Monday
 
All right, as referred to last week, the first three cards of this week are holdovers that I picked.  Today we look at something we haven't looked at since it's release, DD Survivor.  We have a Level 4, Dark attributed, Warrior who has an impressive 1800 attack and 200 defense.  Now I immediately would like to say this would be a great main deck card just because of it's effect, but I do believe it's something you should consider carrying in the side-deck at the very least.  During the End Phase of the current turn, if this card was removed (while face-up) it returns to your side of the Field at the End Phase.  Removing is a very nifty mechanic, always becoming more popular.  One thing worth noting...this guy alone staring down a BLS, it's likely to force that player to attack DD Survivor, unless there's enough other stuff going on to win that turn, so your DD Survivor doesn't return.  Which is great if you have a destructive Trap down yourself.  It's obviously Chaos friendly being a Dark (and Warrior) Monster.  I think he's pretty splashable honestly, but see for yourself.
 
Ratings:
 
Traditional:  3/5 
Advanced:  4/5 
Side-Deck:  4.5/5 
Art:  5/5

D.D. Survivor, while not as strong as it used to be before the card text was changed, is still an important card in a Banishing Deck. When played with Macro Cosmos and Dimensional Fissure, Survivor makes sure you have a monster on the field at the end of every turn. The text change specifies that it can only come back at the end of the turn it was removed making D.D. Survivor less effective than it used to be.
 
D.D. Survivor’s biggest role came in a monarch removal deck that was popular many moons ago. Banishing decks can still mess up most top tier decks in play today, but they have one huge draw back. They depend on combos. In other words, you have to have both Survivor and a card that removes monsters from play on the field at the same time. If you have only D.D. Survivor, then you are stuck with an 1800 beat stick.
 
In today’s format, D.D. Survivor can not survive. There are too many cards that negate monster effects and special summons for Survivor to be good.
 
Traditional: 2/5
Advanced: 2/5

It's a random bag of cards week. Today it's DD Survivor. This card was a real bane is some players life. When working in tandem with cards like Macro Cosmos and Dimension Fissure, you pretty much have a loop going with Survivor, as every time he's removed from play, he comes back at the end phase. Along with DD Scout Plane, you had a lot of monsters coming back that can swarm you and be used as tributes for whatever you had. Also when it hit the field, players were forced to think about using Bottomless Trap Hole or not, just to avoid getting hit. Nowadays, you don't see too much of this card. With more ways to destroy spell/traps, Cosmos and D. Fissure won't stay on the field too long to really be as effective as they once were. Maybe after September 1st....maybe.
 
Traditional: 2
Advanced: 3
Tomorrow: A dragon...that judges? 

D.D. Survivor

Dark/ Warrior/ Lv4/ 1800 ATK/ 200 DEF

“During the End Phase, if this card was banished while face-up, on your side of the field, this turn: Special Summon this banished card. This effect can only activate once per turn.”

Today we have a very old card that keeps getting reprinted; I think Konami might want us to start playing this card again? Well, it’s only really played in a macro deck, but this card may be considered a tech card in the extra deck. A lot of the top tier decks side multiple copies of Dimensional Fissure and Macro Cosmos for opposing Effect Veilers, Maxx C, and D.D. Crow. There is a very big downside to this card, it cannot be set. If it is set then ran over, the card will not be special summoned during the end phase.

Pros: Searchable via Reinforcement of the Army, Decent Attack, and Decent Effect.

Cons: Must be banished from the field and it cannot be set.

Advanced: 2/5
Traditional: 1/5

Again, almost every card this week is a repeat. First three are Thursday and Friday are new.
I handpicked all the cards for next week, and I can assure you they have never been reviewed before. Half of them have been introduced to the TCG for a long time now, but I'm sure you'll like my lineup ;-D

Now, without further ado, let's meet the guy who comes back to life at a rate higher than that of Treeborn Frog's. Past review WickeD placed Different Dimension Survivor as the seventh best Dark monster and Michael Lucas marked him as the fourth best Level 4 Warrior during 2006, so you know this guy's gotta have some legacy.

1800 ATK is not shabby at all. If anyone gives him the banhammer while he's on the field, watch him come back by the end of the turn. Granted, a Book of Moon will banish his immortality, and that 200 DEF has the defending power of tattered paper, but his revival rate is quite ridiculous as is.

His effect will make the opponent think twice about springing Bottomless Trap Hole or Dimensional Prison; this is a capability many monsters would dream of. Most often, however, you will see Survivor combo'd with the likes of Macro Cosmos, Dimensional Fissure, Banisher of Radiance, and the Banisher of Light. These cards eliminate Survivor's primary weakness, turning him into the main muscle of the Different Dimension Deck.

Quite honestly, his Warrior Type is more helpful than his Dark Attribute. Dark monsters are popular mostly because their support cards involve banishing them from the hand or Graveyard, while Survivor prefers to not touch the Graveyard and to be banished on the field. His Warrior Type gives him access to Reinforcements of the Army and other Warrior support; he was popular as an attacker immune to the banishment for Warrior Decks, but since RotA got Limited, the Warrior Toolbox Deck has weakened significantly and so has Survivor (however, since these Decks don't use stuff like Macro Cosmos, Survivor has an opportunity to "not survive" and therefore be used to summon Black Luster Soldier or Dark Armed Dragon).

The other Deck that likes to employ Survivor is, of course, the aforementioned Different Dimension Deck, which can use him to great effect. However, a weaker monster, D. D. Scout Plane, may prove to be more popular. Scout Plane, a Level 3 Machine, has only 1200 DEF. However, the advantage it boasts over Survivor is that it can revive itself when just plain banished, as opposed to Survivor being only able to revive himself when banished FACEUP ON THE FIELD. This means, while Survivor can be used for countless Synchros (provided Macro Cosmos is out), Scout Plane can be banished from the hand, Graveyard, used for Synchros, AND Xyzs (and arguably the Rank 3 Xyzs are better than the Rank 4 ones).

Ruling Clarification: If you summon this guy with his own effect and I Bottomless Trap Hole him, you need to wait A WHOLE 'NOTHER TURN to bring him back again.
Trad: 2.3/5 (I suppose Different Dimension Decks are good against OTKs that rely on any of Chaos Emperor Dragon, Witch of the Black Forest, Exchange of the Spirit, Last Will, etc.)
Adv: 3.2/5
Aesthetics: 3.9/5 Chain Thrasher was a vigilante. His whips struck like the wind and grew more powerful each time his clones from parallel universes perished. One day, he himself happened upon the dimension of the Neo-Spacians. He studied the power of light and the theory of dimensional drifting; his favourite places to visit include the Kokoro Forest, Hyrule Kingdom, and the Great Sea. When Neo the Magic Sworsdman felt particularly adventurous, he became ELEMENTAL HERO NEOS! One day, he got stuck in a dark dimension; he barely survived, but grew more powerful. Two years later, he ACTIVATED HIS TRAP CARD and Escaped from the Dark Dimension. Today, he has trained himself to be one of the strongest Level 6 monsters alive, Trace the Magic Swordsman, more talented in sorcery than ever but is a dimensional drifter no longer due to the permanent damage to his defensive capabilities. I only wish that there were specific support for "D.D." and "Different Dimension" cards.

Philosophy Corner: Stay classy, America :)
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