Raigeki

We only reviewed this card once, all the way back in 2002.

http://www.pojo.com/yu-gi-oh/cotd/2002/May2002/5-30-02.shtml

It was given a 5/5 by everyone, on and off Pojo.  It was banned at around 2003, making it not feasible to review.  But now it's legal at 1.  Which is totally fine by me.  If you check the forums, I totally called it months ago.  :)

I've said many times that spell-based removal isn't good, and Raigeki sure has a bunch of a new weaknesses since it had been long resting in the Forbidden list.

1) It's destruction based removal.  So many monsters today are immune to destruction or they benefit from being destroyed.  You want to send monsters, return them to the hand/deck and such, but not destroy them.

2) Decks have been getting solipsistic.  Most deck's engines contain destruction.  Why run a card for monster removal when you can use a card to speed up your archetype so your archetype cards can clear out threats for you?

3) Spell-based removal is slow.  Back then monsters didn't float like they did now.  When you cleared out Jinzo and D.D. Warrior Lady, you were actually taking out threats.  Now you're just destroying empty husks of monsters that already used their effect.

Torrential Tribute > Raigeki. 

Torrential stops monsters before they can use their ignition effects and attack.  Raigeki does not do that.

Still a good card to side or for aggro/OTK, but it's not the staple it used to be.

Ratings

Power -- 3

Versatility -- 3

Dependability -- 4

Advantage -- 4

Speed -- 2

Traditional – 2

Advanced – 3

Raigeki

Wow!  I truly did not expect to see this card return… Ever!

This has always been Dark Hole’s bigger and badder brother, and once was considered to be in the group of the most powerful cards in the game, sadly times do change and as such it has allowed this card to return, even though it could be considered to be a questionable return.

While it is more powerful than Dark Hole, Dark Hole itself is seeing less play even to the extent of not even being included in many Decks, as a result I would not expect to see Raigeki in every Deck either. Although there will be an initial rush to include it and try it out.

What it will see play in is Decks that require ways to clear the opponent’s side of the field of monsters, in which case, both Dark Hole and Raigeki will be played alongside each other. And any Deck that is OTK orientated, such as Hieratics I’d expect to do this.

For those Decks that play Dark Hole, Raigeki may end up being simply a straight swap, and for those that are not playing it, because of it’s single sided removal have more incentive to play it.

I’m not expecting this to make that much of an impact, Dark Hole already isn’t.

Still expect to see this see quite a bit of play, at least early on.

Traditional: 2. Clearing your opponents side of the field while useful, doesn’t define this format.

Advanced: 3. It’ll have an average effect on the game, hence an average score!

RaigekiNormal Spell

 
A surprise from the recent banlist is the return of one of the game’s most powerful cards; Raigeki. Ever since the banlist came into being this card has been banned, however now it is back to one.
 
Raigeki’s effect is simply, it destroys all monsters your opponent controls, no cost, no condition, just the ability to destroy. This is what got Raigeki onto the banlist in the first place. Of course the question is; is one of the most powerful cards in the game still a viable card to play.

On one hand, of course the ability to destroy all of your opponent’s monsters with no cost is way too good to ignore. Of course as with Dark Hole, the game has changed.  First of a lot of decks love having monsters in the graveyard, so you could end up helping your opponent. Also there are a lot of monsters that benefit from going to the graveyard, in the past when Raigeki was playable, the main cards you had to be careful of where Sangan and Witch of the Black Forest, now they are a lot more monsters that have effects that activate when sent to the graveyard via card effect; in fact there is a whole archetype.

Also these days there are a lot more cards that stop Raigeki: destruction negation effects, Destruction Protection effects, card that are immune to destruction and of course the legion of spell negation cards. These all weaken Raigeki’s effectiveness but it is a chance you will have to take.
Overall, despite all the ways of fighting it, this card is still extremely powerful but it is going to need to be played a lot smarter.
 
Traditional: 3.75/5
Advanced: 3.75/5

Hello Pojo Fans,
 
Raigeki...the Thunderbolt from the heavens that strikes down almost everything it comes in contact with on your opponents side of the field. Destroying all your opponents monsters regardless of position while leaving yours intact is a step up from Dark Hole. Draw it, play it when the time is right. Set up an OTK with it, or clear your opponents field right away and attack. There is rarely a negative to playing this card. If your opponent has searchers they will have to leave the field sometime. The only negative to playing this card would be if you were to top-deck this card when you need a monster, or if its effect will somehow not work (Imperial Order in Traditional and monsters immune to Spell cards). Regardless of players saying they aren't playing Torrential Tribute or Dark Hole, it's pretty hard not to play this card. This article could've been two words: PLAY THIS! “It's good against bad players and bad against good players” was the dumbest thing I've heard someone say in a long time in regards to Raigeki. Play this. Swap out Torrential Tribute or Dark Hole if you don't have a slot open, but play this while you can.
 
Traditional-5/5
Advanced-5/5
Art-5/5

In October 2004, several cards were added to the first ever Forbidden List. Four of these cards (possibly more; sources differ on this fact) have stayed on the list since then: Yata-Garasu, Harpie’s Feather Duster, Raigeki, and Imperial Order.

This changed when what is probably the most shocking (no pun intended) change of all on the October 2014 list occurred: Raigeki went from Forbidden to Limited. This card has not seen competitive play in ten years.

Raigeki needs absolutely no introduction: it is a one-sided Dark Hole. It has all of the positive aspects of Dark Hole (such as being able to mount a comeback after an opposing swarm) with the added benefit of also being able to be used when you’re ahead to push further for game.

So, why is a card like this allowed to come back? Well, look at Dark Hole: nobody uses it. Everything in the current metagame floats: Shaddoll and Burning Abyss get effects when they go to the Graveyard by card effects, and Satellarknight gets a +1 on every summon, making the destruction by Raigeki only a minor concern. Is there even a point in running this once broken card?

Well, I think so. At first glance, Raigeki is just a glorified Dark Hole, but what sets it apart from the latter is the fact that it is usable whether you are winning or you are losing. Dark Hole doesn’t have this benefit, as if you are winning you don’t want to wipe out the board. But if you have Raigeki in said situation you can use it to win faster.

Should the card have come back? I would argue no. But it will be interesting to see how it plays out; it’s not the monstrosity it was ten years ago, but I certainly think the card will see some use.

Traditional: 4/5

Advanced: 4/5