Unchained Deck List & Card Guide

Unchained is an Aggro deck in Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel, where destroying your own cards is actually part of the archetype's strategy! Check out the core deck list, key combos, as well as how to play & counters!

Unchained Deck List

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

Unchained Breakdown

Tier List Evaluation

Tier Ranking
Tier 2
Deck Archetype		Deck Difficulty
Aggro		Hard
Deck Evaluation
Unchained specializes in triggering effects that destroy cards, including their own Some of the boss monsters use the opponent's own monsters as materials for a Link Summon The archetype is great against Quick Effects, targeted effects and non-destruction card removal

Best Decks Meta Tier List

Unchained Deck Guide: How to Play

Playstyle and Win Condition

Unchained Cards

The Unchained archetype is an interesting case of taking advantage of card destruction effects. Their advantage is having cards destroyed on the field, especially if their own cards are the ones being destroyed.

A caveat of this Deck is that most of its monsters' effects lock the Deck out of non-Fiend-type monsters to be Special Summoned, but working the Deck around this restriction should be easy to do.

Play at Three Copies Each

Among the archetype, these cards are most preferred to have at 3 copies in a Deck work as a starter and as a combo extender.

Unchained Twins - Aruha is one of the preferred cards, as it can Special Summon itself from the hand by destroying a card, and also Special Summon a fellow "Unchained" monster from the Deck if this card gets destroyed.

The newest addition in Master Duel is Unchained Soul of Sharvara, which can also be Special Summoned from the hand by destroying a specific card. Once sent to the GY, it can set an "Unchained" Spell or Trap, which is most likely the best way to get Abominable Chamber of the Unchained on the field.

Adjust Based on Preference

The rest of the cards in the archetype can be adjusted depending on the player's preference, but at least one copy of each is enough for these cards.

Unchained Twins - Rakea provides a card destruction effect, and if destroyed can Special Summon a fellow "Unchained" monster from the hand or Deck. Unchained Twins - Sarama can target and set a fellow "Unchained" card, and has the same floating effect with the Special Summon from the hand or Deck. Unchained Soul of Shyama can Special Summon itself from the Graveyard, as well as Unchained Soul of Shyama with their backrow card destruction effect.

Abominable Unchained Soul can only be summoned once per turn, so make this card's summon count. If a card you control gets destroyed, this card can be Special Summoned from the hand, and afterwards can discard a card to destroy another card on the field. If it gets destroyed, it can Special Summon itself back onto the field.

Abomination's Prison is the Deck's searcher, but if it's Set and gets destroyed, it Special Summons an "Unchained" monster from the Deck. Wailing of the Unchained Souls has the same latter effect, but this Continous Spell Card is meant as support for the Link Monsters, triggering a card destruction if an "Unchained" Link Monster gets Link Summoned.

For the Traps, Escape of the Unchained is essentially a pseudo-Raigeki Break, while Abominable Chamber of the Unchained has a simple Special Summon effect from the hand or GY. For the most part, they will be used for their card destruction trigger effect if they are destroyed while Set.

Support Cards & Handtraps

As with the current meta, players must not forget the usual staples when it comes to controlling the pace of the game. Cards like Maxx "C", Ash Blossom, Droll & Lock Bird and Nibiru are fairly expected in every Deck at this point.

Special metions are in order for the Spell Cards and Trap Cards that are seen throughout multiple meta Decks. Called by the Grave and Crossout Designator are meant to counter the popular monster handtraps, while Infinite Impermanence can be activated from the hand to target and negate a monster's effects.

Pot of Prosperity may seem like a risky card to use as it banishes the Extra Deck monsters to even add a card to the hand. However, considering the sheer amount of card destruction this Deck can generate, the Extra Deck feels more like an option than a necessity.

A great addition to the Deck as a support is Tour Guide From the Underworld, which Special Summons a Level 3 or lower Fiend-type monster from the Deck--which the Unchained archetype just so happen to have. This can be also considered as a starter for the Deck.

Extra Deck Monsters

There are four "Unchained" Link Monsters in the Extra Deck, and each one serves its own purpose for the Deck. Among them, Unchained Soul Lord of Yama acts as a combo extender and most often the first Link Monster summoned. It acts a searcher on Link Summon, and can banish itself from the GY to Special Summon a Fiend-type monster from the hand or GY, should a card you control gets destroyed.

The other two "Unchained Soul" monsters share the rare effect of using one of the opponent's Special Summoned monsters as materials to be used for a Link Summon. Unchained Soul of Anguish can recycle "Unchained" monsters from the GY back to the hand, Unchained Soul of Rage can use the Link Summon effect during the opponent's turn.

Unchained Abomination is the big boss of the entire Unchained Deck. Every effect it has involves destroying a card; if another card on the field is destroyed, if another monster is destroyed by battle, and it even destroys a card during every End Phase.

Normally, any "D/D/D" Extra Deck Monster would only be seen in a standalone D/D/D Deck, but it does makes sense as Stone King Darius and Wave High King Caesar use generic Fiend-type monsters as materials.

Stone King Darius is mainly used as a stepping stone to get to Deviser King Deus Machinex, which can absorb cards that use their effects to itself as material. Meanwhile, Wave High King Caesar can negate Special Summon effects once per turn.

While Dingirsu, Orcust of the Evening Star can only be used with the Level 8 monsters as material, being able to send cards to the GY whenever it's Special Summoned is worth the trouble.

Core Combos and Interactions

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

Boss Monsters

	Abominable Unchained Soul
	Abominable Unchained Soul can Special Summon itself from the hand if a card you control is destroyed by battle or card effect, and on summon can destroy another card on the field. It can Special Summon itself when sent to the GY, but the next time it leaves the field it's sent to the bottom of the Main Deck instead.
	Unchained Soul of Disaster
	For each "Unchained" monster you have in the GY, Unchained Soul of Disaster gains an ATK boost. It can use one of the opponent's monsters as material to be used as Link Monster using this card's effect. It also has a floating effect that can Special Summon an "Unchained" monster in the GY.
	D/D/D Deviser King Deus Machinex
	Most likely summoned with the help of the other two D/D/D Xyz Monsters in the Extra Deck, D/D/D Deviser King Deus Machinex can be used to absorb monsters the opponent controls that dare use their effects into Xyz materials. It is also a great monster to go into ZEUS and give it multiple board clears.
	Unchained Soul of Anguish
	Much like its fellow Unchained Soul bretheren, Unchained Soul of Anguish can use one of the opponent's monsters as material for a Link Summon via effect. If destroyed and sent to the GY, it can add back a fellow "Unchained" monster from the GY.
	Unchained Abomination
	Unchained Abomination triggers its effects whenever a card on the field is destroyed. A monster is destroyed by battle? It destroys a card. A card on the field is destroyed by card effect? It destroys another card. The End Phase passes? It also destroys a card.

Unchained Counters: How to Beat

Best Decks to Use Against Unchained

Tearlaments

The last thing an "Unchained" player wants to do is destroy a "Tearlaments" monster on the field, thereby triggering their Graveyard effects. Depending on what happens afterwards it can completely spiral out of control from multiple GY effects, and cost them the Duel.

Tearlaments Deck List & Card Guide

Vanquish Soul

Most of the card destruction effects from the "Unchained" cards are targeted, and no Deck comes close in being able to evade targeted effects like Vanquish Soul. Their ability to switch in monsters from the hand onto the field removes the targeting aspect, thereby negating the effect outright.

Vanquish Soul Deck List & Card Guide

Snake-Eye

Much like the case with Tearlaments, Unchained players do not want to send certain cards from the Snake-Eyes Deck, as they have effects that trigger when those cards are sent to the GY.

An even worse fate "Unchained" monsters could experience is being turned into Continuous Spells/Traps, and then being summoned to the opponent's side of the field.

Snake-Eyes Deck List & Card Guide

Mikanko

Mikanko has a couple of things that makes it very hard for the Unchained player to deal with: usage of "Kaiju" monsters, certain Equip Cards making them immune to card destruction, and multiple hand traps that can disrupt plays.

Mikanko Deck List & Card Guide

Best Cards to Tech Against Unchained

	Abyss Dweller
	Abyss Dweller will deny any and all Graveyard effects from triggering once its effect resolves. A couple of "Unchained" boss monsters have crucial GY effects, some of which Special Summons themselves from the GY back onto the field; denying them this disables their strategy of destroying cards on the field.
	Droll & Lock Bird
	A couple of the "Unchained" cards have search effects that add cards frorm the Deck to the hand. They get stronger with more cards on hand, so stopping them with Droll & Lock Bird will deny them necessary card advantage needed to continue.
	Necrovalley
	As long as Necrovalley remains active on the field, cards in the Graveyard remain in the GY. This means the card retrieval effets some of the "Unchained" cards have are essentially unusuable until the Field Spell is gone.
	Macro Cosmos
	Much like Necrovalley, Macro Cosmos denies the GY as a secondary resource pool, but worse for the Unchained player: instead of their cards being locked in the GY, they are just straight-up banished instead.

Related Packs to Unchained

Blazing Arena	Cosmic Mechanical Entities
Cross-Dimensional Contracts	Legacy Pack
Master Pack	Name of Champions
Roused from Destruction	Star-Studded Futures

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 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