Gimmick Puppet is an Aggro deck in Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel, featuring DARK Machine-centric archetype with a unique playstyle, and even involves potential for an FTK. Check out the core deck list, key combos, how to play & beat as well as F2P or budget options!

Gimmick Puppet Deck List

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

Gimmick Puppet Breakdown

Monsters

Spells

Traps

Extra

Rarity	Name	Qty
	Maxx "C"	3
	Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring	3
	Gimmick Puppet Little Soldiers	3
	Gimmick Puppet Rouge Doll	3
	Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll	2
	Gimmick Puppet Terror Baby	1
	Gimmick Puppet Fiendish Knight	1
	Gimmick Puppet Scissor Arms	2
	Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll	1
	Gimmick Puppet Cattle Scream	1

Rarity	Name	Qty
	Called by the Grave	2
	Crossout Designator	1
	Triple Tactics Thrust	3
	Triple Tactics Talent	1
	Foolish Burial	1
	Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force	1
	Mansion of the Dreadful Dolls	3
	Condolence Puppet	3
	Rank-Up-Magic Numeron Force	1

Rarity	Name	Qty
	Infinite Impermanence	3
	Service Puppet Play	1

Rarity	Name	Qty
	Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo	1
	Gimmick Puppet Fantasix Machinix	2
	CXyz Gimmick Puppet Fanatix Machinix	2
	Gimmick Puppet Chimera Doll	2
	Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder	1
	Number C40: Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings	2
	Gimmick Puppet Gigantes Doll	1
	Number C15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Hunter	1
	Number C88: Gimmick Puppet Disaster Leo	1
	Number 40: Gimmick Puppet of Strings	2

Gimmick Puppet Alternate Cards

	Horus Engine
	The Horus Engine works with the Gimmick Puppets for being an easy way to summon Level 8 monsters onto the field, while being able to send monsters from either the hand or Deck to the GY. This can be an easy way to open Gimmick Puppet of Strings or Giant Grinder without even having to summon a Gimmick Puppet monster outright.
	Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star
	A popular Rank 8 Xyz Monster to use because of its generic material requirements, Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star sends a card from the field to the GY on Special Summon. It also has a chance to attach a banished Machine-type monster, which works with Gimmick Puppets being Machine-type as well.
	Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll
	While not as impactful as the other Gimmick Puppet cards in the Deck Recipe, Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll can be a budget-friendly option due to its low rarity. It acts like a pseudo-Cyber Dragon with its Special Summon effect, being an easy Level 8 monster to summon on the field quickly.
	Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder
	With most of the Extra Deck monsters being composed of Xyz Monsters, players have the option to run Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder. As long as an Xyz Monster attacks, this can be brought out to be a Quick Effect field wipe, without destroying any of the cards that were sent there.

Gimmick Puppet Deck Guide: How to Play

Playstyle and Win Condition

Core Combos and Interactions

Boss Monsters

	CXyz Gimmick Puppet Fanatix Machinix
	One of the Xyz Monsters in this Deck Recipe that needs Rank-Up-Magic to be summoned; CXyz Gimmick Puppet Fanatix Machinix is a newer boss monster for the Gimmick Puppet archetype. On summon, it is a free search for Service Puppet Play, and its effect to destroy a monster the opponent controls and burn them for half its ATK is a crucial part for the Deck's FTK play.
	Number C40: Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings
	Number C40: Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings is another Xyz Monster that needs Rank-Up-Magic to be summoned. It destroys all monsters with String Counters (usually coming from its lower Rank counterpart, Gimmick Puppet of Strings), provides a draw, burn the opponent for the monster with the highest ATK.
	Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder
	Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder is often a good starter in a Gimmick Puppet combo, especially if this is summoned during Main Phase 1. Twice per turn, it can destroy a Special Summoned monster the opponent controls. Bonus if it destroys an Xyz Monster with that effect, as it deals burn damage based on the monster's ATK.
	Number C88: Gimmick Puppet Disaster Leo
	In the case that the Gimmick Puppet of Strings FTK plan does not work, there is still another alternative win condition players can go for. Number C88: Gimmick Puppet Disaster Leo is immune to targeted card effects, and rightfully so; it needs it to trigger its Instant Win Condition once the opponent has 2000 LP or less, and this card has no more attached materials.

Gimmick Puppet Counters: How to Beat

Best Decks to Use Against Gimmick Puppet

Kashtira

Kashitra are some of the best to deal with monster effects, especially when it has its Main Deck monsters on the field like Kashitra Fenrir and Kashitra Unicorn.

It will be especially hard for Gimmick Puppet once Shangri-Ira starts blocking Card Zones, and Arise-Heart to banish all cards sent to the GY--something that the archetype needs to be a secondary resource pool.

Kashtira Deck List & Card Guide

Centur-Ion

Currently one of the best Synchro-based archetypes in the game, Centur-Ion has a powerful consistency with its combo lines to powerful boss monsters with negates; if they open with a good hand, they are guaranteed boss monsters like Cosmic Blazar Dragon and Baronne de Fleur.

Even more dangerous for Gimmick Puppets is their frequent use of the Bystial monsters, which banish DARK monsters from either player's GY to Special Summon themselves from the hand.

Centur-Ion Deck List & Card Guide

Yubel

Despite some crucial hits in key cards like Dark Beckoning Beast, Opening of the Spirit Gates and Phantom of Yubel all being Semi-Limited, Yubel still remains an incredibly powerful Deck, and one that works great against Gimmick Puppets.

The wide variety of monster destruction effects might backfire considering Yubel monsters love having their monsters being destroyed, and a lot of their monsters have 0 ATK, causing the burn damage based on ATK to completely miss.

Yubel Deck List & Card Guide

Ice Barrier

If you play Gimmick Puppet against an Ice Barrer player, do not let Ice Barrier get their full combo out. Once Lancea, Ancestral Dragon of the Ice Mountain is out on the field, the floodgate effects will start to pile up the more they get to summon monsters in response to your plays.

Best shot against this Deck is to go first, and play as hard as possible for the FTK strategy.

Ice Barrier Deck List & Card Guide

Best Cards to Tech Against Gimmick Puppet

	Necrovalley
	So long as Necrovalley is active on the field, cards in the GY cannot be moved anywhere else. For a Deck that occassionally relies on the GY like Gimmick Puppet, this can shut down some very crucial plays like Special Summons.
	Dimension Shifter
	Another way to deny the GY is by forcing all cards sent there to be banished instead. Dimension Shifter has risen in popularity thanks to other rampant archetypes dominating the meta like Tenpai Dragon and Ritual Beast.
	Nibiru, the Primal Being
	If the Gimmick Puppet player does not play its Field Spell for its protection, the biggest hand trap threat is possibly Nibiru, the Primal Being. A properly-timed Nibiru effect can bypass the FTK play, and can completely ruin the Deck's combo.
	Dimensional Barrier
	Players that run Dimensional Barrier can shut down an entire Gimmick Puppet combo due to the innate knowledge of Gimmick Puppets being inherently locked into only Xyz Monsters for the Extra Deck. Once this Trap Card resolves, the Deck will have to wait an additional turn to be able to summon Xyz Monsters, let alone let their effects.

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