Heavy Freight Train/Superdreadnought Archetype (Written)

[AlexG7995]

So I have loved trains for a long time and wanted to bring them up to speed and give them their own archetype, the Heavy Freight Trains with some fun archetype specific continuous spells, the "railcars".

 

First of all, the monsters. These are meant to complement Derricrane, and decrease the deck's reliance on cards like Exodius.

 

[spoiler=Monsters]Heavy Freight Train Oldtimer
EARTH/Machine/Level 10/Effect
You can normal summon this card without tributing. If this card is in your graveyard, you can banish it to special summon one "Heavy Freight Train" monster from your graveyard. You can only use this effect of "Heavy Freight Train Oldtimer" once per turn.
ATK 1300/DEF 800

Heavy Freight Train Longhaul
EARTH/Machine/Level 10/Effect
You can special summon this card (from your hand) by banishing one "Heavy Freight Train" monster or one "Superdreadnaught" monster from your GY. You can only use this effect of "Heavy Freight Train Longhaul" once per turn. An XYZ monster that has this card as a material gains the following effect:
•Once, while this card is on the field, set a "Railcar" continuous spell card to one of your spell/trap zones.
ATK 1400/DEF 1300

 

For spells, these cards were made to slow down opponent's plays while adding consistency to the deck. Each of them have the effect "Activate this card only if you control a level/rank 10 EARTH Machine-type monster. This card cannot be destroyed while you control a level/rank 10 EARTH Machine-type monster." I'll call this the Railcar effect to save space. This is to prevent just anyone from using these cards, as some of their effects are pretty powerful.

 

[spoiler=Spell Cards]Railcar Freezer
Spell/Continuous
[Railcar Effect] Your opponent's cannot activate monster effects on the field during the next turn after this card was activated. Your opponent must pay 500 life points to special summon monster(s) from the extra deck. You can only control 1 "Railcar Freezer".

Railcar Sleeper
Spell/Continuous
[Railcar Effect] If your opponent special summons exactly 1 card face-up, change that monster to face-up defense position, and negate its effects until the end phase. During the end phase, change that monster to face-up attack position.

Railcar Flatbed
Spell/Continuous
[Railcar Effect] When this card is activated, add one Level 10 Machine-type monster from your deck to your hand. Your opponent cannot activate cards in response to the summon of a "Heavy Freight Train" monster. You can only use the first effect of "Railcar Flatbed" once per turn.

Railcar Caboose
Spell/Continuous
[Railcar Effect] Your opponent cannot activate the effects of spell/trap cards in either player's main phase 2.

Railcar Tanker
Spell/Continuous
[Railcar Effect] Once per turn, you can pay 1000 life points to attach 1 Level 10 EARTH Machine-type monster from your hand or graveyard to a "Superdreadnought" monster you control.

 

For extra deck monsters, I chose to expand the "Superdreadnought Rail Cannon" archetype. 

 

[spoiler=Extra Deck]Superdreadnaught Rail Cannon Anastasia Max
EARTH/Rank 10/XYZ/Machine/Effect
2 Level 10 monsters
During each end phase, you can detach one XYZ material from this card to inflict 2500 damage to your opponent. While this card has an XYZ material, it cannot be destroyed by card effects.
ATK 2500/DEF 2000

Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Ralph
EARTH/Rank 10/XYZ/Machine/Effect
2 Level 10 Machine-type monsters
You can detach two materials from this card, add one "Railcar" card from your deck to your hand. This card gains the following effects based on the number of "Railcar" cards you control:
1. This card can attack in defense position, using its DEF in damage calculation.
2-4. Once per turn, destroy one face-up card on the field.
5. Once per turn, banish a card on your opponent's field or in their graveyard, and if you do, banish one card from their hand.
ATK 1500/DEF 3300.

Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Thomas
Earth/Link 2/Link/Machine/Effect/↙↘
2 Level 10 EARTH Machine-type monsters
As long as you control this card, you can activate "Railcar" spell cards from your hand. When a level/rank 10 monster is summoned to a zone that this card points to, add one "Railcar" spell card from your deck to your hand. If this card was destroyed, you can XYZ summon one "Superdreadnought" monster from your extra deck, using monsters on the field or in the graveyard as materials.
ATK 2200

[Dova]

Nice to see Derricrane expanded into a proper archetype!

 

Tbh nearly freaked out when I saw how generic the Spells looked at first, but the fool that I am decided NOT to read your notes put beforehand which actually explained the [Railcar Effect] portion, and why this wasn't in Experimental. Not really a fan of how you've decided to do it, but it works nonetheless, and am probably going to steal it for something anyway later despite that. However, I feel their destruction protection might be a bit much in most cases, especially with the purely preventative ones like Freezer or Sleeper, when combined with cards like Number 81. However, despite the potential power of Caboose and Tanker, they don't really provide anything the archetype doesn't already, and when you have 3 other Continuous Spells you're going to be running, and trying to keep face-up without direct support, you'll want to keep them to the ones that are immediately helpful, like Flatbed. Now, if only they were searchable...

 

Easy recycling with HOPT on Old Timer makes a semi-decent card, but I wish it was SSable by the Field, to make it more easily runnable, i.e. a Level 4. That way you don't need the Normal Summoning without Tributing effect. Longhaul, on the other hand, is extremely fast in its own right, provides a potential fourth Material with the Noble Express Knight/Ruffian/Derricrane combo, along with granting the aforementioned Spells actual searchability. Hooray! Can't complain there.

 

Anastasia is semi-decent, I guess, but you'd rather Summon Number 81 if you had the choice, and if you had additional mats and had already Summoned 81, you'd probably get out Gustav. This card tries to do both of their jobs, and I don't think it should've tried in the first place. Ralph, on the other hand...oh Ralph. Basically loses his Materials instantly for a Railcar, and perhaps provides an incentive for running most of the Railcar cards. However, I would say the last effect is a bit much, as neither it nor the 2-4 effect target, meaning you could essentially get 5 removals per turn. This wouldn't be so bad, as you have just filled up your Spell/Trap Zone with Railcar Spells, but each of them locks down your opponent as well. There's basically no coming back from that. AND THEN WE HAVE A LINK HOORAY FINALLY. Thomas might need at least normal Once Per Turn on his search effect, and the last effect should only Summon with the GY, as limiting it to the field makes it a bit worthless, but granting it both is a bit much. Also, first activation effect...I think you're missing a During either player's turn somewhere there :P

 

Tbh, a decent archetype. Some weak cards, unnecessary cards, and overpowered cards, but the idea is there, and most of them work out functionally. Nicely done!