“Paleozoic” is an archetype of mostly Normal Trap Cards that have the ability to Special Summon themselves from the Graveyard as Level 2 WATER monsters. You are probably already familiar with some of these cards: Paleozoic Canadia and Paleozoic Hallucigenia are quite popular in the current meta, but you likely haven’t seen them being played in a dedicated deck.
Paleozoic is a Control Deck that focuses on disrupting the opponent’s plays while keeping card advantage, slowly depleting their resources until they finally succumb to the onslaught of 2400 ATK “Paleozoic” monsters under the Field Spell Wetlands.
Other popular versions of the deck run Vision HERO Witch Raider or Citadel Whale as alternative winning conditions, taking advantage of the fact that “Paleozoic” cards are Trap Cards and WATER monsters respectively.
[Skill] description | User |
---|---|
Territory of the Sharks The Level of all WATER monsters you control becomes 4 until the end of the turn. This Skill can only be used once per turn and twice per Duel. This Skill can only be used if you beign the Duel with a Deck/Extra Deck that contains no monsters other than WATER monsters. | ![]() Reginald Kastle |
[Skill] description | User |
---|---|
Chain Reaction Your opponent loses 200 Life Points every time you activate a Trap Card. | ![]() Odion |
![]() Dewdark of the Ice Barrier | WATER Aqua ★2 ATK 1200 / DEF 800 |
Judgement Force [N] | |
If the only face-up monsters you control are Level 2 or lower monsters, this card can attack your opponent directly. |
Dewdark is great card for easily dealing a hefty amount of damage to your opponent. With Sogen active this damage goes up to a huge 2400 hit. Paleozoic Traps are always summoned as level-2 monsters so Dewdark will almaost always be able to attack directly, unless you have Extra Deck monsters onboard.
Aside from being an excellent damage dealer Dewdark is also a Tuner, giving you access to Synchro plays.
Take note that even though they don't have levels, controlling an Xyz monster of any Rank will prevent Dewdark from utilizing its effect.
![]() Spiritual Beast Tamer Winda | WIND Psychic ★4 ATK 1600 / DEF 1800 |
Spirit of the Beast [UR] | |
If this card in its owner's possession is destroyed by an opponent's card (by battle or card effect): You can Special Summon 1 "Ritual Beast" monster from your Deck or Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions. You can only Special Summon "Spiritual Beast Tamer Winda(s)" once per turn. |
To incorporate a Ritual Beast Engine, all you really need to do is add Winda to the Main Deck and some Ritual Beast Fusions to your unused Extra Deck space.
Summon then crash Winda into enemy monsters to get the Spiritual Beast Fusions onboard. These Fusion monsters function as stable bodies on the field, because your Paleozoic monsters are pretty easy to run over if you don't have Sogen.
![]() Ritual Beast Ulti-Apelio | WIND Pyro ★6 ATK 2600 / DEF 400 |
Spirit of the Beast [UR] | |
1 "Ritual Beast Tamer" monster + 1 "Spiritual Beast" monster Must be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by banishing the above cards you control, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. (You do not use "Polymerization".) If this card attacks, it is unaffected by other cards' effects until the end of the Damage Step. During either player's turn: You can return this card you control to the Extra Deck, then target 2 of your banished monsters (1 "Ritual Beast Tamer" monster and 1 "Spiritual Beast" monster); Special Summon them in Defense Position. |
Ulti-Apelio is a powerful offense-oriented monster. The 2600 is a decent amount of ATK for a beater, but what really makes Ulti-Apelio so powerful is his immunity to all card effects during battle. This makes him entirely immune to battle traps such as Drowning Mirror Force and debuffs such as Forbidden Lance.
![]() Ritual Beast Ulti-Pettlephin | WIND Aqua ★6 ATK 200 / DEF 2800 |
Spirit of the Beast [R] | |
1 "Ritual Beast Tamer" monster + 1 "Spiritual Beast" monster Must be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by banishing the above cards you control, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. (You do not use "Polymerization".) Cannot be destroyed by card effects. During either player's turn: You can return this card you control to the Extra Deck, then target 2 of your banished monsters (1 "Ritual Beast Tamer" monster and 1 "Spiritual Beast" monster); Special Summon them in Defense Position. |
When the opponent destroys Winda, Special Summon Ulti-Pettlephin to prevent them from getting more damage in. Ulti-Pettlephin's immunity to the most common form of removal combined with its high DEF stat makes it an annoying wall to overcome, especially when factoring in all the backrow used in this deck.
![]() Lava Golem | FIRE Fiend ★8 ATK 3000 / DEF 2500 |
Yami Marik [UR] Yami Marik event [UR] Yami Marik Starter Deck [UR] | |
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) to your opponent's side of the field by Tributing 2 monsters they control. You cannot Normal Summon/Set the turn you Special Summon this card. During each of your Standby Phases: Take 1000 damage. |
Lava Golem's rare method of removing enemy monsters is the reason why it's so effective and hard to counter. Simply dropping Lava Golem to the opponent's field is enough to get rid of practically any problem monster, subsequently burning 1000LP when the opponent's turn comes around.
The heavy backrow run by this deck is also ideal for getting rid of the 3000ATK monster you put on the opponent's field. Suggested ways to dispose of Lava Golem include Amulet of Ambition on a Paleozoic monster, Wall of Disruption, and Drowning Mirror Force.
![]() Amulet of Ambition | Equip Spell |
Ranked Rewards [SR] | |
Equip only to a Normal Monster. If it battles a monster with a higher Level, the equipped monster gains 500 ATK x the difference in Levels (during that battle only). When this card is sent to the Graveyard, you can return it to the top of your Deck. |
Equip this to any Paleozoic monster to instantly turn them into a powerful beater. The Paleozoic monsters are all level-2 so practically anything they battle should give them a significant boost.
![]() Wetlands | Field Spell |
Duel-A-Thon [SR] Ranked Rewards [SR] | |
All Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 2 or lower monsters gain 1200 ATK. |
Supports Paleozoics extremely well, turning all their monsters into 2400 ATK beaters. This also turns Dewdark of the Ice Barrier into a 2400 ATK monster that can attack directly.
Paleozoic Traps all share a common effect; while they're in the graveyard and either player activates a Trap card, you can Special Summon one Paleozoic Trap as a monster
When on the field as monsters, Paleozoics are immune to monster effects which is a great asset against things like Shiranui Spiritmaster. The low base stats make them difficult to use at first, but once you get a boost from Sogen you'll have an endless army of 2400 ATK beaters.
![]() Paleozoic Canadia | Normal Trap |
Valiant Souls [UR] | |
Target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; change it to face-down Defense Position. Once per Chain, when a Trap Card is activated while this card is in your Graveyard: Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster (Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 2/ATK 1200/DEF 0). (This card is NOT treated as a Trap Card.) If Summoned this way, this card is unaffected by monster effects, also banish it when it leaves the field. |
Use Paleozoic Canadia to disrupt your opponent’s plays: flip their monsters face-down to prevent them from attacking, expose weak DEF stats, and even prevent them from Synchro Summoning if you flip a newly summoned monster face-down.
![]() Paleozoic Hallucigenia | Normal Trap |
Selection Box Vol. 01 mini [UR] Stardust Acceleration [UR] | |
Target 1 face-up monster on the field; its ATK and DEF become half its current ATK and DEF until the end of this turn. Once per Chain, when a Trap Card is activated while this card is in your Graveyard: Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster (Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 2/ATK 1200/DEF 0). (This card is NOT treated as a Trap Card.) If Summoned this way, this card is unaffected by monster effects, also banish it when it leaves the field. |
Even halving the opponent's ATK is a bit useless when your monsters all have a 1200 ATK base. This effect is much more useful with Sogen active, or if you have an Extra Deck monster onboard. However, in terms of survival this does reduce the opponent's damage potential by a lot, hopefully letting you live till your next turn.
![]() Paleozoic Pikaia | Normal Trap |
Valiant Souls [R] | |
Discard 1 "Paleozoic" card, then draw 2 cards. Once per Chain, when a Trap Card is activated while this card is in your Graveyard: Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster (Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 2/ATK 1200/DEF 0). (This card is NOT treated as a Trap Card.) If Summoned this way, this card is unaffected by monster effects, also banish it when it leaves the field. |
Pikaia is a good draw engine. Realistically, you'll only want to discard Pikaia or Marella as cost, because Canadia and Hallucigenia have amazing control effects.
Like Marella, Pikaia's effect is a great way to fill the graveyard with Paleozoics to later Special Summon.
![]() Paleozoic Marrella | Normal Trap |
Valiant Souls [N] | |
Send 1 Trap Card from your Deck to the Graveyard. Once per Chain, when a Trap Card is activated while this card is in your Graveyard: Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster (Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 2/ATK 1200/DEF 0). (This card is NOT treated as a Trap Card.) If Summoned this way, this card is unaffected by monster effects, also banish it when it leaves the field. |
Use Marella to thin your Deck and set up Paleozoics in the graveyard to later Special Summon.
Marella is probably the Paleozoic whose effect works at its best no matter when you activate it. This makes it a great trigger when you want to Special Summon Paleozoics from the graveyard.
Because your monsters are all level-2, you can only really make level-6 or 4 Synchro. But since the level-6 pool is much more versatile, it would be better to allocate Extra Deck space for that.
![]() Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier | WATER Sea Serpent ★6 ATK 2300 / DEF 1400 |
Aerial Assault [UR] | |
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters You can discard any number of cards to the GY, then target the same number of cards your opponent controls; return those cards to the hand. You can only use this effect of "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier" once per turn. |
Brionac is good for field clearing and loading the graveyard with Paleozoics.
![]() Coral Dragon | WATER Dragon ★6 ATK 2400 / DEF 500 |
Chronicle of Glory [UR] | |
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters Once per turn: You can discard 1 card, then target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy it. If this Synchro Summoned card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: You can draw 1 card. You can only use this effect of "Coral Dragon" once per turn. |
Coral Dragon is generally a good option to make. Compared to Brionac, its effect is more effective in single-target situations. The floating effective gives you some refund on resources incase your Coral Dragon is removed.
![]() White Aura Dolphin | WATER Fish ★6 ATK 2400 / DEF 1000 |
Cybernetic Rebellion [SR] | |
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; its ATK becomes half its original ATK until the end of this turn. If this card you control is destroyed by an opponent's card (by battle or card effect) and sent to your GY: You can banish 1 other WATER monster from your GY; Special Summon this card, and if you do, it is treated as a Tuner. |
Summon White Aura Dolphin if you don't have anything onhand to use as cost. The ATK halving effect and decent base stat makes it good for attacking over enemy monsters. White Aura Dolphin also has decent staying power, with its ability to revive itself by banishing Dewdark in your graveyard.
![]() Graydle Dragon | WATER Aqua ★8 ATK 3000 / DEF 2000 |
Judgement Force [R] | |
1 Aqua-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters When this card is Synchro Summoned: You can target cards your opponent controls, up to the number of WATER monsters used for the Synchro Summon of this card; destroy them. If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 other WATER monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it, but its effects are negated. You can only use each effect of "Graydle Dragon" once per turn. |
Summon Graydle Dragon by using Dewdark and a level-6 monster as material then immediately destroy two enemy cards. It functions as a 3000 ATK beater onboard, and the floating effect lets you revive whatever Synchro monster you used to make Graydle Dragon.
The Skill Territory of the Sharks makes it possible to make Rank-4 Xyz. Among your options, Spider Shark is definitely the best of the bunch and you should consider making it first. Other than that, fill your Extra Deck with WATER monsters you can occasionally make.
![]() Number 37: Hope Woven Dragon Spider Shark | WATER Fish ★4 ATK 2600 / DEF 2100 |
Shark Fang [UR] | |
2 Level 4 WATER monsters When any player's monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; all monsters your opponent currently controls lose 1000 ATK until the end of this turn. When this card is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 other monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it. You can only use each effect of "Number 37: Hope Woven Dragon Spider Shark" once per turn. |
![]() Number 32: Shark Drake | WATER Fish ★4 ATK 2800 / DEF 2100 |
Shark Fang [UR] | |
3 Level 4 monsters Once per turn, when this attacking card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; Special Summon the destroyed monster to your opponent's side of the field in face-up Attack Position, also it loses 1000 ATK, and if you do Summon this way, this card can make a second attack during this Battle Phase. |
![]() Evigishki Merrowgeist | WATER Aqua ★4 ATK 2100 / DEF 1600 |
Shark Fang [R] | |
2 Level 4 monsters After damage calculation, if this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; shuffle the destroyed monster into the Deck instead of sending it to the Graveyard. |
![]() Number 45: Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition | EARTH Zombie ★2 ATK 2200 / DEF 0 |
Shark Fang [R] | |
2 or more Level 2 monsters Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 other face-up card on the field; while this monster is face-up on the field, that target has its effects negated. While that target is on the field, cards with the same name as that target, and their effects, cannot be activated. |
For builds that don't use Territory of the Sharks, Crumble Logos is a decent Rank-2 you can make with your Paleozoic monsters. The targeted effect negation can be used to turn off key enemy cards.
[Skill] description | User |
---|---|
Territory of the Sharks The Level of all WATER monsters you control becomes 4 until the end of the turn. This Skill can only be used once per turn and twice per Duel. This Skill can only be used if you beign the Duel with a Deck/Extra Deck that contains no monsters other than WATER monsters. | ![]() Reginald Kastle |
Chain Reaction Your opponent loses 200 Life Points every time you activate a Trap Card. | ![]() Odion |
![]() Old Entity Hastorr | WIND Reptile ★4 ATK 2300 / DEF 1000 |
Masters of Shadow [SR] | |
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters If this card is sent from the Monster Zone to the Graveyard: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; equip this card from your Graveyard to that monster. That monster cannot attack, also its effects are negated. If this card leaves the field while equipped to an opponent's monster by this effect: Take control of the monster this card was equipped to. |
Thank you for visiting Duel Links wiki by GameA! We update this Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links community day by day to provide quality guides and the latest news.
[Zexal] Legendary Duelists Lvl 40 | ||
---|---|---|
![]() Yuma and Astral Lvl 40 | ![]() Tori Meadows Lvl 40 | ![]() Bronk Stone Lvl 40 |
Duel Links forums | |
---|---|
![]() General discussion | ![]() Vagabond trade |
![]() Deck advice | ![]() Duel room |
Duel / Level rewards | |
---|---|
![]() Level rewards | ![]() Duel rewards |
Skill pages | |
![]() Skill database | ![]() How to get drop skills |
Card Trader | Ranked Rewards |
---|---|
![]() Card Trader | ![]() Ranked Rewards |
![]() Cards you should trade | ![]() How to beat the Vegabond | ![]() How to solve Duel Quizes |
Standard Duelists | ||
---|---|---|
Lvl 14 | Lvl 20 | Lvl 27 |
Lvl 33 | Lvl 39 | Lvl 45 |
Lvl 51 | Lvl 57 | - |
Legendary Duelists | ||
Lvl 30 (DM) | Lvl 30 (GX) | Lvl 30 (5D's) |