Qli " Qli " , known as " Qliphort " ( クリフォート " Kurifōto " ) in the " OCG " , is an archetype of EARTH Machine monsters introduced in " The New Challengers " that are designed to take advantage of the Pendulum Summon mechanic . This is reflected in the eye - shaped motifs visible in their appearances ; these motifs are flanked by two crystals , one blue and another red , that are identical to the indicators of a Pendulum Scale . In the TCG , " Qli " monsters all contain the term " Qliphort " in their names , despite card texts using the more general " Qli " name . Design . " Qliphort " is a pun on ( lit . " peels " , " shells " or " husks " , referenced by the archetype ' s Spell / Trap Cards containing the kanjis for " Machine Husk " in their Japanese names ) , the representation of evil or impure spiritual forces in , and " fort " . The Qliphoth is documented in some texts of , a set of teachings originated in . The ten emanations of Qliphoth form the Qliphoth Tree ( aka " Tree of Death " ) , and each of them is associated with an evil spiritual force and a demon . Most currently known " Qli " monsters are somehow or somewhat related to , as inferred from their names and flavor texts ( " Access " , " " , " " , " " , " " , " " , " " , " " , " " ) . " " refers to the of biological organisms , as they bear resemblance with how computers store their data . Each name also referenes a member of the Qliphoth . Playing style . " Qlis " focus on Pendulum Summoning monsters to fuel Tribute Summon s , with effects that activate when Tributed or when Summoned by Tributing members of the archetype . All " Qli " Pendulum Monster s have 2400 / 2800 ATK and 1000 DEF ( except " Scout " , who has 1000 ATK and 2800 DEF ) , like the " Monarch s " , and possess the following effects : In addition , the " Qli " Effect Pendulum Monsters can manipulate the ATK of monsters on the field ; those with a Pendulum Scale of 1 boost the ATK of your " Qli " monsters by 300 , while those with a Scale of 9 reduce your opponent ' s monsters ' ATK by 300 . Finally , each " Qli " Pendulum Monster is a unique combination of a Level from 5 to 8 , and a Scale of 1 or 9 , with the Level 5 ones being Normal Monsters with Pendulum Effects that provide card advantage for its owner , the Level 6 ones activating effects whenever they are Tributed and serving as spot removal , and the Level 7 and 8 triggering their effects when they are Tribute Summoned . The Level 9 and 10 are not Pendulum Monsters and each of them require 3 " Qli " monsters to be tributed for their Normal Summon . Strategy . The main strategy is to use " Qliphort Scout " to gain card advantage , allowing Pendulum Summoning a number of " Qli " monsters . The effects of " Qliphort Carrier " and " Qliphort Helix " trigger when being Tributed , so by using them to Tribute Summon " Qliphort Disk " , " Qliphort Shell " or the aces of the archetype : " Apoqliphort Towers " and " Apoqliphort Skybase " , which resist card effects of any kind ( with the exception of Continuous Effects ) , can generate further Field Advantage . " Qli " Decks support Tribute Summon , therefore they can put to use the " Monarch " series , which , depending on which Monarchs are used , can cripple the opponent in various ways . The Egyptian God Cards can also prove useful in this deck under certain situations , due to the tribute fodder provided . However , a Normal Summon can only be conducted once per turn . Hence to avoid potential Dead draws , " Monarch " monsters are rarely seen in decks for competitive plays . " Performapal Trampolynx " is a very good support for " Qliphort Scout " . Its ability allows an extra search per turn and access to Special Summon non - " Qli " monsters like " Abyss Dweller " to grant extra powers against the opponent . Spell Cards such as " Summoner ' s Art " , " Saqlifice " and " Pot of Duality " contribute to searching the key card " Qliphort Scout " . " Odd - Eyes Pendulum Dragon " is capable of searching either " Qliphort Scout " or " Performapal Trampolynx " with a drawback of one - turn delay . The defense line mainly consists Trap Cards that either wipe off opponents ' monsters or prevent them from expanding . " Skill Drain " can dramatically increase the Damage output from " Qli " monsters and lockdown opponent ' s field monster effects . " Laser Qlip " is also worth including , as not only does it allow you to Normal Summon another " Qli " monster in addition to your regular Normal Summon each turn , it also prevents your opponent from negating the Normal Summons of your " Qli " monsters . Other powerful Trap Cards like " Vanity ' s Emptiness " and " Torrential Tribute " are suggested as well since " Qli " monsters have a fairly high ATK with the support of " Saqlifice " and returns to the Extra Deck when sent to the Graveyard , thus can be brought back to the field by Pendulum Summoning . A useful two card combination in any Deck that can destroy it ' s own Pendulum Scales with effects like " Sky Iris " , " Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer " or any of the " Metalfoes " Monster Scale - effects after using the search effect " Qliphort Scout " for " Qliphort Monolith " for defensive Wall or a Rank 5 Xyz Monster , usually " Cyber Dragon Nova " into " Cyber Dragon Infinity " . Especially if running " Summoner ' s Art " . Weaknesses . Due to the fact that " Qli " Decks rely heavily on " Qliphort Scout " , a simple floodgate is to use cards with effects that can remove opponent ' s face - up Spell cards , such as " Mystical Space Typhoon " , " Spell Shattering Arrow " , " Fairy Wind " , and in worse case scenario , " Cosmic Cyclone " . These cards can also counter opponent ' s " Skill Drain " or " Vanity ' s Emptiness " , which are common and can be fatal to certain decks if not dealt with . Cards like " Prohibition " , " Thunder King Rai - Oh " , " Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell " , and " Mask of Restrict " that prohibits either the use of " Qliphort Scout " or Tribute Summon are effective as well , but they become futile once the opponent has already set up a field . " Dimensional Barrier " can prove problematic if it ' s activated at the correct time , can prevent you from Pendulum Summoning that turn or prevent you from using " Qli " monster effects for the turn , but it ' s no problem to your " Qli " Pendulum Monsters ' ATK . When playing a " Qli " Deck , be aware of threats such as " Mystical Space Typhoon " and " Bottomless Trap Hole " . It is suggested that before extending , clear the opponent ' s backrow as many as possible by using cards like " Night Beam " , which counters free - chain cards such as " Mystical Space Typhoon " and " Sinister Shadow Games " . You could also use " Localized Trunade " to temporarily clear your opponent ' s face - down Spells and Traps . " Qlimate Change " ( can be searched by " Qliphort Scout " ) returns up to 3 face - up " Qli " monsters in the Extra Deck to hand and can be fairly effective when the opponent is focusing on destroying cards in Pendulum Zones . While " Towers " and " Skybase " are the trump cards of this deck , owing to their immunity to almost all card effects , they are still vulnerable to Continuous Effects . Monsters such as " Destiny HERO - Plasma " can shut these cards down completely , as it not only negates opposing Monster Effects , it can also equip an opponent ' s monster to itself , providing it with an ample ATK boost . Link monsters can also bypass the immunity of the " Apoqliphort " monsters , such as " Firewall Dragon " by simply returning them to the hand . It is also interesting to note that usual Machine counters like " Chimeratech Fortress Dragon " , while ineffective against most of the deck , can still be used against the " Apoqliphort " monsters because they are not Pendulum Monsters . " Crimson Blader " is also a major threat , because when it destroys a monster , the opponent cannot Normal or Special Summon Level 5 or higher monsters that turn . As per New Master Rules , this deck suffers from losing its Tribute fodder provided by Pendulum Summon ing as only one Tribute ( two with " Qliphort Genius " ) can be recovered from the Extra Deck at a time , and activating cards in the Pendulum Zones limits the use of Spell & Trap Zones . This can be mitigated somewhat with " Qlimate Change " .