The Sangan Box

It should go without saying that Sangan is one of the most versatile cards in Goat Format. Being able to search powerful cards like Sinister Serpent and Tsukuyomi is a huge deal and greatly increases the consistency of seeing those powerful monsters in a given Duel. However, Serpent and Tsukuyomi are not the only cards Sangan can search, and they most definitely should not be the only things you consider searching with the fiendish burger patty (as I affectionately like to refer to Sangan as). In this article, I will go over a list of some of the more common monsters Sangan can search, and when they would each be good to grab off of Sangan’s effect.

​It should also go without saying that in no way is this list the be-all and end-all of the Sangan targets in the metagame. In Goat Format, Sangan can search exactly 670 cards (250 Normal Monsters + 418 Effect monsters + 2 Ritual monsters, not including itself), and going over every single possible monster it would be able to search would not only be an incredibly poor use of my time, but also be way too long to condense into an article. I will simply go over the more common Sangan targets instead and what I feel would be of relevance to most of you. ​ Anyways, without further adieu, let’s start this article off by talking about the most common search target:

Sinister Serpent

Sinister Serpent is by far the most common search off of Sangan, and for good reason. Drawing Sinister Serpent can oftentimes be very subpar, so being able to search it instead while giving yourself the opportunity to draw the cards it combos with (e.g. Abyss Soldier, Metamorphosis, Raigeki Break, etc.) is often the preferred method of gaining access to it. If you are playing a deck similar in playstyle to Goat Control, this should usually be your go-to search off of Sangan unless you already have access to it and/or are desperately in need of something else instead. ​

Tsukuyomi

Tsukuyomi is the second most common search off of Sangan. Similarly to drawing Sinister Serpent, drawing Tsukuyomi can sometimes be weird/suboptimal, so being able to search it instead of hard draw it for your turn can be nice. Tsukyomi’s main function in most Goat Format decks is to shut off problematic monsters with floodgate-like effects, such as Thousand-Eyes Restrict, Jinzo, and Dark Balter the Terrible, while also allowing you to recycle your Flip Effect monsters’s effects should they have stuck to the board. If you have a Flip Effect monster whose effect you want to abuse, or you simply want to be prepared for the inevitable TER drop in the Goat Control mirror, this is a solid card to search off of Sangan. ​

D.D. Warrior Lady

D.D. Warrior Lady is a somewhat uncommon search off of Sangan, but I personally like it a lot, especially when I am playing Goat Control. Being able to search it in order to deal with a problematic monster like Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning at the cost of a Battle Phase can sometimes be game-saving. Furthermore, in some gamestates, especially against fast combo decks like Reasoning Gate Turbo, Empty Jar, and Library FTK, the fact that DDWL is a Sangan target can be huge if my Sangan has already stuck to the board. Consider the following sequence of plays: Turn 1 (you went first): Normal Summon Sangan, pass. Turn 2: Opponent draws to 6 and passes. Turn 3: Use Metamorphosis on Sangan for Dragoness the Wicked Knight, search DDWL off of Sangan, Normal Summon DDWL, attack directly with both monsters for 2700 damage (opp LP: 5300), pass. Turn 4: Opponents draws to 7, sets a S/T to not lose a card due to the End Phase Hand Size Limit rule, and passes. Turn 5: Either Normal Summon another monster to establish an even faster clock on your opponent/drop them to under 2000 LP for Dimension Fusion, swing for at least another 2700 direct damage (opp LP: <= 2600), pass. By not playing DDWL in my Main Deck, I lose the potential ability to establish an efficient three turn clock against the format’s multitude of combo decks in Game 1. Keep DDWL in mind as a Sangan target if you ever need a beater to establish a clock with and/or desperately need to get rid of a threat that Tsukuyomi cannot deal with alongside the rest of your current hand. ​