Darquess

Yu-Gi-Oh! Archetype

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yu-Gi-Oh! Archetypes undefined

Darquess

An archetype of DARK and primarily Spellcaster Monsters, harnessing Ritual and Fusion Summoning through the unique Ritual and Fusion Spell Darquess Rising, revolving around banishing cards and dealing damage to the player themselves.

Cards

type	count
Ritual	x3
Fusion	x6

Monsters

Main Deck

card	Level	ATK/DEF	Type
Aiza, Invoker of Darquess	4 ★★★★	1900 / 0
Azia, Envoker of Darquess	4 ★★★★	1900 / 0
Zaia, Evoker of Darquess	4 ★★★★	1900 / 0
Cythris, Augur of Darquess	7 ★★★★★★★	2300 / 0
Lyfris, Herald of Darquess	7 ★★★★★★★	2300 / 0
Syndris, Oracle of Darquess	7 ★★★★★★★	2300 / 0
Hykarice, Sentry of Darquess	9 ★★★★★★★★★	2700 / 0	Warrior
Kyralice, Sentinel of Darquess	9 ★★★★★★★★★	2700 / 0	Warrior
Vyktica, Valkyrie of Darquess	9 ★★★★★★★★★	2700 / 0	Warrior
Raiza, Sorceress of Darquess	13 ★★★★★★★★★★★★★	3000 / 0	Ritual
Laiza, Enchantress of Darquess	13 ★★★★★★★★★★★★★	3000 / 0	Ritual
Vaiza, Empress of Darquess	13 ★★★★★★★★★★★★★	3000 / 0	Ritual
Kes, Fallen of Darquess	6 ★★★★★★	1500 / 0
Dyavin, Devoter of Darquess	6 ★★★★★★	1500 / 0	Tuner

Extra Deck

card	Level	ATK/DEF	Type	Material
Elaiza, Arisen of Darquess	13 ★★★★★★★★★★★★★	3300 / 0	Fusion	Raiza, Sorceress of Darquess + Laiza, Enchantress of Darquess
Levaiza, Ascended of Darquess	13 ★★★★★★★★★★★★★	3300 / 0	Fusion	Laiza, Enchantress of Darquess + Vaiza, Empress of Darquess
Vraiza, Awakened of Darquess	13 ★★★★★★★★★★★★★	3300 / 0	Fusion	Vaiza, Empress of Darquess + Raiza, Sorceress of Darquess
Primordial Darquessence, Oblivion of Darquess	13 ★★★★★★★★★★★★★	? / 0	Divine-Beast Fusion	3 Level 13 ‘Darquess’ Monsters with different names
Lynuca, Silencer of Darquess	11 ★★★★★★★★★★★	2700 / 0	Warrior Fusion	2 Level 9+ DARK Monsters
Dyvarice, Corruptor of Darquess	9 ★★★★★★★★★	2700 / 0	Fusion	2 DARK Monsters with different types (Ritual/Fusion/Synchro/Xyz/Link)

Spells

display

card	property
Allure of Darquess
Covin of Darquess	∞ Continuous
Darquess Rising	◈ Ritual
Prophecy of Darquess
Realm of Darquess	✦ Field
Rites of Darquess
Temptation of Darquess

Traps

display

card	property
Awakening of Darquess
Corruption of Darquess
Darquess Falling	↵ Counter
Magnificence of Darquess	∞ Continuous
Nightmare of Darquess	∞ Continuous
Perfection of Darquess	∞ Continuous
Revenge of Darquess	↵ Counter
Runes of Darquess
Seduction of Darquess
Soul of Darquess	↵ Counter

Overview

All Monsters have 0 DEF.

Level 4

The 3 Lv4 Monsters have 1900 ATK and share the following effect:

If another card is banished: You can either add this banished card to your hand, or Special Summon this card from your hand.

Each has an effect to search another card on Summon, which also deals damage to the player themselves:

If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can {…}, and if you do, take 700 damage.

Monster	Aiza	Azia	Zaia
card
effect	banish a ‘Darquess’ Spell/Trap from Deck	Set a banished ‘Darquess’ Spell/Trap	bury a ‘Darquess’ Monster

Level 7

This self-dealt damage allows the 3 Lv7 Monsters to be Summoned, which each have 2300 ATK.

If either player takes damage: You can Special Summon this card from your hand or Graveyard, then you can increase this card’s Level (max 12) by 1 for every 100 damage taken.

They can then banish a card from the hand or Grave to search a Ritual-related card:

You can banish 1 card from your hand or Graveyard; add 1 ‘Darquess’ {…} from your Deck or Banished Pile to your hand.

Monster	Cythris	Lyfris	Syndris
card
search	‘Darquess’ Spell	‘Darquess’ Monster	‘Darquess’ Ritual card

Level 9

The 3 Lv9 Monsters have 2700 ATK, and serve as powerful removal, interrupts and sacrifices for Ritual Summons.

They share the following effects:

You can banish 2 other DARK Monsters from your field and/or either player’s Graveyard; Special Summon this card from your hand or Graveyard, then you can banish 1 {…}.

Hykarice and Kyralice can negate Spell/Traps:

When a {Spell/Trap} card or effect is activated, while you control a Level 13 ‘Darquess’ Monster (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your hand or field; negate the activation, also banish that card, and if you do, take 700 damage.

Vyktica is slightly different:

When a DARK Monster declares an attack or activates its effect, while you control a Level 13 ‘Darquess’ Monster (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your hand or field; banish that monster, and if you do, take 700 damage.

Monster	Hykarice	Kyralice	Vyktica
card
banish	faceup Spell/Trap	facedown Spell/Trap	Grave
interrupt	Spell	Trap	Monster

Level 13 Ritual

The 3 Ritual Monsters are each Lv13 with 3000 ATK. All 3 are Limited, so the player can only ever control 1 of each. They share the Summoning condition that they must be Ritual Summoned by a ‘Darquess’ card. Upon Ritual Summon, they can each search any ‘Darquess’ Trap from the Deck.

If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can Set 1 ‘Darquess’ Trap from your Deck.

Each then has a continuous floodgate effect, an ignition effect involving banishing, and a non-activated effect.

Monster	Raiza	Laiza	Vaiza
card
continuous	neither player can Normal Summon non-DARK Monsters	neither player can Special Summon non-DARK Monsters from the Extra Deck	DARK Monsters lose ATK equal to their original DEF
ignition	banish 1 DARK Monster from either player’s field or Grave	Special Summon 1 banished DARK Monster	gain LP equal to a DARK Monster’s ATK when it is banished or Summoned
other	banish top card of opponent’s Deck face-down each time you take damage	inflict 350 damage each time a card is banished	‘Darquess’ Monsters can use effects as Quick Effects

Level 13 Fusion

The 3 main Lv13 Fusion Monsters each have 3300 ATK, requiring 2 of the 3 Ritual Monsters as Material. They feature a powerful floodgate effect of their own, while sharing the following effect:

If this card is targeted (Quick Effect): You can make 1 other DARK Monster on the field become the target instead.

Monster	Elaiza	Levaiza	Vraiza
card
continuous	neither player can Normal or Special Summon non-DARK Monsters	opponent‘s Monsters are changed to Defense Position, and Monsters they control in Defense Position cannot activate effects	negates the effects of DARK Synchro, Xyz, and Link Monsters

Primordial Darquessence is the ultimate boss Monster of the archetype, requiring 3 Lv13 Darquess Monsters as Material – note that these can be either Ritual or Fusion Monsters. Its effects are, to say the least, quite ridiculous.

Spell Support

The archetypal Field Spell is Realm of Darquess, which provides the critical conditions for the rest of the archetype to function effectively.

The archetypal Ritual and Fusion Spell is Darquess Rising, which can recover itself as long as it is banished.

Rising	Realm

Trap Cards

Many opening and searching cards that would usually be Spells are instead Traps, some of which have the ability to be activated immediately by taking damage. Most important of all are the Monster and Spell/Trap searchers, Awakening of Darquess and Runes of Darquess, which can also search the Field Spell if it is not already active.

Awakening	Runes

Otherwise of note are the 3 Continuous Traps, which like the Ritual Monsters are also Limited. They provide the Ritual Monsters with protection and recover LP that the player loses from all the self-damage. They also have the useful effect to recover another banished ‘Darquess’ Trap when banished themselves, allowing for efficient recursion.

Trap	Magnificence	Perfection	Nightmare
card
continuous	battle and Monster effect destruction	Spell/Trap effects	opponent skips their Main Phase 1
LP	gain 350 LP each time opponent activates a card or effect	gain 350 LP each time opponent places a card on the field	inflict 350 damage each time opponent activates a card or effect

Support

{…}

Lynuca can be seen as an upgrade of the Lv9 Monsters (it can be brought out by banishing any 2 of them from the field), combining all their effects into a single lingering omni-negate. Kes is essentially an afterthought, but surprisingly powerful – it alone fully enables Soul of Darquess or Darquess Falling for a wicked comeback.

Monster	Lynuca	Kes
card
effect	banish activated card or effect, negate effects of all cards with that name until the end of next turn	bury Darquess Monster from the Extra Deck to search Soul of Darquess or Darquess Falling

Strategy

{…}

Deck

Last updated: June 2023

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Tip: hover over a card to view its card text.
Note: the number of copies are not exact – they only indicate a card’s place within the archetype.

display

Main Deck

If a ‘Darquess’ card leaves your field by an opponent’s card: You can banish this card from your hand or Graveyard, then send 1 ‘Darquess’ monster from your Extra Deck to the Graveyard; Set 1 ’Soul of Darquess’ or ‘Darquess Falling’ from your Deck or Banished Pile, and if you do, take 700 damage. If you currently control no face-up monsters, it can be activated this turn. You can only use this effect of ‘Kes, Fallen of Darquess’ once per turn.

If your opponent takes damage: You can Special Summon this card from your hand or Graveyard to their field. You can only use this effect of ‘Dyavin, Devoter of Darquess’ once per turn. While you control this card in Attack Position, you cannot move cards from the Graveyard. While you control this card in Defense Position, you cannot activate the effects of cards in the Graveyard.

If another card is banished: You can either add this banished card to your hand, or Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can banish 1 ‘Darquess’ Spell/Trap from your Deck, and if you do, take 700 damage. You can only use each effect of ‘Aiza, Invoker of Darquess’ once per turn.

If either player takes damage: You can Special Summon this card from your hand or Graveyard, then you can increase this card’s Level (max 12) by 1 for every 100 damage taken. You can banish 1 card from your hand or Graveyard; add 1 ‘Darquess’ Spell from your Deck or Banished Pile to your hand. You can only use this effect of ‘Cythris, Augur of Darquess’ once per turn.

You can banish 2 other DARK monsters from your field and/or either player’s Graveyard; Special Summon this card from your hand or Graveyard, then you can banish 1 face-up Spell/Trap on the field. When a Spell card or effect is activated, while you control Level 13 ‘Darquess’ monster (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your hand or field; negate the activation, also banish that card, and if you do, take 700 damage. You can only use each effect of ‘Hykarice, Sentry of Darquess’ once per turn.

Must be Ritual Summoned by a ‘Darquess’ card. If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can Set 1 ‘Darquess’ Trap from your Deck. Neither player can Normal Summon non-DARK monsters. Each time you take damage, you can banish the top card of your opponent’s Deck face-down. Once per turn: You can banish 1 DARK monster from either player’s field or Graveyard.

Must be Ritual Summoned by a ‘Darquess’ card. If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can Set 1 ‘Darquess’ Trap from your Deck. Neither player can Special Summon non-DARK monsters from the Extra Deck. Each time a card is banished, you can inflict 350 damage to your opponent. Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 banished DARK monster.

Must be Ritual Summoned by a ‘Darquess’ card. If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can Set 1 ‘Darquess’ Trap from your Deck. DARK monsters lose ATK equal to their original DEF. Your ‘Darquess’ monsters can use their effects as Quick Effects. Once per turn, if a DARK monster is Special Summoned or banished: You can gain LP equal to its ATK.

All monsters on the field, in the Graveyard and that are banished become DARK. Any Spell/Traps that would be sent to the Graveyard are banished instead. While you control a Level 13 ‘Darquess’ monster, this card cannot be destroyed, also it gains the following effect.
• Each time you take effect damage, you can gain LP equal to half that damage, then you can inflict damage to your opponent equal to the LP you gained.

Activate 1 of the following effects.
• Ritual Summon 1 ‘Darquess’ Ritual monster from your hand or GY. You must also Tribute DARK monsters from your hand or field, and/or banish DARK monsters from either player’s GY, whose total Levels and ATK equal or exceed those of the Ritual monster.
• Fusion Summon 1 ‘Darquess’ Fusion monster from your Extra Deck or GY, by banishing materials from your hand, field and/or GY.
If you take damage: You can add this banished card to your hand, then you can return 1 of your banished ‘Darquess’ monsters to the GY. You can only use this effect of ‘Darquess Rising’ once per turn.

While this card is banished, it gains the following effects.
• Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects when you Special Summon a ‘Darquess’ monster, or in response to the activations of your ‘Darquess’ Spells.
• While you control a Level 13 ‘Darquess’ monster, negate your opponent’s card effects that target a ‘Darquess’ card you control.
If a ‘Darquess’ Spell/Trap would leave your field by an opponent’s card, you can banish this card from your Graveyard instead.

Banish 1 card from your hand or Graveyard; add 1 ‘Darquess’ Ritual monster and/or Ritual Spell from your Deck to your hand, and if you do, take 700 damage. You can return this banished card to the Graveyard; add 1 of your banished ‘Darquess’ cards to your hand, and if you do, take 700 damage. You can only use an effect of ‘Rites of Darquess’ once per turn.

Draw 2 cards, and if you do, take 700 damage, also after that, banish 1 ‘Darquess’ card from your hand or field, or if you cannot, banish your entire hand. You can banish 1 ‘Darquess’ card from your hand or Graveyard; add this banished card to your hand, and if you do, take 700 damage. You can only use each effect of ‘Temptation of Darquess’ once per turn.

Banish the top 3 cards of your Deck, and if you do, take 700 damage. If a Level 13 ‘Darquess’ monster leaves your field: You can add this banished card to your hand. You can only use each effect of ‘Allure of Darquess’ once per turn.

Banish 1 ‘Darquess’ card from your Deck, and if you do, take 700 damage. If a Level 13 ‘Darquess’ monster is Special Summoned: You can banish this banished card face-down; add 1 of your banished ‘Darquess’ cards to your hand, and if you do, take 700 damage. You can only use each effect of ‘Prophecy of Darquess’ once per turn.

Special Summon 1 ‘Darquess’ monster from your Deck, but banish it during the End Phase. If you control no DARK monsters, or ‘Realm of Darquess’ is in the Field Zone, you can activate this card the turn it was Set, but take 700 damage. You can banish this card from your Graveyard; activate 1 ‘Realm of Darquess’ from your Deck, and if you do, take 700 damage. You can only use each effect of ‘Awakening of Darquess’ once per turn.

Set 1 ‘Darquess’ Spell/Trap from your Deck, but banish it during the End Phase. If you control no other face-up Spell/Traps, or ‘Realm of Darquess’ is in the Field Zone, you can activate this card the turn it was Set, but take 700 damage. You can banish this card from your Graveyard; activate 1 ‘Realm of Darquess’ from your Deck, and if you do, take 700 damage. You can only use each effect of ‘Runes of Darquess’ once per turn.

Your ‘Darquess’ monsters cannot be destroyed by battle or your opponent’s monster effects. Each time your opponent activates a card or effect, you can gain 350 LP. If this card is banished: You can add 1 of your other banished ‘Darquess’ Traps to your hand. You can only use this effect of ‘Magnificence of Darquess’ once per turn.

Your ‘Darquess’ monsters are unaffected by your opponent’s Spell/Trap effects. Each time your opponent places a card on the field, you can gain 350 LP. If this card is banished: You can add 1 of your other banished ‘Darquess’ Traps to your hand. You can only use this effect of ‘Perfection of Darquess’ once per turn.

While you control a Level 13 ‘Darquess’ monster, your opponent cannot conduct their Main Phase 1. Each time your opponent activates a card or effect, you can inflict 350 damage. If this card is banished: You can add 1 of your other banished ‘Darquess’ Traps to your hand. You can only use this effect of ‘Nightmare of Darquess’ once per turn.

If you control a Level 13 ‘Darquess’ monster: Apply the following effects for the rest of this turn.
• Your opponent’s monsters become DARK. The names of all monsters your opponent controls become ‘Corrupted of Darquess’, also your opponent can only use an effect of ‘Corrupted of Darquess’ once this turn.
You can only use ‘Corruption of Darquess’ once per turn.

If you control a Level 13 ‘Darquess’ monster: Take control of 1 monster your opponent controls, and if you do, its Attribute becomes DARK, also take damage equal to its original ATK. When your opponent Special Summons a monster: You can Set this banished card to their field, and if you do, place that monster in their Spell/Trap Zone as a Continuous Trap. You can only use an effect of ‘Seduction of Darquess’ once per turn.

If you take damage, and you have less than 8000 LP: Banish 1 ‘Darquess’ Fusion monster from your field or Graveyard; take damage equal to that monster’s ATK, and if you do, Special Summon up to 3 ‘Darquess’ Ritual monsters with different names from your hand, Deck, Graveyard and/or Banished Pile, ignoring their Summoning conditions, but they cannot attack or activate their effects this turn. If ‘Realm of Darquess’ is in your Field Zone or Graveyard, this card’s activation and effect cannot be negated. You can only activate ‘Soul of Darquess’ once per Duel.

When your opponent activates a card or effect, or would Summon a monster(s), while you control a Level 13 ‘Darquess’ monster: Negate the activation or Summon(s), and if you do, banish that card(s) face-down, but take 700 damage for each banished. If a ‘Darquess’ monster leaves your field by an opponent’s card: You can banish this banished card face-down; inflict damage equal to that monster’s original ATK. You can only use an effect of ‘Revenge of Darquess’ once per turn.

Activate 1 of the following effects, but banish the Summoned monster during the End Phase of your next turn.
• Ritual Summon 1 ‘Darquess’ Ritual monster from your GY or Banished Pile, by banishing DARK monsters from your GY and/or either player’s field, whose total Levels and ATK equal or exceed those of the Ritual monster.
• Fusion Summon 1 ‘Darquess’ Fusion monster from your Extra Deck or Banished Pile to either player’s field, by banishing materials from your GY and/or either player’s field.
You can only activate ‘Darquess Falling’ once per turn.

If you started the Duel with fewer cards in your Extra Deck than your opponent: Both players banish as many cards as possible from the top of their Deck, up to the difference. You can only activate ‘That Grass Looks Darker’ once per turn.

Activate 1 Field Spell from your Deck or Graveyard. If you control no face-up cards, you can activate this card the turn it was Set by paying half your LP.

During each Standby Phase, place 1 Choke Counter on this card, then your opponent takes damage equal to the number of Choke Counters on this card x 200. If this card’s effects would be negated, remove all Choke Counters from it instead. This face-up card with a Choke Counter cannot leave the field by card effect, unless it is banished.

Extra Deck

‘Raiza, Sorceress of Darquess’ + ‘Laiza, Enchantress of Darquess’
Must be Fusion Summoned by a ‘Darquess’ card. Neither player can Normal or Special Summon non-DARK monsters. If this card is targeted (Quick Effect): You can make 1 other DARK monster on the field become the target instead. You can only control 1 ‘Elaiza, Arisen of Darquess’.

‘Laiza, Enchantress of Darquess’ + ‘Vaiza, Empress of Darquess’
Must be Fusion Summoned by a ‘Darquess’ card. Change all monsters your opponent controls to Defense Position. Monsters your opponent controls in Defense Position cannot activate their effects. If this card is targeted (Quick Effect): You can make 1 other DARK monster on the field become the target instead. You can only control 1 ‘Levaiza, Ascended of Darquess’.

‘Vaiza, Empress of Darquess’ + ‘Raiza, Sorceress of Darquess’
Must be Fusion Summoned by a ‘Darquess’ card. Negate the effects of DARK Synchro, Xyz and Link monsters. If this card is targeted (Quick Effect): You can make 1 other DARK monster on the field become the target instead. You can only control 1 ‘Vraiza, Awakened of Darquess’.

2 DARK monsters with different types (Ritual/Fusion/Synchro/Xyz/Link)
If you control a Level 13 ‘Darquess’ monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your Extra Deck) to either player’s field by banishing the above materials they control. Double any battle damage either player takes from battles involving this card. When a card or effect you activate resolves, banish that card. Once per End Phase: Give control of 1 other monster you control to your opponent, and if you do, inflict 700 damage.

2 Level 9 or higher DARK monsters
You can also Fusion Summon this card (from your Extra Deck) by banishing the above materials from either player’s field. Once per turn, when a card or effect is activated, while you control Level 13 ‘Darquess’ monster (Quick Effect): You can banish 1 card from your hand or Graveyard; banish that activated card, also negate the effects of all cards with that name until the end of next turn. You can only control 1 ‘Lynuca, Silencer of Darquess’.

3 Level 13 ‘Darquess’ monsters with different names
Must be Fusion Summoned by a ‘Darquess’ card, using the above materials that you have first Ritual or Fusion Summoned. Unaffected by other card’s effects. Cannot be targeted by card effects. Negate the effects of monsters whose original Attribute is not DARK. Gains 100 ATK for each banished card. Once per End Phase: Banish all other monsters on the field. You can only Summon ‘Primordial Darquessence, Oblivion of Darquess’ once per Duel.

Trivia

This entire archetype was born from Raiza, a childhood card I created.
The archetype features many triplets of cards.
- There are 3 Monsters for each class – Lv4, Lv7, Lv9, Lv13 Ritual and Lv13 Fusion.
- There are 3 Continuous Traps.
Within each triplet, there also tends to be a card slightly different from the rest.
- Lv4 – Zaia searches another Monster instead of Spell/Traps.
- Lv7 – Syndris searches a Ritual card instead of any Monster or Spell.
- Lv9 – Vyktica only banishes without negating.
- Lv13 Ritual – Vaiza has no ignition effect, instead turning the other Ritual Monsters far deadlier.
- Continuous Traps – Nightmare inflicts damage instead of gaining LP, and hinders the opponent instead of protecting the Ritual Monsters.
Darquess is somewhat a pun on ‘Darkness’, and derives from the name of Darquesse, a character in the Skulduggery Pleasant series.

Indexed
Yu-Gi-Oh!	What Makes a Good Custom Archetype? / Darquess / Rubic / Soul / Programming Style Cipher Text / Problem-Solving Super Simple and Compact Custom Card Text / Thoughts on Archetypes / A Selection of Yu-Gi-Oh’s Finest Card Art / Favourites / Yu-Gi-Oh! / A Selection of Yu-Gi-Oh’s Finest Card Names / Yu-Gi-Oh! Showerthoughts
Yu-Gi-Oh! Archetypes	Darquess / Lightning / Neuralliance / Next-Gen Code Talker / Next-Gen / Rubic / Soul / Vapour-Eyes / k-Knight