Wednesday

Torrential Tribute falling to Semi-Restricted status with Dark Hole being legal is almost as upsetting as having triple Mystical Space Typhoon AND Heavy Storm being legal in a Format, but I digress. What do you want to know about Torrential Tribute you don't know. Ideally you wait for your opponent to fill up their Field, and spring this on them, where you either one, lose nothing and they lose three to five Monsters...or two, you lose things you WANT sent to the Graveyard to gain effects, other Monsters, and/or things of that nature. Here's my thing about Torrential Tribute...as good a card as it is, in your Deck do you have room to take something else important out just to add a second copy? I'm thinking not, and I don't really see why you would really need to run a second one anyway. The one you have is plenty.

Ratings:

Traditional: 3.5/5 Still quite potent, you just don't have Banned options here, so it's not as necessary.

Advanced: 4.5/5 We even have Dark Hole legal right now...

Art: 4/5

What can be said about one of the best traps in the game that hasn't already been said. Torrential can be used in so many ways. Offensive and defensive, this card has won so many games and punished duelists who love to overextend. Simply put, whenever a monster is summoned, destroy all monsters on the field. Yeah there's a chance it could get negated by the Solemn brigade, but wouldn't you do the same to your opponent? There are a few monsters that can swim right through TT, like E-Hero Wildheart, and Different Dimension Dragon. And some bright ones can use Starlight Road to negate their own Tribute and play their own Starlight Road. Overall, this card has won games and will continue to do so.
 
Traditional: 3
Advanced: 5
Tomorrow: Prepare to beam me up....

Hello everyone and welcome back to another special review today.

Torrential Tribute

Normal Trap/ Spell Speed 2

“Activate only when a monster is Summoned. Destroy all monsters on the field.”

Newly semi-limited, Torrential tribute allows you to destroy all monsters on the field when a monster is summoned. There is little to say about that card because it is a staple, meaning that it should belong in most decks. This card is seeing more play than ever before because of that slight change, although there are still a few people who prefer only running one.  This review is short, but this card is very powerful.

Even in a format with 3 MSTs and a Heavy Storm this card is not to be reckoned with.

Advanced: 4/5

Traditional: 3/5 (storm, trunade, duster, etc.)

Pros: Mass Destruction

Cons: Starlight Road and Stardust Dragon love negating this.

Nonchainability against 3 MST and Heavy Storm is not exactly a commendable quality, but by no means is it grounds to not use a card.

Torrential Tribute is not as versatile as Mirror Force is; it's hard to predict the best appropriate time to spring Torrential on your opponent, as you must consider it after every single summon.

That being said, I really appreciate TT over Solemn Warning. Unlike Warning, TT doesn't carry that much of a hefty cost. Sure, TT wipes out your own monsters, but as a user of TT, you should be able to control it in a fashion that limits the damage to yourself. In many cases, it can give you a great advantage to use TT on your own turn, in response to your own summon of Sangan or Zenmaines. In a pinch, TT can also give you an emergency Dark Hole in conjunction with Call of the Haunted or Scapegoat.

Warning is an expensive one-for-one; it gains merit in its powerful effect to negate the summon, giving it an edge over TT. Warning is significant in stopping the likes of Zenmaines and Jinzo. Being a Counter Trap, it can be used during the Damage Step and, by negating the summon, the opponent won't be able to call priority on that Judgment Dragon or Monster Reborn that BLS. Torrential Tribute has merit in mass destruction though. You could spend 2000 on that Xyz that the opponent brought out using Tour Guide or Rescue Rabbit, or you could simply use TT after Tour Guide or Rabbit uses its effect. Ultimately, TT equates Warning in power and overall usefulness. With deckspace being tight these days, though, most people are opting to rotate TT out of their decks (especially the more offensive ones that can easily maintain a higher monster advantage over the opponent) in favor of Warning being able to snag that one problem monster, especially if said offensive deck is employing Megamorph (I'm sure fellow card reviewer Otaku would agree with me – he enjoys Pokémon more than Yu-Gi-Oh, though). My Dark Scorpion Deck has 2 Warning and 1 TT. For something such as my Final Countdown Deck, I have 2 TT and no Warnings.

Traditional: 3/5 It can stop Yata-Garasu, I guess? I also suppose it can prevent certain OTK's, assuming you lived long enough to set TT. The problem most people face with TT is activating it too soon or too late, and that window of opportunity is much tinier in Trad.

Advanced: 4.5/5 (Dark Hole on your opponent's turn can sometimes be even more effective than Mirror Force)

Comparison to last format: With 3 MST and Heavy Storm, TT isn't quite as powerful as it was back from its staple days. Monsters have been growing increasingly dangerous and more potent in their swarmability, however. With even BLS on the scene now, Traps that destroy monsters have become even more important now, but with CotH at 3 as well, you may as well be screwing yourself. Nevertheless, BTH, Warning, and TT all at 2 is a good mix.

Aesthetics: 3/5 Whenever this card is used, I imagine the summoned monster self-destructing in a huge watery explosion, wiping out everyone else on the field. It also sorta reminds me of Raigeki's art.

Philosophy Corner: Do not think of knocking out another person's brains because he differs in opinion from you. It would be as rational to knock yourself on the head because you differ from yourself ten years ago. -Horace Mann

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