"Budget" Deck: Executioners

Man, I love Executioners. It's rare in card games that you'll find a deck that allows you to break all the standard rules of deck building to kill your opponent, but there's almost always a trip. In Cardfight!! Vanguard, that was Daikaiser. Yu-Gi-Oh! has Sekka's Light variants, Grass builds, and any number of other things. Magic probably has something, I guess, but I've just now gotten into MtG. Buddyfight, though? It's almost definitely Executioners. This is going to be a long post that I'll divide into a few sections, but let me explain what this deck is before I gush much more.

Executioners are a mid-range deck that, if you can find the pieces, will never completely fall out of relevance. The initial core will typically take around $100 or $150, depending on the price of the Gate and Helles Shield. This investment won't let you down, though, as Executioners are designed around flexibility and adapting to situations. The deck almost always breaks the 50-card norm in favor of tech space and deck-out avoidance. This means that, within reason, you don't have to struggle to fit in any particular cards.


With that short and vague introduction out of the way, disclaimers for this deck:

1. I am by no means an expert on Executioners. They're a deck I have tested on BFA a decent amount, but I unfortunately haven't touched the game much since Ace's inception due to life getting in the way. The deck hasn't really gotten any new cards (in English) since then, let alone changed much, though.
2. It's hard to get the pieces for Executioners. Their two best cards, Helles Shield and Gate of Verdict -Judgement-, were printed one time in an Alternative Booster during the DDD era, meaning they're low on stock and decently pricey. Good luck with it if you do decide to buy into it. If you can get your hands on those cards, though, the entire rest of the deck is remarkably inexpensive, with (typically) nothing individually breaking about $10.
3. This post was written before Gate of Destruction -Greed- was released to the English community. As such, it will not be factored in, as I have not tested it. It's a good card, though.

Section 1: The Main Attractions

Executioners are weird to talk about from a skeleton perspective. Let's start with the bare bones, though: your Flag, the Gate, and the Shield. While we're here, I'll cover The Big Man on Campus, seeing as he's one of your only ways to actually close the game.

First off, Searing Executioners is a special flag that limits your card choices to Executioner-attribute or Generic cards. That pool is... Not awful, but certainly not fantastically deep. The flag also amps your initial gauge up to eight cards and your life down to eight. Now that's edgy. Not much to say here otherwise, though. It's your flag. Run your flag.

The Gate is where things get interesting. Gate of Verdict -Judgement- is such an interesting card. It's a set spell that lets you mill two cards and gauge one if you mill an Exec once per turn. Woop de doo, right? The real meat and potatoes, however, is the second ability. Three gauge might sound steep, but read that effect. Any Exec from the drop and you can draw a card sometimes (a lot of the time)? That's pretty great. Gate is the heart and soul of the deck. Without it, Execs become a fish out of water. With it, though? You can get whatever you need. Hell, Execs are so dedicated to this that there are two different monsters that search the gate out of the deck. That's right. Up to twelve Gates. That's nuts. 10 is about where most sane people land, though. We'll get to that.

A side note about Gate is that you can sometimes find yourself doing some funny stuff with it. The 3 gauge cost can sometimes lock you out of plays or even Helles Shield. Therefore, you might do something like paying 3 gauge to retrieve Damian's Decision (draw a card, gain 1 gauge). It sounds bad, but it honestly leaves you at a +1 (3 gauge is a -1.5, card from the drop and a draw is a +2. Damian's itself is a +.5. -1.5 to go +2.5 is a +1). Just a funny little thing I've found myself doing sometimes.

Helles Shield. Oh, Helles Shield. This card has been and honestly probably will always be one of the greatest negation cards in all of Buddyfight. Let's math it out.

• 1 gauge, 1 card from hand (-1.5)
• Negate (this is about a +1 shhh), 2 gauge (+1). Total +2
• Burn for 1 (+0.75 according to ye olde Buddyfight Theory)
• Total: -1.5+2+.75=+1.25

Okay, so maybe it's not so crazy now that we have things like Gar Parry at low rarity spots and a general uptick in power for the game, but trust me when I say that the sheer amount of stuff this shield does is crazy, even without counting its inability to be nullified. You want to know the best part, though? Gate gets it back. That's right, you have a recurring stupid shield. Run 4, get it back with Gate. This is a good card.

Now then, let's talk about the big boy. That's right, it's Gagalgarios, "Prison Pyre Demonic Wave!" This lad, what does he say? That's right, end the game whenever you're ready. You spend however many turns it takes to whittle your opponent to 6 and remove any weird indestructible threats they might have in the way, and then just kill them. It's great. The best part? You can get away with just one or two of this guy if you want to because of Gate's recovery effect. What's not to like? Best part is he's incredibly edgy. Unfortunately, you're kind of high and dry if you don't win with him, as he might eat your Gate, but let's just ignore that in favor of winning.

Section 2: The Good Boy Squad and the Decent Gang

Executioners have a lineup of really solid monsters that make up their midrange tools, decent cards, and a couple of others are there to search Gate. The first two are Helle Cougar and Helle Gepard.

Tempest Jailer, Helle Cougar is a crazy card. It's always been one of the highest-quality monsters in the game. While this statement may be under scrutiny in recent times, the fact still remains that a double attacker with 7k attack that gives you stuff when it helps clear your opponent's board or deals damage is really good. Cougar is, of course, a bit frail to balance this out, but this is still an absolute 4-of. Helle, I even buddied it for a while since it was that good and you want to field it that often.

Sound Speed Jailer, Helle Gepard is a bulky boy. Move and topdeck soulguard on a 6/2/6 body for just 1 gauge is really decent, especially combined with his drop-fueling effect each time he's destroyed. His use has gone down dramatically as power creep has gone on, but Gepard makes for a really decent casual stomper or temporary wall. Unfotunately, his second form (Unlocked Eye, Helle Gepard) is not as good, but we don't talk about that. Helle Gepard qualities will vary from player to player. I personally adore the move keyword, so I run high quantities.

Landmine Jailer, Izmine is fantastic. While quantities may vary, I personally run 4. He soaks up attacks when you call him to the side. While I'm sure his use has probably gone down as more destruction immunity has been coming up in Buddyfight, you still can't go wrong with a mine like this.

Formless Jailer, Izumonokami gives Helle Cougar soulguard and a bonus crit. Yep. I could say more, but why should I? In a similar "no explanation needed" vein, Chaotic Hunt Jailer, Soku, is an Upstart Goblin on legs that fuels your drop zone. Run 4. A lot of people buddy him.

Treasure Jailer, Sonderdach can call itself from the drop by paying a gauge. Takes some life to enter the field, but a 5/2/2 statline and a little drop acceleration is really decent. I'd say to run by choice, but that's because I played without awareness of how good he is. If you bury him off of Little Light, you've just gotten a body on board and 5 in grave for, what, 1 gauge? That's pretty good.

Vampire, Shura is another card to run by choice. Decent stats on a size 0 that gives some gauge and fuels the drop. I don't run him, personally, but he's decent.

Guru Bunbuku is decent, as it basically provides a Dragoenergy or buffs one of your dudes to help seal the game. Run by choice if you can afford him. He's like $3 apiece.

Armorknight Cougar "A" is another thing to run by choice. Could be entertaining, but I've never tried it. There's only one Soulguard Exec weapon, though.

Headslay Jailer, Brujeria and Sword Edge Jailer, Zagulus both basically read "pay 1 gauge: get a body and search Gate." Brujeria has worse stats but no call cost and Zagulus has better stats with a call cost. I'd personally run equal quantities or prefer Zagulus, but I understand the theory behind running more Brujerias, seeing as you sometimes need to budget out your gauge. You're going to want to run around 6 total of the two of them, sometimes the full 8. Depends on the player.

Inferno Rule used to be one of the main draws of Executioners, as it's counter-speed removal (which is always decent), but its use has gone down over time as we've gotten more and more destruction immunity. Run by preference, but I doubt you'd want to these days considering the price tag.

Section 3: The Bomb(s)

Executioners have trouble closing out the game. They have a couple of cards that help with that, though. I've already talked about Impact Gagalgarios before, so I'll skip him.

Hellfire Executioners Dragon, Gagalgarios is a bit of a wrecking ball, as you can tell by reading him. However, he's not a very important card like the Helles or a win-con like Impact Gagalgarios and his call cost is pretty high. I'd personally tech in just a copy or two. Power creep has not been kind to the original Master of the Searing Executioners, Gagalgarios (a Lifelink body without Soulguard is just asking to die), but "Hellfire Triple G" is still a really nice monster.

Depending on the variant and non-core Executioners you run, Hellheaven Dragon, Hellrend Heavens and Giant Tanuki could be your friends. I personally played a variant without Hellrend due to his lack of availability, but if you can get your hands on a set I would highly recommend at least trying it, as board control is never not good. Same for Tanuki.

Did I say a couple? I meant a couple. Yeah, that's the problem with Executioners: the deck lacks real bombs beyond Triple G. Optimally, though, you want to have gained so much incremental advantage that you can't lose and your opponent can't win, at which point you mill an Impact Gagalgarios and just win the game. While that's honestly a pretty consistent winning image, it's just about the only path Executioners really have.

Section 4: The (budget) Spells

Aside from Helles Shield, Executioners have a few other decent spells that I should probably cover. This section might be shorter than the rest for each card. Let's ride.

Demon Way, Akeshigure is your main draw spell. I personally play 4, if I recall correctly. Drawing two while filling your drop zone is really good.

Little Light is Foolish Burial, for those familiar with Yu-Gi-Oh!. Being able to send anything you need to your drop zone and gain a life or give yourself gauge that you'll immediately use as a cost for another card and gaining a life is really good. It is hard once per turn, but the fact of the matter is that you can get whatever you send with it via Gate, which is really good. Quantities vary. I ran 0 because I didn't know it existed, Chang's build runs like 2, and I might try out 4.

Shadow Crusader is the closest thing we have to a second negate, unfortunately.

Damian's Decision is Upstart Goblin but it fills your drop and gives you gauge. While it doesn't boost your consistency like real Upstart does (since you're typically over 50 cards in the main anyway), it does fuel your stuff. Run 4.

Black Beast Battle Arts is another card I didn't know about when I first played Executioners. It's a Dragoenergy clone, which has... let's say varying usefulness, but can also fuel your drop. It's a very versatile card, so I definitely wouldn't judge you for running it.

Section 5: The Weapons

Executioners' weapon lineup is almost completely guitars. How edgy. Let's give them a fly-by view.

Executioners' Lance, Gehenna Gretsch is the weapon of choice (heh, Fatboy Slim pun) for most Executioners users. Being 4/2 for one gauge isn't awful in and of itself, but becoming a 7/2 with penetrate for one gauge is even better. 7/2 with penetrate and double attack? Nuts. Triple attack? Icing on the cake. Run like 4 if you run weapons.

Purgatory Sword, Silver Givson is a weapon that sees very little use. I'm kind of a fan because 1 gauge for a draw every turn that's attached to a 5/1 for 1 gauge weapon was decent, but it's really pretty underwhelming at this point.

Impartial Cane, Fabulous Rod is really better served for close-center variants, which aren't really a style I personally like for Executioners since Helle Gepard has Move. Run by choice depending on the variant.

Invoke Impetuous Deity, Hibakara is decent. Another thing to run by choice.

Overall, I'd say that weapons are the way to go formation-wise, but I don't think they're crucial to the playstyle. I might run 6 total, personally. 4 Gretsch and 2 backup of choice.

Section 6: The Side Boys

There are a couple of nice Executioners you can run in your side board. Execs are really good at siding seeing as you could conceivably mainboard every card you'd side for your more common matchups. In this section, I'll cover some stuff that falls into this camp of situational cards. Keep in mind that your side can consist of some niche generic cards in addition to or instead of these.

Impartial Warrior, Justihope, aside from having a sick name and artwork, can be useful against smallboy spam decks, seeing as those usually don't have immunity or Soulguard. Same with Violent Jailer, Dogaragan.

Spider Thread Art is good if you can find it. Item hate is item hate and it serves double duty by handling set spell decks.

Demon Slay Intermittent Formation is in a similar boat. Hits smallboy spam and set spells.

Section 7: The Good But Not Budget Boys

There are a couple of hard-to-find Executioners that are skippable, unlike Helles Shield and Gate. Let's ride.

Hazel Emperor Jailer, Alking is item and spell hate. Same old story, same old song and dance, my friend. Good, but impossible to find for whatever reason.

Banquet for the Unrighteous is really good. It's just that it's $13. That's not a budget thing, unfortunately. It's a Pot of Duality (Yu-Gi-Oh!) with only a hard once per turn restriction that fuels the drop zone. I shouldn't have to explain why this is good. Run at least 2 if you are able.

Demon Way, Jigokuezu is a really good card but is impossible to find. The ability to cast from the drop and the ability to get any dude is really nice, but it's ultimately not too awful if you can't get it.

Giant Tanuki and Hellheaven Dragon, Hellrend Heavens were already mentioned. Both are hard to find and a tad bit expensive, but good.

Section 8: The Bad Cards

There aren't many of these, since Executioners are one of the newer flags and originated in DDD, but there are a couple of clearly lackluster choices I want to point out. They're not quite noobtraps, but some people might need stuff pointed out.

Execution Hammer, Helles Fander is pretty underwhelming. I wouldn't recommend it. You don't need 4 crit on a weapon, especially not when it can't even hit over most vanillas

Blazing in my Hands is a White Light of Black, aside from having the most emo name possible, is 4 gauge for 4 damage locked behind a drop requirement and that whole impact thing of needing to be within killing range to even be activated. Plus, the damage can be reduced. Gross. Just kill them with the big boy.

Thousand Limbed Jailer, Cadval is a remnant of a much older time. That time was, coincidentally, before Cadval even existed. Nice.

Master of the Searing Executioners, Gagalgarios, who was already mentioned, is a DDD-era boss monster. A big dude with no built-in protection and lifelink. Move along unless you're feeling nostalgic for DDD.

Glutton Jailer, Glugiu is just a critboy. Can't really hit over anything, but hits the opponent relatively well. Not the worst, but really not good enough in my opinion.

Tyrant Ogre is even more squarely placed in the "not good enough" camp. Moving on.

Tyrant Minotaur is probably only an Exec just for flavor. You rarely gain life in this deck.

Demon Way, Blood-Sucking Bird is a plus, but that's the softest of plusses. It's way too dated to matter these days.

Guardians? Executioners? Or Worse? is a kind of turbo target for some memey dunks (now that I'm editing, I can't believe I typed that phrase), but is ultimately not good for a serious build of Executioners, considering that you don't really top out at enough attacks to matter. The deck isn't built for that. Maybe if you have a Helle Cougar, Gehenna Gretsch, and another card you can deal 6 or so damage, but you might as well just swing in with Gagalgarios at that point. It's a lot better in Guardians, in my opinion.

Section 9: In Closing

Everything else that I haven't mentioned is decent but not stellar enough to be worth mentioning in such an already lengthy article. The rest of the Executioners come down to "run by preference." Just don't run bad ratios and you should be fine. Let's get to some assessments.

Price: $100-200, depending on when you find cards and what you skip or buy

Viability: This is by far my favorite part of Executioners. They're one of those decks that are omnipresent in eternal games: never really dead. In Yu-Gi-Oh!, that's Burning Abyss. In Vanguard, that was Gear Chronicle. Here, it's Executioners. Executioners are a deck that's good when everything else is bad. Despite Buddyfight's light restriction lists, Executioners are very safe and rely on a very solid mid-range toolbox concept.

Final Words: The deck has answers to almost anything and gets thrown a bone from time to time. It's a very fun deck you won't regret investing in and building upon, as it's almost guaranteed to get at least decently playable new support. Stay frosty.