Alright today we are reviewing an older Number monster. It’s a monster that never really saw much play but it is actually a really solid monster. I’ve used it in the past and it’s a great monster to use when you’re trying to stall.

Number 12: Crimson Shadow Ninja
Attribute: Earth
Types: Warrior/Effect/Xyz
Rank 5

2 Level 5 monsters
Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this turn, face-up "Ninja" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects.
ATK/2400 DEF/1700

This card is one of those cards that never really got a whole lot of attention but it really should’ve been used more. It’s a rank 5 Xyz monster so it’s not too hard to summon. It also has solid attack and defense stats, but the best part about this card is its effect. You can use this ninja’s effect during either player’s turn and protect this monster from almost anything. You need a defensive wall for a couple of turns? Here’s the card for the job. This monster is just a great card to use when you want to Xyz summon into a rank 5 monster but you want to summon something safe.

In my opinion, you should definitely consider using this card in a deck that can pump out rank 5 monsters; however, it isn’t a very good card this format. The problem with this monster is that other cards exist like Breakthrough Skill, Fiendish Chain, and Compulsory Evacuation Device. Those are just a couple of commonly used cards that can wreck this monster. So overall this monster is a great card but there are a lot of ways to stop it and that’s the problem.

Advanced:3/5
-I gave it an average rating because I feel like this card is still a solid monster. It’s just not as great when compared to other rank 5 monsters.
Traditional: 1/5
Art: 5/5

Today's Card of the Day Review is an old Number originally released from the Order of Chaos booster set years ago, Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja.

It's a generic Rank 5 Xyz Monster with a solid 2400 ATK and 1700 DEF with an useful effect that allows it to detach an Xyz Material to protect all Ninja monsters from destruction of all kinds, both from battle and from card effects, for the duration of the turn. Since Number 12 is also a Ninja monster, it can also protect itself, which makes it a decent Xyz for any deck that can bring out Rank 5 Xyz Monsters. Outside of that, it is a good option if you ever need to just play defense for a few turns since it is basically a Spirit Reaper for a little while. Lastly, it can still be Chaos Xyz Changed into Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger once you are done with it.

All-in-all, it is still a decent Xyz Monster that may be slightly outclassed in this metagame we are dealing with right now however it is best to keep a copy on you just in case if you ever need it as a tech card.

Traditional Format: 1/5 (It's very underwhelming there. I wouldn't bother using it.)
Advanced Format: 2/5 (It got its own niches like it being an better Spirit Reaper for a few turns while having a solid 2400 ATK to swing with. Outside of that, it does pales in comparison to Number 61 and Tiras, which gives Number 12 a lot of decent competition for Rank 5 Xyz spots.)

Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja
EARTH/Warrior/Xyz/Effect/Rank5/2400/1700
2 Level 5 monsters
Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this turn, face-up "Ninja" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects.

Next we have Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja, the Ninja's archetypes other major XYz monster along with Blade Armour Ninja. This Ninja Number has a protection effect that applies to all Ninjas (including himself which is a plus) and it is a quick effect which is also good. However Blade Armour Ninja is faster to get out has the potential for more damage. Number 12 is a good card, but it does require some level manipulation (even though that is what a lot of ninjas do) and unless ou really need protection it might not be worth it. Even in Ninja decks this guy gets little play.

Overall a solid card but Blade Armour Ninja is still a lot of peoples' first choice for Ninja Xyz.

Traditional: 2.5/5
Advanced: 2.5/5

Hey guys I'm TheCaliEffect if you guys watch COTD's avidly you will remember me as Darkstarr. I'm happy to be writing reviews for my most visited site again I will not disappoint. Anyways lets get to Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja. (Pretty long name right? Lets use CSAN.) Now CSAN is a Rank 5, 2400atk, 1700def, Warrior, of Earth with a quick effect. :) 
 
Now this card reads: Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this turn, face-up "Ninja" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects.
 
Now to my knowledge higher tier Ninja decks can't easily summon this card, but that's fine because he really shines in a Rank 5 deck where he can be brought out with ease in his given situation (seeing that he is a ninja himself.) Protection from destruction is nice but when playing the deck you see yourself going into other options (Volca, Tiras, Even Adreus) first, then overlaying with Thunder Charger. Overall he's a decent card.
 
Trad: 1/5 (Will be ignored here)
Adv: 2.5/5 (He is good, but very specific.)

We already reviewed Crimson Shadow Armour Ninja once, two years ago, three weeks before my first review. We thought we didn’t, so now we’re redoing it due to that oversight.
 
As you may remember from the show, Yuma won this card from Kaze at Roku’s training house. This monster is designed to be summoned via Special Summoning the Level 5 Earth Armour Ninja and then Normal Summoning Flame Armour Ninja which increases to Level 5 via its own effect. Crimson Shadow wasn’t that spectacular back since the two years ago we covered it and it hasn’t changed much compared today (if anything, its gotten less noteworthy). Rank 5 is an awkward Xyz Summon. Combos that can create Level 5 monsters, such as Constellar Pollux and Kaus together, usually have their own unique Rank 5 instead (in this case, Constellar Pleiades). Not only that, 2400 ATK is low for Rank 5, especially considering it can be trounced by the Rank 3 Leviathan Dragon. The most popular Rank 5 monsters that also do not have any special Xyz Material requirements are the twins Adreus, the Keeper of Armageddon and Tiras, the Keeper of Genesis. A weakness of Crimson Shadow’s is that it may be able to avoid destruction twice, but there is not much it can do against a stronger monster. Adreus can destroy opposing threats. Tiras can also destroy cards, and even though Tiras’ protection effect only lasts for his first two turns and doesn’t save him from higher-ATK monsters, those first two turns are usually all he needs to generate substantial advantage. Both also have 200 more ATK, crossing an important interval that includes Stardust Dragon, Utopia, and High Priestess of Prophecy.
 
Adreus and Tiras are most popular Rank 5 monsters, and Crimson Shadow’s effect pales in comparison to theirs. We might as well throw in Wind-Up Arsenal Zenmaioh into the mix, another 2600 ATK Rank 5 that uses its Xyz Material to blow stuff up. Volcasaurus is another Number monster with better ATK and an effect that can both blow up enemy monsters and cause massive effect damage. I’m just saying that whenever you can summon this Ninja, you got all these other options.
 
The only notably good Armour Ninja is Blade Armour Ninja due to its double-attack. I would be hard-pressed to justify using Crimson Shadow even in a Ninja Deck. I admit it can become very hard to defeat when protected by Number Wall, but it still doesn’t change how the commonly-used Leviathan Dragon and Utopia will beat it. Its best role is as a first-turn summon in Decks that specialize in Rank 5 Xyz, as I do admit Crimson Shadow is probably the most defensive Rank 5 Xyz Monster, making it a good opening (I talk especially of Inzektors and Ninjas). What I DO like about the effect is that it does not have to be chained and protects all Ninjas.
 
If I could change this effect:
Dark
While face-up on the field, this card is also FIRE-Attribute. “Ninja” monsters cannot be destroyed by battle. During either player’s turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this turn, face-up “Ninja” monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effects.
 
Trad: 2/5 (I do admit it’s cool how he can protect against Chaos Emperor Dragon)
Adv: 2/5 (although not game-breaking, the protection effect is not bad, and can be used to give extra lives to himself and another important monsters such as Blade Armour Ninja)
Aesthetics: 2.8/5 Kurimuzon Shado Ama Ninja! Crimson Slash of Moon Shadow! This monster seems to have a link to the moon, and currently, twelve people have walked on the moon, but I think that’s quite a stretch. The best explanation is probably a reference to the Japanese superhero show 赤影 (Akakage, “Red Shadow”), which aired in the late 1960’s. The hero wore a red mask that looks somewhat similar to this monster’s mask. In episode 12 of the anime version of that show, there’s a ninja with indestructible armour. If that is the case, though, I don’t know why they picked that particular episode. (My personal favourite event of the year 1912 was the sinking of the RMS Titanic, but 1912 is also the year Tokyo started the tradition of planting cherry blossoms in the United States capital.)
 
Philosophy Corner: Some of my friends would say I am brave; actually, although I do not discuss it often, I do harbor a wealth of fears. I’ll discuss them starting with the most prominent ones. I constantly worry for the safety of people close to me. I am scared of my friends being in danger when I am utterly incapable of providing any sort of assistance (not just danger, but even for the simplest of inconveniences, such as if they are in need of a pen). I also get distressed if I have dissatisfied people, or if I am bothering them but they do not wish to inform me. Indeed, often, I fear I am being too hedonistically selfish towards you as readers or that I’m taking advantage of Pojo as a company when I take this opportunity to write on non-Yu-Gi-Oh-related matters. Now, if you feel the “phobias” I just described to you tend not to focus much on my own personal self, I’d say the cause of that is due to how I had a pretty isolated childhood; I believe this developed into a chain reaction that led to me being very shy, so therefore I have very few pleasures and wants for myself. I am satisfied enough to sacrifice myself for my friends’ convenience. I do, though, have a few “selfish” fears, although even then, they are wholly silly. For instance, since childhood, I’ve held a paranoid “phobia” to fruit, especially citrus. I like apple juice and occasionally enjoy avocado in my meals, and sometimes I can tolerate orange juice. However, the pungent odor of citrus is atrociously repulsing to me, and if any part of a fruit touches another object, I will go to great lengths to avoid touching even the object. This pathological paranoia died down since teenagehood, though. Additionally, I also hold a healthy fear of losing things. This is a very broad fear, ranging from losing a friend or dropping out on someone’s trust to physically losing something. I’m scared of leaning over the railing of high distances or over water not because of falling, but more of dropping something. I often worry about leaving something behind at home. Also, I have a horrible memory and I often lose things straight out of my mind.
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