Tuesday 16 August 2016

Card Discussion: Wind Witches

Which witch?
So now in Yugioh we have the ABCs, we have RR, we have ZW, ZS support cards for Number 39: Utopia. Seems like an awful lot of alphabets to me. 

So news just hit us in the OCG. Two new cards added to the archetype, Wind Witches and a single Speedroid tuner. Seeing how they are related to my frequently used deck and archetype - Yosenju - I decided to give these three cards a special feature via a solo article of their own.

Translated by The Organization
Source: Maxut

Wind Witch - Winter Bell
Wind Spellcaster / Synchro / Effect
LV7 2400/2000
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner WIND monsters
You can only use each effect of "Wind Witch - Winter Bell" once per turn.
(1) You can target 1 "Wind Witch" monster in your Graveyard; inflict 200 damage x its Level to your opponent.
(2) During the Battle Phase: You can target 1 "Wind Witch" monster you control; Special Summon 1 monster with an equal or lower Level from your hand, but it cannot attack during this turn.


Winter Bell is the synchro monster that obliterated poor Yugo in the anime, with Rin using her archetype's burning tactics to slowly chip away the synchro dimension's protagonist Life Points bit by bit. Winter Bell's synchro material monsters have no strict requirements (unlike Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon), with the only exception being the WIND non-tuner needed for the synchro summoning process. This is actually pretty easy to achieve, but these summoning conditions points to the fact that Winter Bell is likely to be used more in WIND-based archetypes or decks, such as Yosenju or Majespectors. It also has a set of decent stats.

For the first effect, we have a minor burn damage, which could hit the opponent with an average of 1200LP. A strict "Once-per-turn" clause placed on the card ensures that players, no matter how creative, can't abuse this card's effect for an endless loop for a FTK.

Please don't prove me wrong. 
I don't wanna see Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier 
and Grandsoil, The Elemental Lord getting involved in another FTK loop.

Winter Bell's first effect also seems to suggest that more Wind Witch monsters would make it to the OCG and get printed, seeing how the only old current Wind Witch monster is Snow Bell at Level1, making Winter Bell's ability a little underwhelming, if Konami decides (for whatever reason) to stop Wind Witch cards and support at only these two cards.

What? 
Don't look at me like that is a crazy and impossible situation. 
You read Nitro Synchro's text and you would 
expect more than a single 'Nitro' synchro monster right? 
Turns out only Nitro Warrior exists. 
Not a Nitro Archer or Nitro Destroyer. 
That hurt my feelings man, Konami...


Moving on...
Her second effect activates during the Battle Phase, which means that Effect Veiler can't be chained to it during its activation window, and must instead be used prior to the player entering the Battle Phase. While Veiler might have seen less play recently, it is still an interesting point to take note of.
The special summoned monster is unable to attack, but I can imagine it being abused for a synchro summon in Main Phase 2.
This effect might also be useful in getting higher leveled Wind Witch monsters (Level 5, Level 6 or Level 7) out on the field without tributes, should there be any.

Speedroid OMKGum
Wind Machine / Tuner / Effect
(1) During the Battle Phase, if you take damage: You can Special Summon this card from your hand.
(2) During the Battle Phase that this card is Special Summoned by its own effect, you can: Immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon using only WIND monsters you control, including this card.
(3) If this card is sent to the Graveyard as a Synchro Material: You can send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard, and if it is a "Speedroid" monster, the monster Synchro Summoned using this card gains 1000 ATK.

OMKGum has an interesting name, which seems to be a crossover between OMG and OTK. Its first effect, apart from being a cool 'special-summon-during-battle-phase', is capable of putting a halt to your opponent's OTK plans. Since the card text just states damage, Effect Damage dealt during the Battle Phase, however uncommon that may be, can provide an activation window for OMKGum to roll out onto the field.
Personally? I am a fan of cards that special summon themselves during the Battle Phase. Always felt like a surprise element embedded into these monsters.
OMKGum even saves you the trouble of running Urgent Tuning, allowing you to immediately synchro summon once it is special summoned. Although only by its own effect. So it ain't that broken...  Despite being able to only use WIND monsters you control, you can summon non-WIND synchro monsters with its effect.

Son of a Gum...
#BadPun
Its last effect is archetype-exclusive, which makes it harder to be abused by non-Speedroid users. Speedroid fans be thankful. Tellarknight fans wished Konami thought of something like this with Tellarknight Ptolemaeus back then.

OMKGum seems full of potential, being capable of synchro summoning during the Battle Phase, all via its own effect. Hence you don't have to rely on other cards, making it very rewarding in card economics. And among everything, I suspect that its summon, the synchro summon, and the synchro summoned monster's effect (if any), all of it triggers during the Damage Step. Not confirmed, so let's just sit on that idea for now.
Summoning Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, Black Rose Dragon or Black Rose Moonlight Dragon during the Battle Phase is huge. Imagine the trouble your opponent will be dealing with if this happens during his Battle Phase? Example:
  • Full force, all out on attack, plan to OTK.
  • One monster, let's say ABC-Dragon Buster, attacks Majespector Racoon - Bunbuku. Damage dealt, Bunbuku bites the dust.
  • POOF~! OMKGum summons itself, tunes with Majespector Unicorn - Kirin. Black Rose? Moonlight?
  • Bye bye OTK plans. 
Personally I would even ram Bunbuku into my opponent's monster if I can get my opponent's field to be empty or reduced after the synchro play.
 
All I am saying is, this card's existence would likely change the face of the Battle Phase (NO PUN INTENDED,as hard that might be to believe), as players now have to review their choices on who to attack first. Just like how Gorz the Emissary of Darkness started the trend of players becoming wary and thus starts direct attacking an empty field with the smaller attack monsters. Because as always, in Yugioh, the order matters.

Definitely gonna tech one into my Majespector-Metalfoes or even Yosenjus to give it a try when it is released.



Wind Witch - Snow Bell
Wind Spellcaster / Tuner / Effect
LV1 100/100
(1) If you control 2 or more WIND monsters and do not control any non-WIND monsters: You can activate this effect; Special Summon this card from your hand.
(2) If you Synchro Summon a WIND Synchro Monster using this card as Synchro Material, it cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects.

Another Level1 tuner on the list, but unlike OMKGum, this card provides an alternate route to a special summon - during the Main Phases. The fact that its summon is not inherent, and hence starts a chain is kinda problematic. Not only can your opponent chain Maxx C to it to net a draw, cards like Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon or Cyber Dragon Infinity have the option of negating Snow Bell's activation, and thus stop the summon, should they choose to do so.
A let down, but guess we have to live with this disappointment. Besides, you can always One for One it out.
The second effect, despite only offering protection to WIND synchros, is gladly appreciated. Although the coverage is not extensive enough to protect it from being targeted, leaving the synchro summoned monster vulnerable to Castel the Skyblaster Muskeeter.
Snow Bell is also another card I have faith in. Right off the bat, I already have plans for this card in my Yosenju deck - Summoning Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon during my first turn.
  1. Special summon Cockadoodledoo as a Level3.
  2. Normal summon a Yosenju monster. (Level4s)
  3. Special summon Snow Bell via its own effect.  
  4. Cockadoodledoo + Yosenju = 3 + 4 = 7 (E.g. Clear Wing Synchro Dragon.)  
  5. Clear Wing Synchro Dragon + Snow Bell = 7 + 1 = 8 (Crystal Wing)
With my Yosenjus additional normal summons, I can even get a Rank4, such as Traptrix Rafflesia, on the field with the help of two other Yosenjus, giving me a better first turn for the game as I can manage a lockdown - all done without my traps.


Not to mention, there lies the option of investing in a synchro summon play involving this card and two of my other Level4 Yosenjus for Trishula, should I need to further deplete my opponent's resources in the late game stages. It also opens my Extra Deck slots for Level5 synchros ( for a 1 + 4 synchro). Hi-Speedroid Chambara can get me a more offensive options against face-down cards, something which the mere Level4 Yosenjus can't achieve. Usually I had to rely on Lightning Chidori to either get rid of face-down monsters or deal significant damage that turn if my opponent has a monster with high DEF points.
It's very depressing to know that without the help of Fire Formation - Tenki, Yosenjus can't get over D/D Lamia's defenses.




Of course, what would an article by Dueling Cancer be like if we only talked about support, but not anti-support. Let me introduce you to the cancer of WIND decks - the one and only honorable mention I would list in this article is non-other than Poisonous Wind.
Poisonous Wind proves its name to be a fitting one, with a toxic ability to cripple WIND ATTRIBUTE decks. No maintenance cost or drawbacks to its user, it provides two effects on the field:
  • A 500ATK decrease
  • And an anti special summon rule that only applies to WIND monsters
Effectively, it is a floodgate specifically for WIND monsters, leaving non-WIND decks able to abuse it, such as Blue-Eyes or Metalfoes. Poisonous Wind was previously mentioned and discussed in CardWatch 2K16: August, so you might wanna give that article a read too.
That's all for now, and I look forward to seeing more Wind Witches being released and announced. Hopefully, the support cards might be staple for WIND ATTRIBUTES in general, and if I am lucky enough, Yosenjus can benefit off them even more.

I witch this would happen... I mean I wish.
#MoreBadPuns #KenSirLovesPuns

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