Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

Ninja Deck List & Card Guide

Master Duel - Ninja Deck

Ninja is a Control deck in Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel; one of the oldest archetypes in Yu-Gi-Oh! has finally received support! Check out the core deck list, key combos, as well as how to play & counters!

Ninja Deck List

Main Deck: 40 cards
Mitsu the Insect Ninja x3 Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo x3 Tobari the Sky Ninja x3 Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring x3 Maxx "C" x3
Green Ninja x2 Kashtira Fenrir x1 Baku the Beast Ninja x1 Jioh the Gravity Ninja x1 Kagero the Cannon Ninja x1
Ninjitsu Art Notebook of Mystery x3 Book of Moon x3 Book of Taiyou x3 Pot of Extravagance x2 Hidden Village of Ninjitsu Arts x1
Ninjitsu Art Tool - Iron Digger x1 Pot of Prosperity x1 Reinforcement of the Army x1 Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves x3 Ninjitsu Art of Duplication 1x
Extra Deck: 15 cards
Meizen the Battle Ninja x3 Yaguramaru the Armor Ninja x3 Blade Armor Ninja x2 Gigantic Spright x1 Downerd Magician x1
Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder x1 Ninja Grandmaster Saizo x2 Spright Elf x1 Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax x1 -

Ninja Breakdown

Tier Evaluation

Tier Ranking
2 IconTier 2
Deck Archetype Deck Difficulty
Control Medium
Deck Evaluation
CheckmarkDeck centered around hit-and-run Flip Monsters

CheckmarkFocused on Special Summoning from the Deck to Field

CheckmarkForce the opponent's monsters into Defense Position indefinitely

Ninja Deck Guide: How to Play

Playstyle and Win Condition

Master Duel - Ninja Deck

A number of the "Ninja" monsters have effects that trigger whenever they are flipped face-up. The Deck emphasizes this playstyle, and uses cards that enables it--like Special Summoning monsters from the Deck in face-down Defense Position, or flipping monsters already on the field face-down.

Main Deck Monsters

Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo Mitsu the Insect Ninja Tobari the Sky Ninja

These three "Ninja" monsters should be at maximum copies at all times, as they provide the resources needed for the Deck to properly play. For example, Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo can search out a "Ninjutsu Art" cardor a "Ninja" monster depending on how its summoned.

Mitsu the Insect Ninja can Special Summon itself onto the field if you control a face-down Defense Position monster, and through its effect can flip other monsters face-up while this card is flipped face-down on top of providing an effect negate.

Tobari the Sky Ninja can provide a Special Summon to another "Ninja" monster by discarding itself, and is the main way to be able to Fusion Summon without needing copies of Polymerization.

Green Ninja Baku the Beast Ninja Kagero the Cannon Ninja Jioh the Gravity Ninja

The other "Ninja" monsters are more situational, available when the need arises. In this Deck Recipe, they are all at 1 copy, but feel free to tweak the Deck to your liking.

Green Ninja forces one of your own monsters that are summoned to face-down Defense Position, and provides a way to flip monsters when sent to the GY. Baku the Beast Ninja can Special Summon itself when added to the hand outside of drawing it, and recycles a "Ninja" or "Ninjitsu Art" from the GY back to your hand.

Summoning Kagero the Cannon Ninja lets you Special Summon a "Ninja" monster, and it can bounce a card on the field after it targets a "Ninja" monster or a monster in face-down Defense Position. Jioh the Gravity Ninja being summoned locks up to two monsters the opponent controls to face-down Defense Position, and it can destroy a card on the field if a monster is flipped face-up.

Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring Kashtira Fenrir Maxx "C"

As with all Decks, you cannot forget staples that punish the opponent. Never forget to have the three copies each of Maxx C and Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring for maximum punish.

Kashtira Fenrir can be used as Link Sumon fodder, but it's most often the first thing to be summoned to deal with monster effects, especially if the opponent has cards on the field.

Spell & Trap Cards

Ninjitsu Art Notebook of Mystery Hidden Village of Ninjitsu Arts Ninjitsu Art Tool - Iron Digger

The most crucial Spell Card for this Deck is Ninjitsu Art Notebook of Mystery, which further works in the player's favor due to its Quick-Play nature. It only needs to have the opponent control just 1 card, and you can immediately set a monster and a "Ninjitsu Art" Spell/Trap, one from the Deck and one from the GY.

The other two Ninjitsu Art Spell Cards provide more support from the side. Hidden Village of Ninjitsu Arts provides recycling cards from the GY, and protection from battle and card destruction.

Ninjitsu Art Tool - Iron Digger provides a small ATK boost, and treats the equipped monster as a "Ninja" monster. It also provides both card destruction and Special Summon, and both effects are synergistic to one another.

Book of Moon Book of Taiyou

The two Quick-Play Book cards that revolves around face-down Defense Position monsters are crucial in this Deck. These cards can be used on your own monsters or your opponent's. Assess the situation first before deciding which one to target.

Book of Moon is simple enough--it forces any monster on the field face-down. Equally simple is Book of Taiyou, which can flip monsters face-up. Considering the Deck is based on Flip Monsters, these cards are a must at 3 copies in the Deck.

Pot of Extravagance Pot of Prosperity Reinforcement of the Army

For other card searches, classic options like Pot of Extravagance and Pot of Prosperity should be sufficient enough. On top of that, as "Ninja" monsters are Warrior-type monsters, Reinforcement of the Army is a perfect fit.

Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves Ninjitsu Art of Duplication

Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves is important to have on the field, so having 3 copies ensures a chance to have it on hand as soon as possible. It Special Summons monsters straight from the Deck, by tributing monsters you control. With some "Ninja" monsters having effects when sent to the GY, it provides further synergy.

For a Field full of monsters, Ninjitsu Art of Duplication is the crucial Trap Card. It even provides the option to Special Summon those "Ninja" monsters into face-down Defense Position.

Extra Deck Monsters

Meizen the Battle Ninja Yaguramaru the Armor Ninja

There are only two Fusion Monsters in this Deck Recipe, and for good reason--because of their shared effects, players can simply just do Contact Fusion by tributing the appropriate "Ninja" monsters on the Field. Which one to summon depends on the state of play.

The Deck's main boss monster is Meizen the Battle Ninja; which has immediate presence when it hits the field. "Ninja" monsters can now Direct Attack with imputiny, and Special Summons a "Ninja" monster if the opponent activates a card or effect.

Yaguramaru the Armor Ninja can banish a monster the opponent controls by banishing a "Ninja" monster, and with balanced stats it can provide some damage, or be a transition into Meizen.

Gigantic Spright Blade Armor Ninja Downerd Magician Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder

There are also options available for Xyz Monsters. Gigantic Spright provides a way to Special Summon the Level 2 monsters Mitsu the Insect Ninja and Green Ninja, while Blade Armor Ninja is more of an option to go all in on attacking the opponent.

If you plan on clearing the Field and disrupt the opponent's plays as they happened, remember to transition into the Downerd Magician and Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder combo.

Ninja Grandmaster Saizo Spright Elf ] Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax

Ninja Grandmaster Saizo lets players set "Ninjitsu Art" monsters straight from the Deck, which is important for those Trap Cards mentioned above. It also becomes untargetable for attacks so long as it points to a monster using its Link Markers.

Spright Elf, takes advantage of Special Summoning the Level 2 monsters, and can be used as Xyz Material fodder for an offensive variant of Gigantic Spright.

Lastly, as it can provide immense power in battles, Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax is a solid option to summon, and can overpower just about any monster the opponent uses to attack it with.

Core Combos and Interactions

Work in Progress - Information Available Soon!

Boss Monsters

Jioh the Gravity Ninja
Jioh the Gravity Ninja The moment Jioh the Gravity Ninja hits the Field, it can force up to two monsters on the field to face-down Defense Position, which is effectively a neutralizer on boss monsters. They are also restricted from being flipped face-up again. Once per turn, if a monster is flipped face-up, this card can destroy a card on the Field.
Meizen the Battle Ninja
Meizen the Battle Ninja One of two Fusion "Ninja" monsters, this card is immune to attacks if the opponent has a face-down monster on their Field. Its presence also discourages card or effect activations; doing so allows this monster to summon a "Ninja" monster straight from the Deck, either in face-up or face-down position.
Yaguramaru the Armor Ninja
Yaguramaru the Armor Ninja Whenever Yaguramaru the Armor Ninja is Special Summoned or flipped face-up, it can banish a card on the field at the cost of banishing a "Ninja" card. This is the other Fusion "Ninja" monster, so take your pick on what to use depending ont the situation.
Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder
Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder As the Deck can run a couple of Xyz Monsters, it's mandatory to bring along Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder due to its ability to clear the field easily as a Quick Effect. If another card is destroyed by the opponent via battle or card effect, this card can absorb another card into it as material.
Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax
Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax Mekk-Knight Crusadia is a common Link Monster to run in Decks for its aggressiveness during the Battle Phase. It will be hard to beat it in a one-on-one battle, and while in the Extra Monster Zone, it becomes immune to targeted card effects.

Ninja Counters: How to Beat

Best Decks to Use Against Ninja

Runick

Master Duel - Runick

Despite the number of hits taken by the Runick archetype into the current banlist, Runick Decks are still very dangerous--especially for Ninja Decks. They don't have responses to having their cards being banished; thus banishing enough key cards stops the Deck entirely.

Runick Deck Lists
Master Duel - Runick Partial BannerPure Runick Master Duel - Spright Riunick Partial BannerSpright Runick
Master Duel - Ishizu Runick Partial BannerIshizu Runick Master Duel - Naturia Runick Partial Banner.pngNaturia Runick

Labrynth

Master Duel - Labrynth

Labrynth Decks are at full power now with their most recent additions to the archetype, and having numerous powerful Trap Cards at their disposal. While aggressive with their control, Ninjas can easily get swamped by the oppressive playstyle of a Labrynth Deck.

Labrynth Deck List & Card Guide

Purrely

Master Duel - Purrely Xyz Control

Purrely Decks can be quite tricky to counter, but their endgoal is simple to achieve: getting 5 or more materials on an "Epurrely" monster to bring out their boss monsters that enjoy debilittating effets while having 5 materials or more attached. Stopping them from getting to that point can be easier said than done, if a Ninja Deck player does not play carefully.

Purrely Deck List & Card Guide

Best Cards to Tech Against Ninja

Skill Drain
Skill Drain The moment "Ninja" monsters are flipped face-up, they essentially trigger their effects on the field. Skill Drain stop sthat from happening, negating them as soon as they show up on the Field face-up.
Interrupted Kaiju Slumber
Interrupted Kaiju Slumber With the rise of Kaiju monsters being used again because of the Purrely and Mikanko Decks, usage of them have become prominent once again. This also spells some trouble for Ninja Decks, especially Interrupted Kaiju Slumber's monster-destroying effect.
Raigeki
Raigeki Simple effects that destroy monsters on the field should prove to be efficient to stop Ninja Decks. Raigeki is the most powerful one, being a simple Spell Card that does nothing else but destroy all monsters the opponent controls.
Evenly Matched
Evenly Matched If you can survive an onslaught of attacks from a Ninja Deck, and you have no cards on the field, Evenly Matched can easily wreck the field they have set up. Making it worse for them is the cards are banished face-down--they are basically gone from the rest of the Duel.

Related Packs to Ninja

Hidden Arts of Shadows Legacy Pack
Master Pack Rage of Chaos
Star-Studded Futures The Hidden Arts

Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Related Guides

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Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Deck Archetypes

Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Decks

Deck Tier List: Best Decks for Season 28

List of All Covered Decks

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

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

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

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