Digimon TCG Adventure Deck Guide: How to Build Starter Decks 20 and 21!

The latest Digimon TCG starter decks, ST-20 and ST-21, are supposed to be two pieces of the same puzzle: if you combine them, you'll get a competitive Digimon TCG list. These two decks and the latest set, BT-21, also introduced a new trait to the game, the ADVENTURE trait. With them, you can build a deck with all, yes, all the first season Digimon, that is, the Digimon of the first season cast.

To get all the ADVENTURE cards and build a viable list, you need two of each starter deck, besides a few cards from the new set, BT-21 - World Convergence.

And, because of the ADVENTURE trait, Tai's Digimon and all their other friends can Digivolve into Digimon outside their Digivolution. For instance, Agumon can turn into an Ikkakumon! As a result, this deck will feature multiple strategies.

Furthermore, BT-21 also includes some relevant support for this type of list, like Tai Kamiya BT21-101, one of the secret cards from this set. In fact, this card is what will make this deck viable competitively.

You can build this deck in two different ways: one is more defensive and focuses on Wargreymon, and the other is more aggressive and focuses on Metalgarurumon. After a few tests, I believe the build that focuses on aggression is ideal for the ADVENTURE trait right now.

Your goal is to develop a strong board and spread your main characters, that is, your tamers, on your side of the table - each one of them plays a crucial role! They let you set up incredibly explosive strategies, deal with multiple enemy Digimon at once, and remove many Security cards at the same time. They might even let you set up your ideal combo, an OTK.

The list we'll work with today was built by Hoang Zero, a well-known player in the community who recently explored this archetype on their YouTube channel.

Eggs

We'll only use one Digitama: four copies of Tsunomon ST21-021. That's because of how recursive its On Deletion effect is. It makes up for all the problems you'll have when you start building the board with your multicolored tamers. With these 4 copies, we'll be able to attack the enemy Security without losing that many cards. We'll deal damage bit by bit and, as such, eventually finish the game with one of our combos.

Level 3 Digimon

Byomon ST20-02 is a must in any ADVENTURE list, as it is the only Digimon searcher in this archetype. This card is what makes this deck so consistent.

So, Palmon ST21-07 is the second consistency rookie in this deck. In fact, this list needs a lot of card draw, considering it plays many On Play effects, and these don't draw cards when the Digimon in question Digivolve.

To finish, we have Gabumon ST21-10, which not only lets you set up explosive turns, but also draws cards because of its Inherited effect. You can keep all the Gabumon you have for combo turns, but you can also use your level 4 or higher Digimon to attack the enemy Security early on and draw cards. The reason why is that your Digitama will always be able to get them back.

Level 4 Digimon

Let's start with Kabuterimon ST20-08, a level 4 Digimon that has a pretty common effect in Digimon TCG. Nonetheless, it is crucial in this archetype, as you'll have to rely on the colors of the tamers in play to so much as use or buff your Digimon effects.

Birdramon ST20-03 and Togemon ST21-06 have the same effect. They let you put level 5 Digimon - the most important Digimon in this archetype nowadays - in play quite fast, which essentially means they'll let you set up incredibly strong turns for this list. The only difference between these Inherited effects is that you can only use Birdramon's effect on your turn, so it lets you attack the enemy Security more safely. As for Togemon's effect, it may be a bit weaker, but you can use it on both turns.

To finish, this list plays a single copy of Garurumon. It will give you more recursion, as it lets you replay your combos as the game goes on. You can get it multiple times through Tsunomon ST21-01's On Deletion effect.

Tamers

Let's see our tamers, which are crucial for this archetype.

First, we have Sora Takenouchi & Kari Kamiya ST20-12 and Joe Kido & Mimi Tachikawa ST21-12, which have the same effect: they give you Memory if you have an ADVENTURE Digimon in play. Please note: if you Suspend these tamers, you can discount the play cost of your Digimon. This way, you can start your combo on your turn as you level up your Digimon. This list only plays one Sora & Kari because the goal is to play as many different colors of tamers as you can.

And that brings us to Matt Ishida & T.K. Takaishi ST21-13, an irreplaceable card for this aggressive deck, as it gives Rush to all level 5 or higher ADVENTURE Digimon. That's why this list doesn't play many Sora & Kari: Matt & T.K. are also yellow.

Finally, we have Tai Kamiya BT21-102, a Secret Rare. This card solves all the issues the Starter decks have, as it is not only the archetype setter, but also draws cards. This is particularly important considering this deck needs to find multiple cards to end the game. Furthermore, you can use Tai as a last resource to finish the game by putting it on the bottom of your deck and playing, potentially, a Digimon that costs up to 7 for free.

Alongside Matt and T.K., this Digimon is often the last check you'll do before you finally win the game.

Level 5 Digimon

Putting level 5 Digimon in play is the main goal, as well as the standard strategy, for this deck, but you'll also focus on removing as many enemy Security cards as you can on a single turn. However, this is not the only way to play this standard strategy. You'll be able to deal with many game states in many different ways as you play it.

In this list, you'll find two copies of Zudomon ST21-04, a great removal against certain common meta matchups, like Royal Knights or Green Ranger. It also plays two copies of Lillymon ST21-09, an incredibly strong removal that can send multiple enemy Digimon of any level to the bottom of the enemy deck if they're tapped. Furthermore, this list also plays a copy of Metalgreymon BT21-061 to deal with stack decks, protection through Inherited effects, and ACE threats, such as, for instance, Alphamon Ouryuken.

Let's discuss Garudamon ST20-04 and MegaKabuterimon ST20-09 together. They're critical in the most optimized combo. With an ideal board state, that is, with 3 tamers of different colors, you can get any level 3 Digimon and Digivolve it for 2 memory into Togemon or Birdramon. As such, because of its effect, it'll Digivolve again, now for free, into Garudamon, and get Security A. +1.

So, you can play Birdramon or Togemon, if not for free after playing Sora & Kari or Joe & Mimi multiple times, then with Tai Kamiya's effect, and evolve it into MegaKabuterimon. This will trigger Garudamon's effect, which will be able to attack with Alliance, and do 3 Security checks. Then, you'll activate MegaKabuterimon's effect, untap an ADVENTURE Digimon, and ready Garudamon to do two other Security checks. And all of that for, potentially, just 2 Memory!

Explosive, isn't it?

Level 6 Digimon

Metalgarurumon ACE ST21-11 is in this list as another way to start the combo. You can put it in play for free with Tai Kamiya's effect, or discount its cost so much with other tamers that you can keep playing your turn as usual. You can also give it Rush with Matt and T.K.

It even removes level 7 Digimon: with the proper setup, this card is a constant threat that your opponent can't ignore. Even more so considering its When Attacking effect, as it lets you start the combo by playing Birdramon or Togemon from your trash, and evolve them into the best level 5 Digimon for that situation. This is an explosive chain of effects that will probably lead you to victory.

Options

Finally, let's see the Options in this deck. I'll start with Believe in Our Friendship ST21-14. There's not much to say about this card: it is the Memory Boost designed specifically for the ADVENTURE trait, as it makes this entire strategy more consistent. Its Delay effect also gives you Memory. Please note that you can ignore its color requirements if you have an ADVENTURE tamer or Digimon in play.

As for Courage United ST20-14, it has more potential, as you can use it in many other ways. For instance, if your opponent removes one of your level 5 or higher Digimon on their turn, you can activate its Delay effect. From then on, you'll have many alternatives. You can even play any of your level 5 Digimon from your deck, as they'll offer you multiple ways to deal with the enemy board, and all of this on their turn and for free.

Final Words

ST20 and ST21 have a lot of potential and are a great way to start playing Digimon TCG, considering they'll get more support soon, and are already powerful enough to compete in local metas. The support in BT21 will already put these decks on a new level.

However, though most players will easily be able to learn its basic strategies, it is a lot more complex than it seems. There are multiple combos in this list, and, for a beginner, these might be hard to understand and see once the game is on. If you're not a beginner, I highly recommend this list, particularly as we'll definitely get more support for it in the next two sets. The sky is the limit, and it is truly worth it!

What did you think of this list? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!