STBL Part 6: Terminal Star

And to finish Starstrike Blast already, we have the last batch of exclusive Cards, imports, and the Ice Barrier theme support.

Let's start with the Ice Barrier support. First we have Medallion of the Ice Barrier:

Add 1 "Ice Barrier" monster from your Deck to your hand.

Pretty self-explanatory. Do note that you can add any Ice Barrier monster without a Level limit. You can't activate this Card if Thunder King Rai-Oh is face-up on the Field.

Next, we have Mirror of the Ice Barrier:

During this turn, each time a card(s) is removed from play from your hand, your side of the field, and/or your Graveyard by the effect of an opponent's Effect Monster: ●If a card in your hand is removed from play, remove from play up to 2 random cards in your opponent's hand. ●If a card you control is removed from play, remove from play up to 2 cards your opponent controls. ●If a card in your Graveyard is removed from play, remove from play up to 2 cards in your opponent's Graveyard.

Mirror of the Ice Barrier sets a Condition that lasts during the entire turn in which you activate it. It only works against effects that use the chain, and you apply Ice Barrier's effect after the effect that Removed your Cards from Play is done resolving. No matter how many Cards are Removed from Play from a single location, you only get to Remove from Play up to two of your opponent's Cards. Finally, if an effect like Macro Cosmos is active, and your opponent uses an effect like Dark End Dragon's or XX-Saber Gottoms, you can't apply the effect of Mirror of the Ice Barrier, because these effects don't Remove Cards from Play by themselves (and Macro Cosmos doesn't use the chain).

Ice Barriers also received an OCG import, Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier:

When this card is Tribute Summoned, Special Summon 1 "Ice Coffin Token" (Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 1/ATK 1000/DEF 0) in Attack Position to your opponent's side of the field. This Token cannot be Tributed for a Tribute Summon.

Royal Knight has a Mandatory Trigger Effect activated upon its successful Tribute Summon. It can be negated by Pulling the Rug. It Special Summons a Token on the opponent's side of the Field. You still own this token for purposes of Remove Brainwashing and similar Cards.

Later, we have some Ally monsters, one being  Ally Salvo:

When this card is destroyed by battle with a LIGHT monster and sent to the Graveyard, select 2 cards on the field and destroy them.

Ally Salvo has a Mandatory Trigger Effect. You activate it at the End of the Damage Step. It targets two Cards on the Field.

Next, we have Ally of Justice Thousand Arms:

This card can attack all face-up LIGHT monsters your opponent controls once each. If this card battles a non-LIGHT monster, destroy this card before damage calculation.

Thousand Arms has a Continuous Effect that allows you to attack all LIGHT Monsters your opponent controls. If you attack a non-LIGHT monster or a face-down LIGHT monster, or attack directly, you cannot choose to activate this effect. Furthermore, Thousand Arms has a Mandatory Trigger Effect activated Before Damage Calculation if it battles a monster without the LIGHT Attribute.

And finally, we have Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher:

When this card battles a LIGHT monster, remove that monster from play after damage calculation.

Unknown Crusher has a Mandatory Trigger Effect. You activate it when you Resolve Effects after Damage Calculation, similar to D.D. Warrior Lady. It doesn't target, and it will still activate even if Unknown Crusher is destroyed in battle by the LIGHT monster.

We then have some Genex Ally monsters, one being Genex Ally Duradark:

Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can select 1 face-up Attack Position monster your opponent controls with the same Attribute as this card, and destroy it. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.

Duradark has an Ignition Effect. It targets a face-up Attack Position monster with the same Attribute as itself. It has a similar restriction to Chaos Sorcerer, in which Duradark can't attack during the turn in which its effect is activated. Both Duradark and the targeted monster must remain face-up and with the same Attribute in order for the effect to resolve properly (and the opponent's monster must keep its Battle Position too).

And we also have Genex Ally Axel:

1 "Genex" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
Once per turn, you can discard 1 card to select 1 Level 4 or lower Machine-Type monster from your Graveyard, and Special Summon it. The ATK of that monster is doubled until the End Phase, but it cannot attack your opponent directly. Remove that monster from play during your End Phase.

Axel has an Ignition Effect. Discarding a Card is a cost, and it targets a Machine-type monster in the Graveyard. The monster's ATK becomes twice that value until the End Phase, and is restricted from attacking directly as long as it remains face-up. Additionally, it will try to Remove itself from Play while face-up on the Field during each of your End Phases. Flipping the monster face-down or Removing it temporarily from Play will get rid of all of these bonuses and restrictions.

Then, we have a Fabled Monster, The Fabled Rubyruda:

When this face-up card you control is selected as an attack target, you can discard 1 "Fabled" monster to negate the attack.

Rubyruda has an Optional Trigger Effect activated when it's selected as an Attack Target. It must be face-up at that time, and it works if it's selected via a replay. Discarding a Fabled Monster is a cost, and it does not target.

And finally, we have two Dragunity Knight monsters, one being Dragunity Knight Vajrayana:

1 Dragon-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Winged Beast-Type monsters
When this card is Synchro Summoned, you can select 1 Level 3 or lower Dragon-Type "Dragunity" monster in your Graveyard and equip it to this card as an Equip Card. Once per turn, you can send 1 Equip Card equipped to this card to the Graveyard to double this card's ATK until the End Phase.

Vajrayana has an Optional Trigger Effect activated upon its successful Synchro Summon. It can be negated by Swallow Flip. It targets a monster in your Graveyard, and treats it as an Equip Card, to equip it to itself. Its second effect is an Ignition Effect. It sends an Equip Card to the Graveyard as a cost, and sets the current ATK of this Card to its double. You can also use Equip Cards controller by your opponent equipped to this Card to pay the cost.

The other Dragunity Knight is Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg:

1 Dragon-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Winged Beast-Type monsters
Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can add 1 Level 4 or lower Dragon-Type or Winged Beast-Type monster from your Deck to your hand. Then discard 1 Dragon-Type or Winged Beast-Type monster.

Gae Dearg an Ignition Effect. It adds a monster to your Hand, and then discards a monster from your Hand. The monster you discard can be any Dragon or Winged-Beast monster, not just a Level 4 or lower. You cannot activate this effect if you don't have Cards to add to the Hand or if Thunder King Rai-Oh is face-up on the Field.

As for the TCG exclusives, first we have Archfiend Empress:

If (exactly) 1 face-up DARK Fiend-Type monster on the field, except this card, would be destroyed, you can remove from play 1 DARK Fiend-Type monster from your Graveyard, instead. When this card is destroyed and sent from the field to the Graveyard, you can select 1 Level 6 or higher DARK Fiend-Type monster in your Graveyard, except "Archfiend Empress", and Special Summon it.

Archfiend Empress has two effects. The first one is a Continuous Effect. You apply it if only one DARK/Fiend monster would be destroyed, during the resolution of the effect that would destroy it, or during Damage Calculation while it is destroyed in battle. The second effect is an Optional Trigger Effect. It targets a DARK/Fiend type monster and Special Summons it.

Next, we have Skull Meister:

During either player's turn, when a card effect is activated in your opponent's Graveyard, you can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard to negate the effect.

Skull Meister has an Optional Quick Effect. You need to chain it directly to an effect activated in your opponent's Graveyard. Sending Skull Meister to the Graveyard is a cost, and it doesn't target. Furthermore, it only negates the effect to which it responded to. It doesn't keep the monster's effect negated, so if you negate Treeborn Frog's effect, it can still activate its effect once again.

Then, we have Droll & Lock Bird:

If your opponent adds a card(s) from their Deck to their hand, except during the Draw Phase, you can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard. For the rest of this turn, neither player can add card(s) from their Deck to their hand. (Drawing cards is also considered as "adding a card to the hand.")

Droll & Lock Bird has an Optional Trigger Effect which cannot miss the timing. You respond to your opponent adding a Card to his/her Hand (or respond once the chain in which your opponent added Cards to his/her Hand is over). During that turn, Cards cannot be added to the Hand. Note that since you respond to a Card being added to the Hand, you can't actually prevent that Card from being added to the Hand. This effect cannot be activated during the Damage Step.

Moving on, we have Spellstone Sorcerer Karood:

Once per turn, when another Monster Card's effect is activated while there is no Spellstone Counter on this card, place 1 Spellstone Counter on this card (max. 1). This card gains 300 DEF for each Spellstone Counter on it. Once per turn, you can remove 1 Spellstone Counter from your side of the field to select 1 card in your opponent's Graveyard, and remove that card from play.

Karood has a Continuous Effect to place Spellstone Counters on itself. You apply it once another Monster's Effect is done resolving. Karood must be face-up both at the activation and resolution of the other effect. Karood also has a "hidden" Continuous Effect that allows it to hold Spellstone Counters, so if it has its effects negated, its Spellstone Counter is removed. Additionally, it has a Continuous Effect that lets it gain DEF with Spellstone Counters. Finally, it has an Ignition Effect. It Removes a Spellstone Counter from your side of the Field to target a Card in the opponent's Graveyard to Remove it from Play.

Then we have Gravekeeper's Recruiter:

When this card you control is sent to your Graveyard, add 1 "Gravekeeper's" monster with 1500 or less DEF from your Deck to your hand.

Recruiter has a Mandatory Trigger Effect. It adds a Gravekeeper's Monster to your Hand, so Thunder King Rai-Oh would cause it to resolve without effect. Notice that you must control Recruiter, so if it switches control, neither player will get the effect.

And then, we have Koa'ki Meiru Wall:

During each of your End Phases, destroy this card unless you send 1 "Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru" from your hand to the Graveyard or reveal 1 Rock-Type monster in your hand. You can Tribute this card to negate the activation of an opponent's Spell Card and destroy that card.

Much like the majority of Koa'ki Meiru Monsters, Wall has a Maintenance Cost revealing a Card in your Hand or sending Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru to the Graveyard. If your Hand is being revealed by an effect, or if Macro Cosmos is active, you have to choose a different payment or destroy Wall. It also has a Quick Effect which engates the activation of an opponent's Spell Card. Tributing Wall is a cost.

And the last Card is a Trap Card, Mischief of the Yokai:

Each face-up monster on the field loses 2 Levels, until the End Phase. You can remove from play this card from your Graveyard to select 1 face-up monster and reduce its Level by 1, until the End Phase. This effect cannot be activated the same turn this card is sent to the Graveyard.

Yokai reduces the Levels of face-up monsters when it resolves. This effect doesn't target. Additionally, it has a Quick-like effect that Removes Mischief from Play and targets a monster to further reduce its Level.

And with that, we have covered every STBL Card, except Psi-Blocker, which means I basically owe you a Prohibition article. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an e-mail at ness00[at]gmail[dot]com.

TSHD Part 10: Shining Terminal

The Shining Darkness includes a number of support Cards for some existing themes from the Duel Terminal arcade, as well as reprints of some Duel Terminal Cards that were illegal until TSHD was released. These Cards support the Ally of Justice, Genex, Ice Barrier and Worm themes. Let's take a look:

The new support Card for the Ally of Justice theme is Ally of Justice Core Destroyer:

If this card attacks or is attacked by a LIGHT monster, destroy that monster at the start of the Damage Step (without damage calculation).

As you can probably tell from its text, or even its looks, Core Destroyer works like a pocket version of Ally of Justice Catastor. It has a mandatory Trigger Effect which you activate at the start of the Damage Step if both battling monsters are face-up at the time. Damage Calculation is not applied only if you succeed in destroying the battling monster, but if Core Destroyer fails to do so (because its effect is negated, or the other monster uses a substitution effect), then Damage Calculation WILL be performed.

Then, we have a reprint of Ally of Justice Light Gazer:

1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
This card gains 200 ATK for each LIGHT monster in your opponent's Graveyard.

Not much to say about this guy. It only has a Continuous Effect, which constantly recalculates the ATK bonus. A very simple effect.

Now, let's take a look at the Worm support Spell Card, Worm Call:

Once per turn, if your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon 1 Reptile-Type "Worm" monster from your hand in face-down Defense Position.

This Continuous Spell Card has an Ignition-like effect. Since the Worm monster is Summoned from the Hand, Worm Call's effect doesn't target, but you must reveal the monster when the effect resolves, before Summoning the monster (in order to verify that it is a Reptile-Type Worm monster). Being a Continuous Spell Card, it needs to remain face-up in order for its effect to resolve properly. Also, when the effect starts resolving, you must still have zero monsters, and the opponent must still control at least 1 monster.

The last original DT support Card in the set was Magic Triangle of the Ice Barrier:

Reveal 3 "Ice Barrier" monsters with different names in your hand to select 1 card your opponent controls. Destroy the opponent's card and Special Summon 1 "Ice Barrier" monster from your hand.

Triangle reveals three monsters as a cost, and it targets an opponent's Card. When it resolves, you destroy the target Card, and if you succeed in doing so, you Special Summon an Ice Barrier monster from your Hand. This Special Summon doesn't target the Ice Barrier monster in your Hand, and it doesn't need to be one of the three monsters that you had previously revealed. Even if the Summon depends on the destruction, these two events are considered to be simultaneous.

The following Cards are all reprints of the Genex theme from the Duel Terminals. Let's skip Controller since it's just a boring Normal Monster and let's look at Genex Undine:

When this card is Normal Summoned, you can send 1 WATER monster  from your Deck to your Graveyard to add 1 "Genex Controller" from your Deck  to your hand.

Undine has an optional Trigger Effect that you activate upon its successful Normal Summon, so Pulling the Rug can negate its effect. Undine is very interesting in the aspect that it can send a specific monster from the Deck to the Graveyard as a cost, and it was the first Card to do so. Since it looks for a Genex Controller in the Deck, it does not target the Controller (or the WATER monster).

Next, we have Genex Searcher:

When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 "Genex" monster  with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck  in face-up  Attack Position.

Your average recruiter. It has an optional Trigger Effect that you activate at the End of the Damage Step. Boo, you are boring!

Moving on, we have Genex Neutron:

During the End Phase of the turn that this card was Normal Summoned, you can add 1 Machine-Type Tuner monster from your Deck  to your hand.

Neutron has a really convoluted effect. It's an Optional Trigger Effect that actually activates during the End Phase, not when it is Normal Summoned, so you cannot use Pulling the Rug against it. In order to be able to activate the effect, Neutron must be able to "remind" it was Normal Summoned. There are three situations in which it will "remind" this:

1) It remains face-up until the End Phase.

2) It is flipped face-down, but is flipped face-up before ending the turn.

3) It is Removed from Play temporarily and returned to the Field (by the infamous Interdimensional Matter Transporter, for example).

The key scenario in which it will "forget" that it was Normal Summoned is if you Remove it from the Field and Summon it again through other means, such as Call of the Haunted. As a final note, once again, since it looks for a Card in the Deck, it does not target.

The last monster is the Synchro Monster Hydro Genex:

"Genex Controller" + 1 or more WATER Non-Tuner monsters
When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, gain Life Points equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster.

Hydro has a very simple effect. It's an mandatory Trigger Effect that activates at the End of the Damage Step. Since it activates once the monster is sent to the Graveyard, it looks at the ATK value while in the Graveyard (which most likely will be the monster's Original ATK).

That's all we have for today, but there are still a ton of The Shining Darkness Card to review! If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an e-mail at ness00[at]gmail[dot]com.