Digimon TCG: Deck Tech - How To Play ExMaquinamon

It's always nice when a new set comes out and we can enjoy new Digimon cards, new mechanics, and everything the new products can offer us.

In today's article, we'll explore EX11, the new Digimon, Maquinamon, and its Digivolutions. This character is a mixture of organic matter and machine parts and also has two different Digivolution lines. One features machines that act as animals, and the other features animals that act as machines.

This entire deck centers around the Maquinamon kit, which is a new archetype from EX11. It gets ahead by linking Maquinamon EX11-027 multiple times. This will eventually allow you to control the board and hit the opponent's Security with ExMaquinamon EX11-073.

I picked this deck because it's an entirely new archetype from EX11, so it's what BANDAI wants to push as the new trendy competitive list, but, in the end, I fell into a trap of my own making. Once again I'm discussing a black deck that gets more resilient as the game goes on and ends matches with a One Hit Kill. At least it's not monoblack this time - it's also green.

The list we'll see today was built by Shane, who won a Digimon TCG tournament in the UK. Here it is:

The first thing you'll see is that it plays 14 Maquinamon EX11-027, the very core of this deck. It also uses searchers and its link ability to get ahead.

After that come two Digivolution lines, one green and one black, that both end with a Jogress. This deck will disable any enemy answers and use Maquinamons as fuel for link strategies and to protect your Digimon from effects.

Now, let's see what each card does closely.

Digi-Eggs

This list plays Flickmon EX11-006 as its Digi-Egg. It dictates how fast you Digivolve your cards by changing how much you'll have to spend to do it. Its Inherited effect allows you to Digivolve a Digimon that is linked to Maquinamon, once per turn when it attacks, into a Maquinamon card in your hand for two less resources. This is great in this deck, considering how easy it links Maquinamon.

Flickmon can turn attacks into units on the board, which is one of the most direct ways to move fast in Digimon TCG. It also forces the opponent to respect you. You will be able to turn a small body into a Digivolution that can control the game in the middle of an attack, so you'll be quite unpredictable.

Maquinamon

Maquinamon EX11-027 can represent this entire deck. You can use up to 50 of them in this list, which is a lot. Its effect really resembles Vemmon BT11-061 and ADR-02 Searcher EX2-046 because it gets something from your deck when it enters play. You'll reveal the top cards in your deck, get a Maquinamon and another Maquinamon card, and return the rest to the bottom of your deck. This, by itself, is an engine that will improve your hand considerably. After all, it lets you get two cards from the top of your deck, and you can also use it later on as fuel to activate other effects.

Furthermore, Maquinamon was designed to be the bridge between Digimon and Appmon and interact with the link mechanic in two ways. You can link it for free with certain effects, and, more importantly, its link effect lets you protect the Digimon it is linked to. All you need to do is put one of its linked cards at the bottom of its Inherited pile as a Digivolution card.

The Green Side

This deck has two distinct sides, one green and one black, that interact with each other. If we separate it by color instead of Digimon levels, it's easy to see what each side does.

Let's start with the green side. This set of cards tends to be the core that lets you move faster while disrupting the opponent, mainly because of how green works in Digimon TCG. After all, this color suspends pieces and prevents them from untapping. These effects are a pretty straightforward way to tell your opponent they'll always be one turn behind, or even more turns.

The first Digivolution we'll see is the level 4 Turbomon EX11-029. It comes into play and makes everything easier because, when it enters or when it Digivolves, you may link a Maquinamon EX11-027 from your hand or one of the Digivolution cards under your Digimon for free. When this card is linked, you can also put in play this deck's dedicated Tamer, Unchained EX11-070, for free if you have one tamer or less in play. Furthermore, its Inherited effect passes down Piercing, so it makes your attacks better, particularly when you attack Digimon you'll suspend yourself.

Moving on to level 5 Digimon, we have Maneuvermon EX11-033, which is the first green tool we'll use to disrupt the board. It puts a Maquinamon in play for free, so it allows you to search for cards constantly, but it also suspends an enemy Digimon once per turn when you link it. As such, you'll prevent an enemy Digimon from untapping until the end of the opponent's turn.

Its Inherited effect also leans into control. It lets you untap it when you delete an enemy Digimon in battle, so you can remove multiple units on the board in a row and even protect this Pokémon from attacks.

The most expensive green Digimon in this list is Mega Dalphomon EX11-036, which is what will help you DNA Digivolve your boss monster. Dalphomon has Vortex, so you can keep attacking at the end of your turn. When it enters, Digivolves, or attacks, it lets you suspend two enemy cards (Digimon and Tamers) and also prevents one of them from untapping until the end of the turn.

This is the Digimon that triggers effects at the end of your turn. At this point, it lets you Digivolve another Digimon for free into a black Maquinamon card. So, these green cards will not only control the pacing but also set up DNA Digivolutions for no extra resources.

The Black Side

This side is a bit different. Instead of controlling the board by disabling certain cards, it turns link effects into removals and protection. This is what makes black particularly resilient. As such, it won't lose its main stack to a single good attack, and it also attacks enemy stacks that rely on many Inherited effects.

The black level 4 Digimon in this list is Mulemon EX11-040. It follows the same logic as Turbomon, as it links Maquinamon for free when it enters or when you Digivolve it. When you link a Digimon to it, you may put in play an Unchained Tamer for free as long as you have one Tamer in play or less. Its Inherited effect features Reboot, which helps you manage your board a bit better but doesn't force you to not attack. You'll always have a Digimon in play with this card, either to block or dodge attacks.

The next Digimon, the level 5 Digimon MockingBirdmon EX11-042, is essential in many strategies featured in this list. It puts a Maquinamon in play for free and also deletes an enemy Digimon that costs 5 or less when you link it. It's perfect to get rid of floodgates and openers. Its Inherited effect lets you redirect attacks to it in the opponent's turn, so it acts as extra protection for other Digimon and your Security, particularly if you combine it with Maquinamon EX11-027's effect.

The most expensive black Digimon in this list is Metatromon EX11-045, which is designed to disable the opponent's game plan when they put their level 6 Digimon in play or are about to. It has a blocker, and in the three times its ability triggers (when it Digivolves, attacks, or enters play), it lets you De-Digivolve an enemy Digimon by 2.

After that, Metatromon also prevents an enemy Digimon or Tamer from Digivolving until the end of the turn. At this point of the game, it mirrors Dalphomon EX11-036. It lets you Digivolve another Digimon for free into a green Maquinamon Digimon. So, you can set up the green cards for the DNA Digivolution passively, as the turns go by.

ExMaquinamon

ExMaquinamon EX11-073 is the Jogress that allows this deck to put a lot of pressure on the later turns and makes it more than just an efficient strategy. To DNA Digivolve it, you need two level 6 Digimon, one black and one green, but you don't need to invest anything else to do it. These two Digimon and their Inherited effects also go to its stack. It will have a lot of effects at once.

In terms of keywords, it naturally has Security Attack +1 and Blocker, and you can link two other Digimon to it. This, by itself, means it puts pressure while it defends. When you DNA Digivolve it, you may link up to 3 Maquinamon from your hand, trash, or Digivolution cards for free.

At the end of the opponent's turn, once per turn, for each card linked to this Digimon, it trashes the top of the enemy Security pile and returns one of their Digimon to the bottom of their deck. This type of effect is a combination of board control and burn, so it easily changes the game. Even if the opponent doesn't attack to protect their resources, they'll be punished at the end of the turn. Losing a body to the bottom of the deck usually breaks sequences that lean on Inherited effects and particular cards. Like so, you'll be able to dominate the board no matter what.

Unchained

Unchained EX11-070 is this deck's main Tamer. At the beginning of your turn, if you have 2 Memory or less, it sets your Memory to 3, so you'll stabilize and still have Memory even if the opponent tries to disrupt you this way.

At the end of your turn, Unchained lets you DNA Digivolve 2 of your Digimon into ExMaquinamon you have in hand. This effect lets you spend your turn Digivolving your Digimon to level 6 and also set up a DNA Digivolution. After that, this Tamer also lets you "mind link" a Maquinamon Digimon. It is another protection card that prevents the opponent from sabotaging your Digimon or mess with your stack.

Currently, one of this deck's weaknesses is that it doesn't have a lot of support. However, the promo packs that are to be released will bring us some new cards for it - including an Emblem for Ex Machinamon itself!

It's a great list that really deserves more cards. It could even become a tier-1 deck.

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

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!