Card Review: Gorz, The Emissary of Darkness

Time for another card review, but this time, of one of my personal favorite cards. Seriously, this card has been there for me in so many duels. I can almost associate it as my "duel spirit" or something of such significance since it appears in almost all of my duels. In almost every opening hand, he has volunteered to lead the assault. In fierce duels when I have expended my hand and my other monsters have fallen to other creatures slightly stronger than they, I have drawn him to aid me; and even just when my opponent believes that they can begin to overrun my life points with sheer force when I seem defenseless, he is there for me and comes to the rescue. He is, Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness.

So, let's examine this Dark Legend. Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness is a, DARK Attributed, Level 7 Fiend/Effect Type monster, fighting entire armies with 2700ATK and 2500DEF. Immediately Gorz shows to be impressively powerful Monster Card, and he even looks impressive in the artwork as well! But what really makes Gorz so grand is how he is invoked onto the field. Although you can Tribute 2 Monsters to Normal Summon him like any other card, his effect allows you to Special Summon him from your hand, but only under reckless conditions; this, however, is what makes him so interesting to use, in addition to his 1 of  2 Effects that activate as a result of his unique Special Summon.

While you control absolutely no cards on the field and you take Direct Damage, you can Special Summon Gorz from your hand. There are 2 Effects, and 2 Types of Damage; so each Effect is associated with the type of Damage taken after Gorz is successfully summoned. If you suffer Effect damage, you Gorz will also inflict the same amount of hurt right back to your opponent. If you suffer Battle Damage to Summon Gorz, which is commonly the case, he will not be alone; for the Emissary of Darkness will bring along his most trusted companion: Kaien.

 [There she is... Isn't she beautiful?]

After deducting your Life Points due to Battle Damage, Gorz Special Summons 1 "Emissary of Darkness Tokem". This Monster was named "Kaien, the Emissary of Darkness" in the Yu-Gi-Oh! R manga and an official "Emissary of Darkness" Token Card was printed exclusively for Japan. I will refer to this card as Kaien.

Kaien is a LIGHT Attributed, Level 7, Fairy-Type TOKEN Monster Card with ?/? ATK/DEF. Her ATK/DEF are both determined by the amount of Battle Damage Taken after Gorz hit the field. Because of this, there is strategy into timing the utilization of Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness. Often times waiting for the heavier attack yields a greater reward in the form of a stronger TOKEN Monster, but this tactic increases the risk factor. Kaien being a TOKEN Monster just means that she will be treated as a Normal Monster while on the Field, but she can still be Tributed, Declare Attacks, defend, and even be used as Fusion, Ritual, and Synchro Material. With that said, Kaien can be just as useful, or even more effective, than her Male, Effect-Monster counterpart. Kaien tagging along with the fight only provides more flexibility in your options.

These Scenarios. 

1) IN THE BEGINNING OF THE DUEL:Your first hand, is nothing but Monster Cards: A few too weak to survive the first turn and the rest are too strong to use at the moment, except for Gorz! End your first turn without having a single card on the field. Take a hit from your Opponent on their turn and you instantly have at least 1 Monster with 2700 ATK! 

2) IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DUEL: Or this one: You have no Spells or Traps. Your Opponent activates a Card Effect to wipe out any Monsters you would have had on the field. He attacks. Gorz springs into action from your hand! Usually, his high stats may intimidate the opponent from continuing their barrage of attacks. 

3) NEAR THE END OF THE DUEL: Or, how about both of you are engaged in a fierce duel and you are both down to your dwindling decks. A tiny monster is just poking at you for the time being. When you draw Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness (if it was still in your Deck by this point in the Duel), the story completely changes! The possibilities are endless! (Not really...)

So, Gorz can instantly summon himself and another Powerful Monster, he can be easily summoned by other means such as Tribute Summon or by effects of other Cards, and he is practically a two for 1 card under highly risky conditions.  Remember, you must not control ANY cards ON THE FIELD if you plan to instantly Summon it. This is the most important detail to remember when using this card. In many duels, Gorz alone can change the tide of battle. Because of his immense potency, he is on the Limited list which means that only 1 copy of the card is allowed per Deck. (How about that for a "Highlander" card?)

Many times I have used this card because many times he has been there for me. Even when I asked to borrow a deck from a friend at a party, I drew Gorz on my opening hand. Gorz can be fitted into almost any deck, as long has he doesn't compromise the functions of the deck. (Example: If using even 1 DARK monster would kill your deck, don't use Gorz.)

Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness was originally printed as a Promotional Card for the Yu-Gi-Oh! R manga, but is most commonly available in the Dark Legends Booster Blister Set, which includes 2 booster packs of 12 Cards each, as well as Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness itself. Trivia Fact: The Gorz cards included with the Dark Legends packs are all misprinted; since they are promo cards but have a silver seal instead of a golden seal on the lower left corner.

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.

Ascending a Tower of Heaven

And now it is time for something completely different; but boy, do I just love finding awesome things on the internet! Recently I found a flash game called Tower of Heaven. It is challenging platformer game, but it is very short and has a simple story to follow it. In addition to being a simple game with a simple narrative, the music is great! I am a fan of video game soundtracks and the songs in Tower of Heaven are some of the best (chiptune) music I have ever heard. (They are probably the best chiptune only songs I have heard.)

To Set the mood here is my favorite song from the game.

Now, I don't want to spoil any story details because I'd like for you all to try playing this game, or at least to check it out if you find it too difficult and not worth your time. However, what made this game unique to me was its plot device to justify the increasing difficulty of its levels. In the game, you are assigned new laws to follow as you run through each level, and breaking those laws results in divine wrath. Overcoming these challenges made it much more satisfying to complete the game, especially with the story's touching ending.

What I find very appealing about this flash game is the quality of its craft. I actually found this game when I stumbled upon a "demake" of Super Smash Bros. called Super Smash Land. The purpose was to make a "Gameboy version/port of Super Smash Bros.", and watching the promotional video for that game actually made me believe that Tower of Heaven was some obscure Game Boy release that only a small fan base would have remembered, since a level was added to Super Smash Land that carried over elements from the original flash game. 

But as it turns out, Tower of Heaven is only a couple of years old. The game can be played on Newgrounds and is available for download (for free) on the creator's website. The music is made by Flashygoodness. If you are a fan of good catchy video game music, flashgames, or platformer games, then this should be worth your time to look into. As I've said, it's a challenging game but it's short and possible to beat. And, remember to follow each of the Commandments... I mean, the Laws!

Card Review + Card Combo: Arcana Force 0 - The Fool / Arcana 0 Swap

Here is a quick post to get some posting momentum started again. Here is a rather interesting card I'd like to talk about. The reason I'm deciding to do a card review AND a card combo in the same post is because both would be very short for posts on their own. .I obtained a long while back. Arcana Force Cards are and Archetype of Fairy Cards with two different effects for each of them, a good one and a bad one (to the player using them). The effect is

THE CARD
So let's examine this strange card. Arcana Force 0 - The Fool is a, LIGHT Attributed, Level 1 Fairy-Type Effect Monster with 0 ATK and 0 DEF. Since this card is so weak, what makes it so great? The answer is in its Effect(s). Initially, Arcana Force 0 is immune to battle, no matter what battle position it is in. But here's the catch, once The Fool is in Face-up Attack Position it cannot switch itself into Defense Position.

But, wouldn't that make itself more dangerous? Precisely, but this is where the Card Combo kicks in to make great use of this odd card; but first, you must know of 0's other effect(s).

Arcana Force is an archetype of cards that are based off of luck: Whenever a monster is SUMMONED (this detail is important for the combo) their effects force you to flip a coin. The result of the coin flip determine which Card effect the monster will use. With one being positive (Coin lands on Heads), and the other being negative (Coin lands on Tails), Arcana Force 0 - The Fool almost breaks the rules by inverting its own mechanic.

THE COMBO
To utilize the Arcana 0 Swap, you must SET (Play it into Face-down Defense Position) Arcana Force 0. You must wait for your opponent to attack your set monster. If they try attacking it, you will not need to worry unless your opponent's monster has special abilities such as Piercing Damage or Monster Card destroying Effects. This next part is when things become most confusing. When your Set Arcana Force 0 is attacked, it will FLIP into Face-up Defense position, but it technically WAS NOT SUMMONED; therefore, a coin flip will not be needed. (Remember, The Fool has a really nasty negative effect. By Setting this Monster Card and waiting for your Opponent to attack it you are removing the gamble of being burdened with a dangerous hole in your defenses.) Another thing to remember is how the card's Effect is written. The card clearly says that "This card cannot be changed to Defense Position." If you notice the keyword here, Arcana Force 0 was never CHANGED INTO Defense Position, so there will be no complication with the rulings right now.


Now that you have your Face-up Arcana Force 0 set up, you just need a card called Creature Swap. Creature Swap is a Spell Card that forces you and your Opponent to choose one of your own Monsters and switch control of them. In addition to switching Monsters, the swapped Monster Cards cannot change their battle positions for the remainder of the turn; so make sure to activate this card only when your Opponent Controls only Attack Position Monsters. Before Activating Creature Swap, change your Arcana Force - 0 into Face-up Attack Position. Switch 0 over to your Opponent.

The goal of this card is to create a hole into your Opponent's Defenses. When you trade the Arcana Monster over to your Opponent, you now have a significantly weak target to aim at. In addition, the card cannot be destroyed by battle, so all of your Monsters can attack it on the same turn. The only draw backs are that this combo may take some time to use, and can easily be stopped if your Opponent is stocked on Spell and Trap Cards. The other side effect of this combo is that you give your opponent another Monster Card that they can sacrifice for a more effective cause without compromise.

Both of these cards are available as Common Rarity cards and are easy to obtain. (Arcana Force 0 - The Fool is only found in The Light of Destruction Booster Pack, but Creature Swap can be obtained from many Decks.) In my experience, it is a fun combo to use and as long as it works it can interest even the one you are dueling.

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.