TechDragon's Yu-Gi-Oh Top 10 Cards Claiming To Be Staples That Aren't Dear Pojo.com, First off, I would like to compliment you on your extremely well put-together site. It is a shining beacon to players and fans of all card games everywhere. Thank you for being so amazing. In this e-mail (I know how people mistrust attachments, but if you'd prefer the .doc or .txt file you need only send a reply and ask for it) is my first Yu-Gi-Oh Top 10 list. Some parts are a bit long, but the writing is very high-quality and informative. I very much hope that it gets posted, and look forward to submitting other Top 10 lists to your site in the future. Thank you for your time, - Michael Sokolowski (a.k.a. TechDragon) TechDragon's Top 10 Cards Claiming To Be Staples That Aren't 10. Creature Swap LOD-081 [Ultra Rare] Spell Card - Like it or not, you're not always going to get that Skull Servant/ Blue Eyes White Dragon switch of your dreams. Not the Raigeki you're looking to topdeck either. 9. Reflect Bounder DCR-012 [Ultra Rare] [Level 4] Light/Machine/Effect ATK/1700 DEF/1000 - Reflect Bounder is a fairly decent attacker that has a burning Magic Cylinder effect built into it. Granted, this is a pretty good effect to have. But people play this card as if it's invincible. When someone plays this against me and dares me to attack it, I simply look at them, raise my eyebrow in a manly way, and attack the damn thing. So I lose 1900 lifepoints if I attack it with a Mad Dog of Darkness. They still lose 200, PLUS their monster is gone, so if I have another monster on the field, they're in for a direct attack. Or, I might be able to pull off one of my patented 'Amazing Ways To Screw Up Opponent's Plans' moves. Book of Moon is one card Reflect Bounder does not want to see, as it only gets its effect when in Attack position. Oh, and I may or may not have been making up that part with the manly eyebrow thing. 8. Breaker the Magical Warrior MFC-071 [Ultra Rare] [Level 4] Dark/Spellcaster/Effect ATK/1600 DEF/1000 - So you've got a 1900 4-star attacker, and a Mystical Space Typhoon rolled together into one creature. Why is this not a staple? Because it's NOT a 1900 4-star attacker OR a Mystical Space Typhoon. A Mystical Space Typhoon you could chain to your opponent's Harpie's Feather Duster on their own turn. Breaker can't make that claim. And without his counter, Breaker is only a mere 1600 Spellcaster. This is one of those cases where it's not good to combine 2 good effects when it means they're both watered down. Not that it isn't a good card, though. It is. I'm merely saying that an Archfiend Soldier and an MST would work better any day. 7. Vampire Lord DCR-000 [Secret Rare] [Level 5] Dark/Zombie/Effect ATK/2000 DEF/1500 - I really don't know why so many people think this card is so incredible. Yes, it's a Secret Rare. So is Thousand Dragon, and you can see how many people play THAT card. (Side Note: Why the heck IS Thousand Dragon a Secret Rare? Check out my upcoming Top 10 list: 10 Worst Secret Rares) Vampire Lord's effect is both harmful and beneficial. One the plus side, your opponent loses one card from their deck. That could get rid of the MST you've been fearing, or the Destiny Board you couldn't get rid of in time last duel. However, your OPPONENT gets to select the card, and they'd most certainly choose to discard the card that would help them in the least, thus thinning their deck and getting rid of useless cards. Let's say you attack and call Monster. Do you think your opponent would discard Jinzo, or Sinister Serpent? Let's look at some other aspects of Vampire Lord. The returning to the field effect is pretty good, but again: It's not invincible. Nothing is. A Goblin Attack Force will make you regret putting all that effort into bringing this card out. There are also many other ways to defeat it: Penguin Solider + Card Destruction; Dark Core; heck even a Giant Solider of Stone would put a stop to this card's effect. The main reason I don't like it though is it's attack rating. 2000 just isn't enough. Not when a Berserk Gorilla or a Giant Orc could take it out. EVERYTHING about it would be 10x better if it just had a few hundred more attack points. It's ATK is obviously a well though out attempt to balance this card, and that balancing is what takes it out of the 'Staple' category. 6. Don Zaloog PGD-029 [Ultra Rare] [Level 4] Dark/Warrior/Effect ATK/1400 DEF/1500 - A powered-up White Magical Hat. Sorry to say it, but there's no denying the facts. 400 more attack points, more defense too, and a secondary option for what to discard. Now, before I go on, I just want to reiterate that this is not a list of BAD cards, this is a list of cards that many people think are "the best" cards, and aren't. Don Zaloog is good. Who wouldn't want to get rid of that Raigeki your opponent was saving, or send Exodia to the graveyard before he's even drawn. The only real drawback is that Don Zaloog doesn't usually stay on the field long enough to make his effect decimating. You could end up discarding a Spirit Reaper only to have your opponent draw a Goblin Attack Force, and do some decent damage to you. I hate to use a "what if" situation like that, but it's a valid statement when most things can run over an attack of 1400. 5. Ring of Destruction PGD-000 [Secret Rare] Trap Card - Ring of Destruction. The Ring that everyone loves to hate, and hates to love. Or. something like that. It's very versatile, since you can chain it to many things. And it also has 2 very good elements to it: Destroying a monster, and doing direct life point damage to your opponent. But you can't just ignore the fact that it does damage to you as well. If you use it, you're most likely trying to do as much damage as possible. Either that, or get rid of that pesky Yata-Garatsu, in which case the life points damage to both players is usually negligible. Basically, it's a risk, and it can very easily backfire. Don't say "But 'Barrel Behind the Door' can send all the damage to my opponent," because your opponent could use that card against YOU. The thing I like best about this card, though, is that it destroys the monster. If it only did the lifepoint damage, most people probably wouldn't even consider it, and it wouldn't be the incredible card it is today. Not quite the One Ring to Rule Them All, but pretty darn close. 4. Injection Fairy Lily LOD-100 [Secret Rare] [Level 3] Earth/Spellcaster/Effect ATK/400 DEF/1500 - Out of all the cards on this list, I personally think this one is the most useless. And it's for one simple reason: The payment to activate her effect is 2000 lifepoints. That's Two Thousand. Unless you have some way to gain life in your deck, you can use her ability a MAXIMUM of 4 times. And what happens when you do? Your opponent could easily play Waboku or Scapegoat before you activate her ability during the Damage Step (remember, her ability can ONLY be activated in the Damage Step of either turn, a time when you can only activate card effects that increase or decrease Attack and/or Defense powers, thus no Waboku or Scapegoat) making her a sitting duck next turn for any form of removal. Or, your opponent could WANT you to pay the lifepoints and boost her attack, as what better way is there to lose lifepoints then by paying them yourself? Your opponent could act hurt as you power her up to destroy his/her Jinzo, then laugh as you pay again to destroy the Goblin Attack Force they send at you, but by then you'd probably realize that you don't have enough left to pay for it any more, which is bad news for the little 400-attack girl with the large needle. Honestly, I was tempted to throw an Eatgaboon and House of Adhesive Tape (Side Note: That would be funny to see played. Check out my upcoming Top 10 list: Top 10 Cards That Would Be Funny If Played Successfully) back when everyone was playing with large amounts of effect monsters that had low attacks, such as Injection Fairy Lily, Magician of Faith, Man-Eater Bug, and the next card you're about to read. 3. Yata-Garasu LOD-000 [Secret Rare] [Level 2] Wind/Fiend/Effect ATK/200 DEF/100 - This little bird has caused more controversy and strife then any other card in the game. And I mean that. In the entire game, this little birdie has caused the largest uproar. With very few exceptions, if played correctly, you win. Period. End of story. No auto-victory as with Exodia, Destiny Board, or Last Turn, but victory nonetheless. Can this card be stopped? Oh, absolutely. A Waboku, a Scapegoat, even more powerful cards like Mirror Force, Torrential Tribute, and Magic Cylinder can put this card in it's place. Which brings me to the question of 'Is it good?' Here is my answer to that question: It wins you games, and no it is not good. How can I say both of those things, you ask? I'll elaborate. First off, you can and will win with it. On average, most players have 0-4 cards (not really an average, but bear with me) in their hand at any given time. A Delinquent Duo could very easily get rid of any playable monster(s) in your hand. Slap down Yata, and unless you have some options remaining, it's over. Now, there are some other things that could happen. Your opponent could deck out while slowing pecking you to death, or come close enough that they'd be tempted to play another card to finish you off faster. That's when you pray to the topdecking gods. Now for the "it's not a good card" part. Frankly, I don't think it is. Not that it isn't powerful, that it isn't GOOD. What I mean by not good though is that it isn't fun. It doesn't promote friendly play. It doesn't promote competition. Even when facing an Exodia deck, there's still usually a fierce battle, one where you never know who will win. Yata is a card that screams "All you can do is sit helplessly" and that's not something that should ever happen in a duel. There should always be options, avenues to explore, possibilities and endless outcomes. There shouldn't be a "lockdown" move in this game. That's how I feel, anyway. 2. Imperial Order PSV-104 [Secret Rare] Continuous Trap Card - *whew* Now that I'm done with that Yata rant, let's move on to one of the most highly-used trap cards in existence, Imperial Order. The ultimate power in stopping Spells. This is actually one of the 2 cards on this list (the other being Ring of Destruction) that come very close to approaching staple-hood. Negates all Spells. What's not to like? I'll tell you why this hasn't become a staple, nor the overpowered card it very easily could be. Nobody uses it to its full potential! They way most people use it, the opponent plays some Spell card (Change of Heart, Pot of Greed, Dark Hole, etc.), and it gets chained by a face-down Imperial Order, negating the card's effect. Both players then cannot play any spells while Imperial Order is on the field. Then, when the payment comes around, you don't pay and Imperial Order goes away, making Spells playable again. Now, that's basically treating it like a Magic Jammer. I've seen many-a-time someone play Dark Hole, have it negated by Imperial Order, take it in stride, and then simply play Raigeki on his/her next turn. If you really have something you want to protect on the field, and you think your opponent has some dangerous card in their hand, pay the cost to keep Imperial Order on the field. Also, don't activate Imperial Order at every spell your opponent plays. Sure, Poison of the Old Man might be annoying, but what about that Monster Reborn your opponent got last turn with their Magician of Faith? 1. Jinzo PSV-000 [Secret Rare] [Level 6] Dark/Machine/Effect ATK/2400 DEF/1500 - Well, now that I've alienated myself from almost every overly-loved card out there, I might as well tackle the big guy himself. Jinzo. No traps while he's on the field. Feared by opponents, loved by those in control. When sprung at the right time, your opponent's entire strategy could go out the window. All those trap cards become no more than placeholders in your Spell/Trap zone. Why wouldn't this card be listed as a staple? Well, it affects your traps too, but that's not really the issue. If played at the right time and in the right deck, you won't have too many trap cards of your own to worry about. Still, it's got the goods: High attack, only 1 tribute, game-breaking effect. Why is this card not a staple? Because, as by now I hope you've truly realized, almost no card has no flaws. Jinzo's big flaw isn't that it requires a tribute, or negates your own traps. Its major weakness is that it becomes your opponent's #1 target. If you play Jinzo, it WILL be destroyed, sooner or later. Personally, my deck was designed to handle almost anything, and can certainly handle a Jinzo. There are many ways to get rid of one, besides the usual Raigeki/Dark Hole/Change of Heart + Tribute: Dark Core, Man-Eater Bug, Offerings to the Doomed, even Book + of Moon would stop Jinzo's effect long enough for you to Call of the Haunted that Barrel Dragon you've been saving. It's certainly a very powerful monster, but it still has the one weakness all of these cards have in common: They're Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Well, that about does it for my first Top 10 List. Sorry that it was so long. I've got about 2 or 3 more in the works, so look out for them in the future. Feel like contacting me? My Inbox is always open, so feel free to drop me a line (or perhaps even an e-mail). sockhed_rocks@hotmail.com Written By: TechDragon (a.k.a. Michael Sokolowski) Level 1 Yu-Gi-Oh! Judge _________________________________________________________________