Tick tock...

Until half of February, when the next forbidden and limited list will appear in V-Jump (presumably end of next week), the Yugi-news has been kind of slow.

I've been looking around for a few news facts and came up with the following:

Kevin Tewart Reveals what we should expect from the star Pack

In a post on pojo, Tewart revealed that NOTHING in the Star pack would influence the secondary market in the US and is mostly aimed at non-US territories (hence the old/false rumor it was going to be a Europe-only release). He also said that the pack will not be available in big amounts in the US, because all the cards are "easily" available.

Basically that means that the star pack will mostly focus on the reprints of Jump cards. So all those cards in my previous post that could make the pack a bit interesting? Forget about those, they're probably not going to be in there :-(

Content Onslaught of the Fire Kings Revealed

In Europe, the first Fire Kings Structure Deck have been received, together with the decklist. Changes are:

• We do NOT get Jurrac Velo & Jurrac Guaiba.
• We do not get Chain Destruction.
• We get Neo Flamvell Sabre (eeeew), Royal Firestorm Guards (actually works with the deck) and Call of the Haunted (not bad) instead.

I know many fans will be pissed about the face Guaiba isn't in the Structure Deck. But (as Tewart confirmed on Pojo) that's mostly because Guaiba doesn't really work with the other cards in the structure deck.

Zexal tin reveals its cover monsters. Is it real?

God, let's hope it's not real. let's hope it's just a well-made Photoshop. Because of this picture. Giga Brilliant might be nice, but eeeeew, gagaga magician? And Ultra Gagagabolt? That HAS to be fake, right? Right? (*looks uncertain*).

Konami is SLOW with their updates

If you follow the product page of Yugioh, you might have noticed that in the last few months, they're slow in their updates. The so-called "update" of Cosmo Blazer only appeared on the day of the first Sneak peeks (was supposed to be shortly after new Year), and the structure deck page has only been updated this week (also a little late). This has been going on for a while now and has gone so far that in a few cases the European page has become faster than the US version (and that is saying A LOT).

While I was skimming through Pojo on some interesting news, I noticed a post of Tewart that he realizes they're behind schedule on product information and they're "working to fix that".

Let's hope so, because we still have nothing for the Star Pack, the Zexal Tin, the Special Edition of CBLZ, Hidden Arsenal 7 nor the upcoming Starter Deck.

Franken becomes Zombiestein

Kinda missed this one during all the news updates last week. The English name for No. 22: Franken has been revealed. It's now oficially: Number 22: Zombiestein. Release of this card is in Zexal Manga Volume 3, in sale June 4th.

Wind elemental Lord

Its name is Windrose, the Elemental Lord. Has been thoroughly discussed on other blogs and youtube. It's basically Harpie's Feather Duster in Monster Form and it's a Winged Beast.

And that's about itt. All in all, no big revelations in the past few weeks.

One final note. I notice that High Priestess' price is going higher and higher, ever since the revelation of Final Judgment of Prophecy. Europ sites still state prices of 65€ onward, but tcgplayer stores go close to 100$. Interesting trend, to say the least.

Until next time, V out.

Analyzing the Fire Archetypes #2

Happy new year, best of wishes, happy dueling, etc.

Now that this is out of the way, let's return to business. I still have to post the second part of my FIRE archetype analysis up, so here it (finally) is.

This month, we’ll be struck with several new FIRE archetypes in Cosmo Blazer, so it’s time to wonder: what can you do with them? Can you mix them all together, like you could mix the Mermails with the Atlanteans?

The answer to that question is: No, not really. There are a few cards in each archetype that can be splashed in other decks (see previous analysis post), but other than that, they all do different things:

• Haze Beasts focus on spamming Lv 6 monsters on the field, trying to bring out Rank 6 XYZ (including Basilicock, Exa-Beetle, Constellar Ptolemys M7 and Photon Strike Bounzer).
• Fire Kings focus on field destruction, constantly respawning Garunix (and optionally Nephthys) and destroying the opponent’s field.
• Fire Fists focus on spawning monsters backed with massive back-row (hiding their spells and traps among other cards).

The new FIRE archetypes – Haze Beasts

My personal favorite of the new Archetype is (or better, WAS) Haze Beasts. The sole reason for that is their awesome XYZ: Basilicock.

A Haze Beast Deck needs to rely on other monsters like Goka, the Pyre of Malice (card is awesome in this deck) and Laval Lancelord (an easy to summon Lv. 6 monster). Other than that, the cards you put in are quite free to choose:

• You can try building pure Haze Beasts, like Lithium 2300 did.
• You can try mixing them with Jurracs (Herra is Lv. 6), also allowing you access to Laggia and Dolkka (making the deck less of a one-trick pony).
• You can try mixing them with Flamvells (Cerberus has 200 defense, making it an awesome Rekindling target).
• You can try mixing them with Hieratics, using Tyhone #2 as Vanilla monster.
• Other (less good) choices could be Lavals (Lavals work better solo, though) or Evol’s (only 2 Lv. 6 monsters there and they’re not that great).

Personal opinion: This archetype feels too much like a one-trick pony. If your opponent puts a Prohibition on your Basilicock, and you can’t get rid of it, you’re screwed. Also, the high amount of Lv. 6 monsters makes your hand dead too often (making you rely on top decking). I've played Hieratics and they’re more stable in play style.

The New FIRE archetypes: Fire Kings

The boss monster for the upcoming Structure deck “Onslaught of the Fire Kings” (Fire King High Avatar Garunix) is an improved version of Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys. When destroyed, you special summon it during the next stand-by phase (also during your opponent’s stand-by phase!) and it then destroys all other monsters. BOOM! Stardust Dragon fans are really going to hate this card.

Not to mention, with the two included spell cards (see first of these posts), it’s actually quite easy to summon it and bring it back anytime you want. The other Fire King monsters make it easy to search/destroy Garunix, therefore triggering its effect.

Building a good deck with Fire Kings is (at this point) more limited than building a deck with Haze Beasts, but you can do some fun things with it:

• Mix them with Flamvells: Safe Garunix, all Fire King monsters have 200-defense, making them great Rekindling targets. Each Fire King deck therefore should have Rekindlings and Flamvell Firedogs, no matter what the rest of the deck looks like.
• Mix them with the Enthusiastic monsters. They’re Beast-Warriors, they’re fire. They work together (as long as you forget about that XYZ). But let’s not mention them again, since they’re probably not going to be released soon… (sad, but true).
• Mix them with Ninja's: Red Dragon Ninja (from Abyss Rising) kind of gave it away. Ninja's mix well with the Fire Kings. Ninjitsu Art of Transformation (NOT super transformation) brings forth a Winged Beast, Beast or Insect that’s maximum 3 levels higher than the tributed monster. Hanzo can be turned into Nephthys, Red Dragon Ninja, Flamvell Firedog or Fire King Yaksha; Red Dragon Ninja can be turned into Garunix. And destroying Transformation, destroys the summoned monster, triggering the effects of the Fire Kings.

Personal opinion: Just like Haze Beasts, Fire Kings are kind of a one-trick pony, focusing on Garunix way too much; though the effect has way more power than Basilicock and it’s one of the few cards in Yu-Gi-Oh that actually enjoys being hit by Solemn Judgment/Warning (yes, that DOES trigger the effect).

Because of the reliance on Garunix, it’s easy to break the deck (Prohibition on Garunix, or banish the bastard) and Macro Cosmos or Necrovalley simply rape the deck. Garunix, as a Lv. 8 monster (annoying level for this kind of monster), can also be dead in the hand way too often. (you can bypass this with Trade-in, but I’d rather keep this card in the deck than in my hand or grave).

The other downside is that both Fire King Beast Yaksha and Enthusiastic Beast Wolfberk are possibly not going to be released (due to them being possible jump promo’s), but these two are great cards for a Fire King deck.

The new FIRE Archetypes: Fire Fists

The Fire Fists are the main archetype of Cosmo Blazer, much like Mermails were the main archetype of Abyss Rising. They’re all Beast-Warriors that rely on continuous spells/traps to get their effects to work, but they also easily search those cards.

Mixing Fire Fists with other archetype cards would be quite silly, as the Fire Fist is the most stable new archetype of the three and mixing it with other archetypes would only decrease its effectiveness. Supporting the archetype with back-row is a smarter move.

For example:

• Not mentioning the classic traps (Torrential Tribute, the Solemn Brigade, etc.), spells and traps cards that support Beast-Warriors are amazing in this deck (Horn of the Phantom Beast), since all the "brothers" are Beast-Warriors.
• Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai can be quite a surprise in a Fire Fist deck. If you’re attacking, but can’t take 8000 life points away from your opponent, you can tribute your Fire Fist and burn for game instead.
• You also might consider back-row protection. Starlight Road and The Huge Revolution is Over are great assets, as your opponent will try to get rid of your back-row. Also, a card like Fake Trap can be really hilarious to mix in the back.
• But if you end up with too many continuous traps on your field (those cards have a tendency to remain on the field, even if you don’t have a use for them), you can consider Magic Planter. Planter gets rid of a used continuous trap and gives you two draws.

Personal opinion: Unlike the previous two archetypes, this deck is no one-trick pony. Tiger King may be thé boss monster, but you can easily neglect him and go for other great rank 4 XYZ if the situation calls for it.

Its presence in OCG tournaments ensures us that if you want a competitive (new) fire deck, this archetype is the one you should go for.

The feared/hated Jump Promo poll

In case you missed it, During October-November, Jump Alpha held another poll to decide its next promo card. The poll is closed and they've yet to announce a winner. But a LOT of the cards were OCG promo cards that are supporting these archetypes.

The obvious result of this poll, neglecting the resulting promo card, is that the cards that were in the poll will most probably NOT be in Cosmo Blazer or in the upcoming structure deck.

That’s a real pity, because good cards like Fire Fist – Chicken and Flame King Yaksha were in it, together with the Enthousiastic monsters. And all of those are good cards that make the new FIRE archetypes better.

So, these were my thoughts on the FIRE archetypes. Hope it wasn't a tl;dr moment.

Until next time, V out.

The Apocalypse is here... Analyzing the FIRE archetypes #1

In the first months of 2013, we’ll be flooded with a new structure deck with FIRE monsters and a booster set filled with FIRE monsters. A total of 3 new archetypes will spawn with those releases.

Upon request, I've analyzed the three archetypes and I’ll give you my results in the upcoming posts.

Analyzing the FIRE Archetypes #1: Splashable cards

No matter how good or bad an archetype is, almost each archetype has one or more cards that can be splashed into other decks. Hieratics have Tefnuit and Atum, Blackwings have Gale and Zephyros, Inzektors have Exa-Beetle, Madolche's have Magileine, etc…

So the question for today is: "What cards of the new archetypes can be splashed in other decks?"

Haze Beasts

Haze Beasts are the secondary FIRE archetype from Cosmo Blazer. And though the support for the theme is not that great compared to the other new archetypes, they do have one of the most remarkable xyz cards attached to their name: Haze Beast Basilicock

Basilicock is a Rank 6 XYZ that requires FIRE monsters, but is the first one that can use 2-5 monsters. Its effect gets stronger, the more XYZ materials you put underneath it.

Not mentioning the boosted powers (which are harder to achieve), the basic effect is already amazing. "Once per turn: you can detach 1 XYZ material to target 1 of your opponent’s monsters (either his field or in his grave). Banish it."

No further restrictions; no limits; it can even attack afterwards or before! It’s like Black Luster Soldier being reborn into a flaming bird. If the summoning conditions of this card weren't so limited, this card would be dead broken and banned asap.

Can you splash it in other decks than Haze Beasts? Yes, you can. Volcanics can use Volcanic Queen, Jurracs can use Jurrac Herra, Hieratics can use Tyhone #2 (or DNA transplant), Monarchs can use Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch (or DNA transplant), Lavals can use Laval Lancelord, etc.

So, by tweaking your deck a little, you might find a spot for Basilicock.

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist

Fire Formation – Tenki: Even if you don’t like the Fire Fist archetype, you DO want this card.

What it does? Simple. Upon activation, it searches a level 4 or lower Beast-Warrior (ANY Beast-Warrior).

Next to that, after the search, it remains on the field, boosting all your Beast-Warriors with 100 attack, which can make a difference if there’s a 1900-beatstick slugfest on the field.

Notable cards to search are: Gladiator Beast Laquari or Darius (not Andal, but he should remain in the deck for Rescue Rabbit), T.G. Warwolf, (X)X-Saber Boggart Knight or Ragirura, Wind-up Hunter or Rabbit, Koa’Ki Meiru Urnight or Crusader, or Fire King Beast Yaksha or Barong.

The other spell and trap cards are less splashable, since they’re the most effective in pure Beast-Warrior decks and how many pure Beast-Warrior archetypes are there nowadays? Two, to be exactly. Fire Fists and Phantom Beasts.

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist- Tiger King: If you are going to splash Tenki in your deck, you might want to consider this XYZ as well. Tiger King requires 2 Lv. 4 Beast-Warriors, searches out a Fire Formation card (Tenki) and sets it on the field. And next to that, it’s also able to negate all other monster effects on the field.

Next to the Fire Fist decks, this XYZ can prove its use in Phantom Beasts, Gladiator Beast, Fire King and even Koa’Ki Meiru decks.

Fire Kings

The third archetype in this series of articles is Fire Kings. These cards are not part of Cosmo Blazer (unless Konami puts Yaksha in the set or makes a TCG world premiere card). But we’ll have them when the structure deck “Onslaught of the Fire Kings” reaches our shores in February.

And, even if these new monsters don’t strike your fancy, you should not neglect the included spell cards.

Assault of the Fire Kings: When you don’t control a monster, you can special summon a FIRE Beast, Winged Beast or Beast-Warrior from your deck, but it’s destroyed at the end phase and its effect is negated.

This fits in each of the new FIRE archetypes introduced, since they’re either Beast, Beast-Warrior or Winged Beast. But it also supports Flamvells (Poun, Firedog) or even Gladiator Beasts (Laquari) or Ninja's (Red Dragon Ninja).

Fire King Fire Cycle: Even more splashable than the previous card is the quick-play card Fire King Fire Cycle. It destroys one fire monster you control to special summon another fire monster from your grave.

This is a great card to chain if your monster is being targeted for a card effect or if you want to exchange a low-attack monster for a boss monster.

And if you ask in which decks you can use this, you're being silly...

In ANY FIRE deck, duh.

Afterword

There’s no use talking about the Enthusiastic archetype, since there’s only a slim chance we’ll see them in this set (see previous post) and there’s only 3 of them (2 monsters, 1 XYZ).

Next post will go more in-depth with the archetypes itself.

Until then, V out.