Swordsoul

"Swordsoul" (（そう）（けん） Sōken, "Xiangjian") is an archetype of mostly Wyrm monsters introduced in Dawn of Majesty, although the majority of the members and the first support were released in Burst of Destiny.

Lore[edit]

Etymology[edit]

The Japanese name for the archetype is a Chinese word, Xiāngjiàn (Simplified Chinese: 相剑; Traditional Chinese: 相劍), referring to a sword quality inspector profession in ancient Imperial China, Xiāngjiànshī (Simplified Chinese: 相剑师; Traditional Chinese: 相劍師). The titles in the Japanese names of "Swordsoul of Mo Ye", "Swordsoul of Taia", and "The Iris Swordsoul", Sōkenshi (Japanese: 相剣師), is the Japanese reading for Xiāngjiànshī.

The individual monsters are named after legendary Chinese swords.

The character 相 means "observe" or "evaluation" as used in Xiāngjiànshī, but it also has the meaning of "aspect" or "appearance"; this meaning of 相 is referenced in "Swordsoul" lore (as described in The Valuable Book EX 2), and was translated into "soul" in the English TCG name of the archetype.

Design[edit]

With the exception of "The Iris Swordsoul", "Swordsoul Auspice Chunjun" and "The Golden Swordsoul", the "Swordsoul" monsters all appear to be armored humanoid beings with draconic traits, wielding blades that looks like a mixture of Chinese and Western swords. Their blades are forged from the crystals of the "Icejade", a tribe whom they share a friendly relationship with.

Playing style[edit]

The "Swordsoul" archetype is focused on Synchro Summoning. Instead of having archetypal Tuner monsters, "Swordsoul" cards instead have effects that Special Summon a Level 4 "Swordsoul Token" Tuner monster, which greatly increases the Deck's consistency compared to other Synchro Decks as there is no longer a need to search for Tuners. All the effects that Special Summon the "Swordsoul Token" apply the restriction that the player cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck except Synchro Monsters while the Token is on the field, in order to prevent abuse with other Extra Deck Summoning methods.

The archetype has a secondary focus on banishing cards. Several "Swordsoul" cards have effects that require banishing Wyrm monsters or "Swordsoul" cards from the GY as a cost, while other "Swordsoul" monsters banish the opponent's cards as a part of their effects. Synergizing with the former, the "Swordsoul" Spell/Trap Cards have effects that activate when banished; the Spells can modulate Levels, while the Traps can Special Summon a "Swordsoul Token".

The three main combo starters for the archetype are:

• "Mo Ye", who summons a Token by revealing a Swordsoul/Wyrm card from hand
• "Taia", who summons a Token by banishing a Swordsoul/Wyrm card from GY
• "Longyuan", who summons itself and a Token by discarding another Swordsoul/Wyrm card

Because of their need other Wyrm monsters or "Swordsoul" cards as costs, the archetype is best played pure or with other Wyrm monsters.

The archetype's consistency and ceiling is further supported by its Spell/Traps and "Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous". "Swordsoul Emergence" is the archetype's searcher Spell that can also search generic Wyrm monsters for more boss monster options, "Swordsoul Sacred Summit" is a revival Spell, "Swordsoul Blackout" is a Normal Trap that trades 2-for-2, and "Incredible Ecclesia" is an additional searcher for "Swordsoul" monsters, making the deck incredibly consistent at starting its combos.

"Swordsoul" can easily make a variety of Level 8 or 10 Synchro monsters with disruptive or suppressive effects, as well as Levels 7, 9, and 11 Synchro monsters with their Spell/Traps' banish Level modulation effect. Their key Extra Deck monster however is "Swordsoul Grandmaster - Chixiao", an Extra Deck searcher able to search or banish any "Swordsoul" card from the Deck when summoned (who also has its own negation disruption effect), which enables further extension by searching for more "Swordsoul" starters or banishing a Trap to make a "Swordsoul Token", or to further strengthen the end board by searching a "Blackout" or "Emergence" (for it to search a generic Wyrm boss monster, like "Archnemeses Protos").

"Swordsoul" has good synergy with the "Tenyi" archetype, as both archetypes are Wyrm-based, supports Synchro Summoning, and the "Swordsoul Token" non-Effect Monster can enable the "Tenyi" Main Deck monsters' effects.

Recommended cards[edit]

Weaknesses[edit]

• Because this Deck is heavily reliant on its Tokens to conduct Synchro Summons, the effects of "King Tiger Wanghu", "Power Filter", and "Token Collector" can be used to destroy the Tokens and/or prevent their Special Summons.
• Because this Deck's Synchro Monsters require banishing for their effects (as well as "Swordsoul of Taia"), the effects of "Artifact Lancea" and "Imperial Iron Wall" can easily thwart them by preventing any banishing.
• Since "Swordsoul Tokens" are always Special Summoned with an effect that also prevents the Summoning player from Special Summoning any monsters from the Extra Deck (except Synchro Monsters) while the Token is on the field, cards such as "Dimensional Barrier" (declaring "Synchro") or "Discord" will prevent them from Summoning Synchro Monsters too.
• As "Swordsoul" usually relies on their Synchro Monsters to interact with the opponent's cards, mass removal or negation such as "Dark Ruler No More", "Lava Golem", or "Raigeki" can easily neutralize whatever monsters the "Swordsoul" player ends their turn with.
  • Since "Swordsoul" is very capable of Summoning 5+ monsters in 1 turn, "Nibiru, the Primal Being" is also another option.
• Since the effect of "Swordsoul Strife" is capable of banishing a "Swordsoul" card or a Wyrm-Type Synchro Monster the opponent controls, it can be somewhat useful against this Deck, but especially when used in a "Swordsoul" Deck against another.