Introduction to Raidraptor (2025)

Published on March 24th, 2025 by

Introduction

About the author

Hello, I'm Hultra Spitfire, I've been playing this deck for around 5 years now and regularly making it to the highest rank playing almost only this deck so I'm clearly perfectly qualified to write this guide (sarcasm). This deck was also the one that converted my childhood memories of Yu-Gi-Oh into the deep dive I've taken nowadays. But before we start, I also have to thank the Raidraptor crew (Yukinon, Lolimancer, NateRiver, Kazuryo and many more for their insightful feedback on the guide)! Hope this guide will bring you the same interest I have to the deck, anyway, enjoy!

About this guide

This guide is an in depth dive in the mind of a Master Duel Raidraptor player while building the pure version of the deck. All readers are supposed to already be somewhat familiar with the deck and the basic combo lines. The point of this discussion is not to introduce completely new players to the deck but perfect the deckbuilding skills of anyone crazy enough to soar into this avian world of ours. If you're not familiar with the deck go check out Yami's introduction article and Yukinon’s display combo videos.

Overview

We will first start with all the birds that are a direct inclusion in standard builds we will then follow a logical order of builds and tech cards we might want to run or avoid, each one with what the deck aims to do and how and same thing for each individual card!

Basic core of the deck and tricks with it
handtrap heavy build
Cowrie + Wing build
Revolution Force + Noir build
Raidraptor “a l'italiana”
Experimental Builds
Watch out for these noob traps!
Meta relevant techs
New endboard set up (not referenced in Yami's guide, VERY IMPORTANT)
Gameplay tips 11.Closing thoughts

And with our roadmap prepared, let's go!

Disclaimer and Vocabulary

the math presented in this doc are estimations, it is recommended to do more in depth math but that would take way too much space and time for an increase of precision of a couple %, as you'll see a lot of scenarios are already taken into account and doing more would be counter intuitive to the readability of the document as a whole. If this guide is well received I might do a in depth math video or a part 2 to this guide.

This is also a very western biased way of building the pure deck, going for 40 cards is the norm as we won't play Kali Yuga (pure is pure), as such, optimizing our odds of drawing an anti Maxx “C” tool is almost mandatory. Another reason I chose to centre this guide around pure is that the mixed build should play non Raidraptor engine thus making guides obsolete very quickly. The deck is also, at the time of writing this guide, more successful as pure due to the increased consistency.

Some common abbreviations used in this guide are:

RR = Raidraptor
Bird = Winged-Beast monster
RUM = Rank-Up-Magic, for example: Rise RUM = Loading...
RRF = Loading...
In general, every RR monster is Called by their specific name, for example Loading... is often called Fuzzy.
Ash = Loading...
Imperm = Loading...
Nib = Loading...

The basic core and tricks with it

Deck core
Individual cards and interactions
Version specific techs

This Decklist contains only the minimal mandatory ratio for all of the cards we will discuss in this section.

The individual tip and tricks of each cards can be found by clicking on "individual cards and interactions".

23 cards

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Important notes:

Generally the correct ratios would include 3 Loading... , 2 Loading... and 2 Loading... but the win condition can be pursued with one less of each.
The secondary Normal Summons (Loading... and Loading... ) will be played at more than 1 but one needs to be chosen and it will influence the entire following deckbuilding process. This is what will create the different builds of the deck.

Monster Cards

Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius

Tribute is the main starter of the deck but not only is it a particularly good Normal Summon and one card combo, it also has some important quality of life features and neat tricks:

1800 ATK, this allows it to clean or at least crash with many monster interaction with low ATK such as Loading... , Loading... or Loading... for the most noteworthy examples.
Beating over one of the previously mentioned monsters will also unlock Tribute Laniu's second effect. Upon triggering it you'll be able to search a Quick-Play Rank-Up-Magic Spell. This can allow to either bait an interaction or search a Rank up magic to dodge targeted effects on your Xyz monsters, more on that in the Revolution Force build section.
The Foolish effect can also be used in conjunction with the first point to crash with a monster then use Loading... GY effect to set up for an Xyz play.
This Foolish effect can also be used to send Mimicry to get any RR card, send Glorious Bright to recover any Raidraptor monster in GY or banishment (very useful in D-Fissure match up) or recover any S/T if Loading... is already in the GY.

It is the best Normal Summon and only one card full combo, a mandatory 3-of.

Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius

Mimicry is the main GY send of the deck, its effect allows you to banish it to add any card of the Raidraptor archetype. But even with a really simple role Mimicry brings a lot of nuance:

The ability to add any Raidraptor card allows mainly to add Loading... but when you suspect your opponent to be on Droll you can also add directly Loading... or Loading... if Loading... got negated. This also allows you to access any Raidraptor Main Deck monsters to extend your plays such as Loading... or the previously mentioned Tribute Lanius if you need a starter.
The onfield effect of Mimicry, although ridicule at first can also come in handy. For example a hand composed of Loading... , Mimicry and 2 other names able to be Special Summon themselves can first use Bloom's effect to Summon 2 and make Loading... , If Knight's effect gets negated you can simply Normal Summon Mimicry and Special Summon the last Raidraptor, use Mimicry's onfield effect to turn both into Level 5 and Xyz Summon Loading... to continue your combo as if uninterrupted, and then also use Mimicry's GY effect when it eventually gets detached.

Raidraptor - Bloom Vulture

Arguably the most important piece of Main Deck legacy support given to the deck, Bloom Vulture is a summary of what the RR community wanted in a Raidraptor Main Deck monster, with some unnecessary restrictions, of course:

The main use of Bloom is starting the combo without committing to your Normal Summon making Raidraptors less vulnerable to Normal Summon disruption, furthermore it allows you to get the onfield effect of an additional Normal Summon bird such as Loading... and Loading... . This allows to just restart the combo after getting Nib'd with Loading... 's protection active if another Normal Summon bird is present in hand. If this section is unclear checking the Nibiru lines in the basic guide is recommended.
This in-hand effect can also be used to get crucial one of engine requirement out of the hand such as Loading... or Loading... depending on the build.
This effect also allows Bloom to Summon 2 copies of itself from hand, thus there is no downside to always running 3.
The GY effect is also very versatile, going from double free Loading... discard that full combo, to follow up after the opponent cleaned the board or Specific situations allowed by discard effect, Loading... set ups or Loading... GY manipulation modelling, as stated in its section.

It is the only Special Summon on empty field thus considered a mandatory 3-of in this guide.

Important note: Going first, if Bloom Vulture is in the opening hand it is highly advised to start with it, as a non Winged-Beast stuck on the field will turn off its ability to Special Summon itself and another Raidraptor from hand or its GY effect.

Raidraptor - Strangle Lanius

One of the best extenders of the deck, with or without an Xyz on field. Several things need to be noted:

Strangle Lanius Special Summon effect doesn't exclude himself from the DARK monster condition. Having 2 in hand thus still leads to full combo hens why we run it at 3 in every list.
The second effect allows Strangle to be an alternative Loading... Summon target instead of Loading... while under Loading... 's effect, or if you've already used Loading... , Loading... and Loading... 's effect.
Both of these effect combine into a fantastic tool that can be used alongside Loading... to turn Noir and a dead Rank-Up-Magic card in hand into full combo if you play Loading... (This is especially relevant For the Revolution Force build).The Combo is the following: Noir search pain, both of them will be used to make Loading... due to pain's restriction. Force will search Strangle by detaching Noir and then rank up into Air Raid by discarding the dead Rank-Up-Magic. From there Strangle can be Summoned and reborn the detached Noir allowing you to make Loading... . After This you can simply follow the spreadsheet.
Other use cases include a stopped Loading... or Loading... . One card Rank 4 plays on turn 3 if your 5.3K ATK tower survived and other nuanced play that would be to long to detail here.

Its ability to full combo with 2 copies of itself make it a mandatory 3-of in this guide.

Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius

Fuzzy is the main reason why the pure builds are vastly more reliable than any other versions. It is the most straightforward and flexible extender the Raidraptor deck has access to thanks to its Special Summoning effect and recursion effect:

Fuzzy has been used in the past as one of the best chain blockers when the deck was still overeliant on Loading... as it would be used alongside another DARK Winged-Beast to make Wise. The following chain would be ordered as CL1 Wise SS from deck, CL2 Fuzzy add another Fuzzy, making Wise immune to Ash. This use case is Still relevant nowadays while going second and making alternative lines.
Nowadays Fuzzy’s ability to recur itself is especially useful as it can both be used as a Normal Summon/Bloom target and still offer a free extender with its Special Summon effect making it at least 2 bodies for 1 card or a discard fodder for cards like Loading... and still have access to an extender. This also include making Loading... a card neutral searcher instead of a -1.
Note that Fuzzy is no longer considered an auto 3-of in pure builds but a 2-of with option to go to 3. This is due to its Special Summoning condition requiring a Raidraptor onfield with a different name than itself making a hand with only 2 Fuzzy not full combo.

It still remains one of the big edges pure builds have over Kali Yuga and the memy Requiem and FTK. It is thus considered mandatory as a 2-of at least.

Raidraptor - Heel Eagle

With Heel Eagle we enter the easier cards to comprehend. Although both of its effect are still premium its Level makes it a little awkward at times:

The S/T recovery is the main reason why Heel is played. It allows the player to recover Loading... for turn 3 onward board wipes or Loading... in some niche cases such as interrupted plays that still got to Bright but not to the Rise Rank Up.
The S/T recovery can also be used while breaking board or recovery lines. For example if your Mimicry got banished by a Bystial you can use Tribute's Foolish effect to send Loading... to the GY and recover it with Heel's GY effect.
Although Heel is mostly used to link into Wise Strix it has to be noted that thanks to Loading... 's GY effect it can be made Level 4 and thus allow rank 4 plays.

Some going second versions of the pure builds and some bold Kali Yuga players also tried to remove Heel due to its awkward Level with various Levels of success. For this guide Heel at 1 is considered mandatory.

Simorgh, Bird of Perfection

Here comes the first and only non Raidraptor monster in the core of the pure deck. The pure version can run this monster thanks to its Summoning not being a Special Summon but a Normal Summon.

Due to its ability to Normal Summon in response to your Summon of a Winged-Beast monster you can easily bait on Summon trigger effects from the opponent such as Loading... on a Normal Summon. As Master Duel uses OCG ruling the opponent will not know that you have the possibility to Summon Simorgh from hand, making spot removal very risky for the opponent.
It is also a DARK Winged-Beast making it a possible material for both Loading... and Loading... .
The fact that Simorgh's effect Normal Summons it allows it to make Xyz like Loading... or Loading... in 1 Special Summon under Loading... .
Still about the Normal Summon it allows you to make an untargetable Loading... by only Normal Summoning Loading... and simorgh. This allows you to play through targeted Special Summon hate such as Loading... or Loading... .
While on the anti Special Summon measures, Simorgh's statlines allows it to clean the same kind of targets as Loading... , see related tips.
The add effect, although not used a lot in this deck, can be used to search useful cards or bait points of interactions. More on the Simorgh S/T in the tech section.
Finally Simorgh only needs a Winged-Beast to be Summoned so, if the only monsters in hand are 2 Simorghs, that hand is still full combo as you'll be able to Normal Summon one and activate the second.

This versatility in use of this extender and the capability to combo with itself makes it a mandatory 3-of in every build.

Raider's Wing & Raidraptor - Noir Lanius

These 2 are the heart of their own versions. Thus discussing them in their respective sections seems more appropriate. The only things important here are:

Wing is an extender that can make DARK Xyz it is attached to untargetable.

Noir can add Loading... /Loading... which is integral to the combo/to extend your plays.

Both these functions are crucial. At least one of each of them is needed per deck.

Spell Cards

Raidraptor - Roost

This card is the main recycling card and S/T search. It is considered an engine requirement as it is mostly a dead draw but its utility cannot be understated for grind games:

Usually the recycle effect is used as the last effect before setting and passing turn to maximize the odds of drawing non engine but it needs to be noted that if Loading... did not use its effect this turn it can be Special Summoned by Loading... and send Loading... to the GY a second time this turn. Roost is specifically useful to recycle Heel before sending it by Tribute's effect so it is ready to recycle Loading... on the following turn.
The add effect is mostly used on turn 1 to add to add Loading... as a targeted omni negate. But, if you play another Raidraptor S/T Roost can be used to protect Loading... 's effect from effects like Loading... by chain blocking it with a search of another RR S/T.

All of this makes Roost a crucial engine requirements.

Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force

This is the more flexible of the 2 rank ups presented here. It allows you to transform any RR Xyz monster into a RR 2 ranks higher using the first as the entire material. The revival effect also comes up often on turn 3, so:

The main use of the card is to rank up Loading... into Loading... but can also be used to be discard by the Summoning condition of Loading... to break boards if you play it or thurning a Revolution Falcon into a backrow wipe with Loading... .
On turn 3 its revival effect can be used to either bait an interaction or bring back a rank 4 to be used as Xyz or link material depending on the boardstate.

Its effect to Summon Arsenal is the main reason why it is considered mandatory at 1 copy.

Rise Rank-Up-Magic Raidraptor's Force

It is the most straightforward card required. It is the one used to Summon Loading... and at most to be discarded for the Summon of Loading... going second or in alternative combo lines.

Note that it only requires the target onfield to stay onfield and an Xyz monster with the right rank to resolve its effect. As an example if you targeted Force on field, Knight and Brave in grave but Brave gets Called by Loading... will still be Summoned instead of Rising Rebellion.

Foolish Burial

Just an outstanding tool all around, both bait, one card almost full combo (missing only Loading... and Loading... , see basic lines of the introduction guide), or a super versatile extender, this includes:

Sending Loading... to add fuzzy and have a free extender.
Sending Loading... to get any RR card.
Sending Loading... If you have a RR in GY and no monsters on field for a double reborn.
Sending Loading... to modulate the Levels of RR onfield and, for example make Loading... a Level 4 or making 2 Level 4 RR Level 5 to make Loading... without using Loading...
Sending Wing as an extender that can be Summoned under Loading...

Overall thanks to its versatility and power it is considered a highly recommended 1 of.

Trap Cards

Raidraptor - Glorious Bright

Not much to say here, just an archetypal targeted omni negate. It also has a pretty useful GY effect to recycle monsters from the GY or banishment:

The negate effect can amongst other things negate Loading... and Loading... 2-of the most common anti backrow cards.
The Recycle effect can be used under Loading... to get back a monster banished by this effect by sending Bright to the GY via a Loading... effect for example.
Can also be used on turn 3 to get back into the ED even more Xyz monsters to extend your plays.

Overall a very important card of the pure build.

Extra Deck monsters

Raidraptor - Force Strix

The main Extra deck searcher of the deck, it is important to note is not once per turn allowing a lot of flexibility in sequencing:

Generally Force Strix is used as part of the combo to search follow up and be a Rank 4 with a different name than Loading... for the bonus burn effect of Loading... .
It can also be used for an early search of Loading... if you didn't draw an access to it to protect the following Knight. This line can also bait handtraps from unexperienced players, forcing them to use Loading... on Force Strix when they wanted to negate the untargetable Knight or making them use an Loading... on an expansible part of your lines. Unfortunately this line makes the deck vulnerable to Loading...

Overall a mandatory part of the combo to play at least 2.(See classic combo for reference)

Raider's Knight

The main Rank up tool to access either the combo or board breaker options:

If you made Knight with Loading... and have a way to put 2 more Level 4 RR on the field you can use Knight as a bait for interactions as Noir's GY effect will allow you to hard make Loading... and continue your combos.
The 2000 ATK statline also to run over what Loading... could only crash with. This is even more interesting when Loading... is attached, as less interactions can stop Knight beating an opponent's monsters by battle.

It is the main combo starter, thus needs to be run at, at least, 1.

Raidraptor - Brave Strix

If this card had to be renamed, its new name would be versatility. Both Rank-Up and RR S/T access, good statline, makes towers super hard to beat by battle:

First its effect allows you to add any rank-up-magic. This is integral to the standard combo but not mandatory for you to establish a strong board (see reference combo lines).
If you already have a the needed Rank up in hand you can either still use the effect to bait a handtrap, add the Loading... in case the opponent holds their handtrap for Loading... it would allow you to still have you board wipe online or Set a RR S/T including the previously mentionned Rank-Up or Loading... to add Loading... earlier.
The set effect also allows you, alongside Wise Strix, to play under Droll without missing out on much. It allows the deck to run Loading... as a viable anti-Loading... card.
Its boosting effect can also allow your Loading... to crash with a 3 link Loading... , making OTKs really hard to achieve against this deck if they're not playing yubel. It also allows Loading... to threaten OTK/boardclears way more easily as its ATK will jump to 3200.
Even the statline of Brave Strix is not bad, see the Loading... and Loading... for reference.

All of this makes Brave Strix a mandatory 1 of. It is not directly accessible so playing more than 1 is not recommended but its impact cannot be understated.

Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon

Arsenal is both our main way to bring out Loading... , a fantastic extender and an OTK enabler thanks to its mUltiple attack ability:

The main job of Arsenal within the combo is to bring out Loading... to search Loading... and then link Heel and himself for Loading... and then Summon Ulti Falcon thanks to Arsenal floating effect, this being a RR Xyz effect, Wise also immediately triggers. This gives access to recycling to any builds through Heel's effect even if not drawn/searched/send to GY, gives any build Ulti Falcon access and gives any build easy Rank-Up access through Wise.
Another Summon target is Loading... , thanks to its revival effect it allows any build to keep putting bodies onboard while under the effect of Loading... , but you do loose the ability to recycle your S/T so careful use of Loading... is recommended. /!\ The revival effect only works if Arsenal kept a RR Xyz monster as material, beware of that while using its effects, especially if Loading... is attached as by detaching it you'll lose targeting protection.
Another target for Arsenal Summon is Loading... as it can Foolish any RR in case a previous Noir got Ash’d, a Heel in grave is waiting for a RR S/T to recycle or a crucial RR is stuck in the GY and you would recover it by sending Loading... .
Its mUlti attack capabilities also enables RR players to threaten OTK/boardclearing in a really early phase of the combo, especially if Loading... is attached making Arsenal a 3200 ATK mUlti attacker. Even if it is generally better to do the full combo to benefit from Ulti Falcon's protection, it can be useful in low timer situation to close a game.

All of these factors make Arsenal a mandatory inclusion in any RR decklist

Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon

This card found staple use in RR decks for different reasons from the ones you might assume. The board wipe is NOT the reason we play Arsenal in the first place. It's its ATK reduction effect:

As you know Loading... has been a notorious chokepoint for the deck for as long as it has existed. Now If an opponent were to shotgun an Imperm on Wise, Arsenal could float into Satellite allowing you to use its effect during the opp turn and thus triggering Wise's effect once more. Once Loading... set Satellite and Brave in GY can be used to make Loading... during the opponent's turn.
Fun Fact: Satellite is the only RR Quick Effect, every other is either a trigger or ignition effect.
The Backrow wipe can be used but requires you to play Loading... which can be suboptimal in high Rank-Up count decklists.

This Backup effect makes Satellite's inclusion highly recommended. Or just git goot and make the opponent Imperm something else (it doesn't work if your opponent has a brain)

Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon

A tower. This is a tower. Welcome to RR.

So, about this tower, it is generally Summoned through Loading... , this method will grant Ulti Falcon 1 material.
Ulti Falcon can insulate your plays by not letting the opponent use any cards after its effect resolves. The best moment to activate it is right after the first search of Force Strix in the basic Raider's Knight combo. (See Yami's introduction or yukinon videos if unclear). This is due to Ulti Falcon forcing Nibiru activations. In the previously described situation Loading... would have been set by the effect of Loading... so if Nib gets used the RUM can just be chained to the activation of Nibiru only loosing you a spent Wise Strix and allowing you to continue your combo as if nothing happened.
The end phase burn effect can also come in clutch against low life opponent or to start chipping at the opponent LP to prepare for a Loading... lethal burn.
It can also be wise to keep the Arsenal under Ulti Falcon for turn 3 if you have enough extension in hand and a Force Strix in GY for Rising Rebellion to copy. As no endboard pieces are lost in this line while the material under Ulti Falcon gives you a guaranteed OTK if it survives to turn 3.

This insurance policy makes Ulti Falcon a main state one offs in any RR deck.

Raidraptor - Rising Rebellion Falcon

The newest addition to the Raidraptor lineup comes packed with utility and things that made RR worth picking up. Chief among them, mass destruction and being unaffected:

Against opponents using Yubel (pre fiendsmith) or other archetypes that don't have Spell negates, Loading... can be used during the battle phase while chain blocking with Loading... to insure the opponent won't be able to deal lethal damage.
Against opponent with Spell negates it is important to determine when the board wipe will be most impactful or up until which point the Rank-Up-Magic can be used. For example if yubel gets 2 Level 6 onfield, it is expected to go for a Loading... to have a negate. Based on the number of cards in the opponent's hand it can be better to use Rise RUM immediately to have Glorious Bright for a possible Called by or wait if the chances of Called by being in the opponent's hand are low enough.
The copy effect is very versatile, it is mainly used in the combo to copy Loading... and its Special Summon ability but if Rising Rebellion was made with more than 4 material the multi attacking can close out games easily. Note that the floating effect does not work as it only copies while onfield.
The copy effect can also be used to copy a Loading... to protect your following plays from any disruption your opponent might have set up. It is often used against all kind of decks that can either play during your turn from hand like Fire king or Yubel (battle phase)
One last target to copy, and exclusive to the Revolution Force build, is Loading... , an additional targeted destruction+burn and the multi attacking on a 4K ATK beatstick tends to close out most games.

Once onfield this monster is really hard to deal with and its effects tends to win games on their own. This and its ability to be part of the standard RR combo makes it a staple 2-of.

Raidraptor - Wise Strix

Mister Flying Target himself. Pre support this was THE card to stop if you wanted to stop RR, nowadays it is an important piece of the combo but an Imperm on Wise doesn't Spell the end of the combo like it once did. Weirdly enough there aren't that many tricks with this o-so-crucial part of the combo:

The Summon targets are varied, from Loading... for the add of any RR cards to Loading... to protect an Xyz or getting an extra body, without forgetting Loading... for free extension or Loading... for later Level modulation. All depending on what the situation is calling for.
Beware to NOT Summon Loading... as would be the Special Summon of a non RR monster, locking you out of using Loading... .
Talking about Fuzzy, It is possible to chain block Wise Strix by using either Fuzzy as link material or Loading... 's add effect as it also triggers from link Summons of a RR monster.
The setting of the RUM can also be triggered during the opponent's turn and used immediately. this can come in handy for turn 3 as you opponent will have to choose between getting rid of Wise or the newly set RUM in addition to the rest of the board, which is a lose-lose situation.

The straightforward yet crucial mission of Wise Strix makes it an auto include in any RR deck. And with Wise concludes our overview and tips on every card of the RR core. If you didn't find the card you were looking for try in the "version specific techs" part of this tab or in the latter part of the guide.

Revolution Force techs

Note: once again, due to Revolution Force being the center focus of the build it will be discussed in the related build section.

Monster cards

Raidraptor - Pain Lanius

We love to hate him, it's Pain Lanius, so you might ask why do RR players hate pain?

It locks you into only Summoning Winged-Beast Xyz with it. Our main combo requires you to start with a Warrior Xyz in Loading... making pain really awkward to open.
It cannot be used on Loading... as its ATK is 0, therefore pain cannot inflict damage and cannot Special Summon itself, Wing being an auto include at least 1 makes pain surprisingly bricky for an extender.
In tcg it also tend to make us lose in time when RR has a lot of small burn effect. In Master Duel it tends to be a dead card on low LP.

Why do we play it then?

With Loading... in hand, Noir becomes full combo alone if you play pain as it is a free rank 4 and Revolution Force can rank up into Loading... allowing a normal RR combo.
It also makes almost guaranteed shifter lines as it represent one more body to, in total keep 2 rank 4 and 1 rank 5 onfield.

Spell Cards

Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Force

This Rank-Up-Magic used to be the only good Quick-Play Rank-up-magic for the pure build pre support. Nowadays it only ranks 3rd behind Loading... and Loading... as both accomplish more than a rank up at a heavy banish cost. That being said PK RUM, as we tend to call it, has some unique advantages:

Simple but during the opponent's turn it can be set by Loading... allowing this build to access Loading... to have an unstoppable quick effect harpie's feather duster or an additional monster destruction + Burn by Loading... (if played)
It also allows some alternative lines to Summon Loading... without being weak to Bystials.
It can also sometimes be discarded to Summon Air Raid via its alternative Summoning condition and allow you to push through disruptions. (Recovering from a negated Loading... for example)
It unfortunately tends to overlap with Rev Force as a RUM slot and increasing RUM ratios tends to make the deck much brickier

Even if the second lair of disruption can seem good it may often not be necessary for how much of a brick this RUM is in addition to the mandatory Revolution Force.

Extra Deck monsters

Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon - Air Raid

In this version of the build Air Raid might just be an auto include. The High RUM density makes its alternative Summoning condition very easy to use and a common dodge target:

The first main advantage is its rank, this allows Loading... to dodge targeted negates by using Loading... and searching a second Rev Force with Brave to still access Loading... .
The second main advantage is its alternative Summoning condition, both going first and second. Going First, it allows specific lines if Loading... gets negated and the equivalent of 2 bodies are present in hand, it is possible to extend through Raider's negation. Going second, it can turn a Force Strix and a RUM in hand into a monster destruction and a DARK Xyz Winged-Beast with a DARK Xyz as material (important for Loading... ' second effect).
The third advantage is its cleaning capabilities going second. On Summon it is a destruction of an opponent's monster but can then float into Loading... if it is destroyed itself, either by "negate & destroy" type effects or by crashing it into an opponent's ATK position monster. Revolution Falcon Represent an additional monster destruction and a possible cleaning by battle of all of the opponent's Special Summoned monsters.

TLDR Air Raid is a great extension and dodging tool in our Arsenal and it cannot be ignored either as it needs to be handle carefully by the opponent going second. This allows Air Raid to be a staple in Rev Force builds.

Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon

Revolution Falcon is an extension of Loading... . It is at the same time very similar and very different:

the main selling point of Revolution Falcon is its interaction with Air Raid, once Air Raid gets destroyed it floats into a second destruction and a multi attacker that can reduce any monster's attack to 0. This makes a fantastic board breaking duo alongside Air Raid.
It can also be a secondary Loading... target if you play Loading... and feel like you'll need the Air Raid destruction effect during the opponent's turn.
In simplified gamestates an easy to Summon multi attacker can also just win the game on the spot.
Once in the GY it can also be copied by Loading... to get a 4K ATK unaffected multi attacker that can also reduce any stat of the opposing monster to 0, which is one of the hardest things to defend against, reflectors like mikankos excluded.
It can also be accessed via Revolution Force and by bringing back a Loading... from the GY thanks to the effect of Loading...

All of this makes Revolution Falcon a solid inclusion although not a mandatory one.

Raidraptor - Stranger Falcon

A strange inclusion to the extra deck to say the least but not without its upsides:

the main selling point of Stranger is its accessibility. Either via using Loading... and a Rank 4 Xyz monster like Loading... or by recycling on turn 3 Loading... you have multiple ways to access it making multiple copies of Revolution Force better to draw or access overall.
Its effects are not bad either, a destruction+burn and a floating effect allowing you to access any RR Xyz in the GY and give it a RR Xyz monster as material is a premium kind of floating! Among its common targets we can denote: a sent Loading... for a double floating core to bring out the normal Loading... , Loading... to either Summon a RR from deck or send it to the GY to bring out any other RR XYZ from the extra, a Loading... for the search and a rank 4 body or even just an outed Loading... .

Overall a solid option, really good on turn 3 and onward to make sure you don't run out of resources and ways to close the game.

Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon

Blazing at the last archetypal option we have Blaze Falcon. It is pretty much entirely outclassed by Loading... and Loading... but has some niche applications:

Most notable is its board wiping effect. It gives an easy way to board wipe while burning the opponent, this is crucially more impactful than the single destruction of Stranger and easier to access than Rising Rebellion on simplified gamestate scenarios.
Its direct attack effect can also steal some games but don't count on it too much.

Overall an inferior card than Stranger Falcon in most situations but can still be an option if you're on an SR budget.

The other generic stuff

See the Cowrie column to learn about, Arc Rebellion, S:P and Evilswarm, and the reasons why you could play them. Generally they are less used in Rev Force builds due to the need to maximize the Rev Force targets.

Cowrie Techs

Note: once again, due to Cowrie being the center focus of the build it will be discussed in the related build section.

Monster cards

Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius

Possibly the weirdest extender we have access to, not in effect but in awkward situations it tends to put us in:

It is a Normal Summon unlike any other extender so adding it of Loading... does not lead to another body onfield if the Normal Summon has already been used.
Mostly used in hands with multiple Normal Summons including a one of Loading... and either Loading... or Loading... as a way to Summon the Noir stuck in hand by Summoning Vanishing with Loading... effect.
Note that this latter function can be replaced by Loading... either by having it in hand or by searching it in latter parts of the combo but this requires to go through 2 Loading... which is mostly not a problem but can cause problems in grind games if your access to Loading... is compromised.

Spell Cards

Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Force

Simple but during the opponent's turn it can be set by Loading... allowing this build to access Loading... to have an unstoppable quick effect Harpie's Feather Duster or an additional monster destruction + Burn by Loading... (if played)
It also allows some alternative lines to Summon Loading... without being weak to Bystials.
It can also sometimes be discarded to Summon Air Raid via its alternative Summoning condition and allow you to push through disruptions. (Recovering from a negated Loading... for example)

Objectively a good addition to the deck. Its main weak point is how much of a brick it is without Air Raid, but even then the negated Xyz monster needs to still be onfield and you need a lot of extension power. But overall increases enough the ceiling to grant a spot in the deck.

Extra Deck monsters

Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon - Air Raid

This card only has 2 use cases in this build.

Recovery lines by discarding a RUM and using a negated Raidraptor Xyz onfield to let Loading... Special Summon a Raidraptor in GY and thus continue the combo through Loading... .(can also force some interactions going second but without Loading... it is much weaker).
Rare line when it has been chosen to play both Loading... and Air Raid and after the Loading... 's board wipe a monster destruction effect is still needed.

In this version of the deck Air Raid is not recommended but still can come up so it's not a dead card if you decide to put it in the ED.

Arc Rebellion Xyz Dragon

"Dragon big, dragon punch hard" may be the best way to describe Arc Rebellion. It is a game closer through and through, as well as a good tool for going second.

The main use of Arc will be to gain ATK equal to the ATK of all monsters on the field and negate the effects of everything. It can have some niche applications that make it better than just punching with an army of big towers such as fighting against indestructible damage reflector, like Timelords to give the most well known example. Past that it is just an alternative game closer to the towers.
This is not without drawbacks as it competes with Loading... while going second as a Loading... target. It is also a Dragon, making it unusable under normally beatable floodgates for the deck such as Loading... .

It is a good option all around, I tend to refer to it as a win more card going first and an awkward moment maker while going second but it has reasons to be played, overall better than the previously mentioned Air Raid.

Evilswarm Knightmare

Basically an anti Loading... option, you get Maxx “C”'d you just end on this by giving up to 2 draws(same thought pattern with Fuwalos). It's an OK option but tends to not be enough in the face of a 7 cards hand (containing most of the time an effect negation). Even worse you might even go up against an opponent that doesn't care like a link deck. But it is better than nothing.

Another use case is as part of the endboard if Loading... wasn't used this turn. It is good but makes the endboard weak to Loading... into Loading... opposed to just ending on double Loading... .

Its utility makes it a good card to consider, but not an auto include.

S:P Little Knight

Her main use is to banish herself so the anti Super Poly board is 2 towers and a Loading... , impossible to use Super Poly on that.

She can also be used as a endboard piece or a going second tool but she feels underwhelming in every aspect in this deck.

A good way to waste bodies and make you immune to Super Poly, bad otherwise.

The handtrap heavy build.

The principle

Disclaimer: The general opinion on the handtrap version is that is a less consistant in getting the combo off overall. The limited non engine space in the RR core also makes the synergy between mass handtrapping and RR combo akward. The lack of protection and the tendency of RR to brick is also increased here due to the lack of consistency/protection effects.

Nonetheless it is a good template for anyone to try the deck as it reduces the number of convoluted Rev Force line or Cowrie's odds management. It also allows any beginner to get away with some mistakes by just handtrapping the opponent.

The Sample Decklist

40 cards

Download

The math

Now time for everyone's favorite part of the decklist, the maths: this deck contains 40 cards, the following math will then apply to this version. Some alternative will be presented but will be highlighted so you can clearly see what's not referring to this exact decklist.

12 handtraps, including Loading... and Loading... , allows the deck to open at least 1 handtrap 85% of the time. If Maxx “C” like cards are excluded from the calculation you still have 75% to have at least 1 handtrap in the opener. For at least 2 handtrap, you have 31% chances(Maxx “C” like cards not counted) and 47% chances (Maxx “C” like cards counted). This is clearly not an optimal ratio as most meta deck don't care about 1 handtrap and 2 handtrap is a fairly random occurrence.
19 Level 4 birds and a Foolish means this deck opens full combo (2 birds) 82% of the time and with Loading... being a one card combo that is drawn 33% of the time at least 1 the chances of opening full combo go up to around 87% of the time. These are fairly good odds. note: these calculation do not take into account corner cases like drawing double Loading... (1% chance) or Loading... + Loading... /Loading... and no other birds (1% chances).
With Loading... , Loading... , Loading... , Loading... and Loading... being considered as bricks, you have 50% chances to open at least 1 in your opener which is far from optimal but all of them being required as combo pieces or part of the grind game of the deck make it an acceptable risk. Note that a version with 3 Loading... , 1 Loading... and 1 Loading... can turn Rise RUM and Roost into full combo if you also open Noir. This comes at the cost of your odds to open Wing, which is premium protection against targeted negates.
Note:Noir and Wing are not played together at 3 due to them not being able to Special Summon themselves. This means that having both of them in hand is a dead hand. If Loading... has been included in the deck it becomes full combo but looses to both nib and a single interaction. Also note that pain does not work with Wing as the latter has 0 ATK, making it impossible for pain to Special Summon itself.
With 3 Ash, 2 Called by and 1 crossout you have around 57% chances to draw at least 1 Maxx “C” answer. It's not great but sufficient, it means that, in general, you won't be under a Maxx “C” like card 80% of the time which is a pretty good ratio (this is because we consider that the average deck will run 4 Maxx “C” like cards, other calculations would be redundant and the important port is the 57% to draw an out).
With 3 Wings, and 2 Called by and 1 crossout you have 57% chances to draw an anti handtrap card. Note: these anti handtrap measure overlap with the anti Maxx “C” odds, making your odds of surviving both Maxx “C” like cards and a handtrap targeting close to 12%.
If you feel like adding cards know that every additional card in the deck that is not an extender reduces your odds of opening full combo by around ~3% . And every Level 4 extender you add will decrease your odds of drawing at least 1 handtrap by ~1% and 2 handtrap by ~2%. The odds of seeing a Maxx “C” answer are also reduced by 1% for each card you add to the deck. These Stats seem wonderful, 85% chances to not be under Maxx “C” like cards 87% chances to open full combo etc... the truth of the matter is, these are individual stats and do not take into account the entire picture. Yes you will have stopped the Maxx “C” like card but will you have full combo? And if you do, can you survive 1 handtrap? Nothing's less certain. For example: You opened Ash, Strangle, Bloom, Simorgh and Imperm, the god hand you might think, so you use Bloom to Summon itself and Strangle, your opponent chains a Maxx “C” like card but you have the Ash, you're fine then you make Knight and an Imperm comes down. yep, you're now stuck with a Warrior on the field you can't do anything with. And going for Force doesn't help either except to play into Nibiru. This seemingly god hand just flopped, too bad.

Remember this: Stats can be easily misleading you need a lot of reflection and knowledge to get to the right conclusion.

Changeable cards

In this version the ratios are relatively unchangeable:

The biggest swap is going for 3 Loading... , 1 Loading... and 1 Loading... instead of 1 Noir and 3 Wings.
Some more engine can be considered like adding a second Noir in case you happen to draw it with tribute it makes the combo more textbooky.
The handtraps are, of course, interchangeable depending on the meta as these are just an example more reflective of the number of handtrap rather than their quality.
I wouldn't recommend adding more Mimicry as it's one more Normal Summon when there are already 8 in a 40 card deck and only 3 are full combo on their own.
Wouldn't recommend playing more Fuzzys either as the handtrap version requires to have the less bricky hands to just work so adding a monster that doesn't work with itself is risky.
Loading... can also be added for additional disruption during the opponent's turn, making an Air Raid, a Satellite or a second RRF if you have a lot of resources to spare in the GY. Adding more bricks is highly discouraged for this version.
For other adds, see the tech section.

Conclusion

So, this is this deck's Achilles heel: you can't reliably survive 1 well placed handtrap and your own handtrap tend to not be sufficient to stop meta decks, without even talking about going second. This is what the next versions will try to address. We need to survive going first bc our engine is way to weak to go second.

Cowrie + Wing build

The principle

The biggest fear of a RR player is to be stuck with a negated Loading... and no way to get 2 Level 5 Winged-Beast or 3 DARK Winged-Beasts on the field. This build aims to solve that issue by using Loading... 's targeting protection to make the Knight immune to targeted negation like Loading... and Loading... which tend to be the most devastating handtrap. This also happens to be the best way to play around targeted negation while not playing into Loading... as if Loading... is made first with Wing there is no optimal point for the opponent to Nibiru you.

As Wing is a Normal Summon that does nothing on its own the risk of bricking is non negligeable, as such we tend to add 2 or 3 copies of Loading... to fix hands or search Wing itself. It being a Quick-Play also means you can play around Droll by activating it in the draw phase or as a dodge tool for your Level 4 birds that get targeted by, once again, Imperm or veiler.

The big problems of this version is the restricted protection Wing offers and the minus that comes with Cowrie's effect.

It is still better than the no guaranteed protection of the handtrap build but will struggle against all kinds of Loading... , Loading... or Loading... .

So to complement the minus that comes with Cowrie we will tend to maximize on GY effect birds such as Loading... and Loading... .

The Sample Decklist

Notes:

The following list also works with 2 or 3 Droplets, 2 or 3 Wings, 2 or 3 Cowrie and 1 or 2 Mimicry. This is just one of the combinations you can go for as I wanted to keep it 40 card but you could also go to 41, 42 or 43. I wouldn't go past 45 tho.
The non engine is only there as an example. If the meta favors a backrow deck, cards like evenly, Duster or Loading... might be better, if shifter is popular then Dark Ruler might be better.
40 cards
Download
Prerequisites

A registered Konami ID linked to your master duel game

Must login to Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards DB using the same Konami ID

If the Yu-Gi-Oh! DB website asks to login with Game Card ID just click "I don't have a game card ID" and fill some basic information to proceed

Export Guide
- Via the MDM extension (Recommended): Download on Firefox, or Chromium Browsers
For Chromium browsers (Chrome/Edge/Opera/Brave...etc) just click "Add to chrome" on the store page and it'll work on most if not all chromium browsers.
After using the extension, go to the Master Duel game => Main menu => Deck option => The Card database option at the top right corner => locate the deck you exported and copy it

Don't show this again
- Manually
Click here to copy the export code

Go to Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards DB and click My Deck => Add a Deck

Once the deck page loads click Edit then do one of the following based on the platform your device is running:

(PC Only): Press F12 to open the DevTools window => Navigate to the Console tab in the window => Paste the export code => Hit Enter

OR (Other platforms/PC): In the address bar of the current tab remove the URL and type "javascript:" without the quotations then paste the export code, then if you're on mobile look for the *globe* icon and tap on it to run the code (Chrome only), for PC users just hit enter.

The deck will save automatically

Go to the Master Duel game => Main menu => Deck option => The Card database option at the top right corner => locate the deck you exported and copy it

Click here for a more detailed guide

The Math

For everyone's favorite part of this version breakdown, the math:

Like the previous one opening full combo is very easy around 90% but this does not take into account birds that don't combo together like 2 fuzzy, 2 Wings or Wing+Mimicry, that being said, with Cowrie in the picture it is still very likely to full combo and the math is needlessly complicated for an error of at worse 5%.
The odds of opening Wing + full combo or a way to Wing + full combo are also really good: around 45%, this include Wing + a Level 4 that can Summon itself (around 30%), Cowrie + a GY effect bird (around 10%) and Cowrie + 2 birds (5%) which is really good all things considered. To that can also be included the odds of drawing Called By or Crossout and the odds of dodging handtrap are really high.
Opening an anti Maxx “C” tool is the same as the last deck so around 57% to open at least 1 anti Maxx “C” and full combo is around 54%. if you then go for Wing + full combo + anti Maxx “C” measure we crumble to a little more than 14%.
The rest of the calcs for the bricks and getting combos through Noir are the same as the handtrap version so refer to that.

Changeable cards

This version of the deck is relatively open for interpretation as many ratios work thanks to Cowrie. The more common changes are:

2 Loading... for Cowrie fodder while having an additional Mimicry in deck if it got stopped or if you happened to need Mimicry's search for an extender instead of Loading... .
2 Loading... in case you fear bricking on 2-of it, not likely but it can happen. That being said, it is the RR monster with the best effect for Cowrie to tribute as it doesn't mess with the combo like Mimicry would.
2 Loading... as it can be searched with Cowrie and it reduces the odds of drawing double Wing, similar to the previous point with Fuzzy.
1 Loading... , 3 Loading... and 1 Loading... . These ratios are mostly there to make it harder to know when and where to interrupt as the average hand gets more searches. That being said it is generally not recommended as Pain in hand has no bridge to tribute with Cowrie and generally makes you more vulnerable to nib when it's one of the major strengths of this version.

Conclusion

Having access to reliable targetting protection while not playing under Nibiru is a premium line to have. The only things that reliably stop this version are Ash, Gamma and Ogre which are either less played or harder to find compared to the effective 6 or more Imperm like effects the average handtrap deck will run.

This wide range of protection and playmaking potential makes this version the second most popular among the pure Raidraptor players at the time of writing this guide. It is clearly a recommended version.

Noir + Revolution Force build

The principle

This version is the best way we found to counter 1 for 1 handtraps. It relies on Loading... as a catch all answer and its synergy with Loading... 's ability to be a 1 card rank 4 if Loading... is also played to reduce the likelihood of bricking.

Rev Force, as we call it, plays like a pseudo Loading... without the need of playing any Main Deck targets! The only things it cannot stop are Loading... and Loading... , the former being a non issue if you start the combo with Loading... and the latter can be played around depending on your draws and line used.

That being said, getting hit by an Ash will make you much more vulnerable to every other handtrap as it requires Loading... to resolve otherwise the combo ends on basically nothing.

Noir is maxed here in opposition to the previous versions as Noir alongside Rev Force is a 2 card combo by searching pain and making Loading... , you can then search Loading... for follow up if Loading... gets negated (or force baits the Ash outright). Then, by using Rev Force you can turn Force into Brave allowing you to full combo.

Rev Force being a Rank-Up-Magic also allows us to access more easily some other slots of our ED, chief among them Loading... and Loading... during our turn to seal games or stealing a spent Loading... or Loading... during the opponent's turn to make a Loading... to turn the game around.

Sample Decklist

Note: The decklist here has 41 cards because everyone of them is required or adds something to the deck. As such cutting it to 40 feels uncalled for and in some ways a downgrade.

41 cards

Download

The Math

So... I'm going to be straight up honest, this part is a nightmare due to the multitude of possible draws and moving part that can lead to combo and to how many interrupts the deck can take. So for the sake of this guide's readability I will take some shortcuts in the resisting handtrap parts, my apologies.

First of all, the odds of drawing your one card starter are still the same, so around 33%.
Then, the odds of getting full combo if the opponent doesn't have interaction are around the 90% mark this includes: 2 compatible birds (around 82%), Noir + Rev Force or Roost (around 12% of the non 82% so + ~2%)tribute alone (33% of the non 84% which is a little over +5%) so around 90% chances to open full combo if the opponent has no interrupts.
And now the odds of resisting a targeted handtrap on an Xyz monster you control are simply the odds of drawing Rev Force with full combo + the odds of drawing more than 3 birds in value(Noir, Tribute, Mimicry or Fuzzy counting as 2 as they search or replace themselves). So around 30% for the Rev Force draw + around 45% of the remainder for the more than 3 in bird value(the math here is REALLY complex due to the variable bird value so it is a rough estimate and each trio of birds should be examined alone to see how many and which interrupt they can take) for a total of around 61% chances to dodge a well placed handtrap.
The odds of dodging 2 handtraps are really variable and depends on both your grip and the opponent's decisions. For example Gamma your Knight will stop you completely most of the time but if you draw Rev Force it won't do anything except forcing you to use Rev Force and will turn off Imperm from the opponent. Rather than throwing random numbers at you I prefer to advise everyone to go check out the lines of the first RR guide and Yukinon's combo videos as the previous point already has enough inaccuracies for my likings.
the odds of countering Maxx “C” like card are the same as the 2 previous versions so refer to them if needed.
the odds of seeing non engine are the same as the Cowrie + Wing version.

Changeable Ratios

The decklist shown here is already pretty optimized. The only commonly changed ratios are:

Loading... to 0 or 1, as it can feel like a brick or reduce your endboard if you drew Loading... and no other birds.
Loading... to 1 or 0, some people like to have a second wave of interruption during the opponent's turn through either Loading... or Loading... after having used Loading... .
Loading... to 3 or 2, just to manipulate the odds of drawing Fuzzy, also offers a better grind game.
Changing up the non engine depending on the meta.
See the tech section for non standard cards that can be good in certain metas.

Notes on the build

This build is highly technical, many a time the Raidraptor mains take specific unorthodox lines due to meta reads and knowing what the hand can dodge if they go for a bait line. A simple example is a hand composed of Simorgh + Bloom + Rev Force might go into Force Strix first instead of Knight as it will bait out Ash and search Strangle, if the opponent doesn't take the bait, ranking up force into Brave with Rev Force will make it so even if your Brave gets stopped (except by Gamma) you'll still be able to access Wise (thanks to Strangle revive effect) and thus allowing you to still put up a respectable board with all the interupts minus the 2 unaffected birds.

It is also possible for the other versions to take those lines but Rev Force particularly encourages them, as such it is highly recommended to review replays and talk with other RR main while practicing this version.

Clearly the highest potential but the hardest to master as well.

Conclusion

This Version is the "de-facto" best one, it allows many flexible lines and encourages quick thinking while in duel. This allows it to dodge handtraps and navigate going second situations much more efficiently than the handtrap and Cowrie version respectively. It also has the lowest chance of bricking among all the versions.

All this makes it the preferred version by the pure RR main, that being at the cost of a steeper learning curve.

Raidraptor a l'Italiana

The principle

This build is a continuation of the previous Rev Force + Noir build but with techs that reduce the overall variance of Master Duel's mini game.

As for the name, it has been theorized and reached M1 piloted by 2 Italians (Aka Yukinon and myself, I'm not italian but my family is, so close enough) and it sounds better than "no Maxx “C” build".

Yes, these are the techs:

The same as the Rev Force build + Droll and - Loading... , The point being that Raidraptor can play under Droll and only loses Loading... and sometimes Loading... if it gets to full combo under Droll. This Makes Droll your 6th, 7th and 8th answers to Maxx “C” like cards while being a good handtrap by itself against cheesy decks and some meta decks.

It can be argued that loosing Maxx “C” like cards is a big downside but in handtrap wars every card matters in RR and drawing a card that won't resolve 57% of the time just feels like a waste. Also, even if you happen to resolve a Maxx “C” like card, it generally won't change much against meta decks due to RR's limited access to space for staples, at best you'd be able to Droplet a full board because one Ash won't do anything against a half decent hand from a meta deck. And, as recent metas showed it, Droplet isn't enough to stop a endboard that has 3 interruptions in the grave and can get more onfield.

Sample build

40 cards

Download

The math

Just know that now you have a 70% chance to open an answer to a Maxx “C” like cards in the opening hand so it gives Maxx “C” like cards a 10% chance to resolve if 3 copies are played (33% odds), also note that if they are played at more copies the odds go up 20% (as if you play 9 Maxx “C” like cards you have 66% chances to open at least 1). We’ll say 15% to be generous.

Knowing the previous calculations we know that we have 10% chance to not full combo and 15% chances to be hit by a Maxx “C” like card, in total it makes the odds of full comboing in the face of Maxx “C” like cards around 76% (to be noted that this estimation doesn't take into account hands that can't play under Droll from the get go, typically those that can only start by accessing Loading... , in that case you'll have to give 3 draws to your opponent before being able to Droll).

Other than that it is the same as the Rev Force + Noir build so refer to it for the rest of the calculations.

Changeable Ratios

Droll ratios can be changed if you feel confident with 63% or 57% to open an anti Maxx “C” measure (2 and 1 Droll respectively).

You can also replace Droplet by Maxx “C” like card but Droll clashes with it and you loose the most powerful card of the deck for draw power which is not really worth it in the end.

Other than that, once again it is the same as the Rev Force + Noir build.

Conclusion

This version keeps the upsides of the Rev Force + Noir version while lessening the variance due to Maxx “C” like cards, it has higher lows but lower highs compared to the normal version.

So to keep it simple, if you feel like what's screwing you are Maxx “C” like cards, just play this version as it will reduce variance from Maxx “C” like cards while only marginally reducing your odds of going full combo.

Experimental builds

These builds have not been tested in large sample sizes, they are mostly theoretical things you can do in theory but it is unsure as their actual effectiveness. Nevertheless the principles of these builds can always be useful for the other versions.

Also note that we are not considering 60 cards as we don’t have enough good engine cards in pure making it even more bricky. See mixed OCG builds if you want a 60 card RR deck.

Reduced Brick count build

The principle

Sick of bricking on Loading... , Loading... or those Stupid RUMs? Here's an experimental build for you.

The main goal of this build is to reduce even further the number of "do nothing" cards like RUMs, oddly Leveled monsters or non essential grind game cards to have a higher percentage of directly useful cards in your opening hands. The key cards of this build are:

Cowrie being the failsafe for consistency and searching Loading... for protection while Necro vulture is a Level 4 RUM recycler for turn 3 and Glorious Bright can recycle a name on a turn it didn't negate. these are way less problematic to draw as Cowrie + a bird is full combo, Necro is a Level 4 so it can be full combo with any other bird that Special Summons itself and Bright is a guaranteed negate if you open it alongside any Raidraptor Name.

This build also allows you to slot in more non engine while not compromising on hand quality at the cost of being harder to pilot as you'll have to plan 2 turn in advance how to spend your Normal Summon and what you will recycle.

Sample Decklist

Note: This is an experimental build that hasn't been tested in details, it is up to everyone to swap around the Ratios.

40 cards

Download

The Math

This version is a mix between the Cowrie + Wing and handtrap build, but with a clearly different structure. As such new calculations are required:

With 20 birds, 1 Foolish Burial and 2 Cowries the odds of openning full combo are of (2 birds or Foolish + a bird = 85%, at least Tribute= 33% so +5% and a bird + Cowrie = 22% so + 2%) 92%, note that of those initial 85% the odds of opening double Wing, Wing + Mimicry, Wing + Necro or Necro + Mimicry with no other birds or ways to unbrick are of around 2% so clearly negligeable.
With 8 live Handtraps the odds of opening at least one is of 70%, at least 2 is 25% and at least 3 is 4%. If we factor in Maxx “C” like cards the handtrap count goes to 11 which means 81% chances to open at least one, 42% to open at least 2 and 11% to open at least 3. These odds are ok, even if not really impressive. As stated before with that low of a non engine count board breakers would be more effective but clashes with the anti Maxx “C” measures as Ash would be a mediocre stand alone handtrap and you'd just hand loop yourself for 1 most of the time.
your odds of opening an anti Maxx “C” card are still of 57%.
your ability to play through handtrap is really hard to quantify as the easy answer would be 33% (odds of opening Called by and/or crossout) but the truth is that depending on you hand this deck can play through a lot and more often than the other handtrap and Cowrie + Wing version due to its low brick count (no Heel, no Roost and no RUMs besides the strict minimum) but the gains are really hard to map out as it depends which bird you open and which handtrap your opponent opens.

Changeable Ratios

There are 2 axis you can go for in this deck when it comes to changeable ratios, the engine or the non engine:

For the engine you can easily swap 2 copies of Loading... for 3 copies of Loading... and 1 of Loading... . This is not a bad choice but remember that if you open both Noir and pain you won't be able to search with Noir as pain is your only non Level 4 monster and it becomes 4 on field. Also Noir alone isn't full combo, it only is if you open a RUM or a second bird.
continuing on with the engine you can always swap around the Cowrie, Wing, Mimicry and fuzzy ratios but remember that keeping at least 20 birds is recommended as if you drop lower you'll tend to brick or fold to a single handtrap more often.
On the non engine side you can always swap the handtraps around or even go on a "a l'italiana"-like non engine selection by cutting Maxx “C” like cards and adding Droll for that sweet 85% chances to ignore Maxx “C” like cards entirely. or do a mix of both, it is up to the metagame.

Conclusion

This is a promising yet really hard to use build as you get rid of your main recovery tools, mainly Loading... , this makes grind game a real gamble and requires the player to clearly understand their win conditions and plan ahead accordingly. The big upside being a drastically reduced brick count and an average higher quality of the cards in hand.

Overall this build isn't recommended if you just finished understanding the basic builds as it requires in depth knowledge of both your deck and what the opponent's deck can do.

50 card handtrap + Cowrie

The Principle

So you want the higher agency in bird quality of the Cowrie version but don't want to give up the back up of the handtrap version? Welcome to the 50 card slop.

The main idea of this build is using Fuwalos going second as a watered down Loading... that can win you games on its own but is useful part of the engine, not only as a Winged-Beast that synergizes with simorgh but also a Tribute fodder for Cowrie to search another Level 4 Winged-Beast, such as every Raidraptor besides Heel.

Some of the main ideas of this build are turning Fuwalos into Loading... ,our one true 1 card combo, through Cowrie or using Fuwalos + Loading... to make Loading... and search other parts of the combo, this latter line can come in clutch in hands containing a Rank-Up-Magic and Simorgh as the Force Strix line allows you to search Loading... , Summon Loading... by discarding your RUM and going for close to full combo from there were as another non engine piece would have made that hand unplayable.

The Number of cards also reduces your odds to draw dead cards like the Rank ups, Roost or Bright while maintaining a high engine count and good odds to draw non engine.

All this makes a really consistent build that has access to back up plans through handtraps.

The sample decklist

Note: This is an experimental build that hasn't been tested in details, it is up to everyone to swap around the Ratios.

50 cards

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The Math

Due to the Main Deck card count being upped to 50 many stats have to be calculated again. But, due to this being an experimental build, we'll only focus on the main combo odds and handtrap likelihood:

The odds of seeing full combo are composed of the odds of seeing 2 birds (21 birds that represent full combo if drawn in pairs -> 70%) + the odds of seeing Tribute Lanius (at least 1 Tribute Lanius -> 27% of 30% -> around 8%, in total 78%) + the odds of seeing a bird + Cowrie (18% of 22%-> 4% in total 82%) so in total 82% chances to draw full combo.
The odds of seeing anti Maxx “C” like cards also goes down to 64% (9 cards here) which is a notable downgrade compared to the "a l'italiana" version but still acceptable and fairly close to the other versions.
In exchange for these lower chances to full combo and find an answer to Maxx “C” like cards you gain a lower odds to see your bricks (here Loading... , Loading... , Loading... and Loading... ) 35% to draw at least 1 of them to be precise.
The higher card count also means more space for non engine. If we include Fuwalos, the handtrap count goes to 17 (Loading... , Loading... , Loading... , Loading... , Loading... and Loading... ) which gives you 88% chances to see at least 1, 55% chances to see at least 2 and 20% chances to see at least 3.
The odds of dodging handtraps are to complex to analyze in such a quick review of the build due to it being less specialized than the other 2 and the combination of birds and which handtraps have been opened by the opponent.
The odds of seeing duplicates also goes down from 3 to 2% which is never a bad thing.

Changeable Ratios

Once again, the Engine and non engine choices can be tweaked around:

As usual your Loading... and Loading... ratios can be swapped around including the presence, or not, of Loading... . This is up to preference as the higher card count lowers the odds of bricking on duplicates.
The number of Loading... can also be increased as the presence of Loading... makes Mimicry a premium draw alongside Cowrie.
The non engine is mostly there as an example, it can easily be swapped around beside Fuwalos depending on the meta.

Conclusion

This is a very interesting and highly adaptable build thanks to the inclusion of Loading... . It gives less options to dodge handtraps but has high consistency both in engine and non engine while notably reducing your odds of drawing bricks! This gives it good meta resilience while Fuwalos is useful. Its big downside is its reliance on Fuwalos being useful against the meta.

Overall a really good build that feels more gambly than what it should due to its reliance on Fuwalos being useful.

Watch out for these noob Traps!

This section will be a collection of cards that can seem excellent but end up being more of a brick, a overall worse version of an existing card or a card that doesn't fit in the pure build and would rather go in a Kali Yuga build for example. We'll still go through reasons to play the cards and reasons not to, as saying "it's bad" is just counterproductive to the overall knowledge of the playerbase.

Wing Requital

The poster child for these kind of noob Traps is, of course Wing Requital, here's why:

The upsides:

You can sometimes draw 2 interesting cards like a Droll to stop a resolved Maxx “C” like card, a one of RUM to continue your combo if your Brave got Ash’d, more birds if you get interrupted while the opponent doesn't know how to interrupt RR or more staples after you already combo'd. Basically all the reasons why triple tactic talents draw 2 is good.

The downsides:

A total brick if you don't have 2 birds that can be Summoned, which is full combo already.
Makes you play into Droll with a boardstate that might not allow you to access Droll lines with no guaranteed to draw into something that will help you.
It is a hard once per turn so multiple copies are dead in hand.
Can draw into your one ofs making your combo lines awkward. for example drawing a Noir target makes the Arsenal Summon either Tribute or Strangle which can mess with latter parts of the combo if you had a low bird count in hand to begin with.
Doesn't further your win condition as the only thing you want to hard draw are handtraps, Droplets or a one of RUM which don't have that big of an impact if your engine is stopped or are hard to find(if you got interrupted on the choke points). This is due to RR's tendency to have a hard time comboing on low resources/simplified gamestates or if they exactly stop Brave and Wise.
A point of lesser importance but relevant nonetheless: it makes you pay 800 and I can't count how many times I won games on less than 500 lp, so it matters.

Conclusion: To quote myself "Basically all the reasons why triple tactic talents draw 2 is good.", unfortunately this card is more restrictive and overall does the same as triple tactic talents but without the other 2 effects and without the going second upsides. Its only benefit compared to triple tactics is the fact that if the opponent didn't interrupt you can still draw, but let's be honest, you should be winning if you go full combo with RR.

Cattle Call

Another classic Trap when it comes to effects good on paper:

Upsides:

Can help to dodge targeted handtraps, especially on the Main Deck monsters or the link, and turns it into an Xyz. This is a premium effect and can save many games as Loading... is the second most impactful choke point of the deck.
Can turn a single bird and Loading... or Loading... into combo and full disruption (at the cost of Ultimate Falcon's protection).

Downsides:

Is an absolute brick if you don't draw a bird
doesn't dodge Ash on Loading... or Imperm on Loading... which are arguably the biggest chokepoints of the deck.
overall outclassed by Loading... when it comes to protecting an Xyz.
The Xyz Summoned monster by this effect is has no material so it's only a RUM target or link material, which means that if you don't have other birds in hand or a RUM in hand it is a completely dead monster on the field.
This Summon can mess up your extra deck plays. For example, Summoning Brave via cattle call and ranking it up into Loading... via a RUM in hand you lose access to the Ultimate Falcon or other high rank techs as you won't have enough materials for its floating effect.
to get the most out of the card it is recommended to play it alongside a high RUM density which increases the odds of bricking even further.

Conclusion: Overall it is not a bad card per se but most of its utility is locked behind 2 or 3 card combos which is far from optimal, without birds in hand it is just a brick and it is overall outclassed by Loading... that is more versatile overall.

Note: this card is actually not bad in Kali Yuga builds as it can allow you to get to Kali Yuga in way less steps and can play around Maxx “C” like cards! But this is a pure guide so we won't go too much over it.

Swallow's Nest

This card is a pretty special one as it is the "prototype" of Loading... . This is why it is a "noob trap", it is not bad but furthers your Nibiru Summon counter, requires a body onfield rather than in hand and is not very useful against good players as its most common use is to dodge targeted effects on Main Deck monsters, and a good player would never target those with their interactions. Nevertheless let's still do the pros and cons:

Upsides:

Gets you your Loading... of any Normal Summoned Level 4 birds, which is full combo.
Can turn a random Level 4 bird on the field into Loading... which is protection for your Xyz, if you already have a second bird onfield.
Can dodge targeted effect like Loading... on your Main Deck birds while replacing it with another Level 4 bird.

Downsides:

Hard plays into Loading... as you have to commit your Normal Summon and tribute it before having a chance to get another bird (Bloom shenanigans not counted).
Summons an additional monster which can randomly make you loose to Loading... on the standard combo that doesn't normally looses to it.
is a complete brick if you draw no Level 4 Winged-Beast to go with it.
is technically a -1 as you have to use this card and 1 monster onfield to get only 1 bird on the field.

Overall the least deserving of the "noob trap" appellation, in general it is just outclassed by Cowrie most of the time. And is only better than Cowrie against objectively ignorant players.

Rank-Up-Magics in general and their searchers.

The Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Launch

This is a small sample of all the Rank ups that exist and are just worse versions of other rank ups. And of course they are absolute bricks if you don't get to an Xyz that is not just sent to the GY by the opponent.

On the Same page the searcher (that are also often -1 in the process) for said RUMs would just be better used to search Raidraptors to start or furthers your plays instead of searching bricks.

See the meta relevant techs to see which RUMs are actually playable beside the standard.

The Useless RR cards

Similar to the previous point this is a small sample of all the bad RR cards, so, why are they bad? Well, would you like to Summon 2 RR from hand when an opponent's attacking? Or maybe change the battle position of a monster? Or maybe get back to the hand a monster destroyed by battle right after it got destroyed? Or maybe have a mystic tomato in archetype? Or what about a 1000 ATK boost and a mediocre battle related effect? Yes these are all RR cards that just don't do enough to justify a slot in the deck.

Generally if a card hasn't been reviewed in the meta relevant techs or in the main builds, you can safely assume it is bad or outclassed by another card. Sadly this is the fate of an anime deck that is almost a decade old at this point: we have a lot of garbage cards that you would never play outside of an anime cosplaying deck.

Generic Level 4 extenders

In 2 sentences: They freak out Fuzzy. Fuzzy is the reason to play pure.

By playing these cards you're actively cutting yourself of your best monster and reason to play pure over Kali Yuga as its recursion and Special Summon ability gives the deck more resilience than mixed builds.

A notable exception to this explanation are the spirits Loading... and Loading... but one is light (so it cannot be used for Loading... ) and neither are Winged-Beasts which makes them awkward a lot of the time. They are the least worse of the generic extenders.

Meta Relevant Techs

This is not a guide about what to put in for the non engine. It is a general direction you can tech your deck in engine to adapt to the tendency of the meta. Non engine varies depending on the time frame and new releases, the engine will most likely stay the same for some time to come.

High GY hate meta

Loading... is a bad card. Yes, you heard it here first (or maybe not). It is a brick, it resolves without effect if any Rank 4 target is removed in the chain you activate it. It is a nightmare, and in metas that favor cards like the Bystials (Loading... ), it is exceedingly hard to resolve that card leaving you without your main interaction and with one less tower.

This is why the RR team has developed a new endboard to play around these pests called GY interactions these are the 2 key pieces:

A rank 12 monster that can be ranked up at minimal cost with PK RUM into Loading... without fear of a target in the GY being removed midchain guaranteeing you a board wipe during the opponent's turn.

The Rank up used to play around GY removal as only its cost interact with the GY, which is way harder to interact with than Rise RUM. It is also more flexible as, if Final fortress is removed from the field you can always turn a Force Strix into Loading... , Loading... or Loading... and then set Rise RUM thx to Loading... triggering on any of the previous Xyz monsters activating to still get a double interaction.

This set up will be viewed in details in the "new endboard set up" section. It has a higher ceiling than the standard set up but has less of a guaranteed set up as you lose your 2 turn 1 unaffected monsters. But gain a more guaranteed interaction. It is highly recommended to read the mentioned section!

Also Rising Rebellion falcon board wipe isn't a once per turn and Wise Strix can set a second RUM during the opp turn, so yes you can board wipe twice during the opponent's turn, see you in that section!

Replacement effects meta

Replacement effects are a bane for RR as the deck relies on one big board wipe to win the game or weakening the opponent enough for them to be unable to beat over the unaffected monsters. The problem being that replacement effect like Loading... can bypass the unaffected status and still replace the effect of unaffected monsters.

But these effects have a weakness: chainblocking. Thus to beat these effects a simple solution is to add another RR Spell/Trap to the deck so when Loading... is Summoned it is possible to use its effect on chain link 1 and then use Loading... as chain link 2 to search a RR Spell or Trap. As both are triggers effects the opponent will only be able to respond to Root's effect guaranteeing you the board wipe.

As such it would be recommended to play a new target for Roost as every target would otherwise already have been searched, an option is of course to play one more copy of the already played Loading... or Loading... but these are bricks so we can optimize further by playing a different target:

The overall favorite target, it's the least bricky RR Spell and can get you to full combo from any Normal Summoned RR you play at least 2-ofs. It doesn't offer recovery but Roost and Bright GY effect are already there for that. The main downside is its lack of synergy with Simorgh and the fact that it doesn't do anything if you didn't draw a RR alongside it.

A correct option, less popular than call but good nevertheless, it offers recovery making it an incredible card for grind game alongside Roost and Bright GY effect. Its main downside is that it's an absolute brick if you don't already have combo which means more bricks in our brickfest. Not the standard but a valid option.

Next Section will also offer you a third target but it is only used in very niche metas so choosing a target for Roost must be done with the utmost care to not brick even more.

Going second OTK meta

In a going second OTK meta it means the meta deck is particularly ignorant of interactions and abuses removal effects to OTK. To play around that our main and easiest option is:

Yes a good old battle Trap, but a searchable one, so it is easy for us to access it and survive OTKs, this makes it a good Main Deck one of in this kind of scenarios.

You can access it in 3 ways:

Loading... can send it to the GY to prevent any and all damage you would receive by banishing it during the opponent's turn.
Loading... can add it to the hand if you already have Glorious Bright in hand or know you'll be facing an OTK deck.
Loading... can add it by banishing itself from the GY if you already have Loading... in hand.

New endboard set up

With the Rise of GY hate RR players have been forced to adapt as Loading... is really vulnerable to GY disruptions. This line also gives a more flexible and impactful endboard when it comes to the ordering of rank ups and disruptions you use. As such, it has becomed the preferred endboard of most pure RR players. So adding PK RUM and Final Fortress is always a solid decision in any build.

Here's the new combo line:

Summon any 2 birds and Xyz Summon Loading...
Loading... effect to Summon Loading...
Loading... activates to search Loading...
Loading... targeting Loading... to Summon Loading...
Loading... effect to Summon Loading...
Loading... effect, target itself to add Loading...
Loading... Summons itself
use Loading... and Loading... to link Summon Loading...
Chain link 1 Loading... to Summon Loading... chain link 2 Loading... to Summon Loading... and attaches itself
on a new chain, Loading... will trigger to set Loading...
With the Loading... and the Loading... left onfield, Xyz Summon Loading...
Activate Loading... by detaching Loading... to search Loading...
Banish Loading... to search Loading... and activate it
Summon Loading... and use its effect to revive a Raidraptor Level 4 from GY.
With Loading... and the revive Raidraptor Xyz Summon another Loading...
On a new chain Loading... triggers to search Loading...
Activate Loading... by detaching Loading... to return banished RR monsters to the GY
Finally activate Loading... to shuffle any 3 RR (except Knight and Brave) to draw 1.

Gameplay tips

As Said in the intro, this guide’s role isn’t to teach you how to combo, but for completion sake I added this section. It is composed of 4 reliable sources of good Raidraptor gameplay including my own playlist (check the others first ; -) )

Closing thoughts

I hope you enjoyed this guide and you found new interest in Raidraptoring with us. As you have surely seen the pure version of the deck is already very complex, especially when it comes to the ratios of specific cards and why or why not play them.

If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments, I’ll be checking them regularly, and if you started playing Raidraptor I would really like to know what version you run and to which level of success!

If I see the demand I might do some other stuff, either as MDM articles or as youtube videos to either detail more some builds, do combo guides or talk about some excentric mixed Raidraptor builds. (if that happens you’ll find it in the comments.)

Introduction to Raidraptor (2025)

Introduction

About the author

About this guide

Overview

Disclaimer and Vocabulary

The basic core and tricks with it

Prerequisites

Export Guide

Click here for a more detailed guide

Monster Cards

Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius

Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius

Raidraptor - Bloom Vulture

Raidraptor - Strangle Lanius

Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius

Raidraptor - Heel Eagle

Simorgh, Bird of Perfection

Raider's Wing & Raidraptor - Noir Lanius

Spell Cards

Raidraptor - Roost

Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force

Rise Rank-Up-Magic Raidraptor's Force

Foolish Burial

Trap Cards

Raidraptor - Glorious Bright

Extra Deck monsters

Raidraptor - Force Strix

Raider's Knight

Raidraptor - Brave Strix

Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon

Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon

Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon

Raidraptor - Rising Rebellion Falcon

Raidraptor - Wise Strix

Revolution Force techs

Monster cards

Raidraptor - Pain Lanius

Spell Cards

Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Force

Extra Deck monsters

Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon - Air Raid

Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon

Raidraptor - Stranger Falcon

Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon

The other generic stuff

Cowrie Techs

Monster cards

Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius

Spell Cards

Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Force

Extra Deck monsters

Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon - Air Raid

Arc Rebellion Xyz Dragon

Evilswarm Knightmare

S:P Little Knight

The handtrap heavy build.

The principle

The Sample Decklist

Prerequisites

Export Guide

Click here for a more detailed guide

The math

Changeable cards

Conclusion

Cowrie + Wing build

The principle

The Sample Decklist

Prerequisites

Export Guide

Click here for a more detailed guide

The Math

Changeable cards

Conclusion

Noir + Revolution Force build

The principle

Sample Decklist

Prerequisites

Export Guide

Click here for a more detailed guide