Trickstar

Template:Infobox archetype

"Trickstar" is an archetype of female LIGHT Fairy monsters used by Aoi Zaizen in the Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS anime, which debuted in the OCG with Code of the Duelist.

Appearance

Design

Trickster (anime) — Blue Angel with "Trickstar Holly Angel", "Lilybell" and "Lycoris in the anime.

The "Trickstar" monsters are based on Japanese idols. All of the members shown so far are females dressing in colorful attires with a few pairs of insect-like wings, a tattoo of varying shape on their faces, and holding an unique object in their respective artworks. Their skirt designs resemble the petal of each flowers they're named after. The Main Deck monsters have an appearance of teenage girls, while the Link Monsters appear as young women.

The monster "Dark Angel", although not being an official member of this archetype, has a similar design to the rest of the "Trickstar" monsters and was also used by Aoi in the anime once.

Etymology

Trickstar is a portmanteau of the words "Trick" and "Star" while also playing on the word "Trickster". The members of this archetype are named after various flowers. In addition, all the Link Monsters' names released so far also contain religious motif.

Members

Main Deck

Trickstar		Plant	Object held
English	Japanese	Plant	Object held
Candina		Candytuft	Megaphone
Carobein		Christmas Rose	Walking stick
Lilybell		Lilium	Bell
Lycoris	Lycorissica	Lycoris	Sword
Mandrake		Mandrake	Tambourine
Narkissus	Narkiss	Narcissus	Gun
Nightshade		Stinking Nightshade	Conductor baton

Extra Deck

Trickstar		Plant	Religious figure	Object held
English	Japanese	Plant	Religious figure	Object held
Bella Madonna		Belladonna	Madonna	Scythe
Black Catbat	Sweet Devil	Devil/Black Bat/Cat's Whiskers flower	Devil	Staff
Bloody Mary		Double Bloody Mary	Mary	Legcuffs
Holly Angel		Hollyhocks	Angel	Flail

Support

Card	Origin
Dark Angel	Deadly Nightshade
Trickstar Perennial	Perennial plant
Trickstar Reincarnation	Carnation

Playing style

The primary strategy of a "Trickstar" Deck is dealing small amounts of effect damage, usually 200 damage, multiple times through various effects. Each will deal damage when:

"Trickstar Candina" - Your opponent activates a Spell or Trap.
"Trickstar Narkissus" - Your opponent activates a monster's effect from their hand or graveyard.
"Trickstar Lycoris" - Your opponent adds to their hand for each card (including those drawn by effect or for their Draw Phase),.
"Trickstar Black Catbat" - A monster it points to is sent to the GY (by battle or card effect).
"Trickstar Holly Angel" - A "Trickstar" is Summoned to a zone it points to.
"Trickstar Light Stage" - One of your "Trickstar" monsters deals damage.

The archetype is not without the ability to deal battle damage, however;

"Trickstar Holly Angel" gains ATK each time a "Trickstar" monster deals damage, including herself.

"Trickstar Lilybell" can attack directly.

This archetype's secondary strategy is to disrupt your opponent's plays to prevent them from mounting a comeback. "Lightstage" can lock down their Set Spells and Traps for a turn before forcing a "use it or lose it" scenario. "Trickstar Reincarnation" banishes the opponent's entire hand and lets them draw an equal number of new cards for them (which can also deal significant burn damage off of the effect of "Lycoris"), eliminating the benefit of search cards and cards that activate in the Graveyard. "Holly Angel" prevents "Trickstar" monsters in her Link Points from being destroyed. "Lycoris" can return "Trickstar" monsters from the field to the hand to avoid other removal effects.

To help facilitate the above strategies, "Trickstars" have immense searching and reviving power. "Lightstage" can search any of the "Trickstar" monsters on activation. "Candina" can search any "Trickstar" card, including herself, when Normal Summoned. This will often be "Lilybell," which you can then Special Summon, allowing you to promptly Link Summon "Holly Angel" or attack directly with "Lilybell" via its effect to recover a "Trickstar" card from the Graveyard. "Lycoris" can return "Candina" to your hand to allow you to Summon her and search again. "Reincarnation" can be banished from the Graveyard to Special Summon a "Trickstar" from the Graveyard.

Weaknesses

As an Effect Damage-based deck, cards that either prevent/redirect Effect Damage or benefit from it, such as "Number 14: Greedy Sarameya" and "Beelze of the Diabolic Dragons", pose big threats to it.
- However, unlike other Effect Damage based decks, one-time damage prevention is far less of a hindrance.

As a deck built upon Chain Links, it's very prone to Chain Effects or Effects that affect the entire Chain Link. Because of this, Chain Burn decks utitlizing cards like "Accumulated Fortune", "Miraculous Rebirth", and "Vanity's Call" can quickly cause the Deck to fall to pieces.
A general weakness against LIGHT anti-support, such as "Ally of Justice" monsters or "Light-Imprisoning Mirror".