Infernities were one of the Decks most affected by the new Forbidden and Limited List. This past Summer, they wielded one of the most feared One-Turn K.O. strategies of all time. It was a Deck focused on Special Summoning Infernity Archfiend to search out Infernity Launcher, Synchro Summoning with the Archfiend, and then using Launcher to bring it back. Archfiend would then get another Launcher, and the cycle continued until the Infernity Duelist had enough monsters to attack and win, usually in just 1 turn.

But now Infernity Launcher is Limited, and that OTK is impossible. Some Duelists thought that would be the end of the Infernity strategy, but several Infernity Decks made Top 16 at YCS Toronto. Make no mistake: Infernities are still alive and winning. But they’ve had to adapt, and while their success once relied on super-fast wins, they’re now all about the long game. With some of the best Trap Cards ever printed and Archfiend to search them out, Infernities are now a deadly control Deck.

With the focus now on control instead of OTK’s, Infernity Barrier is the ultimate weapon in the Infernity arsenal. Duelists used to save Barrier so that it could protect a Launcher combo. Now, it can be played defensively to stop key monster effects, ward off Spells like Monster Reborn and Dark Hole, and negate cards that would stop you from gaining ground, like Solemn Warning or Bottomless Trap Hole. It’s more challenging to play Infernity Barrier than it used to be because there are more situations where you’ll want to activate it, but if you learn to play it well, you can devastate your opponent.

Infernity Mirage is a lot like Infernity Launcher, and with Launcher now down to 1 per Deck, Mirage is much more important. It works really well with cards Infernity Duelists didn’t play before: we’ll talk about that a little later. Over on the Tuner side, Plaguespreader Zombie has taken over the role of Level 2 Tuner in most Infernity Decks because Duelists are finding that they just don’t have the room for 3 Infernity Beetle. Beetle’s effect worked really well in the high-speed version of Infernities, but it’s tough to reuse now, so Plaguespreader Zombie is a top-notch replacement.

We saw Infernity Break played by Matt Peddle and Kareem O’Brien in the Top 16 at YCS Toronto: it’s a Trap that destroys any 1 card your opponent controls, and removes 1 “Infernity” card from your Graveyard. It’s really useful because it can destroy anything, and it’s far easier to play now that Infernity Duelists have more time to fill their Graveyard. Wave-Motion Inferno is another older card that Infernity Decks can now benefit from: it boosts Infernity Archfiend to 2200 ATK, and makes Infernity Beast big enough to take on stuff like Thunder King Rai-Oh and XX-Saber Boggart Knight. Inferno can discard your hand, too, which is a useful option when you’re playing more copies of Mirage.

One of the best Trap Cards for the long game Infernity Deck is still a mystery to many Duelists: Infernity Force. A little-recognized card from Stardust Overdrive, Infernity Force lets you destroy a monster attacking one of your Infernities when your hand is empty and Special Summon an “Infernity” monster from your Graveyard! Get Infernity Archfiend, and you’ll trigger its effect to search out another “Infernity” card from your Deck. Use Archfiend’s effect to get Infernity Mirage, and you’ll set up a double Special Summon next turn. Both monsters also combo with a new card from Duelist Revolution…

Stygian Street Patrol might not be an “Infernity” monster, but it works with a lot of cards Infernities already run. Since its effect activates in the Graveyard, you can use Armageddon Knight and Dark Grepher to send it there. Then, you can remove Street Patrol to Special Summon Archfiend or Mirage from your hand: that’ll trigger Archfiend’s search effect, or let you Tribute Mirage to Special Summon 2 monsters.

The trick is to use Street Patrol to push through your opponent’s defenses: if they have a Set card that might be Solemn Warning or Book of Moon, Normal Summon something like Infernity Necromancer or make a Synchro Summon to force your opponent into using their card. Once that Chain has resolved, activate Street Patrol’s effect to Summon Archfiend or Mirage. Since your opponent already used their cardr on your first monster, they probably won’t have another to deal with the next one. As a bonus, Street Patrol is Level 4, so you can Tune it to Infernity Avenger to Summon Stygian Sergeants.

With a mix of new cards, and older cards that just weren’t played before, Infernities can switch up their game to become a vicious, grinding control strategy! If you want to lock down your opponent and take them apart piece by piece, Infernities are the Deck you’re looking for.