Ratings are
based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 being the worst. 3 = average. 5 is the highest rating.
Alucard of the Abyss
Today we start off the
month of February and we end our top 10 cards of
2007 and we certainly do so with a bang. The card on
today's list was THE card to beat before it got
errata'd by Bandai because of how overpowered it
was. So without further ado: The Third Hokage
[Addressing Past Wrongs].
There is a lot to say about this card both
pre-errata and post-errata. Pre-errata it was a
staple in Fire decks and even some Mono-Water decks
splashed it because of how powerful it was. It was
bar none, the best 6 drop the entire game had ever
seen. Post-errata it's still a force to be reckoned
with, but it's no longer in the realm of broken, but
now sits in the realm of balanced. It's still Fire's
best 6 drop and still among the top 6 drops in the
game, but it no longer rules the roost.
First, like usual, we'll check out his stats. An
amazing 6/4 Healthy and 4/2 Injured. He is a Satoosa
so he can play every Jutsu in the game short of ones
with specific requirements. He also has 3 Mental
Power which adds more onto his playability. His
effect is (and was) quite amazing as well. He can
move one Ninja battling against him to the bottom of
it's owners deck and discards himself immediately
after doing so. This effect matches his anime/manga
counterpart quite well which is a nice touch. The
effect is what makes people cringe when they see
this hit the table because they know that one of
thier ninjas will be taken out very shortly. Now, at
the moment he doesn't see near as much tournament
play as he used to since Fire hasn't been the
dominant Element lately, but that doesn't mean he is
bad. He is still a Ninja to fear when he hits the
table late game. Pretty much, if you are playing
Fire and you have them, you are playing this card.
There are really no comboes with him that aren't the
same for most other Ninja, but I suppose you can get
him out a turn earlier with Konohamaru [Hokage's
Grandson].
Now in Limited, if you can pull the Fire to support
him then definitely play him. His stats alone
warrant his playing as high turn Ninjas like this
with solid stats are rare in this format.
Constructed: 4/5 (lower rating only because he's
been errata'd)
Limited: 4.8/5 (not perfect only because you need
the Fire to support him)
Next week we begin reviewing regular cards again, so
check it out.
The
First Hokage
The Third
Hokage[Addressing Past Wrongs]
This card is our number 1 card of 2007, and for good
reasons as well. He's your beefed up Third Hokage.
He has a Mental of 3 and stats of 6/4 and 4/2.
Along with the Fire attribute which was good in
Freedori Mono Fire. Anyways, this guy was good
because of his effect. You can move 1 Ninja battling
against this Ninja to the bottom of the original
owner's deck, and then at the end of the turn you
discard the Third Hokage. So basically, it was
instant removal and a +1. Not only do you get rid of
their Turn 6 Ninja or Turn 5 Ninja that is causing
you problems. The Third Hokage could still attack on
top of that allowing for a possibility of 2 more
Battle Rewards. His effect was also valid, which
made him that much more deadly than if he was not
valid.
In addition, to his great effect. Ninja effects get
Priority over Jutsu cards.
Meaning that if your opponent had an 8 Trigram or a
Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu, Third Hokage could
get rid of the user, and since the user is gone, the
Jutsu wouldn't resolve and your opponent wasted
precious chakra in order for them to try and take
the upper hand. He was just that good. Your opponent
had to worry about this guys huge stats and
ridiculous ability. And the majority of the time,
this guy was mained in 3's at a time because he was
so good regardless of him being a 6 Drop. His
secondary market valued soared, and Freedori Mono
Fire the most expensive deck to make.
Right now though, I don't see him being as good as
he once was since Bandai did the errata to him to
make it a more balanced environment. His effect is
no longer Valid, and he's now discarded immediately
upon using his effect. He's still good removal, but
no where near where he once was. But for Fire 6
Drops right now, I still think he's one of the best.
My Ratings:
Constructed: [Right Now]: 4/5 Last Year: 5/5
Limited: 5/5 Run him...
Art: 4.5/5
Ünderbheit Henchman
The Third Hokage
[Addressing Past Wrongs]
The number 1 card printed in 2007.
One of only a handful of cards warranting an Errata
to balance him out. APW was a beast. It was one of
the highest valued cards until its errata in late
September of this year.
It's new effect:
You can move 1 Ninja Battling against this Ninja to
the bottom of its original owner's Deck. In that
case, discard this Ninja. (The effect is NON-VALID)
In Constructed, this card still sees a lot of play.
It's still one of the better 6 drops for Fire but
the weakening of it's effect combined with counters
like the Tsunade reviewed earlier this week have
hurt it permanently.
For Limited, I'd choose this card simply for
collection purposes, but as far as game play it's
worthwhile if you end up with enough fire to play a
ninja with a hand cost. His stats are normal for
that of a turn 6
