Synchrons, Part 3

     Welcome back duelists! Coach Muramasa here with the exciting conclusion to our tour of the Synchrons. In part one, we looked at Synchrons used for specific Synchro Summoning. In part two, we looked at wild card Synchrons. Today, we're gonna give the Synchrons some added support.

     First off, let's look at a few monsters that work well with the Synchrons. Synchron Explorer is a Level 2
monster with the ability to recycle a Synchron monster from the Graveyard, by negating the monster's effect. Junk Servant is a good choice if you're favoring Junk Synchron as the ace of your deck. If there's a Junk monster already in play, you can Special Summon this card. Consider putting 3 of these in your deck, and you'll have a field full of monsters in no time. If you need protection from a direct attack, consider using Junk Defender. Like all Defenders before this one, the DEF is pretty good. In addition, this card can gain an extra 300 DEF once per turn, until the end of that turn. Junk Forward is a nice monster to lead off with. Its special ability allows you to Special Summon him when you are without monsters. Our last monster is a bit unique among the others. He is a Synchro Synchron (try saying that three times fast) by the name of Formula Synchron. It is a Level 2 Synchro, with the ability to Synchron Summon during either player's turn.

     Let's get some Spell support for the Synchrons. A good start is Swords of Revealing Light. This is more of a stall card, stopping your opponent's attacks for three turns. This will give you some time to fill your field with monsters and pull off a Synchro Summon or two. Next up is United We Stand. This is a good way to give a monster a serious ATK and DEF boost. Double Summon will grant you the power to Normal Summon twice in the same turn. That's ideal for a quick Synchro Summon.

     There are a number of Traps for supporting your Synchrons. The top choice has got to be Scrap-Iron Scarecrow. Not only does it negate a single attack that turn, but it can used once per turn. This is a good card to have three of, in case one gets destroyed. Spirit Force is another negation card. Unlike Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, this is used and disposed of, but allows you to return a Warrior Tuner from your Graveyard to your hand. This will pull your Junk Synchron back to be used again. Another nice option is Mirror Force. Wipe out all of your opponent's monsters in attack position when one of them attacks.
 
     I'll give you my rate of approval on these cards:

  6/10     Synchron Explorer
10/10     Junk Servant
  8/10     Junk Defender
  9/10     Junk Forward
  5/10     Formula Synchron
  9/10     Swords of Revealing Light
  9/10     United We Stand
  7/10     Double Summon
10/10     Scrap-Iron Scarecrow
  8/10     Spirit Force
  8/10     Mirror Force

     There you have it! Synchrons have their place in the world of dueling. You don't have to be Yusei Fudo to win with these gems. In a future post, I'll give you a couple of decks to look at and consider for yourself. Until next time, this is Coach Muramasa telling you to keep on duelin'!

Synchrons, Part 2

     What's shaking duelists? Coach Muramasa is back! As promised, today is part two of our Synchron study. Last time, we took a look at four of Yusei Fudo's aces. Today, let's travel a little further down the road and take notice of another six-pack of these useful monsters. Unlike the previous batch, these guys don't Synchro Summon a specific monster.

     First stop on the Synchro Express is Hyper Synchron. This little dynamo has decent ATK, so it can hold its own early in the duel. If things get too intense, or you just want to get down to business, it's a good Tuner to Synchro Summon with. If you choose to summon a Dragon, that monster gets an 800 ATK boost. The catch is, it's banished at the end of your turn. Consider using this as a last resort, to either turn things around at the end of the duel, or to assure victory.

     Our next contender is a bit of a wild card. Quickdraw Synchron can be used to Synchro Summon any monster that is Synchron specific. You want Nitro Warrior? That's not a problem. Do you need Junk Archer? You're covered. All you have to do is send a monster from your hand to the Graveyard, and this Level 5 monster can join the fight. Follow up with another monster from your hand on the same turn, and instant Synchro action. This one card opens up a lot of possibilities. If you don't want to weight your deck down with all the other Synchron monsters, just pop this guy in three times, and you can still pull off a variety of Synchros.

     Bri Synchron is an improvement on the concept of Hyper Synchron. He can give a Synchro a 600 ATK boost, without sending him into exile. Instead, he negates that Synchro's ability until the end of that turn. This is a good card to use to bring Stardust Dragon or Red Dragon Archfiend to the field. This card is one of the few Synchrons that can support almost any Synchro monster.

     Next on the agenda is Unknown Synchron. Like so many 0 ATK / 0 DEF monsters, he seems completely useless. Its saving grace is that it can be Special Summoned if your opponent has monsters and you don't. Follow that with a Normal Summon and you've got the power to Synchro Summon.

     The last stop on the Synchron Express is Mono Synchron. He is another 0 ATK / 0 DEF monster. This one does seem to be on the useless side. He can only be used with Level 4 or lower monsters, and they are all reduced to Level 1 when performing a Synchro Summon. This isn't too useful, unless you are using a low level Synchro.

     Let's look at our duelist report card on these Synchrons:

  6/10     Hyper Synchron
10/10     Quickdraw Synchron
  9/10     Bri Synchron
  4/10     Unknown Synchron
  2/10     Mono Synchron

     That does it for part two of Synchron study. Next time, we'll conclude with some strategies for Synchron decks. Until then, keep gettin' your game on!

Synchrons, Part 1

Hello duelists in the making! Coach Muramasa is back with your next installment of dueling advice. Recently, I was with the gang and we were sitting around dueling. We did some traditional 2 on 2 duels, and we thought we'd role play a bit while doing so. Since 5 of us hang out together, the odd man (or woman) out was the referee. Each of us built a deck based on only cards that the Signers used. I chose my deck based on the greatest Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's duelist: Yusei Fudo. Everyone who watched the show knows that his deck centered about a special group of tuner monsters known as Synchrons. These crafty monsters are what make Synchro Summoning possible, and all of Yusei's monsters summon impressive Synchro monsters. Today, in the first of a three part series, we're gonna look more into Yusei's Synchro world.

     First stop on the tour is Junk Synchron, and he's got two really good uses. On one hand, he's great for getting a Level 5 Synchro monster in play after being put on the field. On the other hand, he's even greater because he's linked to four different Synchro monsters. So many options, so little time needed to win. You have Junk Warrior for a quick 2300 point strike. Junk Archer can snipe a monster away and open up your opponent to a 2300 point direct attack. Junk Destroyer can trash up to four cards your opponent controls, and then follow up with 2600 points of damage. Junk Berserker can drain a monster's attack by removing a Junk monster from your Graveyard, and smash a defensive monster of any strength. Now those are some pretty good options.

     Next up, let's look at Nitro Synchron. He's a bit on the weak side, but his ability to summon Nitro Warrior will grant you a free card draw. Nitro Warrior is a powerhouse at 2800 ATK, with the ability to jump to 3800 ATK is you activate a Spell Card during your turn. Not only is he going to trash one monster, his ability will give him the chance to do if again, if your opponent has a Defense Position monster. That Defense Position is switched to Attack Position, and Nitro Warrior gets a second knockout under his belt. Nitro mosters may not be as diverse as Junk monsters, but their power will speak well enough for them.

     Let's switch gears and have a need for speed. Turbo Synchron is a little dynamo with two abilities. First, he can attack a monster and force it into Defense Position. This is really only good for heavy hitters with 0 DEF. Second, it can Special Summon a monster based on damage it takes from picking a fight with something that has much greater defense. This is a risky move, but could pay off if you are looking to make a comeback. After you've had your fun with this little guy, use him to trade up for Turbo Warrior. TW's special abilities make him much more useful than his little counterpart. He can pick a fight with and win against a more powerful Synchro monster, including any of the Signer Dragons. He is also unaffected by monster of Level 6 or less with a special ability. Turbo Warrior is perfectly in the middle. He's too fast to be taken done by those weaker than him, and also too fast to be taken down by those stronger than him. He's an ace to put in any deck.

     Next up on the Synchron Express will be Road Synchron. Now, while he can be used to Synchro Summon almost anything, it is at the cost of 2 of his levels. This is not bad for getting a lower level Snychro in play, but it is that much harder to pull in Stardust Dragon or any of the other aces. If Road Synchron attacks before Synchro Summoning, he gets an extra level. So waiting until Main Phase 2 might not be so bad. Road Warrior is a good choice for any deck with his ability to Special Summon a Level 1 or 2 monster of the Warrior or Machine variety. RW sets you up for back to back Synchro action, in the right deck.

 

     Last, but not least, is Drill Synchron.  His special ability gives all your Warriors the power to do piercing damage. Since Synchrons use both Warriors and Machines, this is a perfect fit. In addition, for using this effect and doing damage, you get to draw a card for your reward. After you've had your fun with that, use him to Synchro Summon his big brother, Drill Warrior. This tool of destruction has two impressive abilities. First, he can half halve his ATK and bypass your opponent's monsters for a direct attack. His second ability can save him from certain doom by ditching a card to the Graveyard in order to banish him until the start of your next turn. This is good to keep him around when more lethal opponents are in play.

     Let's take a tally of my scores for these duel monsters:

  9/10     Junk Synchron
  7/10     Junk Warrior
  8/10     Junk Archer
10/10     Junk Destroyer
  7/10     Junk Berserker
  7/10     Nitro Synchron
  7/10     Nitro Warrior
  8/10     Turbo Synchron
10/10     Turbo Warrior
  7/10     Road Synchron
  9/10     Road Warrior

     That's it for this part of the tour. Next time, I'll be back with more of Yusei's hardcore Synchrons. Until then, keep on duelin'!

Card Spotlight: Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke

Hello duelists! Coach Muramasa here to fill your brain with more dueling knowledge. Today, let's take a look at Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke. Ninjas are a very popular Archetype, and are a very good edition in many Warrior-type decks. This sneaky bad boy has 1800 ATK and 1000 DEF. His special ability makes him a must in a deck that is up against heavy resistance. If your opponent loves playing the stall game with a monster of DEF of 2000 or more, then this guy can make short work of that. When he strikes at a face-up DEF monster, he destroys it without damage calculation. With the exception of monsters like Marshmallon or Spirit of the Reaper, he can clear the field in no time. Consider putting him alongside lethal monsters such as Red Dragon Archfiend, or monsters that inflict piercing damage.

Sasuke is a LIGHT attribute monster, so he would work well in decks that showcase superstars such as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Elemental Hero Neos, or even Ancient Fairy Dragon. For Warrior-type decks, again, EH Neos would be a good choice, as well as a Six Samurai deck, or a deck with Warriors that Special Summon one another pretty quickly. That does it for another training session with the Coach. Next time, we'll work those dueling brain cells. Keep on dueling!

Greed

What's up duelists? The Coach is back to make you run your laps around the duelist field. Today, let's talk greed. How many of you out there love to draw cards outside of your draw phase? I'm sure it's more than half of you, and I'm happy to admit I fit in that crowd as well. There are a few cards that give you extra drawing power. We're gonna take a look at some of those cards in what I call the Greed archetype.

Pot of Greed was the first card to give you extra drawing power outside of a draw phase. With this card, you can draw a couple of extra cards if your hand is empty, or you just need a couple of extra cards.

Shard of Greed is a good edition to a deck. When you activate it, it stays on the field, collecting counters on it during each of your draw phases. After two of your turns, send this card to the graveyard to draw two extra cards. Consider slipping three of these in your deck if you need extra cards for discarding due to other card effects.

Moray of Greed is a good choice for a WATER attribute deck. It's kind of a double edged sword, since it calls for the return of two WATER monsters from your hand to your deck in order to draw three cards. Play this only if you are hoping to get something better in your hand.

Greed Grado is a good card if you are up against a Synchro deck. Destroy an opponent's Synchro monster by attacking it or using a card effect, and chain this Quick-Play Spell Card in order to draw two cards.

 Jar of Greed is a good follow-up to Pot of Greed. While it only lets you draw a single card outside of your draw phase, you are not restricted to one of these like you are with Pot of Greed.

 Reckless Greed allows you to draw two cards, but the catch is that you skip your next two draw phases. Use this card if the duel is towards the end, and you need an extra card or two to guarantee victory.

The Gift of Greed is a card that gives your opponent a pair of cards outside of their draw phase. Use this if you are trying to empty their deck for a win.

There you have it duelists. Greed can be a very good way to win a duel. Make sure you use these cards responsibly. Drawing too fast can lead to your own defeat. Come back soon for your next dose of dueling knowledge. Until next time, keep on dueling!

Cyber Dragon

What's shakin' duelists? The Coach is back, and today, we're gonna Dragons. Actually, we're gonna discuss Cyber Dragons. Technically, they are Machines, but they are really cool looking mechanical dragons. This archetype was made famous by Zane Truesdale from the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX era, and I became quite fascinated with it myself. Cyber Dragon is one of the most versatile monsters in the game, and is used in a variety of decks because of its ability to quickly get more powerful monsters in play.

This card isn't bad for a Level 5, with 2100 ATK and 1600 DEF. Its special ability allows to Special Summon him if your opponent has monsters and you do not. For example, if your opponent goes first in the duel, this card can even the odds, and give you some options. Here are some of your choices for making full use of Cyber Dragon:

- You could Normal Summon a Tuner monster after Special Summoning Cyber Dragon for a Synchro Summon on your opening turn.
- You could offer Cyber Dragon as a tribute to Normal Summon a stronger Level 5 or Level 6 monster.
- You could activate a Spell card that calls for a tribute of a monster such as Cyber Dragon to resolve its effect.
-You could tribute Cyber Dragon to summon a Blackwing monster, and then Special Summon other Blackwings in the same turn due to their effects.

These are some of the many options you have for this one monster card. I'll let you choose which of these might work for you, and also let you figure out some of the other options that are out there. Now let's take a look at some of Cyber Dragon's other forms. These can be achieved by Fusion Summoning, or by the activation of certain Spells and Traps.

Cyber Barrier Dragon is a Level 6 monster with 800 ATK and 2800 DEF. This card is Special Summoned by "Attack Reflector Unit". If you Special Summon it in ATK mode, its special ability will negate one attack during each of your opponent's turns. If you Special Summon it in DEF mode, its 2800 DEF will protect you from a fair number of attacking monsters. (6/10)

Cyber Laser Dragon is another Cyber Dragon variation. This monster is a Level 7 with 2400 ATK and 1800 DEF. Its special ability allows it to destroy a monster each turn with ATK or DEF equal to or higher than its ATK. Combine this with attacking a monster on the same turn and wipe out your opponent's monster in half the time. (8/10)

Next up is Cyber Twin Dragon, which is a fusion of two Cyber Dragons. It has the special ability to attack twice during each of your Battle Phases. Combine this with 2800 ATK, and the duel could be over sooner rather than later. Slip a couple of these in your deck for a guaranteed victory. (8/10)

Cyber End Dragon is a fusion of three Cyber Dragons. This 4000 ATK powerhouse can inflict Piercing Damage during an attack. Combine this with a Twin Cyber Dragon or two and you've got the duel in the bag. (10/10)

Moving on to cards that support Cyber Dragon, we start with Evolution Burst. This card allows you to destroy a card your opponent controls, providing that you have a Cyber Dragon in play. Use this to wipe out a stronger monster than yours, or to take out a face down card. There are better cards than this with a similar effect and not in need of another card for activation. (5/10)

Cyber Valley is a Level 1 monster with 0 ATK and DEF. It has not one, not two, but three special abilities. You can use it to end a Battle Phase early, banish it along with an opponent's monster, or banish this card and one in your hand to recycle a card in the graveyard back to the deck. It's good to have options. (6/10)

Next up is Cyber Dragon Zwei. This card gains 300 ATK during damage calculation. It can be treated as "Cyber Dragon" until the end of your turn if you reveal a Spell Card in your hand. It is also treated as "Cyber Dragon" while in the graveyard. This is good for Fusion Summoning if you pull materials from the graveyard rather than your hand or the field. (4/10)

Cyber Ouroboros is a low level monster whose special ability allows you to draw a card when this card is banished. The only catch is you must send a card from your hand to the graveyard. Combine this with Cyber Dragon Zwei or another Cyber Dragon and you'll perform a Fusion Summon a lot quicker. (5/10)

Proto-Cyber Dragon is another low level monster that can be treated as "Cyber Dragon" while it is on the field. It only has 1100 ATK and 600 DEF, but can be another option for Fusion Summoning Cyber Twin Dragon or Cyber End Dragon. (4/10)

Cyber Eltanin is a Level 10 monster whose attack is determined by the number of LIGHT Machine-type monsters used to summon it. In order to summon this card, you must banish all LIGHT Machine-type monsters from your field and graveyard. So, the more monster you can banish at the time, the this card will be. Cyber Eltanin gets 500 ATK and DEF for each monster, so this will add up pretty fast. Get at least 16 banished, and score a one hit knockout against your opponent if there field is bare. That's easier said than done, but I'll give some pointers on that topic in a future post. (10/10)

The last card we'll be looking at is Power Bond. This card is a real game changer, if you play it at the right time. I prefer using it at the end of a duel to guarantee victory. This card allows you to Fusion Summon a Machine-type monster with double its normal ATK value. The catch is, at the end of your turn, you take damage equal to the original ATK of the monster summoned by this card. This is a another good way to get an 8000 ATK monster such as Cyber End Dragon.

Once again, this concludes another installment brought to you by Muramasa the Coach. Until next time, keep those Machine-types in tip top shape.

Elemental Heroes, Part 3

Welcome back duelists! The Coach is here to give you some more duel fuel. Today is the third and final installment on the Elemental Heroes. We're gonna take a look at some of the most useful Spell and Trap Cards to round out an EH deck. You have the basic monsters and the fusion monsters, so let's pick out some tools to help them out.

First off, let's consider Field Spells. Skyscraper allows an Elemental Hero monster to get a 1000 ATK boost in order to take down an opponent's monster that has higher ATK. This card works well with EH Flame Wingman, allowing you not only to defeat an opponent's monster, but to deal decent effect damage as well. Be careful, because if your opponent is also playing an EH deck, you can get served a defeat by the same card.

Skyscraper 2 - Hero City is another Field Spell to consider. During each of your turns, you can Special Summon an EH monster from your Graveyard. This is a good way to quickly Fusion Summon, as you can also Normal Summon a monster from your hand in the same turn. You could also bring back an EH fusion monster like EH Flame Wingman or EH Shining Flare Wingman. You've got multiple options with this ace up your sleeve.

This is perhaps the most important card to have in an Elemental Hero deck. Polymerization combines 2 or more monsters to create a stronger one. This is how all of us old school duelists used to do things. While there are a lot of other cards used for Fusion Summoning, this one is still a fan favorite. Bring all the heavy hitters to the field such as EH Flame Wingman, EH Shining Flare Wingman, or even EH Thunder Giant.

 Now lets change gears and look at some personal Spell and Trap cards for certain Elemental Heroes. Feather Shot allows EH Avian to attack a total number of times equal to the number of monsters you control when you activate the card. The tradeoff is that you cannot attack directly, and none of your other monsters may attack this turn. Give EH Avian some kind of ATK boost before using this card, if you want it to be of any use to you.

Another EH Avian exclusive card is Feather Wind. This card can only be activated if EH Avian is on the field when a Spell or Trap card is activated. It's one of many negation cards in the game, and probably not the most effective. It still fits in an Elemental Hero deck just the same.

Burst Return is a card made for EH Burstinatrix. This is a good card to clear your field of your other EH monsters if you have the plan of changing your line-up or want to keep your EH monsters from being destroyed in battle. Follow this up with Polymerization or one of the other Fusion Summoning Spell Cards.

Here's a nice useful card for EH Sparkman. It's called Spark Blaster, and gives you the opportunity to change the battle position of a monster a total of three times. It's good for switching a heavy hitter your opponent controls to DEF or take a monster with decent ATK and give them a chance to strike.

Clay Charge is for none other than EH Clayman. This Trap Card allows him to take an opponent's monster with him when he is attacked. The added bonus is, your opponent will get dealt 800 points of effect damage. This is really good to use on a monster that would destroy EH Clayman anyway. A good tactic to turn the duel around if it's not going as well as it should be.

Elemental Hero Wildheart gets a pretty intense Spell Card. Cyclone Boomerang gives him a 500 ATK boost, and if he is destroyed by a card effect, this card wipes out all Spell and Trap Cards in play. This can help or hurt you, depending on what you have in play. Don't wipe out your Skyscraper by mistake if you can help it.

Bubble Shuffle is exclusive to EH Bubbleman. This card grants him the ability to switch himself and an opponent's monster from ATK to DEF mode. On top of that, you can tribute EH Bubbleman to Special Summon another EH monster. Use this effect to get that EH monster you need for a Fusion Summon or to finish off your opponent.

Hero Signal is a Trap Card that allows you to summon an EH monster from your hand or deck if another of your monsters is destroyed. This is another card that's good for getting the right EH monster for a Fusion Summon, or a quick defense.

Are you looking for some payback? If so, use Hero Counterattack. This card can be activated if a monster you control is destroyed by battle. Your opponent will pick a card you have in hand, and if it is a monster, you get to wipe out one of their monsters, and Special Summon yours. This works well against heavy hitting monsters, and it's best used if you have a hand full of monsters.

Hero Barrier is a good shield of a Trap Card. If you have an EH monster in play, you can negate an attack from your opponent. Save this for a monster your opponent has that's really powerful and would cause you some real damage.

Fake Hero is another good way to get a Fusion Material Monster in play. Since you can't attack with the EH monster that is Special Summoned, use this card after you Normal Summon another EH monster.

H - Heated Heart is the perfect card to use on EH Flame Wingman, EH Shining Flare Wingman, or even EH Bladedge. The selected monsters gains 500 ATK, and the ability to inflict piercing damage to your opponent. The catch is that the effect is only good for one turn. Save this card for an easy win.

E - Emergency Call allows you to pick out an EH monster from your deck. Use this card to pick the right hero for the job, or pick the EH monster you need for a specific Fusion Summon.

R - Righteous Justice allows you to wipe out a number of Spell and Trap cards based on the number of EH monsters you have in play. This is another card that can work for or against you. Make sure you time it right, so you don't wipe out that Skyscraper.

O - Oversoul. allows to return an EH monster from the Graveyard to the field. Combine this with the Spell Cards E - Emergency Call and Fake Hero to quickly fill your field with monsters. Save this card for bringing back an EH monster such as Flame Wingman or Shining Flare Wingman.

The last card we'll take a look at is HERO Flash!! This card requires H - Heated Heart, E - Emergency Call, R - Righteous Justice, and O - Oversoul to be removed from your Graveyard in order to activate it. Once you do, search your deck for a normal EH monster and Special Summon it. In addition, all of your normal EH monsters can attack directly during the turn this card is activated. Get five EH monsters in play, and deal some serious damage to your opponent. There you have it, the icing on the perfect Elemental Hero cake. There are a number of possibilities for a good EH deck. Consider all of these cards and others when getting your game on. Until next time, rev it up!