Fast forward to August 2015, and we are just now getting Clash of Rebellions. In this, we have the first of the 2nd wave of TCG exclusive archetypes; including the Kaijus.
Kaijus are a group of monsters that revolve around Tributing your opponents monsters to summon it, just like monsters such as Lava Golem or Volcanic Queen. Every Kaiju has the following effect:
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) to your opponent's field in Attack Position, by Tributing 1 monster they control. If your opponent controls a "Kaiju" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in Attack Position. You can only control 1 "Kaiju" monster.
So, because of this, they're mostly used as an engine for you people to get over things like Crystal Wing, Master Peace, etc. Monsters that otherwise block you from doing much of anything. However, there are people who don't even know that Kaijus do anything besides Tributing over a monster. I'm here today to tell you that this archetype can be its own deck.
Monsters:
Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju
LV8 / FIRE / Dinosaur
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) to your opponent's field in Attack Position, by Tributing 1 monster they control. If your opponent controls a "Kaiju" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in Attack Position. You can only control 1 "Kaiju" monster. Once per turn: You can remove 3 Kaiju Counters from anywhere on the field; destroy all monsters your opponent controls. This card cannot attack the turn this effect is activated.
3000 / 1200
Run 1-2
Dogoran is based off of Godzilla, but unfortunately he isn't really the best. 3000 attack is good, but not the best with the 3300 ATK Kaijus coming in later. His effect costs 3 Kaiju Counters, but it also makes it so he can't attack. Dogoran is one of the few Kaiju that are very good to give to your opponent when you have Waterfront on the field because there is minimal risk that they can hurt you, since that requires you to let them keep Dogoran until their turn. His destruction effect in general is okay, but rarely used. Usually you just Tribute over a problem anyways, but it's still nice to have.
Kumongous, the Sticky String Kaiju
LV7 / EARTH / Insect
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) to your opponent's field in Attack Position, by Tributing 1 monster they control. If your opponent controls a "Kaiju" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in Attack Position. You can only control 1 "Kaiju" monster. When your opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster(s): You can remove 2 Kaiju Counters from anywhere on the field; until the end of the next turn, that monster(s) cannot attack and it has its effects negated.
2400 / 2500
Run 0-2
Kumongous is based off of Kumonga, a giant spider Kaiju that really didn't do a whole lot. That sums up Kumongous, where it used to be a really good card... back when it was only Kumongous and Dogoran. Kumongous is usable with Ninjas, since it can be summoned off of Ninjitsu Art of Transformation, which is why Ninja Kaijus were a variant back when this deck first came out. However, ever since, Kumongous has been replaced almost entirely by Gameciel. Gameciel has lower Attack and a better stun effect. That's not to say Kumongous is useless, as it is still good to have to save your Gameciels for your push to stun-to-death-victory. Kumongous costs 2 Kaiju Counters to Fiendish Chain a monster (or monsters, in the case of something like a Pendulum Summon) on Summon.
Radian, the Multidimensional Kaiju
LV7 / DARK / Fiend
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) to your opponent's side of the field in Attack Position, by Tributing 1 monster they control. If your opponent controls a "Kaiju" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in Attack Position. You can only control 1 "Kaiju" monster. Once per turn: You can remove 2 Kaiju Counters from anywhere on the field; Special Summon 1 "Radian Token" (Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 7/ATK 2800/DEF 0), but it cannot be used as a Synchro Material.
2800 / 2500
Run 1-2
Radian is based off of Dark Lugiel, the main antagonist of the Ultraman series. His effect is pretty good, removing 2 Kaiju counters to summon a Token with 2800 Attack. It helps get in damage. But more often than not, Radian is being used for the reason that Dogoran is; a safe Kaiju to give your opponent while Waterfront is face-up. Sure, getting in all that damage with Kaijus is nice, but limiting yourself to a Radian and a Token usually isn't always the best plan in a deck that can only control 1 monster.
Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju
LV8 / WATER / Aqua
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) to your opponent's field in Attack Position, by Tributing 1 monster they control. If your opponent controls a "Kaiju" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in Attack Position. You can only control 1 "Kaiju" monster. During either player's turn, when your opponent activates a card or effect, except "Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju": You can remove 2 Kaiju Counters from anywhere on the field; negate the activation, and if you do, banish that card.
2200 / 3000
Run 3
Gameciel is based off of Gamera, a Kaiju that has still yet to meet Godzilla. Gameciel is easily the best Kaiju, no questions asked. 2200 Attack makes it the weakest, able to be attacked over by anything (well, almost), 3000 Defense allows it to defend against everything but the 3300 Attack Kaijus, and it also has the best effect of them all. During either player's turn, if your opponent activates something, remove 2 counters, negate it, then banish it. Gameciel is, more often than not, the win condition in the deck. If you get this thing out with the protection you need, you're all set.
Gadarla, the Mystery Dust Kaiju
LV8 / WIND / Insect
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) to your opponent's side of the field in Attack Position, by Tributing 1 monster they control. If your opponent controls a "Kaiju" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in Attack Position. You can only control 1 "Kaiju" monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can remove 3 Kaiju Counters from anywhere on the field; the ATK and DEF of all other monsters on the field become halved.
2700 / 1600
Run 0-1
Gadarla is based off of Mothra, the helpful moth Kaiju. Unfortunately we didn't get the Harpie's Feather Duster effect that we had been hoping for out of a Mothra card, instead we got a Quick-Effect version of Gale the Whirlwind on the entire field. Gadarla isn't bad, but if you have Waterfront on the field you can't give this to your opponent for any reason at all. It's too easy for you to accidentally get to 3 counters, then they just half your Kaiju and you're stuck with that.
Jizukiru, the Star Destroying Kaiju
LV10 / LIGHT / Machine
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) to your opponent's side of the field in Attack Position, by Tributing 1 monster they control. If your opponent controls a "Kaiju" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in Attack Position. You can only control 1 "Kaiju" monster. During either player's turn, when a card or effect is activated that targets exactly 1 card (and no other cards): You can remove 3 Kaiju Counters from anywhere on the field; negate that effect, and if you do, you can destroy 1 card on the field.
3300 / 2600
Run 2-3
Jizukiru is based off of what I can only assume is Gigan. Jizukiru is the first of the 3300 Attack Kaijus, but what makes him good beyond that is his effect. If an effect targets exactly 1 card, remove 3 counters, negate that effect, and then destroy 1 card. Jizukiru is good both offensively and defensively, as it stops your opponent from getting resources. With a maxed Waterfront, you get at least 2 negates out of Jizukiru, since the first negate brings it down to 2 but the destruction brings it back to 3. Jizukiru is also the best Kaiju to summon to your side of the field for some easy damage, and even if you don't have Waterfront a 3300 Attack monster is still better to have than something like Gadarla.
Super Anti-Kaiju War Machine Mecha-Dogoran
LV8 / LIGHT / Machine
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) while your opponent controls a "Kaiju" monster. You can only control 1 "Kaiju" monster. Once per turn: You can remove 2 Kaiju Counters from anywhere on the field; equip 1 "Kaiju" monster from your hand or Graveyard to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined original ATK of the "Kaiju" monsters equipped to it by this effect.
0 / 2000
Run 0
Mecha-Dogoran is based off of Mecha-Godzilla, but god damn does he suck for something that is supposed to rival the King of Monsters. First of all, you can't summon Mecha-Dogoran to your opponent's field. Ever. Not off of Interrupted Kaiju Slumber, not off of his own, never. Second, his effect is to remove 2 Kaiju Counters and equip a Kaiju from the hand or Grave to it, then it gains the Attack of that monster. If it could equip a Kaiju from your opponent's field, this wouldn't be as terrible. But you are summoning this thing from your hand, meaning you're most likely just going to be better off just summoning literally any other Kaiju. It's a shame, but you can just rip up any copies of this card that you own.
Thunder KIng, the Lightningstrike Kaiju
LV9 / LIGHT / Thunder
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) to your opponent's side of the field in Attack Position, by Tributing 1 monster they control. If your opponent controls a "Kaiju" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in Attack Position. You can only control 1 "Kaiju" monster. Once per turn: You can remove 3 Kaiju Counters from anywhere on the field; your opponent's cards and effects cannot be activated for the rest of this turn, also this card can make up to 3 attacks on monsters during each Battle Phase this turn.
3300 / 2100
Run 0-2
Thunder King is based off of Ghidorah, Godzilla's main enemy throughout the movies. Thunder King is... okay. He's another 3300 Attack Kaiju, but he doesn't really have much else going for him. His effect is pretty good, removing 3 Counters to stun your opponent for the turn and attack 3 monsters, but that effect comes into play very rarely in today's game, where stopping effects like that is as easy as detaching a Material. Still, when you get that effect off it can seriously screw with your opponents plans.
Spells
Kyoutou Waterfront
Field Spell
Each time a card(s) is sent from the field to the Graveyard, place 1 Kaiju Counter on this card for each sent card (max. 5). Once per turn, while 3 or more Kaiju Counters are on this card: You can add 1 "Kaiju" monster from your Deck to your hand. If this card would be destroyed, you can remove 1 Kaiju Counter from this card instead.
Run 0 or 3
Waterfront is the card that allows Kaijus as a deck to function at all. It has a very easy-to-satisfy way to get Kaiju Counters in sending cards to the grave, gotohellpendulums, and it gains multiple counters off of things like boardwipes, it has a search effect that only requires it to have 3 counters and not to remove 3 counters, and it can also protect itself from destruction by removing a counter. Waterfront is a card that you either run 3 of and abuse it for stunning, or you run none of it and abuse the Kaijus tributing monsters for things such as Graydles or Yosenjus.
Interrupted Kaiju Slumber
Normal Spell
Destroy as many monsters on the field as possible, then Special Summon in Attack Position, 2 "Kaiju" monsters with different names from your Deck (1 on each side), but they cannot change their battle positions, and must attack, if able. During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the Graveyard: You can banish this card from your Graveyard; add 1 "Kaiju" monster from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate 1 "Interrupted Kaiju Slumber" per turn.
Run the maximum number. Always.
And here is where Kaijus started becoming all of your engine. I'm sure I don't need to explain this card to anyone. So TL;DR:
Dark Hole + SS 1 Kaiju from Deck to both sides of the field + can banish from the grave to add a Kaiju monster + big boom boom + makes opponent mad/sad/smad.
The Kaiju Files
Continuous Spell
Each time a "Kaiju" monster(s) is Special Summoned from the hand and/or Graveyard, place 1 Kaiju Counter on this card (max. 5). Once per turn: You can target 1 "Kaiju" monster on the field; destroy that monster, then Special Summon 1 "Kaiju" monster with a different original name from your Deck to its controller's field. You can send this card with 3 or more Kaiju Counters to the Graveyard; add 1 "Kaiju" Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand, except "The Kaiju Files".
Run 0-2
Kaiju Files is okay, but suffers from Konami's attempts to hinder Kaijus as a Deck. It gains counters every time a Kaiju is summoned from anywhere but the Deck (or banished, I guess), which is nice. It also lets you destroy a Kaiju to summon a different Kaiju to that same side of the field, allowing you to do something like attack over with Jizukiru, then destroy Jizukiru in Main Phase 2 to summon Gameciel and stun your opponent on the next turn. Then, the final effect that will basically never be used, destroy itself if it has 3 counters to add a Kaiju S/T (so Slumber or Capture Mission). Overall, Files isn't that impressive.
Traps
Kaiju Capture Mission
Continuous Trap
Once per turn, if there are less than 3 Kaiju Counters on this card: You can target 1 "Kaiju" monster on the field; change it to face-down Defense Position, then place 1 Kaiju Counter on this card (max. 3). If this card in your possession is destroyed by an opponent's card and sent to your Graveyard: You can draw 2 cards. You can only use this effect of "Kaiju Capture Mission" once per turn.
Run 0
Capture Mission is more of a gimmick than anything else. You Book of Moon a Kaiju to get a counter, and if your opponent destroys it (if you could destroy this thing with Jizukiru to do this oh my god I would run at least 2) you draw 2 cards. So it basically isn't worth running over Book of Moon, and it relies on your opponent blind-MSTing it to really do anything good.
Variants
Pure
Pure is my personal favorite version because I feel it has the most consistency. Pure Kaiju revolves around stunning your opponent through the grind game, all while attempting to survive anything they throw at you. The usual way that this deck wins is by getting Waterfront, Gameciel, and Moon Mirror Shield on the field. This gives you a Gameciel that can't be attacked over and it can also negate problematic effects. I choose Pure over other variants partly because thats how I prefer playing decks in general, but also because I always want to show the Kaijus off, not use them as the engine.
Graydle
One of the more popular variants, Graydle Kaiju is actually my least favorite Kaiju variant. It relies too much on you swinging into monsters usually about 2000 Attack higher than yours because once your opponent finds out you're playing Graydles you're going to be relying on your own cards to get your hands on their monsters. I just find Graydle Kaijus to be a mess, but I know people like them.
Yosenju
This is the other popular variant. This one focuses more on the stun aspect, but not nearly as much as Pure Kaijus. You use Kama 1 to bounce back Kaijus to your hand once you have tributed a monster such as Drident or Master Peace that the Yosenjus could not get over. Again, I know people like this, just not my cup of tea.
[img]Ninja[/img]
This is a seriously old variant, but I guess it could still be considered. It relies mostly on the fact that it can summon 3 of the Kaijus (Gadarla, Kumongous, and Dogoran) off of the Ninjitsu Arts, however it suffers from the fact that it all relies on the Level of your NInja or the monsters on your opponent's field. That's really why Ninja Kaijus aren't around now that Graydles are out and work better.
Helpful Cards
Neo-Spacian Grand Mole
LV3 / Earth / Rock
At the start of the Damage Step, if this card battles an opponent's monster: You can return both the opponent's monster and this card to the hand.
900 / 300
Tribute opponent's monster, attack it, bounce both to hand. Pretty good, but overall lacking sometimes.
Fairy Tail - Luna
LV4 / Light / Spellcaster
When this card is Normal Summoned: You can add 1 Spellcaster monster with 1850 ATK from your Deck to your hand. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; your opponent can send 1 card with that monster's name from their Deck or Extra Deck to the GY to negate this effect, otherwise return both this card and that monster to the hand.
1850 / 1000
I like running Luna because it lets you search for another Luna, so deck thinning and self-replacing, and it's also a Quick-Play Grand Mole. Even if they negate the effect, you can still send the other 2 copies of whatever you're trying to bounce to the grave by forcing them to negate it.
Moon Mirror Shield
Equip Spell
If the equipped monster battles an opponent's monster, during damage calculation: The equipped monster's ATK and DEF become equal to the ATK or DEF (whichever is higher) of the opponent's battling monster +100, during damage calculation only. If this face-up card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: Pay 500 LP; place this card on either the top or bottom of your Deck.
This lets your Gameciel become a monster.
Owner's Seal
Normal Spell
Return control of all monsters on the field to their original owners.
Not really worth running that many of it, but when you have it you usually can do some fun stuff.
Remove Brainwashing
Continuous Trap
The control of all monsters on the field returns to the owners.
You get more uses out of this than Seal, but this is obviously slower.
Skill Drain
Continuous Trap
Activate by paying 1000 Life Points. The effects of all face-up monsters on the field are negated while those monsters are face-up on the field (but their effects can still be activated).
Turns all your Kaijus into beatsticks, which they already are without Waterfront anyways.
Sample Decks
Pure Kaiju:
Graydle Kaiju:
Yosenju Kaiju:
