Archetype Submission - A.O.

[Auramram]

This batch of cards is made for a control strategy where you slowly accrue advantage over turns while annoying your opponent with disruption and fizzling their removal attempts by trading your own board away for equivalent hand advantage. Reach your win condition by hitting a critical mass of card advantage at which point your opponent is too overwhelmed to win themselves.

Cards
See this for a card gallery with images: https://www.duelingbook.com/deck?id=3799622. I also have a "recommended reading order" version: https://www.duelingbook.com/deck?id=2769350. It looks a bit jumbled at first glance but is meant to introduce you to the archetype in a more indicative way.

Text-only version below.

Spoiler: Main Deck Monsters (6) • show

A.O. Explorer
Beast/Effect DARK Level 1 ATK 500 DEF 500
If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is in the GY (Quick Effect): You can banish this card, then target 1 "A.O." monster you control; banish it until the End Phase of this turn.

A.O. Dampener
Machine/Effect WATER Level 2 ATK 200 DEF 1800
If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is in the GY (Quick Effect): You can banish this card and Tribute 1 "A.O." monster, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; negate its effects until the end of this turn.

A.O. Suppressor
Machine/Effect EARTH Level 2 ATK 800 DEF 1200
If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is in the GY (Quick Effect): You can banish this card and Tribute 1 "A.O." monster, then target 1 Spell/Trap on the field; destroy it.

A.O. Autofetcher
Beast/Effect LIGHT Level 3 ATK 600 DEF 400
If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is in the GY (Quick Effect): You can banish this card and Tribute 1 "A.O." monster; draw 1 card.

A.O. Regulator
Machine/Effect WIND Level 3 ATK 400 DEF 1600
If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is in the GY (Quick Effect): You can banish this card and Tribute 1 "A.O." monster; add 1 "A.O." Spell from your Deck to your hand.

A.O. Tinkerer
Machine/Effect FIRE Level 3 ATK 400 DEF 1600
If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is in the GY (Quick Effect): You can banish this card and Tribute 1 "A.O." monster; add 1 "A.O." Trap from your Deck to your hand.

Spoiler: Extra Deck Monsters (3) • show

A.O. Diver
Machine/Link/Effect WATER ATK 1000 LINK-1 ⬆️
1 "A.O." monster, except a Link Monster Special Summoned this turn
If this card is Special Summoned: You can send 1 "A.O." monster from your Deck to the GY. During the End Phase, if this card was Special Summoned this turn: You can target 1 "A.O." card in your GY; add it to your hand. You can only use each "A.O. Diver" effect once per turn.

A.O. Subjugator
Machine/Link/Effect EARTH ATK 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️
1 "A.O." monster, except a Link Monster Special Summoned this turn
At the start of the Damage Step, if this card battles a monster: You can take control of it until the end of the Battle Phase. During the End Phase, if this card was Special Summoned this turn: You can add 1 "A.O." monster from your Deck to your hand. You can only use each "A.O. Subjugator" effect once per turn.

A.O. Connector
Beast/Link/Effect LIGHT ATK 2000 LINK-2 ⬅️➡️
2 monsters, including an "A.O." monster
Unaffected by your opponent's activated effects that do not target it. During the End Phase, if this card was Special Summoned this turn: You can target 3 "A.O." cards in your GY; shuffle them into the Deck, then draw 1 card. You can only use this "A.O. Connector" effect once per turn.

Spoiler: Spells (3) / Traps (3) • show

Spells

A.O. Timestride
Normal Spell
If you control an "A.O." monster: Your opponent returns monsters they control to the hand so they control the same number of monsters you do, or, if they cannot return any, shuffle this card into the Deck.

A.O. Expedition
Continuous Spell
Once per turn: You can target up to 2 cards on the field, including an "A.O." monster you control; banish them. Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this card or its effect was activated this turn: You can target 1 card on the field; return it to the hand.

A.O. Nexus
Field Spell
If your opponent controls more monsters than you do "A.O." Traps, you can activate them the turn they were Set. If you would Tribute to activate an "A.O." monster's effect in the GY, you can Tribute this card instead of the correct card(s).

Traps

A.O. Redival
Normal Trap
Target 1 "A.O." monster in your GY; Special Summon it, and if you do, equip this card to it. It cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. If this face-up card leaves the field: You can Special Summon 1 "A.O. Token" (Beast/DARK/Level 1/ATK 500/DEF 500).

A.O. Spawnpoint
Continuous Trap
If this face-up card leaves the field: You can Set this card. Once per turn: You can activate 1 of these effects;
● Discard 1 "A.O." card; Special Summon 1 "A.O. Token" (Beast/DARK/Level 1/ATK 500/DEF 500).
● Immediately after this effect resolves, Link Summon 1 "A.O." Link Monster using material.

A.O. Domain
Counter Trap
Activate 1 of these effects;
● When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target 1 "A.O." monster in your GY; Special Summon it, then change the attack target to it.
● When a Spell/Trap Card is activated while you control an "A.O." monster: Negate that effect.

Info
The archetype is fairly complete with some loose ends mostly on the Traps, as well as theming/naming/artwork (names and artwork exist but they need work). They're also already scripted, but I'm not completely happy with the current implementation of some of the effects so I'm looking forward to working on that with the Scripting Team.

Strengths

• Consistent
• Toolboxy; many removal options including some pretty roundabout ones like A.O. Subjugator + A.O. Spawnpoint
• Resilient against conventional interaction
• Has multiple disruption cards
• Has a few blowout cards if opponent overextends
• Tends to leave your Normal Summon open (can be used for meshing with external engines or for monsters like Rescue Cat)

Weaknesses

• Gets blown out by a number of Side Deck cards like Mask of Restrict, Dimensional Fissure, Macro Cosmos, Artifact Lancea, Chaos Hunter, Imperial Iron Wall
• Needs to snowball to reach critical mass, so it is sort of fragile in that aspect (needs your cards to survive to continue gaining advantage) as there are no easy recovery cards with their blowout cards only being removal; their engine effects that grant you card advantage are all quite delayed, either as End Phase effects or on Traps
• Monsters smol
• And although the arch is great at putting out at least 1 monster, it's bad at building a large board without using multiple turns, Traps, and/or potent external engines like a Needlefiber engine
• In spite of consistency, strength of play is typically determined by the number of "A.O." monsters you open; plays can be quite awkward if you open only 1, unless, if going first, you also open the correct Traps
• Relies extensively on its Traps so an End Phase Twin Twisters etc. is trouble, especially since Trap-oriented Decks already dislike going second (although this is mitigated in this theme by powerful going-second Spells)

[Auramram]

Made the following change.

A.O. Domain
Counter Trap
Banish 1 "A.O." monster from your GY, then activate 1 of these effects based on the Level it had;
● 1: When a monster declares an attack: Banish all monsters your opponent controls.
● 2: When a Spell/Trap Card is activated: Negate that effect.
● 3: During either turn, except the Damage Step If this Set card leaves the field: Draw 1 card.

[Auramram]

Made the following change.

A.O. Domain
Counter Trap
Banish 1 "A.O." monster from your GY, then activate 1 of these effects based on the Level it had;
● 1: When a monster declares an attack: Banish all monsters your opponent controls.
● 2: When a Spell/Trap Card is activated: Negate that effect.
● 3: If this Set card leaves the field: Draw 1 card.

A.O. Domain
Counter Trap
Activate 1 of these effects;
● When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target 1 "A.O." monster in your GY; Special Summon it, then change the attack target to it.
● When a Spell/Trap Card is activated while you control an "A.O." monster: Negate that effect.