Abyss Rising Set Review (Part 5)

Welcome back to the Abyss Rising Set Review! Today we'll cover most of the remaining Xyz monsters. I'm excited for this batch, so let's jump (dive) right in!
Note: Customary links will be up later.

One-Eyed Skill Gainer

The question you have to ask yourself when you're building your Extra Deck is: can my deck conceivably summon this card? Then, are there other cards I would summon before it? These questions don't take space into account, but with so many interesting Rank 4's, One-Eyed Skill Gainer has a lot to prove. Unfortunately, he has too much in common to be interesting. For (Rank 4) Light-attribute Warrior-types with high attack, we already have Heroic Champion - Excalibur, and Number 39: Utopia. For 3 Material Rank 4 monsters, we have guys like Number 16: Shock Master, who's agreed to be pretty good. So the question is, what does One-Eye do? Well, he has a high defense - but so does Gagagigo the Risen, who we'll go over tomorrow. What sets him apart is his mimicry effect. Most of the time, there are better things to summon at Rank 4. But... if you're running one of those decks that has loads of space in the Extra Deck and only makes Rank 4's then you should give One-Eye a spot. It's not as if there are loads of other, better options in your other 14 spots for just Rank 4's. Besides, he's got a cool effect! It's just situational. In all, his utility is dependent on the opponent, meaning it's low, and his power is... meh. It depends what you copy.


Gagaga Cowboy

Gagaga Cowboy is cool. He can beat the face of stronger monsters - like Maestroke - and can randomly steal games with his defense position effect. He's another Earth-attribute Warrior-type, of which the Gagaga theme now has three. His base attack is 1500, which is made up for with his effect, but is still worrisome. His defense is staunch. Going back to the Gagaga theme, there are several cards from it that can improve Gagaga Cowboy - namely Gagaga Bolt, one of the most incredible pieces of spot removal the game has provided. Cowboy is incredibly splashable, meaning he's sure to be seen in a number of strategies. Despite a relatively 'low' amount of damage for his defense position effect - 800 - it can still be enough to randomly win games, especially after a long game of traded blows and Solemn cards. Most duelists view lifepoints as inconsequential nowadays, and this card can punish duelists with the mindset of "you only need one life point to win." Expect to see him lots more. Him and his stylish space-man six shooters.


Heroic Champion - Gandiva

Gandiva has all the standard Heroic typing - Warrior, Earth, it's all fairly standard now. It's attack is fairly low, given it's rank, while its defense is in a similar state. Despite this, Gandiva still has a killer effecty. Gandiva is an alternative to Steelswarm Roach in Warrior-type strategies. At least, that's what your average duelist will see, not bothering to read more into it. Upon closer examination, you'll see that it's a compliment to Roach. Actually, with both on your side of the field, your opponent can do virtually nothing until a) they destroy your monsters or b) your monsters exhaust their materials. And if you were able to get off their effects once, or even twice? You're in a really good place. Gandiva is the bane of the existence of Wind-Ups, Geargia... really, most top decks are afraid of this guy. I expect to see him doing big things in Warrior strategies, and I'm quite frankly appalled at how little talk he's getting.




Heroic Champion - Kusanagi

Kusanagi is a 3 Material Rank 4. That automatically puts him in dangerous territory, as a 3 material monster requires a serious commitment. He has a strong defense, and his attack is good - not the absolute best, but it's good. It's better than Shock Master, the posterchild for 4 Material monsters'.  Speaking of whom, Kusanagi has an extremely similar effect: he'll only shut down traps (remember utility) but while he's out, you can be pretty sure that your opponent won't be activating them. You can rest assured that while Kusanagi stands, your opponent won't be activating any trap cards. In pure beat-down centered strategies like the Heroics, Kusanagi is amazing. Well, even more amazing than he is in any other strategy with an ample amount of Warrior-type monsters. I'm actually excited about the Heroics - they've got sweet Xyz, with kickin' effects. This one might just be the cream of the crop. The ability to keep your opponent from activating their traps - or, at the best, if they happen to have two pieces of removal - lose 2 cards to your 1 - is incredible. And don't discount the attack boost. Never discount the attack boost. Kusanagi goes up to a pretty 3000 with it.


Number 9: Dyson Sphere

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Number 9: Dyson Sphere is the TCG's first Rank 9 monster. That makes it significant alone, without factoring the collectible-ness of a Number card, and the fact that it has a great effect. First off: Light-attribute Machine-type. Cool. Honest-able, and you can Limiter Removal it. Can you imagine if you got off his attack directly effect, then flipped Limiter Removal? Absolutely brutal. That'd be a good 3/4 of your opponent's life points right there. Being quite frank, you're rarely going to use that effect, but it's awesome that it's there. What Number 9 does is completely own the field. If your opponent can bring to bear a monster strong enough to attack it, you can stop the attack by removing a material (like Number 39). If you run out of materials, you can activate its effect and refill it! A little naunce to that effect is that it lets you pick any 2 monsters from your Graveyard to attach to it - that lets you pick monsters such as Tour Bus from the Underworld, who's effects activate when they're sent to the Graveyard. That's pretty cool. Since it's extremely difficult to attack over Number 9, that means that you'll get the chance to use his second effect. It's cool how the two effects support each other so well, and all this with a monstrous defense of 3000.


Number 8: Heraldic King Genom-Heritage

Oh, look! Another Heraldic! Sweet! Number 8 has a strong attack, and what seems to be the new standard defense of 1800. He's a Light-attribute Psychic-type. Light is cool, but not necessarily in Heraldics, whereas Psychic Xyz are supported by a certain Heraldic monster. Number 8 has this cool little identity-theft going on, which is very similar to One-Eyed Skill Gainer's. He gets the name, attack, and effect of the Xyz monster he selects, while the opposing monster's attack is brought down to zero, and its effects are negated. The ramifications of this are clear - you can push through a ton of battle damage, while getting rid of a problematic monster. At best, you'll even get a great effect out of it. And the best part? Number 8's effect doesn't require it to detach an Xyz material. That means you can use it as many times as you want. Of course, some of the effects you steal may require Xyz materials, but that's okay. And even if you run out of materials, that won't stop Number 8's effect from activating, unlike some Xyz monsters. Number 8 is a power-house among anti-Xyz monsters, and a worthy boss monster for the Heraldics.

Mermail Abyssgaios

Not all Mermail/Atlantean decks are going to be summoning Abyssgaios, but those that do are sure to be flashy and full of win. Most of the time, Abyssgaios will be summoned through combos involving Lemuria, The Forgotten City. We're going to be talking about that later, so let's focus on Abyssgaios himself right now. He requires Water-attribute materials, which makes sense. He has a mighty 2800 attack, and a puny 1600 defense. He has the interesting effect of locking down all monsters above Level 4 from attacking. Of course, that won't stop Xyz monsters. Besides that, he has another controlling effect that will stop all monsters on your opponent's side of the field with an attack lower than Abyssgaios. King of the deep, indeed. This can come in handy fairly often, but doesn't immediately make this card a choice over Number 11: Big Eye. It'll be one of those cards where you summon it if it helps you out in your current predicament - or, if you need to trigger off some Water-attribute effects.


Empress of Prophecy

Empress is a cool boss monster, but I'm not sure if there's a particular build suited for her just yet. Which is sad, because as I said, she's pretty darn cool. She requires Level 5 Spellcasters, which aren't exactly in abundance. There IS the Emperor of Prophecy we've already reviewed though, and it's looking like he'll be a staple in any deck wanting to bust out Empress, along with Hermit of Prophecy. If you do get out Empress, you'll have to be careful - with only 2000 attack, she may not be sticking around for long. Luckily, her effect will help to ease that problem, by boosting her attack up. It doesn't specify materials attached to Empress either, so every single Xyz monster you have will boost her up, assuming they have materials. Her effect is awesome, considering the amount of Spellbook cards you'll want to run in a typical Prophecy deck. You'll be destroying anything from 1 to 5 cards, and it gets around Starlight Road! There are combos you can perform with some of the new Spellbook cards we review later on, and they pack quite a wallop as well.


Madolche Queen Tiaramisu

Up until now, Madolche decks were usually forced to run cards like Guardian Eatos and Madolche Puddingcess as their 'boss' monsters, or win conditions. Now, they have Tiaramisu. An Earth-attribute Fairy-type (a weird combination) Tiaramisu requires Madolche materials to summon herself. She's Rank 4, with a slightly-below average attack, while her defense is above par. Under Madolche Chateau, her attack increases to an astonishing 2700. Tiaramisu solves the issue of ever having Madolche in your Graveyard, while potentially increasing the amount of cards in your hand, while disrupting your opponent's field. If you succesfully resolve Tiaramisu's effect, you'll have gotten rid of 2 of your opponent's cards, while losing none of your own. If you resolved it with something like Chateau on the field, then your opponent lost two cards, and you gained two more. Swings like that win games, more often than not. Tiaramisu is a powerful leader for the Madolche archetype, and Madolche decks will now more often than not forego Puddingcess in favor of Tiaramisu.


Snowdust Giant

And now we close out today's review with another one of my favorites from this set! Snowdust Giant lacks a bit of strength, but makes up for it by... being a part of a really fun archetype! Snowdust Giant solves one of the issues of Ice Counter strategies by providing a way to dump mass amounts of Ice Counters to the field quickly. In addition, he'll weaken all non-Water-attribute monsters, evening the playing field for him to stomp on them. Snowdust Giant is a strong monster for a casual theme. He proples the theme's goals forward, while providing a strong body on the field. I'd just like to say that I'm extremely excited to review the other Ice Counter cards. Personally, I'll definitely be trying to build this deck. It's a perfect example of a casual deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

Abyss Rising Set Review (Part 4)

Welcome to Part 4 of the Abyss Rising Set Review! Today, we'll be covering slots 30-29, including, but not limited to, Penguins, Elemental Lords, and Chaos Numbers! I'm pumped for today's cards, so let's get started with...!

Fishborg Planter

I find it interesting that we're getting all these Fishborg cards, after what could arguably be called their best card (Fishborg Blaster) was forbidden. Anyhow, utility and power. First off, the "once" in the card's effect means that you can't reuse the effect of a lone copy. If you send another copy of Fishborg Planter to the Graveyard, you can use their effect. If you have two copies in your graveyard, you can only use one of them (hence, the "once per turn.") This reduces the utility, but it's still strong, since you can use up to 3 Fishborg Planters. Note that this card's effect will send a card from the top of your deck, regardless of anything else, providing its effect isn't negated, making it a more balanced version of Glow-Up Bulb. That effect can be very handy in a lot of decks, but you'll typically want to keep Fishborg Planter in a Water-attribute deck (or, try making an engine with this card, and its pals!). I like how Fishborg Planter is Level 2; it's a good Rank not just for Xyz summoning, provided you have several other Rank 2's in your deck, but it's also an excellent level for Synchro summoning. There are 2 tuners in the Fishborg series, and many other Water-attribute tuners in general. Of course, Fishborg Planter works best with his Fishborg pals (one of whom is forbidden, as previously mentioned). For fun, try combining this card with Abyss Warrior. You can discard Fishborg Planter to put a Water-attribute monster on top of your deck, guaranteeing this card's effect will special summon itself!


Nimble Angler

To start, I'd like to note that there aren't any Level 3 Nimble monsters right now, which points towards more being released in the future. Actually, all of the Nimbles are Level 2, which is good for consistency. Nimble Angler has a very high utility; its effect is easily triggered, from everything to discard cost, to Mermail shenanigans. After that, you have a wide variety of options. My favorite plays usually include summoning a Nimble Manta and Nimble Sunfish. Note that the three of these monsters are all Water-attribute, that increases the synergy between them. Nimble Manta is a bit better than Sunfish, since Sunfish  requires your opponent to destroy it by battle. Your opponent will normally be wary to set of those effects, so it's unlikely you'll get its effect unless your packing something like Creature Swap - a viable choice. That makes Sunfish a better card to set. However, you can always just Xyz summon with your fresh Level 2 monsters - or, if you particularly like one of the monsters you brought out, you can just summon a spare and keep your favorite for their effect! Nimble monsters excel at swarming the field, and I think it's a fun archetype for Rank 2's, and, who knows, maybe Synchro summoning! If you notice, Fishborg Planter will trigger Nimble Angler, as well as Abyss Warrior. Finding groupings of cards with strong synergy like that is one of the things that make some decks much stronger and consistent than others. It means you'll have more utility and power, more consistently. And that's why Nimble Angler is one of my favorite cards from this set.


Shore Knight

And here's our Armageddon Knight for Water-attribute monsters. He has a poor attack and defense for a Level 4, which doesn't bode well for his effect. Since he has to switch battle positions, that means that
1) He's slow
2) He's reusable (once per turn, however)
3) He's even harder to keep alive.
To be fair, that last one isn't really pertinent; whether he's in attack or defense, Shore Knight's stats are weak. This card has very low utility, and its power lies in enabling plays with other cards. Thus, Shore Knight increases other cards' utility and power. For example, he can set up our Fishborg Planter. Unfortunately, there's a huge weakness in Shore Knight's effect - outside of something wacky like Level Limit - Area B, you're never going to activate his effect the turn you summon him. And because of his low attack and defense, the odds of him surviving are abysmal. (Pun not intended.) Unless your deck has access to lots of trap cards to protect your monsters, I just can't see Shore Knight being used very effectively. Maybe in some degenerate ocean stall strategy? Hey! That's the second time I've mentioned that! Anyways~


Mecha Sea Dragon Plesion

This is one of the wreirdest card names I've reviewed to date. But it's such a fun card! I'm in love. Anyways, I think I'll discuss this cards in terms of power and utility, since I don't really know what to focus on with a such a lovely card. It's another one of those weird Water-attribute Machine-types, by the way. It's Level 5, which is good if your deck can support Rank 5 Xyz summons. Normally, a Level 5 monster would be difficult to play, due to needing tributes... except, like the more popular cards, this one cheats its way out of that! That greatly increases its utility, even though it requires you to have a face up Sea Serpent-type. It has a hefty 2300 attack (very good for a Level 5) which gives it a good dosage of power. My favorite part of this card is the effect tacked onto it though. By sacrificing a Water-attribute monster (on your side of the field) you can destroy a face-up card you control; card not monster. The distinction doesn't often come into play, but it's uber helpful when it does. This card can also be heavily abused with Treeborn Frog. This is another of my favorites from this set, and it's only a common! Robot underwater dinosaurs for the win!


Metallizing Parasite - Soltite

Metallizing Parasite - Soltite is a bit of a head-scratcher for me. It has an older big brother from years and years ago - one that never did anything. The most publicity it got was being in the back of a secondary character's hand for four seconds in a single episode. And yet, here we are, with this card apparently being used in a chapter of the D-Team Zexal manga. I'm actually impressed by the author's ability to remember an ancient monster, and create another similar to it. Now, onto the actual card itself - it's a Water-attribute Aqua-type, but the important part is that it's a Union monster. I'll tell it to you straight, right now: I strongly dislike saying anything definitive in such a complex and ever-evolving game, but you will never summon this guy. He's a Level 7, for one. Secondly, he has an attack and defense that his mother couldn't love (maybe Metallizing Parasite - Lunatite is actually his mother). Of course, you may special summon it using its Union effect once in a blue moon to perform a Rank 7 Xyz summon. As a matter of fact, that's looking like the best part of the card, so far. In a format where Mermails and Atlanteans may quickly become extremely prevalent, this card's benefit of monster effect protection could end up being extremely relevant in your match-ups. Unfortunately, attaching Soltite has to be a proactive move, due to being a Union monster, which gives your opponent time to plan around your move. It's a neat card. Not game-breaking, but it could be a fun tech in a few niche strategies.


Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord

I can say with a 99% surety, that Moulinglacia will probably end up being a 'money' or 'chase' (one of the most expensive) cards in Abyss Rising. It fits into a load of different strategies, like Grandsoil, her bro. First off, Moulinglacia is Level 8, which is a perk in a world where Trade-In exists. Next, we see she has a monstrous attack, and a strong defense. After that, we see she's a Sea Serpent-type, meaning she's searchable via Atlantean Dragoons. As for her summoning requirements: she's easy to summon. Water-attribute has a lot of cards that manipulate or fill the Graveyard: Skreech, Salvage, and all the new support makes it easy to pull out a large number of Water-attribute monsters. When Moulinglacia hits the field, the sheer power and presence she commands will annihilate your opponent. The ability to strip 2 - 2! - of your opponent's cards from their hand, while retaining a massive body on your field is nuts. This card would be utterly ridiculous if you could use Moulinglacia's effect more than once per turn, especially since it's searchable. This card's utility may be sort of narrow (it destroys your opponent's hand, and special summons itself) but the sheer amount of power it brings is crazy. Definitely one of the strongest cards reviewed up to date.


House Duston

Back on the casual side of things, we have House Duston. House Duston is clearly a set-up for things to come - it references "Duston" as an archetype, while we only have one released right now. We have no way to gauge its future power and utility, since we have reason to believe it'll become an archetype. But currently? You can special summon one House Duston to their side of the field, then one to yours. Not a very powerful combo, and not very much utility, although the effect is easy to trigger. Despite that, House Duston is a super cool casual card. Who wouldn't enjoy summoning a bunch of puny runts to your opponent's side of the field in attack mode, while setting up a stronger defense for yourself? If the other Dustons are Level 1, we'll hopefully have Number 56: Goldrat, so we can make an awesome Rank 1 Xyz. If the other Dustons are other Levels, we open the gates for truly awesome combos with monsters like Daigusto Phoenix. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on the Dustons in the future, and I suggest you do too!


Puny Penguin

I love Puny Penguin. I actually built a Penguin deck a while back that worked pretty smoothly. It loaded the Graveyard with Great Emperor Penguins, and, along with Rescue Rabbit, would bust out multiple Flying Penguins and Nightmare Penguins for numerous Rank 4 Xyz summons. Aqua Spirit... I digress. Maybe I'll post it up here at some point! Anyways, the plays with The Great Emperor Penguin only really worked because of Puny Penguin. It's recursive power is so powerful, that a set Puny Penguin typically leads to either a Rank 4 Xyz, or bouncing two of your opponent's cards to their hand (Penguin Soldier). It makes Penguin decks viable, and in variety as well. Cards like this are always welcome in my book. In terms of utility and power.. it has a good deal of utility, provided you set it up right. Really, it's an archetype specific card (which isn't necissarily a bad thing). It's power is balanced - typically, the monster you summon replaces the Puny Penguin you lost when your opponent attacked it. And if you don't enjoy this card, you may want to consider switching card games. Seriously. Just look at its art!


Missing Force

There's two trends in Abyss Rising that I can see so far (besides the obvious "Water" themes) - A. Many, many monsters who's names start with "M."
B. Cards that take control of your opponents monsters.
And Missing Force fits into both of those categories! He's Dark-attribute, which is useful for Chaos (as always) and Warrior-type. That typing is important, because it's in Warrior decks that can toolbox for their needs that this card's going to see the most play. He has a poor attack, and worse defense, but an effect that makes up (?) for it. Utility is a low for this card, because of many restrictions. In decks based around Elemental Hero Bubbleman, you'll have the choice of deciding when to explode all over the field with monsters, and Missing Force plays into that strategy well, by providing a way to snatch opponent's monsters. Although he restricts your options the turn you activate his effect, he has one use: to use a monster effect. That is the sole purpose you would use Missing Force, which is why I suggest placing him in the side deck (if using any copies at all). Can you imagine the look on your opponent's face when a bunch of hippies bring his Dark Armed Dragon over to your side of the field? This card will rarely be super useful, but it'll be funny when it is.


Number C32: Shark Drake Veiss

And closing out today's review, we have Number C32: Shark Drake Veiss. This marks the second Chaos Number to enter the TCG. If you thought you'd rarely summon Number 32: Shark Drake, then you'll never be summoning C32. This card requires such an immense commitment - 4 monsters - 4! - that he'll never be worth Xyz summoning through traditional means. Luckily, you can just overlay your (or, if you're lucky, your opponent's) Shark Drake to make this monster. Shark Drake is vicious, but C32 is just downright nasty. Situations where this card will come in handy are when A) your opponent has managed to create a situation where Shark Drake can't overcome their monster in battle, B) 2800 damage will wipe out your opponent's last few life points, C) when you need to wall up, D) when you need to drop Water-attribute monsters to your graveyard (perhaps for Moulinglacia's summoning requirements?) and E) when your Shark Drake has run out of materials. Granted, those last three are rare scenarios, but they will occasionally come up (remember, utility!). Essentially, C32 is a late-game card. Either you have to save your life points (C32's effect can be applied during either players turn) or smack down your opponent. It's a neat card, and I'd recommend running 1 if you're already running Shark Drake, and have the space. It won't always be helpful, but you'll be glad you have it in those situations when you do need it.

And that wraps up Part 4 of our review! Later this week [read, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday] we'll get into more of the Xyz monsters, a lot of which I'm very excited for! Until next time!

EDIT: I am so sorry! I had this post scheduled to post, then for some reason it decided not to! This was supposed to be released on Friday.

Abyss Rising Set Review (Part 3)

Hello! Welcome back to our Abyss Rising Set Review! Today's review will cover slots 20-29, including the final installment of Prophecy and Madolche monsters! You'll have to wait a moment for that, as we still have one more Mermail monster to review...

Mermail Abyssmegalo

This monster is a... monster. Seriously. He looks to be the main man in Mermail and Atlantean strategies. He'll set off two of your Mermail/Atlantean effects, and then, after he's summoned, he'll run over two of your opponents monsters, while letting you trigger another one of your monsters' effects, and adding an Abyss spell or trap card from your deck to your hand! Summoning then attacking with Abyssmegalo will leave you with a much larger pile of cards than your opponent.
Abyssmegalo features several of the things that make monsters extremely good: it searches cards out from your deck to your hand, it has a large body (2400 for a Level 6 is pretty normal), he can special summon himself with little or no cost (assuming you're using Mermail/Atlanteans), and he futhers the goals of your deck while providing aggression. There's a reason this card's a secret rare. It's going to be one of the best cards in Mermail/Atlantean decks, so don't be surprised when it stomps all over you. Moreover, you can even search it from your deck using Atlantean Dragoons! Tip: don't get carried away with all the power Abyssmegalo will provide; remember to tribute your attack-position Water monster after you attack with it.


Stoic of Prophecy

I like Stoic of Prophecy. He's a search card, and we all know how we should feel about search cards. He has the clause "when this card is sent to the Graveyard," which is excellent. That means that regardless of how he gets there, as long as he ends up in the Graveyard we get his effect. And that's just fantastic. What's less than fantastic however, is his Level. Level 1 is not very friendly towards Xyz summoning, which is the prime way to get monsters like Stoic into the graveyard now-a-days. The only Xyz we currently have at Level 1 are the three-material Baby Tiragon and Number 83: Galaxy Queen. Of course, even if we had a Rank 1 that required only 2 materials, it's doubtful that we'd ever summon it. The inherent issue with a Level 1 Stoic is that there aren't any other Level 1's in the Prophecy strategy. If it were a different Level, it'd mesh with the others. Of course, Spellbook support can actually make that low Level a benefit, but looking at Stoic on his own - it just doesn't cut it. While it's Level gives it a bad mark, the effect is more than enough to pull that up - and then some. There are several key Prophecy monsters that Stoic can search, and it's still extremely easy to set off, qualms about Xyz summoning aside. Overall, it's an excellent card for a fun archetype.


Hermit of Prophecy

Next up in our review is Gandalf Hermit of Prophecy. Hermit of Prophecy is another monster geared towards making Xyz summons of awkward Levels - in his case, 5,7,9, and 11. In a Prophecy deck, you should usually have several Spellbook cards at your disposal. It's difficult to justify blowing through several of your Spellbook cards just to raise Hermit's Level - you'll almost never use his attack boosting effect, outside of boosting him up, swinging over an opponent's monster, then performing an Xyz summon in Main Phase 2. A Prophecy deck will have difficulty making anything of Rank 7 though, and to get Hermit to a point where he can attack over commonly played monsters, he'd have to go up to 2100 - meaning you can't use him for an Xyz summon, outside of situational combos. Note that the boost to Hermit's attack doesn't go away at the End Phase - it's permanent. I could see Hermit of Prophecy being useful for Xyz summoning the biggest monsters of the Prophecy archetype. In most strategies, it requires too much of a commitment to be useful.


Justice of Prophecy

Disclaimer: Justice of Prophecy's effect will only work if you can add both a Level 5 or higher Light or Dark-attribute Spellcaster-type, and a Spellbook card. Now that we've got that ruling out of the way, onto the card. Justice has an Earth-attribute, which weakens the whole Chaos vibe, (remember, Justice searches Light and Dark-attribute monsters). If this card had a Level restriction for the monster it searches, it would be vastly less useful. Luckily, it doesn't! Justice has a low attack, but that's okay, since Justice banishes itself in the End Phase. It'd be nice if the attack was higher, because then you could run over a monster in the Battle Phase, then use its effect - which successful resolution of which would leave you with not 1, but 2 more cards than your opponent than you began with. Plays like that win duels. Since this card activates in the End Phase, your opponent will have a chance during their turn to guard against your new cards, which lowers the power of this card a bit. But sometimes, the added strength of a powerful Spellcaster-type and a Spellbook can just be too much. On a side note, if you aren't in a position to use Justice's effect, it's Level 3, which is a good level for Xyz summoning. All in all, a good card.


Emperor of Prophecy

Emperor of Prophecy, the card in the slot following Justice of Prophecy, just so happens to be searchable by that very same card. What an interesting coincidence. Emperor has an effect that reminds veteran players of currently-Forbidden cards like Change of Heart and Brain Control. For newer players, its effect is a Mind Control that only works on face-up monsters, but has no restrictions on what you can do with those monsters. That effect ups the utility and power at your disposal, and is extemely powerful. In a Prophecy deck, this card's effect requires little set-up. The hardest part will be having a Spellcaster-type on your side of the field, and that shouldn't prove to be a problem. Temperance of Prophecy can special summon this fellow straight from the deck, which is just straight-up awesome. 2300 attack is good for a Level 5, and Level 5 is good for Xyz, provided you have other Level 5 monsters (such as Hermit of Prophecy). Empress of Prophecy is an on-theme Rank 5 Xyz, who's effect can be extremely powerful as well (we'll talk about her later). Dark-attribute is Chaos friendly, and Spellcaster-type is Spellbook friendly, among other things. All the Prophecy monsters are Spellcaster-type, FYI. The only major restriction Emperor suffers is his inability to attack the same turn he uses his effect. If he could, then you could (almost) garuantee a healthy amount of damage each turn. Nonetheless, his effect is killer. I could see Prophecy decks being built around Emperor of Prophecy.


Madolche Croiwanssant

What a cute puppy! But is it all looks, or does it have a bite to its bark? ...actually, it does, appearances to the contrary. It lets you cycle through monsters that the Madolche run that gain benefits upon summon. Without complicating things, Croiwanssant essentially lets you re-use monsters like Madolche Magileine, who is one of the best cards in the Madolche archetype to search out key cards every single turn. In Madolche decks, they lack the high number of good monsters they need, so Croiwanssant is a welcome addition. This card's attack doesn't go back to normal at the End Phase, so it will continually increase every time you use its effect. By using Madolche Mewfeuille, you also have an easy way to create Rank 3 Xyz in one move. Under its own effect, Croiwanssant becomes a capable attacker. When combined with Madolche Chateau, the archetype's Field Spell, he becomes a veritable monster. There are lots of intricate tricks you can perform with Madolche Croiwanssant; I dare you to find them all!


Madolche Marmalmaide

Madolche Marmalmaide is representative of an oddity that exists in the current format: monsters like Snowman Eater, and Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter see popular play alongside monsters like Mystic Tomato. What makes this strange is that these cards should be less effective this format, with easy access to destruction in most top decks. Yet despite this, most players are foregoing this, instead choosing to blindly attack into face down monsters, which makes cards like Marmalmaide better than they should be. That's something to keep in mind whenever you're building a deck - especially since Madolche Marmalmaide fits squarely into the category of "cards that are good during certain formats." That's not to say that Marmalmaide's effect isn't a good one; it's actually excellent for the Madolche game plan. They need to keep Madolche Chateau out as long as possible, or else they just cant maintain enough advantage. It's the utility from Chateau that makes this card good. It's a good thing it has 2000 attack, otherwise it wouldn't be worth playing. With a defense that high, it has a good chance of surviving for an Xyz play next turn.  Even better, Marmalmaide's effect will balance out the usual loss of card presence that occurs when you Xyz summon.


Madolche Messengelato

There are only 3 Beast-type Madolche thus far. That means that Messengelato's utility is low. It becomes lower because he has to be special summoned, and in a deck that can't run 3 copies of Call of the Haunted (because of the Madolche being all about returning themselves to the deck) that becomes a problem. Messengelato does have a good attack under Madolche Chateau, but we're in a bad place if we start running monsters just for their attack points. The obvious way to use Messengelato's effect is to pair him with Mewfeuille. That is a strong combo, and searching out any Spell/Trap is powerful - especially when you're adding Madolche Chateau to your hand. Chateau is the best card Madolche have, and anything that searches it deserves a critical eye. Since the Madolche Beast-type's are good picks for a Madolche deck, Messengelato becomes a bit better. All in all, his benefits outweigh his weaknesses. A certain Madolche card makes him much, much better... but that's for later in our review!


Abyss Warrior

Look! Another Abyss card! If it weren't for Mermails and Atlanteans, Abyss Warrior would be relegated to the "neat, but not really usable" pile. But, they do exist, which makes Abyss Warrior a boss! Abyss Warrior accomplishes 3 main things:
1) He provides an easy way to activate the effects of the afore-mentioned Water-attribute monsters.
2) He provides a large body to those strategies, which they often lack.
3) His own effect will help make problem match-ups with decks that rely on the graveyard much easier.
Apart from those things, I like how Abyss Warrior has a ridiculous amount of utility. Have a monster in the Graveyard you'd rather have in your hand? Use Abyss Warrior and put it on top of your deck to draw next turn! Perhaps your opponent has a copy of Inzektor Hornet, or Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World in their Graveyard? Put it at the bottom of their deck, where they'll struggle to retrieve them! Maybe your opponent even has the mighty Obelisk the Tormentor in their Gaveyard. Kudos for defeating it! Now put it on top of their deck so that they'll draw a monster they can't summon (assuming they can't replicate those conditions). I really like Abyss Warrior. It's extremely high-utility, and what it lacks for in pure power it makes up for by supporting powerful archetypes. It has lots of neat tricks to it, and supports some neat archetypes.


Snowman Creator

This card is a Water-attribute Machine-type, which is a rare combination. It may not be super relevant right now, but it's nice to keep rare type/attribute combinations in mind. The Water-attribute is the thing that matters, since it guarantees Snowman Creator will distribute at least one Ice Counter. This card is all about pushing forward the Ice Counter strategy; it'll drop one for every Water-attribute monster you control, meaning you should be dropping at least 2 Ice Counters (more on that in a second!). If you build three snowmen, they'll gang up on an opponent's card and destroy it! Gnarly! Snowman Creator doesn't specify normal or special summon, which increases its utility in a given strategy. I don't have a ton of experience with the Ice Counter strategy yet, but they're looking to be a fun group of cards. Knowing they have several high-Level monsters, the strategy might benefit from Call of the Haunted, and if it does, Snowman Creator will be even better. A moment ago, I said you should always be dropping at least 2 Ice Counters. Why? Because, in ideal circumstances, you'll distribute 5 Ice Counters (I said, "ideal." Realistically, 2 or 3) then Xyz summon into Rank 4 monsters like Number 16: Shock Master, (or, if you're keeping with the Water theme, Number 32: Shark Drake) and Gagaga Cowboy. Personally, I look forward to reviewing the other Ice Counter monsters. They look like they're going to be a fun, casual theme.

And that wraps up Part 3 of our review! Tune in next time for slots 30-39, including an Elemental Lord, and the second Chaos Number!

Abyss Rising Set Review (Part 2)

Welcome back! Today we're going over card slots 10-19 of Abyss Rising. This'll cover most of the Mermail monsters, and I confess I'm not excited to talk about them - there's a lot of interest about them in the dueling community, and there are duelists who understand their intricacies a lot better than I do. That said, I'll be doing my best. 


Planet Pathfinder

Let's start our review off with Planet Pathfinder! If you think back to our brief discussion about utility and power, you'll see that Planet Pathfinder has more utility than most monsters you'll use to fetch a Field Spell card from your deck (excepting  theme specific searchers, like Harpie Queen). He's Machine-type, meaning he works with a few cards, such as Limiter Removal, and Overload Fusion. An Earth-attribute means he's compatible with the wide range of support Earth monsters get, and can work towards the summoning of monsters like Grandsoil, the Elemental Lord.  If you were low on options, you could even use Monster Reborn on him, to bring a body back to the field to shield your face, or even make Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, if your opponent left a Cyber Dragon on the field. You can even use Planet Pathfinder to attack your opponent, or defend yourself (despite his low attack and defense). These are all things that Terraforming, arguably the most popular search card for Field Spells, can't do. In terms of power, Planet Pathfinder does his job just as well as anybody else; he'll search (pathfind?) any Field Spell, and add it to your hand. His effect doesn't specify activation on summon, or anything else like that, so you're free to keep him around as long as you want. Feel free to use cards such as Call of the Haunted to bring him back for more fun! Since he tributes himself, he dodges cards like Skill Drain or Effect Veiler. There's just one problem with Planet Pathfinder: he takes away a bit of the utility and power of other monsters you play. If you use your Call of the Haunted on him, that mean another monster in your graveyard didn't get brought back. That's not a big deal, but when it comes down to normal summoning Pathfinder, and taking away someone else's normal summon so that you can search out a spell - that's when it gets dangerous. It slows down your pace, and can leave you open to your opponent. Those are things to keep in mind next time you're looking for a card to search out your favorite Field Spell.


 Solar Wind Jammer

Solar Wind Jammer is one of those cards where you have to analyze the designer's intentions for the card. First off, it's a Light-attribute Machine-type. Light is well-supported, and we've just mentioned several Machine-type support card while talking about Planet Pathfinder. That support is largely irrelevant to Solar Wind Jammer, but it's always nice to have those options. It adds to utility. Solar Wind Jammer has a Cyber Dragon-esque effect, which is how we're intended to get this awkward Level 5 monster to our field. Once there, what do we do with it? Answer: not attack and defend. That much is obvious from its effect of halving its own attack and defense. In that case, this card is meant for Xyz summoning. It has an interesting effect of modifying its Level by 1 every Standby Phase, but with only 1200 defense, it ain't sticking around. Unfortunately, this effect is just too slow. If this card had (or even kept) a solid defense, its effect could be utilized, given time. A monster that gives you a chance to Xyz summon anything from Rank 5-12, but Solar Wind Jammer just doesn't have the strength to stick around that long. If it had an effect like Shield Wing, or even Sonic Chick, this card would be vastly more playable.


Heraldic Beast Aberconway

I really, really like Heraldic Beast Aberconway. As a matter of fact, I like all the Heraldic cards. Aberconway looks to be one of the most effective of the Heraldics, turning your fallen monsters into fresh cards in hand. An interesting note: all the members of the Heraldics are Level 4, making them consistent in Xyz summoning. Aberconway is a Wind-attribute Dragon-type, which is interesting in and of itself. Wind has a few good support cards, such as Quill Pen of Gulldos, but that'll tend to be conflicting towards what your goals are with Aberconway. Spiritual Wind Art - Miyabi is a good way to get Aberconway into the graveyard, where he's most effective. The Dragon-type is extremely well supported, and that support is as varied as it is extensive. Aberconway has a powerful attack of 1800, and a killer effect, granting it utility and power. Since Aberconway's effect requires having another copy of itself in the graveyard, it can take a bit of time to set up the effect - but it's worth it. There's a once per turn restriction, but you'll usually be using this effect only twice, as by then you're out of Aberconways in the graveyard. It's possible to reuse his effect with cards like Burial from the Different Dimension, but usually those cards will have so little utility in your deck that they won't be worth it. There are several niche ways to get Aberconway straight to the graveyard - Foolish Burial comes to mind, and cards such as Next to be Lost and Generation Shift would be interesting (read: controversial, and maybe even a bit goofy) choices as well. I like Next to be Lost quite a bit, as it lets us set up the effect in one fell swoop. As soon as our on field Aberconway dies, we're ready to go. This card is definitely in contention for my favorite card from this set.


Heraldic Beast Berners Falcon

Yay! Another Heraldic Beast. It's effect is... interesting, to say the least, when you look at it from the utility/power perspective. But before we get into that, let's look at its stats. It's a Level 4 Wind-attribute, like all the Heraldics, which means that, as a whole, Heraldic Beasts can use Wind support. Remember, there's another Winged-Beast-type Heraldic Beast coming in the future, so it may be possible (at one point) to use Winged-Beast support in Heraldic decks. It's attack and defense are down-right depressing. I guess they can't all be Aberconways. 1600 defense is passable and nudges its utility up a bit, but we'll rarely be using Berners Falcon for a defense. As evidenced by its effect, we'll be using him for Rank 4 Xyz summoning. The effect is solid if you're using a deck of monsters with mixed Levels, but, assuming we're playing a Herald deck, it's completely redundant! All the Heraldic monsters are already Level 4. Aside from that oddity, the best part about Berners Falcon is his splashability in other strategies. For example, a copy in an "Agents" deck can turn a play with The Agent of Creation - Venus and Mystical Shine Balls into a slew of Rank 4's. Whether or not that's a good play is aside from the point. In strategies that can summon multiple monsters that are either at Levels not Xyz-friendly (we're looking at you, Cloudian - Turbulence and Cloudian - Smoke Ball) or monsters that have mixed levels. It's in those strategies that this card may find itself a nice little home.


Mermail Abysslinde

A word about the Mermail and Abyss archetypes in general, before speaking about Abysslinde specifically, so that I don't have to repeat myself 50 times.
1) All members of the Mermail archetype are members of the Abyss archetype.
2) Mermails work very well with the Atlantean archetype, by providing a consistent, powerful engine that activates their effects (Atlantean monsters get their effects when sent to the graveyard to activate a Water-attribute monster's effect).
3) They have a distant relation to the "Umi" cards.
4) Their main strategy is swarming and Xyz summoning, similar to many of the top decks we find today (as of 11/7/12).
5) All Level 3 Mermails are female Aqua-type monsters. All Level 4 Mermails are male Fish-type monsters. All Level 7 Mermails are Sea-Serpent-type sea monsters.
6) Whenever a Level 3 Mermail is sent to the graveyard, they special summon another Mermail.
7) Level 4 Mermails activate their effects by discarding Water-attribute monsters when they are normal or special summoned (hence the usefulness in Atlanteans, as well as activating the lower Level Mermails) and search the deck or graveyard for Level 3 Mermails.
8) The Level 7 Mermails special summon themselves by offering up other Mermails to the graveyard, activating their effects.
Now that we've got these essential facts about the archetype out of the way, let's see how Abysslinde fits into the game plan. Its effect is fairly vague, meaning its utility is going to be strong. Destruction happens all the time, and it doesn't specify your opponent, meaning you could destroy your own Abysslinde with something like Torrential Tribute. There's no limits to the Level of Mermail monster summoned by Abysslinde, increasing its power. The only real limit on this card is its low attack, and the clause "once per turn." It's a card with an insane amount of utility and power.


Mermail Abyssgunde

Take absolutely everything said about Abysslinde, and put it here, with a lone disclaimer. The need to summon from the graveyard weakens Abyssgunde's utility, just a bit. It can be a boon when your graveyard is loaded, or when you've run out of copies of a certain monster in your deck. Also, it's more difficult to discard a monster than to destroy it, but you can tailor your deck to take advantage of Abyssgunde, with cards like Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, and Abyss Soldier.







Mermail Abysshilde
 Mermail Abysshilde shares all the normal Mermail benefits. Now we ask, "what's different about Abysshild?" Answer? More utility, less power. Abysshilde's effect activates whenever she is sent to the graveyard. Let me repeat that, for emphasis: whenever she is sent to the graveyard. Whether as an Xyz material, discarded, sent from the deck by Skreech, it doesn't matter! The only issue is, her effect requires you to commit monsters to the field directly from your hand. Effects like that have a tendency to drain your hand, and it can become extremely difficult, if not impossible, to win when you're constantly emptying it out. Abysshilde's attack and defense are un-noteworthy, although I would like to mention that of the Level 3 Mermails, Abysslinde is the only one who can't be returned to your hand by Salvage. Something to keep in mind.


Mermail Abyssturge
We've made it to our first Level 4 Mermail! Mermail Abyssturge's effect is extremely strong; it turns any Water-attribute monster in your hand into one of your Mermails in the graveyard. It adds utility to the Mermail strategy by making it more consistent. It shares the "once per turn" restriction, which prevents Mermails from absolutely steamrolling over any other deck in contention. Abyssturge has a lower-than-normal attack for a Level 4 monster, however, which doesn't bode well for getting a chance to use his effect twice. I think that the purpose of Abyssturge is to use his effect once, then, off of the effect of a monster like Mermail Abyssgunde, Xyz summon a Rank 4 by summoning either another copy of Abyssturge, or maybe the card that's up next for our review....


Mermail Abysspike
Right off the bat, I'm intrigued to note that Abysspike's attack is even lower than Abyssturge. From a design perspective, it's clear that the Level 4 Mermails are meant for Xyz summoning. Coming in with little prior knowledge, its fun to see how these cards work together, on my own. By using a Level 4 Mermail, you can get rid of one of the Level 3 Mermails, summon another Level 4 Mermail, then repeat. Feel free to Xyz summon with 'used up' Mermails. It' a powerful strategy, that may soon come to dominate the competitive scene. Abysspike is extremely powerful, adding cards from your deck to the hand, as opposed to Abyssturge's effect of adding cards from the graveyard to the hand. It has higher utility, to summarize.



Mermail Abysslung
Interestingly enough, Mermail Abysslung's effect has nothing to do with accumulating more cards, or setting of Mermail/Atlantean effects. Instead, he's geared more towards taking care of that thing I mentioned earlier when reviewing Abysspike and Abyssturge - low attack. He prevents your opponents from even attacking any of your other Water-attribute monsters - and I'm sure this effect may prove useful in other strategies. In addition, he boosts all of your Water monsters' attack by 300. That puts Abyysturge at 2000 and Abysspike at 1900, making them no slouches. I'm concerned about the viability of Abysslung surviving the battle phase howeer; 1800 defense may not be enough to survive for long. All in all, Mermail Abysslung is a fun, casual card that could see play in certain stall-centered strategies.


And that wraps up Part 2! We've gone over 20 cards now; personally, I'm glad to be through the bulk of the Mermail cards, despite the enjoyment I've had from figuring out their mechanics. Thanks for sticking with me!