Main Page

Clash of the Elements
(6th November, 2007)

Only nine new Abilities in this update, but that doesn't make it any less good.  We introduce the Deck Master versions of what I like to call the pseudo-chaos monsters: "Desert Twister" and "Frost and Flame Dragon".  Some more of the new Deck Masters also revolve around one or more elements or monster Types.  Let's have a look at a couple:

Frost and Flame Dragon
(Trigger)  Icicle and Napalm Burst
Activate only as Chain Link 2 or higher.  Remove from play 1 FIRE and 1 WATER monster in your Graveyard, and select up to 2 monsters on the field.  Add the selected card(s) to their owner’s Deck and shuffle it, and inflict 800 damage to your opponent.  This Ability cannot be chained to.

Looks quite restrictive, doesn't it?  Chain Link 2 or higher (but this is easy enough to overcome, isn't it?), and removing from play 2 monsters with specific Attributes.  But the effect is worth it.  Getting to return up to 2 monsters (even your own) from the field to the Deck is a good plan in several situations.  Then there's the damage this Ability inflicts to your opponent, which is always a bonus.  And finally, this Ability cannot be chained to, a very powerful effect indeed.  If you're looking for an example of how this Ability can be used, let's say your "Newdoria" is about to be destroyed by "Fissure", so that your opponent's "Mobius the Frost Monarch" can stomp all over you for game.  You can send those two monsters back to their Decks instead, inflict some damage, and the worst part is your opponent can't do anything about it!

What's more, this Ability is perfect against Deck Masters.  There's no way to prevent this Ability from working (yet), which means your opponent is certain to lose, regardless of what they might have.

Iris, the Earth Mother
(Trigger)  Gaia Heart
Activate only as Chain Link 4 or higher.  Select and activate 1 of the following effects:
•  Add 1 EARTH monster from your Deck to your hand.
•  Select 1 EARTH monster in your Graveyard.  Special Summon the selected monster.
•  Draw 1 card.
This Ability cannot be chained to.

What an Ability!  This one certainly belongs in an EARTH Deck, although any Deck can use it, just for the third effect.  Because it's such a good Ability, it comes with a high price tag: Chain Link 4 or higher.  Ouch.  But don't be put off by it just yet.  Have another look at the effects.  Getting any EARTH monster from your Deck, or Special Summoning any EARTH monster from your Graveyard are two fine effects indeed, particularly as they're utterly free.  And if you don't want to use those effects, there's always the third effect.  You might as well, right?  And if that's not all, this Ability cannot be chained to (not even by itself, because that would just be cheap).  Always a powerful bonus.

One more Deck Master, I think. And while it's not something elemental, it's just as interesting:

Storm Shooter
(Ignition)  Raigeki Line
Pay 600 Life Points, and select 1 column that contains at least 1 card you control.  Destroy all cards in that column.  This Ability can only be used once per turn during your Main Phase 2.
(Ignition)  Senet Shuffle
Pay 400 Life Points, and select 1 monster you control.  Move the selected monster to 1 of your unoccupied Monster Card Zones.  This Ability can only be used twice per turn during your Main Phase.

"Storm Shooter" is currently the master of the under-appreciated Senet system.  That is, the art of knowing exactly where to Summon your monsters.  Only a handful of cards support this theme so far, and I hope that number will grow in the future.  But getting back to the Abilities, we find that the first one is an improved "Blasting Fuse".  Where "Blasting Fuse" needed the whole column to be filled (although one of those cards needed to be "Blasting Fuse" itself), this first Ability has no such stipulation.  A great way to use this Ability is to aim to destroy an opponent's monster, by having a chainable Trap Card in its same column.  Activate this Ability, chain the Trap Card, and the result is that your opponent loses their monster while you lose nothing (you've even gained from your Trap Card, hopefully).

The second Ability is an improvement on another Senet card, this time "Senet Switch".  While this card has a price, it can move one of your monsters to ANY of your unoccupied Monster Card Zone, not just adjacent ones.  Plus it can be used up to twice per turn.  Has your opponent avoided your "Rampaging Rhynos" by putting their monster in front of one of your other monsters?  No problem!  Move that monster out of the way, and bring your "Rampaging Rhynos" in for some extra damage!

Remember to also take a look at the modified Deck Masters - something may have been changed. An important point is that "Beast of Talwar" searches for a card that contains the word "Sword", and NOT a "Sword" card (like it had done previously). This means it must contain "Sword" as an entire word in itself.  "Beast of Talwar" will NOT search for cards with the words "Swords", "Swordsman", "Swordmaster", etc. in their names.

Prepare yourselves for a Tactical Evolution...
(27th September, 2007)

This update gives Deck Master Abilities to many of the key monsters in the Tactical Evolution booster set.  From "Rainbow Dragon" to "Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes", from "Chthonian Emperor Dragon" to "Gemini Summoner", the TAEV Deck Masters boast an impressive array of Abilities.  Let's take a look at some of them:

Blazewing Butterfly
(Ignition)  Second Summon Soundwave
Discard 1 card and select 1 Gemini monster you control.  The selected monster is treated as an Effect Monster, and gains its effect.  You can only use this Ability once per turn during either player’s Main Phase.

"Blazewing Butterfly" is one of the best support cards available for Gemini monsters, and its Deck Master Ability is even better.  You're effectively Second Summoning your Gemini monster, giving you access to their effects much sooner.  Instead of a Normal Summon, all this costs you is a discard.  That's a big improvement.  The restraint comes in the form of the "once per turn" clause, but if you play your cards wisely, that shouldn't be a problem.

Rainbow Dragon
(Ignition)  Spectral Beam!
Remove from play 7 “Crystal Beast” monsters with different names from your side of the field, hand, or Graveyard.  Destroy all cards your opponent controls and in their hand.  You can only use this Ability during either player’s Main Phase.
(Continuous)  Super Rainbow Dragon
Face-up “Rainbow Dragon”s you control (except your Deck Master) cannot be targeted and are unaffected by the effects of Monsters, Spells, and Traps.

"Rainbow Dragon"s Deck Master Abilities are something to be feared.  You can completely destroy your opponent's resources, or provide pretty much complete immunity to your "Rainbow Dragon"s (except for your Deck Master, because that would be too easy).  Why the "or"?  Well, to clear your opponent's field and hand you need to remove from play 1 of each "Crystal Beast" monster, and since you need those "Crystal Beast" monsters in your Graveyard or on your side of the field to Special Summon "Rainbow Dragon", these two Abilities work against each other (unless you build a Deck to overcome this problem).  It's up to you to decide which Ability you want to use.  Either one will give you a great advantage.

But this update doesn't just contain TAEV cards, though.  I've also thrown in some older cards, like "Cyber Phoenix" and "Sky Scourge Norleras", and even the newly released "Destiny Hero - Plasma".  I've even included this card:

Marshmallon
(Ignition)  Specs-Saver – Guiding Glasses
Discard 1 card and select 1 face-up monster you control.  Your opponent cannot attack any monsters other than the selected monster.  This effect lasts until the selected monster is no longer face-up on your side of the field.  You can only use this Ability during your End Phase when you control no monsters that have been selected by this Ability.

One of the most anticipated cards in the game has finally been released in Premium Pack 1.  And what does the marshmallow do?  Well, it draws on the power of its support card, "Marshmallon Glasses", and gives a similar effect.  When you've selected a monster with this Ability, your opponent can't attack any other monsters.  This can be very handy if you select a Defence Position "Labyrinth Wall" or "Spirit Reaper" (or even another "Marshmallon").  It lets you play other monsters more confidently, since your opponent can't attack them while there's another monster defending them.  Remember, though, that your opponent can still attack you directly with cards like "Sonic Shooter" and "Raging Flame Sprite".

Main Page