[Card Discussion] Felgrand, the Great Divine Dragon

If anyone remembers the Revival of the Great Dragon Structure Deck released in the OCG roughly a decade ago, then surely he/she will remember the original Felgrand Dragon. As useful as it was, it simply could not be used in the competitive scene at the time. However, fast forward almost ten years later, the the card gets a retrained version, known as “Felgrand, the Great Divine Dragon” (FtGDD)!

[Card Discussion] Assault Blackwing – Chidori the Light Rain

It seems the Blackwing support continues throughout Shining Victories! I am honestly not quite sure if it is exactly what the archetype needed, but let’s review the new Blackwing Synchro Monster, Assault Blackwing – Chidori the Light Rain!

[Card Discussion] Paladin of Felgrand

Earlier this year, the OCG had remade the original Advent of the Emperor Structure Deck (SD), reforming the deck’s original strategy and increasing the deck’s functionality to that of an actual tournament-level deck. The OCG continues this trend by recreating yet another Structure Deck. The next deck to be revamped is the Revival of the Great Dragon Structure Deck, and honestly, it looks promising. One of the recently revealed cards is Paladin of Felgrand, which I believe has a lot of potential not just in the SD itself, but in other decks. Let’s review!

[Card Discussion] Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy

With the OCG release of Premium Pack 18 (PP18), many decks get a boost in one way or another. Out of all the cards in the pack, there is one that looks promising for certain decks. Today, we will review the Rank 8 Xyz Monster, Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon (Titanic Galaxy*)!

[Card Discussion] Solemn Notice

Breakers of Shadow contains quite a few useful Spell/Trap cards, but there is one that stands out from the rest. Players can now negate the effect(s) of an opposing monster, or prohibit the Special Summon of an opponent’s monster with a single card!

Solemn Notice
Counter Trap Card
(click here for this card’s effects)

Solemn Notice, like many of its predecessors, is a Counter Trap card; which means it cannot be negated by anything other than another Counter Trap. Additionally, it too, can stop specific actions of the opponent at a cost. In the case of Solemn Notice, players must pay 1500 LP to either block an opponent’s Special Summon or negate an opposing monster’s effect(s). To some, the cost may be too much; but in certain situations, the outcome could be a game-saver.

Solemn Notice has a relatively low cost, especially when it is capable of so much. Players could use Solemn Notice in place of Divine Wrath to avoid giving up hand advantage, or use it in place of Solemn Warning to escape paying a 2000LP fee. Some may argue that 500 points does not make much of a difference, but Solemn Notice virtually has the same effect as Solemn Warning, just with a lesser cost. The only difference between the two is that Notice can only negate a Special Summon, whereas Warning can negate any summon, even a summon by card effect.

Even so, it is hard not to consider using Solemn Notice over other popular negation cards, such as Breakthrough Skill or Black Horn of Heaven, especially when it is basically a combination of the aforementioned cards. With so much versatility, players should not have a difficult time making room in his/her deck(s) for Solemn Notice. In fact, players may actually find themselves saving deck space for other options.

[Card Discussion] Raidraptor – Satellite Cannon Falcon

With the release of Booster Special: Wing Raiders—a booster pack geared towards Xyz Summons—Raidraptors get a large boost in consistency, useful RUM cards, and a new boss monster capable of decimating the opponent’s field! Today, we will look at the new boss monster, Raidraptor – Satellite Cannon Falcon.

Raidraptor – Satellite Cannon Falcon
DARK, Rank 8
3000ATK/2000DEF
2 Level 8 Winged-Beast-Type monsters
Winged-Beast/Xyz/Effect
(click here for this card’s effects)

Raidraptor – Satelllite Cannon Falcon is unlike its predecessors in terms of stats. Most “Raidraptor” Xyz monsters have low ATK and high DEF, but have effects to back up their low stats. Satellite Cannon Falcon takes a difference approach, breaking the tradition of the rest of the Raidraptor Xyz Monsters. To start, it has 3000ATK, enough to rival that of the iconic Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Its DEF is not bad either, but players typically will not being placing Satellite Cannon Falcon into defense-position due to its abilities to end the duel in a single attack.

As it stands, there is no other deck that is capable of bringing out Satellite Cannon Falcon besides the archetype itself, which is where it is most effective. Upon being summoned by using a “Raidraptor” Xyz monster as a Xyz material, the opposition’s Spell/Trap card zone is completely destroyed. In addition, the opponent cannot activate anything in response to this card’s effect. If this card is successfully summoned this way, it would be best to finish the opponent off since the opportunity has emerged.

Even if the opponent has monsters on the field, Satellite Cannon Falcon is virtually indestructible. If the opponent’s monster attacks or is attacked, the controller can remove an Xyz material from Satellite Cannon Falcon to reduce its the monster’s ATK by 800 points for each”Raidraptor” monster in the controller’s Graveyard. Simply by detaching 1 Xyz material, the controller is going to decrease the opponent’s monster’s ATK by at least 800 points. If the controller has 5 “Raidraptor” monsters in the graveyard, then a monster on the opponent’s field will lose 4000 ATK; that is enough to take down almost every monster!

Summoning it, however, is no easy feat. Through normal means, it would require 2 Level 8 Winged-Beast-Type monsters to summon it; and unless those monsters were “Raidraptor” monsters, it would only be a 3000ATK beatstick. Luckily, there are ways to bring it out and unleash its full potential. If Raidraptor – Revolution Falcon is in the graveyard, the player could use Rank-Up-Magic Soul Shave Force to summon Revolution Falcon, and subsequently summon Satellite Cannon Falcon. Another way to summon it is to control a Raidraptor – Force Strix and have a Rank-Up-Magic Doom Double Force on the field/in the hand. Once the Force Strix would be destroyed by battle, the player could activate Doom Double Force and summon Satellite Cannon Falcon through that method. Other cards such as Xyz Universe and Raidraptor – Last Strix could be used to summon it, but these methods would not activate the Spell/Trap destruction effect.

Raidraptor – Satellite Cannon Falcon is a Rank 8 Xyz Monster with large stats, typical for high Level/Rank monsters. Not only does it back the brute force that most high Level/Rank monsters possess, but it also has a built-in Harpie’s Feather Duster to ensure the controller’s victory. Nevertheless, it is something that the Raidraptor archetype needed: a monster with high ATK capable of finishing the duel in an instant.

Magical Pendulum – A guide to Magicians

The Pendulum Summon mechanic first debuted about a year-and-a-half ago, and since then, the concept has exploded into what is possibly one of the most fun decks to play! With the release of Structure Deck: Master of Pendulum right around the corner, I figured I would make a guide for those who have not taken up the deck yet and are looking for some guidance. Plus, it may be helpful to individuals looking for new combos. First article will be a rundown of new cards the TCG version has, and the second article will be comprised of combos. Let’s have a look, shall we?

[Card Discussion] Ties of the Brethren

The original YGO series was notorious for displaying extremely powerful—and sometimes ban-worthy—cards within the series. To this day, players are still anticipating cards that would simply have too much of an impact on the game. However, Millenium Box Gold Edition gives players access to some of the most anticipated cards from the first YGO series. Today, we will review Ties of the Brethren (TotB), a card only used once in the series.

Ties of the Brethren
Normal Spell Card
(click here for this card’s effects)

Ties of the Brethren has identical restrictions when compared to its anime counterpart; although, the limitations given to it are slightly increased.

Anime counterpart:

• Requires 1000LP to activate.
• Allows the player to target a Level 4 monster they control, then Special Summon 2 Level 4 monsters of the same attribute from their deck.
• Prohibits the Special Summoned monsters from attacking or being tributed.

OCG/TCG counterpart:

• Requires 2000LP to activate.
• Allows the player to target a Level 4 or lower monster they control, then Special Summon 2 Level 4 or lower monsters with the same attribute, type, and level from their deck.
• Prohibits the player from conducting their Battle Phase during the turn Ties of the Brethren is activated.
• Prohibits the player from Special Summoning other monsters after activate Ties of the Brethren.
• Monsters can be tributed.

(* boldface text indicates the differences between anime and OCG/TCG version.)

To some players, the restrictions may seem like it is too much, but that is surely for balancing purposes so every deck cannot abuse it. Even so, there are plenty of decks that can utilize it to its fullest potential.

The Melodious archetype gets a large boost in consistency with this card. If a player controls “Melodious” monster, he/she could activate TotB to summon monsters like Aria the Melodious Diva to prevent the opponent from destroying other Melodious monsters, or Soprano the Melodious Diva to return a “Melodious” monster in his/her Graveyard to their hand. Even though the player cannot Special Summon for the rest of the turn, if a player summons Aria and Soprano with TotB, he/she could always Fusion Summon next turn with Soprano’s effect.

Koa’ki Meiru also get a boost in consistency with the release of TotB. In a Rock Stun variant, players could summon Koa’ki Meiru Guardian, Koa’ki Meiru Overdose, Koa’ki Meiru Wall, or Koa’ki Meiru Sandman, then subsequently use TotB to summon 2 monsters of almost any combination of the monsters listed above. By using this combo, a player could effectively shut down the opponent’s key plays and/or win the game. Be advised that the player would still need to reveal a Rock-type monster in their hand to keep all three monsters on the field at the End Phase!

Melodious and Koa’ki Meiru are not the only decks that can effectively use TotB. Other decks, such as Noble Knight, Graydle, Bujin, and Blackwing can make full use of TotB, as well.

In the end, Ties of the Brethren does quite a bit for many decks, regardless of the drawbacks and cost. For some decks—like Melodious—this card can be a blessing; and to others, it is not as useful. Nevertheless, players can now storm the field and create several combos that would not otherwise be made possible with Ties of the Brethren.

Source: Maxut

[Card Discussion] Ariadne the Absolver

Breakers of Shadow brings forth support for numerous archetypes and playstyles. From classics like Ninja and Buster Blader, to Counter Fairy and Blackwing, the pack offers quite a bit. In the case of Counter Fairies, they get more support in the form of a Pendulum Monster that solves many, if not most, of the problems with the deck.

[Card Discussion] Magical Sea Castle Aigaion

Ever so often, players are given access to a card that meddles with the opponent’s Extra Deck in the form of a Spell/Trap card. But how often are players given an Xyz Monster that tampers with the opposer’s extra deck, and can potentially become a beatstick? Breakers of Shadow gives players access to one of the most unique Xyz Monsters to date in the form of a Rank 8 monster.

Magical Sea Castle Aigaion
Rank 8, WATER
Machine/Xyz/Effect
2 Level 8 monsters
?ATK/3000DEF
(click here for this card’s effect)

Aigaion is a Rank 8 monster that has 3000 DEF and technically 0 ATK, which may shy away players. However, keep in mind that monsters with rather low ATK typically have strong effects to back it up. Aigaion is no exception to this concept. First off, during either player’s turn, Aigaion’s first effect allows the controller to randomly banish a card in the opponent’s Extra Deck face-down, virtually making it unobtainable. But the effect does not stop there; if the monster is successfully banish, Aigaion’s ATK becomes the banished monster’s ATK. Unfortunately, since the effect is random, it serves more as a “hit-or-miss” ability, but it still lessens the opponent’s options. Players will typically play it in defense-position until they banish a high ATK monster.

It does more than just banish cards from the opponent’s Extra Deck. In addition to disrupting the opponent’s plays, by returning one of the opponent’s banished Synchro, Xyz, or Fusion Monster to the Graveyard, Aigaion can destroy a monster on the field, but it has to be the same type as the returned monster’s card type. This effect can be especially useful against decks that are geared towards a certain summoning method, such as Speedroid, Yang Zing, or Performage decks.

Magical Sea Castle Aigaion fills a niche that most Rank 8 monsters lack: disruption. In addition, there are not many cards that can remove an opponent’s key resources from play, especially in the form of a monster card. Even though Aigaion has disruptive abilities, like many cards, each effect can only be used once per turn. Nevertheless, Aigaion is a welcome addition to decks that can utilize it.