Back then, when Jinzo popped up, you were almost certain that the duel was over. With popular cards such as Stardust Dragon, Jinzo would be that much more dangerous. In the old days, I used to use Man-Eater Bug to take out Jinzo. Sure, he's very weak in comparison, but his Flip Effect to destroy any one monster always got the job done.
Since then, other "Jinzo" cards have been created, each with their own use in a deck. Let's take a look at them. First up is Jinzo #7. Technically, this card existed before Jinzo, but I felt it deserved a mention. He is much weaker than his Level 6 counterpart, but his ability to deal direct damage still comes in handy. Weighing in with 500 ATK and 400 DEF, he seems pretty useless at first.
If you give him a couple of Equip Spell Cards, he can take some pretty healthy chunks out of an opponent's Life Points. Consider United We Stand or Axe of Despair. Both give really good boosts to ATK, and both could be used at the same time. Axe of Despair gives a 1000 ATK boost, and if it is sent to the graveyard, you can tribute a monster to put it on top of your deck and draw it on your next turn. Consider that option only if you have a monster to spare. Otherwise, let the card stay in the graveyard, or use a Spell Card to get it back in your hand. United We Stand gives your monster an 800 ATK and DEF boost times the number of monsters you have in play. This effect relies on you to have a group of monsters in play to boost the one this card is equipped to. Use some high DEF monsters if you want to protect yourself while letting Jinzo #7 build up power for a powerful attack.
Another member of the Jinzo clan is Jinzo - Returner. Like Jinzo #7, this card can also attack directly. You could use the combo we discussed before, and give him a major power boost to take your opponent down pretty quickly. His second ability allows him to Special Summon a Jinzo from the graveyard. The catch is it is destroyed at the end of the turn it is Special Summoned. This would be a good play for the win.
The last card in the Jinzo family to take a look at it Jinzo - Lord. This Level 8 monster has 2600 ATK and 1600 DEF. You can only Special Summon Jinzo - Lord, and for that to happen, you have to send a Jinzo you control to the graveyard. Not only does this card negate all face-up Trap Cards, it can destroy them and inflict 300 points of effect damage to your opponent for each card destroyed. That is a maximum of 3000 points of damage, and then it can attack on top of that. This is the heavy hitter of the Jinzo family.
There you have it duelists. I've broken down the Jinzo clan for you. Try making a nice Darkness Deck or a Machine Deck and give them a run at least once. Next time, we'll look at another monster family. Take care and keep on duelin'!
