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How to Counter Sylvans

Duel Links how to beat Sylvan deck, anti-sylvan cards,
update 17/04/2018

Sylvan decks

After the release of the Mini Box "Rampage of the Forest," Sylvan decks have have been dominating in PvP. This is because they are more accessible and easy to use since it starts with 1 Sylvan Komushroomo to destroy their opponent's monsters and spells and traps. But since Sylvan decks don't use a lot of spells and traps themselves because they need to excavate their plant monsters, this can be telling when they only set 1 monster on the field and pass the turn since it's most likely a Komushroomo, and negating it can be the key.

To know how to deal with a Sylvan deck, you'll need to understand their deck first, so be sure to check an example deck list first.

KC Cup

Since Sylvans decks are quite strong, there are a lot of people in the KC Cup that are using a Sylvan deck. It's good to prepare some counters against them if you want to climb through the ranks, as you'll most likely be facing plenty of them in both stage 1 and 2 of the KC Cup, while still being able to use them against other deck types of course.

Counters

  • Generally, if you think you're going against a Sylvan deck and they only set 1 monster, the possible monsters are Rose Lover, Magical Merchant, Sylvan Komushroomo, or World Carrotweight Champion.
  • You will need to pay attention if your opponent uses Rose Lover to special summon a monster. A monster that is special summoned using Rose Lover's effect is immune to traps for a turn, so make sure to not waste your Wall of Disruption, or Windstorm of Etaqua carelessly.
  • Keep track of how many Sylvan Marshalleaf and Komushroomo that are excavated and sent to the grave. If all 3 are already used, then you won't have to worry about getting your monster(s), or spells/traps destroyed.
  • Keep in mind that some Sylvan decks like to run cards that can return cards from the grave to the deck, and they will most likely return their Marshalleaf and Komushroomo.

Negating monster effects

The easiest way to prevent a Sylvan deck from popping off is to negate their effects, starting with Komushroomo since it mills 5 cards from their deck.

  • This makes Forbidden Chalice one of the most versatile card you can put in any deck to counter them since you can use it when you attack a Komushroomo, or use it when they flip their card.

  • Divine Wrath and Ultimate Providence have a slight drawback since you need to discard a card, but still effective against many deck types too since monster effects are quite common.

  • Both Divine Wrath and Ultimate Providence does not target, this means they are effective against cards like Hazy Flame Sphynx, and Ultimate Providence can be used to negate a spell/trap as well.

Pre-emptive destruction

If you think your opponent is playing a Sylvan deck, whether it's because they only set 1 monster, or because they used a Restart skill to show their hand, you can destroy their monster before they get to flip their Komushroomo.

  • Tribute to The Doomed, Parallel Twister, and Snipe Hunter can be used to destroy any monster, even if they are in face-down position.
  • The cost to use them is to discard a card, so it's better if you use these cards with certain cards/deck that can benefit from being in the grave.
  • Tribute to The Doomed can be good in a mirror matchup since you can discard a Rose Lover and special summon a monster, along with your normal summon to potentially win the game early.
  • Parallel Twister can be good in an Arkbrave Dragon deck because of cards like Paladin/Guardian of Felgrand, or good in a Paleozoic deck.
  • Snipe Hunter is arguably the most versatile of the 3 since you can target any card your opponent controls, provided they are not untargetable. This requires some luck and a cost of a discard though.

Unaffected / Untargetable

Assuming the worst, if a Komushroomo's effect activates and it sends a Marshalleaf and a Komushroomo, it will destroy both your monster and your spell/trap card. To avoid being left defenseless, you can use cards like Forbidden Dress to prevent getting destroyed, or banish it.

  • Forbidden Dress makes a monster untargetable, and can't be destroyed by card effects. But since it lowers a monster's attack by 600, it can easily be destroyed by battle, so it's best to use it on a monster with some good defense, or if you have some other protection cards.
  • Sea Stealth Attack is used in a Citadel Whale water deck, which is also a very strong deck that can go against Sylvans. When your opponent targets your monster, or the spell/trap card, you can activate Sea Stealth Attack to protect your monster and face-up spells and traps. But this will leave you open for attacks if you only have 1 monster and you banished it.
  • Other banish cards that you can tech in for most decks are cards like Interdimensional Matter Transporter, or Dimension Gate, which are still some good options.

Miss timing

This method can be a tricky, and mostly benefits if you are also using monsters with flip effects like a Geargia deck. Since Komushroomo's effect states that it will only activate when it's flipped face-up, this means that if it's flipped face-up in a response to something, resulting in its activation being in chain link 2 or higher, it will miss its timing.

  • Since Geargia deck benefits from The Spell Absorbing Life anyway, this can provide a way for you to prevent Komushroomo from activating.
  • Geargiattacker also has a similar effect activation as Komushroomo, so you'll need to be careful when using it since you can also make it miss its timing.
  • Geargianchor will not miss its timing if you use Spell Absorbing Life in chain link 2 or higher, and it will let you destroy your opponent's monster still, but only if you have other Geargia monster(s).

Other useful cards

These cards aren't all that versatile, but if you are using certain decks that work with them, then these can be some optional ways to get rid of Komushroomo.

CardExplanation
Lava Golem
Lava Golem
Can be a good tech card against many decks, but you can't summon any other monster for the rest of the turn.
Man-Eater Bug
Man-Eater Bug
Good option to set as first monster if you get first turn. Can also bait your opponent's Forbidden Chalice.
Evil Dragon Ananta
Evil Dragon Ananta
For Alien decks only. It's a good card removal since you can also destroy spell/trap card, but weak to Enemy Controller.
Divine Punishment
Divine Punishment
Counter trap Fairy deck is quite strong since you can negate most things, but relies heavily on getting some decent hand.
Different Dimension Ground
Different Dimension Ground
Banishing the excavated monsters prevents their effects from activating, but this only lasts for a turn.
Super Rush Headlong
Super Rush Headlong
This can help protect you for a turn to prevent getting destroyed by Hermitree. Also helps get over Komushroomo if it's face-up.

Comments

Hot New Top
Anonymous
Sry for dissapointing the people who say that Sylvan in brainless deck. You guys must know that Sylvan is the only deck that needs brain and I will explain why.

So: All other decks are premade and you know all combos you have to use, so you dont use your brain. But in Sylvan, you must use only your brain to create your own combos. And the card that needs the most brain is Guardioak and Hermitree, coz you have to think carefully the order of the cards that you put on top of your deck...
<< Anonymous(Anonymous)
Anonymous Reply
most sylvan players don't carry much backrow. as long as their monster effect negated or they can't excavate something worthy, they are done.
<< Anonymous(Toon)
Anonymous Reply
No
<< Anonymous
Anonymous Reply
Sea Stealth deck is kinda coward too tbh.
<< Anonymous
Anonymous Reply
"I beat sylvan cowards 9x out of 10 with my sea stealth deck.. sylvans are for cowards and people with limited intelligence." Because setting a trap card with whale takes so much intelligence you idiot. Sea stealth takes as much "intelligence" as Amazoness. Me play trap card and me hit attack. me smart
Sylvanian Emperor
Sylvan is the best deck Konami ever created. You 🔥 idiots sop crying about Sylvan power. You are just 🔥s and can't win against us. I will play Sylvan forever and you will never defeat me. So go play Fortnite and stop crying, becauce you are noobs. Konami thank you for create sylvan, you helped me clear this game from antimeta idiots.
<< Anonymous(Sylvanian Emperor)
Basterd hello! Reply
Well sylvans kinda got a major hit now lmao so what were you saying again?
<< Anonymous(Sylvanians=zero iq)
Anonymous Reply
Well having used them in TCG and in duel links. I can say with certainty that the skill required to play in duel link is very, very low.
<< Anonymous(Sylvanian Emperor)
greatestofalltime Reply
I watch your mouth armature the only thing you know how to do is use ur lunch money for online packs of cards
<< Anonymous(Sylvanian Emperor)
Anonymous Reply
Comes the June 26 update Sylvens might not be as effective as they are now
Anonymous
They should've limited Marshmallow or whatever's effect to "Once per tourn". If your opponent sends two of those to the graveyard you're 🔥ed. Rose Lover's effect didn't need to have an "inmune to traps" effect, either. Or at least add a "you can't special summon other monsters the turn you activate this effect". So many things they could've made to avoid this being so hard to counter, but that's too much to ask from the 🔥s who run this game.
<< Anonymous
Anonymous Reply
Sylvans predate Duel Links.
fake
Noble Knight deck sort of counters Sylvan, as long as you drew a monster and a Noble Arms Destiny in the first turn, pretty easy to do so with balance and Glory of Noble Knights. I’ve been harvesting Sylvan players in rank with a random budget NK deck.
<< Anonymous(fake)
fake Reply
All Sylvan players, the win rate of NK against Sylvan is ridiculous.
<< Anonymous(fake)
Aquablast Reply
Noble Knight Drystan + Noble Arms of Destiny really should solve all your Sylvan problems... Well, unless the Sylvan player mills 2 Marshalleaf, then in theory they could still destroy your Noble Knight then OTK you (assuming it is still turn 2 or 3). They surely can't rely on Komushroomo and Magic Merchant to mill though, since Drystan should be able to destroy them right away.
Anonymous
29 years old , have no friends , still live in their mom’s house = sylvan
<< Anonymous
Anonymous Reply
just because you can not beat sylvans. Stop crying about it.
<< Anonymous
Anonymous Reply
Those people you mean a losers like yourself
<< Anonymous
Tian Reply
Get ice barrier deck, balance, play in second turn and bum! those sylvans become easy! It works for me.
Anonymous
Can't wait until this archtype dies down kinda sad how most players won't accept how bs and clutch sylvans can be. Sure you can counter them with cards, but you're screwed over if you don't draw them first. Personally if Kumushroomo was limited to 1 it'd be fine.
<< Anonymous
Anonymous Reply
Yes he does, and it should be executed immediately.
<< Anonymous
Anonymous Reply
remember back when Konamoney linmited Champions Vigilance because it was to strong with blue eyes kaibaman deck and also when it limited red-eyes revive?
yea.... sylvans surely aren't a problem.... lets not limit them....
KONAMONY GET YOUR 🔥 TOGETHER!
<< Anonymous
Anonymous Reply
^ Noob, thinking that Vigilance was limited because of Blue-Eyes
<< Anonymous
Anon Reply
This is funny considering how Roselover and Marshall got limited to 2 each
Yami en
why my devine wrath doesn't work on slyvan guardiock. I use it and discard one card but that slyvan still there and it effect still going. It's cheat right??
<< Anonymous(Yami en)
Anonymous Reply
was it summoned via rose lover? since that negates traps
Anonymous
Quick play spell forbidden graveyard, draw it first turn and when they start shreading their deck use it
<< Anonymous
Anonymous Reply
I use 2 now after I used it on a guy who shreaded his deck to 3 cards and used it to stop every effect that activated
Anonymous
so much salt. all of the popular meta decks are press yes to win. how is masks doesn't get this same type of hate is beyond me
<< Anonymous
OP is an idiot Reply
Is that why 7 of the top 10 most used card are Sylvans deck staples? Quit lying to yourself and just admit this deck is easy mode and is killing ranked.
<< Anonymous
Aquablast Reply
Mask is powerful... but it doesn't leave you helpless by clearing your whole field. If you want a meta deck comparable to Sylvan, try Geargia... but even then, Geargia is still harder to use, since you need more than 1 cards to start your mass destruction. Both Mask and Geargia being more expensive also make it less common, so people are unlikely to face them multiple times in a row.
Counter Ideas
There’s a counter trap card called ‘Chivarly’ that during the BP it negates the opponents monsters effect, could be useful if you have it set a turn before they play a Komushroom and then attack the face down Komushroom.
Just an idea.
<< Anonymous(Counter Ideas)
Counter Ideas Reply
Can also work against Amazoness decks to get rid of Amazoness princess
Anonymous
ME... NOBRAIN... ME... CLICK YES... ME WIN GAME!
<< Anonymous
Anonymous Reply
Hahahahahahahahahaha
Anonymous
Have you noticed that whenever a Sylvan player excavates a number of cards randomly (i.e. not using card effects that let you arrange the order of the top of their deck), they always get the card they need to excavate on their very last excavation? And that Grit activates for them with like 500 LP? The luck those lowlives have is incredible.

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