Number 10! Top 10 Synchro Monster Level 5 or less

Time to count the second generation of Extra Deck Monsters: Synchros. But unlike Fusions there are a lot of playble and decent Synchros and so I had decided to split the Synchro Countdown in 6 different categories.
Category One: Level 5 or less
Category Two: Level 6
Category Three: Level 7
Category Four: Level 8
Category Five: Level 9 or more
Category Six: Generic Synchros of any Level (only Synchros that require 1 Tuner + 1/2 or more Non-Tuner)

Now we begin with Category One, Counting the Top 10 Level 5 or less Synchros. Today's card is a Boss Monster from an overlooked Archetype: Aliens. So Number 10 is the not-so-famous Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar.

Even though I have not studied Aliens extensively, I can say that they can be a really fun Deck and Gol'gar is pretty good. He can only be summoned with Alien Ammonite as the Tuner but Ammonite's effect which allows you to summon a Level 4 or lower Alien makes the summon of this card a piece of cake. Also this cards effects are really good since Alien work well with a variety of Continuous Cards to fill the opponent's Monster with "A-Counters" or to use their effects and others like Grave of the Super-Ancient Organism or Fiendish Chain to stall the opponent's strong Monsters while their effects remain intact.

Number 10: Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar

So this card is great not only for recycling the effects of Continuous Spell Cards like Code A Ancient Ruins or Swords of Revealing Light and distribute "A" Counters to cards of the field, something crucial for the success of the Alien Deck. As you can see this card can work as a biggest and better version of Mist Valley Falcon since it can return cards if you want, as many as you want and can attack even without them. This means that all Falcon shenaningans that involve returning Spells or Traps to hand work here (and unlike Falcon, all in the same turn): Big Bang Shot to banish an opponent's Monster, Fiendish Chain to repeatedly lock opponent's Monsters, Call of the Haunted to use Monsters from Grave as Synchro or Xyz Materials once per turn. Plus once per turn it destroys an opponent's Monster at the cost of 2 Counters.

I have not build a Alien Deck but in order to do this mini-Article I have read their effects and a couple of Decklists and I can say that one of the best approaches to this Archetype (if not the best) is a Control Falcon-like Deck with this card as a main Monster and other cards that work well with it.

Card Review # 3: Synchro Fusionist

When I saw Synchro Fusionist at first, I said: Nah, a way to search Miracle Synchro Fusion in order to summon one of those Fusions that need a Synchro as a Material and thus encouraging those semi-anime and totally idiotic decks. But after a look in what it can search you will be surprised by it's potential especially since it is a target for Junk Synchron.

Let's see the targets of Synchro Fusionist's search one by one along with some possible combos:

-Miracle Fusion/Super Polymerization/Fusion Gate
This stuff is awesome! But all these card are awesome in HERO Decks that do not rely into Synchro Summon a lot and if one wants to add Synchro Fusionist in order to search them, he will have to make some huge changes to both decklist and playstyle.

-Miracle Synchro Fusion
 This was the card that Sycnhro Fusionist was designed to work with. Despite having some good combos (for example: Summon T.G. Hyper Librarian with Junk Synchron plus Synchro Fusionist and when Librarian dies use Miracle Synchro Fusion to banish Librarian and Synchro Fusionist and summon Supreme Arcanite Magician),the problem here is that there are no good Fusion Monsters that require Synchro Monsters as their Material that can work with a similiar combo like the above and worth the effort.

-Instant Fusion
This card may do not seem like much but it really pulls some great combos if you used Junk Synchron to Special Summon Synchro Fusionist and then you Synchro for a Level 5 and getting this card. With this you can summon a Level 5 Fusion Monster and use both the Synchro and the Fusion as Xyz Materials for a Rank 5 Xyz Monster. If you haven't take a look in the Rank 5 Xyz Monsters already, I assure you, this Rank has some of the most powerful Xyz: 1)Tiras, Keeper of Genesis is powerful card immune to destruction by card effects plus it destroys a card every time it battles 2) Adreus, Keeper of Armaggedon destroys a card every turn simply by detaching a Xyz Material 3) Number 61: Volcasaurus destroys once per turn an opponent's Monster AND it inflicts damage to the opponent equal to the destroyed Monster's original Attack. And if you happen to have a Level 5 Monster on the field already you can summon Heavy Machinery King Doboku Zaku, a Rank 5 Xyz Monster that needs 3 Xyz Material and every turn you mill 3 cards from the opponent's deck and for every Monster milled you get to destroy a card of the opponent!


-Future Fusion
 One of the best searches of Synchro Fusionist is obviously Future Fusion. This card has so many combos in so many decks I would need a day to describe them all. Some of the major ones:
-In a Dragon Deck reveal Five-Headed Dragon and send 5 Dragons to the Grave. You can send 3 White Stone of the Legend to get a plus 3 or send some good targets for Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon or just send Totem Dragon and use it's effect.
-In a Machine Deck you can reaveal Chimeratech Overdragon and send as many Machines as possible and then use Overload Fusion (also searchable by Synchro Fusionist) to summon Overdragon and perform an One Turn Kill. This combo can be used even further by sending 3 Jinzo-Returners and 3Jinzos to the Graveyard with Future Fusion. With this you will have three Jinzos until the End Phase to negate the back row and deal some Damage (easily an OTK). Unfortunately if you bring Chimeratech Overdragon, he will destroy the Jinzos.
-In an Elemental HERO Deck this is a Foolish Burial that can send a Hero and any Monster to the Graveyard simply by revealing the correct Omni-Hero. I will not tell much for the possible combos here since this will be the base for December's or January's Deck Profile (just a hint: Quasar).

-Dimension Fusion
If you are playing this game for a long time or you have studied the Traditional Format even a bit, you will know that Dimension Fusion is one of the most fatal cards in the History of Yu-Gi-Oh!. Infamous Decks like Dark Armed Return, Diamond Dude Turbo, Dimension Fusion FTK,  Chaos Return, Kuraz-Blade Turbo, The Beginning of the End Turbo and tons of others focus on creating game winning situation through this card. Even though Synchro Summon is kind of limited in the modern Traditional Format (where Dimension Fusion and all these Decks can be used), Synchro Fusionist can be used in order to search for Dimension Fusion with tremendous consistency considering all the speed Traditional Format offers.

All in all, Synchro Fusionist is a seriously underestimated card that can help in searching key cards in many Decks and it can combo really well with Junk Synhron since it gives a instant plus one and can help further the combos.

Thanks for reading and till next time
-Eatos

Top 1! Top 10 Fusion Monsters

From all the Fusion Monsters ever printed for this game there is one that steals the spotlight from all others for it's awesome effects, the great combos it produces with other cards and it's place in the Ban List. I am talking of course about Thousand-Eyes Restrict.

Back in time this card was used in the Deck known as Goat Control, in which the player used to tribute a Scapegoat Token or a Magician of Faith with Metamorphosis to summon this guy and steal an opponent's monster. Then they summon Tsukuyomi and turned Restrict face-down only in order to be turned face-up and steal another Monster. This combo might not look good in paper but I must say that it is the ultimate mix of Control, Aggresion and Defence. For not only there is Restrict which can Stall any aggresive act from the opponent and stealing an opponent's monster every turn but there are also the Scapegoat Tokens which back in the day was an awesome card (just the fact that Asura Priest was mained decked mainly in order to destroy these fluffy shields proves that) that stalled the opponent in case they found a way to destroy Restrict and could be used in order to summon a second Restrict and re-control the flow of the Duel.

Number 1: Thousand-Eyes Restrict

But even Scapegoat Limited and Tsukuyomi, Magician of Faith and Metamorphosis Banned, Restrict could not be left to roam free in the Advanced Format. For not only there is Magical Scientist which is by himself a powerful Toolbox with Ryu Senshi, Dark Balter the Terrible, Fiend Skull Dragon and Dark Blade the Dragon Knight and this card was one of the most valuable assets to that Toolbox. Also there is Instant Fusion which can be used to bring this card, steal the opponent's most troublesome monster and then Synchro Summon for something with and additional Level.

When I saw this card for first time I wasn't sure in why it was Banned as it's effect was only slightly better than Reliquished. But the multiple and incredibly easy ways to summon this cards along with the great effects make a terrifying Control Monster which can easily change the flow of the Duel effortlesly. Thus this is the Top Fusion Monster of all Time!

Number 2! Top 10 Fusion Monsters

Today's card is a favorite of mine and I would love to see it in the first place but I had to admit the brokeness of tomorrow's card. However this card is by no means weak and fully deserved to be in the Second Place for the Top Fusion Monsters. I am talking for Elemental HERO Absolute Zero.

Where should I begin? Wicked card art, awesomen name (it makes rhyme too!), the ability to cooperate with one of the most powerful Archetypes, high Attack, easy and multiple ways to be Fusion Summoned, a cool first effect and an absolutely devastating second effect are the pros of Absolute Zero. Best part: no cons.

Number 2: Elemental HERO Absolute Zero

Like the other Omni-Heroes (I explain the term here) he can be Summoned easily by using Super Polymerization (with some great targets being Brionac, Trihula and Deep Sea Diva). But unlike the other Omnis he can be Summoned by using any Hero and not specifically an Elemental Hero. This allows him to cooperate with Destiny Heroes an Archetype known for it's speed and capabilities despite the multiple hits from the Ban & Limited List. So a Miracle Fusion can be used to summon this 2500 ATK beater that takes 500 ATK for every Water on the field, so if you happen to have a water he is a 3000 ATK behemoth or even better if your opponent controls Trishula (something very common nowdays) he can run over her. But any of these are not the reason why Absolute Zero is so badass. When he leaves the field , not destroyed by battle or sent to the Graveyard, he destroys everything in the opponent's front row! So a well timed Absolute Zero (when you face a swarm of Monsters for example) he is a Raigeki when he is destroyed. And since 99% of Decks use battle oriented tactics, which need to Attack Directly in order to win, they need to get over Absolute Zero, so you are almost guaranteed that they are gonna lose at least what they had in the field when he was Summoned.

All in all we have a great Monster card that could Top in any Monster category and especially in one as overlooked as Fusion Monsters it was more than obvious that Absolute Zero was gonna get one of the Top Spots.

Number 3! Top 10 Fusion Monsters

The Bronze Medal for the Fusion Monsters goes to the third Gladiator Beast that manged to enter the list: Gladiator Beast Gyzarus!

Back in time Monarchs ruled the Metagame simply by destroying a card when they where Tribute Summoned. Then Gyzarus got a step further, when he was Special Summoned he destroyed any TWO cards. Also since he states Special Summoned even if you Monster Reborn him he was gonna destroy two more. Also if he attacks succesfully he is able to return to the Extra and Special Summon two Gladiator Beasts which can be used after they have used their effects to summon Heraklinos, Essedarii or even another Gyzarus!

Even though Gyzarus is the main Boss of Gladiator Beasts, the goal of Gladiator Beasts is not to summon Gyzarus as many times as possible as many players think. Gladiator Beasts target to take control of the duel with their Toolboxing abilities, their huge Trap Line-Up and their Anti-Meta tech choices such as Thunder King Rai-Oh. But since the original build requires an enormous amount of skill there are new builds all around that focus entirely on spamming Gyzarus and even though I prefer the original builds (I am not Gladiator Beast Player, I am just saying my opinion) the new builds have some success.

Number 3: Gladiator Beast Gyzarus

These new builds take the PrismaGlads (that used Prisma to send Bestiari to the Graveyard and copy it's name in order to summon Gyzarus) to the next level by adding the card "A Hero Lives" which allows to Special Summon Prisma and then Normal Summon a Gladiator Beast and Contact Fuse for Gyzarus without the help of Test Tiger. The combo is quite costly but has the potential to steal the Duel making it appealing to many Duelists.

Whatever the Build, Gyzarus is the Gladiator Beast Boss and with a more than awesome effect (perfect for his Deck), nice ATK and multiple and easy ways to summon him, he definately deserves the 3rd place in this List.

Number 4! Top 10 Fusion Monsters Countdown

In the Number 4 for the Top Fusion Monsters we have the powerful Omni-HERO of Light: Elemental HERO The Shining.

As you know The Shining needs an Elemental HERO and an Light Monster in order to be Fusion Summoned. This is one of the reasons he is so good as the main Elemental HERO, Neos Alius is a Light Monster himself and the most competitive HERO build , the Miracle Gemini, includes Light Attribute support such as Thunder King Rai-Oh, Cyber Dragon and Honest. Ergo he is the easiest Elemental HERO Fusion to bring with almost any way. Also as the name of Miracle Gemini Deck suggest it includes multiple copies of Miracle Fusion, the card that makes The Shining so good. This is because he needs HEROes banished for both of his effects.

Number 4: Elemental HERO The Shining

The first is very good allowing you to make a great beater (2600 ATK is nothing to laugh at) in an even greater (2900 or 3200 is more than enough to run over anything). But the second is what makes him great: the ability to return two of your Banished E-Heros when he is sent to the Graveyard is more than awesome: recycle your Alius and Stratos that you used with Miracle or had been banished by opponent's effect like Bottomless Trap Hole or Dimensional Prison.
 
Truly awesome card! It definately deserves the spot of the Top 4th Fusion ever. Not much more to add.

Number 5! Top 10 Fusion Monsters

In the 5th place in this List for the Top Fusion Monsters of All Time we have the most commonly used one, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon.

If you go to a YCS Top 32 Decklists you will find at least 10 Duelists that have this in their Side or Extra Deck. This is because Machine-Type Decks like Machinas, Gadgets and Karakuris are always a threat and this card combos great with Cyber Dragon. Your opponent has a field full of Monsters? Summon Cyber Dragon and steal them in order to summon this guy with a crazy high ATK. Easy.Cyber Dragon is great in a variety of Match-Ups like Gravekeepers, Anti-Meta and Gladiator Beasts and since he is almost always Side Decked at two copies it makes the countering of Machine Decks easier with just a single space for Chimeratech Fortress in either Extra or Side Deck.

Number 5: Chimeratech Fortress Dragon

All in all we have the only Fusion Monster with Anti-Meta purposes and due to it's popularity it deserves the 5th place in our Coundown.

Quick Announcement: New Banner!

As you can see I have added a Banner in the site. I have spent several hours in front of Photoshop to make it (I am crappy at using it and I guess that's why it took me so long) but I am quite pleased with the result.

I was wondering what monster(s) to add there and I was between Eatos (my favorite Monster), Absolute Zero (my second favorite) and T.G. Hyper Librarian (fits the name of the this site, you know librarian, academy). But Eatos needs a lot of work with his wings, Absolute Zero is really hard to fit in a nice background since he is placed diagonal in the card with an explosion in his feets and as for Librarian, let's admit it,he is lame.

So I decided that Trishula is a better fit with her colours and tones in the blog's style plus it is much more imposing Monster than the ones previously mentioned. Only problem was the wings that are cut in the card art and I had to make them. They did not got very good and I will try to make them a bit better later, possibly even a bit larger.

Hope you like it!

Card Review # 2: Daigusto Phoenix

Hello and welcome to the Second Card Discussion for Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck Building Academy. This time we will talk about a little Xyz Monster that it is supposed to be the next big thing to the One Turn Kill Decks.

Daigusto Phoenix is a Rank 2 Xyz Monster that can make a Wind Monster attack twice this turn, including itself. Even aside the Wind and Gusto  Decks that can summon him in order to make their huge beaters attack twice it will help any OTK deck that can summon him multiple times in a single turn.

When I think multiple for summons per turn, my mind goes to Fish OTK at once.  And truly by bringing 4 level 2 Fish with Coelacanth you can summon two of these and with Coelacanth you can deal 8800 of damage in an open field. This is not a good plan though as it does not involve clearing the opponent’s field but it can be a possible play now that Fishborg Blaster is gone.

I have made an Ojama Deck Profile that can Summon this guy easily even though it did not focused so much in him but in Gachi Gachi Gantetsu. Yet one  could use Tri-Wight Zone in order to summon it in three copies and perform an One Turn Kill very easily.

But let’s move to the more interesting section.  Years ago Cyber-Stein was banned for it’s ability to make OTK swings of damage with Cyber End Dragon or Cyber Twin Dragon and Limiter Removal or Megamorph. Now years later, The Agent of Creation – Venus can summon three little Mystical Shine Balls and Xyz Summon for Daigusto Phoenix, activate United We Stand and attack for a huge swing of 7800 with Phoenix and finish with Venus.

This combo also needs only two cards in hand and it has many pros over the Stein Combo. First of all the cost in Life points is not that great and hence enabling one that failed to perform the OTK to come back unlike the Stein player that if he would lose the Combo then he was going to lose in most of occasions due to the large impact in his life points. 

Second it is the versatility that it offers; when one summon the Mystical Shine Balls one can go for Trishula if there is The Agent of Mystery - Earth from previous turn or you summon T.G. Striker before Venus or you can use the Mystical Shine Balls to summon a Gachi Gachi Gantetsu to slow down the pace of the game and have a 2000 ATK Venus as a beater.

Finally this combo pieces are highly searchable due to Earth and Tour Guide/Gold Sarcophagus Combo in case of Venus and Hidden Armory in case of United We Stand.

All in all Daigusto Phoenix  is one that will have huge impact in certain strategies and possibly will help shape the Metagame.  I  am sure that there are going to be even better strategies to summon it in multiple copies and win with but only time can tell what are those strategies gonna be.

Thanks for reading and till next time

-Eatos

P.S. Excluding the Green Flames, Daigusto Phoenix looks more like a Pterodactyl and not a Phoenix.

Number 6! Top 10 Fusion Monsters

In our Coundown for the Top Fusion Monsters number 6 goes to a really formidable Monster and the second of the Gladiator Beasts in the list, Gladiator Beast Heraklinos.

With the incerdible amount of 3000 ATK points and the awesome effect that let's you negate any Spell Speed 2 Spell or Trap, simply by discarding a card, this guy is a really tough one to beat. Backed up by the commonly used cards like Gladiator Beast War Chariot, Solemn Warning and  Solemn Judgment, it can really make a game winning force. Also considering how easily Gladiator Beasts can summon this guy by simply making a Gyzarus, destroying 2 cards then attack and in the end of the Battle Phase summon Laquari and Darius (to salvage a monster) and summon this guy, Heraklinos could not be missing from a list like this. Nothing more to add.

Number 6: Gladiator Beast Heraklinos

Next week: we continue the Countdown in order to find the Top Fusion Monster of All Time.

Number 7! Top 10 Fusion Monsters

In the 7th place of the Top Fusion Monsters of all time, there is a card known for the vicious One Turn Kill it can perform : Chimeratech Overdragon.

Players used to reveal one of this card through Future Fusion and dump a Cyber Dragon and a ton of other Machines from the Deck to the Graveyard. Then they activated Overload Fusion, banished all the Machines in Graveyard and Special Summoned this guy who had 8000 or more ATK and could attack to every Monster the opponent controlled (there is a ruling that states that if this guy attacked a Monster then he could not attack directly despite having some attacks left) possibly dealing even 20000 Damage. As you can guess he is the reason Overload Fusion was Limited for years and it was the original reason for the Limiting of Future Fusion (now there are a ton more combos to abuse with that card so it can only go higher in the Ban List, not lower for sure).

Number 7: Chimeratech Overdragon

In order to play this monstrous guy in an OTK nowdays you can follow 2 paths: use Gold Sarcophagus and Synchro Fusionist to search your deck for Overload Fusion and Future Fusion and perform the combo above or use the Fusion Gate/Chain Material Combo to summon this guy with 16000 or more ATK and then use Ectoplasmer to tribute him and deal 8000 of Burn Damage. Alternatively you can use only Overload Fusion to summon this guy with only a few monsters in Graveyard. Remember a four times attacker with 3200 ATK is still able to finish the game in a turn.

No matter what he is now but a shadow of his former self. However we count Top Fusion Monsters of ALL Time and this list would have been, in my opinion, incomplete without Chimeratech Overdragon taking a spot, ergo he is the Number 7 in our List.

Number 8! Top 10 Fusion Monsters

In the Number 8 of the Countdown for the Best Fusion Monsters of all time we have a vicious beater known for it's ability to make One Turn Kill with multiple ways and unbelievable easiness: Cyber Twin Dragon.

His effect may not seem as much but it is more than great. Unlike Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning he can attack twice directly and 2800 ATK this making him instantly 5600 Life Points of Direct Damage. Back in time he was the main Monster summoned by Metamorphosis and this gave creation to one of the Demise OTKs. Summon Demise,King of Armageddon by Advanced Ritual Art ditching two Insect Knight to Graveyard and activate Demise's effect to clear the field , then use the Knights to Special Summon Doom Dozer and follow by activating Metamorphosis tributing Dozer to summon Cyber Twin and attack for exactly 8000 of Damage.

Number 8: Cyber Twin Dragon

But there are more straight forward uses of Cyber Twin Dragon. He is Light, Fusion and Machine and each of these have it's way to abuse the effect. First of all: Honest. This nasty guy is known for making a great combo with Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning and this for the double attackers like Bls or Cyber Twin when they attack to one monster and you activate Honest he gets to keep the attack bonus for his second attack, making an OTK highly viable. Also being a Fusion and Machine means he has access to Power Bond and Limiter Removal which are able to double it's original Attack giving you a 5600 ATK Double Attcker. Megamorph can also be used but I would not suggest it since in some cases it will make your Monsters Attack 1400 and this is not good at all.

This guy is on of the main reasons half of the Fusion Summoning Banned Cards are Banned: Metamorphosis and Cyber Stein were able to summon him so easily and use it's high attack and effect paired with an Attack enlarging card to claim game in an instant. It is only natural therefore for this card to be in the Top 10 List of Fusion Monsters.

Number 9! Top 10 Fusion Monsters

In the 9th place for our Countdown for the Top Fusion Monsters of all time there is a personal favorite of mine. This is because today's card, Blaze Fenix, the Burning Bombardment Bird, is the primary win condition of the first Deck Profile for this site, the Elemental Fenix OTK.

If you have read it you will now how awesome this card can be. He is used in 2 versions of the same combo in a different way each time. The One Turn Kill version uses Fusion Gate and Chain Material to summon three of this guy while there 9 or more cards in the field in order to make an instant Burn OTK. The First Turn Kill version needs in addition to Fusion Gate and Chain Material, Elemental HERO Bubbleman and Bubble Illusion in order to activate Chain Material during First Turn.Then proceed as following:

Number 9: Blaze Fenix, the Burning Bombardment Bird

 1)Summon Bubbleman and activate Bubble Illusion, followed by Chain Material and Fusion Gate.

 2)Fuse a Pyro and a Machine from Deck to summon Blaze Fenix. Activate it's effect and Burn some Life Points.

 3)Fuse Avian, Burstinatrix, Bubbleman and Clayman to summon Elemental HERO Electrum. Return everything Banished from Fusion Gate to the Deck.

 4)Fuse Elecrum and Fenix for an Elemental HERO Nova Master.

 5)Fuse Avian, Burstinatrix, Bubbleman and Clayman to summon another Elemental HERO Electrum. Return Blaze Fenix and the other Electrum to the Extra Deck.

 6)Repeat Steps 2-4.

 7)Fuse the 2 Nova Masters for a third one and follow with an Electrum to return everything Banished back for reuse.

 8)Repeat until you Burn your opponent's Life Points to Zero and all this even in your First Turn.

For it's ability to provide these two vicious and fatal combos Blaze Fenix, the Burning Bombardment Bird is the Number 9 in the Top Fusion Monsters of all time!

Number 10! Top 10 Fusion Monsters

We begin our first Countdown with the Top 10 Fusion Monsters of all time and we begin this list with a fairly new guy; Gladiator Beast Essedarii.

This card gave to the most timeless Archetype, the Gladiator Beasts, a great boost despite the  actual negative stance that many players keeped against him. But why is he good? First of all it makes Gladiator Beast Darius a lot better as he is a salvage for an Gladiator Beast in the Graveyard. Second it is great for sending the weak in terms of Attack and Defence like Retiari or Murmillo back to the deck and summon a strong beater it the field. The above  combo especially well with Gyzarus; use his effect then tag out him and summon two Gladiator Beasts from the Deck. Use their effect (you can also summon Darius to salvage one from your Grave) and then send them back to the safety of the Deck to summon Essedarii.

Number 10: Gladiator Beast Essedarii

 But this card is also a Beast which means that he is a target for Horn of the Phantom Beast, a really popular card since the rise of T.G. that have found it's way to some Gladiator Beast Variants. One of the most interesting was one that used Rescue Rabbit to summon 2 Gladiator Beast Andal in order to summon this guy. Backed up by Horn of the Phantom Beast, Gladiator Beast War Chariot, possibly Skill Drain and a variety of staple defensive Traps this guy is a really tough one to beat!


I am not a Gladiator Beast player myself but I like this guy. It proves, like Elemental HERO Neos Alius, that effects does not matter when the said monster have access to a variety of great cards to support him.

Card Review #1: Elemental HERO Escuridão

Welcome to the first Card Discussion for this Blog. Today’s card is one that is not by any means a good card but it is one that is supposed and will shape the Metagame in the months after it’s release. But let’s be more specific.

Elemental HERO Escuridão is an Elemental HERO Fusion which need an Elemental HERO and a Dark-Attribute Monster in order to be Fusion Summoned.  From there he is an 2500 ATK beater with a lousy effect that at best will make him a 2800 ATK beater in any competitive HERO build and by that I obviously mean the Miracle Gemini  Deck . 

But why  is Escuridão important ? Well Escuridão is the last of Six Heroes often referred  by Yu-Gi-Oh! Players as the Omni-Heroes. Each one of them is Summoned with an Elemental HERO and an different Attribute Monster as it’s Fusion Material.

We have in the order in which they arrived TCG ;

Elemental HERO Absolute Zero for Water

Elemental HERO Gaia for Earth

Elemental HERO The Shining for Light

Elemental HERO Nova Master for Fire

Elemental HERO Great Tornado for Wind

… and now Elemental HERO Escuridão for Dark. 

This means that cards like Miracle Fusion and Parallel World Fusion will need only an E-HERO and another Monster in Graveyard in case of the former and Banished Pile in case of the latter in order to summon a big beater. But this is not the main reason that Escuridão is going to get the Elemental HEROes to the Top. By having access to every single Attribute, the HERO player can main deck 3 Super Polymerization without worrying about them being dead draw.

And even though in terms of straight card economy the Super Polymerization deal may not seem good (as it is a minus 1), in terms of playability it is simply awesome.  From all the Monster Removal ways existing in Yu-Gi-Oh!  (Plain Destruction like Smashing Ground, Banishing like Caius, Possible Destruction like Snipe Hunter, Tributing of the Opponent’s Monsters like Lava Golem) using your opponent’s monsters as a Material to your Summon is by far the best and the most difficult to stop.  And even though these ways are popular like Mind Control (for a Synchro/Xyz Summon) or Cyber Dragon (to Chimeratech Fortress Dragon) they are also easy to stop, all your opponent  need is a Dark Bribe in case of the first and a Bottomless in case of the second. 

But in case of Super Polymerization, by far the most versatile type of Summon Stealing there is absolutely no way for the opponent to stop it. No Solemn Warning, no Solemn Judgment, no Dark Bribe, no anything. Your opponent is going to lose a monster and you are going to get a big beater in the field no matter what.

Also Future Fusion can now send a HERO and any monster in the Graveyard letting us use it as a second and reusable Foolish Burial. This gave birth to the first Yu-Gi-Oh! 1 Card FTK by Allen Pennigton. It is before the Semi-Limiting of Dewloren though.

To close I will say that Escuridão is the boost the New Era Heroes need in order to skyrocket to the Top Tiers of the Meta and it will possibly be one of the reason that Super Polymerization is going to be Limited/Semi-Limited in the Ban List that follows the Rise of Heroes.

Thanks for reading and till next time

-Eatos

Two New Series of Articles!

Time for the next 2 steps for this Blog! With an Article per Month a Blog cannot function, so I decided to run to more Series of Articles in a specific Time Scedule.

Every Saturday I will post a medium size article called; Card Review. In this series I will review cards that fit in one of the following Categories;

A) Cards about to come that will have an impact to the Metagame and hopefully an interesting combo. However I will not bother with the highlights like Rescue Rabbit, for their usage is obvious.

B)Old cards that are useful to a new and interesting combo but I am not interested in making a deck for them.

This Saturday I will present you the first Card Review. The Card: Elemental HERO Escuridao!

Then I decided to make Top 10 Countdown Lists; every weekday I will present one card in a Mini-Article from a list and so a list will be completed every 2 weeks. The Lists will be for various things around Yu-Gi-Oh!.

Next Monday begins the First Top 10 Countdown. The theme; Top 10 Fusion Monsters!

So the scedule of this Blog will be;
Every Weekday; a Top 10 Countdown
Every Saturday; a Card Review
Every Month; a Deck Profile (which will be posted in the first Sunday of every Month)
Sundays are free for me but occasionally I will make some discussions about news or Meta techs. Stuff like that.

Deck Profile # 8: Ojama Xyz Beatdown

From all the Yu-Gi-Oh! Decks in existence there is none that is more overlooked than the theme of this Deck Profile; the Ojamas. They are considered by everyone (including Konami) as the most crappy of the Archetypes and so noone ever pays attention to the new cards that are released and can support this Deck. And now it is time for their Vengeance!

Unlike many other Archetypes that have no particular strategy, the Ojamas can follow many strategies with an amazing success. During the past the most often was the OjaMachineGun which used the Snipe Hunter to discard OjaMagic and then use the three gained Ojamas as three more shots gaining an advantage many times equal to the Dark Armed Dragon's with the exception that Snipe Hunters effect is not guaranteed to destroy and so Stardust Dragon and My Body as a Shield were not able to negate it. Other Strategies are focusing on making the opponent's Monster Zones unusable with Ojama Trio and the Ojama Fusions.

But now there are many new cards to use the Ojamas with, mainly the Xyz Monsters that are giving new breath to a lot of Decks, including this one. So here is one of the combos the Ojamas can pull off in cooperation with Xyz Monsters. Using Ojama Country ditch OjaMagic to Special Summon an Ojama from the Graveyard and get the three Normal Ojamas from the Deck, then Normal Summon Ojama Red and Special Summon the three Normal Ojamas.

From there, there are to paths to take;
A) Clear the field with Ojama Delta Huriccane, Special Summon 2 Daigusto Phoenix, then Special Summon anoher Ojama through either a second Country, Monster Reborn or Tri-Wight Zone and use it for a third Daigusto Phoenix. Then use the effect of all three of them and attack for six attacks of 1500 each, making an OTK.
B) Use the 4 Ojamas to make 2 Gachi Gachi Gantetsu.

After some tests I found that the best option is by far the second; not only it needs very few cards (3 to be exact) and all of them searchable by the awesome Ojama Blue but it also is a move that even though it does not result in an OTK, puts a lot of pressure in the opponent. And that is why the Gachi Gachi Gantetsus, a card known for it's ability to slow down the pace of the game, in this combo it has it's Attack reversed with it's Defence due to Ojama Country's effect and the 5th Ojama in the field. So with this simple combo you get two 2600 ATK beaters that have three "lifes" each and an Ojama with 1800 ATK. Simple yet devastating.

So the deck is build around this combo but it has plenty of other tricks to show but in order for me to explain better let's take a look at the Deck List.

Monsters x 21
Ojama Blue x 3
Ojama Red x 2
Ojama Yellow x 2
Ojama Black x 2
Ojama Green x 2
Junk Synchron x 2
Genex Ally Birdman x 2
Effect Veiler x 2
Sangan x 1
Honest x 1
Gorz the Emissary of Darkness x 1
Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning x 1


Ojama Blue being the searcher of this deck is included at three copies in order to gain access as quickly as to the cards you need to execute the previous combo. I must say it is one of the best Archetype Searchers ever, being able to get you two cards instead of the usual one. Also it is able to revive with Ojama Country leading to even more searching. So absolutely no reason not to run it in three. Next it is the other Effect Ojama, Red. Even though it is a centerpiece for the combo it is not needed in more than two copies since it is searchable by Blue. Closing with the Ojamas there are two of each of the Normal ones. There are going to be times when you will draw two with the same name and you will not be able to activate the effect of OjaMagic (since you must bring one of each), but if you run more 3 of each Normal then there are going to be so many dead draws. And to be honest the combo does not need to have Ojamas with different names so you can simply use Red to summon like two Blacks and a Yellow and the rest remain the same.

Junk Synchron is used for it's many targets that exist in the deck and it's ability to summon Frozen Fitzgerald, a powerful Level 5 Synchro that needs a Dark Tuner and a Beast Non-Tuner, so Junk Synchron and any Ojama can make it. Next we have another Dark Tuner at two copies which can play a lot of roles in this Deck. Genex Ally Birdman can be used when you have your swarm of Ojamas to return one of them (most likely Red) to hand and summon the almighty Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. Another use for it is when you summon Ojama Red to perform the combo and it gets "Veilered" (something very often considering that almost every deck runs a couple of Effect Veilers in the Main Deck) , then the maximum you can make out of him is a Xyz Material, but with Birdman you can return it to hand and use it next turn plus you get an Frozen Fritzgeral in the field (by tuning Birdman with the, revived from the Ojama Country, Ojama in the field)!

Next the two Veilers are more like a staple this Format as they are great against any Deck. From there, there are four Limited Monsters that complete the Monster Line-Up. Sangan can search almost any Monster in the Deck and it makes great combos with other cards that will be mentioned later. Honest is also included for it's powerful ability to make even an Ojama boosted by a Gachi Gachi and/or the Ojama Country to run over something huge. As you will see later the deck runs a pretty small Trap Line-Up and hence even with a Field Spell, Gorz is a really decent inclusion. And finally the Big Boss, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning is a simple inclusion due to the plethora of Light and Dark Monsters in the Deck.


Spells x 15
Ojama Country x 3
Creature Swap x 3
Pot of Duality x 3
Mystical Space Typhoon x 2
OjaMagic x 1
Heavy Storm x 1
Dark Hole x 1
Monster Reborn x 1

Ojama Country is added in a full playset since it not only is the main engine in the Deck, allowing you to summon a Rank 2 Xyz every turn and being a centerpiece to the Deck's Combo but also messes up with opponent's Monsters ; an Ojama ties with Dark Armed Dragon and beats Rai Oh and Gachi Gachi Gantetsu and Frozen Fitzgerald  can take down almost anything. Creature Swap is there for a simple yet vital purpose; the opponent will realize that attacking your Monsters is not any good and if he does not destroy Blue in battle the Deck cannot function. Ergo I have added this card that not only allows you to steal an Opponent's Monster but also allows you to guarantee getting the effect of Ojama Blue or rarely Sangan's. Also it can be used to trade a pathetic Normal Ojama for something big, giving a purpose to drawn Normal Ojamas.

Pot of Duality's job is pretty basic; consistency and since this deck does not Special Summon in every turn (like the ones you set Blue or using the Creature Swap shenanigans) it is obviously included at three copies. OjaMagic is added at one since more is too much, the effect is not negatable by commonly used cards and if they Mind Crush it you still get the effect. Finishing with the Spell Line-Up we have 5 slots filled with staple cards, added in every Deck; Double Mystical Space Typhoon and the Single allowed Heavy Storm are there to clear the back row, Dark Hole is to clear the front row and finally Monster Reborn is there for it's ability to bring any card needed from the Graveyard.

Traps x 4
Solemn Warning x 2
Solemn Judgment x 1
Trap Dustshoot x 1

This is the Trap Line-Up that I use in trap-light Decks. Solemn Warning is there in order to cut the Opponent's Monsters and Solemn Judgment to stop anything the Opponent sends against you. Some say that Judgment's cost is too much for the Format and they left it out but I completely disagree and still believe that it is the best Trap out there. Trap Dustshoot is my second favorite Trap for not only it succesfully disposes of some threats (I just love it when I send Black Luster Soldier back to the deck) but also gives you knowledge about the opponent's moves and deck. I would also like to include Common Charity in order to give to the drawn Normal Ojamas another purpose but there was simply no space.

Extra Deck x 15
Gachi Gachi Gantetsu x 3
Daigusto Phoenix x 2
Frozen Fritzgerald x 2
Ally of Justice Catastor x 1
Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier x 1
Gaia Knight, Force of Earth x 1
Black Rose Dragon x 1
Stardust Dragon x 1
Scrap Dragon x 1
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier x 1
Chimeratech Fortress Dragon x 1

Well, nothing special about the Extra Deck. Gachi Gachi is really important so included at maximum allowed copies, Daigusto Phoenix is here just in case I am able to perform the OTK (with 2 Phoenixes and 1 Gachi Gachi) and Frozen Fitzgerald is here at two copies for the Deck is able to bring him out so easily. Apart from these everything else is staple in order to have 1 or 2 Synchros for every Level.

Well this is Deck I have been working on since last month's article and I must say I am more than satisfied by it's winning ratio. I believe that this is the most competitive form of Ojamas right now, yet I will soon try a different approach on them, focusing more on the Lockdown.

Thanks for reading and till next time remember; Never underestimate those little freaks!
-Eatos

Bibliography

Jason Grabher-Meyer , 2009, TCG Player, OjaMachineGun Reloaded

Jason Grabher-Meyer , 2009, TCG Player, Blue Plate Special