Introduction to Umi Control

Published on October 11th, 2022 by

Updated on March 12th, 2025

Introduction

Hello! And welcome to the updated complete guide to Umi Control, I am

, a player of Umi control since its OCG debut and current owner of the Umi discord server and I will teach you about the many ups and downs of Umi control.

So what is "Umi Control"? Umi control is a floodgate control deck mainly using the effects of Loading... to control the board in such a way that the opponent cannot properly respond. To do this, the deck aims to have both an Loading... , in this case Loading... , and Kairyu-Shin on the board to leave the opponent with only 1 non-WATER monster on their field, which effectively shuts down a majority of decks as WATER isn't a common attribute.

Core Cards

Ocean Dragon Lord - Kairyu-Shin

Kairyu-Shin itself is what makes this deck so strong, so much so most of the deck consists either of cards that help summon it, cards that help search it and cards that help protect it, its floodgate works nearly identically to the Kragen Gozen set up. When using its search the best thing to search first, if not already in hand, is Sea Stealth Attack.

Electric Jellyfish

Our main way of summoning Kairyu-Shin and also a way to pull an Umi from deck to allow Sea Stealth Attack to pull the card from the GY. Also gives us a negate to stop certain responses and outs.

A Legendary Ocean

This is the best Umi to use in the deck, both because it's the most searchable and because it allows us to Normal Summon Kairyu-Shin. It also has the unintended but surprisingly helpful side effect of making enemy WATER monsters 1 level lower, essentially floodgating some decks like Ghoti

Fish Sonar

Essentially more copies of Kairyu-Shin and Jellyfish. Also has the upside of being free special summon of any WATER Normal Monster from the deck if you control an Umi on the board.

Sea Stealth Attack

Sea Stealth Attack combined with Ocean Dragon Lord - Kairyu-Shin make up the most important pieces of the deck. Sea Stealth Attack lets Kairyu-Shin or any other level 5 or higher WATER monster deal with cards that have more attack than them. Sea Stealth Attack also prevents your opponent from destroying any face-up backrow cards you have and even allows you to dodge certain effects against our monsters through the Sea Stealth Attack's banish. As a bonus, it facilitates more effective use of Electric Jellyfish and Loading... via allowing us to pull an "Umi" from the GY when its activated.

Might As Well Be Core

Seventh Tachyon

While technically not a core card like the above few cards, the card essentially acts like a second Fish Sonar for the deck, albeit not as good due to going -1, as it can search both Electric Jellyfish and Kairyu-Shin due to the 101s, this is even further improved by the use of other cards capable of searching it, so while it might not technically be core, it is heavily advised.

Good Support Cards

While not as important the core cards, these cards can be nice to have in the deck.

Mega Fortress Whale

Though Mega Fortress Whale has fallen out of favor recently due to Umi having gained access to better ways beat the opponent in 1 turn alongside the limiting of several of the deck's consistency cards, it is still pure Umi's best way to otk. You should, however, drop it if you decided to start running one of the stronger off-engines.

Doom Kraken

Doom Kraken is a good form of survivability and destruction but it's also something you really don't want to draw more than one of and something we are completely okay with not seeing immediately. It's nice to have but not super important

Warrior of Atlantis

More copies of A Legendary Ocean, also a monster or Ash bait if you already have A Legendary Ocean.

Sea Stealth II

It's another Umi, provides decent protection. Helps if you are playing Dark Reef as it lets you have a second Umi be on the board. Second effect in combination with Sea Stealth Attack or Doom Kraken allows us to permanently revive a monster from the GY each battle phase.

Dark Reef

Dark Reef is an incredible card with the downside of being really awkward, its best and most common use is to summon a board that will end the game when the opponent ends their turn but can also be used with Sea Stealth Attack to send an Umi from the board and then put it back again to make a stronger board, or if you have Sea Stealth 2 and A Legendary Ocean on the board, as a way to summon a back-up Kairyu-shin. One is generally enough to end the game, two can lead to some powerful highrolls but can be awkward, three requires using Loading... to make practical, which will be explained in the notes as to why she isn't normally used. Isn't as needed in variants that drop mega fortress whale, but isn't bad as a one of even then.