Subject: Hey, Rocky! Watch me pull a win out of my (Magical) Hat!
--Kyoichi_Saiyonji

No one's been saying very much about the Pharoah's Servant super-rare 
Magical Hats since its release.  We've all seen it portrayed on the anime, 
but didn't really give it much thought once it was released.  For those of 
you who don't know how it works, here's the rundown:

Magical Hats
Trap
You may activate this card during your opponent's Battle Phase.  Take 2 
non-monster cards from your deck and select 1 of your monsters on the 
field, then shuffle your Deck.  Shuffle the 3 selected cards and Set them 
in face-down defense position.  The 2 cards selected from your Deck are 
treated as monsters (ATK and DEF 0) and are destroyed at the end of the 
Battle Phase.

Now, what comes to mind as to the particular strategy when using this 
card?  Sure, it sets up a defense shield when your opp's monsters outnumber 
yours, and it can also be used to protect a particular monster for a turn, 
even though luck may run against you this way.  But, looking closer at the 
requirements of the card, we can come up with a few combos that can either 
turn the game around for you or win it for you outright!

First, let's look at its synergy with Magician of Faith and Mask of Darkness: 
Magical Hats has you retrieve two non-monster cards once it is 
activated.  What you don't think about much at first is that YOU CHOOSE THE 
TWO MAGIC/TRAP CARDS!!  It's a great way to find your Reborns, Raigekis, 7 
Tools, Imperial Orders, etc.  If you have Magician or Mask as your only 
monster on the field, switch on the Hats, pull out the cards you need, and 
then let the attack commence!  If your opp hits a m/t card on the first 
attack, and then attacks your Magician/Mask, you get the card back in your 
hand!  Luck plays somewhat of a role here, but it's helpful to remember to 
pull ONLY magics if you have a Magician and ONLY traps if you have a Mask.

Now, here's an interesting little combo I thought up.  It might require a 
ruling to verify, though...

Magical Hats & Morphing Jar #2
Here, you WANT your opp to hit the Jar on the first attack.  Say you have a 
Morphing Jar #2 as your only monster on the field.  Your opp attacks, you 
activate Magical Hats in response.  You replay the attack and he/she hits 
the Jar.  Since the two m/t cards are treated as monsters until the end of 
the battle phase, they get shuffled back into the deck, so you don't lose 
them, AND you also get to pick up cards until you get THREE monsters!(The 
number of monsters you had on the field when the Jar's effect 
resolved.)  Suddenly, you've turned the game around, all with a little 
sleight of hand!  It's a very interesting combo that can work in the early 
or late game.

There are a ton of creative combos that go beyond the simple "DNA 
Surgery/Insect Barrier" synergy that I think have yet to be 
discovered.  Keep looking and you're sure to find many new ways to play the 
game that you didn't know existed!

                                                        Kyoichi_Saiyonji
                                                        gjw11@tds.net