Yu-Gi-Oh! Generation V

Okay, so today I will take a break from talking about the old Yu-gi-oh! cards. (And I actually do mean "old". So far all of the cards I have talked about are relatively old; but it's all good.)

Almost a year ago the newest Pokemon games, Pokemon Black Version and Pokemon White Version, the Fifth Generation, were released in North America. For a whole decade I was reluctant to actually buy or even play a Pokemon game, but that is another story. It wasn't until Gold Version and Silver Version were remade into Heart Gold and Soul Silver Version for the Nintendo DS that I began to consider trying to play a Pokemon game after the many years I first tried it, especially with the new Pokewalker device that made the game seem even more enticing. But it was not until I began to look into Pokemon Black and White that I really got serious about beginning to play these games. After I realized that at one point I did like Pokemon and began to develop an interest in the new games especially for its enhanced graphical capabilities, and I am not actually what some gamers might call a "graphics whore", I began to ask myself 'what version should I even buy?'

At this point I was not researching too heavily on what Pokemon were exclusive to which version and like most people I tried to base my decision off of judging the book by its cover, or in this case, judging the game version off of its cover monster. I spent a while looking at the two monsters and I tried listening to opinions regarding both cover Legendaries. One even described Reshiram (the white dragon) as a creature designed by Dr. Suess. As weighed the choice I was presented with in my mind to predict how my decision might affect my appeal to aesthetics, I began to joke around about the design of the two dragons. Finally, as I payed closer attention to the obvious contrasts in the proposed game's color scheme I noticed something funny.

"One is a white Dragon-Type Monster with blue eyes and the other is a black Dragon-Type Monster with red eyes!" It was a joke that I told to my friend, who is an avid Pokemon Trainer. This was just a funny little parallel that I drew between Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon. Eventually I came across this very same joke on the internet, with an image that paired Reshiram (white dragon) with Zekrom (black dragon) in a double battle against Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

Card Review: Compulsory Evacuation Device

Here is another simple yet effective card. (well, on the surface it is simple, yet for some reason certain duelists tend to over complicate this piece of text. More on that later.) Compulsory Evacuation Device is 1 card with 1 effect. It is very useful and often it isn't very hard to come across one in a trade folder or in a duel.

So let's examine this trap card. As it's text would suggest it returns 1 Monster on the field to it's owner's hand. This means that you can choose either your own or your Opponent's Monster to "bounce" back into their hand, since the card does not specify. But why is this so good? Wouldn't you rather want to destroy your Opponent's Monster instead? Well, in most cases that you would use this card, Destroying one of your Opponent's monsters may not be one of your available options. Even in some cases it may benefit you more to "return your opponent's monster back into their hand". Certain Monsters may require more effort and resources to summon than to revive. Imagine that your opponent Tributes 2 of their Monsters to Summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon or uses certain Spell Cards or Card Effects to summon the beast. If you DESTROY (and send to the Graveyard) that Blue-Eyes your Opponent can easily use Monster Reborn to revive it; however, if you use Compulsory Evacuation Device on that dragon, the monster is back in their hand, which means that they will have to expend more of their resources just to summon that Blue-Eyes White Dragon... AGAIN! This card is highly effective against Fusion, Ritual, Synchro, and Xyz monsters, since those kinds of monsters require either a Spell Card and/or certain Monsters to Special Summon them. [Monsters that Originate from the Extra Deck like Fusions, Synchros, and Xyz's will return to the Extra Deck instead of the Hand.] Compulsory Evacuation Device can even be used to "waste" your Opponent's Normal Summon or Set for the turn. (just like that Blue-Eyes White Dragon Example.) So, your Opponent Normal Summons a Level 4 Monster that can defeat your Monster in Battle. If you'd like to keep your monster safe, you can "bounce" back that freshly summoned monster back into their hand, and they will not be able to Normal Summon until the next turn. (Unless they activate Double Summon, which permits 1 Extra Normal Summon or Set for the turn.)

Now, how does this card become over complicated? Well, it mostly happens when a Monster activates its Effect upon its Summon. (Monster Summoned, Effect should activate, but this card is activated.) I am still looking into this ruling, but I have encountered duelists with different opinions on this cards ruling. Some debate that this card can even nullify (Not Negate, but Nullify... as in, the effect just simply disappears and is unable to resolve) a Monster's Effect.

Overall, this is a simple but awesome card. You can be a real jerk using this card, as it is easy to throw off an opponent with this card. Be aware though, you may never know when this card is set, just waiting to throw you away. Like the previous card, this card is also considered a "Staple", although many decks are not built to include this card.

Card Review: Mirror Force

Oh boy! It's another STAPLE....CARD! This card's like a legend. I mean, seriously. I don't even feel the need to sing it's praises but whatever. It's got a defensive effect, a destructive effect, and it's on the Limited List; before Late 2010, upon the release of Structure Deck: Marik, this card was so powerful and so scarce in quantity that only few people had it. Nonetheless, it was always an awesome card. Sure it may not be as powerful or even as versatile as it is in the anime (it is OP, overpowered, in the anime. Not to mention, exploited like a Deus Ex Machina.) but this card is also a grand staple. It is forceful. It is famous. It is Mirror Force.

So let's examine this seemingly omnipotent trap card. Mirror force is a Normal Trap card... Very Simple. All it really boils down it is just when to use it. First line of text just informs you when you must use it. (When your opponent declares an attack.) The second sentence informs you, and your opponent, on what it does. It destroys all Attack Position Monsters that your opponent controls. So imagine this scenario. You are completely defenseless and your opponent has 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons in Face-up Attack Position and 1 other monster in Defense Position. One dragon launches an attack; you activate this card. It doesn't matter which Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacked, all three of them would be destroyed. (This is one of those cards that can kill them, I mean, "destroy" them.) But what about that Defense Position monster? Well, since that Monster is NOT in Attack Position it is unaffected by this cards effect. Even despite this minor setback, this card is incredibly powerful and can be a real game changer. (Besides, the next card you drew is your Monster Reborn, so have fun with a revived Reshiram.) Now that I have pointed out the card's only minor set back, besides being vulnerable to cards like Dust Tornado, which destroy Spell and Trap cards on the field, your opponent still has the option of teasing with you and switching a monster they would like to keep safe from Mirror Force into Defense Position, if they manage to correctly guess that your suspicious Face-down card happens to be Mirror Force. Besides, in most cases, this card will probably save your Life Points and/or your Monsters from getting beat down by a larger, scarier army.

Previously I mentioned Structure Deck: Marik. Ever since that deck came around the supply of Mirror Force Cards have risen over the past year. This is because, Structure Deck: Marik re-introduced Mirror Force to many duelists as a common card. Originally, Mirror Force was once an Ultra Rare Card, but now it is easier to obtain one because of Structure Deck: Marik and Starter Deck 2011: Dawn of the Xyz.

Card Review: Blue-Eyes White Dragon

The first card I will review is the first card that came into my possession, and for many people and myself, it is also one of my very favorite cards; the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. I obtained this card when I decided to buy Starter Deck Kaiba many years ago, as my older brother chose Starter Deck Yugi. (This is just like deciding which version of Pokemon to buy, simply because of its cover monster.) I sided with Starter Deck Kaiba for the obvious reason being that the Blue-Eyes is stronger than the Dark Magician, but also for quite a few reasons justified only by novelty. It was mentioned in the show that only four Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards existed: three are used by Seto Kaiba, the fourth is a plot device for the first episode. Because the creators made the Blue-Eyes White Dragon an extremely rare card in the show, there was still a special feeling to actually owning one, despite how different the actual trading card game is from the TV show. Sadly, I no longer own the original card I owned many years ago.

Let's examine this handsome dragon. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a, Light Attributed, Level 8 Dragon-Type Normal Monster boasting 3000ATK and 2500DEF. Being that it is a "Normal Monster" it holds no special abilities of its own, unlike many monster cards that are used today; however, it still holds the honor of inherently being the most powerful Normal Monster printed. Few cards have come close to matching its strength, they too, being Normal Monsters cards. Because it is a Level 8 monster, Blue-Eyes requires 2 tributes to be Normal Summoned, or in this case, Tribute Summoned. Because it has no effect however, Blue-Eyes White Dragon does not restrict itself from freely being Special Summoned, which allows it to easily be utilized as a powerful offense. Cards such as Monster Reborn and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon make the summoning of Blue-Eyes White Dragon Easier. Because Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a card not often used in most competitive decks, other cards have been made to support the use of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and has even undergone alternate card forms, which present alternative artworks of the dragon.

Overall, this card is a powerful card, but as I have mentioned my reasons to use them is mostly for novelty. Sure it is possible to build an army of dragons and utilize three copies of the dragon to destroy your opponent, but popular and effective means of using this monster are mostly for deck thinning and draw power combos with cards like White Stone of Legend (and Cards of Consonance) and Trade-In; in other words abuse. This monster can come in different forms, meaning that the card is an entirely different monster, although the card will depict a white dragon with blue eyes with the same stats. [Level 8 Dragon-Type Monster with 3000ATK/2500DEF]. Those other forms deserve their own posts sometime in the future. As for cards that could easily defeat this legendary creature, well, those cards will be reviewed another day.