Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Zoodiac Tri-Brigade deck profile and combos: how to build a Zoodiac Tri-Brigade deck

The cards and combos you need to win with the Zoodiac Tri-Brigade deck

Guide by Alicia Haddick Contributor

Updated on March 15, 2022

Want to master the Zoodiac Tri-Brigade deck in Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel? The Tri-Brigade engine is powerful in the current Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel meta for its speed in bringing out powerful Link Monsters with ease, and for how it integrates in other decks. In combination with the Zoodiac engine, the Tri-Brigade archetype improves both the strength and consistency of these monsters, making them one of the best meta decks in the game.

This guide will provide you with an in-depth introduction to the Zoodiac Tri-Brigade deck in Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel, including a sample deck profile and core strategies to master. Here we will also introduce you to a few key strategies that you can use with this deck to start your journey. Consider both these basic strategies and your opponent’s deck and cards in order to decide which move is best against any given opponent.

Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel: Tri-Brigade Lyrilusc deck profile

Here is our recommended Zoodiac Tri-Brigade deck profile. The deck consists of a total of 40 Main Deck cards and 15 Extra Deck monsters:

Monsters:

3x Tri-Brigade Nervall
3x Tri-Brigade Fraktall
2x Tri-Brigade Kerass
3x Tri-Brigade Kitt
2x Zoodiac Whiptail
1x Zoodiac Thoroughblade
1x Zoodiac Ramram
3x Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring
2x Maxx “C”
1x Nibiru, the Primal Being

Spells:

3x Pot of Desires
3x Fire Formation - Tenki
2x Lightning Storm
2x Called By The Grave
2x Forbidden Droplet
1x Harpie's Feather Duster

Traps:

3x Tri-Brigade Revolt
3x Infinite Impermanence

Extra Deck:

1x Zoodiac Drident
1x Zoodiac Tigermortar
1x Zoodiac Boarbow
1x Zoodiac Chakanine
1x Divine Arsenal AA-Zeus - Sky Thunder
1x Salamangreat Almiraj
1x Ancient Warriors Oath - Double Dragon Lords
1x Tri-Brigade Ferrijit the Barren Blossom
1x Tri-Brigade Bearbrumm the Rampant Rampager
1x Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller
2x Tri-Brigade Shurai the Ominous Omen
1x Hraesvelgr, the Desperate Doom Eagle
1x Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess
1x Accesscode Talker

The Zoodiac Tri-Brigade deck utilizes a small Zoodiac engine consisting of core monsters (such as Zoodiac Thoroughblade) and XYZ monsters (like the powerful Zoodiac Drident), to increase the power and consistency of the Tri-Brigade monsters and integrate with the deck's incredible Link Summon potential. Due to the high rarity of Extra Deck monsters and staple cards like Forbidden Droplet, this is a more expensive meta deck to build than budget meta decks like Lyrilusc Tri-Brigade. Though a number of core cards, including the Tr-Brigade monsters, are available in N and R rarity.

Many of the Tri-Brigade and Zoodiac cards can be found in the Echo Chamber Nation and Those Who Stand Against Kings secret packs. To create a cheaper version of this deck, consider replacing negation cards like Forbidden Droplet with alternatives like Forbidden Chalice.

Zoodiac Tri-Brigade combos

The core one-card Fraktall combo

What makes Zoodiac Tri-Brigade powerful is the ability to put out a strong field using just a single card. For this core combo to work, you need to either have Tri-Brigade Fraktall in your hand, or the ability to search the card using Fire Formation - Tenki. If you open with Tenki and not Fraktall, first use Tenki to search for the Tri-Brigade monster. Then, activate the following:

Activate Fraktall’s effect to send the card from your hand to the graveyard in order to send Tri-Brigade Kitt from your deck to the graveyard.
Use Kitt’s effect in the graveyard to send Tri-Brigade Nervall to the graveyard, which will allow you to search for another Fraktall to add from your deck to your hand.
Normal Summon Fraktall on the far side of the field from where you plan to conduct Link Summoning.
Use Fraktall’s effect to banish two monsters from your graveyard in order to Special Summon Tri-Brigade Bearbrumm the Rampant Rampager from your Extra Deck.
Immediately Link Summon Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller using Bearbrumm and Fraktall as materials. If you don’t already have a copy of Tri-Brigade Revolt in your hand, use the optional effect of Bearbrumm to search for it.

Starting from just a single copy of Fraktall, you will now end this combo with two banished Tri-Brigade monsters and a strong Link-3 Tri-Brigade Link monster on the field. By setting Tri-Brigade Revolt, you can summon Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen during your opponent’s turn using Fraktall and your banished Tri-Brigade monsters. With Shuraig on the field, you now have a 3000 attack monster whose effect will allow you to banish one card from anywhere on the field.

Fraktall + One Additional Tri-Brigade Monster Combos

If you have a Fraktall and another Tri-Brigade monster (or Fire Formation - Tenki) in your hand, it is possible to summon an almost-insurmountable field. To do so, execute the following:

Execute steps 1-3 from the Fraktall core one-card combo noted above.
Use Fraktall’s effect to banish two monsters from your graveyard in order to Special Summon Tri-Brigade Ferrijit the Barren Blossom.
Activate Ferrijit’s effect to Special Summon your additional Tri-Brigade monster from your hand.
Link Summon Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller, then use Ferrijit’s optional effect to add Tri-Brigade Revolt from your Deck to your hand.
Use your Special Summoned Tri-Brigade monster's effect of banishing two Tri-Brigade monsters from your graveyard to summon Tri-Brigade Bearbrumm the Rampant Rampager from your Extra Deck.
Use Bearbrumm, Ferrijit, and your additional Tri-Brigade monster as material to Link Summon Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess.

Apollousa gains attack based on the number of materials used to Link Summon, while also gaining the ability to subtract attack in order negate a monster effect once per chain. This makes them a difficult monster to overcome. It's hard for your opponent to start combos of their own when you control a monster that can negate your opponent’s monster effects multiple times within a single turn.

Fraktall + One Additional Zoodiac Monster Combos

If you have a Zoodiac monster in your hand alongside Tri-Brigade Fraktall, the Zoodiac engine of the deck comes into play. To do so, execute the following:

Execute steps 1 and 2 from the Fraktall + One Additional Tri-Brigade Monster combo.
Activate Ferrijit’s effect to Special Summon your additional Zoodiac monster from your hand.
Since every Zoodiac XYZ Monster can be summoned once per turn using one Zoodiac monster you control (with a different name) as material as opposed to the listed requirements, XYZ Summon Zoodiac Chakanine from your Extra Deck.
Immediately summon Zoodiac Tigermortar using Chakanine as a material for the summon, before summoning Zoodiac Boarbow using this same effect and, finally, summoning Zoodiac Drident.
Now, Link Summon Tri-Brigade Bearbrumm the Rampant Rampager using Ferrijit and Fraktall as material.
Activate Bearbrumm’s effect to Special Summon one of your banished monsters by discarding two cards from your hand.
Link Summon Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller, then activate Bearbrumm’s effect to add Tri-Brigade Revolt from your deck to your hand.

Zoodiac Drident is powerful (and limited to a maximum of one copy per deck on the forbidden and limited list) for a reason. Drident's effect allows you to detach one material from the card in order to target and destroy one face-up card on the field. In addition, if you undertake this combo after going second or later in the duel and this card can attack your opponent, in your Main Phase 2 it is possible to XYZ summon Divine Arsenal AA-Zeus - Sky Thunder on top of Drident. This will offer you a 3000 attack monster with a number of materials that can be used to send all other cards on the field to the graveyard.

Additional combos to consider

Many of these combos rely on the strength of Tri-Brigade Fraktall. However, it’s possible you won’t have Tri-Brigade Fraktall or a card like Fire Formation - Tenki in your opening hand. If this is the case, there are other combos to consider.

If you have a copy of Tri-Brigade Nervall and one other Tri-Brigade or Zoodiac monster in your hand, try this combo instead:

Normal Summon Tri-Brigade Nervall, then Link Summon Salamangreat Almiraj.
Activate Nervall’s effect to add Tri-Brigade Kerass from your Deck to your hand.
Special Summon Kerass by sending your additional monster from your hand to the graveyard.
Use Kerass’ effect to banish both Nervall and your second monster from your graveyard in order to summon Tri-Brigade Bearbrumm the Rampant Rampager.
Send Bearbrumm the Rampant Rampager and Kerass from the field to the graveyard in order to summon Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen.

Send Bearbrumm the Rampant Rampager and Kerass from the field to the graveyard in order to summon Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen. This still allows you to get a powerful Tri-Brigade Link Monster onto the field while benefitting from the versatile protection offered by Salamangreat Almiraj’s effect. The strength of Zoodiac Tri-Brigade comes from the deck’s versatility and ability to access powerful Extra Deck monsters just by drawing a single useful card. Mastering these core combos and learning each card’s effect in order to know the correct moment to diverge from core effects is key to success with this deck.

That’s everything you need to know to get started with your new Zoodiac Tri-Brigade deck in Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel. If you need more gems in order to attain the cards you need for this deck, you may want to check out these guides on how to obtain gems in Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel. If the technical strategies of Zoodiac Tri-Brigade appears intimidating, why not try one of the simpler (yet still powerful) structure decks also available in-game.