The first of many articles, I’m here to tell you the best of what Crimson Kingdom has to offer for Duel Links players.

Before we get started, you may be wondering why my opinion is relevant. I got 17th place in North America during the 2017 WCQ in Duel Links (out of 3000+ players in that region), which was apparently good enough to qualify me as a reserve candidate for Worlds, so let’s go with that.

Throughout this article, I’ll be noting the merits of about 60% of the cards in this pack, assuming one has access to all the cards in Duel Links. It’d be too difficult to assume various readers don’t have access to certain cards, and somehow try to account for that in this article, so… sorry about that. Some combos here will probably have been noted already in various Duel Links communities – but that’s my fault for only starting on this article a week after the pack was released.
It’d be best if you read this article on a computer, while viewing the Crimson Kingdom card list in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links on mobile. (This is also because I have no idea how this article looks in mobile.)

• If you Tribute Summon it, you generally get your Tribute back with its effect.
• You are able to Special Summon Level 4 or lower Gemini monsters with its effect, since they’re treated as Normal Monsters in the Graveyard. Remember that access to “Blazewing Butterfly” (a Card Trader card) allows you to replace it with *any* Gemini monster in your Graveyard.
• The monsters it brings back guarantees that your copies of “Order to Charge” (an The Ultimate Rising SR) and “White Elephant’s Gift” (a Neo-Impact R) will be ready for activation.
• Pairs well with “Blue Flame Swordsman” (a Level-Up reward from Joey), which is a decent monster on its own with 1800 ATK.
• Most importantly, however, is how well this card pairs with “Symbols of Duty” (a Chaotic Compliance UR). If this monster dies, you just activate Symbols (sending a Normal Monster you control to the GY) to revive this card, then use this card’s effect to revive the monster you used for Symbol’s cost! This also applies the other way around – this card’s effect can fuel the cost to activate Symbols. A final note: Symbols can also steal monsters from the opponent’s Graveyard, if you so wish.

 
 
“Blazing Inpachi” (UR) is just powercreep for the ATK of Level 4 monsters with no drawbacks (1850 sets the record now).

• “Mirror Wall” is a relatively common Trap Card that can easily counter this card… so plan accordingly?
• “Wild Tornado” used by Harpie Decks and ‘Handless’ Decks will always be a threat.
• “Eliminating the League” is a possible Trap Card in ‘Handless’ Decks and 3SD Decks.
• “Rising Energy” is a Trap Card you’ll often see in Decks that use “Diskblade Rider”.
• “Barrel Dragon” in 3SD Decks can possibly one-shot this card.
• ‘Clown’/’Statue’ Decks are pretty much an automatic loss, unless they have a very poor hand.
• All of the above are the most likely problems in this meta. The choice is yours! All you need is 1 “Dark Paladin” from this pack… though 3 copies of “Buster Blader” and “Emblem of Dragon Destroyer” each (both R) are probably a good idea for this ‘rush’ strategy.

• Easy revival for “Red-Eyes”, “Blue-Eyes”, and “Dark Magician” Decks.
• Can be used in Normal Monster variants of “Harpie” Decks, which has the neat trick of triggering “Harpie’s Hunting Ground” again, if Special Summoning the original “Harpie Lady”.
• Useful revival option for Gemini monster Decks.

• Since you can easily Special Summon it by controlling a FIRE monster, and then destroying it, this actually makes “Poki Draco” (in Flame of the Tyrant) quite useful! With this, the drawback of that monster’s low ATK no longer exists.
• The Tokens it produces can potentially be used for Tribute Summons, or for its last effect instead.
• Its effect is good for ‘fueling’ the effect of “Kickfire” (in Flame of the Tyrant).

• “Wonder Balloons” (a The Ultimate Rising SR) can be used to make efficient use of any Level 5s in the hand, before reviving them.
• “The Legendary Fisherman” (a UR Mako Duel reward) can be dumped from the Deck by the effect of “Skreech” (a Chaotic Compliance SR).
• “Freed the Matchless General” (in this pack) can be dumped from the Deck by the effect of “Dust Knight” (a Land of the Titans SR).
• Since this card revives up to 2 Warrior-Types, it is best paired with “The A. Forces” for an ATK boost.
• Since the revived monsters can’t attack the turn they are Summoned, an interesting move would be to Tribute both for “Maju Garzett” (a Chaotic Compliance R), which gains the total ATK of the Tributed monsters. However it is quite vulnerable if changed to Defense Position, with 0 DEF.

 
 
“Inspiration” (SR) is also another simple case – powercreep from “Reinforcements” (a The Ultimate Rising SR), with a temporary 700 ATK boost instead.

 
 
“Vampire Genesis” (R) is reliant on future Zombie-Type support to be useful.

 
 
“Buster Blader” (R): see the above section for “Dark Paladin” for most tips. Can also be revived with “Miracle Restoring” – see below section for tips.

 
“Sishunder” (R): See the above section for “Brohunder”.

 
“Fear from the Dark” (R): Just a simple Zombie-Type ‘beatstick’. Its effect will rarely be activated, unless facing Deckout strategies (like “Warm Worm“) or having a “Mefist the Infernal General” attack you for damage.

 
 
“Great Angus” (R): a strong FIRE monster, it means the UR “Dunames Dark Witch” is no longer desperately needed.

“Cards of the Red Stone” (R): See the above section for “Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon”.

 
 
“Emblem of Dragon Destroyer” (R): See the above section for “Dark Paladin”. Also see the below section for “Miracle Restoring”.

 
 
“Spiritual Light Art – Hijiri” (R): See the above section for “Lightray Grepher”.

“Brain Hazard” (R): See the above section for “Reinforced Human Psychic Borg”.

 
 
“Ritual Sealing” (R): A very obvious anti-“Relinquished” card, since “Anti-Fusion Device” wasn’t released alongside it.

At this point, I’ll just be skimming through the N (Common) cards that I think deserve a comment.

“Delta Tri”: a bad card. Whenever it destroys a opponent’s monster by battle, its effect must be activated. That means if there’s no appropriate Union monster in the Graveyard, you’ll be forced to shuffle back one of the LIGHT Machine-Type monsters you control… which can include this card.

 
 
“Kabazauls”: a must-have for Rex Raptor Decks, since it’s a low-Level Dinosaur-Type with 1700 ATK (as opposed to 1600 ATK).