Side into Anti-Stun!

I wasn't able to go to locals today, where I would've tested out this concept a little more, but I'm planning on going tomorrow. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to share the idea, even though I normally don't give out my Side Deck secrets...

The basic concept behind Anti-Stun is, well, beating Stun decks. Not every deck can side into Anti-Stun, and Stun decks don't need to, since Stun decks already have Anti-Stun elements. This leaves a small range of decks, the most notable of which are Scraps and X-Sabers. Actually, I can't think of any other decks that could side into Anti-Stun.

So, what makes Scraps and X-Sabers special is that they have good stand-alone Monsters that also provide the deck with synergy. While other decks have that, too, Scraps and X-Sabers are more aggressive in their win condition, generally. If you wanted to, you could say that Blackwings and Gladiator Beasts are like that, too, but those decks are practically Stun decks already.

Those attributes give Scrap and X-Saber decks the ability to Side Deck in a way that lessens their swarming power, but gives them more of a control element. This is not the same as trying to side into Stun, where you take out all of the swarming elements of the deck and replace them with Trap Cards. You keep a good amount of those Special Summon cards in the deck, but take out the less useful or more situational ones.

However, this requires a lot of Side Deck space. For my Scrap deck, it's about 10 cards (12 for Gladiator Beasts). It could be more or less, depending on what your Main Deck is like. That may take up most of your Side Deck, but most of the competitive decks out there right now are Stun decks. It might just be worth using most of your Side Deck to combat Stun, especially if you have good match-ups against non-Stun decks.

To understand how to side into Anti-Stun, you need to understand how Stun decks work. Stun decks generally run fewer Monsters and control the game using Spells and Traps. If they draw too many Monsters or no Monsters, they basically auto-lose, so you need to prepare for scenarios where they draw the perfect ratio. That's generally around twice as many Spells/Traps as Monsters.

So, there are two ways to side into Anti-Stun. You can try and make them run out of Spells/Traps, or you can try and make them run out of Monsters. Since they play less Monsters, the latter is the obvious choice. However, you should also side a good amount of Trap negation cards (Trap Stun/Seven Tools of the Bandit). Since you have some of the aggression that your deck normally focuses on, those cards can protect your big pushes.

There are plenty of good Monster removal choices for you to use. Snowman Eater is a no-brainer, since it also provides a 1900 DEF wall. From there, you can choose any combination of Smashing Grounds/Trap Holes/Dimensional Prisons/whatever makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Take note that although Trap Hole was popular in the past because of Blackwings, Black Whirlwind's Limiting makes it not as important of a card. Nevertheless, it's good removal against Stun decks in general.

Now, there's the question of what to side out. For Scraps, it's generally the extra Scrap Golem, a couple Scrapyards (Rai-Oh can hurt), one or two Scrapstorms (depending on how many you are using in the first place), and other random stuff that you could be using (Effect Veiler, Battle Fader, Reasoning, etc.). Against Gladiator Beasts, you could also side out one Scrap Goblin and Scapegoat to make room for Effect Veilers.

For X-Sabers, it's much more straightforward. Side out one or two XX-Saber Faultrolls, one or two XX-Saber Darksouls (they don't help against Stun decks, and you're not focusing entirely on swarming if you're siding into Anti-Stun), and extra Gottoms' Emergency Calls (same reasons). Depending on what variant you're running, you would also drop stuff like XX-Saber Regigura, Sangan, Debris Dragon, Super-Nimble Mega Hamster, and maybe even Ryko. Also, if you're Main Decking three Trap Stuns, side one out. You're not going to be swarming as often. The two or three copies of Seven Tools of the Bandit will cover you, regardless.

It's an obscure tactic, but it has its benefits. Instead of destroying the point of your deck by trying to side into Stun, you keep the explosive attributes that your deck is based on by siding into Anti-Stun. Moreover, by siding out some of the swarm cards, you make yourself less vulnerable to the usual suspects that Stun would use against you.

This method is much deeper than just siding a couple of Trap Stuns and continuing to try and swarm. Trap Stun isn't a catch-all answer, since players have adapted by using more Quick-Play Spells and "drop hand" Monster Effects (Effect Veiler, mainly). With this, you're simultaneously siding against Stun decks weakness (their lack of Monsters) and making your deck more resistant to their Stun tactics.