Card Discussion: Dimension Barrier

Maruding Captain's adventure continues....
Dimension Barrier took me by surprise, probably because I never expected it to be the most valuable and expensive card in the product. But this normal trap card is anything but normal.

Effect:

Declare 1 monster card type (Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Pendulum); this turn, neither player can Special Summon monsters of the declared type, also negate the effects of face-up monsters on the field of the declared type while they are on the field. You can only activate 1 "Dimension Barrier" per turn.

FIRST OFF:

It is NOT broken.

I will tell you what is broken:

1. Make this card a continuous trap. OR
2. Make it such that the declared monster can't attack this turn.

It can't negate the effects of monsters OFF the field, and monsters with their effect negated can still pay the cost for their effect.

It is not that broken...
Fair? Let's continue.


Trap cards are a rare sight in this meta:

Blue-Eyes play Vanity's Emptiness perhaps, and probably Phoenix Wind Wing Blast, their staple card. It is a very useful card as Blue-Eyes can exploit the discard cost, and at the same time, remove a threat or troublesome card on the field. Being capable of targeting own cards also allow their cards to escape destruction and trouble. I have even seen players target their own Vanity's Emptiness, drop their White Stone of Ancients and start swarming the field the next turn.

KEN SIR GOT LIED TO.

Perhaps the most useful (annoying for your opponent) aspect of this card is the wastage of a draw phase when you target a field monster to be sent back to the main deck.

D/D/D play their version of Phoenix Wind Wing Blast - their searchable Dark Contract with the Witch. D/D Savant Kepler can search it.

Also, many non-pendulum decks go for Anti-Spell Fragrance, be it sided or mained.

My point is - current meta trend dictates that traps are kept to a minimum - with only required and preferred ones being 'outs' to floodgates, threats and prevent OTKs. Vanity's, Solemn Strike and the other Solemn traps take these spots.

It seems hard to find a space to place this card in decks today, but you can always make do. Despite its usage, I don't think players are willing to get rid of their combo pieces for this pseudo-floodgate.
I am not saying that it is bad!

I just think that meta deck players would rather focus on doing their plays, extending their advantage RATHER THAN
use this card to disrupt and make sure their opponent loses their advantage.

Meta decks can go for control I suppose... Metalfoe does that. But players, at least here in Singapore, go for the speed as seen from the Pot of Cupidity usage in many decks, not just Metalfoe. Besides, this pendulum-centric deck is more focused on their first turn lockdown. With Exterio, Crystal Wing and it all started with Gofu.

But sure, should they find that lockdown less preferred as the meta evolves, this card will see more play.


I can definitely see this card at three in Card of Demise control decks. (Yosenju, Qli, Chronomaly Artifacts). This card even makes me wanna play back my Yosenju. #lol
The wide range of cards to declare is also a merit - it is versatile, I will give it that - You can side it against any deck and it is still relevant. Almost every deck.... Barrier Statue, Chain Burn are the notable exceptions. Effect-monsters deck seem to escape this card's wrath, and we might see some Monarch decks attempting to make a comeback with this new handy trap.

The best thing about this card is probably the fact that it is useful for both first-turn and second-turn card. Although it is more effective when you go first and have it set, it will cripple the one-type-card-centric decks, e.g. Fusion-based, synchro-based, xyz-based.

Some argue that this card only stops your opponent for one turn, and it merely slows down their deck. While it may be true, one turn is probably all you need to turn the tables around in the meta today. And it is up to you to capitalise on that window of opportunity that this card provided you with.

Declaring early:

Declaring Pendulums assures that you won't have Majespector - Kirin to worry about, if we were to talk about the most annoying Pendulum card. Even if they are on the field, this non-targeting negation effect will negate Kirin's annoying effect.
Declaring Fusion would probably waste your opponent of a Fusion-based spell card, such as Shaddoll Fusion, which unlike Metalfoe Fusion, is unable to be recycled by itself.
The same applies for it being chained to a Ritual spell, it
Declaring Synchro or Xyz, would probably not waste your opponent's resources, since they simply just won't, and can't go into the summon.

Perhaps the most notable usage of this card is its ability to single-handedly get rid of pesky monsters that lockdown the field (Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon, Last Warrior from Another Planet) with its non-targeting negation ability

AND

at the same time serve as a floodgate in the early stages of the game.

It is a VERY useful card, I can't stress it enough, but I still believe the hype is overwhelming. In my humble opinion, it is a card that will be relevant for many formats to come, years-of-formats-worth, and is definitely a treasure worth keeping and an investment worth making. Similar to other generic, versatile and cards that cover a lot of ground, the more diversified the meta is, the more likely this card will be useful.


Just note that you, too, are affected and can thus suffer from this card's effects. This is not to say that it can't be used in a Mirror-Match - its effect only last for a turn, so it won't be a complete double-edge sword.
The deck user that will suffer the most in a mirror-match is probably Metalfoe players. This is why I would suggest declaring PENDULUM when you have your Fusion & Synchro monsters locking the field, or calling for the Purple/White border monsters should you decide to control the field via Majespector - Kirin's effect.

Another thing to note is that your opponent can still tribute/normal summon Pendulum monsters, should that be your declared choice. So don't be too quick to extend your handshake.

Thank you for reading.

By Ken Sir