Deck Spotlight: Thomas The Tank Engine

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UberTrainerMinusInfinity
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Deck Spotlight: Thomas The Tank Engine

Post #1 by UberTrainerMinusInfinity » Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:07 pm

THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE
https://www.duelingbook.com/deck?id=12206955
Year of Origin: 1945
Is it real?: Yes
Ace Monster: Thomas The Tank Engine
The Main Races: Rock
The Main Attributes: EARTH
Extra Monsters: None
Attack: 5/5
Defence: 2/5
Strategy: 4/5
Intellect: 4/5
Luck: 5/5
THE STORY:
On the fictional island of Sodor, sentient trains and other vehicles help supply the residents and generally have fun themselves, all based off real events. The most famous of these trains is number 1, Thomas The Tank Engine, and he's a very useful engine!
STRATEGY:
However, today, he seemed to have gone a bit too close to those mods, and now he's out to destroy your opponent! Thomas The Tank Engine, is a devestating monster, a 4500/3800 who's completley immune to all enemy card effects and gets bonus attacks from his fellow Tank Engines, so he's pretty mcuh guanteed to end any game he's played in your favor, but he can only be brought out in two ways: Either by tributing five EARTH Rock monsters...or by completely emptying your deck.
Thankfully, this is where the rest of the deck comes in! It's a race against time as your opponent has to destroy you before you empty your deck and get Thomas The Tank Engine out from your hand. Each of the other Tank Engines can mill 4-5 cards from your deck when they're summoned for searching from Percy The Tank Engine, Special Summoning from Henry The Tank Engine, and ATK boosts from James The Tank Engine, allowing you to empty your deck quite quickly. Your opponent won't even know what's going on, causing confusion and delay!
This also means that any attempts that your opponent does to mill you will only end up helping Thomas The Tank Engine to come out faster, serving as a powerful counter!
The Spell/Trap cards also help secure the lines towards Thomas. Display Of Sodor mills your deck whenever you summon a Tank Engine or the Fat Controller, Production Line turns a harmful effect into a powerful heal that also mills the top 3 cards of your deck, and Railway Lineup has three different effects that trigger when you mill a different number of cards.
KILLER COMBOS:
The Fat Controller helps out the Tank Engines by either allowing you to summon more of them, or by milling your deck, and once per turn, he can Special Summon himself if he is milled himself. Note that he will trigger Display Of Sodor, leading to a deadly chain reaction!
Percy The Tank Engine mills the top 2 cards of your deck for each EARTH Rock monster you control at the end of turn: that's a total of 10 cards if you control 5 EARTH Rock monsters! Meanwhile, James The Tank Engine prevents your opponent from milling their own decks, and Henry The Tank Engine can take a lethal blow for himself.
As a self-milling deck, the Tank Engines synergize well with the Lightsworn, more notably Wulf, Lightsworn Beast.

Christen57
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Post #2 by Christen57 » Fri Feb 17, 2023 4:18 am

Henry The Tank Engine's effect can be shortened from:
When this is summoned, you can send the top 4 cards of your deck to the GY, then you can Special Summon 1 level 4 or lower ''Tank Engine'' monster or ''The Fat Controller'' from your hand/GY. Your extra deck must be empty to activate and resolve this effect. If a ''Tank Engine'' monster or ''The Fat Controller'' you control would be destroyed, you can destroy this card instead, then if that monster was ''The Fat Controller'', you can Special Summon 1 EARTH Rock monster with 1700 or less DEF from your hand/deck/GY.
to:
When this card is Summoned: You can send the top 4 cards of your Deck to the GY, then you can Special Summon 1 "Tank Engine" monster or "The Fat Controller" from your hand/GY. You must have no cards in your Extra Deck to activate and resolve this effect. If an EARTH Rock Effect Monster you control would be destroyed, you can destroy this card instead, and if you do, you can Special Summon 1 EARTH Rock monster with 1700 or less DEF from your hand/Deck/GY.

  • You need to use a colon after the first Summoned to specify that that effect is activated
  • It isn't necessary to specify that the Tank Engine monster has to be no higher than level 4, since there isn't any higher level monster this effect could summon regardless
  • The word Deck in hand/Deck/GY is capitalized
  • It's currently "You must have no cards in your Extra Deck to activate and resolve this effect". Not "Your extra deck must be empty to activate and resolve this effect"

James The Tank Engine's effect can be shortened from:
Gains 100 ATK for each card in your GY. This effect cannot be negated. When this is summoned, you can send the top 5 cards of your deck to the GY, then if you sent any ''Thomas The Tank Engine'' this way, add them to your hand. Your extra deck must be empty to activate and resolve this effect. While you control another ''Tank Engine'' monster, your opponent cannot activate effects that require them to send cards from the top of their deck to the GY.
to:
Gains 100 ATK for each card in your GY. This effect cannot be negated. When this card is Summoned: You can send the top 5 cards of your Deck to the GY, then if possible, add all "Thomas The Tank Engine" from your GY to your hand. You must have no cards in your Extra Deck to activate and resolve this effect. While you control another "Tank Engine" monster, cards cannot be sent from your opponent's Deck to the GY.

Percy The Tank Engine's effect can be buffed from:
If a level 8 or higher monster, or a ''Tank Engine'' monster, was sent from the deck to the GY this turn, you can Special Summon this from your hand. You can only activate this effect once per turn. When this is summoned, you can send the top 4 cards of your deck to the GY, then you can add 1 ''Tank Engine'' monster or ''The Fat Controller'' from your deck/GY to your hand. Your extra deck must be empty to activate and resolve this effect. At the end of your turn, for each EARTH Rock monster you control, send the top 2 cards of your deck to the GY.
to:
If a Level 8 or higher monster, or a "Tank Engine" monster, was sent from the Deck to the GY this turn: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. You can only use this effect of "Percy The Tank Engine" once per turn. When this card is Summoned: You can send the top 4 cards of your Deck to the GY, then you can add 1 "Tank Engine" monster or "The Fat Controller" from your Deck/GY to your hand. You must have no cards in your Extra Deck to activate and resolve this effect. During your End Phase: Send cards from the top of your Deck to the GY equal to twice the number of monsters you control.

  • Remember that Level is capitalized

The Fat Controller's effect should be changed from:
If this is sent from your deck to the GY: Special Summon this in Defence Position. You can only activate this effect once per turn. Whenever you Normal Summon a ''Tank Engine'' monster, toss a coin. If the result is heads, you can Normal Summon an additional ''Tank Engine'' monster this turn, also you cannot summon monsters from the extra deck this turn. If the result is tails, send the top 3 cards of your deck to the GY. Cannot be attacked or be targeted by monster effects your opponent controls while you control a ''Tank Engine'' monster.
to:
Un-targetable for attacks while, or by your opponent's monster effects while, you control a "Tank Engine" monster. You can only use each of these effects of "The Fat Controller" once per turn and can only activate them while you have no cards in your Extra Deck.
● If this card is sent from the Deck to the GY: Special Summon it in Defense Position.
● When you Normal Summon a "Tank Engine" monster: Toss a coin. If the result is heads, you can Special Summon in Attack Position up to 1 "Tank Engine" monster each from your hand and Deck. If the result is tails, send the top 3 cards of your Deck to the GY.


  • Getting an additional normal summon based on a coin toss outcome is too awkward and would lead to confusion, as it's not clear if the effect locks you out of anymore extra normal summons that turn like how many effects include "You can only gain this effect once per turn" at the end of their effects that give extra normal summons.
  • Defense is spelled with an S, not a C

Thomas The Tank Engine's effect can be shortened from:
Must first be tribute summoned or Special Summoned by it's own effect. Requires 5 EARTH Rock monster tributes to tribute summon. If your deck is empty, and your field/GY contains a ''Tank Engine'' monster, you can Special Summon this from your hand, and if you do, shuffle all cards in your GY into your deck. Unaffected by your opponent's card effects. At the start of the Battle Phase: This can attack an additional time for each other ''Tank Engine'' monster and ''The Fat Controller'' you control.
to:
Cannot be Special Summoned except by its own effect. Requires 5 Tributes to Normal Summon (cannot be Normal Set). If you have no cards in your Deck or Extra Deck: You can Special Summon this card from your hand, and if you do, you can shuffle all cards from your GY into the Deck. Unaffected by your opponent's effects. Can attack a number of times each Battle Phase up to the number of monsters you control.

  • Having to either tribute 5 monsters to tribute summon this, or have no deck and no extra deck to special summon this, is already heavy enough for a restriction without needing also earth rock tributes or an additional Tank Engine monster.
  • The word it's with the apostrophe is an abbreviation for "it is," so you don't say "it's own effect". You say "its own effect". Normally you do end a noun with 's to indicate that it's a possessive word, but it's is an exception to that.

Display Of Sodor's effect can be buffed from:
If you summon a ''Tank Engine'' monster or ''The Fat Controller'', roll a six sided die, and send cards from the top of your deck to the GY equal to the result, also you cannot summon monsters from your extra deck this turn. Then, if you sent any level 8 or higher monsters to the GY this way, you may choose one of them, and add it to your hand.
to:
If you Summon an EARTH Rock Effect Monster: Roll a six-sided die and send cards from the top of your Deck to the GY equal to the result (or your entire Deck if less than the result), then if this effect sent a Level 8 or higher monster to your GY, you can add 1 Level 8 or higher monster from your GY to your hand, but if you do, you cannot Special Summon from the Extra Deck for the rest of this turn.

Railway Lineup's effect can be shortened from:
Choose either 1, 3, or 6. Send cards from the top of your deck to the GY equal to the number you chose, then apply the following effect based on the number you chose:
● 1: You must control a ''Tank Engine'' monster to choose this effect. Return all monsters your opponent controls with 1500 or less ATK to their owner's hands.
● 3: Add 1 ''Tank Engine'' monster from your deck/GY to your hand.
● 6: Add 1 Spell/Trap card those card text mentions ''Tank Engine'' from your deck/GY to your hand, except this card.

to:
If you have no cards in your Extra Deck: Choose either 1, 3, or 6, then send that many cards from the top of your Deck to the GY, then apply this effect based on the chosen number.
● 1: If you control a "Tank Engine" monster, you can return all monsters your opponent controls with 1500 or less ATK to the hand.
● 3: You can add 1 "Tank Engine" monster from your Deck/GY to your hand.
● 6: You can add 1 "Display Of Sodor", "Production Line" or "Repair Tracks" from your Deck/GY to your hand.


Production Line's effect needs to be changed from:
When an effect is activated, tribute 1 ''Tank Engine'' monster: that effect becomes ''Send the top 3 cards of your opponent's deck to the GY'', then your opponent gains 100 LP for each card in their GY. You can only activate the following effect of this card once per duel.
● At the end of your opponent's turn, if your deck is empty: you can add this from your GY to your hand, and if you do, once during your next turn, you can activate this effect:
● Send your entire deck to the GY.

to something like:
When a Normal Spell/Trap Card, or monster effect, is activated: Tribute 1 "Tank Engine" monster; the activated effect becomes "Send the top 3 cards of your opponent's Deck to the GY (or their entire Deck if less than 3)". During your opponent's End Phase: You can add this card from your GY to your hand, and if you do, you can shuffle any number of cards from your GY into, or send all cards to the GY from, your Deck, also skip your next Draw Phase. You must have no cards in your Extra Deck to activate and resolve this effect. You can only use this effect of "Production Line" once per turn.

  • There's a reason effects that modify other activated effects only work on monster effects and normal spell/trap cards. It's to prevent confusing ruling issues where someone activates such an effect in response to something like continuous spell/trap card or equip spell, as it wouldn't be clear if that card still stays on the field after resolution or not.

Repair Tracks's effect can be shortened from:
Target 1 ''Tank Engine'' monster in your GY: Special Summon it, then if you Special Summoned ''Thomas The Tank Engine'' this way: destroy all cards your opponent controls. Then, you may shuffle any number of ''Tank Engine'' monsters, or cards those card text mentions ''Tank Engine'', from your GY into your deck.
to:
If you have no cards in your Extra Deck: Target 1 "Tank Engine" monster in your GY; Special Summon it, then if it is "Thomas The Tank Engine", you can destroy all cards your opponent controls, then you can shuffle any number of cards from your GY into the Deck.

  • Limiting this to shuffling back only its archetype cards is unnecessary when this card is already difficult enough to activate and bring out Thomas The Tank Engine with since you have to first get that monster into the grave, then set this card, wait a turn to activate it since it's a trap, then activate it and destroy at least 1 opponent's card with it.

UberTrainerMinusInfinity
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Post #3 by UberTrainerMinusInfinity » Fri Feb 17, 2023 10:59 pm

When the world needed him most, he has returned.
Christen57's changes are now live on Dueling Book....but to my surprise, they're mostly wording changes! The only major changes monsterwise are to the Fat Controller, who can now summon extra Tank Engine monsters if the coin lands on heads (But his coin flip effect becomes a hard once per turn!!!) and Thomas himself, whose summoning conditions have been eased.
And the same also goes for the Spell/Traps: In fact, the only one that has really changed is Production Line: It can no longer heal you, and it can, during the enemy end phase...oh yes....
SeNd YoUr EnTiRe dEcK tO tHe gY!!!
Thanks for the changes, and continue the buff-a-rama!

Christen57
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Post #4 by Christen57 » Mon Feb 20, 2023 8:47 pm

UberTrainerMinusInfinity wrote:When the world needed him most, he has returned.
Christen57's changes are now live on Dueling Book....but to my surprise, they're mostly wording changes! The only major changes monsterwise are to the Fat Controller, who can now summon extra Tank Engine monsters if the coin lands on heads (But his coin flip effect becomes a hard once per turn!!!) and Thomas himself, whose summoning conditions have been eased.
And the same also goes for the Spell/Traps: In fact, the only one that has really changed is Production Line: It can no longer heal you, and it can, during the enemy end phase...oh yes....
SeNd YoUr EnTiRe dEcK tO tHe gY!!!
Thanks for the changes, and continue the buff-a-rama!


I tested the cards now to get a better idea of how the archetype functions, and there are 2 cards that need nerfing.

Repair Tracks's effect should be shortened from:
If you have no cards in your Extra Deck: Target 1 "Tank Engine" monster in your GY; Special Summon it, ignoring the summoning conditions, then if it is "Thomas The Tank Engine", you can destroy all cards your opponent controls, then you can shuffle any number of cards from your GY into the Deck.
to:
If you have no cards in your Extra Deck: Target 1 "Tank Engine" monster in your GY; Special Summon it, then if you control "Thomas The Tank Engine", you can destroy all cards your opponent controls, then you can shuffle any number of cards from your GY into the Deck.

Display Of Sodor's effect can be shortened from:
If you Summon an EARTH Rock Effect Monster: Roll a six-sided die and send cards from the top of your Deck to the GY equal to the result (or your entire Deck if less than the result), then if this effect sent a Level 8 or higher monster to your GY, you can add 1 Level 8 or higher monster from your GY to your hand, but if you do, you cannot Special Summon from the Extra Deck for the rest of this turn.
to:
Once per Chain, if you Summon "The Fat Controller", or a "Tank Engine" monster, and have no cards in your Extra Deck: Roll a six-sided die and send cards from the top of your Deck to the GY equal to the result (or your entire Deck if less than the result), then if this effect sent a Level 8 or higher monster to your GY, you can add 1 Level 8 or higher monster from your GY to your hand.

UberTrainerMinusInfinity
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Post #5 by UberTrainerMinusInfinity » Mon Feb 20, 2023 10:52 pm

And thus, with these two changes now being live, Railway Lineup returns to its original function, and Repair Tracks can no longer repair Thomas himself...but yet, he left Production Line unchanged. What genius creates a card that sends your entire deck to the GY? There was a good reason why Card Of Desperation was manga exclusive....still, thank you for the changes!

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Post #6 by UberTrainerMinusInfinity » Sun Feb 26, 2023 10:00 pm

Greetings. I am here to make an announcement regarding this archetype, in the form of two changes to two cards.
The first of these is to Thomas himself: Notice how Christen57's change reads "If you have no cards in your Deck or Extra Deck:'': The emphasis being OR. With the change, Thomas The Tank Engine becomes broken: Not only would it be woolly to mill your own deck, but duels would go like Forbidden Memories in the all the wrong ways. As such, I have fixed that summoning condition to be as intended.
The next is to Production Line, but the reason here is very simple....sending your entire deck to the GY, even here, is a very silly idea: Pegasus would probably ban it the instant he saw that line! I also went ahead and gave Production Line it's healing back!
Don't forget to check the other deck spotlights!

Christen57
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Post #7 by Christen57 » Mon Feb 27, 2023 3:37 pm

UberTrainerMinusInfinity wrote:Greetings. I am here to make an announcement regarding this archetype, in the form of two changes to two cards.
The first of these is to Thomas himself: Notice how Christen57's change reads "If you have no cards in your Deck or Extra Deck:'': The emphasis being OR. With the change, Thomas The Tank Engine becomes broken: Not only would it be woolly to mill your own deck, but duels would go like Forbidden Memories in the all the wrong ways. As such, I have fixed that summoning condition to be as intended.
The next is to Production Line, but the reason here is very simple....sending your entire deck to the GY, even here, is a very silly idea: Pegasus would probably ban it the instant he saw that line! I also went ahead and gave Production Line it's healing back!
Don't forget to check the other deck spotlights!


I don't get it. What was wrong with the "If you have no cards in your Deck or Extra Deck" activation requirement? All that meant was that both your deck and extra deck had to be empty for you to be able to activate that effect, yet you changed it to just "deck" and are claiming to have nerfed it? If anything that just buffs it, as you can now much more easily run it in decks that use an extra deck.

To nerf that card, I'd instead replace:
Unaffected by your opponent's effects
with:
Unaffected by other cards' effects
so you can no longer use your own effects to buff its, like, ATK or anything.

Also, sending your entire deck to the graveyard is fine as long as you have the right restrictions to go with that, so I suggest this new change to Production Line to better balance it:
When a Normal Spell/Trap Card, or monster effect, is activated: Tribute 1 "Tank Engine" monster; the activated effect becomes "Send the top 3 cards of your opponent's Deck to the GY (or their entire Deck if less than 3)". During your opponent's End Phase: Add this card from your GY to your hand, and if you do, shuffle any number of cards from your GY into, or send all cards to the GY from, your Deck, also skip your next Draw Phase. You must have no cards in your Extra Deck to activate and resolve this effect. You can only use this effect of "Production Line" once per turn. You cannot activate monster effects the turn you activate this effect, except Level 4 monsters.

Now, activating that end phase effect is mandatory and not optional assuming the conditions are met, and it's much harder to abuse milling your entire deck since it locks you into level 4 monster effects that turn.
Also, I don't see how the life point gain part is unnecessary, as just milling a bunch of cards is already strong enough without life point gain being thrown on top of it all. Having custom effects randomly give you life points is usually only necessary if the archetype/deck in question revolves around life point gain like in the case of Aromage, or revolves around sacrificing one's own life points like in the case of P.U.N.K., Kozmo, or Vylon so you can have a supply of life points to pay.

UberTrainerMinusInfinity
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Post #8 by UberTrainerMinusInfinity » Mon Feb 27, 2023 10:06 pm

Oh, that's how you do a condition that requires both decks to be empty? Oh, sometimes, text can be confusing.
Anyway, these two changes are now live....though Production Line's new restriction doesn't really matter as it's activated at the end of your opponent's turn...but now it's recycling effect is no longer optional.
Thank you for the changes, and make sure you check out the other deck spotlights!


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