	Purrely
Ninja	Rescue-ACE	Gishki Spright
Prediction Princess	Vanquish Soul	Jinzo
Egyptian God	Ojama Control	Aromage
Ghostrick	Kuriboh	Anti-Meta Stun
Runick Spright Fur Hire	Horus Control	Toy Box Dark Magician
Yubel	Voiceless Voice	Rikka Ragnraika
Ritual Beast	Shining Sarcophagus

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

List of All Budget Deck Guides
Budget Shark Xyz	Budget Eldlich	Budget Hippo Turbo
Budget Despia	Budget F.A. Metalfoes	Budget Blue-Eyes White Dragon
Budget Chain Burn	Budget Majespecter	Budget Yosenju
Budget Flower Cardian	Budget True Draco	Budget Amorphage
Budget Ishizu Tearlaments

Best Cards for Decks

Lists of Best Cards for Deck Building
Best Staple Cards		Best Searchers		Best Hand Traps
Best Board Wipes		Best Negates		Best Fusion Monsters
Best Synchro Monsters		Best Xyz Monsters		Best Link Monsters
Best Structure Decks			Best Decks to Go 1st or 2nd