Time for lift off! Floowandereeze is an archetype nestled in the basics of Yu-Gi-Oh and takes the concept of Normal and Tribute Summons to a new extreme. So far in fact, that they are locked out of any Special Summons. Despite that, they are a formidable archetype that doubles as a great budgetary option due to no need for expensive Extra Deck URs.

At their core, these feathered explorers are a control deck, and thus badly want to go first to set their disruptions up. You want the duel to get drawn out in order to amass an advantage, as Floowandereeze has recurring resources and wins by sheer staying power. This Guide goes over an exemplary decklist, explanations for the cards included, and some possible further inclusions.

Table of Contents

• Decklists
• Floowandereeze Monsters
  
  • Floowandereeze Level 1s
  • Floowandereeze Level 10s
• Floowandereeze Spells & Traps
• Out of Archetype Additions
  • An Extra Deck Looking For a Home
  • Banished, But Not Lost
• Should You Build Floowandereeze?

Decklists

Floowandereeze Monsters

The lineup of Monsters is split in two groups, or flocks, rather. The Level 1s are the play starters of the deck, whereas the Level 10s are the deck's strong upper end. 

Floowandereeze Level 1s

Each of the Level 1s have four things in common:

• On Normal Summon: Has a distinct effect and lets you Normal Summon again after resolution.
• Is banished when it leaves the field.
• While banished: Returns to hand after a Winged Beast is Normal Summoned.
• The turn these effects are used, you cannot Special Summon.

Seeing that every smol bird leads into another Normal Summon, you can swiftly get enough sacrifices for a Tribute going. Furthermore, the self-banish plays well into the recovery effect, allowing you to have a nigh endless loop of Tribute fodder. Since we covered what defines them as a whole, here's their separate effects on Normal Summon:

• Floowandereeze & Eglen - Adds a Level 7 or higher Winged Beast Monster from your Deck to hand.
• Floowandereeze & Robina - Adds a Level 4 or lower Winged Beast Monster from your Deck to hand.
• Floowandereeze & Stri - Banishes a targeted card in either player's GY.
• Floowandereeze & Toccan - Target one of your banished Floowandereeze cards to add to hand.

Robina is the by far the best one. Being able to search all other Level 1s guarantees another Normal Summon. If Eglen is chosen, you can then bring out a Level 10. Just keep in mind that Stri and Toccan won't give you another Normal Summon if their effects can't be applied!

Floowandereeze Level 10s

Since the Deck can search beyond the archetypal names, there isn't much of a reason to stick with these two, compared to the Level 1s. As a refresher: Level 7 or higher Monsters require 2 Monsters to be sacrificed for a standard Tribute Summon. 

• Floowandereeze & Empen - Searches a Floowandereeze Spell/Trap on Tribute Summon and lets you Normal Summon again afterwards. Also stops the effects of all the opponent's attack position Monsters and can halve the ATK/DEF of the Monster it battles by banishing a card from hand. 
• Floowandereeze & Snowl - Allows you to Normal Summon two more times and can set all opposing Special Summoned Monsters face-down as quick effect by banishing a card from hand. All of your Monsters also inflict piercing battle damage. 

Empen is the go-to for the first turn. There's some decent backrow to search, and it stops any Link Monster effects, which is huge. In contrast, Snowl is a liability. The dream scenario would be to Summon both in the first turn, thanks to Snowl's extra Summons. Unfortunately, that would require at least 3 birds in the starting hand, something the deck can't consistently accomplish.

Floowandereeze Spells & Traps

We've only got four Spells & Traps in total to support our avian assault: 

• Floowandereeze and the Magnificent Map - You can banish a Floowandereeze card from Deck by revealing a Level 1 Floowandereeze Monster in hand. Then you have to Normal Summon it. Also lets you Normal Summon when the opponent Normal Summons.
• Floowandereeze and the Unexplored Winds - You can use one of the opponent's cards for a Two-Tribute Summon. Also lets you replace up to 2 Winged Beasts in hand with a new draw.
• Floowandereeze and the Dreaming Town - Lets you Normal Summon during the opponent's Main Phase. Can also be banished from the GY after a Level 7 or higher Monster is Tribute Summoned, to set all of the opponent's Monsters face down.
• Floowandereeze and the Scary Sea - If you control a Tribute Summon, you can negate a Special Summon and return that Monster to hand. The opponent cannot Special Summon for that turn, but has 3 Normal Summons instead.

Most notably, the Field Spell let's you banish a small bird for extension or another Spell/Trap for Toccan to fetch. Additionally, Dreaming Town is Empen's main search target, as the disruption on the opponent's turn is essential. The counter Trap isn't as versatile or self-sufficient in comparison. One last thing to remember is that Unexplored Winds works with any card, even Spells and Traps.

Out of Archetype Additions

Besides the obvious Staples, Floowandereeze can take advantage of some uncommon utility cards that fit their unique playstyle.

• Raiza the Mega Monarch - On Summon, places one card from the field and one from the GYs on top of the deck. Also returns a card on field to hand, if a WIND Monster was tributed. 
• Mist Valley Apex Avian - Returns itself to hand to negate a card or effect activation. 
• Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds - A great floodgate to search when all the usual targets are already in hand.
• Book of Moon - Sets a targeted Monster face down. Either used as disruption, or protection from targeted Monster negation.
• Jack-In-The-Hand - A decent budget search for the Level 1s. Particularly useful in lower ranks, where opponents might make the wrong call

Raiza could very well steal the Floowandereeze title from Snowl. As one of the few other Winged Beast Tribute Monsters, it brings the immediate and versatile impact the Floowandereeze are lacking. Notably, it can even return your own cards to hand, including itself. This comes handy in simplified game states, when you can keep stacking the opponent's deck with bad draws. Apex Avian fills a similar role, as it returns to hand after every negation.

Unlike modern Summoning Mechanics, Fusion, Ritual, and Tribute Summons even work with face down Monsters. This is perfect for Floowandereeze, as Book of Moon can be used on your own Monsters to avoid targeting disruption like Infinite Impermanence and Effect Veiler. Just don't attempt to use it against activation-based negation à la Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring.

An Extra Deck Looking For a Home

There's three general direction we can go with a blank Extra Deck. Our decklists use Pot of Prosperity and Pot of Extravagance to have better chances at finding Robina or the Field Spell. The exact ratios are up to preference. Just keep in mind that activating both in the same turn is impossible.

Another method is to leave the Extra Deck completely empty. As already mentioned in our Information Guide that's the special requirement of the Monarch cards Domain of the True Monarchs and The Monarchs Erupt, as well as Anchamoufrite. Unfortunately, there's too many secondary restrictions to make them work with the Fleeze.

One last approach would be to dedicate lots of CP to the Dogmatika engine. Currently that's not ideal, as Nadir Servant is limited to 1. Its main purpose is to search out Dogmatika Ecclesia and then Dogmatika Punishment, with Extra Deck targets like Elder Entity N'tss.

Banished, But Not Lost

In a game where the GY can be seen as a secondary hand for many decks, Floowandereeze decisively goes against that. Dimensional Fissure and Macro Cosmos are one-sided floodgates in that sense. It used to be a decent choice when Tri-Brigade was the top threat to deal with. Now with Swordsoul only being mildly annoyed by the forced banish, it's not as much of an instawin. We will have to see how the meta shapes out!  

Dimension Shifter works the same, but only lasts two turns. To make up for that, it's useful even when going second. The activation requirement is quite steep, however. Even for a deck with self-banishing birds, a completely empty GY at turn 3 or later will be a rare occurrence. If you are about to put something in your GY, better make sure to just throw the Shifter out then and there, as the effect lingers until the opponent passes.

Should you build Floowandereeze?

To conclude: In it's current form, Floowandereeze are a decent deck that has to wait for its full potential until the release of Floowandereeze and the Advent of Adventure. The first turn often plays out the same, as their focus on Normal and Tribute Summons leave little options to deviate. In fact, that also applies to card inclusions in deckbuilding. 

However, that does not mean the deck is simple. Since Floowandereeze want to go the distance, you'll be likelier to navigate through battles of attrition. It allows room for interactions, which brings diversity to your dueling experience. On the other hand, going second can feel quite disheartening. A knowledgeable opponent can easily shut down your chain of Normal Summons, ending your turn on the spot.

Floowandereeze are a great choice for exploring a different facet of Yu-Gi-Oh compared to Combo and OTK strategies. The fact that they share the pack with the ever so impactful Adventurer cards makes for a fine opportunity to get started on more diverse deck strategies. 

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