Earthbound Deck List & Card Guide

Earthbound is an Aggro deck in Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel, which is mainly a Synchro Deck which also has a penchant for Fusion Monsters. Check out the core deck list, key combos, as well as how to play & counters!

Earthbound Deck List

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

Earthbound Breakdown

Tier List Evaluation

Tier Ranking
Tier 2
Deck Archetype		Deck Difficulty
Aggro		Hard
Deck Evaluation
An archetype that has an embedded use of both Fusion and Synchro Monsters Has cards and effects that enables it to summon Fusion and Synchro Monsters in one fell swoop Can make use of various Synchro Deck Engines like Resonators and Synchrons

Earthbound Deck Guide: How to Play

Attention!	This portion is in progress, stay tuned until then!

Playstyle and Win Condition

Originally, the Earthbound archetype mostly consisted of Level 10 Fiend monsters that were meant to counter Synchro Monsters.

A player could only control one of them while on the field, but they make up for it by having some rather powerful effects. Yet, it did not matter as the playstyle was far too slow, and other Decks completely overtook them in the TCG and OCG.

The newer "Earthbound" cards look to correct this mistake by partaking in the Extra Deck themselves, having Fusion and Synchro Monsters up for grabs as materials.

Earthbound Main Deck Cards

The three newest additions to the archetype, upon being introduced in Master Duel through the Return of the King Selection Pack, all have effects that focus on getting the proper cards needed. In Earthbound Prisoner Ground Keeper's case, it can Special Summon a Level 5 or lower "Earthbound" monster from the Deck which can be used for a Synchro Summon immediately.

Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper can either Special Summon itself from the hand if there is an active Field Spell, or by discarding itself from the hand it can search out a Level 3 or lower Tuner to add to the hand. Meanwhile, Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker can search out certain Fusion Spells when it is summoned, which is ironic considering it is a Tuner.

The Field Spell Earthbound Prison provides an additional Normal Summon to fellow "Earthbound" monsters, and upon activation it can negate a monster's effects immediately. It also acts as bait, as after this card is destroyed due to their opponent's card effect while you control an "Earthbound" monster, it triggers a one-turn Skill Drain effect.

Harmonic Synchro Fusion will be your main Fusion Spell to use, but it does have some strict requirements of needing both materials to match properly as if it were both a Synchro and a Fusion Summon at the same time.

Meanwhile, Earthbound Fusion can only be activated while a Field Spell is active, but it can also Special Summon an "Earthbound" monster from the GY by banishing this card from there.

Earthbound Extra Deck Cards

There are only three Fusion Monsters among the Earthbound archetype, and you only need one copy of each in the Extra Deck. Geo Gremlina is the easiest to summon, and it hasboth a built-in search effect and burn effect. Special Summoning Geo Kraken makes it easier to get Earthbound Prison, and punishes the opponent for summoning an Extra Deck Monster with a Monster Zone wipe and burn damage for each card destroyed.

Earthbound Servant Geo Grasha serves as the main boss monster of the Deck, and has the hardest summoning conditions to fulfill. Any monster it battles makes its stats drop to 0, and the moment it destroys a mosnter by battle, it destroys all other cards on the opponent's field. The cherry on the top is its floating effect, being able to Special Summon any "Earthbound" monster from the Main Deck.

If you plan on adding at least one "Earthbound Immortal", Geo Grasha's effect is an easy way to bring it out.

Hand Traps

Hand traps are stil a staple for this Deck, with cards like Maxx "C", Ash Blossom, Called by the Grave and Infinite Impermanence being staples among many Decks. Expect just about every Deck you go up against have these incorporated into their Deck.

A special addition for this Deck is PSY-Framegear Gamma, which can be a negate against monster effects (including other hand traps), and a free Synchro Summon to a Level 8 Synchro Monster if you manage to summon this card and PSY-Frame Driver during your own turn.

Ready Fusion & Sea Monster of Theseus

With Instant Fusion currently being banned, Ready Fusion is a sneaky way to get high-level monsters on the field easily.

There are a number of non-effect Fusion Monsters this card can target, but Sea Monster of Theseus gets a very special mention due to it being a Tuner Monster as well. This can be a sneaky way to bring out Level 10 or higher Sycnhro Monsters.

Earthbound Servant Geo Gremlin forces the opponent to choose between destroying a monster or gain LP equal to their ATK. It can also conduct a Fusion Summon during the opponent's turn, which makes it all the more elusive target as it can bring out the stronger monsters like Geo Kraken or Geo Grasha.

Geo Gryphon can Special Summon a fellow "Earthbound" monster from the GY, which will be crucial in getting the materials needed if attempting to summon Geo Grasha.

Core Combos and Interactions

Best Possible Hand

This is the best hand possible for this Deck to start with, outside of havinga couple of hand traps at the ready. This full hand can easily get players three Synchro Monsters and one Fusion Monster.

Best Possible Hand
Step	Description
1	Special Summon Super Quantum Red Layer while you control no monsters on your field. Then, activate Earthbound Prison.
2	Using the effect of Earthbound Prison, Normal Summon Earthbound Prisoner Ground Keeper Its effect triggers upon being summoned; Special Summon Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper from the Deck.
3	Using Earthbound Prisoner Ground Keeper and Super Quantum Red Layer as materials, Synchro Summon Earthbound Prisoner Geo Gremlin.
4	Activate Ready Fusion; pay 1000 LP to Special Summon a copy of Sea Monster of Theseus from the Extra Deck to the hand.
5	Using your remaning regular Normal Summon, summon Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker onto the field. Activate its effect upon being Summoned; search out a copy of Harmonic Synchro Fusion from the Deck to the hand.
6	Activate Harmonic Synchro Fusion; use Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker and Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper as materials and send both cards to the GY, then Special Summon Earthbound Servant Geo Gremlina and Earthbound Servant Geo Grypher.
7	Activate Harmonic Synchro Fusion; use Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker and Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper as materials and send both cards to the GY, then Special Summon Earthbound Servant Geo Gremlina and Earthbound Servant Geo Grypher.
8	Activate the effect of Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon; target Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper in the GY and Special Summon it back onto the field. Then, using itself and Sea Monster of Theseus as materials, Synchro Summon Baronne de Fleur.

Field Spell: Earthbound Prison
			X
-	-	-	-	-

Possible continuation
9	Activate the effect of Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper; discard it, and search out Vision Resonator from the Deck to the hand. Then, using its effect, you can Special Summon it onto the field.
10	Using Vision Resonator and Earthbound Servant Geo Gremlina as materials, Synchro Summon Scarred Dragon Archfiend.

Field Spell: Earthbound Prison
			X
-	-	-	-	-

Boss Monsters

	Earthbound Servant Geo Grasha
	The strongest Fusion Monster in the Deck also has the hardest requirements to get for its Summoning condition. Earthbound Servant Geo Grashacan change the stats of the monster it attacks to 0, and it can completely destroy all cards on the opponent's field if this card destroys a monster by battle. It also has a floating effect where it can Special Summon an "Earthbound" monster from either the Main Deck or the Extra Deck.
	Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon
	Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon has several unique interruptions in its effect, both of which are triggered during the opponent's turn. During their Main Phase, it can target a monster they control to making them choose between destroying it or gain LP equal to its ATK. Meanwhile, it can conduct a Fusion Summon as a Quick Effect by banishing the needed materials.
	Baronne de Fleur
	The epitome among Level 10 Synchro Monsters; Baronne de Fleur is universal in its utility as it is in control over the field. Its effect negation, card destruction, and floating Special Summon effects are all extremely useful in this Earthbound Deck.

Earthbound Counters: How to Beat

Best Decks to Use Against Earthbound

Labrynth

With a plethora of interruptions available, especially now with the addition of Transaction Rollback, Labrynth Decks are great matchups against an Earthbound Deck. Players could try to circumvent it with the help of Super Polymerization into either Garura or Predaplant Dragostapelia, but it is still an uphill battle.

Labrynth Deck List & Card Guide

Traptrick

Traptrix, much like Labrynth, is expected to have a lot of power in the current meta with the addition of Transaction Rollback. Their constant ussage of the "Hole" Trap Cards to interrupt plays will have to be dealt with first if you want to make meaningful plays as an Earthbound player.

Traptrix Deck List and Card Guide

Snake-Eyes Diabellstar

Snake-Eyes Diabellstar is easily the strongest Deck in the meta as of writing, with all of the cards available in full power. Multiple negates, card destructions, and even turning monsters into Continuous Spells/Traps; they have it all. What makes them especially dangerous is their ability to activate Quick Effects during your own turn.

Snake-Eyes Deck List & Card Guide

Best Cards to Tech Against Earthbound

	Summon Limit
	In a usual combo for Earthbound, it can go up to more than 5 Summons in a single turn, especially if they aim on having Earthbound Servant Geo Grasha out as fast as possible. Summon Limit bottlenecks both players into only two summons each turn, forcing both players to choose their summons wisely.
	Dimensional Barrier
	For Trap-centric Decks like Labrynth, Dimensional Barrier is a card that can shut down this Deck easily once they realize what cards you have in the Extra Deck. A single activation means you cannot Synchro Summon, nor activate the effects of Synchro Monsters for the rest of that turn. This also applies to Fusion Monsters, if it chooses "Fusion" for its effect.
	Droll & Lock Bird
	Earthbound Decks need to search certain cards in order to enact their Deck's strategies, like conducting Fusions with Harmonic Syncho Fusion. Droll & Lock Bird is one of the best counters against Decks that are reliant to their search effects.
	Maxx "C"
	As with all Decks that rely on its Extra Deck for most of its strengths, Maxx "C" is the best counter for it. It also just so happens to be the most used card and the strongest card in the current meta, as deck building has revolved around this one hand trap.

Related Packs to Earthbound

Legacy Pack	Master Pack
Pearlescent Cyber Dragons	Return of the King
Savage Crimson Dragon	Space-Time Transcendents
Stardust Ties

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