We end the week with Genex Alley Axel, a new Synchro monster for the Genex family of cards.  It is Level 8, so it won’t be painfully difficult but it will require something big or else three smaller monsters.  It requires a Genex Tuner and at least one other monster... locking it into Genex decks or requiring you try to fit Genex Tuners into your deck.  It is a Dark/Machine, a pretty solid combination, but about half the Genex monsters are something else.  You will get a solid 2600 ATK and 2000 DEF.  The DEF isn’t as useful but is closer to what you expect on Level 8 monsters, Synchro or not.  2600 isn’t bad, but if your opponent drops another Level 7+ card (Synchro or not), it will at least tie it and probably trump it (excluding Stardust Dragon).

 

The effect looks useful, but certainly requires some forethought.  Once per turn you can discard a card to revive a Level 4 or lower Machine-Type monster.  Said monster will have double its normal ATK but can’t attack your opponent directly.  Plus it gets removed from play during the End Phase of your turn.

 

Relevant rulings for this card… don’t tell me what I want to know most.  They do explain that discarding for the effect is a cost and that the effect targets a monster in your Graveyard.  They don’t clearly spell out whether or not you can pitch a card and revive it.  Since discarding is a cost it happens first but it also targets so do you have to pick a target before the cost is paid?  The monsters Special Summoned by the effect already have the doubling effect applied, and you can respond to them with another card.  So for example if something small gets boosted to over 1500 ATK, it can be removed by Bottomless Trap Hole.  Granted, since it is going to be removed at the end of the turn anyway, that might be a waste.  Continuous effects are applied after the doubling (we needed a ruling on that?)  From the OCG rulings, it looks like the revival/ATK doubling/removal from play part of the effect is treated as one, giant, single effect.  Mixed with the TCG rulings, you can respond to the Summon but there is no opportunity to respond to the ATK doubling (established earlier, it happens before the monster hits the field) and the removing of the monster from play won’t allow anything to be Chained to it either (which is unusual).

 

The most basic use is a simple beatstick only good for running over monsters.  Granted with its ATK doubled, many, many Level 3 and 4 Machine will be big enough to actually do some good in that way.  Slightly more advanced (but still pretty obvious) is to use this as a shortcut to Special Summoning small, useful Machine monsters with effects you wish to utilize.  Since you normally pay a cost and do the rest of the effect, I am going to assume you can pitch a monster and revive it right away that turn (if not, I’ll be overrating this card).  Even with the doubling, there should be a few monsters you can use Machine Duplication on for a quick and useful swarm.  For example, you could bust out three copies of Cyber Valley all at once while having other normal and Special Summons left to make sure you can actually use them all right away.  The last, great use is simply as Synchro Summon fodder.  Combined with Machine Duplication, you should have another large Synchro Monster for a minimal investment.

 

This card has a OTK with it, but it is one of those “you need enough specific cards you might as well hope to top deck Exodia” ones that many, many cards have.  Still, I felt remiss not to mention it.  Right now I’ll have to make abusing this with Catapult Turtle one of my background projects.  There has to be something one could do…

 

Ratings

 

Traditional: 2/5 – I believe this is a Chaos/Chimeratech OTK that is still viable in this format.  It might actually work in there.

 

Advanced: 3/5 – Great effect, but it requires running more Genex monsters, including a Tuner to get it out.  In a pure Genex built it is a must and it makes splashing them into Dark/Machines worth trying.

 

Aesthetic: 4/5 – I am a sucker for robots, and this one a) looks like it has a giant duel disk on its arm and b) looks like it could almost transform into one of the circular Duel Runners.

 

I am still selling my former collectables on eBay.  I’ve had a lot of hobbies over the years, so at various times I’ll have comic books, manga, action figures, and video games on the auction block.  You can take a look at what’s up for bids here.  Just a reminder, Pojo is in no way responsible for any transactions and was merely kind enough to let me mention the auctions here. ;)