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Pojo's Yu-Gi-Oh! Card of the Day
Daily Since 2002!

Caius the Shadow Monarch
- #SDDE-EN001

When this card is Tribute Summoned: Target 1 card on the field; banish that target, and if you do, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent if it was a DARK monster.

Card Ratings
Traditional: 2.37
Advanced: 3.25 

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 is Horrible. 3 is Average. 5 is the highest rating.


Date Reviewed:
April 11, 2014

Back to the main COTD Page

 

Dark

Paladin
Friday
 
Closing the week is Caius the Shadow Monarch, one of the Monarchs that just never quite caught on, even when Monarchs were big.  Though the thing was, when he arrived on the scene, Monarchs were all ready on the way out.  Dark and Fiend are good, and if he works, he's a 1-for-1, as you gave up one Monster, and your opponent loses a card.  Preferably a Dark Monster, so they take 1000 Damage.  The thing is, as far as the original Monarchs go, he just wasn't very good.  He looks amazing, but just wasn't the powerhouse we were use to seeing from the others.
 
Ratings:

Traditional:  1.5/5 
Advanced:   2.5/5 
Art:  5/5

Kingof
Lullaby

Hello Pojo Fans,
 
To round out the week, we're going to review arguably the best of the first generation of monarchs: Caius The Shadow Monarch. A Level 6, Dark, Fiend-Type, Caius has the standard 2400ATK/1000DEF all monarchs have. When Caius is Tribute Summoned, you can target one card on the field and banish it, and if it is a Dark monster you deal 1000 Life Point damage to your opponent.
 
Banishing rather than destroying or discarding can disrupt your opponents resources, as well as get around some cards that would prevent you from destroying them (Stardust Dragon). Raiza is good by returning a card to the top of the players Deck, but that isn't always going to solve a problem you may be facing. Attack is good, defense is weak, one tribute is good, Dark-Type has a ton of support, so Caius is a pretty good monster. Of all the first generation monarchs, players are likely to run only Caius and Raiza, and for good reason. Caius can also banish itself and deal 1000 damage to your opponent to end the game, something no other monarch can do (this has happened to more than a few players).
 
If you don't have a Soul Exchange or a monster to use as a tribute for the summon, then Caius is dead in your hand, but he doesn't stay that way for very long. Allure of Darkness makes him more flexible than any of the other monarchs, and, as mentioned above, the ability to summon him, remove himself, and deal damage to your opponent is a great option. If a deck can use level 5-6 monsters, Caius has to be at the top of the list for available monsters to use, even in specific archtypes like Blackwings and Zombies.
 
Traditional-3.5/5
Advanced-4/5
Art-4/5
 
Until Next Time
KingofLullaby


Baneful

Caius the Shadow Monarch

With exception to Mobius in a couple of situations, Caius is overall the best Monarch. Monarch decks should obviously use 3 of Caius and any deck that is looking for a strong tribute monster should use Caius.

By banishing a monster and being able to attack in the same turn, on top of being a strong beater that needs to be taken care of, he can +1 or at the very least 1-for-1. Banishing rather than destroying is best. Not only does it get rid of the card permanently but it bypasses effects that either prevent/negate destruction or benefit when the monster is destroyed or about to be destroyed. The 1000 damage burn is a nice added bonus (not necessary but can help you win a duel when life points are low).

In an era where people are Special Summoning 2500+ beaters out of their Extra Deck, Caius is slow in comparison because he takes up your Normal Summon. Also, he lacks a place in an archetype-driven meta. Do you really expect Fire Fists or Mermails to use Caius, or any monster that doesn't share their name/attribute really?

But all in all, when it comes to single-tribute monsters, Caius the Shadow Monarch is one of the best in the business. If tribute summons ever become big again, Caius will be your go-to card. Until then, it's interesting to see how people use him because he really does pack a punch.

Traditional: 2.0 (Mediocre)
Advanced: 3.0 (Good)

tails512
YouTube

Caius the Shadow Monarch is still the benchmark by which other one tribute monsters are judged.  He makes up for the cost of summoning him immediately by banishing one of your opponent's cards.  Usually, you don't even have to consider the tribute as a cost because you're simply tributing a Treeborn Frog that you special summoned for free.  In this case, Caius generates immediate card advantage.  Banishing your opponent's card also allows you to work around cards that can't be destroyed like Stardust Dragon or Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack.  Caius can even be used to banish himself for 1000 burn damage for game.
 
One downside to Caius's effect is that it targets, which can occasionally be a problem against cards that prevent targeting.  His effect is also mandatory, so your opponent must control a card, otherwise you are forced to banish one of your own cards.  Caius also has all the problems associated with being a tribute monster.  Being a tribute monster gives Caius inherent consistency problems, as you must already be set up in order to summon him.
 
Caius is one of the best tribute monsters, but the game has advanced to a stage where that often isn't terribly great.
 
Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)

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