LightSworn Article V.2

Well now...Haven't done a article recently have I? I decided It would be a suitable time to go ahead and make a new article..but more importantly make a decent one to make up for not being more active as of late. So...Lets get this show on the road,shall we?






~Introduction~

Well who at this point doesn't know what lightsworns are; or have a "I Hate JD" poster on their wall? Probably no one...but it is my job to cover everything, so let me perform a quick synopsis of them.

Basically, The card set was introduced in the Light of Destruction Booster set and have Received support up to Stardust Overdrive to this point. The archetype is Light-Attribute based and creature type's is spread about.

Lets move further to get a bit more in-depth




~Archetype Overview~

Want to know more? Of course you do, so lets explain them some more. The archetype is basically geared around; as stated...Light Attribute monsters and all of the monsters of the set have some form of effect to "Mill"* your own deck for a cost or a effect.

For those new to the Archetype..your first concern would be.."How do you not deck out?". Well..that is always in the back of the mind of any Lightsworn player..but the deck actually functions better as you collect more cards in your graveyard. One card in particular you will hear about is Judgment Dragon..which I will dwelve into more later.

Lets go ahead and continue on

*Milling- The act of sending cards from the top of your deck to the graveyard by a Monster, Magic, or Trap effect.



~Archetype History~

To date..Lightsworn is still a top Archetype, despite being slowed down from recent ban-list's as of 2010.
This archetype has also single handedly pumped out a plethora of Hybrids due to their unique effect's of self milling your deck.
At one point before ban-list hits though...this deck was considered to be boarderline tier 0.

From my personal perspective..I see this deck being around for quite awhile..unless something new and great comes out in the future to overlap it, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon.



~Card Overview~

There's a fair amount of cards to cover for Lightsworn, so you can probably skim around past this point, but I'll look to cover most all the cards in relation to the archetype. So lets begin from the top and most important card of the deck

**Spoiler Warning**
Card Below May cause you to fly into a rage and or smack your computer or friend next to you in anger.
**Spoiler Warning**

Judgment Dragon



This card is basically the heart of the deck. Generally speaking..in some ways..this card single handedly holds this archetype together. Basically, his effect allows you to nuke the entire field for a measly 1000 Life points. If that isn't overpowered enough; he only requires you have 4 lightsworns with different names in your grave..which is basically doable in a single turn if your lucky.

The funny thing about the card is though...without it..it would be questionable if the deck could even function at a top tier level to compensate for it. Overall though...when going against a Lightsworn deck...Judgment dragon will usually just inspire anger and rage quits due to its effect...where as..if YOUR using it...you probably will have some sinical smile on your face knowing your going to ruin all your opponents hard work for 1000 Lifepoints,lol..

So ye..this card more less makes and breaks this archetype and ones opinion of it will usually be determined on wither your the one using it or not



Lyla, Lightsworn sorceress



Aside from a Overpowered Chinese Godzilla; This is probably my favorite card in the deck. Why? Well it can first off mill 3 cards...which usually to a point..the more you can mill..the better. More importantly is her effect. You can switch her to defense to destroy one Magic/Trap on your opponents field. The beauty about it is..you can use it even after you attack with her that turn. Overall IMO a solid card; If not for her Slightly low Attack power.



Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior



This durable little guy is kinda out of place in some regards. What I mean by that is...at 1850 attack..he is right above 1800 atk monsters..but right below 1900 atk monsters. Also his effect is a bit chancy in the sense..if you don't mill a lightsworn with his effect..you don't draw any cards...in which..I would consider his effect a wasted mill that turn. In most cases, one copy of this guy is enough in a lightsworn deck..since his effect does make him a tad useless beyond some limited uses during the duel..so ye,lol



Ehren, Lightsworn Monk



This card; much like Garoth, will only be played with a single copy (Generally speaking). Her effect allows you to bounce a set monster back to the opponents deck. The only downside is...unlike a card like..Irou- from the six samurai archetype...or the old Sasuki Samurai..the card isn't automatically returned to the deck and a opening for a flip effect to activate is there. Usually though that shouldn't be a issue..since most people that do set...is usually setting just searcher's...aside from a occasional Ryko or Hamster you may run into..or Gravekeeper spy



Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid



This is yet another one of those one card wonders in a Lightsworn Deck. His effect can partially protect your lightsworns from card effects that target, but IMO..A Lightsworn deck works fast..so his eff is going to usually provide situational protection only; Until you transition into something else a turn or two later. The card has enough defense to tank basic beaters with 1800 atk..so this can suffice as a opening play if its not milled during the duel there after. Overall a ok one copy monster for the set.



Celestia, Lightsworn Angel



Now this card can help tremendously during a duel and probably help you out of a pinch of played right. She doesn't have a innate milling effect like most of the lightsworns, but she can mill in order to use her effect when summoned. Her effect allows you to destroy 2 cards on your opponents side of the field. The only thing I hate about the card is wasting 4 mills to only get her Bottomless trap holed in the process. Aside from that though..she is usually used in two copies in a LS deck as destruction help more or less. Just remember to use her wisely



Jain, Lightsworn Paladin



This would be your primary beater of the deck. When attacking it gains 300 attack, making it a 2100 attacker. Plus he mills two cards for his innate milling...so that isn't too bad. You can usually find this card used in 3 copies in a LS deck to serve as a offensive source; At least until you get your stronger cards out of the deck. Just remember his attack boost comes when attacking, not getting attacked..so you may have to find yourself protecting him the next turn if you want to keep him on the field.



Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner


In some ways...this card could be thought of as your searcher of the deck, in contrast since lightsworns spend most of the time in the graveyard rather than your deck. For various reason this card was hit in the banlist though...so that "searching" power was tookin out some. IMO Lumina in ways is what partially evened out the luck aspect of lightsworns..since you have no actual control over what is milled...
Still..even in one the card isn't hard to retrieve from the deck..you just won't be relying on it as much as you once could to swarm the field.



Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter



Ah...how fun this card is to use. Another of the useful cards in a lightsworn deck..this one allowing you to destroy any card on the field, and letting you mill 3 cards. This card has found use beyond lightsworn though and is used in a variety of different decks. In Lightsworn specifically though..this is a great card and will almost always have 3 copies of in the deck. It is usually wise to pick carefully for his effect though; As so you don't waste 3 mills on a useless card or something that can be chained.



Wulf, Lightsworn Beast



Oddly enough..there isn't alot to be said about this card. The one thing I would say though..is this card is primarily responsible for the dead draws a Lightsworn user has. That being said..I've found it to be practical to only run 1 copy of this card in Lightsworn decks as they stand now..since..when you think about it..the trade off for getting him as a dead draw running 3..for the benefit of maybe getting him as a special summon during a mill..doesn't seem worth the trouble. Thats just my opinion though..and other than that..this is more of a supplimentary card for Lightsworn, with no real use aside from that role. nuf said..



The following 4 cards are monsters in the Archetype, but due to their sparce use..I'll only Generally cover them.


1.)Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon

2.)Rinyan, Lightsworn Rogue

3.)Shire, Lightsworn Spirit

4.)Jenis, Lightsworn Mender




1.)Gragonith in short...is just not needed in a Lightsworn deck. His atk CAN get fairly high..but Celestia serves a better purpose, as Gragonith's piercing doesn't really make it useful enough to be used.

2.)Rinyan actually see's some use now with the absence of extra Lumina's, and probably could have made the main list for that reason. How many is practical to be used though is debatable...1/2 would suffice I would assume though.

3.)Shire...WOULD be useful if her original attack was higher. That is really the only thing that makes this card useless...since for her to reach any kind of even reasonable attack would require a big graveyard to amass enough different named lightsworns.

4.)Jenis isn't BAD..just isn't needed in a Lightsworn deck. I have seen her in some kind of Burn deck variant..but aside from that..this card won't see much use in many places.



Now for some of the Magic/Traps of the Archetype.



Charge of the Light Brigade


One of the primary cards of the deck..which is now unfortunately limited. However even in one copy it is still usable and very much helpful. This is the only card that will allow you to cherry pick the Lightsworn's you want from your deck..aside from waiting for it to simply get milled...



Solar Recharge


The second of the primary draw cards for the deck. This is generally used to speed up the deck and help dump Lightsworns into the deck to prepare for the Overpowered Chinese Godzilla I mentioned earlier already <.<



Lightsworn Barrier


For pure Lightsworn Decks..I'm surprised I don't see this card used more. IMO it's a tad underrated in terms of usefulness. It's continuous so you can use its effect repeatedly, but more so..it helps mill the deck faster..which can be a plus with the absence of cards in the deck from the latest ban-list. Overall I would suggest Lightsworn users to try it out that haven't yet.



Glorious Illusion


Now this card isn't underrated, but doesn't always see use in a Lightsworn deck. In many cases it depends on the user on wither or not they care to use it or not. Generally one copy would suffice if you care to use it; Which would simply be used situationally to retrieve a Lightsworn from your grave you might want to use at the time. Other than that..this card can be optional more less.



There is 4 more Magic/Traps left..but their use is slim or not needed, but will list them to simply finish off the archetype in entirety.


1.)Light Spiral

2.)Lightsworn Sabre

3.)Realm of Light

4.)Vanquishing Light




1.)Light Spiral is stuck with just have no use in a General Lightsworn deck and isn't even a needed effect when running a Lightsworn deck..so ye

2.)Lightsworn Saber actually isn't bad..and Is a tad easier to find reason to run simply because you can equip it via milling over simply drawing it and equipping it traditionally like regular equip cards. Still isn't run in a normal Lightsworn deck though.

3.)Realm of Light...much like the Gladiator Beast field card...just isn't needed to be competitive..for lightsworns..its even more so not needed due to the speed of the deck.

4.)Vanquishing Light in some ways has potential...but sacrificing a monster for its effect is what bothers me. Not sure if I would care for that trade off; where as other Magic/Trap Supplements could do the job without costing you a monster.



~Deck Hybrids~

For this Section...I'm not going to list deck builds or go into EVERY single Deck Hybrid there is..but simply Will cover some basic Deck Variants to site as examples of Lightsworn Hybrids.


Twilight- This is probably the most known Hybrid of those out there. This more less combines the power of two strong creature attributes into one deck and uses the lightsworns milling to speed the deck along.




VayuSworn- This one uses the effect of Vayu on Milled sirocco's in the grave to sync from the grave and swarm the field. A somewhat interesting idea overall, but I don't see the deck much..if at all anymore.





JinzoSworn- Yet another inventive way to make use of Lightsworns milling. I however don't see this deck much at all either..but I could assume you could find some way to make a Machina Hybrid out of it if you tried.





FlameSworn- This is probably the 2nd most used Hybrid at the moment, only behind Twilight. Personally I find this to be a strong deck, but may or may not take a hit if and when the flamvell combo with dog,magician and rekindling hits a ban-list.





ZombieSworn-This variant was more popular prior to the march ban-list which incorporated the fastest archetype, with the fastest creature type. This deck has been slowed down though due to the march banlist but is still playable.





SaberSworn-Personal favoritism here, but combining my lovely x-sabers with lightsworns is a great combination. Bias aside; The idea of the deck is to speed up the idea of the basic X-Saber deck and fill the grave with your critical cards to only reborn with Ragigura's and Gottom's Call's to swarm the field.





~Deck Strengths~

The main selling points to this deck is the amount of destruction effects it possess's, and how fast the deck can run innately..almost without trying. Also, having a card like Judgment Dragon as your trumph card never hurts. In most cases..even after ban-list hits..a pure lightsworn deck can be very competitive and stand toe to toe with most any deck. Lastly..being able to add in cards which you can receive use from in being milled fit right in. Obvious cards have always been necro gardna and plaguespreader zombie, but from the deck builds above; you can see other idea's are out there.



~Deck Weakness's~

There isn't ALOT of weakness's, but more general effects can cripple this deck. Skill drain is one such card..since it prevents your lightsworn monsters from milling..which wrecks the deck completely..on top of their effects in general. Also..any form of removal decks..since the grave is required in entirety to function properly. Aside from that..little cards will simply slow the deck down..like Royal Oppression or a pesky Catastor, but ye..in most cases you should be ok..long as you can avoid removal decks and skill drain decks.



~Conclusion~

Well...<deep breath>, Hopefully everyone that made it to this point has learned something about lightsworns, and those more experienced...hopefully they found my guide to cover a fair amount of area's.

As always I want to give a big thanks to all readers that take the time out of their day to view my articles and any criticism; as always, is welcome. So thanks for the time and look forward to my next article I do; Whenever I may make it

Yes Nice Article about sworns Jalice, you really worked hard on it

BTW you owe me a Computer screen cuz i fucked up mine when i saw that damn JD i hope you have the money cuz i dont accept credit cards

you almost covered everything about sworns in it. this sure can help some blackrose i know that are trying to build a solid sworn deck, but you forgot one hybrid sworn and this was maybe the principal one, the Zobie Sworn, how can you do that to zombies you hater and dont try the excuse that Zombies Sworn are the same as twilight cuz you know that aint true

But i really like the article, i dont know why your articles looks cooler than mine -.- you always find the way to make the apeareance so cool

neways, thx for your work

Nice article. My friend had a Saber Sworn deck and it was tough -.-

Haha,sorry about the screen bro >.>

Also, I knew I would leave some Hybrids out since there is just a TON, but I'll add your zombies

@LNoir - SaberSworn I may add to the hybrid list as well since those are rather competitive as well if built right; tho there is usually more X-sabers in it than Lightsworn, since you can OVER mill if you use to many.

Thank you for the feedback though; I'll add both later on today

*Updated* Had the time to do it now, rather than later.

~Deck Hybrids~

*ZombieSworn

*SaberSworn


~Jalice~

Nice article mate!!
It explains a lot about Ls and their hybrids

P.S.:My best friend is now at hospital because of JD

HAHAHA Now your bill is growing Jalice, Im Not The Only One you owe money now
DAMN THAT JD !!!!

I need all of you to sign liability forms, because I'm not paying for broken computer screens due to rage quits or fits of anger; Or ruined friendships because you backhand your friend <--though that sounds funny to actually see..