Lore Archive

"The Time Thieves are temporal criminals who steal cards from the opponent's deck, attaching them as Xyz Materials to their boss monster, Redoer. By detaching stolen Spells, Traps, or Monsters, Redoer activates different effects—a heist that robs the opponent of their future draws while powering the thief's own arsenal."

Perpetua is a genius scientist who developed technology to cross time and space. An organization that wanted it for itself plotted to go back and kidnap her as a little girl, and a mysterious time traveler, Redoer, saved her; proud of her smarts even then, she built all kinds of gadgets from what she learned from him while on the run (The Valuable Book EX 4). The Time Thief artworks follow her through her life. Follow a marked name to walk the trail.

Time Thief Startup
I · The inventor
1 / 10

  1. The adult Perpetua (The Valuable Book EX 4), in the same pose as in her own card, with Time Thief Regulator and Time Thief Chronocorder in their device forms. The left- and right-handed gadget gloves on the table are thought to be the ones Redoer and Winder wear.

  2. Winder and a very young Perpetua.

  3. Saved by Redoer traveling to the past! (The Valuable Book EX 4) Redoer and Perpetua appear here.

  4. Redoer appears in Double Barrel, Flyback and Retrograde, and even in two S-Force cards, S-Force Bridgehead and S-Force Showdown: the S-Force's ace, Orrafist, is his eternal rival.

  5. Winder appears in Double Barrel, Hack and Retrograde.

  6. Winder, Redoer and the Time Thief Bezel Ship, together.

  7. Winder, Redoer, Perpetua and a wire-frame model of the Bezel Ship. The "Time Hack" on its display, Sun 20 May 2012, 11:57:00 AM, is the date on the screen in Regulator, and both dates on the display, 20 May 2012 and 25 October 2041, are annular solar eclipses.

  8. A younger Perpetua, older than the little girl in Hack, tinkering with the gadget gloves she is thought to wear later, beside Regulator and Chronocorder in device form. The older Perpetua from Startup appears too.

  9. Her childhood appearance (The Valuable Book EX 4). Perpetua appears in Flyback, Power Reserve, Retrograde and Time Thief Temporwhal.

  10. Escaping from the pursuers! (The Valuable Book EX 4) Perpetua and Temporwhal. Instead of being rescued by Winder or Redoer as before, she now fights off those who want her knowledge and inventions on her own, with the skills and tools she gained from them.

Executive Summary

The Time Thief archetype is a DARK, Rank 4 Xyz-focused control strategy. Its core mechanic involves stealing cards from the opponent's Deck and Graveyard to use as Xyz materials. The primary goal is to establish a disruptive board centered around Time Thief Redoer and Time Thief Perpetua. This duo creates a sustainable loop of advantage and disruption, systematically dismantling the opponent's game plan through resource denial rather than overwhelming force. While playable as a pure deck, its true strength is often realized as a compact and efficient engine in hybrid strategies.

The Crew: A Card Dossier

The Playmakers

Time Thief Regulator

The most important one-card starter. Tributes itself to summon two different "Time Thief" monsters from the deck, setting up the entire board.

Time Thief Winder

The primary searcher. On summon, it adds any "Time Thief" card from the deck to the hand, usually the crucial Counter Trap.

Time Thief Adjuster

The Graveyard setup tool. On summon, it sends a "Time Thief" card from the deck to the GY to enable recursion plays.

The Masterminds & Gadgetry

Time Thief Redoer

The boss monster. Steals from the opponent's deck and uses different materials to dodge effects, draw cards, or provide powerful removal.

Time Thief Perpetua

The engine runner. Attaches "Time Thief" cards from the deck to your Xyz monsters as a Quick Effect, enabling Redoer's best effects.

Time Thief Retrograde

The searchable Counter Trap. Negates a Spell/Trap and attaches it to your Time Thief Xyz monster as material.

The Heist: Regulator's Gambit

The deck's foundational combo starts with a single card, demonstrating how efficiently the Time Thief crew assembles to establish their board.

Time Thief Regulator
Missing: 19891131
1

Initiate the Plan

Normal Summon Regulator to an empty field. Tribute it to Special Summon Winder and Adjuster from your deck.

Time Thief Redoer
Missing: 55285840
2

Assemble & Prepare

Winder's effect searches Retrograde. Adjuster's effect sends Bezel Ship to the GY. Overlay Winder and Adjuster to Xyz Summon Time Thief Redoer.

Time Thief Perpetua
3

Establish the Loop

Use Bezel Ship's GY effect, detaching a material from Redoer to summon itself. Overlay Bezel Ship and the remaining material to Xyz Summon Time Thief Perpetua. Set Retrograde.

The Optimal Endboard

Time Thief Redoer

Time Thief Redoer
Missing: 55285840
  • Theft: Steals the top card of the opponent's deck each Standby Phase.
  • Evasion: (Quick Effect) Detach a monster to banish itself until the End Phase.
  • Removal: (Quick Effect) Detach a Trap to place an opponent's card on top of their deck.

Time Thief Perpetua

Time Thief Perpetua
  • Reload: (Quick Effect) Attaches a "Time Thief" card from your deck to another Xyz monster.
  • Recycle: Revives a "Time Thief" monster from your GY during the Standby Phase.

Strategic Analysis

Strengths

  • Resource Recursion: Excellent at grinding and maintaining board presence over multiple turns.
  • Versatile Disruption: Redoer offers multiple forms of interaction (evasion, draw, non-destruction removal).
  • Compact Engine: The core combo requires few main deck slots, making it ideal for hybrid builds.

Weaknesses

  • Normal Summon Reliant: Very vulnerable to hand traps on Regulator's effect.
  • Low Raw Power: Main deck monsters have low stats and struggle to clear established boards alone.
  • Ash Blossom Vulnerability: Nearly every key card in the main combo can be negated by Ash Blossom.

Synergistic Engines

  • Phantom Knights/Raidraptor: The premier hybrid, using the DARK Level 4 synergy to build powerful boards with multiple negates.
  • PSY-Framegear Gamma: Protects the crucial Regulator play from hand traps.
  • Rokket Engine: Quick Launch provides a free Level 4 body to extend combos without using the Normal Summon.

Banlist Impact

Fully Unrestricted

As of the current TCG format, the Time Thief archetype is entirely unrestricted, allowing it to operate at full capacity.

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