Card Review: Relinquished

Oh man, it is another card review for a cover card! Yes, although, this will be the last cover card review I will do for a while anyways. So here it is, today's interesting card is Relinquished. Relinquished is Pegasus' ace monster card used against Yugi at the end of season 1. I remember watching that entire battle. It was what my brothers and I waited weeks to see, and what a show it turned out to be. When Relinquished was first summoned it really looked like a force to be reckoned with. It was this monstrous creature that absorbed other monsters and turned them against the foe, and at the same time used the ensnared monsters as a shield. Yes, the TV show was quite animated about what Relinquished did. It even evolved into another even more horrific monster, but for now, I am just reviewing the monster Relinquished. It also amazed me in person when my older brother showed me this card in person. He had bought the new Starter Deck Pegasus years ago, and I am glad that I still possess that same card and spell. It was also one of the few cards I used to get me back into Dueling.

So let's examine this eldritch abomination. So, right off the deck there are lots of interesting details about this monster card. Relinquished is a, DARK Attributed, Level 1 Spellcaster/Ritual/Effect-Type Monster. This means, that not only is Relinquished a Spellcaste-Type Monster, but it also holds two different Sub-Types. It is also a Ritual Monster and an Effect Monster. (How odd of me to review a monster with two Sub-Types instead of just one. I will slow down next time.) Ritual Monsters are bordered as a Blue Card and Effect Monsters are bordered as Orange Cards; However, a Ritual monster can still be an Effect Monster because being a Ritual Monster does not restrict it from having an effect of its own. The same can be said for Fusions, Synchros, and Xyz's, but I will cover those cards at a later time to clear up any details they may need clarifying on. First off, what separates this card from so many other cards including the previous monster cards that I have reviewed is that Relinquished cannot be Normal Summoned; it must Properly be Special Summoned through its Ritual Spell. Ritual Monsters are Special Monster cards that require to be special summoned through a specific Ritual Spell. Until that requirement is met, they cannot be Summoned by other means.

Relinquished is arguably the first Ritual Monster card released. It is the cover card for Starter Deck Pegasus, although it has been reprinted for other booster pack sets. Now, it looks weak on the surface, being only Level 1 and bearing 0ATK and 0DEF! However, what makes this card so terrifying is its effect. Relinquished can absorb an opponent's monster by Equipping the monster to itself, but it can only hold one monster at a time, and it gains that monster's ATK and DEF stats. If Relinquished battles and loses, the monster equipped monster will be destroyed instead. Battle Damage is also inflicted to the opponent, or the owner of the monster.

The card's only drawbacks are that: 1. It is a Ritual Monster. (you need at least the Monster and its designated Ritual Spell to Summon the Monster.) 2. If it survives the first battle, the next battle it will revert back into a 0ATK/0DEF Monster. 3. It is still vulnerable to many kinds of Effects. Other than that, it is a pretty awesome card to have. Since it is only a Level 1 Ritual Monster, you only require at least 1 other monster as a Tribute for the Ritual Spell.