Guardian Chimera – #BACH-EN040
3 monsters with different names – Must first be Fusion Summoned using only Fusion Materials from your hand and field, with at least 1 monster from each. If this card is Fusion Summoned by a Spell Card or effect: You can draw cards equal to the number of cards used as material from the hand, and if you do, destroy cards your opponent controls equal to the number of cards used as material from the field. You can only use this effect of “Guardian Chimera” once per turn. While “Polymerization” is in your GY, your opponent cannot target this card with card effects.
Date Reviewed: April 22nd, 2022
Rating: 4.13
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is awful. 3 is average. 5 is excellent.
Reviews Below:
King of
Lullaby
Hello Pojo Fans,
Guardian Chimera ends our week and is an easy, strong Fusion to summon.
Three monsters with different names is easy to come by, many play that in hand traps. Then things get tricky: you need to use both hand and field. So you’ll need two monsters on field or in hand, and remember, all three have to have different names. This can still be done in almost every deck in Yu-Gi-Oh, so still not that big of a deal. Using the hand versus the field works into the second effect, netting you draws up to how many materials you used from the hand…as long as you Fusion Summoned Chimera by a Spell or effect (of course you did). In addition, you then get to pop cards on your opponent’s field equal to your field amount of materials used. Lets do the math: Fusion card + 2 in hand + 1 on field = 4 cards total, you get Chimera, then you get 2 to replace in the hand, then destroy 1 on field because you used 1 material on field, so Chimera is an even trade.
Using Polymerization gives Chimera targeting card effect protection, something you never see: Poly protection its Fusion Monster. Chimera is a huge 3300ATK Fusion and now it can get targeting protection: balanced because targeting leaves out board-wipe effects but still hurts players who play card that only go after singular targets.
Easy to summon, high ATK, capable of having protection, pop 1-2 cards and draw 1-2 cards upon its summon, Guardian Chimera has a lot going for it, even without using Polymerization. Super Polymerization could end up being a board-wipe for you if done correctly, even if it costs you a card and Super Poly set. If you do a lot of Fusion Summoning, this card is a for-sure choice to look at.
Advanced-4/5 Art-4.5/5
Until Next Time
KingofLullaby
Crunch$G
The week ends off with one of the most hyped cards from Battle of Chaos, and the one that aged the best since set release: Guardian Chimera.
Guardian Chimera is a Level 9 DARK Beast Fusion with 3300 ATK and DEF. Those stats are nothing to laugh at, nor is being a DARK monster, being a Beast is fine but not insane. Fusion Materials are any 3 monsters with different names, completely generic. It must be Fusion Summoned using monsters in your hand or on your field as material, and you must use a monster from each to summon this. A clause that was needed on here, otherwise this is the most broken Super Polymerization target ever printed and would likely get banned. If this card is Fusion Summoned via a Spell Card or effect, you get to draw cards equal to the number of cards used as material from the hand and then you get to destroy cards the opponent controls equal to the number of materials you used on the field. So either you draw 2 and destroy 1 or draw 1 and destroy 2, note you must be able to destroy the proper number of cards to even trigger the draw part first. Overall, it’s a pretty good way to either help you see more cards and/or remove problematic cards on the field. Best way to Fusion Summon this is with Branded in Red in the Despia Albaz Deck, and trust me we’ll get to those new cards at some point, but this is a reason the Deck is going to be one of the best of the format for a good amount of time. Other strategies that can use a Quick-Play Fusion to summon this also benefit from using it on the opponent’s turn, but even using it on your own turn is fine if the opponent already committed to the field. This is a hard once per turn effect of Guardian Chimera, so you can’t just summon multiples in a turn for more draws and destruction. The final effect gives you a bonus for using Polymerization, since the opponent cannot target this with effects while Polymerization is in your graveyard. It’s nice protection, even if it ends up being just for a 3300 ATK beatstick after the previous effect resolves, but an untargetable 3300 ATK monster is still a massive threat, even if you want to fuse this away for another Guardian Chimera later to give that the same protection with more removal and draw power. Guardian Chimera is a really good Fusion Monster. I don’t know about forcing Polymerization into every Deck to make it work, you kinda want your Deck to synergize better than running Poly for one card that does still need 3 monsters to summon, but most to all Fusion strategies could have a field day with access to this, especially those that can search Poly.
Advanced Rating: 4.5/5
Art: 5/5 I mean, look at this thing. Terrifying if you saw it across from you.
Alex
Searcy
Closing the week is a behemoth of a Fusion in Guardian Chimera. Level 9, Dark/Beast we like, 3300 attack (and defense) so next to nothing is attacking over or through this. Completely generic Fusion requirement of any 3 Monsters with different names. Another unique twist here is the card MUST first be Fusion Summoned using Material from your Hand and Field (you must use at least 1 resource from each). So, there may be times you have no Monsters in play or in Hand, and wouldn’t be able to bring this out. This is a card that FORCES you to use Polymerization, but rewards you for doing so, where this card also becomes unable to be Targeted by your opponent’s Card Effects. Which all but makes this card invincible…
BUT…you need to protect that Poly, cause it gets removed, you lose that, and then your 3300 atk/def means squat. But I digress.
Furthermore, if this card is Fusion Summoned via Magic or Effect (which isn’t very likely the first time, but it will happen as well) you get to Draw cards equal to the Material used from your Hand…so that could be two cards, as you still have to use one from the Field. You’d still be giving up 3 Monsters and whatever Fusion card, but you’re getting 2 cards back, making things better for you advantage and resource wise.
Oh, and there’s that whole non-Targeted destruction Effect tied to that equal to the same number of cards you Drew…and if it’s two, then you are breaking even on the Fusion of this card…so with Poly…that gives you 3300 attack, immunity to your opponent’s Targeted Card Effects, two cards, and two destroyed cards to your opponent…
See, the Poly part of this Effect makes this powerful card vulnerable, to help balance it out, and I like that, a lot.
Rating: 4/5
Art: 5/5 This is AWESOME
Mighty
Vee
You may be wondering why this guy is fetching $80 on TCGplayer; you can thank the Albaz Strike structure deck for that. Guardian Chimera finishes the week, a level 9 DARK beast fusion monster. Being DARK gives it some synergy with Predaplants, though currently it’s most at home in Branded decks (which I’ll explain later!). Chimera uniquely requires 3 monsters with different names as fusion materials, though you’re forced to use at least one from your hand and field each, so you can’t make it with Super Polymerization or Flash Fusion. Statwise, it has a very beefy 3300 for both attack and defense, exceeding the magic number of 3000 that most bosses have, so it can be both a beater and a wall.
Functioning as the secondary boss of the infamous Branded Despia deck, Guardian Chimera’s single trigger effect is a hard once per turn. Upon being fusion summoned by a spell card (so not something like Timaeus the United Dragon), you can draw cards equal to the number of materials you used from hand and destroy a number of your opponent’s cards equal to the number of materials you used from the field. This is already a pretty powerful effect on your own turn, but it’s even more deadly on your opponent’s turn, providing both destructive disruption and potentially drawing hand traps. While you could use Polymerization, which is needed for Chimera’s second effect, Branded Despia decks instead summon it on your opponent’s turn with Branded in Red, an easily-searchable quick play fusion spell. It’s even a part of their bread and butter combos, usually drawing 2 cards and destroying one of your opponent’s cards. Chimera’s other effect makes it untargetable as long as Polymerization is in your graveyard; definitely not bad, though not so super important that you should go out of your way to get Polymerization in the grave (if you didn’t use it for Chimera, that is). Overall, while not universal, it’s an incredibly strong tech in any deck that can summon it on your opponent’s turn without using too many resources.
Advanced: 4/5
Art: 4.25/5 Yep, that’s a chimera alright.
The last card of the week is a pretty interesting one. It’s a Fusion monster that has generic requirements, making him feel a bit more like a Link monster instead. As long as you have 3 unique monsters you can fuse them all together into this hodgepodge of a beast. There’s just one other stipulation – you must Fusion Summon this guy by using materials from the Field and Hand only (you can’t cheat by using stuff from the GY or Deck).
For all your trouble you get a 3300 ATK monster that can’t be Targeted (so long as Polymerization exists in the Grave).
Luckily he also has one other effect – a way to recoup resources used to make him. For each material that you use from your Hand, you get to draw a new card. For each material you used from your Field, you get to pop a card (this doesn’t target either). So let’s break this down. Essentially he’s a +0 in terms of Card Advantage. Say you use Polymerization to make him, using 1 card from your Hand and 2 from your Field. You’re down 4 cards. Then you summon the Chimera and draw 1. Then you pop 2. So you’re really just simplifying the board state by consolidating resources.
I really like this card from a design aspect. There’s a lot of moving pieces that a clever duelist can work to their advantage. It’s really nice to see Fusion getting love again after so many years of being a garbage summoning mechanic. We’ve come a long way from Fusionist, huh?
Advanced Rating – 4.5/5
Art – 3.5/5 (I love all the small details in its hair and horns)
-CrossFlux
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