Dimension Shifter, and why Fucho is your friend in need

Dimension Shifter

Level 6 DARK Spellcaster

If you have no cards in your GY (Quick Effect): You can send this card from your hand to the GY; until the end of the next turn, any card sent to the GY is banished instead.

ATK 1200 | DEF 2200

This guy says "no❤️ " to our entire deck, as most Fire Kings' effects either require them to be destroyed by card effect and sent to the GY, or they activate in the GY.

Pray you open a Called by the Grave (or Crossout Designator if you're willing to run 1 copy of Shifter yourself).

Otherwise, this forces us to go on the defensive immediately, as trying to play through it is just a waste of resources; all our combos end up giving you just 2 monsters' worth of Link material, as everything else gets banished before we can make use of it.

Here is where Kikinagashi Fucho comes in. This little fella is unaffected by other card effects (including yours - keep that in mind!), and by detaching 2 materials it becomes unable to be destroyed by battle, making it an impenetrable wall for a turn.

How do we make him? We have two options, depending which starter we opened (and assuming we got Shifter'd during the Draw or Standby Phase, or before we started our combo).

Try to avoid playing any other cards if you can avoid it. Fucho may be invincible, but your other cards are not, so if it's not a Quick-Play Spell or Trap Card you can activate during your opponent's turn, you shouldn't place it on the field.

Use the rest of your hand sparingly too, as you might need those cards to survive the next turn while you regain your footing.

If you opened Ulcanix + a FIRE monster

  • Normal Summon Fire King Courtier Ulcanix.
  • Activate Ulcanix's effect, to destroy the FIRE monster in your hand and add Legendary Fire King Ponix, then make her Level 1 to match Ponix's Level.
  • Activate Ponix's effect from hand to Special Summon itself.
  • Activate Ponix's effect to add Fire King Sanctuary from Deck to hand.
  • Overlay Ponix and Ulcanix into Kikinagashi Fucho.
  • Pass turn.
  • During their turn, activate Fucho and detach both materials in order to make it invincible.

If you opened Ponix + a FIRE monster

  • Normal Summon Legendary Fire King Ponix.
  • Activate Ponix's effect to add Fire King Sanctuary from Deck to hand.
  • Activate Sanctuary, place Fire King Island in your Field Zone.
  • Activate Island's effect destroy the FIRE in your hand to add another Ponix from Deck to hand.
  • Activate Ponix's effect to Special Summon itself from hand.
  • Overlay into Kikinagashi Fucho and pass turn.
  • During their turn, activate Fucho and detach both materials in order to make it invincible.

If you opened Sanctuary/Island + 2 FIRE monsters

With a good enough hand - say, Ponix, Kirin, Sacred - you can also try doing some plays with Fire King Sky Burn to interrupt your opponent while keeping monsters on the field through Kirin and Sacred. It's more difficult to pull off, but it can be worth a shot sometimes.

After Shifter is gone

  • Hope you either draw another Ponix/Ulcanix, and perform the appropriate combo.
  • If you don't, activate Sanctuary/Island if needed, then use Island's effect on any other monster except Fucho! to search what you need to proceed further.