Digimon TCG: Deck Tech - How to Play Jupitermon and Olympos XII

Right now, the Digimon TCG meta is a bit stale. Hudiemon decks are over 50% of the meta. So, today we'll go over a new option that the new set, BT24 - Time Stranger, introduced to try to balance the game a bit more.

The list we'll explore today is a Time Stranger Jupitermon list that won a Japanese tournament in the hands of hato_sub. It leans on a simple idea: treat the Security pile as fuel. In this list, losing life is actually a way to trigger multiple effects throughout the game and progress your game plan, enable removals, and even put pressure on the opponent later on.

Here's our list:

Digi-Eggs

Let's start with our Digi-Eggs, our four copies of Tsunomon BT24-003. Its Inherited effect says that, once during your turn, when you lose a card from the Security pile, this Digimon may Digivolve into a [Shaman] card from your hand for 1 less resource.

With this Digi-Egg, you'll be able to take advantage of the life points you lose a bit more freely. You'll turn some of the resources you lost into Memory and progress your strategy even more.

Rookie Kit

All of these level 3 Digimon are quite straightforward. They all let you look for "TS" Digimon so that you can get to your level 4 and 5 Digimon a bit faster. With Elecmon BT24-031, you'll reveal the top 3 cards from your deck and add 1 TS card and 1 Iliad card among them to your hand. You'll be able to fix your hand and add two useful cards to it. It basically represents 2 cards in 1. Its Inherited effect lets you draw cards from your life pile, which goes perfectly with this list's Digi-Egg, and also recover 1 life, if you get to 0.

Tapirmon BT24-043 is similar, but it interacts with the other side of the deck, that is, Shaman, Beast, Animal, and Sovereign cards, as well as TS Digimon as well. To make things even better, Tapirmon's Inherited effect is also relevant for future Digivolutions. Once per turn, when you attack, it lets you suspend an enemy Digimon regardless of its cost or level.

As for Gomamon P-196, it is a shortcut that punishes the opponent for trying to strangle your Memory. At the beginning of your Main Phase, if you have 4 Memory or less, Gomamon may Digivolve into a [TS] or [Sea Beast] Digimon from your hand for free. Its Inherited effect draws cards if you have 7 cards or less in hand.

Aegiomon and the Shaman Kit

Remember when we mentioned that Tapirmon BT24-043 interacts with the other half of the deck? We were talking about the two Aegiomon and the two Aegiochusmon in this list. Aegiomon BT24-034 has and passes down Barrier through its Inherited effect, but it also features a new mechanic from its set, a "When Moving" effect. This effect triggers when this Digimon leaves the Breeding Area and goes to the battlefield. This same effect also triggers when you put it in play and when you Digivolve it, so it will always be available.

In particular, this effect lets you move the top card in your Security pile to your hand, and then, in exchange, play 1 TS Tamer from your hand for free. The only restriction is that you can't use this effect to put in play a Tamer with the same name as one of your other Tamers in play. Like so, you'll have to set up a varied base with Tamers and your best cards. In practice, you'll be converting the Security pile into more cards in your hand. You'll also put more Tamers in play, speed up your game plan, and make your next Digivolutions more consistent.

Throughout the game, you'll "burn" your life points pretty heavily and spend them to activate effects. Aegiochusmon BT24-014 will reward you for not having that many life points. When you Digivolve it, it'll nerf an enemy Digmon by -5000 DP, and, if you have 3 Security or less, it also lets you delete a Digimon with 7000 DP or less. So, the damage you take will turn into removal. This card is perfect to punish weak enemy Digimon.

Aegiochusmon P-213 kickoffs the TS kit. When it Digivolves, and if you already have 3 Security or less, it gains Rush and 3000 DP. Like so, it'll be a 10 000 DP Digimon until the end of the opponent's turn and can also attack immediately. With it, you can turn dead turns with nearly no memory into an opportunity to attack.

Furthermore, it comes with Raid, so you can turn this attack into removal as well. It also has Decode [Aegiomon], so you can play an Aegiomon from its Digivolution stack when this Digimon or its Digivolutions leaves the battle area. This is its Inherited effect.

Olympos XII

The top of this deck's curve includes support like Minervamon BT24-041 and Venusmon BT24-040. When Minervamon is played, deleted, or Digivolved, it lets you put in play an Iliad Digimon that costs 5 or less from your hand for free. Next, it De-Digivolves an enemy Digimon by 1 level for each of your Digimon, which is a very efficient way to destroy stacks. Furthermore, it gives Reboot and Blocker to your Iliad Digimon.

Venusmon BT24-040, as always, is a control card. When you play it (which won't be that difficult because one of its abilities also discounts its cost) or when you Digivolve it, it trashes an enemy Digimon's entire Inherited stack. And, until the end of the opponent's turn, you can also use this card to prevent 2 enemy Digimon or Tamers from suspending and activating When Digivolving effects. Like so, you'll disable answers and make evolution lines a lot less useful. Finally, when one of your TS Digimon leaves the battle area (for any reason that isn't its own effects), you may keep it in play by putting 1 other Digimon with no Digivolution cards at the bottom of your Security pile.

Neptunemon BT24-030 is more of an answer. It returns to the bottom of your deck all enemy Digimon with the least amount of Digivolution cards, which usually clears Rookies, floodgates, and small stacks all at once. Furthermore, once per turn, when it suspends, it can unsuspend itself and, in both turns, it protects your TS Digimon that leave the battle area through enemy effects. All you have to do to use this effect is suspend Neptunemon.

The core of the deck is definitely Jupitermon BT24-101, one of the two Secret Rares in this last set. It lets you trash the top card in your Security to nerf an enemy Digimon by -13000 DP until the end of their turn. After that, if you have at least 1 Security card or less, you'll heal two by moving two cards from your deck directly into your life pile. With this card, you'll be able to deal with a threat, and, if you decided to play with a small Security pile, Jupitermon rewards you twice as much.

Its second ability is also quite relevant for this deck. Once per turn, when you lose a card from your Security, you may trash the top of your opponent's Security pile. So decks like this one allow Jupitermon to put even more pressure on the game. The third text block is Jupitermon's protection: when a TS Digimon or Tamer leaves your battle area, you may trash the top of your Security to prevent that. This Digimon comes with a real cost, but it lets you take advantage of losing cards from your Security to put pressure on the opponent. In long matches, keeping a key Tamer in play is often more valuable than saving a life point, particularly since you'll use yours as a resource.

Tamers and Options

This deck uses a lot of Tamers. Let's start with Inori Misono BT24-084 and Hiroko Sagisaka BT24-083. Inori boosts your Memory at the beginning of your Main Phase because, if you have 4 or less Memory, this card gives you 1. And, when you lose a card from your Security pile, you can tap this card to Digivolve an Aegiomon into an Aegiochusmon from your hand for free. Like so, you'll be able to answer enemy attacks by Digivolving, and, oftentimes, by removing the right card at the right time.

Hiroko plays an interesting role. At the beginning of your turn, if you have 4 Memory or less, you may return it to the bottom of your deck. Then, if you do, you can play a TS Digimon from your hand with 5000 DP or less for free, or play a Tamer with the same name as this card from your hand. Playing a copy of it with this effect is really interesting because it lets you look for a TS Digimon among the top cards in your deck.

Homeros BT24-102 is another Secret Rare in this set, so it also makes this deck a bit cheaper. This Tamer supports TS and Olympos XII cards directly by giving you 1 Memory at the beginning of your Main Phase, and, if that leaves you with 5 Memory or more, you may suspend this Tamer to draw a card. Like so, it's a light resource engine that doesn't brick your turn. Furthermore, it also buffs all your TS Digimon by +1000 DP, which is quite useful. Finally, at the end of your turn, you may suspend Homeros to reuse an Olympos XII Digimon's On Play or When Digivolving effect. Like so, you'll be able to reuse any rare effects you play in this deck.

In-Between Theater BT24-100 is the perfect example of an interaction in this deck. While you have a TS Digimon in play, you can ignore its color requirement. When you play it, you'll reveal the top 3 cards in your deck and get a TS Digimon from there. After that, this Option will stay in the battle area and give you 2 Memory if you use its Delay. As for the older Options (Tactical Retreat!! BT4-105 and Blinding Ray BT4-104), they get a lot more interesting in decks like these, which refill and reorganize Security cards mid-game.

I really hope that, with the new set, we get to push Hudiemon off the podium. So far, the meta answered BT24 - Time Stranger really well because we got some incredible new cards, so here's to the future.

Our next stop is Milleniummon!

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!