NEXUS

Lore Archive

In Japanese the theme is written 依鬼 — Ashutora, the “Possessed Oni.” Its four main-deck spirits echo oni folklore: Akasuna and Mikumari form a red-and-blue pair, while Yoa and Kuzuha are sorcerer oni of plague and bewitchment. Their two rulers borrow from Shinto myth. Ashtraja Susanoo, named after the storm god, swings a kanabō, the studded war club of oni legend. Ashtraya Mikumari-no-Mikoto takes her name from the deity of water distribution.

“Drag your foes through Ashtrashen – Gate to the Worlds Beyond and besiege them with terrifying Traps!” — Konami, Beyond the Brave product notes

The Ashtra are possessed oni from Beyond the Brave (8 October 2026), ruled by a Red Oni and a Blue Oni named after Shinto gods. Follow a marked name to walk the trail.

Akasuna the Battle Ashtra
I · Akasuna
1 / 10

  1. The kanji 金神 in its name is Konjin, a violent kami of Onmyōdō. Its Synchro form is Ashtraja Susanoo.

  2. Susanoo, the storm god, as a Red Oni, wild and passionate, with a kanabō, the studded club of oni legend. Its downgraded form is Akasuna.

  3. Named after Mikumari, the deity of water distribution. It appears in Ashtra's Domain and Ashtrashen. Its Synchro form is Ashtraya Mikumari-no-Mikoto.

  4. The Blue Oni, calm and intellectual, to Susanoo's Red Oni.

  5. Mikumari with the dragon of Mikumari-no-Mikoto's art.

  6. Mikumari at the gate. Its Japanese name points to the trichiliocosm, the Buddhist universe of a billion worlds.

  7. The sorcerer oni of plague. It howls in Ashtra's Howl.

  8. Yoa in its art.

  9. The sorcerer oni of bewitchment, seen in Ashtra's Web.

  10. Kuzuha in its art.

Executive Summary

Ashtra is a ten-card Trap–Synchro theme from Beyond the Brave that plays as hybrid control. Its whole economy runs on one resource: face-down cards. Every main-deck Ashtra monster Special Summons itself from the hand by revealing a face-down card you control and returning it to the hand or Extra Deck. Because a returned Spell or Trap can simply be Set again, one card can pay for several Summons in the same turn. All three Ashtra Traps can also Special Summon themselves as Level 1 Tuners and then Synchro Summon immediately.

That turns the back row into off-turn Synchro plays. A Level 1 Trap Tuner plus a free Level 7 or 8 body reaches Ashtraya Mikumari-no-Mikoto (Level 8) or Ashtraja Susanoo (Level 9) during your opponent's turn. Yoa the Plague Ashtra can shift a Level by 1 at instant speed to reach whichever one you need. Susanoo's End Phase recursion then rebuilds the board every turn, so the deck grinds very well.

The catch is going second. A Trap can't be activated the turn it is Set, and the monsters need a face-down card before they can be Summoned. That leaves pure Ashtra with almost nothing to do on its first turn when facing an established board. In the OCG it launched into a Toon-dominated format and posted poor results. The strongest builds pair it with an engine that fixes turn two, most notably Labrynth.

The Ashtra Codex

All ten cards. Tap any card image for the full-size scan. Ratio chips show a typical pure build.

Mikumari the Banisher Ashtra
Missing: 38114652

Mikumari the Barrier Ashtra

OCG: Mikumari the Sealing Deity Ashtra

Starter Wyrm / WATER LV7 2000 / 2500 ×3 Genesys 5
Card text

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by revealing 1 face-down card you control and returning it to the hand/Extra Deck. You can only Special Summon "Mikumari the Barrier Ashtra" once per turn this way. You can only use each of the following effects of "Mikumari the Barrier Ashtra" once per turn. During your Main Phase: You can add 1 non-Wyrm "Ashtra" monster from your Deck to your hand. If this card is sent to the GY as Synchro Material for an "Ashtra" monster: You can target 1 Normal Trap in your GY; Set it.

The deck's primary starter. It searches any other main-deck body (the non-Wyrm clause stops it fetching itself). As material for an Ashtra Synchro it re-Sets any Normal Trap, including the Trap Tuner used in that same Summon.

Yoa the Plague Ashtra
Missing: 1710647

Yoa the Plague Ashtra

OCG: Yoa the Plague Deity Ashtra

Setter / Level Fixer Spellcaster / WIND LV7 2400 / 1500 ×3 Genesys 3
Card text

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by revealing 1 face-down card you control and returning it to the hand or Extra Deck. You can only Special Summon "Yoa the Plague Ashtra" once per turn this way. You can only use each of the following effects of "Yoa the Plague Ashtra" once per turn. During your Main Phase: You can Set 1 "Ashtra" Spell/Trap from your Deck. During your opponent's turn (Quick Effect): You can target 1 face-up monster on the field; increase or decrease its Level by 1.

Sets an Ashtra Trap or Ashtrashen straight from the Deck, which is your opponent's-turn Synchro threat. The Level shift works both ways: it breaks the opponent's Xyz and Synchro maths, or it lifts Yoa to Level 8 so a Trap Tuner reaches Susanoo.

Akasuna the Battle Ashtra
Missing: 38331244

Akasuna the Battle Ashtra

OCG: Akasuna the Golden Deity Ashtra

Disruption Fiend / FIRE LV8 3000 / 300 ×2–3
Card text

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by revealing 1 face-down card you control and returning it to the hand or Extra Deck. You can only Special Summon "Akasuna the Battle Ashtra" once per turn this way. You can only use each of the following effects of "Akasuna the Battle Ashtra" once per turn. During the Main Phase (Quick Effect): You can send 1 Trap from your hand or face-down field to the GY; change all face-up monsters your opponent controls to face-down Defense Position. During your End Phase: You can Set 1 "Ashtra" Trap from your Deck.

A Book of Eclipse on a 3000-ATK body. Flipping every face-up opposing monster answers an established board without targeting or destroying anything. It is also the one engine card community testers found live going second. The cost competes with your Set Traps, so plan which one it eats.

Kuzuha the Hex Ashtra
Missing: 65325949

Kuzuha the Hex Ashtra

OCG: Kuzuha the Bewitching Deity Ashtra

Removal Insect / EARTH LV8 2800 / 1500 ×1–2
Card text

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by revealing 1 face-down card you control and returning it to the hand or Extra Deck. You can only Special Summon "Kuzuha the Hex Ashtra" once per turn this way. You can only use each of the following effects of "Kuzuha the Hex Ashtra" once per turn. You can target 1 card on the field for every 2 face-down cards on the field; destroy it. During your End Phase: You can target 1 "Ashtra" Trap in your GY; Set it.

Destruction that scales with face-down cards on both sides. Testers rate it the weakest of the four. Most lists run a single copy as a second Level 8 body for Susanoo, which leaves Akasuna free to keep its flip effect.

Deck Building

Recommended ratios for the three main builds, the Extra Deck toolbox, and the non-engine cards that make Ashtra function.

Card Pure Labrynth Paleozoic
Mikumari the Barrier Ashtra 3 3 2–3
Yoa the Plague Ashtra 3 2–3 2–3
Akasuna the Battle Ashtra 2–3 1–2 1–2
Kuzuha the Hex Ashtra 1–2 0–1 1
Ashtrashen - Gate to the Worlds Beyond 2–3 1–2 1–2
Ashtra's Web 2–3 1–2 2–3
Ashtra's Howl 2–3 1–2 2–3
Ashtra's Domain 1–2 1 1–2
Ashtraya Mikumari-no-Mikoto Extra 2 2 2
Ashtraja Susanoo Extra 2 1–2 2
Ranges reflect community testing and are not tournament-verified. Genesys (initial): Mikumari 5, Yoa 3, Ashtrashen 7; the other seven cards cost 0.

Extra Deck Toolbox

  • Graydle Dragon: Domain + Mikumari counts two WATER materials, so it destroys 2 of your opponent's cards on the Synchro Summon.
  • Crystron Quariongandrax: two Trap Tuners + a Level 7 banishes up to 3 monsters from the field and/or GY.
  • Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack: Mikumari + Yoa, both Level 7, on your own turn.
  • Level 10 Synchros (e.g. Baronne de Fleur): Paleozoic builds reach them with LV1 Trap Tuner + LV2 Paleozoic + LV7 Ashtra.

Non-Engine Support

  • Audhumla, Progenitor of the Frozen Expanse: Konami's own recommended partner. It swaps Set cards for draws, and its Quick Effect protects every face-down card you control from destruction and targeting for the turn.
  • Synchro Emergency: can be activated from the hand when only your opponent controls a monster, which helps the deck's worst matchup, going second.
  • Generic Normal Traps: Mikumari and Mikumari-no-Mikoto recycle them, so high-impact picks like Infinite Impermanence and Compulsory Evacuation Device get replayed.

Hybrid Engines

Pure Ashtra has no one-card combo and a weak turn two. These partners each fix a specific gap.

First Penguin

First Penguin

Fixes: no 1-card starter

It Summons itself onto an empty field, searches Mikumari by revealing Mikumari-no-Mikoto, then flips face-down to pay for two Ashtra Summons.

Its Extra Deck lock is WATER-only for the turn, so Susanoo waits until the opponent's turn.

Arias the Labrynth Butler

Arias the Labrynth Butler

Fixes: going second

As a Main Phase Quick Effect it Sets a Normal Trap from your hand, and that Trap can be activated the same turn.

An Ashtra Trap Set by Arias can become a Tuner and Synchro on the turn it lands, which directly fixes the deck's biggest weakness.

Lady Labrynth of the Silver Castle

Lady Labrynth of the Silver Castle

Fixes: trap density

Ashtra always controls a Set card, which keeps her protected. When a Normal Trap is activated, she Sets a different Normal Trap from the Deck.

Ashtra Traps trigger her, and her Set triggers Ashtrashen's bounce. As a Level 8 she is also Susanoo material with a Trap Tuner.

Paleozoic Canadia

Paleozoic Traps

Fixes: Extra Deck reach

Whenever a Trap is activated, Paleozoics in the GY Summon themselves as Level 2 WATER Aqua monsters, which opens Level 10 lines.

They also stock the GY with Traps for Susanoo. Banishing them to pay Susanoo, though, ends their own loop.

Audhumla, Progenitor of the Frozen Expanse

Audhumla, Progenitor of the Frozen Expanse

Fixes: backrow hate

It Special Summons itself once 4+ cards are on the field. Its Quick Effect flips it face-down and shields all your face-down cards for the turn.

It answers Harpie's Feather Duster and Lightning Storm, the cards that hurt this deck most.

Casual builds have also paired Ashtra with Tindangle and Enneacraft. Note that Enneacraft's Summon restriction covers the whole turn, so Ashtra plays must come first.

Competitive Analysis

Scorecard

Tier 2.5 / Rogue
Going-first ceiling8.5 / 10
Resource grind9.0 / 10
Engine splashability7.5 / 10
Resilience to interruption5.0 / 10
Going-second adaptability3.5 / 10

Going First vs. Going Second

First: this is where the deck shines. A 1.5-card line leaves two bodies and two Set cards. The opponent's turn then brings a Trap-Tuner Synchro with non-targeting removal, Yoa's Level shift, and End Phase refuelling from Akasuna or Susanoo.

Second: this is the deck's weak point. Traps can't be activated the turn they are Set, and hand Summons need a face-down card that an established board can simply remove. Pure Ashtra can't threaten a Synchro on turn two. Arias, Synchro Emergency and generic board breakers are the fixes.

Format outlook: the OCG launched it into a Toon-dominated format and results were poor. The TCG has no equivalent pressure, and the low Genesys costs make it an easy fit there.

Strengths

  • Every Ashtra Trap is a self-contained Synchro starter: Tuner and starter in one card, with nothing committed from hand.
  • Level 7 and 8 bodies Summon themselves for free, and one Set card pays for several of them.
  • Most removal doesn't target: Mikumari-no-Mikoto's send, Susanoo's banish, and Akasuna's mass flip.
  • The Susanoo Loop and three End Phase Set effects make the deck exceptional in long games.

Critical Weaknesses

  • No true one-card combo; pure builds rely on two-card hands or First Penguin.
  • Face-down cards are the engine, so backrow hate damages consistency, not just disruption.
  • Going second into an established board is close to unwinnable without hybrid help.
  • Hard once-per-turn on nearly every effect, including one activation per Trap name, limits how far a single turn can go.

Counters & Answers

Threat Examples Why it hurts Answer
Backrow removal Harpie's Feather Duster, Lightning Storm, Evenly Matched It removes the Summon fuel and Ashtrashen's trigger in one go. Audhumla's Quick Effect protects every face-down card for the turn.
Banish & GY lock Macro Cosmos, Dimension Shifter Susanoo's banish cost needs Traps in the GY. Mikumari-no-Mikoto and Susanoo's End Phase both reach banished Ashtra cards, which slows the loop rather than stopping it.
Search negation Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring It hits Mikumari's search, Ashtrashen, and Mikumari-no-Mikoto's mill. Bait it with First Penguin. A card you returned to hand can be Set again, so you lose tempo but not the card.
Monster negation Effect Veiler, Infinite Impermanence It stops the search or Set on a freshly Summoned body. Summon the monster whose effect you can afford to lose first.
Established boards Negate-heavy turn-one boards Set cards get removed before they're used, and there's no turn-two Synchro. Arias (activate a Trap the turn it's Set), Synchro Emergency, Akasuna's flip.

Card text: official card database, with TCG names from Konami's Genesys list and product notes. Strategy, ratios and scorecard: community testing collected in the Ashtra research notebook (r/yugioh deck discussions, OCG tournament reports, and TCGplayer's Beyond the Brave review).

Banlist Impact

Fully Unrestricted

As of the current TCG format, the Ashtra 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