A step-by-step guide to playing Gimmick Puppet

This guide will cover most of what you need to know about these scary dolls and hopefully it can inspire you to play Gimmick Puppet.

Sections covered in this guide:

1/ Skill

2/ Core monsters in the Main Deck

3/ Spell/Trap

4/ Extra Deck

5/ How to play/How to combo

6/ FTK Super weird

7/ Let's analyze it a bit.

Skill

Dark Stirring of the Dreadful Dolls (Skill Card) (100%)

Gimmick Puppet's brand new skill has brought my favorite archetype back stronger than ever.

First, the skill's usage requirements are very easy; you only need one Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force card in your deck to use it.
The key ability of this skill is that it gives you all the cards that Gimmick Puppet is missing in the game: 3 Field Spells + one card each for each of Gimmick Puppet's rank-up XYZ boss monsters: 3 Field Spells + 1 card each for Gimmick Puppet's rank-up boss monsters.
The Skill's first active effect allows you to reveal a Rouge Doll in your hand to add a Field Spell or a Gimmick Puppet monster needed for a combo, such as Little Soldier or Fiendish Knight . Therefore, you should do everything you can to get a Rouge Doll in your hand to activate the Skill's first ability.
This skill has a second very useful active effect. When going first, it helps you set XYZ Blocks or Gimmick Puppet traps to strengthen your Endboard. When going second, it allows you to set Puppet Parade, which can be activated immediately in that turn, helping you spam a ton of bodies to bait or overcome obstacles the enemy places on the field.

*Note: Notice that this skill doesn't allow you to summon monsters to the enemy field or deal damage effects on turn 1. Konami did this to limit your FTK and field locking, but this inadvertently prevents you from using one of the strong handtrap cards currently available, Nibiru .

Core monsters in the Main Deck

Gimmick Puppet Little Soldiers (x3)

As your starter card and best Normal Summon card, Soldiers allows you to send any "Gimmick Puppet" from your deck to the Graveyard as long as its level is different from Soldiers, then copy the level of the sent monster. The primary target of this effect (if you don't already have it) is the Gimmick Puppet Rouge Doll .

Important note: The ability to send posts to the graveyard cannot be disabled by Infinite Impermanence and Effect Veiler Because sending the "Gimmick Puppet" card to the Graveyard costs money , Infinite Impermanence and Effect Veiler are extremely useless against this card ( meaning that when your opponent uses a negate effect on this card, the card you send to the graveyard will still be sent without needing Field Spell protection ). If the game has this feature later... Ash Blossom & Joyful Spring are even more useless.

Additionally, its Graveyard effect is essential for effectively utilizing your level 4 monsters.

Gimmick Puppet Terror Baby (x1)

This is a UR card in the deck, but it's not as popular as it used to be, although it's still one of my "favorite" cards. It's very strong when used on turn 2 because... Its Graveyard effect slows down all Gimmick Puppet monster effects by 4 , significantly protecting your gameplay from Handtrap cards, negates, and more. ( This means enemies cannot chain after Gimmick Puppet monsters are affected, so they cannot negate them... But note that enemies can still trigger disruptions when you summon monsters, activate spells/traps, change Phase, etc. )

A good Gimmick Puppet player on turn 2 will make good use of this card in combination with a Skill to bait the enemy's effects, which I will discuss in more detail later.

Terror Baby's resurrection effect is usually not used to summon Level 8 monsters due to field congestion. I often use it to revive another Level 4 Gimmick Puppet like Soldiers or Fiendish Knight so that I can immediately summon a Rank 4 Gigantes Doll to take two of the opponent's monsters.

Gimmick Puppet Scissor Arms (x1-2)

Foolish Burial is a strong card, but slightly weaker than Gimmick Puppet Little Soldiers . However, it has the small advantage of being able to send a level 4 Gimmick Puppet , allowing you to send either Gimmick Puppet Fiendish Knight or Gimmick Puppet Terror Baby , which can be crucial in combo sequences or matchups.

I wouldn't play more than one because sometimes mishandling it can get you stuck on the field since it's a level 4 card, but you can play more if you want to increase your consistency.

Gimmick Puppet Fiendish Knight (x1)

This is undoubtedly the best extender card in the deck, allowing you to summon two cards without spending Normal Summon. While it's better than Terror Baby for summoning XYZ Rank 4 Gigantes Doll , in practice it's not often used in early combos due to the limited field size of Duel Links and the current Extra Deck monster limitations. Instead, it's usually saved for late-game use when resources are depleted.

It also has a similar effect to Gimmick Puppet Rouge Doll , allowing it to add itself to your hand when sent from anywhere except your hand.

x1 is enough

Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll (x1)

This is an essential support card that helps you continue your gameplay even when interrupted (negative effects) by your opponent . While not absolutely necessary, its value is undeniable.

Gimmick Puppet Rouge Doll (x3)

The newest UR support card in the deck, this card is crucial for executing everything from skills to combos.

The ability to trigger special effects on any other Gimmick Puppet in the deck often means this card allows you to obtain a lot of materials completely free of charge. It also reuses itself from the Graveyard if sent there from anywhere other than your hand, which allows even cards like Condolence Puppet to initiate combos on their own. A major drawback of this card is that it's a very easy choke point for opponents to target, often ending your turn if you can't deal with it.

When you have this card in your hand, you can activate the first effect of the Skill: Return 1 unwanted card (such as Cattle Scream) from your hand to exchange for a necessary Gimmick Puppet , AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, ADD FIELD SPELL . Therefore, you must use every means to get this card in your hand, such as Soldier/Scissor Arm/Condolence, to send this card to the graveyard.

Gimmick Puppet Cattle Scream (x1)

Cattle Scream is the main Extender card of the deck and the strongest Puppet in the main deck in terms of stats. It is usually summoned by the Gimmick Puppet Rouge Doll and is essential for completing all of our Combos.

One is enough because this is a brick card when in hand (usually returned to the deck via Skill if it appears in hand).

Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll (x1)

While not a bad support card, Bisque is primarily used to activate its protective effect when in the Graveyard; it can protect all your Gimmick Puppets from being targeted, including cards like Infinite Impermanence and Effect Veiler .

Similar to Terror Baby, a good Gimmick Puppet player will make good use of this card on turn 2 by combining it with a skill to bait the enemy's effects, which I will discuss in more detail later.

Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll (x0-1)

This is a decent Extender, but I don't recommend using it since the release of Gimmick Puppet Fiendish Knight , as it's significantly more powerful than this card.

Gimmick Puppet Nightmare (x0)

Despite its terrible effect, we still have ways to abuse its locking effect. By using various methods to give cards to the opponent (for example, the trap card Give and Take, but it already has limit 1 ), we can prevent them from summoning monsters for the rest of their turn, or when going first, we can use it to block Nibiru, the Primal Being (although it's a bit difficult to use and not really necessary since our Field Spell will hard counter Nibiru ). Hopefully, the game will release a card later that can throw this monster onto the opponent's field.

Note: Nightmare hiện đang bị ban Master Duel & TCG #justicefornightmare

Spell/Trap

Mansion of the Dreadful Dolls (x3 Thanks to Skill)

Although we can't currently own this card in the game, we can obtain three Field cards in our deck thanks to the effect of its skill.

This is the legendary Field 1 FTK card in other formats, so in Duel Links, the skill prohibits you from summoning monsters to your opponent's field or dealing damage effects on your first turn.

When this card is activated, you can search for 1 Gimmick Puppet monster in your hand, so it can also serve as a starter. But the most powerful effect of this card is that it makes ALL Gimmick Puppet monsters on the field unbreakable by battle and unaffected by monster effects (Counter-attacks tons of Boardbreakers + Handtrap, Nibiru opens and then stores this card,...).

The main effect is shown above, while the secondary effect summons monsters to the enemy field, but it's not a Quick effect; it's usually just to summon more monsters and burn additional damage effects. Try to bait as many cards as possible that can negate your opponent's spells/traps before activating this Field card.

Condolence Puppet (x3)

Foolish Burial of the archetype, this card allows you to send Gimmick Puppet Rouge Doll to start combos, or extenders like Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll , or protective effects like Gimmick Puppet Terror Baby and Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll . But if you go second, it becomes one of the strongest cards in your arsenal. It has the ability to send up to 5 optional Gimmick Puppets to the Graveyard, depending on the number of monsters summoned from the Extra Deck that your opponent is controlling +1. This means you can send starters, extenders, and protective cards all at once.

Its effect in the graveyard, while somewhat situational, is very useful.

Service Puppet Play (x1)

This is the best trap card in the archetype, capable of stealing up to the maximum number of monsters your opponent controls, equal to the number of Gimmick Puppet Xyz monsters you control ( hence the maximum in Duel Links is 2 ). This allows you to steal essential combo cards from your opponent, potentially even ending their turn with a single card.

CXyz Gimmick Puppet Fanatix Machinix is completely free to obtain, meaning it costs nothing. Its Graveyard effect is also extremely useful; sometimes I've been able to use it to summon junk bodies onto the opponent's field, cluttering it up and preventing them from playing .

Just use x1 because it's easy to search and easy to summon thanks to its skill. Note that unlike Rank 4 Gigantes Doll, the monster obtained with this trap card can attack even if it's not an XYZ monster.

Puppet Parade (x1)

This card is out of favor in other formats, but in Duel Links, it's a gift.

Due to the effect of the Skill, you can place this card directly onto the field and activate it immediately during your turn. It's extremely useful when going second; you can place this card directly and activate it to bait your opponent's debuffs. If your opponent doesn't block this card, they will face up to 3 Body gimmick puppets on the field ( depending on the number of monsters your opponent controls ), which will include Terror Baby and Bisque Doll . You can quickly send these two cards from the field to the graveyard by linking them to Chimera Doll, activating the two protective effects of these cards (very effective at baiting opponents).

Additionally, if you happen to have Service Puppet Play on hand, this will be a backup option for you to search using CXyz Gimmick Puppet Fanatix Machinix.

Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force (x1)

This is the only mandatory Rank-Up-Magic card ; its reusable effect is what allows you to perform most combos. Only play two cards if you have no other Rank-Up-Magic card options.

Rank-Up-Magic Numeron Force (x1)

This is an extremely powerful Board Breaker, disabling all face-up cards on the field, except for the monster you summon. Surprising your opponent with this card often means an endgame, as it easily disrupts their field once all their cards have been disabling. :) ( RIP Dragoon )

Personally, I recommend using this card instead of giving two Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force cards .

Note: Khác với Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force, Lá bài này không thể Chaos Summon CXyz, nghĩa là nó không thể được dùng để triệu hồi CXyz Gimmick Puppet Fanatix Machinix.

Terraforming (x0-1)

+1 Copy cho Field Spell

Hey Trunade! (x0-1)

Personally, I always reserve slot 1 for this legendary Backrow-hate card. It forces the opponent to use disruption to stop this card, otherwise they will have no spells/traps left on the field to play.

Gimmick Puppets may look tough and annoying to Effect Monsters, but their weakness is that they are very easily hit by Spell/Trap attacks. Therefore, Hey Hey Hey Trunade is number 1.

Xyz Block (x1)

This skill allows you to directly place a Spell/Trap card with "XYZ" in its name onto the field. Therefore, the best option is to block this XYZ card (allowing you to negate Monster Effects, yes, monster effects again, not Spell/Trap cards T_T).

Xyz Encore (x0-1)

Another decent option for using Skills besides XYZ Block is to counter Decks that use XYZ Blocks (which are quite common in the current meta).

Tech & Staple

A deck that's 95% immune to deadhand means you can fill the rest of your deck with these cards; you'll need a lot of board breakers in the current meta.

Nibiru the Primal Being (x0-1)

Nibiru has been given a separate section to avoid confusion.

If you lose the coin toss and go second, and your opponent has more than 5 summon turns ahead, don't wonder why I can't activate Nibiru in my hand??? That's because the skill doesn't allow you to summon monsters to your opponent's field on turn 1, Baby !

But honestly, Nibiru saved me quite a few games during my KOG climb, so you can skip this card or use it for x1.

Extra Deck

Gimmick Puppet Fantasix Machinix (x2)

This is the most important Xyz card in the deck, allowing you to search Rank-Up Magic cards and reuse them from the Graveyard, enabling you to Normal Summon an additional Machine monster of your choice, and revive it from the Graveyard to one of the two fields. It's also a crucial choke point of the deck , and similar to Gimmick Puppet Rouge Doll , it will often end your turn if you get hit by this card's negate (because Machinx's search effect is HARD ONE PER TURN, even if you have enough body to summon a second Machinx, it won't activate).

Gimmick Puppet Chimera Doll (x1)

This is an additional search card with the ability to extend. However, personally, I don't think it's that important in the Gimmick Puppet deck right now. I only summon it in the late game, or when I've been hit by too much disruption, or to send Terror Baby and Bisque Doll to the graveyard early in the turn if I go second.

Gimmick Puppet Gigantes Doll (x1)

Because we now have the new Fiendish Knight Puppet Gimmick in Duel Links ( much more convenient than Terror Baby ), Gigantes becomes a great field-destroying tool, allowing you to collect 2 monsters -> making it a great field-destroying tool, allowing you to deal with even monsters protected from destruction.

Additionally, its most important role is that of a Tier 4 monster that the Gimmick Puppet Rouge Doll can reveal.

Note: Khác với lá Trap, khi kích hoạt hiệu ứng cướp quái địch của Gigantes, trong turn này ta chỉ có thể tấn công bằng quái thú XYZ kể cả khi lá này rời sân. Vậy nên hãy cố sử dụng hiệu ứng thứ 2 của Gigantes và XYZ ra các Gimmick Puppter rank 8 của ta nhé!

CXyz Gimmick Puppet Fanatix Machinix (x1 thanks to Skill)

This card possesses a variety of effects and is the most important card when building the endboard . When summoned, it seeks out a Puppet Trap card (usually Service Puppet Play ) and has the ability to destroy a Special Summoned monster on your opponent's field, while also dealing damage.

Additionally, splitting an ingredient allows you to Special Summon a monster to your opponent's field from any Graveyard, making it a crucial card for burn strategies (unfortunately, it cannot FTK).

Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder (x2)

This is a fantastic Ace Card from Quattro.

It can shoot down up to 2 monsters in one turn, clearing the field very well.
Deal damage equal to HALF the ATK of that monster if it is XYZ.

It's good in every aspect; although it has low ATK, we can rank up, use it to bait enemies, etc.

Number C15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Hunter (x1 thanks to Skill)

In terms of function, it's extremely similar to Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder , except that it can only shoot 1 but in return can destroy Trap Cards and deal damage to even other XYZ monsters. This is the only monster capable of countering Gimmick Puppet's Backrow...

Number 40: Gimmick Puppet of Strings (x2)

This card's effect isn't great, but you need it for Number C40: Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings . A single rank-up from this card to C40 will wipe out the enemy field. At least it has a strong base and high ATK.

Fact vui cho ai chưa biết: Gimmick Puppet of Strings bị limit 1 ở cả TCG và OCG

Number C40: Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings (x1 thanks to Skill)

Like a walking Dark Hole, you often need to summon this card when you want to quickly clear your opponent's field. Unlike Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder or Number C15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Hunter , it has the ability to destroy both monsters on your field and deal damage. It's also worth noting that its summoning effect is mandatory; more details will be discussed later. :)

Fact: Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings cũng bị limit ở TCG

Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo and Number C88: Gimmick Puppet Disaster Leo (FTK)

Because the skill prevents us from summoning enemies and also deals burn damage on the first turn, these two cards are the main way to get a Fast Kill.

How to play/How to combo

The combo/field setup for this deck when going first is quite basic, nothing special because we don't have many options. Our default end board for going first will include: 2 monsters + 1 Quick Destroy + 1 Negate monster + Field spell to protect the battle.

When going second , you should hope you have some Board Breaker cards like Lave Golem or Droplet =))) because the Trap Puppet Parade card only baits or makes things a little easier.

Here are a few sample combos:

Gimmick Puppet Little Soldiers (Combo 1)

Little Soldier goes first with a card combo.

Endboard: Trap to collect 2 opponent monsters + 1 Destroy + 1 Negate Monster + Resources to continue playing in the next turn.

Click here to view

Gimmick Puppet Rouge Doll (Combo 2 )

Rouge Doll leads the way with a 1-card combo.

Endboard: Trap to collect 2 opponent monsters + 1 Destroy + 1 Negate Monster + Resources to continue playing in the next turn.

Click here to view

Mansion of the Dreadful Dolls (Combo 3)

Field Spell comes first, 1 card combo

Endboard: Trap to collect 2 opponent monsters + 1 Destroy + 1 Negate Monster + Resources to continue playing in the next turn.

Click here to view

Condolence Puppet (Combo 4)

Condolence Puppet leads the way with a 1.5 card combo.

Endboard: Trap to collect 2 opponent monsters + 1 Destroy + 1 Negate Monster + Resources to continue playing in the next turn.

Click here to view

Puppet Parade (Combo 5)

This combo is used when going second - assuming your opponent has 2 to 3 monsters on the field:

Activate the skill to place Puppet Parade on the field.
Activate Puppet Parade , summon Gimmick Puppet Terror Baby + Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll to the field (+1 monster like Fiendish Knight or Little Soldier if your opponent has 3 monsters)
Link Gimmick Puppet Terror Baby + Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll to Gimmick Puppet Chimera Doll
Activate the graveyard effect of Terror Baby + Bisque Doll

From now until the end of their turn, Gimmick Puppets cannot be affected by Chain effects (almost impossible to negate + cannot be targeted).
Now that it's safer, let's start the combo.

FTK Super weird

Gimmick Puppet is famous in other formats for its incredibly powerful FTK ability, making it easy to perform 1-card FTK combos. However, in Duel Links, to balance the game, the skill doesn't allow you to deal damage or summon monsters to the enemy's field on turn 1.

But that doesn't mean you should give up. Quattro's Gimmick Puppet in the anime is also famous for its "Win condition," another victory condition thanks to the effects of his boss monsters. Based on that, mages have come up with incredibly powerful FTK combos in Duel Links. By reducing the opponent's life points by half on the first turn ( this doesn't count as effect damage due to game mechanics ) using Number 6 , you can easily win at the end of the turn thanks to the effect of Number C88: Gimmick Puppet Disaster Leo when all XYZ materials have been drained.

I've done some research and will share the following with you guys:

Xyz Shift and Xyz Align (FTK 1 method)

This is the first way FTK was created, but it requires quite a few difficult conditions, such as needing one of the two XYZ Spell cards to play, needing enough monsters to make the body, etc.

Here's a sample gameplay guide for your reference:

Click here to view

FTK 2 method

This is an easier way to perform FTK; you only need two cards to FTK, not XYZ Align to summon Number 6. All the cards above are what you need to add to your deck to perform the combo.

Engine PUNK -> Allows us to create two level 8 bodies for XYZ summoning Machinx + a Psychic Body (Ze Amin) to combine with the level 6 Psychic Taker Synchro.
Immortal Dragon is used as a summoning material for Stardust Change Warrior because its level can be reduced to 2 by sending Mezuki -> Mezuki revives Immortal Dragon to have two level 6 bodies on the field.

Click here to view the combo sample.

Let's analyze it a bit.

Strengths:

Deck is not afraid of Veiler/Imperm/Nibiru
Field Spell provides super strong protection.
Many effects have ruined the stage.
High stability, difficult to get deadhand (Only one card is needed to create a combo)
Burn is likely to add more.
Overwhelming opponents with sheer numbers, using many bodies, even stealing enemy monsters to use as bodies/attacks.

Weaknesses:

Endboard turn 1 is of medium strength, not too powerful.
Lava Golem and Book of Eslipse are incredibly fragile and easily broken; it's safe to say they've given up on them.
There aren't many tools available to counter backrow.
If you can't search for a Rank-up card, you're out of luck, so Machinx can easily negate it (Choke point to counter this deck).
Losing a Field Spell reduces its power by 50%.

Companion unit:

- Yu-Gi-Oh! Guidance Vietnam

A step-by-step guide to playing Gimmick Puppet

Sections covered in this guide:

Skill

Dark Stirring of the Dreadful Dolls (Skill Card) (100%)

Dark Stirring of the Dreadful Dolls (Skill Card)

Core monsters in the Main Deck

Gimmick Puppet Little Soldiers (x3)

Gimmick Puppet Little Soldiers

Gimmick Puppet Terror Baby (x1)

Gimmick Puppet Terror Baby

Gimmick Puppet Scissor Arms (x1-2)

Gimmick Puppet Scissor Arms

Gimmick Puppet Fiendish Knight (x1)

Gimmick Puppet Fiendish Knight

Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll (x1)

Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll

Gimmick Puppet Rouge Doll (x3)

Gimmick Puppet Rouge Doll

Gimmick Puppet Cattle Scream (x1)

Gimmick Puppet Cattle Scream

Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll (x1)

Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll

Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll (x0-1)

Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll

Gimmick Puppet Nightmare (x0)

Gimmick Puppet Nightmare

Spell/Trap

Mansion of the Dreadful Dolls (x3 Thanks to Skill)

Mansion of the Dreadful Dolls

Condolence Puppet (x3)

Condolence Puppet

Service Puppet Play (x1)

Service Puppet Play

Puppet Parade (x1)

Puppet Parade

Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force (x1)

Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force

Rank-Up-Magic Numeron Force (x1)

Rank-Up-Magic Numeron Force

Terraforming (x0-1)

Terraforming

Hey Trunade! (x0-1)

Hey, Trunade!

Xyz Block (x1)

Xyz Block

Xyz Encore (x0-1)

Xyz Encore

Tech & Staple

Blizzard

Droll & Lock Bird

Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju

Mystical Space Typhoon

Ghost Mourner & Moonlit Chill

Forbidden Droplet

Lava Golem

Effect Veiler

Infinite Impermanence

Book of Eclipse

Jizukiru, the Star Destroying Kaiju

Nibiru the Primal Being (x0-1)

Nibiru, the Primal Being

Extra Deck

Gimmick Puppet Fantasix Machinix (x2)

Gimmick Puppet Fantasix Machinix

Gimmick Puppet Chimera Doll (x1)

Gimmick Puppet Chimera Doll

Gimmick Puppet Gigantes Doll (x1)

Gimmick Puppet Gigantes Doll

CXyz Gimmick Puppet Fanatix Machinix (x1 thanks to Skill)

CXyz Gimmick Puppet Fanatix Machinix

Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder (x2)

Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder

Number C15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Hunter (x1 thanks to Skill)

Number C15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Hunter

Number 40: Gimmick Puppet of Strings (x2)

Number 40: Gimmick Puppet of Strings

Number C40: Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings (x1 thanks to Skill)

Number C40: Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings

Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo and Number C88: Gimmick Puppet Disaster Leo (FTK)

Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo

Let's analyze it a bit.