Subject: "Harpy Theme Review" -Snodin Harpy Theme Review One of the most creative deck themes to date! ...But can it be taken seriously? A review by "Snodin." "Harpy Lady." The Monster that most "serious" duelists love to avoid. And why is that? In the Manga and anime, Mai Valentine has turned Harpy Lady and her "Sisters" into lean, mean fighting machines. So what makes them not-so-present at tournaments? The answer, my friend, is simple: They’re just not taken that seriously. Let’s take a closer look at the whole Harpy Lady + Elegant Egotist = Harpy Lady Sisters combo. Harpy Lady herself is a common Level 4 Monster, with an ATK of 1300 and a DEF of 1400. Not that much, you see; even a "Celtic Guardian" can take her out in one shot. But there is one thing that Harpy Lady can do that no other Monster can (at least as of yet): and that is multiply. By having at least one Harpy Lady on the field, you can activate the Magic card Elegant Egotist, to Special summon the Harpy Lady Sisters [ATK 1950/ DEF 2100]. Now we’re talking potential power! Ah, but what are the odds of you drawing these cards on your first turn? That’s right, next to none. That’s why Harpy Lady deserves her own deck, which centers around the whole summoning of the H.L. Sisters. That’s where the theme stops being serious and becomes "casual." The real reason why Harpy Lady and her Sisters are not taken seriously, is simply because it’s hard to make the combo work, and fast. Meanwhile, you have Monsters like "Summoned Skull" and "Blue-Eyes White Dragon"; cards with heavy power that only need one or two Tribute sacrifices. Most Beatdown duelists want their heavy-hitters out on the field as fast as possible; Harpy Lady Sisters just can’t do that. Sad, I know; but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Harpy-themed cards aren’t worth playing. One fun thing to do would be to build a deck that features just about every known Harpy-themed card. That’s another fact that Harpy Lady has that very few other Monsters don’t, and that is her own theme. Now we can start talking about other cards that can not only go in a Harpy Lady deck, but also more typical Beatdown decks: Harpy’s Pet Dragon- Yes, everybody by now must have seen this great beast in action on the anime. The Dragon starts with an ATK power of 2000 (and keep in mind, it’s a Level 7 Monster); it gains 300 additional attack points for every face-up Harpy Lady on your side of the field. Okay, here’s where it gets tricky. Harpy Lady by herself can’t stay on the field without a clever backup combo of Magic and Trap cards. Now you have to keep her alive so that your Dragon can have at LEAST 2900 attack points. It still wouldn’t be enough to defeat a Blue-Eyes. And you can’t use any other Harpy to power it up; you can’t even include Harpies in your Graveyard. This is probably one of the least-worth-it cards involving the Harpy Lady... or dueling altogether. Harpies Brother- Okay, NOW we’re talking! This guy is a Level 4 Monster with an ATK of 1800; that makes him one of the most powerful Tribute Monsters to date. He’s already seen a lot of action in tournaments, so that alone should tell you his value in a Beatdown deck. Harpies Feather Duster- Can you say... Staple?? This is a Magic card that will literally wipe out ALL of your opponent’s Magic and Trap cards on the field, including his/her face-down cards. This card can ONLY be countered by the Trap known as "Gryphon Wing," which is coming out in the Pegasus Booster pack, or so I’ve heard. Cyber Shield/ Rose Whip- These are Equip Magic cards that Mai has used in the anime to pump up her Harpy Lady, but we have yet to see either of them in English. According to one translation of the Japanese card, "Cyber Shield" can not only increase a Harpy Lady or Harpy Lady Sister’s ATK and DEF by 500, but also all female Monsters. This could, of course, be a misinterpreted effect. "Rose Whip" would only increase Harpy Lady and Harpy Lady sister’s attack by 300; but combined with Cyber Shield, it might just do some heavy damage. If both of these Equip Magic cards could in fact work on other Monsters, I for one would save them for "Maha Valio." Harpy Lady SB- Another card not yet out in English, but worth mentioning here. This could possibly be Harpy Lady’s savior. She’s a Level 4 Monster with an ATK of 1800. Okay, so she’s as powerful as Harpies Brother. That’s good... But wait... According to one site’s translation, her effect reads: "Once this card is summoned, you may search your deck for an Elegant Egotist card." ....OH..... MY.... GOD!!! When this card comes out in English, EVERY Harpy duelist is gonna want it, as it will FINALLY allow the Harpy Lady Sisters to be much more playable. I will definitely be awaiting this card’s release. Right now, Harpy Lady and her Sisters are stuck as being casual cards, used primarily for "practice" and home games. But I guarantee you, friends, if Upperdeck translates Harpy Lady SB the way I just did, then Harpy decks will- yes, WILL- be more common in tournaments. But even while we wait for that to happen, we at least have a few Harpy-themed cards to enjoy. And now, the ratings (1 being worst, 5 being best): Harpy Lady/ Elegant Egotist/ Harpy Lady Sisters: 3/5 Harpy’s Pet Dragon: 2/5 Harpies Brother: 4/5 Harpies Feather Duster: 5/5 Cyber Shield/ Rose Whip/ Harpy Lady SB: ? So aside from the Pet Dragon, the Harpy cards seem to get better and better. I, for one, will be looking forward to the day when Harpy Lady and her gang will finally be as formidable in real life as they are in the anime. If you have any comments, feel free to e-mail me at KaodMaster@aol.com. Thank you.