The Official Traptrix Guide III: A Hole New World

Welcome and thank you for reading. Many players will have noticed that recently more support is coming out for the "classic" archetypes: Harpies have become playable again with the release of the set "Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy" in the TCG and in "Judgment of the Light", more support has been released for the Archfiend archetype, which was introduced with [YGOCARD]Summoned Skull[/YGOCARD] and made into a real Archetype only few years later. Now with the "Ninja", "Harpie", and "Archfiend" themes (as well as many more recent themes) having received new support, one may start to wonder what other archetypes have been around for such a long time; although not considered an archetype card before, [YGOCARD]Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] is a card that was released in the very first booster pack for this game, namely "Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon". With later sets, more cards with "Hole" in their name came into existence, like [YGOCARD]Adhesion Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] in "Magician's Force" and the game changing [YGOCARD]Bottomless Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] in "Legacy of Darkness".

No one expected this series of trap cards to receive outside support, until just recently: this guide will introduce to you the "Traptrix" archetype, a collection of (as of now) four monsters, whose effects support normal trap cards with "Hole" in their card names. Because of this they could be considered similar to the "Prophecy" theme, an archetype that exists to support "Spellbook" spell cards; the difference is that the "Traptrix" are not directly supported by the "Trap Hole" trap cards in any way. However, with the ability to tutor from the deck and [YGOCARD]Return[/YGOCARD] from the graveyard our "Hole" normal trap cards and to even let us activate said traps from our hand, while preventing our opponent from negating them and being unaffected by the traps' effects themselves, the "Traptrix" should not be underestimated!

[COLOR="33333"][QUOTE][CENTER][B][COLOR="#fc6464"]The Theme[/COLOR][/B][/CENTER][/QUOTE][/COLOR]The design of the "Traptrix" cards is not something to overlook! Their artwork features lovely young girls, but the name of the deck suggests that they aren't as sweet as one might initially think: in the artwork of [YGOCARD]Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare[/YGOCARD] we see the girls' stunning true forms (or pets, who knows?)! It seems that those alluring Traptrix opt to attract their victim only to eat them later...

More in-depth the Japanese name "蟲惑魔" (Kowakuma), literally translates to "Fascinating Fiend"; "Kowakuma" in Japanese is written using the character "蟲" (ko), in today's Japanese only used in the word "蟲惑" (kowaku), which can be translated as "Fascination". The character features however the the part "虫", meaning "insect": this may explain why two of the four members revealed are Insect-type monsters. On a final note, the Japanese word "小悪魔" (koakuma), which is pronounced similarly,  translates to "imp" (the characters' literal meaning makes "Little Evil Demon") - just the word "悪魔" (akuma) translates to "fiend" or "nightmare" - and may have been an inspiration for the archetype's name as well. For the English translation, "Traptrix" is a combination of the obvious word "trap" (I'll leave the possible explanations for this to your imagination) and the suffix "-trix" which can can be used to form certain feminine agent nouns, although none of these are used these days anymore.

Worth mentioning about the translated names of our members though, may be that their names are in fact the Latin names of the genus where the animals (or plants) they were based on belong to, [YGOCARD]Traptrix Atrax[/YGOCARD] being based on a [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapdoor_spider"]trapdoor spider[/URL], [YGOCARD]Traptrix Dionaea[/YGOCARD] being based on a [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_flytrap"]Venus flytrap[/URL], [YGOCARD]Traptrix Myrmeleo[/YGOCARD] being based on an [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antlion"]antlion[/URL] larva, and [YGOCARD]Traptrix Nepenthes[/YGOCARD] being based on a [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitcher_plant"]pitcher plant[/URL].

Obviously we'll start with examining our members more thoroughly! For cards for which official translations are available, any references to Japanese from this point onward have been removed.[COLOR="33333"][QUOTE][CENTER][B][COLOR="#fc6464"]Themed Support[/COLOR][/B][/CENTER][/QUOTE][/COLOR]Although most considerably [YGOCARD]Traptrix Myrmeleo[/YGOCARD] is rather splashable, the goal of this guide is to create a deck that uses the "Traptrix" monsters as more than a mere engine; I have seen "Traptrix Dino-Rabbit", "Traptrix Madolche", "Traptrix Ninja", and many more variants, in all of which [YGOCARD]Traptrix Myrmeleo[/YGOCARD] was used to great effect for her ability to search [YGOCARD]Bottomless Trap Hole[/YGOCARD], but decks like these are not necessarily what this guide is about.[COLOR="33333"][QUOTE][COLOR="44444"][QUOTE][CENTER][B][COLOR="#fc6464"]The Traptrix Monsters[/COLOR][/B][/CENTER][/QUOTE][QUOTE]Contents:[list][*][YGOCARD]Traptrix Atrax[/YGOCARD][*][YGOCARD]Traptrix Dionaea[/YGOCARD][*][YGOCARD]Traptrix Myrmeleo[/YGOCARD][*][YGOCARD]Traptrix Nepenthes[/YGOCARD][/list][/QUOTE][QUOTE][COLOR="SlateGray"]Traptrix Atrax:[/COLOR]
[Earth/Insect/Effect/Level 4/ATK:1800/DEF:1000]
[I]This card is unaffected by the effects of "Hole" Normal Trap Cards. You can activate "Hole" Normal Trap Cards from your hand. The activation and effects of Normal Trap Cards activated on your side of the field cannot be negated.[/I][/QUOTE][/COLOR]Let's start by addressing the effects all Kowakuma monsters share: they're unaffected by "Hole" normal trap cards, so even by our opponent's [YGOCARD]Bottomless Trap Hole[/YGOCARD]! This effect makes summoning [YGOCARD]Traptrix Atrax[/YGOCARD] a rather safe play, even when going second. Another reason [YGOCARD]Traptrix Atrax[/YGOCARD] is a great choice in the early game, is that her effect allows us to activate our "Hole" normal trap cards from our hand, making for some formidable bluffs! Her main niche is her ability to prevent our normal trap cards from being negated, and to make use of this highly unconventional feature, any number of copies could be used, or none.[COLOR="44444"][QUOTE][COLOR="#fc6464"]Traptrix Dionaea:[/COLOR]
[Earth/Plant/Effect/Level 4/ATK:1700/DEF:1100]
[I]This card is unaffected by the effects of "Hole" Normal Trap Cards. When this card is Normal Summoned: You can target 1 "Traptrix" monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target in face-up Defense Position. When this card is Special Summoned: You can target 1 "Hole" Normal Trap Card in your Graveyard; Set that target. Banish it during the End Phase of your next turn. You can only use this effect of "Traptrix Dionaea" once per turn.[/I]

Note: although the translation given for this card is unofficial at the time of posting, the chances of anything of the above changing with the official card text being revealed are rather slim.[/QUOTE][/COLOR]Our very own incarnation of [YGOCARD]Gishki Beast[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Traptrix Dionaea[/YGOCARD] special summons from the graveyard any "Traptrix" monster when she's normal summoned. The revived monster can be [YGOCARD]Traptrix Myrmeleo[/YGOCARD] (up next) which will in turn destroy a spell or trap card the opponent destroyed, or any other "Traptrix" including herself. When [YGOCARD]Traptrix Dionaea is special summoned (probably by the effect of another copy), we can retrieve a used "Hole" normal trap for re-using it next turn; this effect won't be used often. Summoning Traptrix Myrmeleo however, will! Traptrix Dionaea is an instant [YGOCARD]Number 50: Blackship of Corn[/YGOCARD] or Number 101: Silent Honor Ark this way, and as such helps us greatly with removing monsters that we couldn't stop with out traps.[/YGOCARD] is[COLOR="44444"][QUOTE][COLOR="DarkOrange"]Traptrix Myrmeleo:[/COLOR]
[Earth/Insect/Effect/Level 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200]
[I]This card is unaffected by the effects of "Hole" Normal Trap Cards. When this card is Normal Summoned: You can add 1 "Hole" Normal Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. When this card is Special Summoned: Target 1 Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls; destroy that target.[/I][/QUOTE][/COLOR]Our very own [YGOCARD]Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo[/YGOCARD]! [YGOCARD]Traptrix Myrmeleo[/YGOCARD] searches the trap cards that this deck is meant to support and allows us to adapt our strategy to the opponent's plays: by normal summoning her, we can tutor from the deck any card from [YGOCARD]Acid Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] to [YGOCARD]White Hole[/YGOCARD] and make sure to give the opponent a hard time. If she is special summoned, she will destroy a spell or trap card the opponent controls - a great addition as the trap cards we use will take care of our opponent's monsters already; [YGOCARD]Traptrix Myrmeleo[/YGOCARD] can be special summoned to the field by [YGOCARD]Traptrix Dionaea[/YGOCARD] and [YGOCARD]Traptrix Nepenthes[/YGOCARD], but [YGOCARD]Beetron[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Black Garden[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Insect Imitation[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Ninjitsu Art of Transformation[/YGOCARD], and [YGOCARD]Call Of The Haunted[/YGOCARD] are other ways to get her out easily. As mentioned before, [YGOCARD]Traptrix Myrmeleo[/YGOCARD] is a very splashable card with two great effects: we should normally opt to use three copies.[COLOR="44444"][QUOTE][COLOR="PaleGreen"]Traptrix Nepenthes:[/COLOR]
[Earth/Plant/Level 4/ATK: 800/DEF: 2000]
[I]This card is unaffected by the effects of "Hole" Normal Trap Cards. If you activate a "Hole" Normal Trap Card (except during the Damage Step): You can add to you hand, or Special Summon, 1 "Traptrix" monster from your Deck, except "Traptrix Nepenthes". You can only use the effect of "Traptrix Nepenthes" once per turn.[/I][/QUOTE][/COLOR]The idea of [YGOCARD]Traptrix Nepenthes[/YGOCARD] is for het ro remain on the field backed up by a row of trap cards, granting us advantage each time we use one of those trap cards to disrupt the opponent. The option to either add a "Traptrix" monster to the hand or special summon it to the field is a cute detail, as it allows us to choose which effect of Myrmeleo we want to use. She can be special summoned to the field by the effect of [YGOCARD]Lonefire Blossom[/YGOCARD] or [YGOCARD]Gigaplant[/YGOCARD], even allowing her te be placed on the field in face-up defense position, but these cards have for most proven not to be worth trouble.

Insect-centered build may not want to use her, but slower builds can make great use of her at two copies still: its hard to fulfill the requirements for her effect to activate, but it certainly pays off when we succeed! Her 800 ATK can come in handy in conjunction with [YGOCARD]Black Garden[/YGOCARD] as well.[/QUOTE][/COLOR]

The next logical step is to examine the cards the "Traptrix" support - we received a new "Hole" normal trap card with the Traptrix monsters, which conveniently also shares the name "Traptrix" with our monsters!


[B][COLOR="Lime"]The "Trap Hole" and "Hole" normal trap cards:[/COLOR][/B]

[QUOTE]Contents:
- [YGOCARD]Acid Trap Hole[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Adhesion Trap Hole[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Bottomless Trap Hole[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]D.D. Trap Hole[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Deep Dark Trap Hole[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Gemini Trap Hole[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Giant Trap Hole[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Trap Hole[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Treacherous Trap Hole[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Void Trap Hole[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]White Hole[/YGOCARD]

- [YGOCARD]Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare[/YGOCARD]:
[QUOTE]- Normal Trap
- When a monster your opponent controls that was Special Summoned this turn activates its effect: Negate that effect, and if you do, destroy that card.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

Now I'd love to say that all options listed above are still very viable deck choices, but the truth is that some cards are outshone and outdated at the moment. Of course, each of them has its own use:

Our most viable option is [YGOCARD]Bottomless Trap Hole[/YGOCARD], banishing any monster with 1500 or more ATK at the moment it is summoned: it's semi-limited for a reason and we want to use the two copies we can.

The original [YGOCARD]Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] as well is worth a try: although it doesn't banish, it may be considered a little more versatile because of the lower ATK restriction. The card is a viable choice to disrupt our opponent’s much needed normal summon.

Our most potent choice is [YGOCARD]Treacherous Trap Hole[/YGOCARD], which unfortunately is a rather gimmicky card to use, as we won't be able to use it if we have any other trap card in our graveyard. The "Trap Hole" trap cards are searchable however and searching out [YGOCARD]Treacherous Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] and using it as the first trap card for the game may prove viable; in builds utilizing [YGOCARD]Macro Cosmos[/YGOCARD] the card could also be successful.

[YGOCARD]Deep Dark Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] and [YGOCARD]Void Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] may seem viable options, but in practice they do not accomplish anything [YGOCARD]Bottomless Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] doesn't. [YGOCARD]Deep Dark Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] also suffers from a level restriction, which harms its utility severely now that XYZ’s are playing a big role in today's meta; it will banish the targeted monster though and makes a great choice against several powerful deck, granting it a spot in the side deck.

A special mention is reserved for [YGOCARD]D.D. Trap Hole[/YGOCARD], which will help us get rid of the opponent’s face-down monsters. This may be considered situational, but an opponent that knows the number of summon-responsive trap cards we use will opt to set their monsters instead. Keep in mind that the "Kowakuma" monsters are unaffected by "Trap Hole" normal trap cards, which means we won't have to remove from play our own monsters if we use the card. Especially against a deck utilizing [YGOCARD]Black Garden[/YGOCARD], an opponent will set more monstert than you expect...

Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare as the final contributor is certainly worth the deck space, functioning as a searchable [YGOCARD]Breakthrough Skill[/YGOCARD]/[YGOCARD]Fiendish Chain[/YGOCARD], but also destroying the monster! [YGOCARD]Acid Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] and [YGOCARD]Adhesion Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] are not recommended, but have their uses; [YGOCARD]Giant Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] seems very situational unfortunately… [YGOCARD]Gemini Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] and [YGOCARD]White Hole[/YGOCARD] are just too underwhelming.

------------------------------------------------

[B][COLOR="Lime"]Deck types and strategies:[/COLOR][/B]

The Traptrix are a rather small archetype and as such will need outside support to function properly. In this section, I will explain the main cards and strategies of the builds that have been tested so far.

NOTE: Any build will opt to utilize a high amount of trap cards to respond to the opponent's plays. These cards will not be explained individually, but can include [YGOCARD]Compulsory Evacuation Device[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Dimensional Prison[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Fiendish Chain[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Mirror Force[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Solemn Judgment[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Solemn Warning[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Starlight Road[/YGOCARD], The Huge Rev0lution is Over, and [YGOCARD]Torrential Tribute[/YGOCARD] among others. Staple/obvious spell cards will not be addressed in detail either; these can include (among others) [YGOCARD]Dark Hole[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Forbidden Lance[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Heavy Storm[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Monster Reborn[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Mystical Space Typhoon[/YGOCARD], and [YGOCARD]Pot of Duality[/YGOCARD].


[COLOR="Silver"]Overall off-theme support:[/COLOR]

Generally for our support, there are two ways to go: Atrax and Myrmeleo are Insect-type, so looking into the options their typing provides is the most obvious choise, but Nepenthes is a Plant-type and the options this provides should howerever be considered as well.

[QUOTE]Contents:
- [YGOCARD]Beetron[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Lonefire Blossom[/YGOCARD]

- [YGOCARD]Insect Imitation[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Verdant Sanctuary[/YGOCARD]

- [YGOCARD]Call Of The Haunted[/YGOCARD][/QUOTE]

[YGOCARD]Beetron[/YGOCARD] is probably a must in almost any build: by sending a face-up spell of trap card to the graveyard, it lets us special summon Myrmeleo - who on her turn destroys an opponent's spell or trap - opening options for XYZ summons. Cards we could use for its effect are [YGOCARD]Black Garden[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Verdant Sanctuary[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Fiendish Chain[/YGOCARD], and [YGOCARD]Ninjitsu Art of Transformation[/YGOCARD] among others. To activate Myrmeleo's second effect, [YGOCARD]Call Of The Haunted[/YGOCARD] is a great option as well.

If we use level three monsters in the deck (like [YGOCARD]Karakuri Ninja mdl 339 "Sazank"[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Lady Ninja Yae[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Spirit Reaper[/YGOCARD], or [YGOCARD]Tour Guide From the Underworld[/YGOCARD]), [YGOCARD]Insect Imitation[/YGOCARD] is a great option to bring out the Insect-type Traptrix - and let's not forget Myrmeleo's effect! [YGOCARD]Verdant Sanctuary[/YGOCARD] allows us to replace our monsters when they are destroyed: this game is about card advantage, so use it wisely and let it pave your road to victory!

For Nepenthes there is [YGOCARD]Lonefire Blossom[/YGOCARD], which can special summon her from the deck (and in face-up defense position). Nepenthes loses a lot of utility in faster builds for her effect is rather slow, but this doesn't mean the plant engine is ony viable in the stun variant: [YGOCARD]Lonefire Blossom[/YGOCARD] can bring out [YGOCARD]Gigaplant[/YGOCARD], which can special summon with its effect any Insect-type monster as well, or [YGOCARD]Tytannial, Princess of Camellias[/YGOCARD], which will protect our set-up. The Plant-engine also allows us to synchro summon: using cards like [YGOCARD]Dandylion[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Debris Dragon[/YGOCARD], and our main tuner [YGOCARD]Spore[/YGOCARD] ([YGOCARD]Naturia Cherries[/YGOCARD] can be used to make [YGOCARD]Naturia Beast[/YGOCARD]), the deck is able to bring out [YGOCARD]Black Rose Dragon[/YGOCARD], or any other staple synchro monsters.


[COLOR="Silver"]Anti-meta stun:[/COLOR]

As mentioned earlier, with a deck that searches out their traps, a heavy-control build seems to be the way to go. This variant of the deck uses traditional stun monsters to completely dismantle the opponent's strategy, combined with a high number of traps to protect them.

[QUOTE]Contents:
- [YGOCARD]Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Thunder King Rai-Oh[/YGOCARD]

- [YGOCARD]Black Garden[/YGOCARD][/QUOTE]

[YGOCARD]Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo[/YGOCARD] is probably the best option this variant has to offer: our opponent will be limited to one summon per turn while it remains on the field - a summon that is easily disrupted by the many traps this deck uses: keeping it on the field will certainly secure the game for us. Fossil Dyna Pachycaphalo deserves a mention as well because it allows us to get rid of threats that made it to the field successfully, something that the deck sometimes finds hard to accomplish. On a final note, Trap Hole should be mentioned, which increases in utility greatly while [YGOCARD]Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo[/YGOCARD] is on the field.

[YGOCARD]Thunder King Rai-Oh[/YGOCARD] is the second card every anti-meta deck and even many meta decks use: not only may it stop the special summon of a dangerous monster, it will also stop our opponent from searching out the cards they need, making the chance they'll have the means to counter us even more slim. To [YGOCARD]Thunder King Rai-Oh[/YGOCARD] the same applies as to [YGOCARD]Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo[/YGOCARD]: keeping it on the field during a game usually ensures our victory; keep in mind that [YGOCARD]Thunder King Rai-Oh[/YGOCARD] will prevent Myrmeleo from activating when she's normal summoned.

[YGOCARD]Black Garden[/YGOCARD] seems to be what the Traptrix are made for, with Nepenthes' 800 ATK, Myrmeleo's 1600 ATK and effect that activates when special summoned, and Atrax' 1800 ATK, which when halved makes it 100 points stronger than any Rose Tokens! Needless to say, this card will hinder our opponent greatly; the trick is not to be hindered by it too much ourselves and instead use the card's "positive" effect to our advantage: whenever our opponent summons a monster, a Rose Token is summoned to our side of the field. This allows the use of [YGOCARD]Pollinosis[/YGOCARD], which grants the [YGOCARD]Black Garden[/YGOCARD] player a good possibility to control the game even more and protect important cards. Remember that for [YGOCARD]Pollinosis[/YGOCARD]' activation, any Plant monster can be tributed, so in a troubling situation, tributing Nepenthes is also an option.

[YGOCARD]Cactus Bouncer[/YGOCARD] is another option: while another Plant-type monster is on the field, no monsters can be special summoned, which means that when [YGOCARD]Cactus Bouncer[/YGOCARD] is summoned while [YGOCARD]Black Garden[/YGOCARD] is active, its effect becomes active immediately (notice it has 1800 ATK, which will make it stronger than any Rose Tokens when its ATK is halved). Other cards worth a try are [YGOCARD]Fragrance Storm[/YGOCARD] and [YGOCARD]The World Tree[/YGOCARD], but these cards rely on [YGOCARD]Black Garden[/YGOCARD] much more than the aforementioned [YGOCARD]Pollinosis[/YGOCARD] and may therefore not be the best choices; when using these cards, two copies of [YGOCARD]Terraforming[/YGOCARD] for faster access to [YGOCARD]Black Garden[/YGOCARD] will be a must.


[COLOR="Silver"]Ninjas:[/COLOR]

Although stun is a viable strategy, limiting us to just to the option of provoking our opponent by restricting their possibilities would be unpreferrable: especially Myrmeleo, with her effect to search out [YGOCARD]Bottomless Trap Hole[/YGOCARD] and destroy the opponent's spells and traps, has great potential in more aggressive control builds as well:

[QUOTE]Contents:
- [YGOCARD]Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Upstart Golden Ninja[/YGOCARD]

- [YGOCARD]Reinforcement of the Army[/YGOCARD]

- [YGOCARD]Ninjitsu Art of Transformation[/YGOCARD][/QUOTE]

The most obvious choice to bring out our Insect-type monsters is through combining our deck with the "Ninja" archetype: [YGOCARD]Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo[/YGOCARD] can search the deck for [YGOCARD]Ninjitsu Art of Transformation[/YGOCARD] when it is normal summoned, enabling us to bring out a "Traptrix" monster as soon as our opponent’s next draw phase. We already use a rather high amount of traps, so [YGOCARD]Upstart Golden Ninja[/YGOCARD] can help us with thinning the deck and XYZ plays. Other cards that may work with this engine are [YGOCARD]Mist Valley Falcon[/YGOCARD] and [YGOCARD]Anti-Spell Fragrance[/YGOCARD].

As [YGOCARD]Upstart Golden Ninja[/YGOCARD] needs trap cards in hand to activate its effect, one could opt to use [YGOCARD]Anti-Spell Fragrance[/YGOCARD] to hurt the opponent's plays, making Myrmeleo's second effect much more useful. Between [YGOCARD]Anti-Spell Fragrance[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Call Of The Haunted[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Fiendish Chain[/YGOCARD], and [YGOCARD]Ninjitsu Art of Transformation[/YGOCARD], the number of continuous trap cards we have, will be high enough for us to use [YGOCARD]Magic Planter[/YGOCARD] successfully and speed up the deck - also can greatly benefit from [YGOCARD]Mist Valley Falcon[/YGOCARD]'s effect to bounce any of these cards. Other useful continuous trap cards are [YGOCARD]Macro Cosmos[/YGOCARD] and [YGOCARD]Vanity's Emptiness[/YGOCARD].


[COLOR="Silver"]Psychics:[/COLOR]

Another take on a more aggressive control variant through the use of Psychics, which give us access to powerful synchro monsters.

[QUOTE]Contents
- [YGOCARD]Krebons[/YGOCARD]
- [YGOCARD]Serene Psychic Witch[/YGOCARD]

- [YGOCARD]Emergency Teleport[/YGOCARD][/QUOTE]

Another interesting option is the Psychic engine, which, just like Plants, gives us good synchro options. [YGOCARD]Emergency Teleport[/YGOCARD] will special summon directly from the deck any Tuner we need, allowing us to adapt to different situations and adding speed to the deck. [YGOCARD]Krebons[/YGOCARD] is mentioned because it can be used to bring out [YGOCARD]Underground Arachnid[/YGOCARD], a synchro monster that can get rid of any monster our opponent may use against us, and thus greatly helps the deck getting rid of monsters that somehow avoided our "Hole" cards.

[YGOCARD]Psychic Commander[/YGOCARD] is a great stand-alone card and will assist us in summoning [YGOCARD]Black Rose Dragon[/YGOCARD] and [YGOCARD]Naturia Barkion[/YGOCARD]. If we want to summon [YGOCARD]Naturia Beast[/YGOCARD], [YGOCARD]Esper Girl[/YGOCARD] and [YGOCARD]Psychic Jumper[/YGOCARD] are our best options, combined with [YGOCARD]Serene Psychic Witch[/YGOCARD]; also [YGOCARD]Serene Psychic Witch[/YGOCARD] offers a great floating ability.

[COLOR="Silver"]Extras:[/COLOR]

Here you can find several results of testing done by other players:

[QUOTE]- [URL="http://oi44.tinypic.com/t0kdwj.jpg"](Generic) Insect[/URL] (by MoranoDVG)
- [URL="http://i.imgur.com/gm0JMuO.png"]Black Garden Anti-Meta[/URL]
- [URL="http://i.imgur.com/CN48hHC.jpg"]Traptrix Ninja[/URL] (by Telvin123)
- [URL="http://i.imgur.com/fSB50HR.png"]Synchro Traptrix[/URL][/QUOTE]

Please click [URL="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTrappedDuelist"]here[/URL] to watch on youtube several interesting replays of matches featuring Kowakuma!

------------------------------------------------

[B][COLOR="Lime"]Conclusion:[/COLOR][/B]

The Traptrix are obviously meant to be played as a control deck, maintaining field presence while they remove from the field any monster/spell/trap the opponent tries to use. As such, a medium-high trap count is preferred and in addition to the obvious "Hole" normal traps, other destructive/disruptive traps can be used to great success: they allow us to outlast the opponent, while we gain advantage through the effects of our monsters and destroy their cards. Although several ways to assist us have been found in the form of Ninjas and Psychics, many more options remain to be discovered.

Although the release of the Traptrix was unexpected and unasked for, they enjoy a very positive reception: marvelous artwork and a very fitting playstyle make them very tempting to use; now our task - that of the playerbase - has come to examine the deck's full potential. I hope that this guide will continuously feed the discussions concerning this deck and I'd like to see the Traptrix become as viable as possible! As such, please feel free to post any questions or comments, or point out any mistakes I have made; thank you for reading.