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.

Deck Submission - Elemental Hot & Cold

Hey there duelists! The Coach is here to get you champions in the making revved up. Today, I'm gonna share with you a deck idea I was given by a duelist who came across my blog. First let me say thank you to all of you who have taken the time to enjoy this blog. I'm doing this for all the Yu-Gi-Oh! fans out there, and keep it up as long as I see that it is helping you the reader out. I've got most of the cards to simulate this deck, and I've ordered the remainder online. When I get them, I'm gonna try this deck out with my dueling circle, and let you know how it did in a later post. I've kept you waiting long enough, so here it is.

ELEMENTAL HERO HOT & COLD version 1.0

Monsters (20)


2x Elemental HERO Bubbleman
2x Elemental HERO Burstinatrix

3x Elemental HERO Heat
2x Elemental HERO Ice Edge
3x Elemental HERO Lady Heat

3x Elemental HERO Neos
3x Elemental HERO Ocean

1x Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab
1x Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin

Spells

1x A Hero Lives

1x Card Destruction
2x E - Emergency Call

1x Fifth Hope
1x Get Your Game On!

1x Hero's Bond

1x Miracle Fusion

1x Parallel World Fusion
1x Polymerization
1x Skyscraper
1x Skyscraper 2 - Hero City
1x Swords of Revealing Light
1x United We Stand

Traps (6)

1x Change of Hero - Reflector Ray

1x Hero Barrier
1x Hero Counterattack
1x Hero Signal
1x Hero Spirit
1x Mirror Force


Extra Deck (6)

1x Elemental HERO Absolute Zero
1x Elemental HERO Flare Neos
1x Elemental HERO Inferno
1x Elemental HERO Marine Neos

1x Elemental HERO Nova Master
1x Elemental HERO Steam Healer

Cards in red are Semi-Limited
Cards in blue are Limited
Cards in black have no limit

This is a very interesting deck. Not only does it center around the Elemental Hero archetype, it takes it a step further showcasing the FIRE and WATER attribute EH monsters. This is almost like dueling with both hands behind your back. I personally look forward to trying this deck out myself. While I'm waiting for my new cards to arrive, let's inspect this deck from top to bottom. First, let's start off with monsters. We should note that EH Neos is a LIGHT monster, but is necessary for getting EH Flare Neos and EH Marine Neos in play. On the WATER side we have EH Bubbleman, EH Ice Edge, EH Ocean, and Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin. For the FIRE side we have EH Burstinatrix, EH Heat, EH Lady Heat, and Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab. This is a pretty balanced deck. We've got EH Bubbleman that can draw a couple of extra cards for you if the timing is right. EH Heat gets stronger with each additional EH monster on the field, and EH Lady Heat dishes up more pain at the end of each turn if you have more EH monsters in play. EH Ocean can recycle monsters from the field or graveyard. EH Ice Edge is a bit on the weak side, but his ability to deal direct damage and destroy Spell or Trap Cards will come in handy.

Next, let's look at the Spell Cards. There are some notable cards among these. E - Emergency Call is good for pulling EH monsters from your deck to your hand. Hero's Bond is a good follow-up, if you already have an EH monster on the field. You can go from one to three monsters in the same turn. This is good for quick Fusion Summoning, or making use of the special abilities of EH Heat or EH Lady Heat. Fifth Hope is a good one if you're in need of some quick cards. If you have at least five EH monsters in the graveyard, shuffle them into your deck, and draw two or three cards depending on what your hand and field are like at the moment. This is good for an EH recycling deck. Get Your Game On! is a very powerful, and very rare card. Most people wouldn't have this unless they attended a certain 2007 tournament. It doubles the power of all EH and Neo-Spacian monsters in play.
 

A Hero Lives is a card for Special Summoning an EH monster of Level 4 or less, at the cost of half of your Life Points. This card is really risky and wasteful, especially if you still have 8000 LP at the time. I would drop this and substitute an H - Heated Heart instead. You've got United We Stand and Skyscraper for additional power, Card Destruction for wiping out your opponent's hand, Swords of Revealing Light for stalling, and Skyscraper 2 - Hero City for reviving monsters from the graveyard. The last Spells to look at are all for Fusion Summoning. Polymerization is for textbook Fusion Summoning, Miracle Fusion is for Fusion Summoning from the field or graveyard, and Parallel World Fusion is for Fusion Summoning with banished monsters. Use them in that order, and you have an almost infinite source of Fusion Summoning materials.

Now let's move on to Traps. There aren't very many, but each can work in the right situation. Hero Signal will replace an EH monster that was destroyed by battle with another from your hand or deck. Hero Barrier will shield an EH monster from attack one time. Hero Counterattack allows you to replace a fallen EH monster, if your opponent randomly picks it from your hand when you play this card. On top of that, you send one of their monsters to the graveyard as a bonus. Hero Spirit can protect you from a lethal attack once, providing you lost a monster in the same turn you play the card. Change of Hero - Reflector Ray is a really nasty card. If an EH Fusion monster is destroyed by battle, your opponent takes damage equal to its level x 300. Since a lot of EH Fusion Monsters have seven or eight stars, that's 2100 to 2400 points of Effect Damage. Our last Trap is none other than Mirror Force. This card is only good if your opponent attacks you. You'll not only destroy that monster, but all other attack position monsters they control at the time of the attack. Save this ace for hitting 2 or more monsters at the same time.

Our next look is at the Fusion Monsters. There are six to choose from in this deck, and each brings something to the table. EH Steam Healer grants you Life Points equal to the ATK of the monster that it destroyed in battle. EH Inferno gets a 1000 ATK boost if it attacks a WATER monster. This is a good choice for a lot of Ice Barrier and Sea-Serpent decks out there. EH Flare Neos gains 400 ATK for each Spell or Trap in play, for a maximum boost of 4800. The catch is, he returns to the Extra Deck at the end of the turn. EH Marine Neos is good for destroying a random card in your opponent's hand. EH Nova Master is good for drawing a card after it destroys an opponent's monster. EH Absolute Zero gets stronger for each WATER monster on the field, except itself. It also wipes the opponent's monsters out should it be forced to leave the field. All in all, these are good Fusion Monsters.

Well, that's it for another session with the Coach. I hope you've learned something that you can apply to your daily dueling scenarios. Until next time, keep drawing that card that will turn things around in your life.

Card Spotlight: Amulet of Ambition

     Hey Duelists! The Coach is back again with your dose of duel fuel. Today we're look at a Spell Card that often gets overlooked in the game. I'm talking about the Amulet of Ambition. This card may seem kinda weak due to the need to equip it to a Normal Monster, but the lower the monster's Level, the more useful this card becomes. Equip this to a Level 1 monster, and you could have a game changer on your side. The effect of this card grants you a 500 ATK boost times the difference in levels between your monster and the monster you attack. Let's take a look at three good uses for this card.

     Scenario #1: Your opponent has a Stardust Dragon (Level 8 / 2500 ATK / 2000 DEF) in play. You play a Cycroid (Level 3 / 800 ATK / 1000 DEF). Equip Amulet of Ambition to change your ATK to 3300. Attack with Cycroid to destroy Stardust Dragon and deal 800 points of damage.

     Scenario #2: Your opponent has Obelisk the Tormentor (Level 10 / 4000 ATK / 4000 DEF) in play. You play Ancient Elf (Level 4 / 1450 ATK / 1200 DEF). Equip Amulet of Ambition to change your ATK to 4450. Attack with Ancient Elf to destroy Obelisk and deal 450 points of damage.

     Scenario #3: Your opponent has Barbaroid, the Ultimate Battle Machine (Level 12 / 4000 ATK / 4000 DEF) in play. You play a Mokey Mokey (Level 1 / 100 ATK / 100 DEF). Equip Amulet of Ambition to change your ATK to 5600. Attack with Mokey Mokey and deal 1600 points of damage.

     As you can see, this card has a lot of potential. In addition to giving some power boosts, this card can return to the top of your deck if it is sent to the Graveyard. Use this card to activate other card effects and recycle it for use in battle at the same time. It works best with very low level monsters. Give it a try and let me know about your experiences. Until next time, this is Coach Muramasa saying, get your duel on!

Crystal Beasts, Part 2

Welcome back duelists! Coach Muramasa here to give you a daily dose of duel knowledge to keep you revved up in the field. Today, we'll take a second look at the Crystal Beasts archetype from the GX era. Last time, we looked at the precious gems that make for a pretty intense team. Now, we're going to look at cards that support this group pretty well.

First up is Crystal Beacon. This Spell Card lets you Special Summon a CB monster from your deck, providing that you have at least 2 Crystal Beasts in your Spell & Trap Zone. Slip 2 or 3 of these in your deck to pull the team of seven together faster for Rainbow Dragon. (8/10)

Rare Value is another Spell Card that requires at least 2 CB monsters in your Spell & Trap Zone. Your opponent will pick one to send to the graveyard, and you will get to draw a couple of cards for your loss. Play this after a "Crystal Beacon". (6/10)

Crystal Blessing a good card for recycling CB monsters from your graveyard back to your Spell & Trap Zone. Use this along with "Crystal Beacon" and "Rare Value" to quickly get your magnificent seven in play in a couple of turns. (7/10)

Crystal Promise lets you move a CB monster from your Spell & Trap Zone to your Monster Zone as a Special Summon. Consider CB Emerald Tortoise for defense, or CB Sapphire Pegasus for offense. (7/10)

Crystal Release is a good Spell Card for giving a CB monster an ATK boost. In addition to this, when it is sent from the field to the graveyard, you get to pull a CB monster from your deck to your S/T Zone. Equip this to CB Topaz Tiger, CB Amber Mammoth or CB Sapphire Pegasus. (8/10)

Now let's take a look at a couple of traps. Rainbow Path is a good card to use, as it not only negates an opponent's attack for the cost of a CB monster in your ST Zone, but it also allows you to pull a "Rainbow Dragon" or "Rainbow Dark Dragon" from your deck. (5/10)

The last card to take a look at is Rainbow Gravity. This trap may be your ace in the hole. All you have to do is get all seven CB monsters on the field or in the graveyard, and then you can pull a "Rainbow Dragon" or "Rainbow Dark Dragon" from your deck or graveyard. (7/10)

That does it for another dueling session from the Coach. Take good care of those of gems, and let shine through in your next duel. Until next time, keep on dueling!

Crystal Beasts, Part 1

What's shakin' duelists? The Coach is back for your next Yu-Gi-Oh! lesson. Today, we're gonna take a look at an interesting archetype form the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX era. The Crystal Beasts are a series of seven monsters that are inspired by the colors of the rainbow. These precious gems have a special ability that allows them to be placed in the Spell & Trap Zone. You'll find out a little later why this is important. Let's take a look at the members of this exclusive club.

First up is Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle. Its special ability allows it to Special Summon other CB monsters from the Spell & Trap Zone to the Monster Zone. This is a good way to recycle your monsters and keep your field with a minimal defense. (6/10)

Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth has a special ability that makes it a shield for other CB monsters. Consider equipping this card with an Equip Spell or Field Spell that boosts ATK and you could end up trashing your opponent's offense. (6/10)

Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger has a special ability that gives it an ATK boost during the Damage Step of an attack. Give him an ATK boost beforehand to guarantee success against almost any monster. (5/10)

Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise is a good choice for protection. Its 2000 DEF will help stall your opponent. On top of that, its special ability allows you to switch a monster you attacked with during your turn to DEF position. This can only be done during your Main Phase 2. (6/10)

Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus is a typical level 4 monster with 1800 ATK. Its special ability allows it to put a CB monster from your hand, deck or graveyard into your Spell & Trap Zone. This is good for working to that seven CB combo. (7/10)

Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle has a special ability that allows it to take a CB monster you control and place it on the top of your deck. This is a good way to recycle another CB monster that was in your Spell & Trap Zone. (5/10)

Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat has an ability that allows it to attack your opponent directly. If it chooses to do that, the damage inflicted is only half. Consider powering up this card with an Equip Spell Card. (5/10)

Rainbow Dragon is the result of getting all seven Crystal Beast monsters between your field and graveyard. This card is a powerhouse level 10 monster with 4000 ATK and 0 DEF. In addition, this behemoth of dragons can activate a special ability that allows it to send all CB monsters you control to the graveyard and gain 1000 ATK for each one. You could easily gain up to 9000 extra attack with this effect, for a whopping 13000 ATK. This would make for an intense one hit knockout to your opponent. Its other special ability allows you to remove all CB monsters you have in the graveyard to shuffle all cards on the field back their owners' decks. (9/10)

Rainbow Dark Dragon is the dark side of Rainbow Dragon. It also can only be Special Summoned, but with a different condition. By removing 7 different DARK monsters with different names, you can put this bad boy in play. Its special ability allows you to boost this monster by removing from play all other DARK monsters you control, as well as the remaining DARK monsters in the graveyard, for a 500 ATK boost per monster. This isn't as powerful as Rainbow Dragon's ability, but could rival its strength just the same. (8/10)

There you have it gem collectors. The Crystal Beasts and their Rainbow Dragons exposed to you. Join us next time for more dueling tidbits. Until then, get your game on!