Category: Theme Guides

Boo! Tarakava jumpscare!

Now that I have your attention, it’s time to cover yet another way to build Rahi. Today’s Type are the Reptiles, lurking in wait and ambushing unsuspecting travelers. As a concept, this is pretty much entirely based on the very memorable Rahi Beasts quote describing Tarakava – “even if you can’t see them, they’re always there”. So let’s start with those, shall we?

Tarakava, Lizard Rahi

Normal Pendulum MonsterLevel 6 | Scale 1/1 | WATER Reptile | ATK 2600 / DEF 1200

[ Pendulum Effect ]
When an attack is declared involving an opponent’s monster: You can target 1 Reptile “Rahi” Monster Card in your Spell & Trap Zone; Special Summon it (but it cannot attack directly this turn), and if you do, destroy that opponent’s monster. You can only use this effect of “Tarakava, Lizard Rahi” once per turn.
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[ Flavor Text ]
The first thing to remember about Tarakava is that even if you can’t see them, they are always there.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Sand Tarakava, Lizard Rahi

Normal Pendulum MonsterLevel 6 | Scale 8/8 | EARTH Reptile | ATK 2300 / DEF 1800

[ Pendulum Effect ]
Reptile “Rahi” monsters in your leftmost or rightmost Main Monster Zone gain this effect.
●Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can place this card face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell, or if it is a Pendulum Monster, you can place it in your Pendulum Zone instead.
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[ Flavor Text ]
Sand Tarakava are slightly smaller than their Tarakava relatives. Their hunting method is to hide under the sand and wait for unsuspecting prey to come near.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

This pair of punchy Pendulums consists of the classic version that appears from beneath the sea, and the less-known recolor that hides under the sands. Which means the former facilitates the “ambush” – where a lurking Reptile jumps forward to eviscerate an opponent’s monster that has carelessly gotten involved in battle – and the latter sets it up by granting your Reptiles the ability to slide into lurking position. In the simplest case, you have these two cards in the Pendulum Zones, battle occurs, the Tarakava jumps out and starts punching, and then it goes back to do the same thing next turn.

As for less simple cases, you may notice these effects also work with non-Pendulums in the regular Spell & Trap Zones. For example, you could put some Synchros there.

Ranama, Lava Lurker Rahi

Synchro Effect MonsterLevel 4 | FIRE Reptile | ATK 2200 / DEF 600

1 “Rahi” Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
When your opponent activates a card or effect (Quick Effect): You can target 2 face-up monsters on the field, including this card; place them face-up in their owners’ Spell & Trap Zones as Continuous Spells. You can only use this effect of “Ranama, Lava Lurker Rahi” once per turn. Once per turn, during the Standby Phase, if this card is a Continuous Spell: You can destroy 1 other Monster Card in a Spell & Trap Zone, and if you do, Special Summon this card.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The Ranama is built for just that purpose. In fact, it dives down in that direction on its own along with its prey when it senses motion (i.e., an effect activation) and also returns on its own once it has finished digesting. Coupled with a Tarakava ready to pounce on anyone foolish enough to attempt the classic out of “just hit over it”, this is sure to be a thorn in an opponent’s side one way or another.

Tarakava-Nui, Lizard King Rahi

Synchro Effect MonsterLevel 7 | WATER Reptile | ATK 2900 / DEF 0

1 “Rahi” Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If this card is Special Summoned: You can target up to 2 cards your opponent controls; this card loses exactly 1000 ATK for each targeted card, and if it does, shuffle them into the Deck. You can only use this effect of “Tarakava-Nui, Lizard King Rahi” once per turn. Loses 1000 ATK during your Main Phase only. While this card is a Continuous Spell, “Rahi” cards you control cannot be destroyed by your opponent’s card effects.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

If you’d like some more impact, how about a Tarakava-Nui? It doesn’t have the built-in mobility in either direction, but with help from its smaller (or rather unmutated) relatives, it can easily be put in the backrow as blanket destruction protection and brought forward whenever you need its service of PUNCH THINGS SO HARD THEY GO BACK TO THE DECK. The way this is paid for with ATK creates a slightly fancy dynamic where you get to punch two things if and only if you bring it out outside your own Main Phase as the Reptiles do – a regular old Synchro Summon any Rahi deck can perform will only get you one.

Okay, but how are we making these Synchros? This is the cue to look at the Reptile Rahi Tuners, and as it turns out, there aren’t any. Shit. Guess we’re playing Insects?

While that works to some extent, having an entire substrategy entirely reliant on that shared toolbox doesn’t feel right either. So, with no Reptile Tuners present or forthcoming, we’ll have to snake our way into tunerless Synchro Summons somehow.

Bog Snake, Venomous Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 4 | Scale 5/5 | WATER Reptile | ATK 1500 / DEF 1500

[ Pendulum Effect ]
Once per turn: You can destroy up to 2 “Rahi” Monster Cards you control, and if you do, Special Summon 1 Reptile “Rahi” Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck whose Level is less than or equal to their total Levels (this is treated as a Synchro Summon), then place it face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell.
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[ Monster Effect ]
If this card declares an attack: You can inflict 300 damage to your opponent for each Monster Card in your Spell & Trap Zone. If this card is destroyed: You can place 1 Reptile “Rahi” monster from your GY or face-up Extra Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell. You can only use each effect of “Bog Snake, Venomous Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The Bog Snake does just that from the comfort of the Pendulum Zone, acquiring the necessary Levels by destroying your Monster Cards – including those stuck in the backrow such as itself, making this a one-card way to access a Ranama. One card more (with at least Level 3), and you’ll even get a Tarakava-Nui. Of course those monsters themselves then immediately go into hiding (before you get a chance to trigger on-Summon effects, it’s worth noting), but bringing them back out is the whole point of this strategy anyway.

In fact, destroying the Bog Snake with its own effect to make a Ranama will also let you put a Reptile into your backrow – even itself, if necessary. That means your lurking Ranama is already well fed and ready to jump to the Monster Zone in the next Standby Phase … which will trigger the Snake again. See, who needs Tuners anyway?

Also if you get it on the field and attack it burns a little, because venomous.

Sample Deck

Since there aren’t a lot of Reptiles just yet, the deck is built as a hybrid with Insects, using the usually less splashable Kofo-Jaga engine to get easy access to the Nui-Kopen and thereby a variety of Spells and Traps. The trick here is that we actually don’t particularly care about getting locked out of the monster effects of our Reptiles, because several of our major plays – like making a Synchro with the Bog Snake or ambushing with the Tarakava – are performed entirely through effects those monsters have while treated as Spells, bypassing the lock entirely. The Insect+Reptile combination also meshes well with the use of Samurai Beetle as an additional extender, capable of natively going into a Ranama together with any of the Level 1 Tuners.

To take advantage of our nearly free searches, this build also includes some of the more situational Rahi Spells/Traps. Siege because it meshes perfectly with our goal to re-summon monsters of both high and low Levels from the Spell & Trap Zone every turn (and there’s literally a Tarakava on it), Devastation because it allows trading Rahi for removal even if they’re lying in wait in the backrow, Ussalry as a way to recycle banished cards, and Encounter in the Drifts for that ambush flavor.

The Extra Deck contains the Rahi needed for both the Reptile and Insect halves of the deck, as well as some standard generic links including Beyond and Exceed the Pendulum. There’s also a Ragnaraika Mantis Monk so we have a way to trigger the Beetle’s revival effect, and a Dawn Dragster since sometimes we do get to make a Level 7 Synchro turn 1, and this one can deal with the significant threat that certain Spells and Traps pose to our entire on-field setup. As for the side deck, it’s yet another approach to ratios for swapping between the handtrap Insect Rahi plus general good stuff.

In the usual fashion, there’s a sample video showing all this working.

Conclusion

Reptiles are a fairly small group of Rahi, but one with a clear focus: Moving between the Monster Zones and the Spell & Trap Zones, leading to a general style of play where you repeatedly stow away and resummon the same monsters while getting in the way of anything the opponent tries to do on the field. Since not having many cards means you can’t really make a pure deck out of them, the best in-archetype approach available right now is probably a hybrid with Insects – which happens to be a Ragnaraika combination, so that’s convenient.

They’ve been crawling all over the decklists of the last few articles, so it might be about time to get out our magnifying glass and take a close look at the Insect-Type segment of the Rahi archetype. Actually, forget the magnifying glass, even on the small side these things look pretty large for bugs. Entomophobes beware.

Fikou, Spider Rahi

Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 1 | EARTH Insect | ATK 600 / DEF 400

If this card is in your hand or GY: You can target 1 Level 2 or higher “Rahi” monster you control; reduce that target’s Level by 1, and if you do, banish this card, then Special Summon 1 “Fikou, Spider Rahi” from your hand or Deck. You can only use this effect of “Fikou, Spider Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

And arachnophobes too, because we’re starting with a widely beloved little orange spooder. The Fikou is a prime example of Insects acting as splashable Tuners in other Rahi builds, in this case by costing merely a single Level to bring itself to the field – or rather another copy of itself, if we want to be completely accurate. Needing to run multiples is one deliberate weakness this effect has compared to its much more absurd inspiration Level Eater.

Fikou-Nui, Tarantula Rahi

Link Effect MonsterLink-1 [↗] | EARTH Insect | ATK 1000

1 Level 2 or lower “Rahi” monster
If this card is Link Summoned: You can target 1 “Rahi” monster in your GY or banishment; add it to your hand, then place 1 card from your hand on the bottom of the Deck. You can only use this effect of “Fikou-Nui, Tarantula Rahi” once per turn. You can Tribute this card; Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower “Rahi” monster from your hand or GY, and if you do, you can increase or decrease its Level by 1.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Now that cost of 1 Level may sometimes mess with your desired Synchro lines, which is where the Fikou’s larger relative Fikou-Nui comes in to fix things. This somehow-canon miniboss from a cancelled video game isn’t just Level modulation, but also a fairly flexible recycling option on summon, letting you add your spent monsters back to the hand at a cost or back to the Deck for free (returning to the Extra Deck doesn’t cost you a card either thanks to the way it’s worded).

• Hoto
• Cliff Bug
• Electric Bug

Hoto

Hoto, Firebug Rahi

Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 1 | FIRE Insect | ATK 600 / DEF 300

If this card is in your hand (Quick Effect): You can banish 1 “Rahi” monster from your GY or face-up Extra Deck; Special Summon this card, and if you do, you can destroy 1 Spell/Trap your opponent controls. You can only use this effect of “Hoto, Firebug Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Cliff Bug

Cliff Bug, Hopper Rahi

Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 1 | WATER Insect | ATK 500 / DEF 500

If this card is in your hand (Quick Effect): You can banish 1 “Rahi” monster from your GY or face-up Extra Deck; Special Summon this card, and if you do, you can make 1 face-up monster you control be unaffected by Spell/Trap effects until the end of this turn. You can only use this effect of “Cliff Bug, Hopper Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Electric Bug

Electric Bug, Zapping Rahi

Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 1 | LIGHT Insect | ATK 600 / DEF 300

If this card is in your hand (Quick Effect): You can banish 1 “Rahi” monster from your GY or face-up Extra Deck; Special Summon this card, and if you do, you can negate the effects of 1 face-up monster your opponent controls, until the end of this turn. You can only use this effect of “Electric Bug, Zapping Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The other Level 1 Insect Rahi Tuners you’ll see in a lot of builds cover three more Attributes, leaving only DARK and WIND open when combined with the Fikou … for now. All of them work the same way: Banish the leftovers of another Rahi, Special Summon, apply a bonus effect – all Quick Effects so you can use these bonuses for disruption when appropriate.

The Hoto burns through the opponent’s backrow, the Cliff Bug from Ga-Wahi protects monsters in a way that’s just Nokama if you squint, and the Electric Bug zaps effect negation on monsters. Being optional bonus effects, none of these target, so they can be quite tricky to deal with.

What do you banish to fuel these effects? Well, any Rahi will do, so that’s good for splashability. But for actually Insect-centric decks, there’s one particular option that offers top efficiency.

Kofo-Jaga, Scorpion Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 4 | Scale 6/6 | FIRE Insect | ATK 1200 / DEF 1900

[ Pendulum Effect ]
If your opponent Special Summons a monster(s) (except during the Damage Step): You can destroy this card, and if you do, that monster(s) loses 1200 ATK/DEF, until the end of this turn.
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[ Monster Effect ]
If a face-up Spell/Trap is on the field (Quick Effect): You can Tribute this card; add 1 Insect “Rahi” monster from your Deck to your hand, except “Kofo-Jaga, Scorpion Rahi”. If this card is banished while you control a “Rahi” Tuner: You can Special Summon this card, and if you do, increase its Level by 1, also you cannot activate non-Insect monster effects for the rest of this turn. You can only use each effect of “Kofo-Jaga, Scorpion Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Not only does the heat-loving Kofo-Jaga search you Insect Rahi including all the above Tuners when provided the cozy warmth of a Spell or Trap, it also shies away from the light straight into the face-up Extra Deck, ready to be banished. And once that happens, it’s suddenly right back on the field (and you’re Insect locked). Also it has a stat debuff Pendulum Effect, ya know the drill, beware its stinger tail and all that.

One detail not to be overlooked is the +1 Level gained upon returning, which sets us up for our primary payoff without any cumbersome Fikou-Nui steps in between.

Nui-Kopen, Wasp Rahi

Synchro Effect MonsterLevel 6 | WIND Insect | ATK 2100 / DEF 2000

1 “Rahi” Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If this card is Special Summoned: You can take 1 “Rahi” Spell/Trap from your Deck, and either add it to your hand or send it to the GY. During the Main Phase (Quick Effect): You can Tribute 1 monster; Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower “Rahi” Tuner from your hand or GY, but negate its effects. You can only use each effect of “Nui-Kopen, Wasp Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

That payoff is the Nui-Kopen, an archetypal Spell/Trap search on a Level 6 Synchro, and its targets open up some powerful possibilities. Before looking at the list, let it also be said that its secondary ability to tag out for a Tuner doubles as an Imperm dodge.

Now, Rahi Spells and Traps. These are generally generic support much like the Tuners above, but having an Insect deck whose whole bread and butter is getting them to hand or GY means some options could make the cut that most builds don’t bother using. Here’s a quick rundown.

Rahi Hive Showdown

Rahi Hive Showdown

Spell

If your opponent controls 2 or more monsters with 2000 or more ATK: Take control of the monster your opponent controls with the highest original ATK (your choice, if tied), but it cannot activate its effects while you control it. If you control a “Rahi” Synchro Monster: You can banish this card from your GY, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; take control of it until the End Phase, but it cannot declare an attack. You can only use 1 “Rahi Hive Showdown” effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Perhaps the most topical of them all is Rahi Hive Showdown, a monster stealing card themed entirely around Lewa’s brief period under the control of an infected mask – an incident that prominently involved a Nui-Kopen. Accordingly, both that monster and this Spell have some deliberate synergies built in beyond the blatantly obvious: The Nui-Kopen can Tribute whatever you steal for its second effect to get some immediate value, and since it is itself a Rahi Synchro, using its effect to dump Showdown will enable the GY effect that tends to be much easier to use than the main one.

Infection of the Rahi

Infection of the Rahi

Continuous Trap

You can only control 1 “Infection of the Rahi”. Each time a monster your opponent controls activates its effect while you control a “Rahi” Monster Card, place 1 Comet Counter on that opponent’s monster (max. 1) after that effect resolves. Monsters with a Comet Counter cannot attack, also each time 1 leaves the field, inflict 400 damage to its owner. During your Battle Phase or your opponent’s Main Phase: You can banish this card from your GY or your face-up Spell & Trap Zone; take control of all monsters your opponent controls with a Comet Counter, until the end of this turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

While also based on an Insect-related event, Infection of the Rahi is probably too much of a gimmick to be worthwhile even when you can easily search it. The ability to snatch away any monsters that used their effects previously can serve as some decent disruption, but between the turn of setup needed and the potential of playing around it, this is definitely one of those “you have to want it” cards.

Devastation of the Rahi

Devastation of the Rahi

Spell

Destroy any number of other “Rahi” cards you control, and if you do, send the same number of cards your opponent controls to the GY. You can banish this card and 1 “Rahi” monster from your GY, then target 1 card on the field; destroy it, or if you control a “Rahi” Synchro Monster, you can banish it instead. You can only use 1 “Devastation of the Rahi” effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Based on the battle that once devastated the Charred Forest, Devastation of the Rahi is a removal option that works from both hand and GY, with different dynamics in each case. If activated from the hand, it will clear as many cards as you’re willing to invest while also bypassing targeting and destruction protections, but overall works out to a -1 in card advantage for you. Using it from the GY is much cheaper, but only goes after a single properly designated target, and only offers plain old destruction – unless you have a Synchro out, then it can also banish. Overall, the big consequence of this card’s existence is that it enables the Nui-Kopen to act as removal in a variety of ways, making it more of a threat against established boards.

The Ussalry Arrives

The Ussalry Arrives

Quick-Play Spell

(This card is always treated as a “Rahi” and “Matoran” card.)
Target 1 face-up monster you control; Special Summon 1 “Rahi” Pendulum Monster Card with the same Type or Attribute from your Pendulum Zone, GY, or face-up Extra Deck, but banish it during the End Phase. During your Main Phase: You can shuffle this card and 1 of your banished “Rahi” cards into the Deck, then draw 1 card. You can only use 1 “The Ussalry Arrives” effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

As hybrid Matoran/Rahi support, The Ussalry Arrives acts as a fairly flexible extender with the rather unique trait of even being able to Summon out of the Pendulum Zone. But the interesting synergy with Insects, particularly the Tuners that banish stuff, lies in its alternate effect to recycle itself from the GY and a banished “Rahi” card for a draw. Note that says card, not monster, so putting your other Spells and Traps back into rotation is also a possibility!

Siege of the Rahi

Siege of the Rahi

Continuous Spell

If a “Rahi” monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned to your field, except during the Damage Step: You can activate 1 of these effects, based on the Level of that monster(s) on the field;
●4 or lower: Draw 1 card. ●5 or higher: Change 1 face-up monster on the field to face-down Defense Position.
If a Level 5 or higher “Rahi” monster you control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can banish this card from your field or GY instead. You can only use each effect of “Siege of the Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Siege of the Rahi, while depicting the Reptile-Type Tarakava, theoretically has significant applications in Insects as well. Specifically, our key play of Special Summoning a Level 1 Tuner on the opponent’s turn by banishing a Kofo-Jaga that then returns as a Level 5 monster is by itself capable of triggering both of the on-field options, landing you an extra card and your opponent a face-down monster clogging the field. I say “theoretically” because I wasn’t running this in my test Insect deck, but thinking about it in hindsight it would go kinda crazy.

Then there’s some other targets with no particular application to Insect Rahi, such as Encounter in the Drifts or Rahi from the Depths , and one I left out because it’s much more broadly generic and also segues well into our next point: Rahi Swarm . The segue being that it depicts certain large Insect Rahi that make up one half of this Type’s Normal Pendulum pair.

Nui-Rama, Fly Rahi

Normal Pendulum MonsterLevel 5 | Scale 1/1 | WIND Insect | ATK 1800 / DEF 1700

[ Pendulum Effect ]
You can target 1 face-up monster you control; Special Summon 1 Insect “Rahi” monster with a lower or equal Level from your Deck in Defense Position, also you cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except Insect monsters. You can only use this effect of “Nui-Rama, Fly Rahi” once per turn.
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[ Flavor Text ]
A harsh buzz fills the air…a rustle of wings…a dark shape flying out of the sun…the warning signs of a Nui-Rama attack.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Nui-Jaga, Scorpion Rahi

Normal Pendulum MonsterLevel 5 | Scale 8/8 | EARTH Insect | ATK 2300 / DEF 700

[ Pendulum Effect ]
If an Insect “Rahi” monster(s) is Special Summoned to your field (except during the Damage Step): You can target 1 face-up monster on the field; destroy it, and if it was an Insect “Rahi” monster, you can add 1 Insect “Rahi” monster with a different name from your Deck to your hand. You can only use this effect of “Nui-Jaga, Scorpion Rahi” once per turn.
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[ Flavor Text ]
Nui-Jaga commonly hunt in packs, which helps to make up for the fact that they are not very fast. One of the creatures will drive prey forward, usually into a canyon, where others wait to strike. Once the target is surrounded, the Nui-Jaga will call to each other. Their cries have been compared to the sound of glass breaking.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The Nui-Rama lives up to its swarming reputation by reinforcing the monsters already on the field with an Insect straight from the Deck, at the cost of an Insect lock. I made the target required for this completely generic “to synergize with the Nui-Kopen/Showdown combo”, but realistically the Nui-Kopen itself is all you need in that case, so this really is just a bit of an oversight. Oopsie.

The Nui-Jaga is also direct support for the Insect-centric line of play featuring its smaller cousin Kofo-Jaga, sensibly enough. While it doesn’t apply any further locks, its intent is basically to trigger when you bring out the small Tuners, getting you either an extra hit of monster removal or an opportunity to trade the bug you just summoned for another one that can then act as disruption later in the turn. And if you ever find yourself in a mirror match, the value just goes straight through the roof.

Kirikori-Nui, Locust Rahi

Synchro Effect MonsterLevel 3 | WIND Insect | ATK 1400 / DEF 1000

1 “Rahi” Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If this card is Synchro Summoned: You can send 1 “Rahi” card from your Deck to the GY; this card gains 500 ATK. You can only use this effect of “Kirikori-Nui, Locust Rahi” once per turn. You can banish this card until the Standby Phase of your next turn; destroy 1 card on the field.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Finally, a bit of an odd one out: A Synchro monster you can barely Summon on account of its low Level. Nibbling off a Level 3 Rahi with a Fikou will get you there, but it’s not really something that comes up. If you were to make the Kirikori-Nui, though, you’d be rewarded with sending a card from Deck to GY as cost, a frankly pretty broken ability that probably only ended up here for lack of better ideas and because it really doesn’t matter when you barely make the thing. The effect with proper lore significance is actually the second one, where this voracious locust ravages the field and vanishes, only to return at some point in the future. That part isn’t once per turn, so you can properly do this with a whole swarm even. Well, a swarm of 3.

Sample Deck

By their nature, Insect Rahi cards appear in all kinds of builds focused on different Types, so for their solo showing I decided to cram them into a good ol’ Insect pile. Which isn’t something I have more than passing familiarity with, so if anything looks off here all I can say is, uh, sorry.

What’s pretty much going on here is that the standard Insect cards – Resonance Insect, Gokipole, Beargram, Samurai Beetle – set up a Link climb into something like Invincible Atlas or even just I:P/S:P stuff, with Picofalena for recycling and plusses along the way. Beetroopers add more extenders and the ability to get Fly & Sting for negation, and finally the Rahi cards supplement all of this with a Synchro Engine as well as the Tuners’ handtrap effects.

Generally, you try to make a Nui-Kopen to get your hand on one of the Rahi Spell cards included. Here, that means the standard option of Rahi Swarm as a searcher and the pair of Rahi Hive Showdown and The Ussalry Arrives for situational utility and flavour. Alternatively, if you procure an additionaly body to fill up the Levels, you can also go into Diabolantis as kind of a bridge into the other Insect stuff. A Kirikori-Nui is here in theory, but looking at this Deck I’m strongly doubting it even has the ability to make that card. You’d have to Fikou-Nui for a Level 3 Kofo-Jaga and then Fikou that further down to 2, I guess? Yeah, probably not happening.

As for stuff that does happen, you can see some of that in the sample video below.

Conclusion

Unlike other Types, most Insect Rahi are explicitly built to be included generically in Rahi deck. In the Main Deck, they offer their services as Tuner/handtrap hybrids. In the Extra Deck, the Nui-Kopen specifically is your Synchro bridge to those Rahi Spells and Traps any of the various builds would love to access. Together, these tools give Insects a place in most any Rahi deck.

Beyond that, however, there are also the Insects who facilitate a more Type-specific playstyle by granting you massive amounts of free material at the cost of an Insect lock. Bug-based disruption and searching Spells/Traps are still the main plays with this approach, but additionally you have ways to easily bring out non-Tuners and refuel the Tuners in your hand. With clever sequencing, it is even possible to use these advantages as a more generic engine, but they’re most at home in something like the Insect pile above that doesn’t care about the locks to begin with.

Coming right off the Beasts of the land and sky, we continue with the … stuff that dwells under the sea. Quite a few Fish and Aqua Rahi made their debut from BCOR / BBTS / BPEV, and in contrast to the Beast-Warrior snub, Sea Serpents are technically included in the range of support because they will be joining the archetype at some point in the future. All that planning in advance is paying off!

So what is it that sets this trio of Types apart from previously considered Rahi to justify being treated as their own deck? Probably the biggest point is that they do not really aim to combo into Synchro boss monsters, but rather directly use their small pieces as recurring disruption in more of a low-investment control style of gameplay. Perhaps the best point to start from is therefore the specimen that mainly achieves this function in an offensive capacity: The Ruki.

Ruki, Fish Rahi

Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 2 | WATER Fish | ATK 700 / DEF 100

If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua “Rahi” Pendulum Monster from your Deck to your hand, then discard 1 card. You can only use this effect of “Ruki, Fish Rahi” once per turn. (Quick Effect): You can banish both this card from your hand or field and 1 “Rahi” monster in your GY or face-up Extra Deck; destroy 1 monster your opponent controls.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The magic here is in the last line – “destroy 1 monster your opponent controls”, throwing this fish and its chompy biters as a potentially devastating wedge into their plans. Before that, of course, is a cost that loses you not only the Ruki from hand or field but also requires some banishing fodder in GY and Extra Deck … but then before even that, we have a convenient effect that provides just that setup if you manage to Summon first. So ideally you want to put this on the field to take advantage of that ability, but once things are rolling it’s also capable of lurking in your hand as a nasty surprise.

Of course, if nasty surprises from the hand are what you want, you can’t discount the Ruki’s partner in crime for the very early game. Meet the Shore Turtle.

Shore Turtle, Shelled Rahi

Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 2 | WIND Aqua | ATK 0 / DEF 1200

Your opponent cannot target Fish, Sea Serpent, and/or Aqua “Rahi” Monster Cards you control with card effects. If your opponent activates a card or effect: You can banish 2 “Rahi” cards from your hand and/or face-up field, including this card; Special Summon 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua “Rahi” Tuner from your Deck. You can only use this effect of “Shore Turtle, Shelled Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

This flying amphibian (who even came up with that?) is the key that unlocks this deck’s potential for playing on turn 0 – the part of the game that’s often most vulnerable to disruption. Being a slow and harmless creature itself, it won’t react with a Quick Effect immediately when your opponent does something … but once it eventually notices, it does trigger on a new chain to bring out something like a Ruki, which will then also trigger on summon, and suddenly those monsters on the opponent’s field meant to go into a setup combo are looking awfully chompable. Alternatively, you could also go into another Shore Turtle for passive targeting protection if you’re already happy with your destructive capabilities. However, all this only works if you have another Rahi card to banish along with the turtle, so you’ll need to draw the right hand and having it stopped will hurt quite a bit.

Lightfish, Luminescent Rahi

Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 1 | WATER Fish | ATK 700 / DEF 100

While face-up on the field, this card becomes LIGHT. (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your hand or GY, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; apply 1 of these effects.
●Change its battle position. ●Discard 1 card, and if you do, that face-up monster cannot activate its effects this turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Third in the lineup of small Quick Effect stuff is a Level 1 Tuner original to the recent BCOR overhaul, representing the Lightfish that illuminate the huts of Ga-Koro . This one is more focused on the gimmick of also being useful in that village’s strategy as a very easily accessible, low-cost effect you can use to increase chain link numbers on the opponent’s turn, but it also isn’t totally out of place in the Rahi deck. Here, it acts as a very soft disruption, and possibly another way to enable a Ruki in the hand by discarding with the more powerful of its two effects.

So I think the idea is clear at this point – banish a lot of things, fuck with the opponent’s field, and hope they get annoyed and leave before they notice you’re pretty much out of resources. Right? Not quite, we haven’t yet seen the Pendulum Monsters that bring the essential recursive aspect into this whole loop.

Makika, Toad Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 3 | Scale 1/1 | EARTH Aqua | ATK 600 / DEF 2100

[ Pendulum Effect ]
During the End Phase: You can target 1 of your banished Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua “Rahi” monsters, except “Makika, Toad Rahi”; add it to your hand. You can only use this effect of “Makika, Toad Rahi” once per turn.
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[ Monster Effect ]
During the Main Phase, if this card is in your hand (Quick Effect): You can target 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua “Rahi” monster you control; return it to the hand, and if you do, Special Summon this card in Defense Position. If this card is banished: You can add this card to your Extra Deck face-up or place it in your Pendulum Zone, then take 1000 damage. You can only use each effect of “Makika, Toad Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Takea, Shark Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 4 | Scale 5/5 | WATER Fish | ATK 1800 / DEF 900

[ Pendulum Effect ]
If your Fish, Sea Serpent, and/or Aqua “Rahi” monster(s) is banished: You can target 1 of those monsters and 1 card your opponent controls; place the first target on the bottom of the Deck, and if you do, destroy the second target. You can only use this effect of “Takea, Shark Rahi” once per turn.
—————————————-
[ Monster Effect ]
If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can banish up to 2 “Rahi” Monster Cards from your hand and/or field; add that many Fish, Sea Serpent, and/or Aqua “Rahi” monsters with different names from your Deck to your hand, except “Takea, Shark Rahi”. If this card is banished: You can target 1 card you control; destroy that card, also, after that, add this card to your Extra Deck face-up or place it in your Pendulum Zone. You can only use each effect of “Takea, Shark Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The Makika and Takea form a pair, with the former having a defensive and the latter an offensive focus. This is most apparent in the Pendulum Zones, where the shark sends the things you keep banishing for cost back into the Deck to cause even more destruction, while the toad hands them back to you in the End Phase to enable plays for the next turn. On the field, the main one to watch out for is the Takea, as it pays its own banishing cost to search out just the tools you need, but the Makika’s Quick Effect to Special Summon itself can also put in some serious work such as letting a Ruki safely dodge a boardwipe.

Finally, both of them share an ability that vastly improves the math on the supposed massive loss of cards incurred by all the banishing: If they themselves are used this way, they will, in exchange for some sort of drawback, swim right back to either the Extra Deck or the Pendulum Zone and continue to act as valuable resources. In the voracious Takea’s case, the drawback is that you must offer it another of your cards as food, while the Makika causes you damage with its poisonous skin.

And that was, as far as the initial BCOR wave is concerned, all the pieces involved in the Fish/Sea Serpent/Aqua strategy! Well, except for one that didn’t really ever come up. You see, since the small monsters are, technically, Tuners, we do have the ability to go into Synchros. And there is one really big one that does align with these Types: The Mana Ko, secret guardian of Makuta’s lair.

Mana Ko, Guardian Rahi

Synchro Effect MonsterLevel 11 | LIGHT Aqua | ATK 3500 / DEF 2800

1+ “Rahi” Tuners + 1+ non-Tuner “Rahi” monsters
Control of this card cannot switch. Other cards you control cannot be destroyed by your opponent’s card effects. (Quick Effect): You can banish this card; Special Summon any number of Fish, Sea Serpent, and/or Aqua “Rahi” monsters from your GY and/or banishment, whose total Levels equal 10 or less, and if you do, banish 1 card on the field. You can only use this effect of “Mana Ko, Guardian Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

This Level 11 bungus can, for example, be made by tuning a Ruki, a Shore Turtle, a Takea, and a Makika (2+2+4+3) … and I think you can see just why it never came up. If you were ever to find yourself in that situation, it could kind of be worth it for the big body, blanket protection, and ability to tag out into almost all of its materials with bonus removal (warning: may hit your own cards). But you probably don’t really need it to win the game at that point.

However, the tag-out concept seemed so good that it ended up inspiring the other, much more reasonably positioned Synchro Monster introduced with the BBTS support.

Waikiru, Walrus Rahi

Synchro Effect MonsterLevel 5 | WATER Aqua | ATK 1800 / DEF 1000

1 “Rahi” Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If this card is Special Summoned: You can banish 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua “Rahi” monster from your Deck. (Quick Effect): You can banish this card; Special Summon up to 2 Fish, Sea Serpent, and/or Aqua “Rahi” monsters from your GY and/or banishment, whose total Levels equal 4 or less. You can only use 1 “Waikiru, Walrus Rahi” effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Bionicle: Beware the Swarm (v4.7.3)

For the much more pragmatic cost of a Ruki/Turtle and a Makika (or a Lightfish and a Takea), you get a topical way to get another monster from your Deck into rotation, and on the next turn you can make a swap into a pair of Tuners, or a single Pendulum, or whatever else you can fit in 4 Levels. Also important to keep in mind that your Pendulum Scales can recycle this after it banishes itself for cost, so you get to do that move repeatedly if everything goes smoothly. And I guess I should note that targeting this with a banished Takea and then chaining it will still let the Takea fully resolve, that’s specifically why that effect is worded the way it is.

Speaking of Pendulum Scales, the second wave also introduced an additional pair of those, though rather than a proper pair like the first two, they act as more disconnected, situational options.

Ghekula, Amphibious Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 4 | Scale 5/5 | WATER Aqua | ATK 1400 / DEF 1400

[ Pendulum Effect ]
If another card(s) on the field would be destroyed by card effect while you control a Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua “Rahi” Monster Card, except “Ghekula, Amphibious Rahi”, you can destroy this card instead.
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[ Monster Effect ]
If this card is destroyed: You can target 1 monster in your opponent’s GY or 1 of your banished Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua “Rahi” monsters; place it on the bottom of the Deck, and if you returned it to your Deck, banish 1 random card from your opponent’s hand. If this card is banished: You can add this card to your Extra Deck face-up or place it in your Pendulum Zone, and if you do, banish 1 card from your GY. You can only use each effect of “Ghekula, Amphibious Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Beware the Swarm (v4.7.3)

The more traditional Ghekula is already somewhat weird in that its Pendulum Effect is destruction replacement to supplement the Shore Turtle’s protection, and only the monster effect that is then triggered by that has the usual capability to recycle your own banished monsters. This is based on the Matoran superstition that harming a Ghekula, even by accident, invites misfortune – so if it “accidentally” blows up while they try to destroy something else, it’s going to take something either out of their GY, or straight out of their hand if you have banishment setup. It also does the usual self-recycle if banished itself, this time demanding payment via the GY (the more thematic option would have been discarding from your hand, but it just isn’t worth it).

Keras, Crab Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 3 | Scale 1/1 | WATER Aqua | ATK 1400 / DEF 500

[ Pendulum Effect ]
If a Level 4 or lower WATER monster(s) is banished from your field, GY, and/or face-up Extra Deck, even during the Damage Step: You can target 1 of those monsters; Special Summon it, and if you do, destroy this card. You can only use this effect of “Keras, Crab Rahi” once per turn.
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[ Monster Effect ]
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by banishing 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua monster from your GY. You can only Special Summon “Keras, Crab Rahi” once per turn this way. Before damage calculation, if a Level 4 or lower monster you control attacks a Defense Position monster: You can banish 1 “Rahi” monster you control; destroy that Defense Position monster.

Bionicle: Beware the Swarm (v4.7.3)

The Keras, on the other hand, entirely abandons the premise of being recurring banish fodder, instead adopting a role of somewhat more generic support that could also go along with Ga-Matoran (who once rode them into battle against the Bohrok). In the Pendulum Zone, it has the most powerful recycling effect out of all of these and Special Summons the banished monster right back to the field, with the two drawbacks that it only works with WATER monsters (so no Shore Turtle or Makika) and destroys itself after doing this once. Being able to Special Summon itself while generating banishment setup (in reference to how they were tamed by feeding them fish) is a good way to get an additional body for a Synchro play, and if you’re up against defensive walls such as Bohrok, this card also acts as a handy way for your low-Level monsters to overcome them. Its regular use in the Rahi deck doesn’t really involve this part all that much, but when it comes up, having a second copy in the Pendulum Zone is funny, as “even during the Damage Step” makes it so your Rahi banished for cost comes right back to get another attack in.

MKT Fish, Biting Rahi

Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 3 | DARK Fish | ATK 900 / DEF 300

If this card you control would be used as Synchro Material, you can treat it as a non-Tuner. During your opponent’s Main Phase, you can (Quick Effect): Immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon using Fish, Sea Serpent, and/or Aqua monsters you control, including this card. You can only use this effect of “MKT Fish, Biting Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Protodermic Evolution (v4.7.3)

Moving on to the next expansion, BPEV gives us just one new monster with the Makuta Fish (abbreviated to MKT to avoid unwanted archetype associations) – basically the Ruki’s larger cousin that only ever appeared in written form. If that sounds like it wouldn’t bring anything new to the table, you’re mistaken, because this Tuner is Level 3, and sometimes not a Tuner, and its disruption consists of a Quick-Synchro that unlocks a whole bunch of Extra Deck options (as we’ll see in the sample deck). It also happens to be one of the few DARK Rahi, but turns out that doesn’t matter much in this particular strategy. Perhaps one last thing for the list of weird traits would be that it’s a Rahi whose effect makes no reference to the Rahi archetype, so really it’s just here to be searchable by e.g. a Shore Turtle.

Rahi from the Depths

Trap

Target any number of “Rahi” monsters you control; all monsters your opponent currently controls lose ATK/DEF equal to the total ATK of those monsters you control (until the end of this turn), then you can destroy 1 monster your opponent controls with 0 ATK or DEF. You can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua “Rahi” monster from your GY or banishment, but its ATK/DEF become 0. You can only use 1 “Rahi from the Depths” effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Bionicle: Protodermic Evolution (v4.7.3)

The other piece of BPEV support is the archetype’s first Type-specific Trap Card, though its activation effect actually still works with all Rahi. Based on Gali’s encounter with the Great Temple Squid during the search for the Kanohi Nuva, the conceit of this card is that tentacles spring forth to restrain your opponent’s monsters, perhaps outright crushing weaker ones. That means it’s a non-targeting debuff with maybe destruction if the numbers line up right, which for most Rahi decks isn’t all that appealing in Trap form. But those Rahi that truly do hail from the Depths have the additional benefit of being able to use it for revival while it’s in the GY too, so it’s well worth playing with them at least.

Sample Deck

The main focus in-engine are the Ruki as our main frontline disruption, as well as the Shore Turtle and Takea that get us access to it. Makika and Keras get two slots each – while we’re generally okay with searching them, the fact that they can be Special Summoned from the hand makes them potentially useful in the opening hand as well. The Ghekula has no such advantage and is thus at a single copy, which also makes the ratios line up nicely at 4 low-scale and 4 high-scale Pendulum Monsters. We also run only 1 each of Light- and Makuta Fish , relying on Shore Turtle and Takea to get them as needed.

That leaves room in the Main Deck for “fun” cards such as the semi-recent roach reincarnation Mulcharmy Purulia (it’s Aqua!) and everyone’s favourite Dimension Shifter. While it wasn’t really my intent, this ended up being perhaps the world’s first Pendulum deck that thrives under Shifter due to the fact that all the Pendulums put themselves back into rotation even if they get banished. Even funnier: You can also play fairly well under Anti-Spell Fragrance (as I noticed in one game against the stun AI), because the scales don’t care about that restriction when they place themselves via their own effects!

The Terrortop package is in here as well, on the one hand for Hikaki access, and on the other because a hard-drawn Taketomborg can Special Summon itself if you have the WIND Shore Turtle on the field. That’s a Level 2 Rahi Tuner and a Level 3 non-Tuner, which adds up to a Waikiru and therefore a straight line into the rest of your Deck.

Otherwise, the Extra Deck space is mostly spent on Synchros that can be made from our various combinations of Levels 1 through 4. Herald of the Arc Light for convenient negation and banishing, Arionpos to get a scale from certain awkward positions, Black Rose (Moonlight) and Tarakava-Nui for removal and disruption (via Makuta Fish), White Aura Whale and Trishula for the same but with more stars, and our rarely seen big boss Mana Ko . There’s also a Rahi Nui in here (because Makuta Fish is DARK), but it doesn’t serve much of a purpose.

In general, a lot of the Extra Deck options here were just experimental and didn’t end up seeing use, so you could definitely cut some names and double or triple up on others – which is why Pot of Extravagance has a comfortable spot in the side deck. Along with some other generic good cards that may come in handy.

A sample video can be found below; the way it ends may surprise you …

Conclusion

The three Types Fish, Sea Serpent (eventually), and Aqua together form a Rahi deck that mostly forgoes combos and big boss monsters, instead trying to outgrind the opponent with a banishing resource loop that keeps disrupting them while keeping your own cards in play and moving. The general setup you aim for is to put your disruptive Tuners like Ruki and Makuta Fish on the field while backing them up with a pair of Pendulums that trigger various offensive or defensive bonus effects as you play. And whenever you do find Synchro access, you can use the material provided by something like a Pendulum Summon to go into powerful generic Synchro monsters or our very own Waikiru (for setup) or Mana Ko (for protection and pressure).

Well, let’s kick these off. In the glorious year of 2024, the massively bloated Rahi archetype received some expert surgery to split it into a few different more reasonable sub-strategies depending on the Type of monsters involved, and as a result, all the old Theme Guides on the topic are now obsolete. That means it’s time to write up a replacement, starting with one of the largest among these Type groups: Beasts and Winged Beasts.

Now ideally I’d start with some card that exemplifies the central gimmick, but due to being kind of the default for land and sky Rahi, this combined pair of Types ended up wholly inheriting several of the mechanics that I was trying to throw all over the place with the old designs. So you’ll have to bear with me while I go over them all.

Bear, that’s a Beast-Type.

… but not one that’s getting implemented before Mask of Light, so that’s not where we’re starting. Instead, it’s time for smaller critters with our first gimmick: Level 3 Pendulum Monsters with GY and banishment effects!

• Ussal
• Mahi
• Moa
• Kewa
• Brakas
• Infernavika
• Hapaka

Ussal

Ussal, Crab Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 3 | Scale 2/2 | EARTH Beast | ATK 1000 / DEF 1000

[ Pendulum Effect ]
Once per turn: You can pay 1000 LP; this turn, if you Pendulum Summon while this card and another “Rahi” monster are in your Pendulum Zones, you can also Pendulum Summon up to 1 Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster from your GY.
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[ Monster Effect ]
If this card is sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 other Level 4 or lower EARTH monster from your GY, but negate its effects. If this card is banished: You can target 1 Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster in your GY; banish it, and if you do, draw 1 card. You can only use 1 “Ussal, Crab Rahi” effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Right off the bat, you might be wondering why the hell a crab is in the Beast article. And the answer is that, on every level except physical, the Ussal is just a horse – used extensively especially by Onu-Matoran to transport cargo, as a steed, and in racing. This association with Matoran culture is what motivates its effect when sent to the GY, providing you with a free EARTH body, and the draw when banished also traces back to its digging and tunneling capabilities.

In the Beast Rahi deck itself, either of these effects can be relevant: Either you land on a combo route where both this and another EARTH Rahi hit the GY and you get to do some revival, or you just banish it at some point to get a draw, which is always nice to have (and might get you another banish trigger on the side). The Pendulum Effect is more of a rarely-used gimmick carried over from the old version, but it can serve as one pretty neat way to put a mid-sized Synchro back on the board.

Mahi

Mahi, Goat Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 3 | Scale 2/2 | EARTH Beast | ATK 700 / DEF 1500

[ Pendulum Effect ]
You can target up to 2 “Rahi” monsters you control; destroy 1 Beast or Winged Beast Monster Card in your Pendulum Zone or face-up Extra Deck, and if you do, increase or decrease the targeted monsters’ Levels by 1.
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[ Monster Effect ]
If this card is sent to the GY: You can add 1 Level 4 or lower Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster from your Deck to your hand, except “Mahi, Goat Rahi”. If this card is banished: You can target 1 of your banished “Rahi” cards that was not banished this turn; add it to your hand. You can only use 1 “Mahi, Goat Rahi” effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Another Beast with a big role in Matoran society is the Mahi, often seen traded on Po-Koro markets. However, this one didn’t end up getting any super generic effects, and instead plays a big role in the Rahi archetype itself by searching when it goes to the GY. The banish effect to recycle something from a previous turn and the Pendulum Effect to modulate Levels are more in a “it may come up” position, but it’s worth noting that the latter is actually one way to properly get these Level 3 Pendulums into the GY by destroying them in the Extra Deck. Bit of an odd hoop to jump through, but hey, it’s funny.

Moa

Moa, Bird Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 3 | Scale 2/2 | EARTH Winged Beast | ATK 1300 / DEF 600

[ Pendulum Effect ]
You can target 1 face-up Level 4 or lower monster you control; treat it as a Tuner until the end of this turn, also banish this card. You can only use this effect of “Moa, Bird Rahi” once per turn.
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[ Monster Effect ]
If this card is sent to the GY: You can banish 1 Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster from your Deck. If this card is banished: You can target 1 of your banished “Rahi” cards, except “Moa, Bird Rahi”; place it on the bottom of your Deck. You can only use 1 “Moa, Bird Rahi” effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The Moa is kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of relevance, having appeared exclusively in Quest for the Toa back in early ’01. But apparently it has a little story bit there where one kept by a Po-Matoran as a pet gets stuck behind some boulders, which is what inspired the Pendulum Effect that makes it disappear while turning any monster (such as Po-Koro ‘s Rock-Type Sculpture Tokens) into a Tuner.

More often, what you’ll be using this for in-archetype are situations where you’re able to send a monster to the GY, but what you actually need is the banish trigger of one of your Rahi – sending the Moa will let you smoothly bridge from one into the other. Putting a banished card back when it itself gets banished may also come up once in a while, but like the Mahi’s similar effect, it’s mostly a grind game bonus.

Kewa

Kewa, Vulture Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 4 | Scale 2/2 | WIND Winged Beast | ATK 1400 / DEF 400

[ Pendulum Effect ]
You can target 1 Spell/Trap on the field; send 1 Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster from your hand or face-up Extra Deck to the GY, and if you do, destroy that target. You can only use this effect of “Kewa, Vulture Rahi” once per turn.
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[ Monster Effect ]
If this card is sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 other Level 4 or lower WIND monster from your GY, but negate its effects. If this card is banished: You can add 1 Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster from your GY or face-up Extra Deck to your hand, except “Kewa, Vulture Rahi”. You can only use 1 “Kewa, Vulture Rahi” effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Wait a second, this one’s Level 4? Indeed it is, due to a historic mixup between the sizes of the Taku (listed below with the Level 4s) and Kewa. Swapping only the Levels to correct that might actually be useful, because it means that the increments in which you get stars on the field are a bit less strictly tied to the categories of effects you’re using in your combo, thus opening up more freedom for Synchro plays. Or something like that.

Anyway, the Kewa is pretty much the aerial variant of the Ussal when it comes to domestication, so it has the same GY effect just swapped to WIND. Its general usage is also similar, either giving you an additional body in a combo that gets WINDs into the GY or filling up your hand in one that doesn’t. The Pendulum Effect is nice anti-floodgate utility that once again provides a way to send Pendulums to the GY, and you can even use it for that purpose alone going first since it is able to pop itself.

Brakas

Brakas, Monkey Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 3 | Scale 2/2 | EARTH Beast | ATK 1200 / DEF 700

[ Pendulum Effect ]
If your Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster battles an opponent’s monster, before damage calculation: You can destroy this card, and if you do, make that opponent’s monster’s ATK 0, until the end of this turn.
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[ Monster Effect ]
If this card is sent to the GY: You can send 1 Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster from your hand to the GY, and if you do, draw 1 card. If this card is banished: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower “Rahi” monster from your hand. You can only use 1 “Brakas, Monkey Rahi” effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

As the blurry image suggests, this one’s also from Quest for the Toa, but has a slightly bigger claim to relevance solely on account of the fact that Matau ‘s staff is formally named after the “kau kau” sound they make. And since Matau’s thing is Special Summoning from hand, both the GY and banishment effects on this one interact with the hand – it’s a bit like a hand version of the Ussal, now that I think about it, and used in a similar way in those situations where the stuff you need is stuck up there instead of the GY.

The Pendulum Effect setting a monster’s ATK to 0 is also a Matau reference, and can be handy to OTK once you get your board built up.

Infernavika

Infernavika, Lava Bird Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 3 | Scale 2/2 | FIRE Winged Beast | ATK 1100 / DEF 800

[ Pendulum Effect ]
Once per turn, at the end of the Damage Step, if your Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster battled: You can inflict 600 damage to your opponent. Each time your opponent activates a card or effect that targets a Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster you control, inflict 200 damage to them immediately after it resolves.
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[ Monster Effect ]
If this card is sent to the GY: You can target 1 “Rahi” monster you control and 1 card your opponent controls; destroy them. If this card is banished: You can banish the top card of your Deck; add 1 of your banished Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” Pendulum Monsters to your Extra Deck face-up. You can only use 1 “Infernavika, Lava Bird Rahi” effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Bionicle: Beware the Swarm (v4.7.3)

This one comes from the second support wave in BBTS, and other than expanding the Attribute wheel as a FIRE Winged Beast (at the cost of Kewa/Ussal synergy), it brings to the mix an offensive type of GY effect and a more direct way to recycle banished stuff – with a bit of a gamble included. Its lore of being protected by the unbearable heat of the lava streams among which it lives is entirely represented by the Pendulum Effect, burning the opponent whenever they attempt to touch your (Winged) Beasts.

Hapaka

Hapaka, Shepherd Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 3 | Scale 2/2 | WATER Beast | ATK 1200 / DEF 1400

[ Pendulum Effect ]
You can target 1 Level 4 or lower Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster you control; return both it and this card to the hand, then Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower “Rahi” monster from your hand in Defense Position. You can only use this effect of “Hapaka, Shepherd Rahi” once per turn.
—————————————-
[ Monster Effect ]
If a Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster(s) you control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can banish this card from your hand, Monster Zone, or GY instead. If this card is banished: You can return 1 of your banished “Rahi” monsters to your GY, except “Hapaka, Shepherd Rahi”. You can only use each effect of “Hapaka, Shepherd Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Beware the Swarm (v4.7.3)🎉

The second BBTS support card introduces WATER to the lineup of small Beast Rahi, and also works slightly differently in terms of its effects. The “GY effect” is actually a passive destruction replacement (that also works in hand and field), in the sense of guarding its fellow Rahi. And if it’s banished – including by that replacement effect – it offers another form of banishment recycling by returning a banished monster to the GY, in the sense of returning it to the herd.

Its Pendulum Effect is kind of a fancy hybrid between Special Summoning from hand, Special Summoning itself, or re-summoning something you already control because it got negated or whatever. It’s pretty flexible, which is always fun.

In general, these are cards with many different types of generally single-action utility that you can access by finding a way to get them into the GY and/or banished – not all that trivial when they’re Pendulums. One major limiting factor is the shared HOPT that makes it so you can’t just send, then banish and get both effects, so you have to make the decision which mode matters more to your current line of play. You can, however, use the Pendulum Effects and one of the triggers in the same turn, so those are additional pieces of (fairly minor) utility that can come up once in a while.

Now before we proceed to larger Beasts, we take a slight step off-Type to look at the Rank 3 Dragon Rahi that serves as one pretty good means of making these Pendulum Monsters actually hit the grave.

Hikaki, Dragon Rahi

Xyz Effect MonsterRank 3 | FIRE Dragon | ATK 1900 / DEF 700

2+ Level 3 monsters
If this card is Xyz Summoned: You can detach 1 material from this card; add 1 “Rahi” monster from your Deck to your hand. If a “Rahi” monster(s) is sent to your GY (except during the Damage Step): You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 face-up card on the field; destroy it. You can only use each effect of “Hikaki, Dragon Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The Hikaki is support for all kinds of Rahi decks and tends to act as an Extra Deck starter accessible via generic R3 engines, but in the Beast strategy that brings plenty of its own Level 3s, it can actually provide additional services. If you overlay 2 of the above small Pendulums into this, not only do you get the search, but detaching for it also triggers their “sent to GY” effects. Simultaneously, since a “Rahi” monster(s) was sent to the GY, the Hikaki’s own second effect will trigger here, letting you detach again to destroy a card – great going second, but even going first you can just have it pop itself since its job is done. So in total, if you go e.g. Mahi + Ussal into Hikaki, you can detach the Mahi and then the Ussal to get an additional search and bring the Mahi back to the field. And there are many more possibilities when using other combinations of materials.

And for our next category, we have the Level 4s, who have two separate gimmicks: If used as Synchro Material, they grant an effect to the monster that used them, and also to any further Rahi Synchro made by using that monster (but this only goes one layer deep). And most of them have a way to Special Summon themselves from the Pendulum Zone to the field, thus making it easier to use them as material in the first place.

• Fusa
• Husi
• Taku
• Vako

Fusa

Fusa, Kangaroo Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 4 | Scale 5/5 | EARTH Beast | ATK 1600 / DEF 1300

[ Pendulum Effect ]
During your Main Phase: You can destroy 1 other Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” Monster Card in your hand or face-up field, and if you do, Special Summon this card. You can only use this effect of “Fusa, Kangaroo Rahi” once per turn.
—————————————-
[ Monster Effect ]
A Synchro Monster Summoned using this card as material gains these effects.
● Once per turn, at the end of the Damage Step, if this card attacked an opponent’s monster: You can activate this effect; this card can attack again in a row.
● A “Rahi” Synchro Monster Summoned using this card as material gains the above effect.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

This ‘roo among Rahi makes the jump from back to front row by kicking the shit out of another Rahi monster in your hand or field – including the Spell & Trap Zones. But the most interesting is actually the hand option, since that lets you destroy the Level 3 Pendulums in a way that makes them go to the GY, thereby giving you a trigger on top of the Fusa’s own summon.

A Synchro monster that uses it as material inherits its combatative nature, gaining the ability to hit again after it battles a monster (much like a baby Fusa jumping out of its mother’s pouch to join the fight, if we ignore the absence of biological reproduction for a moment). So this is something that helps you clear boards and maybe secure lethal damage on turn 2 and beyond.

Husi

Husi, Ostrich Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 4 | Scale 5/5 | EARTH Winged Beast | ATK 1700 / DEF 1100

[ Pendulum Effect ]
If a “Rahi” card is activated in your other Pendulum Zone: You can target 1 Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” Pendulum Monster in your GY or banishment; add this card to your Extra Deck face-up, then place the targeted monster in your Pendulum Zone. You can only use this effect of “Husi, Ostrich Rahi” once per turn.
—————————————-
[ Monster Effect ]
A Synchro Monster Summoned using this card as material gains these effects.
● If it is Synchro Summoned: You can place 1 “Rahi” Pendulum Monster from your GY or face-up Extra Deck in your Pendulum Zone.
● A “Rahi” Synchro Monster Summoned using this card as material gains the above effect.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

Second tab and we’re already abandoning the premise of self-summoning from the Pendulum Zone. Instead, the Husi swaps itself out for a different scale when another Rahi appears, which is actually based on a tiny lore tidbit about them being placed in Metru Nui’s archives for protection from Muaka. In terms of utility, it’s kinda just a nice-to-have recycling option.

The granted effect is similarly unusual in that it triggers on Summon, and also consist of placing a scale. Since this isn’t once per turn, you can in fact use the two-stage inheritance to set up both of your Pendulum Zones over the course of a Synchro climb!

Taku

Taku, Duck Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 3 | Scale 5/5 | WIND Winged Beast | ATK 1400 / DEF 1700

[ Pendulum Effect ]
If you control no monsters: You can Special Summon this card, and if you do, add 1 Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” Pendulum Monster from your Deck to your Extra Deck face-up, except “Taku, Duck Rahi”. You can only use this effect of “Taku, Duck Rahi” once per turn.
—————————————-
[ Monster Effect ]
A Synchro Monster Summoned using this card as material gains these effects.
● Once per turn, when a card or effect is activated (Quick Effect): You can shuffle 1 face-up “Rahi” Pendulum Monster from your Extra Deck into the Deck; negate the activation.
● A “Rahi” Synchro Monster Summoned using this card as material gains the above effect.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The Taku is the Kewa’s partner in Level mixup, delivering you the Level 4 effect lineup on a Level 3 body, and its particular take on these effects makes it one of the more essential combo pieces in the deck. The Summon has a somewhat limiting requirement of needing to control no monsters, so you’ll only be using that part if you actually get to it early, but if that does happen, it even gives you some Extra Deck setup for your trouble.

However, you generally should be trying to get this card on the field at some point of the combo even if you don’t manage to start with it, because the effect it grants to Synchros is just a negate. A non-destroying one with an archetypal cost attached, but still a negate. Like all these bonus effects, you can also stack it to get multiple activations, so I really might have gone a bit to far with this one – could see it getting something like a limitation to your own turn in a future update.

Vako

Vako, Rhino Rahi

Pendulum Effect MonsterLevel 4 | Scale 5/5 | EARTH Beast | ATK 1900 / DEF 700

[ Pendulum Effect ]
During your Main Phase: You can destroy 1 “Rahi” monster you control, and if you do, Special Summon this card. You can only use this effect of “Vako, Rhino Rahi” once per turn.
—————————————-
[ Monster Effect ]
If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can send 1 Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster from your Deck or face-up Extra Deck to the GY. You can only use this effect of “Vako, Rhino Rahi” once per turn. A Synchro Monster Summoned using this card as material gains these effects.
● If it battles, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step.
● A “Rahi” Synchro Monster Summoned using this card as material gains the above effect.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The Vako is comparatively expensive to Special Summon since it needs to destroy a monster already on the field (it violently charges forward from the backrow since it’s a rhino, that’s the joke here). To compensate for that, it actually does something when Summoned by dumping a Rahi in your GY, giving you yet another way to access those elusive Pendulum GY effects. And since this also triggers on Normal Summon, it doubles as a regular old starter that gets things rolling without prior setup.

As a material, its bonus is a fairly simple lock on the opponent’s effects during the Damage Step, to avoid any nasty surprises when going for game. It’s not much, but given the presence of an on-Summon effect, it also doesn’t really need to be much, right?

The second bullet point on all of these monsters implies the existence of “Rahi” Synchro Monsters, and indeed quite a few of them belong to the Beast and Winged Beast Types. Those, along with more generic options, are the main things our combo lines go through and into.

• Dikapi
• Gukko-Kahu
• Mata Nui Cow
• Kuma-Nui

Dikapi

Dikapi, Ostrich Rahi

Synchro Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 5 | EARTH Winged Beast | ATK 1000 / DEF 1650

1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If this Synchro Summoned card would be used as Synchro Material for a “Rahi” monster, 1 face-up Beast or Winged Beast Pendulum Monster in your Extra Deck (and no other monsters) can be used as the other material. If you do this, you can treat this card as any Level from 1 to 5 for that Synchro Summon. If you control no monsters and this card is in your GY: You can target 1 of your banished monsters; shuffle it into the Deck, and if you do, Special Summon this card. You can only Special Summon “Dikapi, Ostrich Rahi(s)” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The Dikapi is firmly in the “through” camp in that regard. Running through the desert with incredible endurance, this speedy birb is also used as a mount by the scouts of Po-Koro’s guard unit, which means it’s another example of a domesticated Rahi. On Synchro Monsters, that translates to a simple special trait: Generic materials, allowing it to also be used in a regular old Po-Koro deck!

But how is it used in its own native strategy? Well, you make it usually as your first Synchro Summon to serve one or more of a few different purposes. One is that it lets you efficiently climb to higher-Level Synchros by reusing the Pendulum Monster that went to the Extra Deck as material. Another that it smoothens out mismatched Levels by letting you ignore any number of its stars when using it that way. Yet another is “passively” sending a Pendulum Monster from the Extra Deck to the GY by using it as material, letting you trigger a GY effect. And finally, it secures you some followup for later, since it can leverage its great endurance to return to the field as long as you have some banished monsters.

Gukko-Kahu

Gukko-Kahu, Hawk Rahi

Synchro Effect MonsterLevel 6 | WIND Winged Beast | ATK 2500 / DEF 1000

1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If this card is Special Summoned: You can send 1 Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster from your Deck to the GY. If this Synchro Summoned card is sent from the field to the GY: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower “Rahi” monster in your GY; Special Summon it. You can only use each effect of “Gukko-Kahu, Hawk Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The Gukko-Kahu is the largest of the birds used by Le-Koro’s aerial forces, hence its generic materials. It functions as a combo extender based in the Extra Deck by milling a Beast or Winged Beast Rahi of your choice and then reviving it – or more generally low-Level Rahi of any Type – when you further use it as material. This one is actually kind of legitimately worth using in Le-Koro since it can both send and revive the Kewa , which in turn will also bring back something like a Le-Matoran.

Mata Nui Cow

Mata Nui Cow, Bovine Rahi

Synchro Effect MonsterLevel 6 | EARTH Beast | ATK 1800 / DEF 2400

1 “Rahi” Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
Once per turn, if a monster(s) is Special Summoned to your opponent’s field (except during the Damage Step): You can target 1 of those monsters; either destroy it or negate its effects. Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this card is in the GY because this Synchro Summoned card was sent there from the field this turn: You can add 1 Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster from your GY or face-up Extra Deck to your hand.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The artist formerly known as Mukau (I will never forgive Greg Bob) functions as a mid-Level defensive boss monster for our strategy, providing a reactive negation or destruction option for the endboard. Generally the main in-archetype thing you try to make going first is this with a Taku Inside™, ideally even in multiples since everything involved is soft once per turn. A herd of cows, how quaint!

Kuma-Nui

Kuma-Nui, Rat Rahi

Synchro Effect MonsterLevel 8 | EARTH Beast | ATK 3000 / DEF 2500

1 “Rahi” Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
Gains 300 ATK for each other “Rahi” card you control. If this card battles an opponent’s monster, at the start of the Damage Step: You can activate this effect; change that opponent’s monster to Attack Position, also negate its effects until the end of this turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

For now the biggest thing in our arsenal, the Kuma-Nui acts as a board breaker and OTK enabler, with a fairly simple effect focused on disabling all defenses to deal solid damage – you can pretty much imagine it as the big rat thing grabbing the opponent’s monsters with its claws and forcing it to Attack Position before biting its head off.

It’s also meant to specifically synergize with the two battle-focused effects that are granted by the Level 4s: Make this with both Fusa and Vako , and you get a 3k+ beater with multiple attacks guaranteed to hit into Attack Position monsters, while your opponent can’t even attempt to activate anything during the Damage Step. It’s not exactly mahjong, but when it works it works.

Those of you who are One With The Speed and well-versed in the arts of Synchro Summoning may already have noticed there’s something crucial missing from this whole equation: Where the hell are the Tuners? Specifically, the “Rahi” Tuners that some of these monsters require? Well, as far as the initial BCOR wave is concerned they’re … not in the Beast or Winged Beast Types, and instead you’d be forced to substitute them with generic Insect Rahi, such as the Fikou.

Fikou, Spider Rahi

Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 1 | EARTH Insect | ATK 600 / DEF 400

If this card is in your hand or GY: You can target 1 Level 2 or higher “Rahi” monster you control; reduce that target’s Level by 1, and if you do, banish this card, then Special Summon 1 “Fikou, Spider Rahi” from your hand or Deck. You can only use this effect of “Fikou, Spider Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Challenge of the Rahi (v4.7.3)

The major downside here is obviously that this means the Tuners you need to obtain any Synchro access can’t be found by most of your searchers, and you need to rely on more limited options like the Hikaki to get that whole part of the Deck going. Conveniently, both BBTS and BPEV resolve this issue by suppyling proper Beast and Winged Beast Tuners as legacy support.

• Pokawi
• Mata Nui Fishing Bird
• Lava Rat

Pokawi

Pokawi, Flightless Bird Rahi

Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 2 | EARTH Winged Beast | ATK 300 / DEF 600

If a Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned to your field (except during the Damage Step): You can Special Summon this card from your hand, then, immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon 1 “Rahi” Synchro Monster using monsters you control. You can only use this effect of “Pokawi, Flightless Bird Rahi” once per turn. During the Battle Phase (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your GY; all monsters your opponent currently controls lose 500 ATK for each of your banished “Rahi” monsters, until the end of this turn.

Bionicle: Beware the Swarm (v4.7.3)

This cute little thing was actually created for the nefarious purpose of playing under Nibiru, as Special Summoning it and then immediately going into a Synchro on the same chain link gets you a Taku negate precisely at 5 summons in some of the lines I wrote out in planning. Apart from that, it’s a Tuner you can easily search and bring out, with some bonus battle utility based on the small birds’ strategy of scattering to confuse the enemy – a lot of potential in this small package.

Mata Nui Fishing Bird

Mata Nui Fishing Bird, Swooping Rahi

Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 2 | WIND Winged Beast | ATK 500 / DEF 400

If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower Beast or Winged Beast “Rahi” monster in your GY; Special Summon it, but negate its effects, also if your opponent controls a monster with 2000 or more ATK, you can banish 1 card from either GY. You can only use this effect of “Mata Nui Fishing Bird, Swooping Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Beware the Swarm (v4.7.3)

The Mata Nui Fishing Bird goes a different route from Tuners like the Insects that Special Summon themselves, instead demanding that you find a way to Summon it* and then bringing back another monster to provide material. As it’s known to harass large predators with its swooping strikes, this also comes with bonus GY banish if your opponent has something big on the field.

* For example, it’s a pretty good thing to search with Muaka and then Special Summon with Kane-Ra .

Lava Rat

Lava Rat, Blazing Rahi

Tuner Effect MonsterLevel 2 | FIRE Beast | ATK 400 / DEF 200

Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can reduce the Levels of all other monsters currently on the field by 1, also they lose 500 ATK. At the start of the Damage Step, if your “Rahi” monster battles an opponent’s monster: You can banish this card from the GY; destroy that opponent’s monster. You can only use this effect of “Lava Rat, Blazing Rahi” once per turn.

Bionicle: Protodermic Evolution (v4.7.3)

The latest addition to the Tuner lineup is the first ever Beast to be included. The Lava Rat’s lore relevance is limited to appearances in the realm of metaphor, and similarly you might not necessarily put it in the Deck because it crucially lacks a way to Special Summon itself or something else. What it does do is turn up the heat on the field so all the Levels and stats go down, which can be used either to modulate for your Synchro Summons or to get in your opponent’s way, since it’s a Quick Effect. Or in the GY, it can grant another monster its defensive ability of self-immolation, destroying whatever tries to battle it. And it is technically a Rekindling target. So you know, some of that might be useful.

Effects aside, I’d also like to say something about the art: It depicts the tale of the Takea and the Lava Rat, where one of these little critters rides a shark across a river and everyone has a bad time. No Lava Rat set or combiner was ever released, so the build you see here is an original by yours truly. I enjoy how it looks a bit like a nerd.

And that concludes our bestiary. For further strategic considerations, let’s look at a …

Sample Deck

The simple philosophy behind this one is “we’re testing the Rahi Beasts, so better throw all of them in”. With the exception of the trifecta of fetching stuff from the Deck in various ways – the Muaka , the Vako , and the Taku – everything is represented by only a single copy, to be accessed as required through our searchers. The Terrortop engine enables the Hikaki line for another search opportunity, and since the Speedroids are WIND, they can also be convenient targets for the Kewa revive. For Tuners, the three native ones are actually among the one-copy squad due to their searchability, while a trio of Fikou hopes to let us randomly draw into that extra bit of extension and Level modulation.

Aside from the Synchros covered above, the Extra Deck also contains I:P/S:P and Beyond/Exceed lines on the Link side, as well as a Naturia Beast that can be made by tuning any of our numerous EARTH Rahi with Fikou or Pokawi as appropriate (careful: the latter only makes Rahi when you use its effect to Synchro!). Another interesting inclusion is the small package of Subterranean Worm and Rahi Nui , which is a way to cheat out any of the boss monsters in case we’re sitting on a bunch of material but the Levels won’t line up.

Finally, for this build’s side deck I tried playing all the different Level 1 Insect Tuners (that also act as handtraps), to swap in for e.g. the Fikou depending on the matchup. I’m sure there’s better things you could do, though.

A sample video from one of the earliest test sessions (and thus an older version) may help illustrate the playstyle.

Conclusion

The Rahi variant consisting of Beasts and Winged Beasts is one of the largest and most combo-oriented, aiming to make a board of disruptions and beaters while cycling through a variety of utility effects they can access thanks to numerous searchers. They lean very heavily into the Rahi gimmick of moving cards around all locations from back row to front row to Extra Deck to GY to banishment, and also have a bit of a build-your-own boss thing going with their Level 4 Pendulums that grant Synchros additional effects. A lot happening in here, but that’s to be expected when there are so many monsters.