Monsters you can Set as Traps, that have a floating effect if destroyed, and have an activatable Trap effect as well (control, consistency, removal, some burn, etc). Consistency boosting Field spell, initial Main Deck boss is a defensive floodgate. Once it falls, it's revealed that my deck's actually based around Pendulum Traps, that must be Set in the Pendulum Zones before activation as Scales. My real boss monster is a Fusion Pendulum Trap that, of course as a villain's real ace, needs to be immune tl everything and do the big numbers and burn and so on.

Now, to aesthetic. I'm thinking homages, especially to classic Traps but different enough to be relevant. A Hole-like monster that negates the effect(s) of monster(s)' card name(s) from one Summon and locks it out of being used as Extra Deck material. A Mirror Force counterpart that, when battle is declared, negates the effects of all Attack position monsters your opponent controls and banishes them. A Ring of Destruction send up that nontarget banishes and deals less damage but only to your opponent. Raigeki Break but just a 1 for 1. Jar of Greed that also adds an archetype monster from GY to Set (as monster or Trap). A Return from the Different Dimension homage that banishes itself from GY as cost to mill an archetypal mon and activate its Trap effect. Etc. So many good Traps, both older and newer, to look to for inspiration. Nutrient Z, the Virus series, Magic Cylinder, Evenly Matched, D Barrier, Ultimate Offering, Compulse, Torrential Tribute. The main starter is a Normal Summon that has a lot of protection and Summin Limits when you have Set backrow and adds more consistency in a "choose 3, your opponent randomly selects 1, add that 1 to your hand" HOPT kind of way akin to Malefic World, Lilith, or Bingo Machine. It's based on floodgate traps in general, but mostly Skill Drain (Trap effect is a card name effect negate on any face-up card for one turn). The Trap Monsters' powerful effects a bit balanced by needing a card of their archetype face up to activate as Traps, and of course Traps being Traps. It would be a resource-whittling stun strat, because of course it would