Hello again to Pojo and Yugioh fans one and all! I'm here today continuing my State of the Current Metagame series, to talk about a few certain things. I'm again going to have to apologize for my lack of articles for the month. This month quite frankly has sucked...I've been promoted at work, meaning I'm working more, and have even less free time. I'm going to Fort Ripley in Minnesota on Friday for two weeks for the Guard, so half my June is gone, and then half my summer is gone. Summer was suppose to be when I had MORE time for you readers...*sigh*.

Let's talk for a moment about all the support Normal Monsters got in forms of Gene Warped Warwolf, Ancient Rules, and even Frost Saurus.

This was a great idea. A 2000 attack non tribute? A 2600 attack one tribute? A Magic card that lets you play Normal tribute monsters without tribute? These are great things, but attack isn't the most important thing in Yugioh.

Yugioh is a game of effects. Namely, a game of effect monsters. Nine times out of ten, if you aren't playing a monster with an effect, it's because it is ridiculously powerful. However, you need your effects to counter your opponent's. A good balanced line up of Magic and Trap cards helps, but you need your monsters effects as well.

Then, let's look at the Scoruge monsters from Force of the Breaker.

Enrise is a far more watered down version of Black Luster Soldier--Envoy of the Beginning. The removal is their, but their isn't a double attack, and it is far more difficult to summon. Norleras is being hailed as a new CED, which is partially true. He does make everything go boom, and then you get to draw a card, instead of doing 300 damage for each card destroyed.

I believe Norleras is one of those cards that can change our game, not necessarily for the better, but it's only a matter of time until some is able to harnass that power. You need a delicate balance of Light Fairies and Dark Fiends in order to truely have that power.

The Fiend part is easy enough, with monsters like Newdoria, Dark Jeroid, Giant Orc, Goblin Elite Attack Force, and others. Those are all non tribute Fiends that are easy enough to get to the Graveyard.

As for Fairies, there's Airknight Parshath, and...Emissary of the Oasis? All right, we hurt a little in the Fairy department, Marshamllon would be an excellent choice here, if we had him available.

I'll build a deck for Norleras eventually, as soon as I figure out how to make it competitive enough. Well, this is the last time you will hear from me before I return from Fort Ripley. See you in a couple of weeks, and be sure that you can e-mail me while I'm gone :) at tsearcy@lssu.edu

You stay classy, Planet Earth :)

~Dark Paladin~