In light of the (not so) recent Nisekoi chapter, I mustered up enough dedication to write up an article about a Nisekoi deck devoid of any Onodera.

In this article, I will talk about two variations of the Weapon/Daughter build, going through every single card and its place in the deck. I will also discuss cards that didn’t make the cut but are worth bringing up.

Chitoge and Tsugumi fans:

Weapon/Daughter?

A deck built around Tsugumi, Chitoge, and Paula. 98% of their cards belong in these two traits, and most of them synergize well with each other. (the 2%)

When Nisekoi first came out, the Weapon/Daughter build (henceforth W/D) was a deck that heavily relied on drawing well, and on bursting over your opponent while having little to no defensive options.

The extra booster provided W/D two critical keys to success that the deck struggled with previously: a brainstorm that can search out both Tsugumi and Chitoge, and a costless 2k counter designed to be used exclusively in W/D.

Without further ado, let’s jump right into it. (I’ll be referring to Tsugumi as Tsugumi, cause who calls her Seishirou anyways?)

Weapon/Daughter + Pendants

Let’s take a quick look at the deck before we go into individual card discussion. The first thing you might notice is the distinct lack of 3/2 Onodera in a build with pendants. She’s off color and off trait, so trying to fit her in is futile at best. In this deck, the pendants have the sole purpose of activating Marika’s burn effect, and enough red is splashed into the deck to comfortably accommodate Marika and gate triggers. The primary colors during level 1 are yellow and green, with yellow during level 2 and red during level 3. Therefore, leveling from X.6 usually proceeds from green, to yellow, then finally red.



Level 0 (16):

1x Chitoge, First Love

This card’s primary job is to get yourself out of sticky climax screw situations through repeatable brainstorms. The power boost from hitting climaxes is also quite welcome in a deck that is fairly dependent on your Level 1 characters turning sideways and living to tell the tale. While its secondary effect of giving power is useful, I wouldn’t field this card in my backrow over Chitoge, Summer Colors in 90% of my games. Can occasionally replace the slot that the Paula brainstormer occupies, but it’s fairly infrequent and usually doesn’t occur until post-level 1.

2x Chibi Chitoge

Chibis are your go-to for retrieving Pendants of Promise from the Waiting Room, and thus come as a package in every Key-based Nisekoi build. Fortunately for us there’s only one Chibi to choose from, since RIP other girls Onodera and Marika cannot be searched for by Paula brainstorm or Tsugumi CC. Chibi Chitoge’s secondary effect of granting power during your own turn is arguably the most useful one anyways.

3x Chitoge, Summer Colors

Your staple backrow. The 1k boost from playing a climax is very welcome since your level 1 advantage engine utilizes +2 soul, which gives no power otherwise. Passively boosts Tsugumi to 6.5k and Paula/Chitoge to 7k so they can reach very respectable counter ranges with the 2k Tsugumi counter.

This card also acts as much needed color fixing for yellow, which is why I would advice people to invest in this card over cheaper alternatives. Run this Chitoge if you must.

3x Paula McCoy

The card W/D decks asked for, and received. While boasting no additional effect other than search brainstorm compared to the Marika brainstormer, the primary effect itself is still enough to propel W/D to consistent viability. Every character in the deck (bar 3/2 Marika) is searchable through this card.

3x Seishirou, Dramatically Changed Looks!?

The preferred Level 0 beater/yellow fixing option in this deck. It’s not uncommon to field one of this turn 1, have it go unchecked, brainstorm your next turn and then play another one and have both still be 4.5k on defense. You should always be happy to see it opening hand.

Chitoge in Yukata is another option, but the hand encore just does not matter most of the time, and the requirement for its effects is often a hindrance to playing down backrow. In R/B/Y Nisekoi builds the Chitoge might be the preferred Level 0 yellow beater since Tsugumi is off-trait, but in W/D there is no such problem.

4x Chitoge, Surprising Side

Runners are good, reversers are good, having both on one card is even better. Although this card can only run to the middle slot, it’s still enough of an annoyance for your opponent to deal with. This deck’s Turn 1 plays are usually fantastic because of this card and the 4k Tsugumi. Primarily run as a 4-of as a means to color fix red.

Level 1 (14):

2x Chitoge, Peerless Beauty



My personal tech choice in this deck, though I would argue that this card is so good I would consider it a staple card in W/D.

This card has several functions. First, it offers a costless way to hand filter and discard climaxes pre-refresh. Second, it can help dig through your deck to fetch a climax in order to push for damage. Third, it offers a 1k boost to any of your Level 2 or higher characters, primarily effective with Chitoge, Pajama Party and Marika, Maiden’s Heart.

I use this card primarily for its first function. Unlike the R/B/Y build, this deck has few reliable ways to discard climaxes during the main phase, and there will simply be times where you clock and draw two climaxes. Having an answer to climax flood (which occurs more often than we’d like to think about) is key to salvaging an unfavorable deck state. This deck has neither a spammable handfilter brainstormer nor a drop searcher, which elevates this card’s necessity.

2x Paula, “White Fang” of Beehive

A generic costless beater which gains power from virtually every card in your deck. You’ll be placing more emphasis on keeping Paula instead of Tsugumi in your hand when you don’t draw +2 soul during the opening turns. Few things beat the relieved look on your opponent’s face when you field 3 Tsugumis and proceed to not play a climax. Don’t afford them that relief.

3x Seishirou, Future

The second most important card that came from the extra booster. No longer are you forced to run 1/1 2k counters or 1/0 off-trait vanilla counters, lest you want to see your field getting wiped turn after turn. Not only is this counter overstat, but it is searchable through the Paula brainstormer and Tsugumi climax combo.

Having two of these in your hand when you anticipate their Level 1 push often leads to outright victories through denial of advantage and the +soul you get on the swingback from direct attacks. If you don’t already have copies of this card in hand when you play +2 soul, your first thoughts should be immediately directed towards searching this card out. For the longest time this card stood as a playset, and it was only after the Pendant package was added that I had to cut this card down to 3.

It should be noted that the 2k power cannot be split (very few counters are on par with the likes of the famous Asuna, Lancer, and Rider counters). However, this also means that as long as you have any Chitoge, Tsugumi, or Paula on the field, you can give the whole 2k power to 3/2 Marika.

3x Chitoge, Weekend Date

The last gear to making W/D with pendants consistent: this offers an alternative game plan in case you don’t draw +2 soul. Although Pendants of Promise allow you to search for any Chitoge (and Marika), you will often find yourself searching for this card when you play a pendant during level 1 in order to play a full field of 6.5-7k attackers.

Since this Chitoge and 1/0 Paula offer very decent power levels it wouldn’t be crazy to simply hold a gate in your hand and push at Level 1 that way (assuming you get some mixture of colors at 1.3 or 1.4).

4x Seishirou, Girls’ Uniform

What a beautiful card. Extremely aggressive on the attack, replenishes your hand, and is above average on defense for a card which offers advantage. The +2 soul attached is really what pushes this combo over the edge, and why W/D is a legit and threatening option. The card boasts enough power (with the help of Chitoge, Summer Colors) to front attack comfortably, but the option is still there to side attack against walls.

Paying 1 cost for a guaranteed search can be viewed as both a plus and a minus, but in this deck I’d regard it as largely as a plus. This means that whether you get countered on front attack or simply side attack, you’ll get your search off either way. The deck generally has at least 1 free turn mid-game to recover the stock lost from using Pendants and this Tsugumi, so I’ve never found the stock cost to be a hindrance.

Level 2 (2):

1x Chitoge as Ghost

The best kind of anti-change counter is one that can sacrifice your own character, and it is very fortunate that the Nisekoi gods put the counter on Chitoge instead of the other Key-trait girls. Searchable through every search function this deck offers.

1x Chitoge, Great Style!

Provides huge offensive and defensive power to your level 3 lineup. This card’s value exponentially increases because of Chitoge, Pajama Party and Marika, Maiden’s Heart. It isn’t unheard of to field the early play Chitoge, play this card in the backrow, and have Chitoge live for the rest of the game. Not necessarily useful in every matchup, but a great go-to option for end-game power.

Level 3 (6):

1x ‘Murka, Maiden’s Heart

The reason why Pendants are in this deck. I’m sure I don’t have to talk about how good a card that gets four attacks on one body is.

There are several things to note, however. You actually need 2 or more other Key-trait characters for this card to activate the restand effect. I’m certain the vast majority of Nisekoi players aren’t actually aware of this trait restriction, but in W/D it just might come up. Fortunately, Chitoge occupies the rest of the Level 3 game, and you usually have at least one Chitoge in the backrow anyways. Has cute synergy with +2 soul in two scenarios: one where you play +2 soul and burn 1 side 1 on the restand, or one where you trigger +2 soul on the first attack and burn 1 side 1 on restand. Alternatively, you can front for 6 soul and then front for 8 soul (it’s happened before).

1x Chitoge, Maiden’s Heart

Another way to push for damage. Fielding this alongside Marika and the next Chitoge is pretty much a nightmare scenario for your opponent. Has cute synergy with +2 soul in that you can side for 1 and ping 1 if they cancel.

2x Chitoge, Deepened Friendship

Primarily played as a healer, this card also has the useful effect of gaining power and the ability to topdeck your opponent’s character on reverse. This card and Chitoge, Pajama Party will be your go-to cards when you don’t think the opponent can lose the turn you reach level 3. Be sure to play the board to engineer a situation where Marika receives a blood offer the next turn.

2x Chitoge, Pajama Party

While the top-check effect itself is nothing special, the fact that you can start abusing this card at level 2 is really what warrants this card’s inclusion in the deck. In a pendant-less W/D build it wouldn’t be uncommon to play two of these right when you hit level 2 and just sit on them all game. For this build in particular, dropping down Chitoge at level 2 becomes more of an option rather than a gameplan since the deck is that much more stock-intensive. You’re more likely to find yourself using a stock or two mid-game for pendants and brainstorms, and then saving stock for level 3 to drop down the Triple Threat of your other level 3s.

Events (4):

4x Pendant of Promise (1 Red/3 Yellow)

R/B/Y usually has a 2/2 pendant spread, but since this deck’s primary colors at level 1 are green and yellow, the red pendant loses value. I’d still run 1 because it’s the only way to retrieve Marika once she’s anywhere outside of the deck. The red pendant doubles as a discard outlet, but unlike the R/B/Y build red is usually not your focus until much later.

I’ve thought about using the green pendant and the 0/0 Tsugumi backrow that can fetch green cards from clock. Just let those dreams be dreams.

Climaxes:

4x “Closed Space”

The reason why you might consider this deck over standard Nisekoi. +2 soul advantage is always very potent, and the body this card combos with isn’t bad at all.

4x Feelings of Ten Years

Very much needed for the sake of running Marika, and useful for grabbing counters and other Level 3s. I’ve experimented with running a mix of wind triggers and gates, but the advantage you get from randomly triggering gates is much more valuable than any bounce effect you’d ever get off.

And there it is, the deck in all its Onodera-less glory. Now I’d like to discuss some other options this deck has, and why I decided not to include them.

Didn’t make Top Cut



Every. Green. Onodera. Card.

Besides the fact that Onodera is distinctly inferior to Chitoge incompatible with Paula and Tsugumi, the effects these cards have are mostly Key-oriented, and thus restrict a lot of their potential. Out of these cards I might test the Onodera drop searcher just for its utility, but that slot is fulfilled by the 1/0 Chitoge. Don’t be fooled by their color-compatibility, Onodera cards don’t belong in W/D.

Seishirou, Studying About Love

This card is a worse beater than both Chitoge 3.5k and the Tsugumi 4k. In this deck particularly, there are even more miss targets for its CIP effect with the presence of pendants. The only merit to run this card is for color-fixing green, but the deck has enough to comfortably get by.

Seishirou, Transfer Student and Seishirou, Summer Beach

The first Tsugumi possesses a rather common effect, and may be best recognized as that one card you see in Kantai builds . However, its usefulness is nowhere near that of the repair ship. W/D uses stock way too often to justify this card’s second effect, and at that point we’re just looking at a level 1 global 500 backrow, which is almost entirely worse than the level 0 Chitoge support.

The PR Tsugumi has the aforementioned 500 global boost, and also allows you to reduce an opponent’s front row character by 1k per stock. Not useful enough to justify slots. I will forgive you if you use this, though. It’s very pretty.

Tsugumya and Magical Gorilla Chitoge-chan

I’d run these cards if I could, based on how pretty they are. Unfortunately, Tsugumya’s pitiful defense makes running her a fruitless option. Your backrow will often be tapped from using brainstorm or red pendant anyways, so her power-boosting effect usually plays second fiddle to utility effects. Granted, she does have clock encore and is bondable through Gorilla-chan. However, this deck doesn’t actually want to clock itself outside of clocking for draw, and usually has no problems with handsize until late level 3. Simply not worth dedicating 6-7 slots for this duo.

On a side note, I have run 1-2 counts of just Gorilla-chan by herself for the CIP mill 3 effect, and they were actually very useful for throwing climaxes into the waiting room for a clean refresh. However, that role has since been partially fulfilled by the 1/0 Chitoge, and Gorilla has had its slots replaced in part by the pendant package.

Seishirou, Heart-Thumping

The advantage of running this card over the Chitoge level 3 support is that it provides power to everything in front of it, and can also give an additional boost in power to Chitoges, Tsugumis, and Paulas. The reason why I don’t run this card is that it provides a lower ceiling than the Chitoge support for your level 3 lineup, which is where you need to focus all your power. Your level 1 lineup will usually carry you through level 2 by themselves. In the case that Pajama Chitoge comes down early, the Chitoge support can be a constant +2k support even on the opponent’s turn. Protect your most valuable asset.

Also of note is that giving power to every front row card sometimes becomes a huge hindrance. Consider the following scenario: you are playing against Madoka and prepping to deny your opponent of reverse targets at Level 3, and all of a sudden your Chibi Chitoge is at 1.5k power and you can’t trade with her Kyoko Apples without making unnatural sacrifices.Weak-powered cards are a huge asset in the late game, being able to attack and leaving the slot open on the following turn.

Chitoge, Lovers!?

I actually think this card is very good. The ability to bounce 2 characters is quite annoying for your opponent, and is useful anytime from Level 2 to Level 3. The ability to target backrow and Level 3s is a big plus, and fielding this card with its corresponding climax usually leads to a disaster situation for your opponent.

The reason I choose not to run this card is because of the climax spread. Unlike R/B/Y where the second climax slot can be personal preference, in W/D I feel like there is no room for more than 1-2 of the wind trigger. I also don’t feel like the heavy stock cost is worth spending, and is better saved until level 3 for a huge burst, or for anti-change counter.

Seishirou, First Time Feeling

This Tsugumi isn’t too bad: in color, heals, and has a constant power boost. Unfortunately, this card doesn’t do enough in either the defense nor offense department. To top it off with a rather sour cherry, the lack of the Key trait at level 3 is a hindrance towards fulfilling 3/2 Marika’s restand requirement. This card is fine, even necessary, in a Tsugumi-based build, but for what we’ve brewed she is severely outclassed by other late game options.

Please don’t even consider the other Tsugumi level 3. No one deserves to suffer that much.

Marika, Active Girl

I’ve tested this card in the build before, and when this card comes into play it saves lives. However, running her at any less than a 2-count makes it too inconsistent in this deck, and there is simply no space for any more. The only way to fetch Marika is through pendants and gate triggers, and in both of those cases you’d rather get something else. Again, the 1/0 Chitoge manages to at least partially fill the void this card leaves.

(I have no problem running Marika cards. She is brave and honest. Unlike Onodera).

And that’s it! A breakdown of every card, their purpose in the deck, and possible options that you might consider. I hope everyone has found this article informative and provides an excuse to dig up that old Nisekoi stash and build some funky fresh decks.

“But wait! I don’t want to run pendants! That seems so clunky in a deck without 3/2 Onodera!” Well, you’re not entirely wrong. 3/2 Onodera is obscenely powerful and one of the main reasons why Nisekoi is so consistent and relevant at all levels of the game. That void is essentially replaced by brainstorming more, and getting searches through 1/0 Tsugumi. As you play matches with this deck there will be tough decisions on cards to search for, and whether to field that 3/2 Chitoge early or not. All of that comes down to game progression, and how long you think you have until you’re ready to plop down Marika. Repetition makes perfect.

“Okay, but can you provide me with a Weapon Daughter build that doesn’t run pendants? It doesn’t jive with my groove yo~.” Well…

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Weapon/Daughter sans Pendants

What’s the Difference?

This build is much more defensive than its pendant counterpart. There are 9 slots that are freed up by taking out the pendant package, allowing for higher numbers on other key cards and still enough space for tech options. Let’s look at the changes:

Out:

In:

The new addition to this build is Seishirou, Talented Hitman.

The 1-stock investment into this sticky powerhouse is more than affordable without the strain of the pendant engine, and will often score important reversals over multiple turns through its innate burst potential. It’s very easy to engineer a situation to swing over 10k with this card with a red climax and Chitoge, Summer Colors in the backrow. The only miss targets are Marika and climaxes, making its power check effect fairly reliable.

The Paula brainstormer takes on a much more important role in this build, hence the playset. You’ll most likely be finding yourself brainstorming every turn just because you can afford to, and because it’s a nice way to dig through your deck and pay out climaxes from stock. Given the defensive nature of this build, I often find myself not clocking the turn after I early play 3/2 Chitoge, and just brainstorming to search for what I need.

Chitoge, Pajama Party becomes one of the main gameplans of this build, and its count is bumped up to 3 accordingly. Reach level 2, drop 1-2 of them down, and proceed to cancel like a demon. The value of this card in this variation is dramatically higher, and becomes my primary search target once I populate my hand with at least 1 Tsugumi counter. I’ve never considered running 4 as the need should never arise to play more than 2 in a game, and correct hand management should always net you at least 1 by level 2. The fourth slot is better used elsewhere.

The antichange Chitoge counter has its count bumped up by 1 and you should not be afraid of using its antichange effect to kill off early drops—the deck can afford it, and contributes to its main gameplan of not taking damage. Denying a swing can be very advantageous to the damage race, even if you do lose one of your own characters in the process.



The Marika still stays because even without the burn effect, the card is still capable of finishing games through restanding. One more Chitoge, Maiden’s Heart is added to fill the void in offensive power should the need arise. Honestly speaking though, with this build I’ve used Marika much less often compared to the other build w/pendants. Can be replaced with another card of choice.

This build’s primary weakness is the significantly diminished finishing power, but makes up for it by having higher counts of key cards and possessing insane survivability through Chitoge, Pajama Party and liberally used antichange counters. I piloted a less-refined variation of this build to third place in Triple Crown Games’ Monthly Console Tournament, losing to a very competent Charlotte player.

Alright, this time I’m actually done. Thank you for reading this article! I’ve provided links to both decklists so that you can solitaire and get a feel for the decks without building the physical decks themselves. Feel free to leave a comment down below, thoughts and feedback appreciated.

Weapon/Daughter with Pendants

Weapon/Daughter w/o Pendants

Shoutouts to TTT for the format and content inspiration, HOTC for card translations, and Chapter 199 for inspiring the article itself. o/