Thunderous OTKs - Ansem1013's Batteryman Guide

[Ansem1013]

1. Introduction
The Batteryman archetype was first introduced way back in The Lost Millennium. Prior to Light of Destruction, Batteryman decks mainly focused on OTKing with Batteryman AA by summoning 3 copies via Inferno Reckless Summon. Since LODT, not much has changed in the basic win condition of the deck. LODT introduced Short Circuit, making AA's OTK that much easier to accomplish, as well as Batteryman Industrial Strength, who effectively replaces Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon in the role of "boss" monster. The Shining Darkness gave Batteries a little extra nudge forward with Batteryman AAA and Batteryman Fuel-Cell. The fact that they are all LIGHT attribute only gives them more support, and while Thunder isn't the most supported type, with the TSHD, things are changing.

2. Archetype Specific Cards
MONSTERS
Batteryman AA

Attribute: LIGHT
Types: Thunder/Effect
Level: Level 3
ATK/DEF: 0/0
If all "Batteryman AA"(s) you control are in Attack Position, this card gains 1000 ATK for each. If all "Batteryman AA"(s) you control are in Defense Position, this card gains 1000 DEF for each.

The staple monster in most Batteryman decks. Summon three of him and you've got 3 monsters with either 3000 ATK or DEF each. AA ends games if given an opening. He's what made the deck viable and able to OTK in the first place. He doesn't belong in every Battery build, but most will utilize the potential behemoth.

Batteryman C

Attribute: LIGHT
Types: Thunder/Effect
Level: Level 2
ATK/DEF: 0/0
If all "Batteryman C"(s) you control are in Attack Position, all Machine-Type monsters you control gain 500 ATK for each "Batteryman C" you control. If all "Batteryman C"(s) you control are in Defense Position, all Machine-Type monsters you control gain 500 DEF for each "Batteryman C" you control.

Batteryman C falls short when compared to Batteryman AA. The fact that the ATK boost only affects machines is what really hurts. C can be used however; if Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon is being used or in a deck using DNA Surgery and machine support. Anywhere else, though, C is epic failure.

Batteryman D

Attribute: LIGHT
Types: Thunder/Effect
Level: Level 1
ATK/DEF: 0/1900
Your opponent cannot select a Thunder-Type monster you control as an attack target (except "Batteryman D").

Better than C, worse than AA. Defensive and not much else and because of his effects wording, having two doesn't create an impenetrable shield. Useful if you want to stall for whatever reason or need more batteries to support Industrial Strength.

Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon

Attribute: LIGHT
Types: Thunder/Effect
Level: Level 5
ATK/DEF: 2400/1000
If you Tribute Summon this card by Tributing 1 of the following monsters, it gains the Appropriate effect:
● Batteryman D: Negate the effect of a Spell or Trap Card that targets this 1 card.
● Batteryman C: During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.
● Batteryman AA: This card gains 1000 ATK.

Batteries' 1st boss monster. Not really good for too much. In a deck like this, strength is found in numbers and SEVD diminishes your numbers, for mediocre effects I might add. For the most part, avoid using this guy....

Batteryman Micro-Cell

Attribute: LIGHT
Types: Thunder/Effect
Level: Level 1
ATK/DEF: 100/100
FLIP: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Batteryman" monster from your Deck, except "Batteryman Micro-Cell". After this card has been flipped face-up, when it is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, draw 1 card

While Micro-Cell can search out AA (or D,C, or AAA), because the effect will most likely be going off during damage, Inferno Reckless Summon won't be able to be chained. This won't be applicable all the time, however, as Threatening Roar, Waboku, etc. can help avoid attacks from the opponent so Micro-Cell can be flipped at a more opportune time. He's also a free draw once flipped and destroyed by battle. I personally find the card a little slow, but the format is supposedly changing towards less speedy aggro, so try Micro-Cell out.

Batteryman Charger

Attribute: LIGHT
Types: Thunder/Effect
Level: Level 5
ATK/DEF: 1800/1200
When this card is Normal Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 "Batteryman" monster, except "Batteryman Charger", from your hand or Deck. This card gains 300 ATK and DEF for each Thunder-Type monster you control.

This guy is pretty awesome, being able to grab a AA or D and not only trigger IRS, but also give himself a massive ATK boost. His only downfall is that he requires a tribute, but unlike SEVD, he replaces the tribute upon summoning. Useful alongside Micro-Cell or AAA who can give you a tribute to start your swarm.

Batteryman Industrial Strength

Attribute: LIGHT
Types: Thunder/Effect
Level: Level 8
ATK/DEF: 2600/0
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by removing from play 2 "Batteryman" monsters from your Graveyard. Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 Thunder-Type monster from your Graveyard to destroy 1 monster and 1 Spell or Trap Card on the field.

This guy is a true beast, acting as the DAD of Batteryman decks. Add mill and cards like Burial from a Different Dimension and DDR to your deck and not only will you be able to summon multiple Indies quickly, but you'll also be able to reuse your removed Batteries.

Batteryman AAA

Attribute: LIGHT
Types: Thunder/Effect
Level: Level 4
ATK/DEF: 0/0
When this card is Normal or Flip Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 "Batteryman AAA" from your hand or Graveyard.

One of the newer and yet to be released in the TCG cards, AAA really helps Batteries Synchro Summon. How? Lightwave Tuning. Tune with AA for a level 3, C for a level 6, Micro-Cell or D for a level 5, or even a 2nd AAA for a level 8! Outside of synchro summoning, though, AAA is really only useful as tribute fodder for Charger or Fuel-Cell. Not really worth the space in most builds.

Batteryman Fuel Cell

Attribute: LIGHT
Types: Thunder/Effect
Level: Level 6
ATK/DEF: 2100/0
If you control 1 or more face-up "Batteryman" monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn, you can Tribute 1 other "Batteryman" monster to return 1 card your opponent controls to the owner's hand.

The best part of the effect isn't the bouncing, though; it's that there is no restriction on the number of Fuel-Cell you can control at once. Which means if you're able to meet the requirements to summon 1, you meet the requirements to summon any in your hand. While Quick Charger nor Recycling Batteries can pull dead ones back to the hand, Monster Reincarnation can and if you use the aforementioned cards, discarding for reincarnation is simple.

SPELLS
Battery Charger

Normal Spell Card
Pay 500 Life Points. Special Summon 1 "Batteryman" monster from your Graveyard.

Yeah, Batteries get their own pseudo Monster Reborn. Basically, you're going to wanna run this in any Batteryman deck you construct, but whether you run 1, 2, or 3 depends on the build.

Quick Charger

Quick-Play Spell Card
Add 2 Level 4 or lower "Batteryman" monsters from your Graveyard to your hand.

This card is part of the reason that their is a hand advantage variant at the end of this guide. Being able to grab 2 low-level batteries from the grave is quite useful, but only in the right kind of deck. If you're using cards like Hand Destruction, this will be useful. If not, you may prefer recursion cards that place your Batteries on the field rather than in the hand.

Short Circuit

Normal Spell Card
Activate only if you control 3 or more face-up "Batteryman" monsters. Destroy all cards your opponent controls.

This card adds to AAs explosiveness. It's requirement of 3 Batteries is quite easy to pull off, however, I've found this card to be a dead draw at times. A full set may not be wise unless you use discard cards or can consistently facilitate the card's need of 3 Batterymen.

TRAPS
Portable Battery Pack

Continuous Trap Cards
Select 2 "Batteryman" monsters from your Graveyard and Special Summon them in Attack Position. When this card is removed from the field, destroy those monsters. When both of those monsters have been removed from the field, destroy this card.

The bad thing about this card is that it won't trigger IRS. The cool thing is, it can grab 2 AAs on it's own. Easy swarm, but a bit slow.

3. Ways to Play
The basic way to play BM is to go straight for their OTK, ASAP. Now, this OTK doesn't necessarily mean you need to use AA. Batteryman AA is just the obvious and 1st way to spell game over for the opponent. As long as you have a strong enough offensive force behind your Short Circuit, you won't need AA.

For those who do wish to use AA, 3 Inferno Reckless Summon is a must. It's just not consistent enough at anything less. Whether you run 2 or 3 Short Circuit is up to you. Past that, your options open up greatly.

Batteries like to play in the graveyard, so self-milling cards are awesome. Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, Foolish Burial, Magical Merchant, and Card Trooper all help gett AA or any battery in the graveyard. Having AA there means he can be summoned via Battery Charger and from there, Inferno Reckless Summon and Short Circuit. Hand Destruction is my favorite draw card concerning batteries, but Pot of Avarice can work as well, especially if you aren't using Batteryman Industrial Strength.

Besides getting AA into the Graveyard, you'll need to get him (back) onto the field in any AA centered deck. This can be done through the aforementioned Battery Charger, but there are many other options. Debris Dragon, for one, can bring back AA, and if you lack IRS, you can synchro for a level 7 monster. Call Of The Haunted, Limit Reverse, and Portable Battery Pack all work in similar ways, grabbing AA back from the grave. While Portable doesn't trigger IRS, it does get 2 AA (or any other battery), which is 2/3 the way to a Short Circuit. You don't have to only get AA from the grave either. Mirco-Cell and Charger (the monster) can grab AA from the deck, as well as Shining Angel.

4. Without AA
Like I said, AA isn't needed. Short Circuit can work fine without him, thanks to Batteryman Charger and Batteryman Fuel Cell. Charger can summon any Battery from the deck other than itself, including Fuel Cell. And once you have at least 2 batteries on the field, (multiple) fuel cell can be special summoned from the hand. Depending on your swarm, Solidarity could give your monsters the extra oomph needed to OTK after a Short Circuit. Wattgiraffe can also potentially help in a build lacking AA, but the same can be said for a build with AA too.

It's also possible to put more emphasis on Industrial Strength and the removing of your graveyard from play. A deck built with this strategy would use cards such as Freed the Brave Wanderer and DDR as well as Return from the Different Dimension.

Or Debris Dragon and Quickdraw Synchron can be used to great effect in a Batteryman deck. Both this and the above deck idea can be done with or without AA.

5. Fueling the Batteries
Many cards can help the Batteries out. Here are some of my favorite cards that I hope will spark ideas in you...

• Recycling Batteries

purpose: This card is basically a non quick-play version of Quick Charger, but, this card can grab any Thunder with 1500 or less ATK, not just Batteryman monsters

• Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
• Card Trooper
• Magical Merchant
• Foolish Burial

purpose: to mill your batteries into the grave and thin your deck.



(only for use with Ryko)

• Super-Nimble Maga Hamster
• Charge of the Light Brigade

purpose: thins the deck further and gets you one of the best destuction monsters in the current meta

• Thunder King Rai-Oh
• Thunder Dragon

purpose: (Rai-Oh) adds control for batteryman decks and is another thunder monster for industrial strength and doesn't disrupt Solidarity. (Thunder Dragon) similarly fuels Industrial Strength, but rather than add control elements, it gives you discard fodder in the hand.

• Honest
• Shining Angel
• Herald of Orange Light

purpose: (Honest) makes the weak strong. (Herald) is for control builds, but needs other fairies for fuel. Honest and Shining Angel fit the bill. (Shining Angel) also searches for Batteries and thins the deck. ragda has coined the term "FairyBox" for this type of deck

• Inferno Reckless Summon

purpose: to summon 3 Batteryman AA (or any monster with less than 1500 ATK) for an easy OTK with AA. If AA is in your deck, you need 3 IRS.

• Call of the Haunted
• Limit Reverse

purpose: These two cards are great with Inferno Reckless Summon. Very simple

• Hand Destruction
• Reckless Greed
• Pot of Avarice
• Dark World Dealings
• Card Destruction
• Morphing Jar

purpose: draw power. All of these but PoA and reckless also help fill the Grave for easy Batteryman abuse with recursion cards. PoA is most helpful if the deck has less emphasis on cards like Portable Battery Pack or Battery Charger. Reckless Greed is awesome with Hand Destruction, just sayin'..........

• Guardian of Order
• The Creator
• Trade-In

purpose: extra swarm. GoO is similar to Fuel Cell, but stronger in terms of ATK. Creator can bring monsters back from the grave so is good with the mill cards mentioned above. Trade-In works alongside these two and Industrial Strength for draw power.

• Solidarity
• Watt monsters

purpose: (Solidarity) beefs up your monsters if your deck is solely using Thunder type monsters. The watt archetype happens to be the only other Archetype for thunder. Fox can be used as a tuner, and giraffe can be an IRS target as well as quite the direct-attacking beatstick when paired with Solidarity. More watts are on the way, so try them out.

• Freed the Brave Wanderer
• D.D. Warrior Lady
• D.D.R.-Different Dimension Reincarnation
• Return from the Different Dimension

For a deck that focuses on removing your batteries from play while they're in the grave. These cards can be great when using 3 Industrial Strength. Warrior Lady can also be used with Shining Angel; though it may slow the deck down, she can be quite useful against the meta

• Debris Dragon
• Quickdraw Synchron

These two are for any deck that would like to focus on synchro summoning. As evidenced by Dandywarrior's success, these can work well with Super-Nimble Mega Hamster and Ryko

• Lightsworns

LS are the best millers in the game. Your batteries will be in the grave fast and easily. They also give access to another draw card, Solar Recharge. Use enough LS monsters and JD even becomes another win condition.

6. Sample Deck(s)
"Standard" Batteries

Monsters (20)

• 3 Batteryman AA
• 3 Batteryman Micro-Cell
• 2 Batteryman D
• 2 Batteryman Charger
• 2 Batteryman Industrial Strength
• 2 Batteryman Fuel Cell
• 3 Thunder King Rai-Oh
• 3 Thunder Dragon

Spells (15):

• 3 Solidarity
• 1 Brain Control
• 1 Heavy Storm
• 1 Mystical Space Typhoon
• 2 Hand Destruction
• 2 Short Circuit
• 2 Battery Charger
• 2 Inferno Reckless Summon
• 1 Pot of Avarice

Traps (5):

• 2 Bottomless Trap Hole
• 2 Trap Stun/Dust Tornado
• 1 Beckoning Light

Batteryman OTK

Monsters (19)

• 3 Batteryman AA
• 2 Batteryman Charger
• 2 Batteryman Fuel Cell
• 2 Batteryman Industrial Strength
• 3 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
• 2 Batteryman Micro-Cell
• 2 Batteryman D
• 3 Thunder Dragon

Spells (16)

• 1 Card Destruction
• 3 Hand Destruction
• 2 Battery Charger
• 2 Short Circuit
• 3 Inferno Reckless Summon
• 1 Giant Trunade
• 1 Charge of the Light Brigade
• 2 Quick Charger
• 1 Heavy Storm

Traps (5)

• 3 Reckless Greed
• 2 Portable Battery Pack

Batterysworn

Monsters(26):

• 3 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
• 2 Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress
• 1 Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner
• 2 Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior
• 2 Jain, Lightsworn Paladin
• 3 Batteryman AA
• 3 Batteryman Micro-Cell
• 1 Batteryman D
• 2 Batteryman Charger
• 2 Batteryman Industrial Strength
• 2 Batteryman Fuel Cell
• 2 Honest
• 1 Marshmallon

Spells (9):

• 1 Charge of the Light Brigade
• 3 Solar Recharge
• 1 Heavy Storm
• 1 Mystical Space Typhoon
• 1 Brain Control
• 1 Pot of Avarice
• 1 D.D.R. - Different Dimension Reincarnation

Traps (5):

• 2 Beckoning Light
• 2 Bottomless Trap Hole
• 1 Solemn Judgment

FairyBox

Monsters (25):
2 Honest
2 Shining Angel
3 Herald of Orange Light
2 Dimensional Alchemist
1 Marshmallon
1 Morphing Jar
3 Batteryman AA
3 Batteryman Micro-Cell
1 Batteryman D
2 Batteryman Charger
3 Batteryman Fuel Cell
2 Batteryman Industrial Strength

Spells (11):
2 Battery Charger
2 Inferno Reckless Summon
2 Short Circuit
1 Brain Control
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Burial from a Different Dimension
1 Pot of Avarice

Traps (6):
1 Portable Battery Pack
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Threatening Roar
1 Starlight Road

AA-less Batteries

Monsters (20)

• 3 Batteryman Charger
• 3 Batteryman D
• 3 Batteryman Fuel Cell
• 2 Batteryman Industrial Strength
• 3 Batteryman Micro-Cell
• 3 Thunder King Rai-Oh
• 3 Wattgiraffe

Spells (17)

• 2 Battery Charger
• 1 Brain Control
• 3 Dark World Dealings
• 1 Foolish Burial
• 1 Giant Trunade
• 1 Heavy Storm
• 2 My Body as a Shield
• 1 Mystical Space Typhoon
• 2 Smashing Ground
• 3 Solidarity

Traps (4)

• 1 Portable Battery Pack
• 2 Royal Decree
• 1 Starlight Road

7. Conclusion
Well, I hope you liked my guide on using Batteryman cards. Any and all feedback would be quite helpful and is appreciated. I would like to make this guide as helpful as possible. Also, I would like for players of Batteryman to give me deck variant that they think should be in the guide so I may put them in the sample deck section. You will be credited.

Thanks to ragda and poweroutlet for providing decklists. IT's much appreciated

And if you liked this guide and now wanna discuss the Batteryman archetype, go here to the Official Batteryman Discussion Thread.

[Ansem1013]

I know this is necro posting, but I forgot aboot this guide and now I've actually finished it, so people can read it and post.

Sorry for bumping this, but I figured it was better to do that then just copy and paste all of this into a new thread.

also, please note that the guide took two days to write, but these days were like 4 months apart. I apologise for discrepancies I've yet to fix

[MissingNo5]

Well, I hope you lied my guide

in the last paragraph probably should be changed :P

Other than that, how about a "looking to the future" section to see what DREV brings (it'll be here before you know it)? Or something to that effect.

[Ansem1013]

oh thanks for catching that. I hafta look at DREV again.....

[ThunderSt0rm]

Nice refresher reading this. Good job :]

Maybe the possibility of using some of the watt tuners could be talked about as well. It's always an option.

And wouldn't you be able to trigger IRS with Portable Battery Pack if you only bring out one AA?

[MissingNo5]

Nice refresher reading this. Good job :]

Maybe the possibility of using some of the watt tuners could be talked about as well. It's always an option.

And wouldn't you be able to trigger IRS with Portable Battery Pack if you only bring out one AA?

PBP says you must special two.

[ThunderSt0rm]

I know, but you don't have to bring out 2 AAs with it.

[Ansem1013]

When resolving "Inferno Reckless Summon", first the player that activated "Inferno Reckless Summon" Special Summons his/her monsters, and then the opponent Special Summons his/her monsters. The monsters are treated as being Special Summoned at the same time. "Inferno Reckless Summon" cannot be activated when multiple monsters are Special Summoned by the same effect.

straight from the wiki

[Maverikthe1]

post some decks without AA for reference it would be interesting

[ThunderSt0rm]

straight from the wiki

Bleh, at least I learned something new. I never used PBP back when I used BMs so I never knew that :P