Hello all, I'm back after a short hiatus. As per request, I'll look at some of the Fusion support cards from DREV.
Synchro Fusionist
A card capable of tutoring Miracle Fusion, or even Overload Fusion, definitely has potential. However, its design is flawed: it must be used as a Synchro material, and it's not a Tuner itself, and it has an awkward Level (2) to pair with most of the most popular Tuners, Quickdraw Synchron excluded. DARK/Spellcaster is good, letting you use it with the shopworn Allure of Darkness and Dark Armed Dragon, and of course the spicier Apprentice Magician. Using it with Quickdraw for Nitro Warrior, or Junk Archer, is an interesting possibility, although Quickdraw-oriented decks will usually go for the more broken Drill Warrior, or Turbo Warrior.
Ultimate Psychkicker
This is more or less just a glorified Hyper Psychic Blaster. It has the added bonus of being indestructable by effects, but the weakness of still being vulnerable to Dimensional Prison or Brain Control. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this monster is how easily it can be Summoned via Gale Dogra: by dropping 3000-6000 LP, you can dump Psychics from your Extra Deck to set up a play with...
Miracle Synchro Fusion
Another Overload/Miracle clone, except for Fusions that require Synchros as materials. This is very useful for the negate-everything Naturia Fusion.
Paradox Fusion
A bit situational, this acts as a Solemn Judgment of sorts if you remove your Fusion from game for a few turns. Most decks won't have the ability to spam Fusions consistently, and hence this card will not be consistent enough.
As a whole, DREV is a very strong set. The new Counter Traps, namely Magnificient Dignity and Divine Warning, are extremely powerful and finally over some options to use against cards like Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame and Flamvell Firedog. They're also good arguments for the continued limitation of Solemn Judgment.
Pot of Greed and Generosity really overshadows the rest of the set, though. This card is insanely splashable and, imo, very good for the game since it grants greater consistency to many offbeat decktypes, while also having very reasonable restrictions.
--
Quickdraw won the first SJC/YCS of this format. The semi-limitation of Dandylion seems like a cruel joke by Konami, and a quasi-flashback to the old Goat Format of 2005; tokens are everywhere. This deck's immense range of options, its ability to uniquely exploit powerful Synchros like Drill Warrior, Turbo Warrior, Nitro Warrior, and Junk Archer, really sets it apart. Soon, it will also add the incredible Junk Destroyer to is arsenal, which ought to further cement its status as one of the best, most skill-intensive decks of the format.
--
The exclusives for TSHD are out of hand. The X-Saber monsters, in particular, elevate an already competitive deck to a ridiculous plateau. Rescue Cat can now go into X-Saber Airbellum + XX-Saber Darksoul for an instant XX-Saber Hyunlei, allowing you to claim Hyunlei's Harpie's Feather Duster-esque effect AND search for any X-Saber monster from your Deck in the End Phase, via Darksoul's effect.
Snyffus also has a lot of potential to demonstrate further how ridiculous multiple Dandylion is. And Infernity Barrier, I've already covered...
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Neo-Flamvells
As per request, I'll take a look at the Neo-Flamvell monsters. Have been meaning to get around to this for a while now.
Overall, the Neo Flamvell monsters are another array of quirky effect which can be toolboxed via the broken Flamvell Firedog and Rekindling. Shaman, Garuda, and Hedgehog provide solid Graveyard disruption, while Sabre can be a pseudo-Cyber Dragon in the early game.
Hedgehog is definitely the most notable of the bunch; it's a level 3 Tuner which can easily supplant Flamvell Archer in the typical Flamvell lineup. It also has some spicy combos with Goka, the Pyre of Malice; you can use Goka's effect, i.e. destroying Hedgehog by an effect, to effectively toolbox any of the Flamvell monsters from your Graveyard. I can see potential in a build with Rykos, Card Trooper, etc., and maybe even Mezuki/Book of Life/Pyramid Turtle to further support Goka itself.
The Neo Flamvells also come with Ancient Flamvell Deity, a 200 DEF Synchro which also disrupts the Graveyard and can be revived by Rekindling. Overall, the theme is a solid contribution to an already solid theme, and another indication that Rekindling itself will likely need to hit the list sometime in the near future. It's just a ridiculous card that will only grow in power with each passing set.
Funny how that FIRE, once a scoffed-at attribute, is now arguably the best attribute in YGO.
Overall, the Neo Flamvell monsters are another array of quirky effect which can be toolboxed via the broken Flamvell Firedog and Rekindling. Shaman, Garuda, and Hedgehog provide solid Graveyard disruption, while Sabre can be a pseudo-Cyber Dragon in the early game.
Hedgehog is definitely the most notable of the bunch; it's a level 3 Tuner which can easily supplant Flamvell Archer in the typical Flamvell lineup. It also has some spicy combos with Goka, the Pyre of Malice; you can use Goka's effect, i.e. destroying Hedgehog by an effect, to effectively toolbox any of the Flamvell monsters from your Graveyard. I can see potential in a build with Rykos, Card Trooper, etc., and maybe even Mezuki/Book of Life/Pyramid Turtle to further support Goka itself.
The Neo Flamvells also come with Ancient Flamvell Deity, a 200 DEF Synchro which also disrupts the Graveyard and can be revived by Rekindling. Overall, the theme is a solid contribution to an already solid theme, and another indication that Rekindling itself will likely need to hit the list sometime in the near future. It's just a ridiculous card that will only grow in power with each passing set.
Funny how that FIRE, once a scoffed-at attribute, is now arguably the best attribute in YGO.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Turbo Dragons
3 Totem Dragon
3 Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon
3 Blue-Eyes White Dragon
3 The White Stone of Legend
2 Debris Dragon
2 Light and Darkness Dragon
2 Phantom Dragon
2 Red-Eyes Wyvern
3 Cards of Consonance
3 Trade-In
2 Enemy Controller
1 Brain Control
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Future Fusion
1 Scapegoat
1 Foolish Burial
3 Dust Tornado
2 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
1 Call of the Haunted
3 Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon
3 Blue-Eyes White Dragon
3 The White Stone of Legend
2 Debris Dragon
2 Light and Darkness Dragon
2 Phantom Dragon
2 Red-Eyes Wyvern
3 Cards of Consonance
3 Trade-In
2 Enemy Controller
1 Brain Control
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Future Fusion
1 Scapegoat
1 Foolish Burial
3 Dust Tornado
2 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
1 Call of the Haunted
Return
I have been pretty busy recently, but now that I've gotten some things with my career/schooling out of the way, I'm ready to blog some more again.
I want to tip my hat to Jae Kim, whose recent posts on open vs. closed games (found at pojo.com), and on the opening turn (found at go-ygo.com) are premium insights into advanced YGO strategy. His article about open/closed games, and what style players aim at with certain archetypes, really struck me. It spurred me to reevaluate my long-time project, the Alien deck. I have revised it recently and now have the following list:
3 Alien Ammonite
3 Alien Grey
3 Alien Warrior
3 Alien Dog
2 Alien Telepath
1 Alien Overlord
2 Krebons
1 Chaos Sorcerer
1 Sangan
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Brain Control
3 Code A Ancient Ruins
3 Mysterious Triangle
1 Swords of Revealing Light
1 Foolish Burial
1 Emergency Teleport
1 One for One
1 Burden of the Mighty
1 Solemn Judgment
2 Trap Stun
2 Fiendish Chain
1 Starlight Road
1 Call of the Haunted
Aliens are definitely an archetype that thrives in a "closed" game, i.e., one with a heavy investment in the field from both players, and typically large hand resources with a variety of choices. Continuous cards like Code A, Burden, Swords, and Chain can create tense game-states in which your opponent's options are limited, and in which you have time to accrue ample resources to make your push. Alien Grey/Code in tandem let you filter cards almost for free, while reviving an Alien monster. Krebons contributes two aspects to the deck: its stall effect lets you play out of mediocre hands and set up your combos, while its synergy with Teleport lets you turn Mysterious Triangle and Alien Telepath in particular into devastating cards. Being able to clear a backrow with Telepath, or a monster with Triangle, then follow it up with Krebons into Goyo, can be a back-breaking play.
Krebons is also a DARK for the perennially broken Chaos Sorcerer, who gets the nod in here even with only 4 other DARKs. Sorcerer is an amazing out to Stardust Dragon, any other Synchro, or a boss monster like Judgment Dragon. It can be synced with Krebons for your own LV8, including even Dark End Dragon, or with Ammonite for Arcanite Magician (a card usually only seen in Synchro Cat) or the game-ending Ancient Sacred Wyvern. Sorc can occasionally be dead in hand, but its power once it hits the field is undeniable and often game-shifting.
The unorthodox Trap lineup here attempts to bolster the overall strategy of exploding a complex game state. One for one removal, like Bottomless Trap Hole or Dimensional Prison, is eschewed for options that can work with Gol'gar (Chain), protection for those options and for our Spells (Road, Solemn), and a pair of Trap Stuns. Remember we want to leave some opponent's monsters on the field so as to have the option of exploiting any and all A-Counters placed on them by our effects. Stun helps us to circumvent problem cards like the pestilent Royal Oppression, or the aforementioned BTH. A Stun play into Gol'gar/Chaos is often just monumental.
I have not often been a fan of Alien Overlord, but it gets the nod here due to the extra support afforded it by Chaos and the Psychic engine. Its LV6 and thus can be synced with Krebons for a powerful LV8, esp. Stardust to protect our infrastructure. As a DARK, it supports Chaos, and overall, it gives us some more options.
My next article will look at Neo-Flamvells, as per request.
I want to tip my hat to Jae Kim, whose recent posts on open vs. closed games (found at pojo.com), and on the opening turn (found at go-ygo.com) are premium insights into advanced YGO strategy. His article about open/closed games, and what style players aim at with certain archetypes, really struck me. It spurred me to reevaluate my long-time project, the Alien deck. I have revised it recently and now have the following list:
3 Alien Ammonite
3 Alien Grey
3 Alien Warrior
3 Alien Dog
2 Alien Telepath
1 Alien Overlord
2 Krebons
1 Chaos Sorcerer
1 Sangan
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Brain Control
3 Code A Ancient Ruins
3 Mysterious Triangle
1 Swords of Revealing Light
1 Foolish Burial
1 Emergency Teleport
1 One for One
1 Burden of the Mighty
1 Solemn Judgment
2 Trap Stun
2 Fiendish Chain
1 Starlight Road
1 Call of the Haunted
Aliens are definitely an archetype that thrives in a "closed" game, i.e., one with a heavy investment in the field from both players, and typically large hand resources with a variety of choices. Continuous cards like Code A, Burden, Swords, and Chain can create tense game-states in which your opponent's options are limited, and in which you have time to accrue ample resources to make your push. Alien Grey/Code in tandem let you filter cards almost for free, while reviving an Alien monster. Krebons contributes two aspects to the deck: its stall effect lets you play out of mediocre hands and set up your combos, while its synergy with Teleport lets you turn Mysterious Triangle and Alien Telepath in particular into devastating cards. Being able to clear a backrow with Telepath, or a monster with Triangle, then follow it up with Krebons into Goyo, can be a back-breaking play.
Krebons is also a DARK for the perennially broken Chaos Sorcerer, who gets the nod in here even with only 4 other DARKs. Sorcerer is an amazing out to Stardust Dragon, any other Synchro, or a boss monster like Judgment Dragon. It can be synced with Krebons for your own LV8, including even Dark End Dragon, or with Ammonite for Arcanite Magician (a card usually only seen in Synchro Cat) or the game-ending Ancient Sacred Wyvern. Sorc can occasionally be dead in hand, but its power once it hits the field is undeniable and often game-shifting.
The unorthodox Trap lineup here attempts to bolster the overall strategy of exploding a complex game state. One for one removal, like Bottomless Trap Hole or Dimensional Prison, is eschewed for options that can work with Gol'gar (Chain), protection for those options and for our Spells (Road, Solemn), and a pair of Trap Stuns. Remember we want to leave some opponent's monsters on the field so as to have the option of exploiting any and all A-Counters placed on them by our effects. Stun helps us to circumvent problem cards like the pestilent Royal Oppression, or the aforementioned BTH. A Stun play into Gol'gar/Chaos is often just monumental.
I have not often been a fan of Alien Overlord, but it gets the nod here due to the extra support afforded it by Chaos and the Psychic engine. Its LV6 and thus can be synced with Krebons for a powerful LV8, esp. Stardust to protect our infrastructure. As a DARK, it supports Chaos, and overall, it gives us some more options.
My next article will look at Neo-Flamvells, as per request.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)