Beyond the Brave · The Medius Saga

Ars Magna

The Great Work of the Power Patrons

  • Nerva · Fusion
  • Junora · Synchro
  • Jupiter · Xyz
  • Link · All three

Lore Archive

Ars Magna is Latin for "the Great Art". Citrinitas, the yellowing, is one of the four stages of the alchemists' Great Work, and Philosophorum means "of the philosophers", as in the philosopher's stone.

The archetype is the payoff of the Medius saga. Purified by the Purification Power Patron, the form Finmel Artmage took, Medius the Pure rises as Mediclius the Extraordinary Power Patron and takes control of the powers of the three deities who ruled the warring nations: Nerva of Creation, Jupiter of Destruction and Junora of Tuning. Mediclius's right eye is Finmel's.

Each Ars Magna monster shows Mediclius channelling one of those deities. Citrinitas shows Medius the Pure beside the Purification Power Patron, ringed by the three deities' circles, and Philosophorum shows Mediclius facing what looks like a new form of Vidolium the Unstable Power Patron of Unity. Mediclius's name comes from Mercury, called the water star in East Asian tradition, which is why it is WATER. The Ars Magna trio are EARTH, WIND and FIRE, so the finished board holds all four classical elements.

Gameplay Evolution Summary

Beyond the Brave (OCG 18 July 2026 · TCG 8 October 2026): five cards that turn Power Patron Link Monsters into a self-refilling removal engine. The three Level 8 monsters spend themselves from the hand for searches, then come back from banishment whenever an Extra Deck monster of their deity's type is Special Summoned. A Link Summon brings all three back at once.

Archetype Overview

An engine for Power Patron decks, not a standalone deck.

Ars Magna is a five-card engine. Its three Level 8 monsters do their first job from the hand: you banish one to search a monster, search a Spell/Trap, or bring back a banished teammate. Once banished, each one waits for a Special Summon of the Extra Deck type its deity rules, then returns to the field by its own effect. A Link Summon wakes all three.

What they do after that depends on a Power Patron Link Monster, above all Mediclius the Extraordinary Power Patron. With one on the field, Ars Magna the Finite and the Infinite banishes a monster, Ars Magna the Corruption and the Purification banishes Spell/Traps, and Ars Magna "Citrinitas" lets both do it on the opponent's turn as Quick Effects. Ars Magna "Philosophorum" banishes the trio again, so the next Link Summon brings them back and the loop continues.

5
Cards in the archetype
3 monsters, 1 Continuous Spell, 1 Normal Trap
Lv 8
Every Ars Magna monster
1000 ATK, 1800–2400 DEF
3
Returns per Link Summon
Every banished Ars Magna monster can come back
10
Genesys points for all five
Only Citrinitas is pointed

The three rules of the engine

  1. Spend it from the hand

    Each monster's first effect banishes itself from your hand as the cost, so the archetype starts combos without a Normal Summon.

  2. Return on the deity's summon

    While banished, each monster Special Summons itself when a Fusion, Synchro or Xyz Monster of its type is Special Summoned. Any Link Monster counts for all three.

  3. Pay off through a Power Patron Link

    The removal effects, Citrinitas's Quick Effects and every battle bonus need a Power Patron Link Monster on your field. The searches, the returns and the draw don't.

Summon trigger matrix
Monster Fusion Synchro Xyz Link
The Finite and the InfiniteEARTH Warrior · channels Nerva (Artmage) Returns No No Returns
The Division and the UnionFIRE Spellcaster · channels Junora (Elfnote) No Returns No Returns
The Corruption and the PurificationWIND Dragon · channels Jupiter (DoomZ) No No Returns Returns

The trigger reads "is Special Summoned", not "you Special Summon". Your opponent's Link Summons, and a Power Patron Link Monster brought back by Philosophorum, wake the trio too.

Card Catalog

Names are the official TCG names from the Beyond the Brave TCG set list. Effect text is translated from the official OCG database; the printed TCG wording arrives with the 8 October release.

Ars Magna the Finite and the Infinite
Missing: 36270527

Ars Magna the Finite and the Infinite

  • Starter · Monster banish
  • EARTH · Warrior / Effect
  • Level 8 · ATK 1000 / DEF 2400
  1. You can banish this card from your hand; add 1 non-Warrior "Ars Magna" monster from your Deck to your hand, then until the end of this turn, the original ATK of "Power Patron" Link Monsters you control is tripled.
  2. If a Fusion or Link Monster is Special Summoned while this card is banished (except during the Damage Step): You can Special Summon this card.
  3. If you control a "Power Patron" Link Monster: You can target 1 monster on the field; banish it.
  4. You can only use each effect of "Ars Magna the Finite and the Infinite" once per turn.

Why it mattersThe best starter in the package. Its search can only fetch the two non-Warrior monsters, the Corruption and the Purification or the Division and the Union. Its ③ is the trio's monster removal, and under Citrinitas it works on the opponent's turn. Tripling a Power Patron Link Monster's original ATK takes Mediclius from 3000 to 9000.

Artwork: Mediclius invoking the power of Nerva, the Power Patron of Creation.

Ars Magna the Corruption and the Purification
Missing: 62368221

Ars Magna the Corruption and the Purification

  • Searcher · Spell/Trap banish
  • WIND · Dragon / Effect
  • Level 8 · ATK 1000 / DEF 2100
  1. You can banish this card from your hand; add 1 "Ars Magna" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand. Until the end of the next turn, each "Power Patron" Link Monster you control cannot be destroyed by battle up to 3 times per turn.
  2. If an Xyz or Link Monster is Special Summoned while this card is banished (except during the Damage Step): You can Special Summon this card.
  3. You can target Spell/Traps on the field, up to the number of "Power Patron" Link Monsters you control; banish them.
  4. You can only use each effect of "Ars Magna the Corruption and the Purification" once per turn.

Why it mattersThe only monster that searches Citrinitas or Philosophorum from the Deck. Its ③ scales with your Power Patron Link Monsters, so on most boards it removes one Spell/Trap. The official OCG text banishes rather than destroys, which corrects some early fan translations.

Artwork: Mediclius invoking the power of Jupiter, the Power Patron of Destruction.

Ars Magna the Division and the Union
Missing: 99753860

Ars Magna the Division and the Union

  • Extender · Draw
  • FIRE · Spellcaster / Effect
  • Level 8 · ATK 1000 / DEF 1800
  1. You can banish this card from your hand; Special Summon 1 non-Spellcaster "Ars Magna" monster from your GY or banishment, also this turn, "Power Patron" Link Monsters you control can make up to 3 attacks on monsters during each Battle Phase.
  2. If a Synchro or Link Monster is Special Summoned while this card is banished (except during the Damage Step): You can Special Summon this card.
  3. You can banish 1 "Ars Magna" card from your GY; draw 1 card.
  4. You can only use each effect of "Ars Magna the Division and the Union" once per turn.

Why it mattersThe extender. Its ① brings the Finite and the Infinite or the Corruption and the Purification straight back from banishment, which turns a single search into a body you can use as Link Material. Its draw needs no Power Patron, and banishing an Ars Magna monster face-up from the GY also triggers Theorealized Medius.

Artwork: Mediclius invoking the power of Junora, the Power Patron of Tuning.

Ars Magna "Citrinitas"

Ars Magna "Citrinitas"

  • Searcher · Quick-Effect enabler
  • Continuous Spell
  • Genesys · 10 points
  1. This card is always treated as an "Artmage", "DoomZ" and "Elfnote" card.
  2. While you control a "Power Patron" Link Monster, the effects of monsters you control that originally have "Ars Magna" in their names can be activated during your opponent's turn as Quick Effects.
  3. Once while this card is face-up on the field, during your Main Phase: You can add 1 "Medius" monster or 1 "Ars Magna" monster from your Deck to your hand.
  4. You can only use the ② effect of Ars Magna "Citrinitas" once per turn.

Why it mattersThis is what makes the engine interactive, and it's why the engine fits into existing decks. Because it counts as an Artmage, DoomZ and Elfnote card, those engines can fetch it: Elfnote Tinia places it face-up straight from the Deck. Its search works once while it stays face-up, so each copy gives you one Medius or Ars Magna monster.

Artwork: Medius the Pure beside the Purification Power Patron, ringed by circles for Nerva, Jupiter and Junora.

Ars Magna "Philosophorum"

Ars Magna "Philosophorum"

  • Negate · Loop reset
  • Normal Trap
  1. Target up to 3 "Ars Magna" monsters on your field and/or in your GY; banish them, then you can negate the effects of up to that many other face-up cards on the field until the end of this turn.
  2. You can banish this card from your GY; return 1 "Power Patron" Link Monster from your GY to the Extra Deck, then you can Special Summon it.
  3. You can only use 1 effect of Ars Magna "Philosophorum" per turn, and only once that turn.

Why it mattersIt resets the loop. Banishing the trio pays for the negation and sets up the next step: once they're banished, your next Link Summon brings every one of them back. Its ② Special Summons a Power Patron Link Monster from the Extra Deck, and that alone counts as a Link Monster being Special Summoned for the trio's return effects.

Artwork: Mediclius facing what appears to be a new form of Vidolium the Unstable Power Patron of Unity.

Key support

Theorealized Medius

Theorealized Medius

  • Searcher
  • DARK Fairy · Lv 4
  • Genesys · 80 points
  1. Always treated as a "Power Patron" card.
  2. If a "Power Patron" card is on the field: You can Special Summon this card from your hand, then you can add 1 "Theorealize" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand.
  3. If a monster is banished face-up: You can add 1 "Ars Magna" card from your Deck to your hand, or banish this card to Special Summon 1 "Diactorus" monster from your Extra Deck.

Why it mattersEvery Ars Magna cost is a face-up banish, so each one can turn into another Ars Magna search.

Mediclius the Extraordinary Power Patron

Mediclius the Extraordinary Power Patron

  • Boss · Link-3
  • WATER Fairy · ATK 3000
  • Arrows ↙ ↓ ↘
  1. 2+ monsters, including a Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link Monster. Gains effects based on how many monsters it points to.
  2. Once per turn, during your Main Phase: negate the effects of all face-up monsters your opponent currently controls, also halve their ATK until the end of this turn.
  3. Unaffected by your opponent's activated effects.
  4. Once per opponent's turn (Quick Effect): banish this card and all cards your opponent controls.

Why it mattersAll of its arrows point down, so it has to sit in the Extra Monster Zone. The three returning Level 8 monsters can fill the three zones it points to.

The Engine: Banish, Summon, Return

Every Ars Magna monster travels the same loop. Getting into banishment is the cost of its first effect; getting out is free.

  1. Hand. Banish an Ars Magna monster from your hand as the cost of its ① to search a card or revive a teammate.
  2. Banished. It waits there until a Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link Monster of its type is Special Summoned.
  3. Summon. The matching Special Summon triggers its ② and it returns to the field. A Link Monster returns all three.
  4. Field. With a Power Patron Link Monster such as Mediclius, its ③ removes a card, and Citrinitas lets it do so on the opponent's turn. Philosophorum ① or the Division and the Union's ③ banishes it again, and the loop restarts.

Whose summon doesn't matter

The ② effects trigger on any Special Summon of the right type. That includes your opponent's Link Summons and a Power Patron Link Monster brought back by Philosophorum.

Why Mediclius

From the Extra Monster Zone, Mediclius points to three Main Monster Zones. If the returning trio fills them, it becomes unaffected by your opponent's activated effects and unlocks the Quick Effect that banishes itself and every card your opponent controls.

What Citrinitas changes

With Citrinitas face-up, the Finite and the Infinite's monster banish and the Corruption and the Purification's Spell/Trap banish become Quick Effects. Each is once per turn, and both are ready again whenever the trio returns on a new turn.

Theorealized Medius adds to the loop: every face-up banish, including each Ars Magna cost, can search another Ars Magna card.

Blueprint Combo: One-Card Elfnote Lucina

Combo Guide
These combos may contain errors or use banned cards. If you spot an issue, submit a replay to help keep this guide accurate.
Know a better line? Submit a Replay

The reference line from otabe's Power Patron Ars Magna Elfnote list, condensed and written with TCG card names.

  • Starter: Elfnote Lucina
  • Normal Summon: unused
  • Source: otabe, OCG list, 2 Aug 2026
Phase 1

Elfnote opener

  1. 1Special Summon Elfnote Lucina to the center Main Monster Zone and use it to add Elfnote Regina.
  2. 2Regina sends Lucina to the GY to Special Summon itself to the center zone, then Special Summons Elfnote Power Patron from the Deck.
  3. 3Elfnote Power Patron raises Regina's Level by 3; Synchro Summon Baronne de Fleur. Regina returns to the hand and Elfnote Power Patron adds Elfnote Tinia.
  4. 4Special Summon Tinia to the center zone and place Ars Magna "Citrinitas" from the Deck. It counts as an Elfnote Continuous Spell.
Phase 2

The Ars Magna chain

  1. 5Citrinitas adds Ars Magna the Finite and the Infinite. Banish it from the hand to add Ars Magna the Division and the Union.
  2. 6Banish the Division and the Union from the hand to Special Summon the Finite and the Infinite from banishment.
  3. 7Link Summon Power Patron Envoy of Pure Prayers with the Finite and the Infinite and Tinia. The Link Summon returns the Division and the Union, and the Envoy adds Theorealized Medius.
  4. 8Special Summon Theorealized Medius and add a Theorealize Spell/Trap. That card summons Medius the Pure, which pulls a Power Patron from the Deck, and those two make I:P Masquerena.
Phase 3

Refuel

  1. 9The Division and the Union banishes the Finite and the Infinite from the GY to draw 1. That face-up banish triggers Theorealized Medius: add Ars Magna the Corruption and the Purification.
  2. 10Banish the Corruption and the Purification from the hand to add Ars Magna "Philosophorum".
Phase 4

Close the board

  1. 11Link Summon a Link-4 closer using the Envoy, Masquerena, Theorealized Medius and the Division and the Union. The Link Summon returns the Finite and the Infinite and the Corruption and the Purification from banishment.
  2. 12Link Summon S:P Little Knight with the two returned Level 8 monsters, revive I:P Masquerena with the Link-4, and Set Philosophorum.

otabe's full line goes on through the Power Patron Pendulums for one more omni-negate Xyz Monster. The Power Patron guide covers that package.

End board

  • Baronne de Fleur: negates an effect
  • S:P Little Knight: banishes a monster
  • I:P Masquerena: Link Summons Mediclius on the opponent's turn
  • Ars Magna "Citrinitas" face-up and Ars Magna "Philosophorum" Set
  • The Link-4 closer, plus an omni-negate Xyz Monster on otabe's full line

The opponent's-turn loop

  1. 1Activate Philosophorum: banish the Ars Magna monsters in your GY and negate up to that many face-up cards.
  2. 2I:P Masquerena Link Summons Mediclius during the opponent's Main Phase.
  3. 3That Link Summon returns every banished Ars Magna monster. Put them in the zones Mediclius points to if they're open.
  4. 4The Finite and the Infinite banishes a monster and the Corruption and the Purification banishes a Spell/Trap, both as Quick Effects. With three pointed monsters, Mediclius can banish every card your opponent controls.

Playstyle & Ratios

Play all five cards as a package inside a Power Patron deck. The same package works going first as a loop and going second as a battle package.

Going first

Build, then reload on their turn

Combo into a board with I:P Masquerena and Philosophorum Set, keeping Citrinitas face-up. Your removal is the trio's ③ effects, which come back every time the trio returns, so you can spend them freely on the opponent's turn instead of saving a single negate.

Going second

The 9000 ATK Mediclius

Once it points to a monster, Mediclius negates your opponent's face-up monsters and halves their ATK. Banish the Finite and the Infinite to triple Mediclius's original ATK to 9000, and the Division and the Union to let it attack monsters up to three times. The Corruption and the Purification keeps it from being destroyed by battle. All three bonuses come from hand effects that cost no Normal Summon.

Recommended package ratios

Card Copies Why
Ars Magna the Finite and the Infinite 1–2 The package's best starter. Citrinitas, Theorealized Medius and the Envoy line all reach it, so a second copy only raises your odds of opening with it.
Ars Magna the Corruption and the Purification 1–2 The only monster that searches Citrinitas and Philosophorum. otabe counts it and the Finite and the Infinite as the package's two starters.
Ars Magna the Division and the Union 1 The Finite and the Infinite searches it in almost every line. It's an extender, not a starter.
Ars Magna "Citrinitas" 1 Elfnote Tinia places it and the Corruption and the Purification searches it. Its search is once per turn by name, so a second copy adds little. It costs 10 Genesys points.
Ars Magna "Philosophorum" 1 The Corruption and the Purification searches it, and its GY effect gives a second use on a later turn.

otabe runs one of each, because the engine's searchers already reach every Ars Magna card.

Reference shell

Ars Magna (5)

  • 1The Finite and the Infinite
  • 1The Corruption and the Purification
  • 1The Division and the Union
  • 1"Citrinitas"
  • 1"Philosophorum"

Elfnote (7)

  • 3Elfnote Lucina
  • 2Elfnote Regina
  • 1Elfnote Tinia
  • 1Elfnote Power Patron

Medius (4)

  • 2Medius the Pure
  • 1Theorealized Medius
  • 1Theorealize Spell/Trap

Power Patron (7)

  • 3Unleashed Power Patron Portal – Terminus
  • 4Power Patron Pendulums, one each

Extra Deck core

  • 1Mediclius the Extraordinary Power Patron
  • 1Power Patron Envoy of Pure Prayers
  • 1I:P Masquerena
  • 1S:P Little Knight
  • 1Baronne de Fleur

This 23-card engine comes from otabe's OCG list. The rest of the main deck is hand traps for your format plus three The Great Gallant Bandit, which otabe prefers to situational hand traps because the deck rarely needs its Normal Summon.

Genesys points

Card Points
Theorealized Medius 80
Ars Magna "Citrinitas" 10
The Finite and the Infinite, the Corruption and the Purification, the Division and the Union, "Philosophorum", Mediclius 0

The whole Ars Magna package costs 10 points. The real cost decision is Theorealized Medius.

Strengths

  • Bodies that come back on their own. Any Link Summon, including your opponent's, can return up to three Level 8 monsters from banishment.
  • Removal on the opponent's turn. With Citrinitas, you get a monster banish and a Spell/Trap banish that reset each time the trio returns.
  • Starts without a Normal Summon. Every Ars Magna starter pays its cost from the hand.
  • Cheap to add. It's a five-slot package, and only Citrinitas carries Genesys points.

Weaknesses & counterplay

  • No Power Patron Link, no payoff. The removal, Citrinitas's Quick Effects and the battle bonuses all need one.
  • Search-heavy. Droll & Lock Bird stops the chain after the first search, and Ash Blossom hits every Deck search. The Division and the Union's revive doesn't touch the Deck, so Ash Blossom can't stop it.
  • Sequencing. Some Elfnote cards lock you into Synchro Summons for the rest of the turn, so make your Link Summons before you use them.
  • Bricks. Mixing the Ars Magna, Medius, Elfnote and Power Patron packages means several cards you don't want to draw naturally.
  • Mediclius placement. It needs the Extra Monster Zone to point at anything, and board breakers like The Great Gallant Bandit punish a board that relies on it alone.

The Medius Saga

Ars Magna draws on all four of its sibling archetypes, and Citrinitas counts as a card of three of them.

Power Patron The deities, Pendulums and Link Monsters that every Ars Magna payoff needs. Open guide → Artmage Nerva's Fusion nation. Its Fusion Summons return the Finite and the Infinite. Open guide → Doom-Z Jupiter's Xyz nation. Its Xyz Summons return the Corruption and the Purification. Open guide → Elfnote Junora's Synchro nation. Tinia places Citrinitas straight from the Deck. Open guide →

Banlist Impact

Fully Unrestricted

The Ars Magna archetype, with its Level 8 monsters that return from banishment on Extra Deck summons, operates at full power with no restrictions on the current TCG banlist.

Maximum Consistency

Play any card at your preferred ratio without restrictions

Full Strength Plays

Access to all archetype synergies without limitations

Strategic Freedom

No banlist constraints holding back your strategy

Banlist Status Summary

analyzed • 0 restrictions found • All cards legal at 3 copies

Sources: Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Card Database · CodexYGO Beyond the Brave recap (18 Jul 2026) · Card-Metric Beyond the Brave TCG set list (22 Sep 2026) · Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Genesys point update · otabe, note.com (2 Aug 2026).