The New Recruites

Life has been rather mean when it comes to time management lately. I suppose that is how things work when you do not run the world and that is why one should always look to lead the pack instead of going with the flow. But, yeah, enough of the random ramblings. Apart from being able to find time for further Yugioh evolution, I have been catching up with what Linkin Park has been doing. Living Things is good shit. No doubt. Back to Yugioh, things are still very slow and the new Structure Deck is not showing any huge impact upon its debut. Maybe because of the lack of new resources at the moment. However, Abyss Rising is close. Next month to be exact and Mermail looks badass enough to create a change in the Meta. However, I am more interested in the new Exceeds. There are a few that catches my eyes immediately when I took a peek at the upcoming pack. 

GAGAGA GUNMAN

This guy was an immediate catch. To start off, it has great art! Though what makes Gunman a card to keep an eye on is because it is a Dragon support card, indirectly. Rank 4, EARTH. Dragons, especially Disaster Dragon and Hieroglyphs, have been lacking behind when it comes to generic Rank 4 Exceeds they have access of. Yes, I am talking about when you have Kao’ki Meiru Drago on field. If you are not playing in Asia Format, Kachi Kochi Dragon is still the best generic Rank 4 to go to. But in Asia Format, the only Rank 4 we have access to is Wind-Up Zenmaister. How is Gunman better than it you ask? First off, it has a 2400 DEF which will be crucial in the future of Asia Format OCG when Rabbits begin their reign. 2400 DEF lets you hold the field against Raggia and Dolkka unlike Zenmaister who is only a 2400 beatstick if you do not utilize its effect. So, yeah, 2400 is going to be the special number in the future.

Apart from that, Gagaga Gunman is capable of becoming a 3000 beatstick when you need it to be. That being its effect when place in Attack Position. Base ATK of 1500, boost 1000 and minus 500 from opponent’s monster. Slightly insignificant as of now but it can become useful. Similar to how Muzurhythm is in a way. The second effect is more or less useless but it might come in handy for some decks. Fingers crossed. So, Dragon players in the Asia Format make sure to stock up on Gagaga Gunman. He is a must have in your Extra Deck. Coincidently, Gagaga Gunman can be of use in a Six Sam Extra Deck too.

HEROIC CHAMPION-GANDIVA

I am happy to see more support for Warrior-type decks! First we were given Blade Heart and then Heroic Champion-Excalibur now Konami presents us with Heroic Champion-Gandiva. Six Sams much anyone? What makes this card interesting is it being able to hurt Rabbit-based decks or your generic Tour Guide plays. Perhaps against Wind-Ups as well? Gandiva practically laughs in the face of decks that rely on Special Summoning small monsters to make big plays. Having Gandiva on the field against decks like Rabbit Raggia or Verz Rabbit can mean game. Though at 2100 ATK, it is not exactly the strongest beatstick but it proves its worth by giving players the ability to prevent a problem before it even becomes a problem. To all you Warrior lovers out there, Gandiva is a card that will make your day. Maybe Six Sams will regain its footing as a strong contender of the Meta with the help of Blade Heart, Excalibur, and Gandiva. I heard first turn Shi En and Gandiva against Rabbit Raggia is good. 

This card also works wonders together with Fairy King Alverd. Sadly, the summoning restriction is too much to handle for some decks. Will Vayu Turbo be good next format with the help of additional Extra Deck support and with Inzektors being hit in September? I am wondering myself. 

HEROIC CHAMPION-KUSANAGI

Kusanagi is an interesting version of Shi En or Barkion in my point of view. I am unsure if my assumptions are true or not but given the current look of the card right now Kusanagi is a 2500 beater that is capable of becoming bigger every time you negate a Trap card. Possibly 4000 if its attack boost is permanent! This is, of course, another boost for Six Sams. However, the problem with this card is the summoning restriction. The requirement of needing 3 Level 4 monsters to Exceed into is quite a high cost to pay no matter the situation. If without such restrictions, Six Sams would have been able to get another big beater which can aid them in numerous scenarios.  Even better if Kusanagi’s attack boost actually stays unlike Excalibur. I would not call Kusanagi an OTK enabler like Blade Heart or Excalibur but it is something good to have around the field just in case you need one. But with better Rank 4s in Six Sams arsenal, is Kusanagi even worth to play? That is personal preference I suppose. Having said that, Kusanagi is definitely a good boost for Six Sams or generically Warrior-based decks and hopefully it does see play in the competitive scene.

ONE-EYED SKILL GAINER

This is another interesting piece of work. First of all, Skill Gainer has potential and he comes with solid stats. 2500 ATK and 2600 DEF is pretty big. Being a LIGHT means it works with Honest though I doubt that is happening. To have the ability to copy a monster’s effect and name is pretty scary. Imagine copying a Raggia’s effect when you are running a deck like Six Sams. Yeah, bullshit and it is not funny. With all of the possibilities said, the main problem Skill Gainer faces is the summoning restriction. Similar to Kusanagi or other Rank 4 Exceeds that require three Overlay units, it is practically not worth it. It is sad to see such a good card going to waste due to its summoning restriction. If without the summoning restriction, Skill Gainer would be a good option to consider when combating Chaos Dragons as it has 2600 DEF. Specifically against Lightpulsar. Again, hopefully it sees play in competitive scene. Skill Gainer is an interesting card that can enable a lot of different plays to emerge according to the situation a player is in.

Abyss Rising is indeed a set worth getting if you are looking for more Warrior support cards. I have not spent enough time researching Mermail and so I would leave the job to someone else to review them but they do look strong enough to be called a Meta deck. I have come to the end of today’s post. I hope this has provided readers with good insights. Stay tuned for more updates and thank you for dropping by!