Card Review: Ceasefire

Since I'm on the "Simple Cards are too complicated to understand to many duelists" mood, here is another one of my personal favorites that just makes so many people mad! I present to you Ceasfire! One of the most powerful cards that I have ever had in using. With only three sentences to explain its effects, this card somehow manages to throw so many duelists into confusion, skepticism, and even fits of rage that lead to them quitting.

So lets examine the terms of this card. Ceasefire is a Trap Card that inflicts 500 Points of Damage to your Opponent for every Effect Monster on the Field, including your own and your Opponent's. The only requirement to activate this card is that there is at least 1 Monster on the field. First, Ceasefire flips face up all Face-down monsters on the field, if any. If there happens to be only Face-Up Effect Monsters this card can still be Activated. In addition to flipping Face-up any Face-Down Monster Cards, Ceasefire prevents the Activation of Flip Effect Monsters, cards whose Effects only Activate at the moment that they are Flipped by Battle, Effect, or Position Change. Once all Monsters are Face-up, all Effect Monsters are counted and that Value is multiplied by 500 and then inflicted as Damage to your Opponent.

Simple enough, right? Well, many there are many misconceptions about this card whenever people do not read it correctly. People will think that there needs to be Face-down Monster Cards in order to activate this card. The real effect of this Card is the Last/Third Sentence of the Card; the First two sentences are added to increase the Card's Potency. Ceasefire wants to check ALL MONSTERS on the Field to see if they are Effect Monsters, the card's main variable. It would be much more simple to Flip all Monsters on the field (if any are even Face-down) and to look and check and then return them Face-down.

This card is so powerful that it is currently on the Limited List, and it doesn't seem like it will be freed from from that list any time soon. Since Effect Monsters are so common high amounts of Damage can be Inflicted. and with 10 Monster Card Zones in total on the Field, Ceasefire has the Potential to deal up to 5000 Points in Effect Damage. Ceasefire is recommended for Decks that can Summon many Effect Monsters quickly and is a great Side Deck Card to use against  Decks that Summon many Effect Monsters. Ceasefire can also remove the dangers of cards like Morphing Jar, Ryko The Lightsworn Hunter, Man-Eater Bug, Needle Worm, and so forth since each of those Monsters are Flip Effect Monsters. Even if the Face-down cards were not Flip Effect Monsters, Ceasefire can also help you avoid taking Damage from Attacking strong defensive Monsters like Destiny Hero - Defender by revealing what cards they really are before rushing into battle. (Remember, all it needs to do is check ALL MONSTERS.) Ceasefire can be found in Structure Deck: Machina Mayhem as a Common Rarity card.

Card Review: Gachi Gachi Gantestu

Time for another card review! But first off, I just have to say, this card is awesome. Hands down. Few cards come close to being as useful as this guy is. However, I seem to have a major problem with this card concerning just how everyone else sees it. The only reason I feel like talking about this card right now is because I just finished a duel with and narrow minded player that refused to accept the terms of this card. I present to you one of the Xyz Cards that was introduced along with last year's Starter Deck, Starter Deck 2011: Dawn of the Xyz, Gachi Gachi Gantetsu!

So let's examine this support hulk. Gachi Gachi Gantetsu is an, EARTH Attributed, RANK 2 Rock/Xyz/Effect-Type Monster with only 500ATK points and 1800DEF points. He requires 2 Level 2 Monster Cards to be summoned. It might seem weak, but everyone seems to LOVE this card greatly. Honestly, almost everywhere I've been where duelists gather to duel and trade cards it seems like people beg to trade for this card! Why is it so good? Simple: its effect, its defensive capabilities, and accessibility.

Since Gachi's DEF is higher than his ATK, the primary strategy utilized when summoning him is to play him in Defense mode. At 1800 DEF, most monsters will have difficulty trying to knock down this guardian. However, Gachi really shines because of his simple Effect(s). Gachi's abilities are summarized with only two sentences, yet the duelist that just walked out on me after ignoring what I had to say managed to get confused with this card.

First Effect: If Gachi Gachi Gantetsu was to be destroyed, you can instead Detach 1 Xyz Material from him instead. This effect includes both heavy Battles and dangerous Card Effects. So, it is implied that you'd have try Destroying this guy three times for him to finally hit the Graveyard, and remember, those 1800DEF points are already high for many of the lower level Monsters. Second Effect: ALL Face-up Monsters that the controller currently controls gain 200 ATK/DEF for for each Xyz Material Attached to Gachi. Since Gachi requires 2 Monsters to be Summoned, he will have 2 Materials attached to him, and all monsters you won will initially gain a 400ATK/DEF Points Bonus. (2x200=400). The power boost may seem minuscule on paper, but sometimes those slight advantages can make all the difference. This is what really makes Gachi Gachi Gantetsu really useful for almost any Deck, especially the ones that utilize more Level 2 Monsters. Gachi does not exclude any Monster on your team to share his strength with, not even his own self. So, a fresh Gachi would actually have 900ATK and 2200DEF (assuming he has all of his Material) which makes him even more of a challenge to overcome.

Requiring only 2 Level 2 Monsters makes Gachi relatively easy to Xyz Summon. Without a specification on what types of Level 2 Monsters are required leaves it wide open for almost any Monsters. One of the more useful cards that I reviewed earlier that fits this role perfectly is Quillbolt Hedgehog, which can revive itself from the Graveyard as long as you control a Face-up Tuner Monster. Because of this, you can even build a Deck that can allow you to summon "Black or White" Cards from your Extra Deck. (Also, if you happen to use "Over-Tune" with Quillbolt Hedgehog by Overlaying it after you Used Quillbolt's effect, he will not be Removed From Play after being Detached.) 

My opponent walked out on me because he refused to understand how the Effects of this simple 2 Sentence Monster Card worked. The ATK/DEF boost works for all FACE-UP MONSTERS on your side of the field, of course, if you Control Gachi. Since Gachi does not discriminate on Monster Card Type, Attribute, Level, Etc. Etc., that Effect will work on ALL Monsters, even himself. (He is a Monster, that is Face-Up, and under YOUR Control, right? Approved for Stimulus Package.) Had the card been written that "OTHER Face-Up Monsters..." then he'd be left without his heightened Defense. The second part that confused my opponent was the whole "Detach for Effects" principal. Traditionally, Most Xyz Monsters can only activate their Effects by Detaching a certain amount of Xyz Materials as the Cost. (This statement sounds so strange since Xyz Monsters are still very new in my mind.) Gachi Gachi Gantetsu does not need to Detach any Materials to grant his allies extra power. Had this been the case, the effect would have been useless since the text specifically measures the added strength based upon how many Materials Gachi has attached. Sadly, my opponent refused to see this. The only occasion that Gachi would ever Detach Materials from himself is when he is facing Destruction, and this is to save himself, and only himself; and since this Effect can only be triggered to that occasion, this Effect can be used even on your Opponent's Turn since it is not restricted to your own turn. (Note: that effect only prevents Destruction. Returning to hand/deck does not count as Destruction, but as "Leaving the field" Same is true for Removing from play/Banishment.) I feel that I have stressed the mechanics of this card long enough. It's a simple Card, yet, in Yugioh many complicated explanations are required to justify the workings of a card. Fellow Duelists, if you are ever facing disputes concerning this card, show your opponent this analysis. I hope that I have been able to clarify the game better.

So, to Summarize, Gachi Gachi Gantetsu is a great card because it is easy to Summon, difficult to Destroy, and boosts the strengths of your giving you a slight advantage over your opponent. Many times that extra little 400ATK boost hands the game over to controller of this bulky Xyz. The only problem, as I mentioned earlier, is that everyone seems to want this card. Gachi Gachi Gantetsu is only available in Starter Deck 2011: Dawn of the Xyz as one of the 3 Xyz Cards included with the Deck. Many Duelists are not really incited to go out and spend $10 on a deck for just one card, yet they can go out and hassle Duelists for it.

Card Review... Overview... SPELL CHRONICLE!

Okay, so I recently started looking through my collection of cards again and while sorting through my main inventory of cards I stumbled upon, once again, a card that I just cannot seem to figure having a purpose... I'm serious! This card, initially, is terrible; but, it seems that every time I go back to reread its effect it perpetually worsens and changes into a more detrimental card... This card is Spell Chronicle.

So let's examine this infamous card. (Infamous in my eyes.) By examine, I literally mean, examine the text of the card word per word just to see how reckless it can be to use. Talking about this card really isn't high on my priorities, but it's been on my mind since I looked at it again and I just feel like getting it out of the way.

 Spell Card /
Send all cards in your hand to the Graveyard. Select and remove from play 5 Spell or Trap Cards from your Deck. Each time your opponent activates a Spell Card, place 1 Chronicle Counter on this card. You can remove 2 Chronicle Counters from this card to have your opponent select 1 of the cards removed from play with this card's effect, and add it to your hand. When this card is removed from the field, you take 500 damage for each card that is still removed from play due to this card's effect.

So, off the bat, this Spell Card has a pretty lengthy description [to most players] judging by how squished together the text is printed on the card. Let's start off with the COST to use the card.

First sentence: "Send all cards in your hand to the Graveyard." That is quite a hefty cost, to require sending every card you have in your hand to the grave. Alright, there may be some cards that can utilize Discarding (from hand) to form combos, but the truth is that there is a difference between Sending a card and Discarding a card to the Graveyard. Granted, the Cost can be reduced by using as many cards in your hand as you possibly can before activating this. (Imagine using all cards in your hand except for 2: This spell and 1 extra card.) Of course, complications rise by having certain cards that cannot be used due to the circumstances that would come in handy later on. (A powerful Monster Card)

Next is what this card actually does. Spell Chronicle, after activating it, forces you to remove 5 Spell/Trap Cards from your deck. These cards are set aside in a 'Graveyard/Discard Pile beyond the Graveyard/Discard Pile' to be added to your hand through its effect. "Select and remove from play 5 Spell or Trap Cards from your Deck." How does Spell Chronicle Work? Some cards function by collecting Counters on themselves. Often, these counters can only be obtained by specific events in the duel: Summoning of Monsters, Activation of Card Effects, Etc. etc. (Many Spellcaster Type Monsters function by using Spell Counters, the most common type of card Counters that exist in the game.) Because Spell Chronicle uses special Counters called "Chronicle Counters", the only can collect the counters to use this card is by its own effect. "Each time your opponent activates a Spell Card, place 1 Chronicle Counter on this card."

Collecting Chronicle Counters is only possible when your Opponent Activates a Spell Card as long as Spell Chronicle is Face-up on the Field. One Spell Card Activation performed by your Opponent adds only 1 Chronicle Counter to your card. So, you've removed your 5 Spell/Trap Cards from your deck and you are waiting for your Card to rack up enough points to collect your cards set aside. But wait a minute, in order to add just 1 Card that was set aside from your hand, you must remove 2 Chronicle Counters from Spell Chronicle! [Math time: 1 Chronicle Counter = 2 Spell Card Activations from Opponent. 2 Counters needed for 1 Spell/Trap to add. You removed 5 Spells/Traps from your deck. In total, you'd have to collect 10 Chronicle Counters in order to completely take advantage of this card's effect. Leaving room for your opponent to activate 10 Spell Cards is much too risky. A complete Turn around can happen by then.] "You can remove 2 Chronicle Counters from this card to have your opponent select 1 of the cards removed from play with this card's effect, and add it to your hand." As if having to wait even longer to regain your own cards wasn't bad enough, you do not even get to choose which card to redeem.

So after all of that trouble to attempt manipulating your deck to your advantage in mid-duel, there is more! An extra drawback effect. "When this card is removed from the field, you take 500 damage for each card that is still removed from play due to this card's effect." So after going through all of the trouble of paying a high cost to try removing Cards from your Deck in hopes of being able to use them more effectively, potentially losing them for the rest of the duel if the plan fails, you may also suffer up to 2500 Points in Damage! Considering that this card is a Spell Card, or simply the fact that it is a Card in the world of Yugioh, Spell Chronicle is already in danger of being destroyed by cards like Mystical Space Typhoon. It does not matter how many Chronicle Counters this card had when it was destroyed: you are looking at 500 Points in damage for each Card you fail to redeem. (Your Opponent can be a jerk and not use any Spell Cards at all. You might as well take a direct hit.)

Surely this card must have a purpose, or is able to be used in SOME kind of deck. To be honest, there is one kind of deck that might be able to use it. Before I considered looking for tips on how to effectively use this card, I tried figuring out on my own a practical use for it. I couldn't figure it out. Apparently Spell Chronicle can be used in Macro Decks, Decks that focus on Removing from play Cards. Certain Macro Decks can use Monster Cards that are powered by the number of cards that have been removed from play. One recommendation is to use another card call Soul Absorption to cancel out Spell Chronicle's damaging effect by gaining Life Points by 500 for each card Removed.

Despite the small amount of card tips I've found on how to use Spell Chronicle, I still say that it is a pretty terrible card. It's very complicated to actually use and to completely understand just what this card does and how it works requires plenty of textual analysis. I haven't even seen Macro Decks, the one kind of deck that was recommended for using Spell Chronicle, did not need to use this card and would only provide just another variation of the build. Spell Chronicle is a scary card because it is so dangerous and highly impractical to use. It only has 5 sentences, but those 5 sentences compose one of the most complicated cards ever created.