Update Deck: Tachikaze (Rex)

Don't tell him he isn't
really a unicorn

Tachikaze got some really, really good stuff in Raging Clash of the Fang Blades that makes for an amazing budget deck. With the hype and focus all on Golds, Shadows, and Nova Grapplers this set, Tachikaze ended up being... really really cheap. Dynast, one of the best midrange Grade 4s ever made, is only $4 and Desperado, a pretty decent backup/main vanguard, is only $0.50.

But Gaia isn't what I want to talk about today. Today I want to cover a different deck that got what I call quality budget support. That's right, we're taking a second look at Rexes.

Now, Rexes got three very, very good cards in this set. Well, five but Barragerex and Full-Bladerex are pretty trash so we're not gonna talk about him.

The first is Scathrex, who is the first 11k base Rex we've gotten, excluding Squallrex of course(who you would never want to ride). His first skill is just perfect. Being able to retire one for a draw is already a pretty good skill(field-to-hand yaknow?) and gets a +3k to boot, making him a 21k magic number when boosted by a 7k. It also synergizes with the rest of the deck, with Assaultrex netting him an extra draw and Minirex, who I'll talk about in a bit. His second skill, while seemingly underwhelming, enables very crazy rush combos and loads the bind zone, which Rex thrives off of.

"I came out of the egg
with a grenade in hand"

The second is Minirex who, for Counterblast two upon death, calls two Rexes from deck to make a column, usually Scath, Squall, or Rapt. At the end of the turn, it binds them all face up. It may seem like an excess cost just for a temporary +2, but when that column is a 21k column, adding to rush, and sets up for later turns by loading the bind zone it get's pretty scary. Also it has Rex in its name, so a Scath kill target and something that can swing for Squallrex.

The final card is Raptrex. Let me just be straight, it's Slash Shade except from bind zone and for free. It should already be apparent how good he is. He's also an amazing bindload target for Hellrex Maxima and actually allows you to keep G3s in your deck. Being free of CB is just great too. The fact that he can get a +2k boost when called also makes a 20k column when called by Minirex with either of your 11k Rexes which, last I checked, is a 3-Stage column versus any Grade 2 unit. That's pretty damn deadly during rushing.

These three cards gave Rexes a huge boost in power and early rush. The best part is that they're all common. Common. Perfect budget build.
Now, onto other things.
We, of course, still have our older, lovely Rex support. Assaultrex is the best draw engine any little dinosaur lover could ask for, Squallrex is our second main aggro unit alongside Raptrex, and Hellrex Maxima loads up our bind zone and powers up the frontrow, with a new target to boot. All should be played at four no exception.

Pretty much any generic Grade 2 Tachikazes can find a home in Rex. Sarcoblaze is great for forcing more guard from the opponent's hand, Tank Mammoth is pretty nice for getting more multiattacks in, Megarex is the optimal early ride to enable all your Rex plays and Grade 2 rush in case you have no Grade 3s in hand.

Grade 1 slots... don't really have much tech room. 4 of those slots are going to Perfect Guards(we have Styracolord to thank for being cheap), 4 of those slots are hopefully going to stride fodders(which are $4 each for Christ's sake...), and another 4 slots are going to Raptrex. That only leaves... 1 more slot to fill. Personally I like running Geoconda as to allow for some more rush plays after using Minirex and Squallrex a couple of times.

G-Zone has alot of options, so here we go.

This chicken's gonna cook you

Like I said earlier, Hellrex at 4 is a big one since he's the main stride you will be going into, if you stride at all. The rest is honestly space filler. Bladerex isn't that good, but he can do some pretty cool thing with a properly set up bind zone. Hammer Gewalt and Gradogigant are options, but they don't mesh with the deck well. The last two cards I want to mention are Gaia Dynast and Dogma. Gaia Dynast is pretty affordable and can definitely lead to some pretty awesome finisher plays when used right. Dogma... is not affordable at all. Definitely try to pick up any copies you can, but don't really stress out if you can't get them.

For GGuards, Dymorphlanax and Blockade Ganga are your options. Ganga is... sorta field dependant so I don't really like him, but should be at 1 for the situations where he is really good. Dymor's great since he's easy 20k shields.

Coaelmagnum at 4. Cus Coaelmagnum free plus and adding triggers to deck is too good. NOTE: This is only an example decklist and should only be used as a base. I recommend that you create your own decklist through your own testing. I found this decklist to fit me, but it is up to you to find a decklist that fits you.

Decklist:

NOTE: This is only an example decklist and should only be used as a base. I recommend that you create your own decklist through your own testing. I found this decklist to fit me, but it is up to you to find a decklist that fits you.

Grade 0:

1 Rupture Dragon, Minirex
16 Triggers of Choice(4 Coaelmagnum)

Grade 1:
4 Perfect Guard of Choice
4 Prism Bird/Sonic Noa
4 Cataclysmic Bullet Dragon, Raptrex
1 Ancient Dragon, Geoconda

Grade 2: 4 Assault Dragon, Assaultrex
3 Explosive Dragon, Sarcoblaze
3 Ravenous Dragon, Megarex
2 Tank Mammoth

Grade 3: 4 Swordhorn Dragon, Scathrex
4 Destruction Dragon, Squallrex

Grade 4: 4 Destruction Tyrant, Hellrex Maxima
4 Destruction Tyrant, Fullblade Rex
4 Great Emperor Dragon, Gaia Dynast(Optional)
4 Iron-armored Chancellor, Dymorphalanx


Effectiveness: 7.5/10

Price: $15-45

Competitive: Yes

Final Words: Rex is a very fast deck that can go hyper as early as turn 1 or 2 depending on setup. The new support honestly gives an already good deck a great boost. With good practice, this deck can stand on its own even against meta decks. Rexes are alot harder than they look and alot harder than other Tachikaze decks to properly get good with, but if you can master Rexes I'd say you'd be a formidible budget force. Just look at that pricetag, $15 minimum for such a great deck.

Anyhow, see you in the next one!

-Robot