How to play the Synchro of Unity deck in Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel

Fusion is a technique lying at the heart of basic Yu-Gi-Oh play, but it takes a practical understanding of the game’s mechanics before a player can make the most of it in standard gameplay. Former fans of the series — the type to return with Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel, see the “link” symbol of the third structure deck, and get confused by the newer content — can pick up right where they left off with Synchro of Unity.

Advantages: Fusions, tuners and Synchrons (oh my)

Cards marked as “tuner” can be fused with normal monster cards to summon Synchro monsters — a type of boss monster — from the player’s extra deck. The level of this Synchro (indicated by the number of yellow stars at the top right of the card) must be less than or equal to the total level of the two cards used in the Fusion. 

The monsters sacrificed by players in this process are well-compensated by Synchro attack power, producing cards that can out-muscle most opposing standard monsters.

• Junk Warrior: 2300 ATK
• Turbo Warrior: 2500 ATK
• Nitro Warrior: 2800 ATK

The tuner cards of this deck take the form of “Synchrons” that need to simultaneously be summoned and in-play alongside a standard monster in order for the fusion to take place.

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Disadvantages: From rags

Due to the complexities of Yu-Gi-Oh’s summoning system, it’s particularly difficult to have both a Synchron and a standard monster summoned at the same time. For starters, only one monster can be normally summoned per turn, meaning that unless the player begins their turn with the means to special summon included in their hand, the Synchro summon would take at least two turns.

With stronger standard monsters, delaying the Synchro summon to a second turn and giving the opponent a chance to strike would proceed without concern; however, as most of Synchro of Unity’s standard monsters — especially the lowly Synchrons — lack substantial ATK or DEF, opponents are prone to tee off on the deck’s monsters before the summon can be performed.

Related: The best Spell Cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (2022)

Problem-solving: Playing defensively

When without a fully-summoned Synchro, it’s likely that the player will lose a few Synchrons and more than a few life points while taking a few calculated lumps. However, the utility featured in Synchro of Unity remedies the delay involved in Synchro summoning, and aids in enduring several defensive turns until both Synchrons and standard monsters can take the field.

• Shield Wing – endures up to two attacks per turn without getting destroyed (at the cost of some life points), and can later fuse with tuners
• Shine Knight – defensively powerful non-tuner that can be used as capable meat shield until a tuner is summoned
• Kunai with Chain – denies an attacking monster by forcing it into defense mode
• Limiter Overload – special summons the Speed Warrior non-tuner card to the player’s field if mistakenly destroyed by an opponent’s spell or trap card, potentially skipping the Synchro summon delay entirely

Considering the total resources pooled from the player’s deck and life points in order to successfully summon a Synchro, having such a lofty centerpiece be simply swept aside by a trap card or bulldozed by a superior monster would be, in essence, duel-ending. Fortunately, Synchro of Unity comes prepared with several gadgets that are specially crafted for the purpose of Synchro preservation.

• Synchro Deflector – prevents the destruction of a Synchro when attacked, destroying the attacker instead
• Synchro Blast Wave – destroys an opposing monster while the player controls a Synchro, granting an opportunity to destroy overwhelming monsters or attack unopposed
• Mystical Space Typhoon – destroys one spell or trap card, potentially protecting a Synchro from immediate destruction

Are Synchro of Unity’s fusions proving too complex or difficult to pull off? Tired of watching every standard monster meet a quick and untimely end? Try the Power of the Dragon structure deck.