Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord, the defensive mainstay of Galaxy, has countless unique interactions to discuss. To preface, Photon Lord has three effects:

1. If this card has a "Photon" card as material, it cannot be destroyed by card effects.
2. When an opponent's monster activates its effect (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card; negate that monster's effect, and if the detached material was a "Galaxy" card, destroy that card.
3. During your opponent's turn (Quick Effect): You can take 1 "Photon" or "Galaxy" card from your Deck, and either add it to your hand or attach it to this card as material.

The Materials

The materials you make Lord with matter. It wants at least one Photon and one Galaxy; one for protection and one to destroy what it negates. Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon fulfills both needs at once, as does the xyz monster Galaxy Photon Dragon which can be ranked up into Lord using Eternal Galaxy.

While you should strive to make Lord with one Photon and one Galaxy, it may not always be possible. In a pinch, Lord can use its third effect to attach better materials to itself. If it is missing a Photon, it can attach one in response to an effect like Raigeki. If it is missing a Galaxy, it can attach one in the Draw Phase before the opponent activates any monster effects. Notably - if you know there is an important monster in the opponent's Extra Deck to steal with Galaxy Hundred like Number 41: Bagooska the Terribly Tired Tapir, and have no other way to trigger it - you can attach Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon to provide one.

Should you require it, there are options to attach that go plus, offsetting the lack of a search.

1. Photon Jumper: Searches a Spell or Trap upon hitting the GY.
2. Photon Emperor: Summons itself and grants a bonus normal summon upon hitting the GY.
3. Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon: Summons a Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from the hand or deck when detached, which can trigger Galaxy Hundred.
4. Galaxy Cyclone: Can be banished from the GY to destroy a face-up Spell or Trap card.

Finally, in some grind scenarios, the attach effect can replenish the negates of a Lord without material. This can even refill a Lord summoned from the GY with the effect of Galaxy Summoner.

The Search

While the attach effect is handy, adding a card to your hand on the opponent's turn is far more common. Search targets include Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon to discard off Galaxy-Eyes Solflare Dragon, follow-ups for the next turn like Galaxy Summoner, and archetypal hand traps like Photon Jumper. Jumper also makes decent discard fodder.

If given the option, is it better to use Lord's search on discard fodder or follow-up?

While the answer is usually, "search whichever you don't have, or if you have neither, wait and see", there is more to it. Consider the following scenario:

Your end board is Lord and Solflare. With Solflare's effect, you have the choice of adding follow-up (Galaxy Wizard / Summoner) or discard fodder (Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon) from your GY to your hand. Which is the right choice?

Usually the better choice is securing follow-up; if both Lord and Solflare are crushed by a surprise board breaker before Lord's search, having follow-up in hand already is better. But if you have knowledge of the opponent's deck or know they are siding against you, it goes deeper.

Some reasons to secure follow-up and use Lord's search on discard fodder:

1. Gives you comeback potential if your entire board is outed or negated before the search.
2. If your opponent does not do anything that warrants a Solflare pop and instead sets cards, you can search additional follow-up or backrow disruption during the End Phase.

Some reasons to secure discard fodder and use Lord's search on follow-up:

1. Preserves more copies of Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon in your deck, which can be important for resolving both Solflare's discard and Galaxy-Hundred's trigger, unless you have Starliege Photon Blast Dragon to reuse one. This can help third turn Afterglow plays.
2. If you know the opponent has cards which punish monster effects or normal summons, searching Galaxy Trance off Lord makes a harder to interrupt play than using a monster added off Solflare.

This is just the surface. Making educated guesses on what kind of disruption the opponent is playng, such as Kaijus, Dark Ruler No More, or Kurikara Divincarnate, affects the answer as well. On that note...

The Timing

Photon Lord's search can occur any time on the opponent's turn. Depending on what you predict is in the opponent's hand, the ideal moment changes. This tests your knowledge of the metagame.

Reasons to search in the Draw Phase:

1. Immediately makes Solflare's pop live if it is not already, which can help against monsters with on-summon effects.
2. Delays the period until Triple Tactics Talent is live.
3. Ensures your search before spell speed 1 board breakers like Dark Ruler No More.
4. Does not enable Droll & Lock Bird, which can help if Photon Jumper is present to search again later in the turn.

Reasons to search immediately after using Lord's negate:

1. Secures a search before Lord is tributed by Kurikara Divincarnate.

Reasons to to wait as long as possible:

1. Allows you to react to the situation and search the ideal follow-up card rather than guessing.
2. Keeps your opponent in the dark about your hand, and can surprise them by fetching Solflare discard fodder.
3. Allows you to search even if the opponent has Infinite Impermanence or similar interruption they can chain to Lord's negate.
4. Can add Photon Jumper or Galactikuriboh to handle unexpected Battle Phase emergencies.
5. Delays the period until Triple Tactics Thrust is live and can avoid it entirely by searching during the End Phase if no monster effects were used.

The Transformation

Though it may be a sturdy wall, Photon Lord can be ranked up into Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Photon Dragon or Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Blade Dragon to transition to offense. This is an effective way make a push, as well as detach materials with floating effects or load the GY.

Of course, the commitment this option takes - losing all the protective effects of Lord - is not to be taken lightly. Awareness is key when choosing the moment to overlay.

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Whenever Nibiru, the Primal Being is a meta threat, it deserves respect. Galaxy is a deck which can play through Nibiru with a reasonable hand, but makes compromises to do so. In general, there are three approaches:

1. Hold Trance

The simplest method is to secure Galaxy Trance (or a way to search it) early on, then perform your regular combo. Trance will be used as backup in case of a Nibiru attempt. The Nibiru token can be used as material for Galaxy-Eyes Solflare Dragon, so depending on what effects were used yet, it is possible to end on more than just a rank 8.

Additionally, should you opt for a Cipher X combo, Infinite Impermance or Effect Veiler can be forced out early to interfere with a Nibiru double handtrap gambit. Holding Trance is a strong and common route.

2. Early Lord

Making Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord to negate Nibiru within five summons is not difficult in Galaxy. However, doing so reduces the ceiling of your combo, so you must analzye your hand and determine if a sufficiently strong board can be constructed this way. Important GY targets can become stuck as xyz material, and there may be fewer opportunities to trigger Galaxy Hundred.

Ways to put xyz material on the field early include Galaxy Wizard, Photon Emperor, Galaxy Expedition, Galaxy Brave revealing a level 8 monster, Galaxy Summoner summoning a Wizard or level 8, and even an early Galaxy Trance. Bujinki Ahashima is also an option. The challenge lies in setting up plays after.

3. Premature Lord

Surprsingly, making Lord in 6-7 summons is sometimes ideal.

Depending on when the opponent uses Nibiru - either immediately after you summon 5 monsters, or close to where your combo ends - the damage varies, and holding Trance is not foolproof. Should you have enough gas to push through a Nibiru attempt, it may be worthwhile making Lord after 5 summons but before you commit to full combo.

The level manipulation effect of Galaxy Photon Dragon also lends itself to making Lord around this time. As a deck of extenders, ideal Galaxy lines cannot always be generalized.

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Galaxy Summoner is one of the most versatile turn 3 follow-up cards in Galaxy. Even with no other cards in hand, it can set up a variety of boards or OTKs depending on the cards in your GY, deck, and Extra Deck.

Summoner revive Wizard

Summoner can revive Galaxy Wizard from the GY, which can then search Galaxy Trance or Numbers Last Hope for a one card Rank 8. This is the simplest but least flexible play.

Summoner revive Soldier

This play puts Bujinki Ahashima to use. Revive Galaxy Soldier from the GY and add Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon to your hand (or a different level 8 monster if it is already in the GY). Summoner then makes Soldier level 4, allowing you to link into Ahashima and make a Rank 8 using monsters from your hand and GY.

A Prime OTK can be achieved this way even if all copies of Afterglow are in the GY. Ahashima can also destroy Spell and Trap cards should you opt to climb into Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Photon Dragon instead. Ahahsima, Full Armor, and a Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon summoned off Afterglow can attack for 8500 damage total. Optionally, protect yourself from floating effects which target by making Cipher X first.

Summoner into Galaxy Photon Dragon

Should you have an additional Galaxy Photon Dragon in your Extra Deck, reviving any monster with Summoner - particularly Galaxy Soldier, Photon Emperor or Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon - makes setting up most boards possible. There are too many potential routes to count.

Summoner into Utopia Rising

The strongest one-card follow up. After summoning a high value card like Galaxy Soldier or Photon Emperor, Summoner can re-level them to 4 and make Number 39: Utopia Rising. By reviving Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord from the GY with Rising and instantly giving it material, this route can OTK even under Nibiru, the Primal Being with a card or two to finish the play.

Even without additional cards, you can rank up the summoned Photon Lord into monsters such as Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Photon Dragon and detach material with floating effects to build an OTK. Remember that Utopia Rising can be linked into Galaxy-Eyes Solflare Dragon.

Summoner revive Photon Lord

Summoner can summon Photon Lord from the GY directly. Photon Lord can replenish its xyz materials during the opponent's turn, but it also can be used aggressively; ranking up into Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Photon Dragon and then Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Blade Dragon. This play has merit if you have other useful cards, as the ranked-up Lord can clear interrupts before your real OTK hits the board.

This is a weaker version of the Number 39: Utopia Rising play but without the Extra Deck requirement.

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Should you always choose Summoner as your follow-up card if possible?

Not necessarily. Against decks which punish normal summons or monster effect activations, using Spell cards such as Galaxy Trance or Numbers Last Hope is better. Summoner just boasts high overall versatility.

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