Let me preface this article by saying something I feel is very important: This deck is designed to be fast, but not very offensive. It can hold its own if you use it to strike quickly, rather than giving your opponent a chance to amass a force. It has very little defense, and if you let your opponent get a monster advantage, you will have to do your best to defend until you get one of your boss monsters ("Judgment Dragon," "Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning," "Sephylon, the Ultimate Time Lord") onto the field. That said, if you can get a good feel for the finesse this deck takes to play, you can do wonders with it.

Now, I suppose I shall start with my deck list.



I've grouped it in such a way that makes sense to me for this article. In other words, if you hit sort deck, if will not look like this. Now, let's start with the Lightsworn Monsters, shall we?

1x Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid
2x Celestia, Lightsworn Angel
1x Ehren, Lightsworn Monk
1x Jain, Lightsworn Paladin
1x Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner
2x Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress
1x Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior
2x Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
1x Wulf, Lightsworn Beast

Nine separately-named Lightsworn monsters. Each one is useful for milling cards (With the exception of Wulf, and Garoth [if he's alone on the field]), which is great for this deck. Ehren, Lumina, and Lyla will all mill three in each of your End Phases, Aurkus and Jain mill two, Ryko mills three on flip, Celestia mills four when tribute summoned by using a Lightsworn as tribute (Her effect is optional), and Garoth mills two everytime another Lightsworn makes you mill.

Aside from the milling, it is important to realize that these cards have other effects. Lyla can be shifted to defense mode to destroy a card in your opponent's backrow. Celestia can mill four cards when you summon her from using a Lightsworn as tribute to destroy up to two more cards your opponent controls, Ehren sends defense position monsters back into the deck without damage calculation (Great, if your opponent is starting to play defensively, or you don't know what they have set - not triggering flip effects is great against, for example, a mill deck), Lumina allows you to discard a card from your hand to special summon a level four or lower Lightsworn from the graveyard (Use Lyla to destroy a backrow card, tribute for Celestia, then bring back Lyla from Lumina to destroy another spell - Excellent combination). These effects allow you to control a field very effectively, or swarm it for Synchros (Lumina to bring back any level four Lightsworn, use Plaguespreader's effect from grave for a Trishula).

The Lightsworns are crucial for getting other Lightsworns into the grave, for good reason. Having four separately-named Lightsworns in your Graveyard lets you special summon Judgment Dragon from your hand. He can then clear all cards on the field (sans himself) by paying 1000 lifepoints. Even better, it can be used multiple times per turn. So, if you use it, attack, and your opponent brings out Gorz, just go to Main Phase 2 and clear the field again; not a problem.

Other than the fact that these cards get other Lightsworns into the graveyard for Judgment Dragon, they also allow for a special "Beatstick" from the middle to end of the game. Sephylon, the Ultimate Time Lord is an OCG-only card right now, with 4000 attack an defense points. He also has a useful effect for Fairy decks, but for the purpose of this deck, his effect doesn't matter. As a summoning condition, you must have 10 monsters in your graveyard. However, with all the mills you will be doing, this isn't a problem.

Black Luster Soldier is pretty self-explanatory, but I felt it important to cover which dark monster you should be throwing out, if given a choice. Honestly, if given the chance, Tragoedia or Chaos Hunter (If he's already in your grave) are best. You have no other way of getting Gorz into your hand, so once he's hit the graveyard, he'll not be of much help, which means you may consider using him as well. Tragoedia is great for getting out a level nine Synchro, and then banishing for Black Luster Soldier. I would advise against using Plaguespreader or Necro. Plague should be used for Synchro if possible, and Necro is one of three cards targeted at defending yourself against an attack.

Lastly for the Light cards is Honest, an awesome effect creature with the ability to cause your opponent to lose the lifepoints of any monster they decide to attack, as long as it's Light. It's a great way to protect Lumina (The card I use it for most), or another your opponent would choose to attack. It's also pretty amusing if you have Black Luster Soldier or Judgment Dragon out, and your opponent attacks you with a Malefic/Five-Headed Dragon/Some other giant "Beatstick." The card can also be used on the field as a last resort, since it can be put back into your hand from the field (Assuming it survives an attack). Monster Reborn puts it back into your hand for free, but other support cards like Beckoning Light also do the trick.

As for the Dark Monsters in the deck, they pretty much speak for themselves, in various ways. Chaos Hunter is highly underrated in a Twilight Deck, but it prevents your opponent from removing cards from play (Stopping Black Luster Soldier, Chaos Sorcerer, Malefics, Red-Eyes Wyvern from summoning Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, etc), which can really hinder them. At 2500 attack, it has survivability, as well. And since it can (and should) be summoned on your opponent's turn, it can really throw a wrench into their plans.

Everyone knows what Gorz does. Tragoedia is pretty much the same, without needing a clear field; 600 attack and defense for every card in you hand, however. Gives it a lot of potential, and a lot of ability to be insignificant. Plaguespreader is mainly used for the 2/3/4 Trishula Synchro, but has other uses as well. Glow-up Bulb is your other Tuner, and can be used for a 1/4/4 Trishula or a 1/3/4 Stardust/Scrap Dragon.

Spells now. Staples are a must. Charge of the Light Brigade and Solar Recharge are archetypal cards for the Lightsworns. Charge mills three for free, and gives you a Level four or lower Lightsworn to your hand for free. Solar recharge discards a Lightsworn, draws two, then mills an additional two. These are free, easy ways to get Lightsworns from your hand to the grave. I would also consider Foolish Burial in exchange for either a Pot of Duality, or the Mirror Force. Drawing that lets you put Wulf into the grave, and subsequently onto the field, for free. Although, if Wulf is already in hand, it can also be used to put your fourth Lightsworn into the grave for Judgment Dragon, or a Dark monster for your Black Luster Soldier. Very versatile.

As for your traps, Mirror Force is completely optional. I tend to use it as a measure of defense in the early game, as preventing my opponent so early can give me a major advantage on the field. Pretty useless late-game, unless you know your opponent has some face-downs you want to check on, or if you need something for Lumina to throw away and you don't want to toss anything else. Beckoning Light is key, though. Especially late game. With all the milling you're going to be doing, you're bound to throw away something you don't like, right? Well, this fixes that situation. Judgment Dragon, Sephylon, Black Luster Soldier, Celestia/Lyla or something situational can all be returned to your hand, to be used once again for destroying your opponent. Three of these are too amazing to pass up on.

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There are four Lightsworn monsters I don't have in my deck, and for good reason. Gargonith requires tribute, which slows down the deck, first off. Further, he and the other three aren't for fast-based play enough that I would use them in a Twilight deck. In a pure deck, I would consider it, but I can't justify it here. We need space for Dark monsters, and the spells and trap(s) we need to maintain consistency and speed. This build accomplishes that without the other four Lightsworns. Nine is more than enough to get out Judgment Dragon, and 26 monsters is more than enough for Sephylon and Black Luster Soldier. If you feel you need a Gargonith, I would recommend taking out a Celestia for him. If you really felt you -needed- another Lightsworn, consider a Pot of Duality for it (I wouldn't recommend taking out both Dualities though. So consider that along with the aforementioned situation with Foolish Burial).

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If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or recommendations, feel free to post, and I will do my best to address any and all issues.

Late props to Xanatos, for helping me edit and test my deck.