The Fist of Fate: A Strategic Deep Dive
An analysis of "Obelisk the Tormentor" decks must begin by dismantling a common misconception: there is no competitively viable "Obelisk" archetype. The standalone structure deck is suitable only for casual play.
The true function of Obelisk in a contemporary setting is as a high-impact "boss monster package." This package consists of Obelisk, its powerful Spell/Trap support, and generic Divine-Beast cards. This entire package is then integrated into a more consistent, meta-relevant "engine" (like Horus, Lair of Darkness, or Floowandereeze) that compensates for the God Card's inherent flaws.
The core philosophy is a "go-second" board-breaking strategy designed to achieve a One-Turn Kill (OTK). This is dictated by its most powerful support, Soul Crossing (which uses the opponent's monsters for the Tribute Summon) and Fist of Fate (which provides un-negatable field wipes). The goal is not to build a board, but to summon a 4000 ATK behemoth, wipe the field clean, and attack for game.
Summoning & Protection: Requires 3 Tributes to Normal Summon. The Normal Summon cannot be negated. When Normal Summoned, cards and effects cannot be activated.
Targeting Immunity: Neither player can target this card with card effects.
God Hand Crusher: You can Tribute 2 monsters; destroy all monsters your opponent controls. Cannot attack the turn this effect is activated.
Vulnerability: Immune only to targeting effects. Still vulnerable to non-targeting removal like Raigeki, Mirror Force, or Kaiju monsters.
To address Obelisk's challenges, a small but potent suite of divine support cards was developed. Many of these cards feature the text: "This card's activation and effect cannot be negated."
Tribute 2 other monsters to destroy your opponent's monsters and inflict 4000 damage. Its GY effect is the deck's main searcher, adding Obelisk from Deck to hand and allowing an immediate Normal Summon.
An un-negatable monster negate & destroy. If used in your Main Phase, it also destroys all opposing Spells/Traps. A full board wipe.
An un-negatable Special Summon of Obelisk from hand/GY, making it unaffected by opponent's card effects for the turn. This patches its non-targeting vulnerability. Its GY effect banishes the opponent's GY.
The "true" solution to summoning Obelisk. This card allows you to Tribute Summon a Divine-Beast using your opponent's monsters as Tributes. It turns Obelisk's 3-Tribute cost into a devastating, non-targeting board wipe.
An un-negatable buff that "chooses" (does not target) Obelisk. It gains 1000 ATK/DEF, its activated effects cannot be negated (protecting its board wipe), and it gains a new effect to send an opponent's monster to GY when it attacks.
Obelisk's greatest challenge is its 3-Tribute cost. While Soul Crossing bypasses this by using the opponent's board, other engines are needed to generate your own fodder.
Reactor Slime, on Normal Summon, Special Summons 2 "Slime Tokens." This card plus its two tokens instantly provides the 3 Tributes needed.
Restriction: This locks you into only summoning Divine-Beast monsters for the rest of the turn, preventing all Extra Deck plays.
Ra's Disciple, when Summoned, lets you Special Summon up to 2 more copies from your hand or Deck. This is a one-card-to-three-monsters engine.
Restriction: Even more restrictive. You cannot Special Summon other monsters at all, except by its own effect.
The deck's most common path to searching and summoning Obelisk when a Tribute engine is already available.
Activate Foolish Burial Goods. This sends 1 Soul Energy MAX!!! from your Deck to the GY, setting up its secondary effect.
Through a separate engine (like Reactor Slime + 2 Tokens, or the Horus engine), place 3 monsters on your field.
During your Main or Battle Phase, activate the effect of Soul Energy MAX!!! in your GY.
Banish Soul Energy MAX!!!. Its effect adds Obelisk the Tormentor from Deck to hand, then immediately allows you to Normal Summon it by Tributing your 3 monsters.
The deck's "go-second" power play, resulting in a fully protected monster that wipes both the field and GY.
With Obelisk in hand or GY, activate the Quick-Play Spell The Breaking Ruin God. Its activation and effect cannot be negated.
Special Summon Obelisk the Tormentor. For the rest of this turn, it is unaffected by all opponent's card effects, patching its key weakness.
Tribute 2 other monsters (e.g., from a Horus or Reactor Slime engine) to activate your unaffected Obelisk's effect, destroying all monsters your opponent controls.
Because you Tributed 2 monsters, The Breaking Ruin God's GY effect triggers. Banish it to banish all monsters in your opponent's GY and inflict burn damage. A total field and GY wipe.
The most fluid hybrid, using the Horus engine to discard support cards as a cost and swarm the field for Tributes.
Activate Imsety, Glory of Horus from hand. Send itself and Soul Energy MAX!!! to the GY as cost. Imsety's effect searches King's Sarcophagus.
Activate King's Sarcophagus. This allows your Horus monsters to Special Summon themselves from the GY.
Imsety Special Summons itself. Use Sarcophagus to send/summon 2 more Horus monsters (like Qebehsenuef and Hapi). You now have 3 monsters on field for Tributes.
Activate the Soul Energy MAX!!! you discarded in Step 1. Banish it from the GY.
The GY effect resolves: add Obelisk the Tormentor from Deck to hand, then immediately allows you to Normal Summon it by Tributing your 3 Horus monsters.
This "go-second" variant uses the opponent's monsters as fuel for both summoning Obelisk and paying for its effects.
Activate the Field Spell Lair of Darkness. This turns all face-up monsters on the field (including your opponent's) into DARK attribute.
Activate Soul Crossing. Tribute 3 of your opponent's monsters to Normal Summon Obelisk the Tormentor from your hand.
Lair of Darkness has a second effect: to pay for an effect cost, you can Tribute 1 DARK monster your opponent controls. You can now activate Obelisk's board wipe by Tributing 1 monster you control and 1 of your opponent's remaining monsters.
This hybrid leverages a rare mechanical overlap: Floowandereeze locks you out of Special Summons, but Obelisk is Normal Summoned.
Perform the standard Floowandereeze combo (e.g., Robina -> Eglen -> Stri). This combo chain naturally places 3 monsters on the field for Tributes, all while respecting the "no Special Summon" lock.
Instead of Tributing your 3 monsters for the archetype's boss monster, Floowandereeze & Empen, you simply Normal Summon Obelisk the Tormentor instead. It fits seamlessly into the game plan.
The Floowandereeze engine is also used as a hyper-consistent delivery system to search for the real win condition: Soul Crossing, allowing you to use the opponent's board instead.
Despite its un-negatable support, the Obelisk package is a "rogue" strategy at best due to several fundamental flaws.
Obelisk's built-in "cannot be targeted" protection is outdated and easily bypassed by modern staples.
The deck is not a "funnel" combo but a "critical mass" deck. The best way to stop it is to deny the Tributes.
This is the deck's unfixable, fundamental flaw. The card advantage trade is a disaster by modern standards.
MODERATE IMPACT: The Obelisk the Tormentor archetype has been moderately restricted by the TCG banlist, with 3 cards limited.
Meta Implications: Thanks to its The archetype is completely untouched by banlist restrictions, maintaining maximum consistency for tribute summoning strategies., Obelisk the Tormentor remains playable despite the limitations.
Banlist Status Summary
Core cards checked:
• Called by the Grave
• Monster Reborn
• Triple Tactics Talent
analyzed •
3 total restrictions found
• 3 archetype cards
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