We end this week with another blast from the past – “Gearfried the Swordmaster”. Swordmaster has many problems. First, it is a level 7 monster that cannot be normal summoned or set. The only advantage that that gives us is that we can use it with Sacred Sword of Seven Stars. Second, it can not be special summoned except with Release Restraint. That means that you will need to have Gearfried the Iron Knight on the field in order to use Release Restraint to summon Swordmaster. That is a combo and one that we need to shy away from.
 
In order to figure our how good Gearfried the Swordmaster can be, we have to look at Gearfried the Iron Knight and what equip cards are good to play with the Iron Knight as that is the only deck you will find Swordmaster in. There is at lease one equip card that can last with Gearfried’s destruction effect called Fusion Sword Murasame Blade. Blade will boost Knight to 2600 attack or Swordmaster to 3400 attack. By playing Blast with Chain on Gearfried, we can destroy one of your opponent’s cards or increase Swordmaster’s attack to 3100. And finally, by attaching Smoke Grenade of the Thief to the Iron Knight we can look at our opponent’s hand and discard a card from it.
 
The only advantage we get from Gearfried the Swordmaster is that it destroys one of your opponent’s cards when you attach an equip card to it. That is not much of an advantage when you consider that you had to use two cards to summon Swordmaster and that equip cards become a negative one advantage when your monster is destroyed.
 
Traditional: 1/5
Advanced: 1/5

Gearfried the SwordmasterLIGHT/Warrior/Effect/Level7/2600/2200
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect of "Release Restraint". When this card is equipped with an Equip Card, destroy 1 monster on your opponent's side of the field.

The evolution of Gearfried the Iron Knight, this card was reviewed 8 years ago. Statwise it is pretty good, Light/Warrior with 2600ATK and 2200DEF but Iit cannot be special summoned except by the effect of one card Release Restraint.

Gearfried the Swordmaster’s effect is pretty much the opposite of Gearfried the Iron Knight. In this case when this is equipped with an equip card you can destroy 1 monster your opponent controls which isn’t a bad effect.However Gearfried really only works if you build a deck around him, and it doesn’t help that only Release Restraint can summon him.
Overall good stats, nice effect but his summoning condition lets this card
down.

Traditional: 1.5/5
Advanced:  2/5