TechTuesday #6

Another card which I didn't even know existed, if I wasn't playing my Tag Force 5 on my way to work.

Medium of the Ice Barrier provides you with a 'lockdown' effect on its own. It acts kinda like a stun monster, which makes it a viable option to be considered in Metalfoes, where it can be pendulum summoned easily, and thus, the tributes for a Level7 like it isn't much of a hindrance.

And yes, it does remind you of Great Shogun Shien, who also shares the same Level (Seven), which we will get to, later on in the article. Sure, you may not have Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En to pair with this card, where you impose a complete field control where your opponent can only activate 1 Spell/Trap per turn, and Shi En is there to negate that single Spell/Trap.
But even if alone, the effect that Medium of the Ice Barrier offers is pretty handy. Not only can you prevent your opponent from completing a pendulum scale, you limit their options and thus, delay their plans or reduce their choices in making plays or extending their advantage. And because it is a non-trigger and non-activation effect, being a passive one (or what I would like to call stun/AOE [Area-of-effect] type of effect, like Night Dracolich, Gendo ) it can't be negated via Solemn Strike or Treatoad, although the former option can still stop its summon.

Now how will your opponent react?

What is this? Is this Yugioh when I can't play Yugioh?

Blue-Eyes and D/D/D will probably use their monsters' impressive ATK to punch their way through, destroy Medium of the Ice Barrier by battle, and then proceed to make their plays and activate their spells in Main Phase 2.

Phantom Abyss players' instincts would point them towards Phantom Knights' Fog Blade to negate Medium's effect to escape the lockdown.

HEROes will likely summon Treatoad and Dark Law to threaten your authority over board control, and seeing how low Medium of the Ice Barrier's ATK points are, Dark Law or most of the xyz monsters in their R4NK toolbox can take care of it with ease.

The key difference between Medium of the Ice Barrier and Great Shogun Shien is that Medium of the Ice Barrier can be special summoned via her own effect. Shogun can only do so in his archetype's deck. However, having said that, the summoning conditions of your opponent controlling more cards than you, and on top of that the number has to be four? It is indeed a tall order. Apart from it being more of a second-turn usage, which defeats the purpose of its effect setting up a lockdown (You usually want to go first and extend your lockdown, instead of going second.), it is counter-intuitive for you to lose out in resources in a duel. And if you find yourself purposely not gaining hand/fiend advantage just to summon this card out? Then you are doing it wrong.

Of course, going second, this card has its uses too - By limiting the number of traps your opponent can activate on your turn as well. But imagine how tragic it would be if you go second, summon this card right off the bat as the conditions are fulfilled, then you walk into a Solemn Strike and this card's summon gets destroyed. You end up facing more backrow cards and having to be worried about them. Sorts of defeat the purpose of you playing Medium of the Ice Barrier doesn't it?

My point is, for those tl;dr, if you find yourself without the need to use her effect to summon herself, or the lack of opportunity to do so, since you may pendulum summon her most of the time, go for Great Shogun Shien . He has better stats. And better artwork. And a better pose.

But Medium does have its own merits. Being a spellcaster type, it can fit in well to Pendulum Magician decks which plays Magical Dimension and be special summoned by it, giving you another option to getting it onto the field. Also, if you are feeling greedy or sadist enough, Secret Village of the Spellcasters can help you extend your lockdown, and make your opponent cry salty tears of not being able to activate spells. Some would call it being unable to play Yugioh. #lolz

When you go second and you can't do anything during your turn.

Be it Shogun or Medium of the Ice Barrier, I would suggest for you to side them out if you are likely to go second, and dedicate your resources to escape lockdowns instead of attempting to set up one yourself. Of course, it is your choice. Personally, I don't like to face a situation where I can't play Yugioh. Also, you can always play either in non-Metalfoes deck. I just strongly recommend Metalfoes since you can easily pendulum summon it out in the deck, unlike the other meta decks which happens to be non-pendulum.

On an interesting note, both monsters' Level7 status also allows you to use them to interact with Metalfoes Volflame for an xyz summon if the situation calls for it. So keep some slots for Number 11: Big Eye or Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack in your Extra Deck.

Hmm, let me think...

Think you have a better option or disputes about our reasoning and argument? Discuss and share them below. That's what the comments section are for. That's all for now and stay tuned to Dueling Cancer. - Ken Sir