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Pojo's Duel Masters Card of the Day

aqua_hulcus
Image from Wizards Duel Master site
 

  Aqua Hulcus
Base Set

Card # DM23


Date Reviewed: 06.06.05

Constructed Average Rating: 4.75
Limited Average Rating: 4.75


Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst. 3 ... average.
5 is the highest rating.

 

cecillbill

(Top 4 at
2004 GenCon - Indy
Championship)
AQUA HULCUS

"Hulk" is hands down one of the top cards in the game. It will be played FOREVER. I might be "putting my foot in my mouth" by saying that, but I seriously believe this card has that kind of longevity--unless something better comes along, lol. Sure, you can make an argument to try out Energy Stream instead if you simply want to run some draw and don't care about Lancer, Paladin, or Jouster. But, I assure you gaining that extra body in the process will pay off in the long run (hey, you can run both, but we're assuming you have to do one or the other for a moment--indulge me). Hulcus puts a body on the field that your opponent must answer. Putting your opponent in a postion where he needs to react to your threats is important.
And with Hulcus it's a one-two punch--he has to answer the Hulcus you drop and will likely contend with the extra card you've drawn. Got it? Good.
Let's take a closer look, shall we?

[Effect]

1. When you put this creature into the battle zone, you may draw a card.

First, let me point out that Hulcus' draw effect has and always will be OPTIONAL. That means there's never a time when this creature will force you to deck out when you summon it. You can opt not to draw a card with it.
Granted, every single time I've played this card I've gone for the draw, but if there's only one card left in my deck, then I won't get greedy. Ha!

Second, this is sweet card economy. With Hulcus just one card gives you a body on the field and a card in hand. You may hear duelists refer to Hulk as a "body that replaces itself." What that means is this: you lose one card in hand (Hulcus) to draw a card, and that card you draw simply takes the place of Hulcus in your hand. Why is that important? Well, it comes down to the fact that making plays requires mana and the cards from your hand that you want to play, which means you're draining your hand to make plays and build your mana for them. Your hand and the cards you have in play (sometimes even your graveyard) comprise the options you have during the duel. The more options you have during the duel the more ways you have to advance your strategy and deter your opponent's strategy. Card drawing is one of the simpliest ways to create more options. Here's another way to look at how Hulcus being a body that gives you a card is beneficial: if I've put a new threat on the field (Hulcus) that expands my attacking options next turn or makes my opponent expend one of his options (mana & a card in hand, or an
attack) to remove it. On top of that option, I have an additional option in hand that I normally wouldn't have received until my next turn. I can turn that new option into another on-field attacking or blocking option, mana, a way to answer my opponent's play, or a way to get more options (if it's a draw card). See how that's a good thing? Memorize this: More Options = Good.

Third, I can't stress enough that Duel Masters is as much about resource management as it is a race to break your opponents shields--something that every good control player already knows because his aim is to control your resources while increasing his own. Often the player who has more options in hand and who has made the most use of his mana--as in tapping out all his mana on most of his turns--is the player who walks away from the duel with a win. In a game that requires you to lose options in hand just to play other cards, your hand is oh so precious--it will be naturally drained if you hope to do anything worthwhile with your deck. So, it stands to reason that cards that re-stock the hand are worth glancing at in the least--and choices that provide a body on the field, at least a replacement card in hand instantly, and combo or evobait material--are poised to be insanely good. Hulcus is insanely good, and it's a no-frills creature--players of every skill level can figure out how to use it.

[Power/Cost]
2000 for 3 mana--that's not bad when a creature has a CIP effect like
Hulk's. Okay, I don't care that it's only 2000 power. That's enough to kill
guys like Emeral, Deadly Fighter Braid Claw, and Horrid Worm--anything 2000
and below. Suicide mission or not, this card gives me everything in return
that I could want for 3 mana with the potential to do more (evolve).

[Where To Deck]
Any deck that runs Water. Yeah. Any.

Oh, did I fail to mention that Hulcus is a Liquid People? There's that
"evobait material" thing that grants Hulk even greater card utility as it
can be an investment in a future power play--one of the Liquid People evos.
This guy is a MUST in mono-Water, which tends to focus on Lancer. IMHO it's
better than Hyperquid Walter at the 3 drop, even when your deck aims to play
the Merfolk combo. I know that a good opponent is going to toast anything
that lets me draw cards each time it attacks--he'd be insane not to if he
has the means to do it. If my creatures are going to die--they are so
fragile--I need to reap as many "instant" advantages or uses from my
creatures as possible. Hulcus is instant use. But it's also the gateway to
Crystal Paladin, Crystal Lancer and Crystal Jouster--bigger threats that
present their own formidable challenges to your opponent. Sweet.

[Combos]
Try Hulcus out with cards that let you replay it like Spiral Gate. Also, try
it out with cards that strip your opponent's hand. You gain options in hand
+ your opponent loses options in hand = you're one happy camper, baby!

[Format Ratings]
Constructed: 5/5. Hum, I can't say anything bad about it. Worth every bit of
mana you spend on it and then some.

Limited: 5/5. I probably will not make sense when I state this, but Hulcus
is even better in Limited. It can help you cycle thru the "OMG why did I
pick that card" kind of selections. Draft it, deck it in Sealed. One of the
best ways to draw in this format hands down. Yummy.
 
Lee Sandow

Aqua Hulcus

Cost:  3

Civilization:  Water

Card Type:  Creature
Race:  Liquid People

  • When you put this creature into the battle zone, you may draw a card.

Flavor Text:  I > You.

Power: 2000

Mana Generated: 1

Rarity:  Common

Card Number:  25/110

 

This guy sees more play than almost any other card.  Any self respecting deck running blue sports four of him, and many other decks that only slash a little blue still use him.  And some decks, which use Liquid People, abuse him.  Let’s review!

 

Civilization/Race:  He’s water, which means very little by itself, but it is also a liquid people, which has three VERY good evolutions.  Aqua Hulcus is excellent evolution bait, so this guy looks good so far.

 

Cost:  He costs three mana.  This is a little high for a creature with only 2000 power, but once you use his ability, it more than evens out.  He’s worth his cost.  He’s also an excellent third turn drop, and he fits easily into the water mana curve.

 

Power:   2000 power can easily suicide into most other creatures like him, which include Horrid Worms, Baron Vorgs, and other Hulcuses.  And he can kill Locomotivers and BAT’s.  Unfortunately, when he’s tapped, Pyrofighter can easily pwn him.  I hate Pyrofighter.

 

Abilities:  Do I even need to say it?  When you play this guy, you get to draw a new card to replace him.  He provides hand advantage, which any veteran will tell you is essential, and any n00b will tell you is nice.  In a game where you likely play two cards a turn (mana and creature, or spell), replacing one of the cards is nice.  It also helps keep the loss of hand from cards like Locomotiver to a minimum.  Very nice.

 

Ok, now that I’ve reviewed these stats, let’s see how they stack up. 

 

Constructed overview:  I’ve already told you why he rocks.  This guy SHOULD be played in any water deck, or any deck playing water.  If you run a liquid person deck and are not using this card, I will have to question your sanity.  I give this guy a nice 5/5.  He’s an EXCELLENT card.

 

Limited overview:  He has no evolutions in this format, but since card drawing power is quite rare in base set (This guy and Brain Serum), I would take him and never look back.  HE can hold his own against most other small creatures, and his ability will help you draw out that fattie you were lucky enough to pull.  Once again, 5/5.

 

I wonder what his foil art will look like?
 

White Wolf Folks, today we're reviewing Aqua Hulcus, a card that has been well known throughout the history of Duel Masters. For 3 mana, you get a decent 2000 power and you get to draw a card. In addition, it's a Liquid People, meaning that it's got some nice evos later on in it's life.

So why don't I use this? Maybe it's just me, or maybe I've just grown out of it. You see, my current deck is a merfolk control (the usual CCutter one), but it doesn't use Hulcus. Why? Because it uses Hyperquid Walter. To me, Hypersquid is BETTER than Aqua Hulcus. WHY?! Because if you can control the game as much as you can when your using water, you should be able to get an extra card into your hand every turn up till turn 4. But we're not reviewing Hyperquid Walter...

Back to Hulcus. You really can't review it. It's a staple for most blue decks out there in multiples of 4. Maybe I'm just weird and don't use it enough -who knows.

Constructed - 4/5
Limited - 4/5 - card advantage is amazing in limited, but in this format you also have blockers to deal with more often and on the turn 3 ticker, your facing Jade Trees and Emerald Grasses.
 
Steven Cantrell

The reviews this week involve the Invitation Circuit events that started last weekend at Wizard World Philly. Today is one of the two highly-anticipated promotional cards given away.

 

Aqua Hulcus

Type: Creature
Civilization: Water
Race: Liquid People
Mana Cost: Three
Rules Text:

When you put this creature into the battle zone, you may draw a card.

Flavor Text:

Liquid People freely control liquid. For them, water is armor and shield.

Power: 2000

Rarity: Common      

Set: Base Set, McDonalds Promo, Circuit Promo

 

Note: I already wrote up a review for Aqua Hulcus just a couple months ago. Not much has changed since then, so this review is only slightly modified from last time.

 

Power/Cost: Aqua Hulcus costs three mana to summon for 2k power in return. That means you are paying 2 mana for 2000 power: the standard going-rate in Duel Masters. The extra mana cost nabs a free replacement card. Cheap cards that come with a body and an ability are very nice.

 

Civilization/Race: The Water civilization offers the best draw power in Duel Masters hands down. Aqua Hulcus works well alongside Illusionary Merfolk, Brain Serum, etc. to give you massive hand advantage. He is also compatible with the great Liquid People evolutions. As if Crystal Paladin and Crystal Lancer were not good enough by themselves without a staple card as evo-bait.

 

Effects: Card advantage wins games. Good things happened when you can gain presence on the field and maintain hand advantage with one summon. Say you need to topdeck a Searing Wave, but it just doesn’t happen. Hulcus gives you another shot to pull off the game winner. Very helpful in a tight spot. Hulcus can even let you break when attacked by hand control. Note that you are not forced to take the card like Bronze-Arm Tribe. This helps when you are in danger of decking out. There is not a single bad thing I can say about Aqua Hulcus. He’s just that good.

 

Limited: 5/5

Constructed: 5/5
 

Toilet
Head
Brett
            This week we are reviewing the promos from invitationals.  The first one is aqua hulcus...
 
Aqua Hulcus
Liquid People
Cost 3
power 2000
When you put this creature into the battle zone, you may draw a card
 
            This is a very good little creature who can replace himself in your hand when you play him.  Sure, the ability costs 1 more mana, but the only other good 3rd turn drop for water I can think of is angler cluster.  This card should be used in every deck that uses water and most of the time... it is.  This is one of my personal favorite creatures, even though I have no idea what the art is like on the promo.  If you use a deck with water which means any water/something and do not use at least 2 of these, I will personally find you and beat you until you put it in your deck(unless it is a survivor deck or something).  Using water in a survivor deck is really the only excuse not to use Aqua Hulcus...
 
Constructed:  As I said above, if you don't use it in a control or water deck I will beat you until you do. 45/5 maybe not that high..... 5/5
 
Limited:  If I pulled this in a draft (which I have never been to) I would use it.  It is still very good here. 5/5
 
Art:  If the promo looks anything like the original,  it should be awesome... 5/5
 
            If there isn't a picture of the promo in today's cotd, then I would appreciate it if someone sent me a picture at Toiletheadbrett@aol.com or AIM at Toiletheadbrett.  If you have any questions you can also email those ;)

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