With the conclusion of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s, yet another era came to a close for the game. With their introduction in Duelist Genesis, Synchro monsters quickly became a force to be reckoned with. The final duels of the 5D’s series led Synchro monsters to their peak; an incredible engine in T.G. Hyper Librarian and a powerful win condition in Shooting Quasar Dragon. Synchro monsters have been the dominant force in the Japanese metagame, and clearly the most popular strategy in the TCG.
As Yu-Gi-Oh! enters its fourth era, a new type of monster intends to build upon the success seen by Synchro monsters. Tuners were made with a single intent; to be low-level, underwhelming monsters with Synchro assisting abilities that can be splashed into any deck. They act as the “cost” you are required to pay in terms of space when deck building, in order to grant access to such a wealth of utility and power. However, Konami has instead designed a new breed of monster that can be splashed into the Extra deck of any deck playing monsters!
When introduced, Synchro monsters made an impact with such powerful monsters as Stardust Dragon, Colossal Fighter and Goyo Guardian. Can the introduction of Xyz monsters match up to the expectation set by their predecessors? In this article I intend to give an overview of the Xyz monsters being introduced both in this month’s Starter Deck 2011 and in the August set, Generation Force.
Starter Deck: Dawn of the Xyz
Following in the footsteps of Stardust Dragon, Utopia clearly shows us how far the game has come from the vanilla wielding heroes of GX and the original series! Utopia’s epic Gundam-esque design is supported by aggressive stats and the ability to play defender for a couple of turns. This card clearly embodies the idea behind Xyz monsters, a solid win condition worth protecting, with a drawback that discourages reckless use of his ability. As a Rank 4, Utopia also has the benefit of being incredibly simple to summon in a wide array of decks, be it through use of Gadgets, Gravekeeper’s Spy, Reborn Tengu or recruiters of all flavours. Utopia will see play, and lots of it.
Our first Rank 3 Xyz follows in Utopia’s footsteps by wielding aggressive stats. Grenosaurus’ ability allows you to push for damage with ease, preventing defenders like Dandylion, Treeborn Frog and Reborn Tengu from giving the opponent time to recover. Unlike Utopia however, Grenosaurus is of a Rank that is harder to form, requiring genuine monsters rather than tricks in the majority of decks. However, being able to summon a 2000 atk beatstick when in a pinch is always worth taking into consideration for decks running level 3 monsters that have space in their Xyz deck. Grenosaurus will, however, be swiftly outclassed in Generation Force.
This monster presents us with something quite different to consider. Unlike the win condition that is Utopia and the beatstick that is Grenosaurus, Gantetsu is very much a supporter monster. Gantetsu has sturdy defensive stats, providing a boost more akin to a field spell than a monster. However, the fact Gantetsu protects himself from destruction twice is surprisingly relevant, making him an incredibly resilient defender. It is likely that Gantetsu will be the most played Xyz from the starter deck as he already has a home in Agents, making Venus’ ability to swarm the field with Mystic Shine Balls far more powerful than ever.Generation Force
The first TCG exclusive Xyz is quite a monster. With 2600 atk it’ll beat down over most monsters, but Adreus’ ability is the show stealer. Being able to destroy any face up card is just incredible, answering Necrovalley, Gateway of the Six and any threatening monster standing in its way. At Rank 5, Adreus is a little optimistic at the moment, but in October Structure Deck - Gates of the Underworld will pull the Dark World theme back into the spotlight. Summoning Goldd and Silva with ease, Dark World will be a welcome home for Adreus this Winter.
Sharing Adreus’ basic stats, Tiras plays a very different role to its demonic alternate. Whilst Adreus lands and destroys threats there and then, Tiras requires a well timed summoning to punish the opponent. Though Dimensional Prison and Book of Moon are dangerous threats, Tiras can force through many traditional defences and should it battle, any single card on the field can be destroyed. Destroying set cards following a combat situation seems relatively awkward, but remember that Tiras can act as a wall for two turns quite happily, before leaving you with a powerful beatstick. It is also worth remembering that Honest works wonders with Tiras, should a light based deck be able to support it adequately in future.
The inclusion of this card in Generation Force shows Konami’s determination to drive people away from Synchro’s and towards their latest creation. With 1900 atk, Roach leaves a lot to be desired when compared to Utopia at the same rank, but Roach is all about the effect. Being able to negate the special summon of anything from Hyper Librarian to Chaos Sorcerer, Roach threatens the vast majority of todays top decks. With an ability that demands respect, Roach is already seeing widespread play in Japan, and is played heavily alongside Utopia in the Gadget + Ultimate Offering strategy that is seeing an increase in popularity. Expect people to find means of splashing Xyz into their extra decks just to deal with these Roaches.
This Rank 4 machine enters play with stats closer to Utopia, with an intriguing ability to work with. The ability to flip-flop your own monsters is a curious effect, and anyone who ran Tsukuyomi will remember how rewarding it can be to rest your effects. Ryko seems to be the prime target right now, but with Gravekeeper’s keeping their levels primarily at 4, Zenmaister could prove to be an attrition engine with Spy, should the peculiar situation arise. Zenmaister, for his effect, appears to be quite underwhelming upon release, but could well become a powerful engine with further additions to the Wind-Up theme. As a machine type though, expect him to be splashed heavily in Gadget Offering decks for ease of OTK via Limiter Removal.
Let’s get the underwhelming Rank 3 out of the way, shall we? Aero Shark has very little going for it, with relatively disappointing stats and a painfully nerfed ability from its anime incarnation, I sincerely doubt Aero Shark will see play.
Terror-Byte has the honour of being the first Xyz in the TCG to require more than 2 materials to form it. Though this makes it more challenging to summon, the ability to take control of an opponent’s monster three turns in a row is certainly powerful. If Terror-Byte were Rank 4, Gadgets would find a use for this monster, but at Rank 3 it will likely struggle to see play. However, with the TCG exclusive access to Tour Guide from the Underworld it is worth keeping an eye on a card with such a powerful effect.
Leviair was the most powerful Xyz monster in Generation Force when the set released in Japan, and though Steelswarm Roach poses a strong challenge it is very likely to be the star of the TCG release as well. Tour Guide from the Underworld will be key to this card’s success in the TCG, working independently with a Sangan as well as finding homes in decks such as Dark World in the near future. Summoning the materials is easy enough, but what are the benefits? Likely the best use for the card will be in combination with Genex Ally Birdman, Plaguespreader Zombie and Spore. These Tuners are incredibly powerful, and can see exceptional abuse through Leviair. Infernity may well prove to be the best deck to make full use of this Xyz, though time alone will tell. Levaiel is a very exciting card, and will only get better with time.
And so we end our look at the initial wave of Xyz monsters with the cover card of Generation Force. Leviathan Dragon initially received a lukewarm response from players, essentially being a vanilla 2500 atk monster that can, if it survives the turn, jump to 3000 atk at the cost of being able to attack for game. Time has certainly worked in the favour of this card, as making a powerful beatstick out of the blue is still strong! Leviathan Dragon can beat over a wide variety of powerful, widely played monsters on the first turn, whilst being able to trade with Stardust Dragon and Legendary Six Samurai Shi En. Should Leviathan Dragon survive a turn, very little will be able to stand in its way. The initial wave of Xyz monsters were treated very warily upon release in Japan, but time has revealed that they compare very strongly to the initial wave of Synchro monsters. The difference is application, as Synchro’s were obvious powerhouse monsters, Xyz are far more subtle and controlling. Xyz monsters are here to stay, and it will be vital to learn to wield and answer their powerful abilities in the near future.
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