Playing modern Magic is great. I’ve been playing for over fifteen years now, and I still love the game. But it’s also fun to look to the past for inspiration, and there are a number of cards from the past that I think are so good that they deserve to see Modern play.
The new set of cards for Ancient Gear is here, and what works best for one deck may not work best for you. In my opinion, Ancient Gear is a card type that should be tried out at the start of a new deck build and not be used in a deck that is already “rock solid”. It is a solid option for a new deck that is a bit more “risky” and “outside the box”.
What comes to mind when you think of a deck that is super strong in combat?
Gren Maju? Blue eyes?
If you choose one of these options, it’s a good choice. But it also means you haven’t seen the old set in action yet!
Ancient Gear can summon powerful monsters with ease – and it also has ways to protect them.
Beatdown decks are a lot of fun, and Ancient Gear is no exception. If this has piqued your interest in some of the relevant map options, let’s continue the list.
15. Golem with antique mechanism
If you ever want to play a Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, then you’ll know all about this monster.
It’s funny that the GX came out over 10 years ago and this card is still great.
Ancient Gear Golem is an LVL8 monster with 3000 ATK/3000 DEF, which is definitely a powerful monster and also material for the strongest monsters in the deck.
It deals piercing damage to monsters in a defensive position, and your opponent cannot activate spells/tricks until the damage phase is complete.
Note that this sample cannot be called specifically, but don’t worry, there are ways around this problem…..
14. Antique Gear Golem – Ultimate Book
If you prefer the more offensive Ancient Gear Golem, you can use this card instead – and still have a solid base for all your Ancient Gear boss monsters.
Ancient Gear Golem – Ultimate Pound is an LVL8 golem with 3000 ATK/3000 DEF.
This monster also inflicts piercing damage, and if it destroys a monster in battle, you can discard the Monster Machine to attack again. You can also do it twice, which causes an insane amount of damage.
If this card is destroyed, you can Polymerize for your Fusion Deck and add a Graveyard Ancient Gear monster to your hand.
This monster trades the Old Gear Golem’s protection for power. And sometimes that’s all you need.
13. Antique gearbox
This is a card you don’t want in your starting hand. But it can be a great way to get more monsters on the field.
The old transmission is a 4. Lat with 500 ATK/2000 DEF, but has a rather unique effect:
If it lands in your hand without a draw, you can put an EARTH Machine-type monster with 500ATK and/or 500DEF into your hand.
To achieve this, you can be creative in your choice of goals. But the Infinitrack monster, discussed later in this list, is an excellent choice.
12. Gearbox City
The Ancient Gear field spell gives no ATK/DEF boost (let’s face it, they don’t need it!) and offers no protection.
But it makes it much easier to come forward.
When Gear City is on the field, Ancient Gear monsters become 1 less monster for a Tribute Summon. That’s why most monsters only accept one monster as tribute.
This is beautiful in itself.
But if this card is destroyed, you can summon an Ancient Equipment monster from your hand, deck, or graveyard.
Remember, nothing is stopping you from destroying your own field spell as well.
11. Antique Accelerator Fusion
Archetype-specific fusion maps generally do what polymerization does, but better.
And the Ancient Gear version is no exception.
Ancient Armour Fusion allows you to summon an Ancient Armour monster using monsters from your hand or from your field as materials. But if you use Ancient Gear Golem or Ancient Gear Golem – Ultimate Pound, you can use the monsters in your deck as materials.
Some Ancient Gear boss monsters are so powerful that they can completely win the game, and this card makes challenging them almost unfairly easy.
10. Ultimate antique golem
Ancient Gear Golem is an awesome monster.
But his version of fusion is much better!
And when this card attacks, your opponent can’t activate any spells/tricks until the end of the damage phase – so you can attack as recklessly as you want.
The Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem requires summoning the Ancient Gear Golem and 2 Ancient Gear monsters, giving it this Ultimate in its name. It inflicts 4400 ATK/3400 DEF and piercing damage.
This monster hits harder than most monsters in the game. And if he gets destroyed, you can always take the Ancient Golem out of your graveyard.
9. Antique Ballista
Ancient Gear decks have access to the excellent Link monster, which acts as a seeker and can also destroy your own spells/trap.
Ancient Gear Ballista is a Link-2 with 1500 ATK – and when summoned by Link, you can put an Ancient Gear or Gear City monster from your deck into your hand.
Search engines are always a good thing. But the second effect of this card is even better:
You can destroy the spell/trap you control and force your opponent’s ATK/DEF monster to become 0 for the rest of the turn, so you can easily trample it.
And don’t forget it: If you destroy your equipment city, you can specifically summon any old equipment monster!
8. Infinitrack Anchor Drilling
It’s not an Ancient Gear monster, but it fits well in the deck and opens up many possibilities for an additional deck!
There are several Infinitrack monsters that fit into an Ancient Gear deck. But it could be for the best.
The Infinite Anchor Drill is an LVL4 monster with 1800 ATK/500 DEF. When you summon it, you can target an EARTH machine monster (basically any Ancient Device) in defensive position.
This sample can also change the level of other samples, and it is very easy to produce absurdly strong XYZ samples with it.
7. A hunting dog of ancient origin
Who wants to wait for polymerization for their fusion samples?
No one.
And this deck has a great monster that will do that for you.
The Ancient Gear is an excellent 3rd generation hunting dog. Level with 1000 ATK/1000 DEF.
In a normal challenge you can inflict 600 life points on an opponent.
But the best thing about this card is that it allows you to summon an Ancient Equipment Monster once per turn, with materials from your hand or from the field.
The multiple fusion effect would be fantastic in any deck with many fuses – and this deck is no exception.
6. Ancient Reactor Dragon
If you can’t overcome the summoning limitations of Old Gear Golems, this is an excellent card that is easier to summon (and just as powerful).
Old Gear Reactor Dragon is an LVL9 card with 3000 ATK/3000 DEF, and when Old Gear is entered into his summon, this card also takes Pierce damage.
Additionally, this card can attack twice if Gadget is used to summon it.
This way you have some options for additional effects and definitely want to attack – because your opponent can’t activate the effects until the end of the damage phase and you can destroy the spell/trap when you destroy the monsters.
5. Fortress of the Old Gears
Monsters in an Ancient Gear deck can be difficult to defeat.
Their premature destruction can therefore be very damaging.
Ancient Gear Fortress is a continuous spell that provides protection from card effects to all your Ancient Gear monsters on the turn they are summoned.
Additionally, your opponent can’t stop the effects of old gear or activate anything in response.
This way you can clean up the area in peace.
And if that’s not enough, when this card is destroyed, you can summon an Ancient Equipment monster from your hand or from the graveyard.
The old fortress of Geer is incredible. Especially since in most decks, effects of this type usually have a cost!
4. Antique tooth catapult
This enchantment card provides great support for the deck. And if you’re wondering how to get around the Ancient Gear Golems’ limitations, here’s the solution.
If you don’t control monsters, you can use Ancient Gear Catapult to destroy an open card under your control to selectively summon an Ancient Gear monster (ignoring all Summon Conditions).
This is a very good effect, considering the number of dangerous ancient monsters to choose from.
You can also remove this card from your graveyard to specially summon the LVL1 Earth Machine token, which can give you extra gear to summon when you need it most.
3. Old Wyvern
Of all the powerful machines on this list, this monster seems almost irrelevant.
But it’s a very important card and the deck is virtually unplayable without it.
Ancient Gear Wyvern is a fourth-generation Wyvern. Levels with 1700 ATK/1200 DEF and is the main quest card for the deck.
When this card is called, you may take any Ancient Equipment card from the deck in your hand.
If you need to hit boss monsters or protect your field, you can do so with this card – which is why you almost certainly want 3 cards in your deck.
2. Howitzer antique
This large fusion monster allows you to bypass summoning restrictions, while also dealing good fire damage.
Ancient Gear Howitzer is easy to summon, with LVL8 and 1000 ATK/1800 DEF. This monster also deals 1000 Fire damage during the Main Phase. And this burning effect can be performed once per round.
I now know that these values are terrible for a level 8.
But you want the card to be destroyed.
If this happens, you can summon an Ancient Equipment monster from the deck and ignore all conditions.
When on the field, your opponent must choose between 1000 damage per turn and a monster with 3000 ATK. You can’t go wrong with that.
1. Tremendous Old Chaos Device
He’s an incredible monster of a boss.
And if you manage to get into combat with him, the duel is usually over.
The Chaos Antique Giant needs 4 Antique monsters (Antique Fusion!) and has 4500 ATK/3000 DEF.
This monster also has protection against spells/tricks and the opponent’s monsters cannot use their effects during the Battle Phase.
All of this would give this monster its rightful place on the list – but it can also attack all of your opponent’s monsters individually.
It also inflicts penetrating damage on all monsters that are in a defensive position.
The former giant of chaos is terribly strong. And it’s not too difficult to do so with the support of this game.
You have a real chance of winning when this card comes into play, so make it your priority!