Introduce Cat, the Lightsworn duelist
Cat, the Lightsworn duelist is part of the “Lightsworn” archetype that debuted in the OCG set Code of the Duelist in 2007 (Lightsworn Lore | Duel Amino). The Lightsworns are warriors of light who protect dimensions from evil. Cat continues this legacy as a steadfast Lightsworn soldier. Known for her flowing white hair and armor, Cat fights with courage and honor. Her millennium shield reflects her commitment to defending others.
As a Lightsworn monster, Cat focuses on sending cards from the top of your deck to the graveyard. This triggers effects and powers up other Lightsworn monsters. Cat’s shining longsword aids her in banishing opponents’ threats. Though brave, Cat struggles against today’s meta decks. With the right support, she cleaves a path to victory.
Cat’s Key Effects and Abilities
Cat, the Lightsworn Duelist has several powerful effects that make it a formidable card. Here are Cat’s most notable abilities:
Mill Effect: Cat’s main effect allows you to mill (send cards from the top of your deck to the GY) 3 cards when it is Normal Summoned. This fills up your GY with Lightsworn monsters to trigger their effects. It also gets you closer to decking out, which powers up Cat’s attack.
Special Summoning: If Cat is in your hand or GY, you can Special Summon it by banishing 3 Lightsworn monsters from your hand and/or GY. This gives you an easy way to get Cat onto the field.
Monster Destruction: If Cat attacks a Defense Position monster, it can send that monster to the GY after damage calculation. This removal effect lets Cat get rid of problematic monsters.
Cat’s Strengths
Cat’s greatest strength lies in her ability to aggressively mill cards from the deck to the graveyard. Her floating effects allow her to summon Wulf, Lightsworn Beast (https://www.reddit.com/r/YuGiOhMasterDuel/comments/sx3ntc/lightsworn_deck/) when milled, giving additional summoning power. When combined with Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn, Cat can quickly fill up the graveyard.
Once enough Lightsworn monsters are milled, powerful boss monsters like Judgment Dragon become summonable. Judgment Dragon can wipe the opponent’s field by paying 1000 LP (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf8zXaq7Hjg). Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn provides disruption from the graveyard by banishing cards. With enough set up, Cat enables overwhelming OTK potential.
Additionally, Chaos Zone can banish Lightsworn monsters to eventually summon Chaos monsters like Black Luster Soldier. This gives the deck added toolbox options. Overall, Cat’s milling effects enable powerful boss monster plays that can aggressively push for game.
Cat’s Weaknesses
One of the biggest weaknesses of Cat is her susceptibility to bricky opening hands that lack combo starters or key cards like Charge of the Light Brigade. Drawing multiple high level Lightsworns without mills or discards can lead to dead hands. As Reddit user u/Anxious-Sea3138 notes, “Their main weakness is going second and having their normal summon disrupted. It’s very hard for the deck to come back from that.” [1] Cat relies heavily on getting her effects off, so anything that can negate her normal summon like Solemn Judgment or Effect Veiler can shut her down.
Since Lightsworns rely on maintaining cards in the graveyard to summon Judgment Dragon or other monsters, they are very susceptible to graveyard disruption cards like Macro Cosmos that can banish their key cards. As Jae Love discusses, “The weakness of Lightsworn is their susceptibility to bad hands. All of their plays start with mills.” [2] Cards like Lightsworn Judgment that negate milling effects are especially devastating. Proper deck building and draw power can mitigate bad hands, but the inherently random milling of Lightsworns means bricking will always be a risk.
Strong support cards
Some of the strongest support cards for Lightsworn decks include powerful Lightsworn monsters like Judgment Dragon, Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner, and Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn. These monsters help speed up the milling process and provide effects when sent from deck to GY.
Chaos monsters work very well in Lightsworn since the deck mills so quickly. Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning and Chaos Sorcerer can provide powerful removal when summoned.
For extra deck monsters, Lightsworn commonly utilize Rank 4 XYZ monsters like Minerva, the Exalted Lightsworn to mill more cards and Abyss Dweller for disruption.
Optimal deck build and strategy
An optimal Lightsworn deck focused on Cat should run around 10-14 Lightsworn monsters like Lumina, Raiden, and Minerva to fuel the graveyard. You want to mill fast to summon Cat as early as possible. Add cards like Charge of the Light Brigade and Solar Recharge for consistency. Some key spells are Monster Reborn [1] and Foolish Burial to revive Cat from the graveyard.
The ideal trap lineup includes powerful disruptions like Infinite Impermanence, Solemn Judgment, and Celestial Observatory. For the extra deck, focus on synchro bosses like Michael the Arch-Lightsworn and Black Rose Dragon. Make sure to run Minerva the Exalted Lightsworn to recycle milled cards.
When playing Cat, you want to aggressively mill until you can summon Cat on turn 1 or 2. This usually requires setup spells like Charge of the Light Brigade. Try to bait opponent negates before committing to Cat. You can also disrupt opponents using Judgment and Impermanence to protect Cat. Overall, mill hard and revive Cat as much as possible for OTKs.
Matchups Against Meta Decks
Cat struggles in the current meta against top tier decks like Swordoul and Tri-Brigade due to the lack of interruption in her deck. According to a reddit post, “Lightsworn desperately needs a full wave of decent support to stand up to Swordoul” (source). Without hand traps or omninegates, Cat has a hard time stopping the combos of meta decks.
Against backrow heavy control decks like Altergeist, Cat can struggle as well. Her plays are easily interrupted by traps like Solemn Strike. However, Cat does have an advantage going second against established boards thanks to effects like Allure of Darkness to dig for backrow removal.
Overall, Cat lacks the tools to consistently compete with the top tier meta decks as of now. She needs further support or engines to improve her interruptions and win conditions. But in the hands of a skilled pilot, Cat can still steal some wins with nut draws.
Is Cat meta viable?
Cat has seen some competitive success in the past, especially when combined with powerful Lightsworn support cards like Judgment Dragon. However, in the current meta Cat struggles against many top tier decks.
According to a recent Reddit thread, Lightsworn decks lack the power to compete against meta threats like Branded Despia and Tearlaments. While Cat can generate advantage with its milling effect, it is vulnerable to common disruption like Ash Blossom and struggles to close out games before opponents establish powerful boards.
Some duelists argue Cat could see more play if it received new support in upcoming sets, but as of now it lacks the speed and resilience expected from tier 1 strategies. Unless Konami releases several strong Lightsworn cards, Cat will likely remain casual or rogue at best.
Overall, Cat currently falls short of being a meta threat. It can steal some wins thanks to its high rolls, but struggles with consistency issues against optimized decks. Cat is a nostalgic and fun card, but not a competitive tournament option in the current format.
Budget deck options
Cat the Lightsworn duelist’s main deck can be quite expensive due to high rarity cards like Minerva, the Exalted Lightsworn and Ultimate Slayer. However, budget options do exist to make the deck more affordable for casual play (https://www.reddit.com/r/masterduel/comments/15lqdz0/i_made_a_casual_lightsworn_deck_that_ive_been/).
Some cheaper cards that can replace pricier options include Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn and Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner for the Lightsworn engine. For the Extra Deck, avoid Minerva and run cards like Starliege Paladynamo instead. Also cut expensive staples like Forbidden Droplet and Infinite Impermanence for budget options like Forbidden Chalice and Effect Veiler.
While budget Lightsworn won’t compete at top levels, you can still enjoy Cat’s milling strategy in casual duels. Focus on turboing out Judgement Dragon for field wipes. Run lots of backrow removal to counter traps. Overall the deck remains a fun, nostalgic choice for long-time fans.
Verdict on Cat
After reviewing Cat’s abilities, support cards, and performance against the meta, what is the final verdict on Cat’s viability in competitive play?
Overall, Cat shows potential as a powerful boss monster for Lightsworn decks, with her ability to banish cards and gain attack boosts with each mill. However, Lightsworn as an archetype still faces consistency issues, as evidenced by the ongoing demand from players for more support [1]. Cat herself also struggles going second against established boards, and can be vulnerable to common removal like Forbidden Droplet.
That said, in the right pilot’s hands, Cat can enable explosive plays, quick milling through the deck, and big comeback potential. With future support on the horizon, Cat has the makings of a formidable boss monster. For now, she sees niche competitive success, but isn’t quite meta viable on her own. Cat is still a great addition for any Lightsworn fan looking to bolster their deck.