Introduction

"Qli", known as "Qliphort" in the OCG, (note that the monsters still contain the term "Qliphort" in their names in the TCG) is an archetype of Machine-Type EARTH monsters introduced in The New Challengers that are designed to take advantage of the Pendulum Summon mechanic. This is reflected in the eye-shaped motifs visible in their appearances; these motifs are flanked by two crystals, one blue and another red, that are identical to the indicators of a Pendulum Scale.

"Qliphort" is a pun on Qliphoth (lit. "peels", "shells" or "husks"), the representation of evil or impure spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism, and "fort". The Qliphoth is documented in some texts of Kabbalah, a set of teachings originated in Judaism. The ten emanations of Qliphoth form the Qliphoth Tree (aka "Tree of Death"), and each of them is associated with a type of demon and a Devil.

Most currently known "Qli" monsters are somehow or somewhat related to computing, as inferred from their names and flavor texts ("Access", "Alias", "Archive", "Assembler", "Disk", "Kernel", "Killer", "Shell", "Tool"). "Genome" refers to the genomes of biological organisms, as they bear resemblance with how computers store their data. Each name also referenes a member of the Qliphoth

Archtype Cards:

Most commonly used Non-Archtype Cards:

Playing style

Their focus is to Pendulum Summon monsters to fuel Tribute Summons, with effects that activate when Tributed or when Summoned by Tributing members of the archetype.

All "Qli" Pendulum Effect Monsters have 2400/2800 ATK and 1000 DEF ("Scout" has 1000 ATK and 2800 DEF), like the "Monarchs", and possess the following effects:

  Pendulum Effect: You cannot Special Summon any monsters, except "Qli" monsters (this effect cannot be negated).

  Monster Effect: You can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. If this card was Special Summoned or Normal Summoned without Tributing, its Level becomes 4 and its original ATK becomes 1800. If this card was Normal Summoned, this card is unaffected by effects activated by monsters whose original Level or Rank is lower than this card's Level.

In addition, these "Qli" Pendulum Monsters can manipulate the ATK of monsters on the field (with the exception of "Scout" and "Assembler"); those with a Pendulum Scale of 1 boost the ATK of your "Qli" monsters by 300, while those with a Scale of 9 reduce your opponent's monsters' ATK by 300.


Weaknesses

Due to the fact that "Qli" Decks very much rely on "Qliphort Scout", a simple floodgate is to use cards with effects that can destroy opponent's Continuous Spell Cards, such as "Mystical Space Typhoon" and "Fairy Wind". These cards can also counter opponent's "Skill Drain" or "Vanity's Emptiness", which are common and can be fatal to certain decks if not dealt with. Cards like "Prohibition", "Thunder King Rai-Oh", "Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell", and "Mask of Restrict" that prohibits either the use of "Qliphort Scout" or Tribute Summon are effective as well, but they become futile once the opponent has already set up a field.

When playing a "Qli" deck, be aware of threats such as "Mystical Space Typhoon" and "Bottomless Trap Hole". It is suggested that before extending, clear the opponent's backrows as many as possible by using cards like "Night Beam", which counters free-chain cards such as "Mystical Space Typhoon" and "Sinister Shadow Games". "Qlimate Change" (can be searched by "Qliphort Scout") returns "Qli" monsters in the Extra Deck to hand and can be fairly effective when the opponent is focusing on destroying cards in Pendulum Zones.

While Towers and Kernel are the trump cards of this deck, owing to their immunity to almost all card effects, they are still vulnerable to Continuous Monster Effects. Monsters such as "Destiny Hero - Plasma" can shut these cards down completely, as not only he negate his opponent's Monster Effects, he can also equip an opponent's monster to himself, providing himself with an ample ATK boost.