Card Review: Trap Dustshoot

From the story I just told you all yesterday, this is one bad Trap Card that was so powerful, it will be hit with the new Forbidden List this March!

So let's take examine the card that told me everything I needed to win! Trap Dustshoot is a Trap card that allows you to see your Opponent's Hand and choose a Monster Card for them to shuffle back into their deck; in order to activate it, though, your Opponent must have at least 4 Cards in their Hand. This means that this card is most effective at the start of the duel. You will often hear people complaining about how their opponent draws this card and sets it on the first turn. Later on in the duel, this cards begins to lose its effectiveness unless the opponent wields high draw power.

Trap Dustshoot is great, or shall I say, over powered, for two reasons: It reveals lots of information that isn't normally available to you, the cards in your oppoent's, and it also thwarts your opponent's strategy. Often times, your opponent may only have just one Monster Card available for Summoning in their hand; when this happens, it becomes difficult for them to make a comeback.

It's a simple card, not much to be said out of it except for the complaints that come about it. Simple but potent. Quick and deadly. I am reviewing this card now since it still holds some relevance and because this cards was the key to my victory; it prevented me from making a reckless mistake that would have cost me the duel.

Trivia: The character that appears in the Card's Art Work is named Cliff the Trap Remover. Although is name won't tell you, he is part of the Dark Scorpion Archetype.

Story: My Best Duel Ever!

It’s story time! Today I am going to tell the tale of what may be the best duel I have ever won, on Dueling Network! Recently I have begun to duel on the popular website again, plus I updated my online deck to how it is built offline. So….. Are you ready for an epic story?

My duel begins on the third round of a match against a Gravekeepers deck. Gravekeepers are an archetype of DARK Attributed Spellcaster Monsters that rely on their home field (spell), Necrovalley, which shuts down access to the Graveyard; the unfortunate truth is that my deck depends greatly on what is my Graveyard so I was already at a disadvantage. Being on the third round, the score was 1 Win to 1 Win; I lost round 2 so I had the choice of going first.

[cough...]

On my first turn, I had managed to Synchro Summon Nitro Warrior, with 2800ATK, one of my best and strongest Monsters. I set Trap Dustshoot and Compulsory evacuation device and I ended my turn. My opponent begins her turn, and the card that foreshadowed the fate of the rest of the duel is revealed. I activated my Trap Dustshoot, which forces my opponent to show me their hand and I select 1 Monster in their hand to shuffle back into their hand. When she reveals her hand I discover that she has only 1 Monster in her hand and 5 Trap Cards: 1 Dark Illusion, 1 Rite of Spirit, 2 Dimensional Prisions, and 1 Starlight Road. She shuffles her only monster back into her hand and she sets all of her cards face down. Now that I know what cards she has face down, I am reluctant to attack.

Dimensional Prisons remove from play attack monsters, so not only would I lose Nitro Warrior but I would be unable to bring him back with a card like Monster Reborn. Starlight Road Negates a Card and/or Card Effect that would destroy 2 or more cards simultaneously; the Heavy Storm in my hand could have cleared her back row, but it would be Negated by Starlight Road, which would not only stop my Spell Card, but it would also allow my opponent to Special Summon a (“crippled”***) Stardust Dragon straight from her Extra Deck. Dark Illusion Negates and Destroys a Card and Card Effect that targets 1 face-up DARK Monster, and Rite of Spirit revives 1 Gravekeeper from the owner’s Graveyard. All was at a standoff for the next few turns, being that she was unable to Summon Monsters powerful enough to destroy my Nitro Warrior and that I was unable to safely attack.

[There is a storm is coming...]

Six turns passed by and I've drawn a Mystical Space Typhoon. My Nitro Warrior was lost when my opponent Summoned and Activated Gravekeeper's Descendant's Effect, which allows her to destroy any Card by Tributing 1 other Gravekeeper. Although I attempted to save my Nitro Warrior from the decendant's effect by activating the Effect of my Effect Veiler from, but she was lost due to the effect of my opponent's Dark Illusion. I probably should have used my Compulsory Evacuation Device instead of Effect Veiler. (You can observe me judging card rulings on image above.) My following turn is when things really get to heat up.

One of my friends was observing my duel as it was happening. He asked my why I had allowed my Opponent to take down one of my strongest Monsters. My excuse was that I was unable to completely focus due to to the "Heat of the Moment". As a response, he sent me a youtube link for the song Two Steps from Hell. I played it as I began my next turn and I knew what I had to do. I needed to use my trusty Debris Dragon in order to win, but my opponent held a Necrovalley. Even if I managed to summon a strong Monster, her Traps would easily take care of them. I had in my hand 1 Heavy Storm and 1 Mystical Space Typhoon, both Spell Cards are destroy Spell/Trap cards on the field. First I had to take care of Starlight Road, so I thought to myself what order my opponent may Set her Trap Cards to find the location of the hidden Starlight road. I made my choice; I chose a card to destroy, and I activated Mystical Space Typhoon first. Hesitant, my opponent took a moment to let my play sink in until she finally revealed that I had indeed hit the right card. Once the Starlight Road had been taken care of, she knew 'the storm' was coming and activated her Rite of Spirit card to take advantage of it. Heavy Storm took out her Field Spell and Trap Cards, but I also had to take advantage of my Compulsory Evacuation Device while I could; I 'bounced' back one of her Gravekeeper Recruiters.

[The Song Replays]

[I listened to this song replaying the whole time.]

So I managed to clear out my opponent's entire back row in one turn, but by that point I had not a single card on my side of the field. Now that I had finally gotten rid the obstacles my Monsters might have to overcome, it was time I made my move. I opened up by Summoning my Debris Dragon from my hand. I used his effect to Special Summon my Effect Veiler from my Graveyard in Attack Position! [Debris Dragon/LV 4/1000/2000] [Effect Veiler/LV 1/0/0] My friend, whom was observing the duel, questioned my motives for reviving my fallen 'Veiler'. Then I showed him up by activating Quillbolt Hedgehog's effect from my Graveyard; by having a Face-up Tuner-Monster on the field, it can revive itself. [Quillbolt Hedgehog/LV 2/800/800] By successfully Summoning a Monster back from my Graveyard, I Special Summoned Doppel Warrior from my hand. [Doppel Warrior/LV 2/800/800] Then after, I commenced to 'Tune' my Debris Dragon, Quillbolt Hedgehog, and Doppel Warrior on my field to Synchro Summon a Level 8 Dragon-Type Monster! (4+2+2=8) I Summoned Stardust Dragon. At this point my audience began to understand what was happening. After Stardust was Summoned, Doppel Warrior granted me 2 "Doppel Tokens" in Attack Position, each being Level 1, for using it as a Synchro Material Monster. I used my Effect Veiler waiting for my command to Synchro Summon for a Level 2 Monster, Formula Synchron; through his effect I drew Turbo Booster, and I commenced to 'Accel Synchro' for the strongest monster I can currently summon. In one turn, I managed to Synchro Summon the legendary Shooting Star Dragon!

[From 0 Monsters, to 1 Shooting Star and a Doppel Token in 1 Turn]

Shooting Star Dragon has many effects. One of its effects allows it to potentially attack multiple times in one turn. I activated its effect: By revealing the top 5 Cards of my Deck, for each Tuner-Monster I reveal, it can attack that number of times. On the first turn I Summoned him, Shooting Star revealed 2 Tuner-Monsters. I shuffled my deck and Started attacking. I managed to cut down most of my opponent's life points on that turn. I used one of my tokens and the spare Turbo Booster in my hand to rid my opponent of any field presence she might have by the time I ended my turn. I finished off this epic turn by activating Pot of Avarice; I drew Mind Control and Fiend's Sanctuary.

[Metal Fiend Token... Just to be safe]

My opponent then started her turn. She discarded a Gravekeeper's Commandant to add 1 Necrovalley from her Deck to her Hand. She activated her field Spell and Removed From Play 1 Stardust Dragon from her Extra Deck to Special Summon from her hand 1 Malefic Stardust Dragon from her hand. She Set the only other Monster in her hand to try to raise her defenses. My turn followed. I drew a Trap card and Set it. I activated from my hand my Mind Control Card to possess her Face-down Monster to lower her defenses.  Shooting Star Dragon Revealed 2 Tuner-Monster from the top of my deck; he finished the game for me with the next two attacks, perfectly depleting my opponent's Life Points to 0.

[Using Fiend's Sanctuary probably made no impact on the duel]

[The Final Attack]

[End of Duel!]

So there you have it. It was a duel that tested my skills as a duelist and my deck. I found it enjoyable because I won in a very impressive manner and I overcame many obstacles over the course of a single turn. Some duels are worth telling stories about and this one is no exception. Tell me what you guys think.

***A "Crippled Stardust Dragon" is a Stardust Dragon that was Special Summoned by the effect of Starlight Road. If a Synchro Monster is Special Summoned from the Extra Deck without properly being Synchro Summoned, it cannot be Summoned by other means, like Monster Reborn, once it has left the field. In the case of a Crippled Stardust, if he is tributed to activate his effect, he will not be able to Special Summon himself from the Graveyard on the upcoming End Phase.

New content to come!

For the past few days I've been busy and I still have some things to clear up; but soon I shall be posting more reviews on cards. So please excuse delays on my posts. I hope you have all enjoyed what I've posted and look forward to my future posts.

Card Combo: OVER-TUNE!

Good evening everyone! I hope you guys are all having a great Valentine's Day, or at least a decent day and night. Today, as a special treat I will share one of my favorite card combos. I call it the "Over-Tune!". The goal of "Over-Tuning" is to Special Summon an Xyz Monster from the Extra Deck by utilizing at least 1 Tuner Monster; in this case, my "Iconic 'Over-Tune'" uses Debris Dragon, a Tuner Monster I reviewed before. This combo will allow you to summon any Rank 4 Xyz monster as a direct result of using only your Normal Summon. The name "Over-Tune" is derived from a popular phrase out of two of the Yu-Gi-Oh! shows, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's and Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal; "Over", from "Overlay", how the character's describe the stacking of Xyz Material when Summoning an Xyz Monster, and "Tune" from "Tuning", what the characters claim happens when they are Summoning a Synchro Monster. (Tuner Monsters will transform into Tuning rings that represent their own Levels, depending on what Level they are, to resonate with the other Monsters to change into a Synchro. If I ever mention that Synchro Monsters are sounds, or that they are made of noise, this is where that idea comes from.)

So let's pull off an incredible strategy. To pull off this combo, you will need 1 Debris Dragon in your hand, 1  Level 4 Monster with less than 500ATK, and any Rank 4 Xyz Monster in your Extra Deck. For convenience, I will use Destiny Hero - Defender as the Level 4 Monster and Number 39: Utopia as the Xyz Monster. Not only are these cards that I reviewed already, but this is how I generally make my play when I duel.

First off, the other Level 4 Monster (Destiny Hero - Defender) must be in your Graveyard and you need your Debris Dragon in your hand. On your turn, you can Normal Summon the Debris Dragon and Special Summon Defender with the Effect. Defender will be Summoned in Attack Position, which is risky but worth the next monster to come. Normally Debris Dragon would be used to Synchro Summon a Monster, but it can never use another Level 4 Monster as a Synchro Material, however, it has no restriction against using another Level 4 Monster as an Xyz Material. Upon the dragon's Normal Summon, you would have already brought out 2 Monster Cards, just the Requirements for your Xyz Monster. At this point, simply Xyz Summon the Monster using Debris Dragon and the Monster he summoned (while shouting dramatically "I Over-Tune my Level 4 Debris Dragon and my Level 4 [2nd Monster] to Xyz Summon my [Rank 4 Xyz]!")

The advantages to this combo are abundant. Although there are are 3 cards that are technically needed to pull off this tactic, it may even feel like you only need one! In fact, this strategy can even work if you have not a single card on the field! (Debris is in your hand, Defender's in the Graveyard, and Utopia isn't even part of the Main Deck! All you need is 2 unoccupied Monster Zones.) The strategy I just explained is simple because you can use it to summon an Xyz Monster that only requires just 2 Monsters, but you can expand it to an Xyz that requires 3 Monsters if you already have a third Level 4 Monster on the field! This tactic also provides an alternative exchange your weaker monsters for a stronger one. Even if these monsters are not directly used to Xyz Summon, some duelists will be resourceful and crafty enough to use the monsters for other kinds of summons.

As great of a combo as this is, it is still not perfect. It is still vulnerable to many of the cards that can destroy or send Monsters out of the field. Ultimately, if your opponent is stocked with Spells and Traps, your Debris Dragon or the Xyz Monster you are attempting to Summon is still in danger. Using cards like Heavy Storm or Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Spells and Traps is advised for good measure. This card also heavily relies on the second Level 4 Monster existing in the Graveyard.

You may use this combo freely without having to credit me (The_Duelist); I only ask that if you do, refer to it as "OVER-TUNE" when you use this combo.

Card Review: Summoner Monk

Here is a card that is useful for many decks, but is often hard to come by. With an incredibly useful effect, this card opens up the possibilities for many combinations to bring forth bigger, stronger, and more powerful monsters!

So let's examine this master evocator of monsters. Summoner Monk is a, DARK Attributed, Level 4 Spellcaster/Effect Monster with 800 ATK and 1600 DEF. Clearly not made to battle, especially because he immediately switches to the defensive upon summoning. (Unless Flip Summoned.) 800 ATK is very low for a Level 4 Monster, so it is probably a good thing that he switches to defense mode anyways. What makes this card so special is that he can Special Summon any other Level 4 Monster from your deck, at the expense of 1 Spell Card from your hand; the monster MUST be Level 4. The Monster Special Summoned by this effect cannot attack the turn the effect is used, and the effect is limited to being allowed only once. Those drawbacks are minor trade offs for being able to Summon Rank 4 Xyz Monsters like Number 39: Utopia, or Synchro Summoning Monsters if the aforementioned  Special Summoned card was a Tuner.

Summoner Monk fits best in decks that use many Level 4 Monsters and expendable Spell Cards. Because it is a DARK monster, Summoner Monk may be used to fit the costs of lots of Card Effects that affect DARK Monster, like Allure of Darkness, which calls to remove 1 DARK Monster from your hand.

Summoner Monk is another example of a highly potent card as it was once restricted to only 1 card per deck on the Limited List, but is now Semi-Limited which means that 2 copies are allowed per deck. The reason that Summoner Monk's cost is a Spell Card is that the deck he is included in is a Spell oriented Deck. A great card but often difficult to come across. They are very reliable when added to certain decks, and so they are valuable.

Card Review: Number 39: Utopia

Recently I made an overview of the 4 Ace Cards held by the main protagonists of each Yu-Gi-Oh! show. Number 39: Utopia is used by Yuma Tsukumo and is also the cover card for Starter Deck: 2011: Dawn of the Xyz. Even now, Number: 39 Utopia is probably the only reason that people are buying the new Starter Deck, save for a few new and good cards that are included with the deck itself. Personally I really like Number 39: Utopia because of it's artwork and significance in the new Yu-Gi-Oh! show. He looks like a noble warrior that is ready to defend anyone.

So let's examine this defender from the other side of the universe! Number 39: Utopia is a, LIGHT Attributed, RANK* 4 Monster/Xyz/Effect monster with 2500ATK and 2000DEF, just like the other iconic 'Legendaries'. 'Utopia' is a very defensive Card; even with 2500ATK points, there are many cards that can still defeat it in battle. To cope with this, his effect allows him to Negate Attacks, by using its "Xyz Material" (dubbed in the show as "Overlay Units"), the monsters used to Summon for the Summoning of Utopia. Under normal conditions, he will be able to Negate 2 attacks; it doesn't matter who is the one attacking. In most cases, Utopia will not have to Negate ALL attacks since this effect is optional, and for anything to actually pose a real threat, your opponent's monster would have to be 2500ATK Points strong or stronger or possess a deadly effect like that of Ally of Justice Catastor to make you expend an Xyz Material. Utopia can protect the user from 2 attacks, but I would like to say that he can actually block a total of 3 attacks!

The theoretical third attack that Utopia can black is derived from his draw back effect. The unfortunate drawback is that if he is attacked (attacked=/=attacks) by an opponent's monster whilst having no Xyz Material to shield himself with, he will be destroyed. Basically, without his powers, Utopia can die with his own effect; although, upon will self destruct, the monster that attacked him will not be able to attack again for the turn, unless another effect will permit it to do so. So imagine 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons on your opponent's side of the field; all you have is a fresh Number 39: Utopia on your side. Blue-Eyes 1 and 2 attack, you Negate both attacks by detaching 1 Xyz Material for each attack. (Since the effect does not say "Once per turn", it is implied that you may use it multiple times on the same turn.) Now that Utopia is unguarded, the last Dragon attacks, but Utopia takes one for the team. The battle is nullified and you won't have to suffer from battle damage since the last Blue-Eyes will not be able to attack again.

Being only Rank 4, this card is relatively easy to summon because most of the useful cards utilized in many decks tend to be Level 4. Overall, it is a good card that is both useful and fun to use.

This card recently received an evolved form that is more aggressive, in the new booster pack. In other trivia, Number 39: Utopia looks like the Lancelot Knightmare mech from the Anime Code Geass.

*RANK is a status that Xyz monsters operate by. Instead of using Levels that are lined from the right side above the card art, Ranks are lined from the left side above the card art. Rank is represented by golden stars in black orbs, as opposed to yellow stars in red orbs for Level. Rank and Level are NOT the same, and any Xyz Monster technically has no Level (but still may not be used as a Synchro Material Monster, until a card that specifically says so is made).

Card Review: Quillbolt Hedgehog

A loyal pet to all Tuners! Quillbolt Hedgehog is a weak monster, but when added to the right decks he can aid other monsters to unlock their full potential.

So let's examine this rodent. Quillbolt Hedgehog is an, EARTH Attributed, Level 2 Machine/Effect-Type Monster with 800ATK and 800 DEF. While you control a Tuner Monster, you can revive this little guy with his own effect from your Graveyard. Because of this, he is practically the most useful Synchro Material Monster available. His drawback, if he is special summoned by his own effect, the next time he leaves the field he would be "Removed From Play", or as they would now say "Banished". This drawback effect is meant to prevent abuse of Quillbolt to Summon a very large amount of Synchro Monsters. There are ways to get around this though.

If Quillbolt Hedgehog is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, he is not restricted to only being used as a Synchro Material. Since this card was released long before the "Zexal" era, it has no restrictions to be used as an Xyz Material for cards like Gachi Gachi Gantetsu.

There isn't much to be said for a very common card like Quillbolt Hedgehog, but he is a great asset to lots of Synchro and Rank 2 Xyz Decks. Quillbolt Hedgehog is also available in the (Red) 2010 Duelist Pack Collection Tins, as a Super Rare Card. This Monster is used by Yusei Fudo from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.

Card Review: Debris Dragon

Time to take a look at a card that I personally favor using in decks. (Myself, along with thousands of other duelists.) Debris Dragon: a Tuner Monster used by Yusei Fudo in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. Compared to many monsters he may not be strong in terms of attack strength, but his abilities are what dueling dreams are made of.

So let's examine this little dragon that can evolve into a legend. Debris Dragon is a, WIND Attributed, Level 4 Dragon/Tuner Effect Monster with 1000ATK and 2000DEF. 1000ATK is very low for many monsters including Level 4 Monsters, but 2000DEF makes him an adequate defender. Like many cards nowadays, however, Debris Dragon was not made to stay on the field for long or battle all by himself. He is supposed to arrive and Synchronize with other Monster Cards on your Side of the field to grow into an even bigger dragon!

When Debris Dragon is Normal Summoned, he can revive any monster in your graveyard with lower than 500ATK Points; it doesn't matter what Level the monster is (This information can actually affect the game play). The monster Summoned by this effect will have its own effects negated, so it is assumed that the revived monster will be used as Synchro Material, as a Tribute, or even as Xyz Material. To compensate having a potent effect, Debris has 2 main drawback effects. First, he is not able to use a Level 4 Monster as Synchro Material, ever. Second, He must always be used as a Synchro Material Monster for the Summoning of Dragon-Type Synchro. By the card's very nature and artwork, it is implied that Debris Dragon is meant to grow into one of the Legendary "Signer Dragons", more specifically Stardust Dragon. His drawbacks add a greater challenge to actually summoning cards like Stardust Dragon and Red Dragon Archfiend, however, despite his cons he tends to shift the tides of battle.

Debris Dragon is most useful towards the middle or end of a duel, after many weak monsters have been sent to the Graveyard. In rare cases where a user of this card has a bad hand, he can still be used as a shield to ward off the first attack. Because of its potency, Debris Dragon is currently on the Limited List, meaning that only 1 can be used in Tournament Matches. Although these cards only come in Common rarity, they are valuable.

Card Review: Junk Synchron

Time for a little deck "Tuning". This card is a very popular Tuner Monster, used by almost any deck that Synchro Summons and by the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's protagonist Yusei Fudo: Junk Synchron!

So let's examine this iconic synchronizer of weaker cards. Junk Synchron is a, DARK Attributed, Level 3 Warrior/Tuner- Effect Monster with 1300 ATK and 500 DEF. Compared to many monsters, he is a bit weak; for a Level 3 Monster, not too bad. What makes Junk Synchron so amazing is obviously his effect. He is able to revive 1 Level 2 or lower Monster from your Graveyard upon Normal Summoning; this effect cannot be applied if he is Special Summoned. By the way the card is written, there is no restrictions on what monster you can revive other than the fact that it needs to be a Level 2 or lower Monster. With that said, Junk Synchron benefits a deck that utilizes more weaker Monsters, but opens many opportunities to summon even more powerful monsters.

In most cases, this guy can pull a duelist out of almost any situation. Junk Synchron can immediately evolve into Junk Warrior almost every time he is Normal Summoned. Even if he is not used to Synchro Summon for another Monster, Junk Synchron can increase a player's field presence.

Making up for lost time

Hey guys, sorry about the lack of posts recently. My internet access has been cut off for the past four days, and I just barely gained connection again today. To make up for it I will be making four posts, excluding this one, to make up for the time that I lost. I hope that you will enjoy reading about more cards. To spice things up a little bit, I will share one of my favorite and effective card combos that I developed recently.

Hey guys, I am really sorry about my lack of posts recently. Last week my internet access was cut off and my entire flow has been disrupted. But now I am back in business. To make up for it I will be posting multiple posts until I have made up for days I missed. (This one will not count as one of the extra posts mentioned.) I hope you enjoy reading what I have to say about cards. To spice things up, soon I will be sharing a couple of my dueling combos. There is something to look forward too.