Star Pack 2013: Moar Utopia!

Star Pack 2013 releases in a few days and spoilers have been pretty scarce since the product was advertised last month. Today, the full card list has been released and it's not terrible.

Death of the Turbo Pack

Tournament-exclusive packs have always been a big part of Yugioh. At first, they were the only way to get exclusive cards like Mechanicalchaser and Morphing Jar. Later on, it was also a way to get great reprints. The latest iteration, the Turbo Pack, is the best way to foil out your deck with cards like Dark Hole and Book of Moon getting rarity bumps.

Legendary Collection 3 Update!

Right on time, here's some juicy new info on the upcoming Legendary Collection 3.

Legendary Collection 3: Yugi's World

Konami calls mulligan on the first Legendary Collection and is releasing an LC02-like product based on the original series.

Upcoming Products

Working all the time makes it very hard to update. I have a long lunch today, so here's an update from my office :) Here's the upcoming Summer and Fall lineup.

June 26: Structure Deck: Samurai Warlords
This (along with the recent Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En reprint) is a great way for new duelists to make a tournament-ready deck without spending too much money. Current Samurai duelists will be interested in the super rare versions of Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki and Shien's Smoke Signal, along with the all-new Six Samurai Xyz monster, Shadow of the Six Samurai - Shien.


July 24: Hidden Aresenal 6: Omega Xyz
Not too much going on here, unless you like Vylons, Steelswarms, and Gem-Knights. Gusto and Lavalval duelists will have to wait until HA07 to get the really good stuff.

August 14: 2012 Collector's Tins Wave 1
Tins are always a great way to get packs and reprints of rare cards. This year is no exception, except we're also getting a peek at the next booster set. Evolzar Dolkka is one of the more expensive cards in the top tier Dino Rabbit deck, and Heroic Champion - Excalibur will be an Extra Deck staple for any deck using Lv4 Warriors.

August 28: Booster Set: Return of the Duelist

Sealed Play Prizes

With the release of Battle Pack: Epic Dawn only a couple months away, we've been getting a bunch of little updates here and there. With the sealed play of Battle Pack comes prizes just for this new type of tournament. There will be 20 'Starfoil" cards that will only be available as prizes different than the possible 220 starfoil cards in BP:ED. Half the cards in the set of prizes can be obtained at Top-Performing Official Tournament stores, while the other half can only be obtained at Konami events such as a YCS or WCQ. For everyone not playing at a Top-Performing Official Tournament store, you can win a Battle Pack card box. Apparently, they did this with STOR as well, but I've never seen one. Does anyone know if it came with anything inside?

Confirmed Starfoil Prize Cards
Icarus Attack
Chimeratech Fortress Dragon
Blackwing Armor Master
Spirit Reaper
Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth
Mystical Shine Ball

Newly Confirmed BP:ED Cards
Harpie's Feather Duster
Scapegoat 

2012 New Products

Sorry about the lack of updates and the shortness of this article. I've been very busy lately and that doesn't seem to be changing. Anyway, We've already talked about the new Battle Pack: Epic Dawn being released  May, but there's a ton of new products about to hit the market that are looking pretty amazing so far. Here's what we've got coming up.

First off, in just a few days, we've got the 2012 Premium Collector's Tin feature previously unreleased cards from all four tv series. Every tin comes with a secret rare Elemental HERO The Shining and Number 34: Terror Byte. This is pretty good news for anyone unable to obtain a Shining from the GX manga or any TCG player outside of North America.

Perhaps the biggest reason to buy these tins are the new cards, Void Ogre Dragon and Masked HERO Acid. Void Ogre Dragon is a Shi En for Infernity decks, and Acid is a great addition to the HERO arsenal and makes the "Bubbleman Beatdown" deck possible for the TCG. These are the cards I'm looking forward to most, alongside the DM-era Meteor B. Dragon, Fiend's Mirror, Beastly Mirror Ritual, and Firewing Pegasus.


April gives us a new Starter Deck, XYZ Symphony, and Battle Pack, as well as the new booster set, Galactic Overlord come out in May. The biggest news, however, was announced recently to much surprise. Structure Deck: Samurai Warlords comes out on June 26. It includes reprints of Great Shogun Shien, Musakani Magatama, Six Samurai United, Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan, Dark Hole and FIENDISH CHAIN! This is amazing for anyone who didn't get their Chains when they were $10 as opposed to the $60+ they are now.

Finally, there's Gold Series: Haunted Mine coming out on June 12. Instead of just regular old Gold rares, this set contains Ghost/Gold rares, which have the Gold Series shine, but with the 3D holographic picture of a Ghost rare. The size of the set increases to 55 cards this year as well. Here are the confirmed cards so far.

Ghost/Gold
Blue-Eyes White Dragon
Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
Herald of Perfection
Naturia Barkion
Mystical Space Typhoon
Solemn Judgment

Standard Gold
Fabled Grimro
Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
Starlight Road
Formula Synchron
Karakuri Steel Shogun mdl 00X "Bureido"

Also Confirmed
Zombie monsters
Trap Monsters
Six Scorpion cards

Banlist!...oh wait, just a Battle Pack update

While the (awful) banlist is being confirmed, here's some newly confirmed cards from Battle Pack: Epic Dawn.

Number 39: Utopia
Gachi Gachi Gantetsu
Grenosaurus
Number 17: Leviathan Dragon
Wind-Up Zenmaister
Tiras, Keeper of Genesis
Snowman Eater
Mask of Darkness
DUCKER Mobile Cannon
Freed the Matchless General
Airknight Parshath
Cyber Dragon
Noisy Gnat
Wind-Up Dog
Wind-Up Soldier

Battle Pack: Epic Dawn Update

Some more cards from BP:ED have been revealed in Kevin Tewart's latest strategy article. Here's a quick list of everything we know so far.

Rare
Gem-Knight Pearl
Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon
Witch of the Black Forest
Dark Bribe
Skull Archfiend of Lightning
Dark Magician of Chaos
Obelisk the Tormentor
Tour Guide from the Underworld
Raigeki
Metal Reflect Slime
Caius the Shadow Monarch (assumed)
Raiza the Storm Monarch (assumed)
Mobius the Frost Monarch (assumed)
Gorz the Emissary of Darkness (assumed)
Pot of Avarice (assumed)

Common
Backup Warrior
Greenkappa
Liberty at Last!
Penguin Soldier
Axe of Despair
Ante
Forbidden Lance
Reckless Greed
Half or Nothing
Power Frame
Luster Dragon
Wind-Up Warrior
Vampire Lord
Toon Gemini Elf
Guardian Sphinx
Zaborg the Thunder Monarch
The Tricky
Doomcaliber Knight
Card Trooper
Ancient Gear Knight
Arcana Force XIV - Temperance
Power Giant
Gogogo Golem
Giant Soldier of Stone
Psi-Blocker
Muka Muka
Makyura the Destructor
Stealth Bird
Night Assailant
Drillroid
Cyber Valley
Fabled Raven
Naturia Strawberry
Gagaga Magician

So far, it doesn't seem too amazing as a reprint set, but it's good for what the product's intended use is, and an easier way to get some rare and out of print cards.

HUGE NEWS! Battle Pack: Epic Dawn

If it wasn't on the official products page, I'd never believe it. Konami is completely changing their products. I thought LC2 was pretty amazing, along with the Ra Yellow Mega Packs, but this is just crazy.

Coming May 28th, Battle Pack: Epic Dawn encourages players to take part in sealed pack play. Each pack contains 5 cards from a 220 card set. Each pack contains 1 black or white lettered rare card, 3 commons, and 1 random card from the set in an all new rarity! The packs have an MSRP of $1.99 each, so for $20 each, you and a friend can have some very fun games, pulling away from the ridiculousness that is today's metagame. If you really don't care about having fun and just want good cards, take a look at these confirmed cards.

Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon
Doomcaliber Knight
Forbidden Lance
Gem-Knight Pearl
Backup Warrior
Caius the Shadow Monarch
Raiza the Storm Monarch
Mobius the Frost Monarch
Pot of Avarice
Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
Fabled Raven
TOUR GUIDE FROM THE UNDERWORLD

After the initial celebration of reading that last card, you might be thinking that you get 1 rare in each pack and there are 55 rares in the set. The odds aren't that great of pulling what you want, but at $2 a pop and the fact that ANY card in the set could be the new rarity, I'm sure there will be plenty of Tour Guides floating around.

If you'd like to know more about this product, check out the official info page HERE.

Quick Post: New Stuff!

The reason I haven't been posting much lately is a combination of no internet for a few weeks and very little to no motivation to do anything Yugioh related. I should be getting around to posting some new meaningful articles soon, but for now, here's a look at what new products we're getting in the near future.

January 2012
 Jan 24 - Booster Set: Order of Chaos (Sneak Preview Jan. 14-15)
 Hidden Arsenal 5: Special Edition

February
 Feb. 7 - Structure Deck: Dragonic Legion
 Feb. 21 - Ra Yellow Mega Pack

March
 Mar. 20 - 2012 Premium Collection Tin
 Order of Chaos: Special Edition

May
 Booster Set: Galactic Overlord

Upcoming Shonen Jump Magazine Promos

We know the next 6 Shonen Jump Magazine promos, so in case you were wondering, here's what we're getting..

Subscription Promos

Sephylon, the Ultimate Time Lord
LIGHT/Fairy/Effect/10
Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by having 10 or more monsters in your Graveyard, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 Level 8 or higher Fairy-Type monster from your hand or Graveyard. Its effect(s) are negated, and its ATK becomes 4000.
ATK/4000 DEF/4000

Shooting Quasar Dragon
LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro/Effect/12
1 Tuner Synchro Monster + 2 or more non-Tuner Synchro Monsters
Must be Synchro Summoned, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card's maximum number of attacks per turn equals the number of non-Tuner monsters used as its Synchro Material. Once per turn, when a card or effect is activated: You can negate the activation and destroy it. When this card leaves the field: You can Special Summon 1 "Shooting Star Dragon" from your Extra Deck.
ATK/4000 DEF/4000

December 2011 Issue

Endless Decay
DARK/Zombie/Effect/5
If you have 2000 Life Points or less, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: This card's ATK becomes half the opponent's Life Points.
ATK/? DEF/0

Januruary 2012 Issue

The Supremacy Sun
DARK/Fiend/Effect/10
Must be Special Summoned by its own effect and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. If this face-up card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, during the next Standby Phase: You can discard 1 card; Special Summon this card from the Graveyard.
ATK/3000 DEF/3000

March 2012 Issue

X-Saber Souza
EARTH/Warrior/Synchro/Effect/7
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "X-Saber" monsters
You can Tribute 1 "X-Saber" monster; this card gains 1 of these effects until the End Phase:
● If this card battles a monster: Destroy that monster immediately with this card's effect (without damage calculation).
● This card cannot be destroyed by the effects of Trap Cards.
ATK/2500 DEF/1600

April 2012 Issue

Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction
WATER/Rock/Xyz/Effect/3
2 Level 3 monsters
During each of your Standby Phases: Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card or take 2000 damage. If this card has no Xyz Materials, it cannot attack. While this card is face-up on the field, you cannot Special Summon.
ATK/3000 DEF/3000


We have some great cards to look forward to. Shooting Quasar definitely has the potential to make a huge impact on the TCG. You can read my article about it HERE, but keep in mind that it was written early last format. Souza will be a huge help for X-Sabers, making Boggart Knight more versatile. Acid Golem is a unique monster. It's easy to summon, and you have 3 battle phases to use this 3000 ATK beater before it tries to burn you.

Small Legendary Collection 2 Update!

A few of the Mega Pack rarities were revealed, and some pics were put up.

Secret Rare
Destiny Draw
Gladiator Beast Laquari
Yubel the Ultimate Nightmare

Ultra Rare
Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid
Proto-Cyber Dragon

Super Rare
Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus
Destiny HERO - Dreadmaster

Rare
Gladiator Proving Ground

Common
Card Trooper
Grandmaster of the Six Samurai
Judgment Dragon

Click for full article

2011 Collector's Tins Wave 2 Update

It's been confirmed that the "popular trap card available in both tins" is Solemn Warning. This is great news for anyone who doesn't have one already, but in my opinion, the card isn't as good as it was last format. It's still a great reprint, which is more than I can say about the other two confirmed cards, which are The Tyrant Neptune and Malefic Stardust Dragon. Stardust isn't so bad, but if they wanted to release Neptune to the European market, it could just as easily have been a Gold Series 4 common.

Quick Post: Release Dates

Just popping in quick to list the release dates of all the great products we're getting this year.

August 2 - Hidden Arsenal: Special Edition
August 4 - Turbo Pack 6
August 16 - Generation Force
August 30 - 2011 Collectible Tins: Wave 1
September 20 - Generation Force: Special Edition
October 4 - Legendary Collection 2
October 18 - Structure Deck: Gates of the Underworld
November 1 - 2011 Collectible Tins: Wave 2

I have a few ideas for new posts, but I won't be able to get them out until Monday, so check in then for updates.

Generation Force Sneak Peek: What to Look For

 With the GENF SP just 2 days away,  most players already know what the chase cards are and will be trying to rip everyone off for them. The bulk of this new set doesn't really interest me, but we're going to take a look at the cards that do catch my eye. Feel free to leave comments and tell me which cards you're looking forward to most.

The Wind-Up Archtype
This archtype has a Black Whirlwind that you can run in 3's, and the monsters have varied effects that can either help you, or hurt your opponent. These cards may get overlooked, so pick them up while you can. The aforementioned "Black Whirlwind" card, Wind-Up Factory, is a Super Rare, and that will probably be the highest rarity these cards will reach, except for their boss monster, Wind-Up Zenmaister.

Blue-Blooded Oni (Super Rare)

With the few Zombie support cards in this set, I can see some players trying to bring the deck back to the top tiers. This card will most likely go for around $4, but if Zombies do take off, it could reach around $7-$10.

  

Pain Painter (Secret Rare)

This is what makes Zombies interesting again. If you don't believe they'll make it back near the top, trade this immediately while the hype is up. 

Orient Dragon (Secret Rare)

As a Plant player, this is the card that interests me the most. Currently, the only level 6 Dragon-type Synchro we have is Iron Chain Dragon, and it's milling effect is terrible against decks that revolve around the Graveyard like so many of today's decks do. With most (all) Plant decks using Debris Dragon and either Ryko or Doppelwarrior, this is a 1-card out to cards like Shi En, Stardust Dragon, Shooting Star Dragon, and every other Synchro monster that doesn't negate effects (looking at you, Shooting Quasar). Expect this to reach near Tour Guide prices.

Smashing Horn (Secret Rare)

This card can turn the game around. Don't you hate when you make a big play just to have your opponent use Solemn Warning? This card turns that Warning into a waste of 2000 Life Points. Not only that, but this card can also destroy cards like Thunder King Rai-Oh and Steelswarm Roach when they try to negate your monster summons.

HERO Support 

The Masked HERO and Vision HERO cards finally make their way to the TCG, and they are bound to be sought after by all the HERO players out there. Vision HERO Adoration has the highest rarity at Secret Rare, so watch out for those, and the Ultra Rare Elemental HERO Nova Master.

Steelswarm Roach (Secret Rare)

This is another huge card from this set. It can be used in almost any deck, and can negate 2 of your opponent's Special Summons. This is already looking to be even more expensive than Orient Dragon, so this is definitely the card to look for.

Legendary Collection 2 Promo Pack

A few days ago, I posted the contents of LC2's Promo Pack, but I didn't have much time to get very into it, so today I'm going to review the 10 Ultra Rare cards.

First, we're getting the Darklord cards that were previously only available as YCS prize cards. These monsters have some pretty good effects, and when used with all the Fairy support, they can hit the field fast and hard. It's nice to finally get a reprint of these, and the GX manga promo, Darklord Desire is also in LC2 so everyone can have a complete set of Darklords.

Cyber Larva

LIGHT/1/Machine/Effect

When this face-up card on the field is selected as an attack target, any Battle Damage you take during this turn becomes 0. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 "Cyber Larva" from your Deck.

ATK/400 DEF/600

The only possible use I see for this card is in some kind of Cyber Eltanin OTK since this helps get Light Machines to your Graveyard while also stalling your opponent.

Lion Alligator

WATER/4/Reptile/Effect

While you control another Reptile-Type monster, during battle between an attacking Reptile-Type monster you control and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the Reptile-Type monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.

ATK/1900 DEF/200

Spawn Alligator

WATER/5/Reptile/Effect

When you Tribute a Reptile-Type monster(s) to Tribute Summon this monster, Special Summon 1 monster that was Tributed for this monster from your Graveyard during the End Phase of the turn this card was Tribute Summoned.

ATK/2200 DEF/1000

Here we have a mini archtype of Reptile Monsters. Lion Alligator a decent sized beater that gives all Reptiles a Piercing effect, and Spawn Alligator is basically a free 2200 beater if you tribute a Reptile to summon it. There aren't many reptile decks out there, unless you count Worms, and they already have their beater in Worm King.

Elemental HERO Great Tornado

WIND/8/Warrior/Fusion/Effect

1 "Elemental HERO" monster + 1 WIND monster
This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. When this card is Fusion Summoned, halve the ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters your opponent controls.

ATK/2800 DEF/2200

Now we're getting to the better stuff. This is another option for the E HERO decks to fuse into. The card itself is a better than Gaia, and it's an excellent way to get rid of the opponent's Stardust Dragon or Shooting Star Dragon with Super Polymerization.

Parallel World Fusion

Normal Spell Card

Return your removed from play monsters that are listed as Fusion Material Monsters of an "Elemental HERO" Fusion Monster to the Deck and Special Summon that monster from your Extra Deck. (This is treated as a Fusion Summon). You cannot Special Summon other monsters this turn.

This is a great (and long awaited) addition to the HERO deck's arsenal. If you Miracle Fusion into an E HERO monster, you can use this card to bring out another Fusion Monster using the same material you just removed. This is great, unless you planned on retrieving those monsters using Elemental HERO The Shining's effect.

Dragonic Tactics

Normal Spell Card

Tribute 2 Dragon-Type monsters. Special Summon 1 Level 8 Dragon-Type monster from your Deck.

This card could see some use in Dragon builds using Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, but other than that, it's pretty usesless. Too bad the cost is 2 Dragons, or this could be useful in other decks to easily summon Light and Darkness Dragon.

Coat of Justice

Continuous Spell Card

If you control a face-up Level 1 Fairy-Type Monster, you can Special Summon 1 Fairy-Type monster from your hand. This effect can only be used once per turn.

Unless you want to use a card like Arcana Force 0 - The Fool or Hanewata, this card is pretty useless, although I'm sure you could make an interesting Fairy build with The Fool, Coat of Justice, Valhalla, and some strong Fairy-type Monsters.

2011 Collector's Tins Wave 2

The 2nd wave tins are due out November 1st, and will include 1 Secret Rare Card, 4 Super Rare Cards, 2 packs of Storm of Ragnarok, 2 packs of Extreme Victory, and 1 pack of Generation Force. So far, we only know the cover cards, but let's take a look anyway.

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon
LIGHT/8/Dragon/Effect
You can Tribute 2 monsters with 2000 or more ATK to Special Summon this card from your hand. When this card battles an opponent's monster, during the Battle Step: You can banish that monster and this card. Return the banished monsters to the field when the Battle Phase ends. If the monster banished by this effect was an Xyz Monster: This card gains 500 ATK for each Xyz Material that monster had attached to it when it was banished.
ATK/3000 DEF/2500

A Blue-Eyes White Dragon for the Zexal era, this card is great for leaving your opponent's Xyz Monsters without effects, but that's all it does. It gains a bit of attack, but this card really doesn't do anything else. You can summon it by tributing 2 monsters, or Special Summon it by tributing 2 monsters with 2000 or more ATK, so either way, you lose out on card advantage. The only other use I see is to get rid of your opponent's Stardust Dragon or Legendary Shi En so you can play a card they would normally negate. Unless someone proves me wrong, I refuse to believe this card and the whole Photon archtype is good.

Number 10: Illumiknight
LIGHT/4/Warrior/Xyz/Effect
3 Level 4 monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; send 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard and draw 1 card.
ATK/2400 DEF/2400

With 2400 ATK, you'd probably be better off sticking with the three Xyz Material Monsters you would use to summon this. If it weren't for the three LV4 monster requirement, this card might have seen some play in Exodia/OTK decks. The best you could hope for is to send a card like Dandylion to the Graveyard and plus off its effect. I still see Steelswarm Roach as the only good Xyz monster so far. Prove me wrong, people.

Since Pot of Duality is in wave 1, I'm going to venture a guess that Solemn Warning will be in wave 2, and unless Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo is in LC2, it'll probably be in one of these as well.

Limit Over Accel Synchro!

Yusei's biggest and best version of Stardust Dragon is finally making its way to the TCG. It was just confirmed as an upcoming Shonen Jump magazine promo, so I hope you're ready for it. If you thought Shooting Star Dragon was hard to deal with, you're going to have an awful time against Shooting Quasar Dragon.

JUMP-EN05? Shooting Quasar Dragon

12/LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro/Effect

1 Tuner Synchro Monster + 2 or more non-Tuner Synchro Monsters
This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Synchro Summon. This card can attack a number of times during the Battle Phase equal to the number of non-Tuner monsters used as Synchro Material Monsters. Once per turn, you can negate the activation of a Spell, Trap or Effect Monster's effect and destroy it. When this card is removed from the field, you can Special Summon 1 "Shooting Star Dragon" from your Extra Deck.

ATK/4000 DEF/4000

At fist glance, this may seem pretty hard to summon, but it actually fits in nicely with the cards we're already using in the top decks. Many players can easily summon two level 5 Synchro Monsters on their first turn simply by playing Reborn Tengu and Special Summoning Glow-Up Bulb with One for One. The ideal set up would be to discard Dandylion to activate One for One, giving you two level 1 Tokens, then using Monster Reborn to bring your Glow-Up Bulb back to the field and Synchro Summon Formula Synchron. Not only does this enable you to summon Shooting Quasar Dragon, but you will have also drawn up to four extra cards if the level 5 monsters you summoned were T.G. Hyper Librarian.

Unless your opponent can negate the summon of Quasar, they're in big trouble. Since your opponent will most likely not be killing this thing by battle, they'll have to use 2 card effects to get rid of it since Quasar will just negate the first one. If they are able to get rid of it, they'll have a Shooting Star Dragon to deal with, and since Shooting Star can negate effects that would destroy a card, they'll have to waste even more resources to take it out.

Generation Force: Special Edition Confirmed!

We knew it was coming, but no one knew which cards would be included as Super Rare promos. Spore gets a nice rarity bump, and Elemental HERO Absolute Zero finally gets a reprint! This is even better than the Storm of Ragnarok SE!

Btw, even though I just updated with 3 posts, my computer won't allow me to include pictures at the moment, so please try to enjoy this new info and hopefully I'll have it looking nicer tomorrow :)