Suship Core Engine Package

The Gunkan Suship engine package is the smallest set of cards that still produces Rank 4 and Rank 5 boards with search advantage. Every list on the builds hub—whether competitive or budget—is a wrapper around this core: monsters that summon and equip, spells that attach toppings, traps that search on summon, and three xyz ships that convert equipped bodies into wins. Understanding ratios lets you trim fat when side decking or splashing another strategy without breaking core combo lines.

Monster ratios

Gunkan Suship Shari ×3 — Maximum copies. Shari starts chains, special summons from deck, and supplies Level 4 material. Cutting Shari is the fastest way to brick.

Gunkan Suship Shari Red ×2 — Bridge card that equips toppings from deck. One copy works on strict budgets; two is standard for competitive lists.

Gunkan Suship Shirauo ×2 — Going-first negate toppings. Drop to one if you main deck more OTK tools and side into interaction.

Gunkan Suship Uni ×2 — Removal and Rank 5 enabler. One copy minimum; two preferred when Uni-class Dreadnought is in Extra Deck.

Gunkan Suship Ikura ×1–2 — OTK-focused topping. One suffices in interaction-heavy metas; two for duelists prioritizing going-second OTK.

Total monster count for pure engine: 10–11 Gunkan monsters before hand traps. Compare card text on the main deck guide when adjusting.

Spell ratios

Gunkan Sushipyard ×3 — Field spell that equips toppings from hand. Two is acceptable budget minimum; three is competitive default.

Gunkan Suship Daily Special ×1–2 — Quick-play equip for when Sushipyard is missing or destroyed.

Painful Decision ×0–1 — Sends Shari to search Shari; luxury consistency covered on spells and traps.

Trap ratios

Gunkan Suship Catch-of-the-Day ×3 — Non-negotiable search engine on summon. Never side below two in main deck for serious play.

Extra Deck xyz package

Gunkan Suship Ikura-class Dreadnought ×1–2 — Primary OTK outlet.

Gunkan Suship Shirauo-class Light Carrier ×1–2 — Going-first interactive body.

Gunkan Suship Uni-class Dreadnought ×1 — Rank 5 finisher when Uni is equipped.

Optional generic Rank 4 ×1 if not running pure engine in Extra Deck guide builds.

Sample 40-card skeleton

Monsters (11): 3 Shari, 2 Red, 2 Shirauo, 2 Uni, 1 Ikura, 1 flex hand trap monster if needed.

Spells (4–5): 3 Sushipyard, 1 Daily Special, 0–1 Painful Decision.

Traps (3): 3 Catch.

Hand traps (12–15): Ash, Imperm, Veiler, Nibiru, etc. per collection.

Flex (6–9): Second Daily Special, extra hand traps, or sixth topping.

This skeleton leaves room to tune without touching engine minimums.

Engine plus staples math

When building, add staples only after the engine package totals are met. Missing one Catch hurts more than missing one Ash Blossom. The budget guide craft order reflects this math.

Side decking the engine

You may side out one Shari Red or one Ikura in matchups where OTK is unrealistic, but avoid siding below two Shari in main—opening hands collapse. Side in board breakers instead of cutting Catch.

Combo dependency map

Double Shari plus Sushipyard plus Catch supports Carrier end boards (going first). Shari Red plus Uni plus Sushipyard supports Uni Dreadnought (core lines). Ikura plus double Shari supports Dreadnought OTK (going second). If your ratios cannot support all three routes, pick two and practice them exclusively for a week.

Cross-archetype considerations

Splash engines that consume Normal Summon compete with Shari. If you add a non-Gunkan starter, reduce hand traps or toppings—not Shari or Catch. Hybrid builds are advanced; master pure ratios first via the card list hub and combos hub.

Quick reference table

For deck-building sessions, treat 3 Shari / 3 Catch / 3 Sushipyard as locked slots, 2 Red / 2 Shirauo / 2 Uni as default toppings, and 1–2 Ikura as the OTK knob you tune for your bracket. Extra Deck minimum is one Ikura-class Dreadnought, one Shirauo-class Light Carrier, and one Uni-class Dreadnought before any generic xyz. Anything above those floors is comfort, not requirement—except in ranked, where the second Carrier or Dreadnought copy saves games against single Impermanence answers.