Thursday 15 December 2016

Pendulum Evolution!! Cards Discussion Article w/ Video

Behold it's The GeoTheBacon again. To all the readers that know me, Hi, to all that don't, I'm that writer that hardly writes and never appears on the blog

Okay back to the topic, as most of you know - another structure deck is about to be released to support the ever evolving pendulum magician arc-type (see what I did there?). This structure deck is like an evolution from the previous structure deck: Master of Pendulum.

Jokes aside, a brief comparison with the current cards that have been revealed and the old structure deck, one can tell that the newer one takes advantage of the pendulum mechanics more efficiently and that the levels of the monsters are relatively more standardized making it easier to go for XYZ plays. The new supports have made the arc-type much more powerful then it has ever been before and it will definitely have an impact on the meta.

Now lets go into detail on each individual new support that has already been revealed so far:


First off the Extra deck monster.

StarTime Magician


A Rank 4 monster that requires 2 "magician" pendulum monsters to summon.This card is also a DARK spellcaster which means that it can be buffed up by the new "magician"s, and it can be easily summon by using Rescue Rabbit to summon 2 Dragonpulse Magician and overlaying them.

This card allows you to search or add back ANY DARK Spellcaster-type monster from your deck, graveyard and extra deck if it's a pendulum monster to your hand. This particular effect allows it to search out their non-"magician" monsters like the new "Sorcerer"s and the old "Performapal Skullcrobat Joker" and even giving them access to other dark Spellcaster-type (Dark Magician, Shaddoll, Eidolon anyone?).

That's just half of its effect, yup that's not all. Once per turn if a pendulum monster card in your monster/ pendulum zone would be destroyed by battle or card effect you can send 1 Spellcaster-type monster from your deck to the graveyard instead. This effect is not a trigger effect and it acts similarly to "Return of the Dragon Lords" in that it doesn't starts a chain and you can chose to use the effect when the destruction is resolving. In other words this effect cannot be negated nor chained to. That's only half its awesomeness. Lets not forget it allows you to send a Spellcaster-type monster from the deck to the graveyard, Tuning Magician? Shaddolls? Anyone? Well I think you caught my drift.

Both effects above can only be used once per turn.  Which means if you have more then one of them on the field you can use both effect more then once.

In summary, this card is a searcher and protect your pendulum monster and since it can easily be summoned with 1 card it's a must have addition to any "Magician" deck.


Moving on to Spells/Traps
With new support comes new spell and traps, namely the "Pendulumgraph"s. Lets swing into them shall we?

First off the spell

Pendulumgraph of Ages




First off, this card gives your spellcaster-type monster immunity from being targeted by spell-cards. Secondly, it allows you to add a "magician" pendulum monster from your deck to your hand when a face-up "magician" pendulum monster in your monster/ pendulum zone leaves the field, sadly this effect is only once per card, I guess age finally caught up with this card huh? This card works well with the new "Magician"s and Wisdom-Eye Magician's effects which destroys themselves when their pendulum effects are used.

Next we have the trap....

Pendulumgraph of Spacetime


First off again, similar to the spell it grants your spellcaster-type monster immunity from being targeted by trap effects.
Secondly, this card lets you target on of your "magician" pendulum monsters in your monster/ pendulum zone and one card your opponent control and destroy both of them, and that's not all if either of the target is not destroyed by this card effect you can send one card from the field to the graveyard. The first part of this effect is a simple one for one type of effect, but it's the second part that what makes it powerful.
The second part of the second effect, allows you to send a card from the field to the graveyard, a removal option without targeting and destruction. This effect can be easily abused by protecting your own card through cards like StarTime Magician, or Stardust Spark Dragon. It also prevents your opponent from protecting their cards that have been targeted, since they will still be removed afterwards.

If you used the second effect, things that have been destroyed by the first effect might miss their timing if they are cards like Yang Zing, Fire Hand or Ice Hand. And cards sent by the second effect are not destroyed so cards like True Kings do not get their effects too.

Basically this card has a lot of potential and can be very powerful with a little creativity. The sad part of this card is that it's once per card so you cannot use the effect again if you got multiple copies.


Now lets move on to them Monsters. First off a new arch-type "Sorcerer"s cards that are meant to bring out "Supreme King Dragon Zarc".

Astrograph Sorcerer

This card is a Dark Spellcaster, in other words it can be searched out by StarTime magician!

Pendulum Effect
It's pendulum effect is to destroy itself during your main phase and replacing itself with Stargazer Magician and this effect can only be used once per card. This effect is not exactly very useful as there is hardly any use for Stargazer Magician. This effect is mostly to fill your extra deck and still have a scale in your pendulum zone, and also to trigger the monster effects of Astrograph Sorcerer & Chronograph Sorcerer.

Monster Effect
The first half is if a card that you control is destroy by effect or battle, you can special summon this card from your hand, and if you special summon this card this way you can add a monster with the same original name as a monster you control that was destroyed during this turn from your deck to your hand. Best part of all, this is NOT once per turn.

The above effect can be combo with the new "magician"s effects to destroy themselves in the pendulum zone, resulting in the special summon of Astrograph Sorcerer and using Astrograph effect to add another copy of the "Magician" that was destroyed.

The second monster effect is if you control this card you can banish itself with 1 "Pendulum Dragon" monster, 1 "Xyz Dragon" monster, 1 "Synchro Dragon" monster, and 1 "Fusion Dragon" monster from your hand, field, and/or Graveyard to special summon Supreme King Dragon Zarc from your extra deck!

The Zarc summoning effect is to make it easier to summon it rather then the original method of fusing 4 dragons of 4 different summoning methods.

Chronograph Sorcerer


This card is a Dark Spellcaster, in other words it can be searched out by StarTime magician!

Pendulum Effect
Similar to Astrograph's effect Chronograph's pendulum effect is to destroy itself during your main phase and replacing itself with Timegazer Magician and this effect can only be used once per card. This effect is not exactly very useful as there is hardly any use for Timegazer Magician. This effect is mostly to fill your extra deck and still have a scale in your pendulum zone, and also to trigger the monster effects of Astrograph Sorcerer & Chronograph Sorcerer.

Monster Effect
The first half - if a card that you control is destroyed by effect or battle, you can special summon this card from your hand, and if you special summon this card this way you can special summon another monster from your hand on to the field. This card's monster effect leads to a different kind of combo compared to Astrograph, instead of searching and getting more resources this card allows you to flood the field more easily and maybe lead to XYZ and Synchro plays. And yes this effect is NOT once per turn

The second effect is the same as Astrographs; if you control this card you can banish itself with 1 "Pendulum Dragon" monster, 1 "Xyz Dragon" monster, 1 "Synchro Dragon" monster, and 1 "Fusion Dragon" monster from your hand, field, and/or Graveyard to special summon Supreme King Dragon Zarc from your extra deck!

The Zarc summoning effect is to make it easier to summon it rather then the original method of fusing 4 dragons of 4 different summoning methods.


And now the 4 new magicians each representing one of the Dimension Dragons, with the abilities similar to the Dimension Dragons engraved into their pendulums.

Iris Magician


This "Odd eyes Pendulum Dragon" of the 4 magician it is always treated as a Pendulum Dragon which works with Astrograph/ Chronograph to bring forth  Supreme King Dragon Zarc.
(Fun trivial: Iris is the part of the eye that controls the eye color and it can also mean an ambiguous color; quite fitting for ODD-EYES huh?)

Pendulum Effect
It targets one of your Dark Spellcaster-type monster, and for the rest of the turn when that monster battles with an opponent monster the battle damage is doubled. After activating this effect this card is destroyed. This effect doesn't stack so there won't be any double double damage!  This effect is once per turn so if you have multiple copies of the card you can use the effect again and again and again.

Monster Effect
When this card is destroyed, you get to add one "Pendulumgraph" card from your deck to your hand.

The good thing about this card is that you can use the pendulum effect on turn one as it just requires you to target one of your Dark Spellcaster-type monsters, so you can use it to search out your "Pendulumgraph" cards to set up your field on turn one.


Black Fang Magician


The "Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon" of the 4 magicans. It is always treated as a "XYZ Dragon" card. Can be used to summon Supreme King Dragon Zarc.
Pendulum Effect
You can target one of your opponent's monster and half it's attack until the end of the turn then destroy this card. This effect is once per turn. In other words; Monsters with high attack? prepare to be shrank to the size of an Ojama.

Monster Effect
When this card is destroyed, you may special summon a Dark Spellcaster-type monster in your graveyard and special summon it.

With this effect if this monster's summoning was negated then destroyed thus sending it to the graveyard, it can summon itself back on to the field again. talk about resistances...

Violet Poison Magician


The "Starving Venom Fusion Dragon"... ... It's treated as a "Fusion Dragon"... I'm noticing a trend here...

Pendulum Effect
When your Dark Spellcaster-type monster battles you can use this cards effect to increase it's attack by 1200 then destroy this card afterwards.

Monster Effect
When this card is destroyed, you can target one face-up card on the field and destroy it.

What is better then increasing your attack? Increasing your attack and getting to destroy one of your opponent's face up cards! or you can even destroy your own black fang magician in scale to special summon another Dark Spellcaster-type monster from grave for even more damage!.



White Wing Magician

The "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon", it's treated as a "Synchro Dragon" ... wow I would have never guessed that. WAIT It's a FEMALE that's new.

Pendulum Effect
You can negate an activated card effect that targets a Dark Spellcaster, then destroy this card.

Monster Effect
When this pendulum summoned card is used for a synchro summon banish it. Well compare to the rest this card lack flare and it's not dark either, but this card is a tuner monster which opens up more synchro plays for the "magician" deck.

And to finish this segment we have this card that was released from Dimension Box Limited Edition

Tune Magician


A pendulum version of the Tuning magician
Pendulum Effect
This card increase your monsters attack & defence by 100 for each different "magician" pendulum monster face up in your extra deck. The slight increase in attack and defences might just make the different you need to win!
Monster Effect
First off the restrictions, this card cannot be special summoned from the extra deck and if used in fusion, synchro or XYZ the other materials have to be "magicians". In a "magician" deck that is not a problem as it can be recycled with StarTime Magician and Oafdragon Magician.

The effect; When this card is pendulum summoned from your hand you can special summon a "Magician" pendulum monster other then "Tune Magician" from your deck with it's effect negated and when it leaves the field banish it. Simply, this card is a 1 card Rank 4/Level 8 synchro by itself.


And now we shall move on to a 2 card combo that can be done with this deck and some game plays! Watch it here on DSummons channel :


Wrapping things up, this is a relatively powerful deck and is quite budget since most of the core cards can be found in the upcoming Structure Deck. So I would recommend trying it out for yourself and witness the evolution of the pendulums!

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