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Pojo's Yu-Gi-Oh Card of the Day

King of the Skull Servants
Common

The original ATK of this card becomes the number of "King of the Skull Servants" and "Skull Servants" cards in your Graveyard x 1000 points. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, remove from play 1 other "King of the Skull Servants" or "Skull Servant" card in your Graveyard to Special Summon this card.

Type - Dark Zombie/Effect
Card Number - TLM-EN032

Card Ratings
Traditional: 2.95
Advanced: 2.83

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale 1 being the worst.
3 ... average. 5 is the highest rating.


Date Reviewed - 06.14.05

 

Lord
Tranorix
King of the Skull Servants

When I first heard of King of the Skull Servants, nobody believed that it really existed when I told him. This is a very interesting monster; finally, Skull Servant fans (and believe me, there are way too many of those) can build a viable deck around what was once thought to be the worst card in the game.

KotSS has ? for his ATK value, meaning he CAN’T be brought to your hand via Sangan or to the field via Mystic Tomato. He’s Level 1, meaning he Morphs into Thousand Eyes Restrict. He’s a Zombie, meaning he benefits from Book of Life and Pyramid Turtle (because, oddly enough, his DEF is just 0). And his ATK can EASILY reach a very high number. If you have a mere two Skull Servants in your Graveyard, this guy is a Level 1 2000 attacker who can be brought out with Pyramid Turtle.

The very best scenario would be three Skull Servants and two KotSS in your Graveyard, which would give you a 5000 ATK, Level 1 Zombie. That isn’t bad at all…then there’s his second effect. If he’s destroyed in battle, remove one Skull Servant or KotSS from your Graveyard to Special Summon him. So if an opponent’s monster kills him, he comes back immediately with 1000 less ATK – still not bad.

This is a very rentsy monster who should see at least some play, whether in a regular Zombie Deck or a dedicated Skull Servant Deck.

Traditional – CCCC: 1.5/5
Traditional – Skull Servant Deck: 4.5/5
Advanced – CCWC: 2/5
Advanced – Skull Servant Deck: 5/5
OVERALL RATING: 3.3/5
 

ExMinion OfDarkness
King of the Skull Servants

Wow...suddenly if you see a Skull Servant in a deck, it might not be a joke.

ATK-boosting and recursion in the same card...not bad. The highest you'll see this card get is 5,000 (both other King of the Skull Servants in the Graveyard and all three Skull Servants). It's been so long since we reviewed a good card that wasn't saddled with Special Summoning restrictions, I almost didn't know how to react -- if they Smashing Ground/Vortex this thing, you have Premature/Call to get it back.

The playability of this card almost entirely depends on whether Painful Choice is legal in the format or not. Painful Choice --> Instant 4,000 if you have a King of the Skull Servants in your hand already. In Traditional, you can just Painful, possibly have 3 Skulls and 1 King Skull in the graveyard and have the other two out on the field, and have 2 4,000 ATKers. It sucks right now in Advanced, but if Painful rotates back in somehow, you might see this once in a while.

2.75/5 Traditional
1.25/5 Advanced
 

SandTrap
Before I do the CotD today, I'd just like to clear a few things:

I was asked to do the CotD, so I am. I am a busy man, so I have only devoted like...2 minutes to each review the past week. Of course quality will go down when a person doesn't care and doesn't have time. Writing CotD reviews for Pojo isn't the highest thing on my "To Do" list.

Yes, I pioneered Soul Control. You can't create or invent a deck and claim to be the first to use it because this is a huge planet and anyone could do it.
So the best someone can do is pioneer an idea or deck.
I'm sure a lot of you lame people out there are still crying about how you used Soul Exchange first, good for you. No one cares.

Yes, it's original, and those who don't think it is are fools. I didn't even use BLS, shut the hell up already. You think that just because I'm giving out quick, lousy reviews that you can attempt to discredit the hard work and originality that I put into a deck that got me Top 4 at a SJC? Pathetic.

Yes, I can see combos, very clearly if I may say so.
The last reviews were quick and thoughtless, sue me.
I have a life, I'm sooooo sorry xD. And do realize that I'm not going to just give out any super great ideas for the masses to jack. Think of cool stuff on your own, and get Top 4 at a SJC with it before bragging, mmmkay? Great, thanks.

If anyone else wants to cry again, make another post on Pojo. There I can flame you (^_^). Now that that's out of the way...

King of the Skull Servants
ATK/ ? DEF/ 0

TLM-EN032
DARK *
Zombie/Effect

Obviously this guy needs a deck based around him. 3/3 Skull Servant/King Skull Servant.

Everyone, look at the picture. See the King of the Skull Servants? Okay, look under him. See alllll of those Skull Servants? Yeah. He's only strong when there's a crap-load of other Kings and Servants in the graveyard, and in the current Advanced Format, that's just not going to happen.

The best pitch cards available right now are Graceful Charity and Card Destruction. Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer is being played already, and one hit from a Kycoo could spell game for a deck based around this meager King.

At max, he's a 5000/0 Level 1 monster. So not only do normal methods of monster removal work, but Book of Mooon and Enemy Controller owns this guy too? And chances are you'll barely peak above 3000 anyways?
Perhaps if there was a ? for the DEF as well, but there isn't, so this card is not very good.

I am very competitive. I'm not going to give a bulls*** review based on the "fun and happy and cuddly" aspects of a fun deck based around this guy.
Go read someone else's review if you want that. I am going to bring you guys to reality with my reviews.
You will not see this card in any Top 8 SJC decklist, at least not with the limited support it has.

Okay, obviously Metamorphosis would be great in this kind of deck with all the Level 1 monsters.
But...this deck sucks anyways, so...it's a mute point ;P.

And please, don't be a professional loser by quoting only parts of what I say in your signature, out of context. Trust me, you're not cool. xD

I only give out one rating, which is the card's ACTUAL rating in the current Advanced Format, not some crap like "Traditional Format" rating or "Fun/cute" rating.

Rating: 0/5. You don't like it? Too bad.
 
Coin Flip ::blinks:: Being one of those people who does pointless stuff just to do it, I disproved the fact that Skull Servant was the most useless card in the game long ago. That, my friends, is quite clearly Mooyan Curry. Sparks is better than Mooyan Curry. Red Medicine is better than Mooyan Curry. Thousand-Eyes Idol is better than Mooyan Curry. Even Mushroom Man #2, which I hail as the most useless card in the game, is better than Mooyan Curry. Once it comes out, people will wonder why it had to come out. If you thought Nekogal #1 or even the Archfiend Marmot from TP6 were useless… Whee, will Mooyan Curry blow your mind.

Skull Servant stopped being useless in PGD. Then it was at least a monster for Morph and for Pyramid Turtle. In AST, you could have seriously played him in a deck. A Level 1 Normal Monster deck. They do exist. Now he actually has a use. Incredible.

Keep in mind that this is the result of Kevin Tewart telling Konami that a lot of players in the US think that Skull Servant is the worst card in the game. That, I believe, is single-handedly the result of us reviewing Skull Servant not once, but TWICE. This IS Pojo's work. And dammit, we're proud of it.

Really, what needs to be said? If you can get it out… Superb. If you can't… Why the hell would you use this as anything except toilet paper?

The only way this thing is good is Painful Choice, and that's in Traditional. You run Skull Servant in Traditional, you deserve what you get.

Since it only goes in its own deck… ::blinks:: No rating.
 
Snapper King of the Skull Servants

Today’s card is King of the Skull Servants, the mostest brokenenest monsterest ever. Est.

KSS’s stats are questionable, mainly because the only stat that really matters (ATK) is a question mark! He’s a Zombie, blah blah blah, Book of Life, Pyramid Turtle, blah blah blah. Getting back to the ? ATK though, KSS’s actual ATK is determined by the number of KSS and/or Skull Servants in your Graveyard. For each of the aforementioned monsters that are in the aforementioned location, KSS’s ATK is increased by 1000.

To continue upon the math lesson we began yesterday, KSS has the potential to reach an ATK of 6000. Beg to differ? Think it should be 5000? Not in my world! All you need to do is have 3 KSS and 3 Skull Servants in your Graveyard, then Creature Swap (or something that serves a similar purpose) your opponent’s KSS to your side of the field. In a reality that this won’t happen however, KSS will on average reach 3000 ATK tops, and maybe 4000 is you’re fortunate with… Cheerful Coffins, or something…

KSS’s second effect serves as a means to keep it on the field a tad longer than it would normally. If KSS is destroyed in battle, you can remove a KSS or a Skull Servant in your Graveyard from play to Special Summon the destroyed KSS. Now it’s my opinion that you shouldn’t be using this effect.
Ever. The reason is simple: If KSS was weak enough to be destroyed in battle, why would you remove a servant of skulls to re-summon KSS, thus decreasing it’s ATK by 1000? Tributes and Life Point shielding would be the only reason to do so, but I’d hope you’d have something that does a better job available *coughScapegoatcough*.

As should be obvious, KSS is absolutely useless in a Deck without some kind of Skull Servant. But since every Deck ever created ever is already using 4 Skull Servants, that shouldn’t be a problem. And for any Deck that feels they’d like to try out KSS, consider using some Megamorphs. A 3000 ATK monster could really use a doubled ATK (assuming you’re losing).

Advanced (Skull Deck): 5/5. Duh.
Traditional (Skull Deck): 5/5. It’s actually like a 7 since you can use Painful Choice in Traditional, but, you know, the rating caps… Overall (Skull Deck): 5/5.
Art: 2/5. I see no relation to Skull Servant whatsoever. All I see are a bunch of Cranium Butlers.
 
Dark Paladin King of the Skull Servants
Level 1
Dark
Zombie-Effect
?-0

Remember when Skull Servant's card said that they are trouble in numbers or large groups? Well, it finally seems true.

On accounts of how ridiculously easy it is to summon a 5000 attack Level 1 monster. Quite frankly, it makes me sick.

This is one of those few cards that's better in Traditional, in my mind if only because they still have Painful Choice. You can send all the cards you need to the graveyard more quickly there.

Picture it though, a 5000 attack no tribute Level 1 monster that can attack under Gravity Bind. Add some trample via Fairy Meteor Crush or Big Bang Shot to keep me even sicker for a long long time.

However, I can see people taking 3 of these guys and 3 Skull Servants and just sploshing them into there CC Zombie decks but in order to shine properly, King of the Skull Servants really needs his OWN deck because I doubt many people are running ANY Skull Servants in there CC Zombie deck.

Plus, not only is he ridiculously easy to summon, he's just as easy to Special Summon at the simple cost of 1000 attack points by removing a Skull or King.

Ratings:

Traditional: 4.0/5
Traditional Zombie: 4.8/5 It really is that good, and FAR to easy to use.

Advanced: 4.5/5
Advanced Zombie: 4.9/5

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Art: 2/5 Still, not very good.

You stay classy, Planet Earth :)
 
Otaku

Stats                : King of the Skull Servants is a Level 1 Monster, so it is naturally easy to Normal Summon.  It’s Dark, making it Chaos compliant, another nice perk, and a Zombie, the only type right now to rival Warriors for support.  The ATK is “?”, meaning the Monster’s effect will define it later.  There is one downside to this – “?” doesn’t count as a number, so unless this is in play, anything that references an ATK (like most searchers) can’t target King of the Skull Servants.  The DEF is 0, which is a concern: no matter how high the effect can make the ATK, any of the many position changing cards can render King of the Skull Servants as weak as it can be.

 

Effect(s)            : The “original ATK” if King of the Skull Servants is equal to the number of Skull Servants and King of Skull Servants in your graveyard multiplied by 1000.  This means that, via its own effect, unless you swipe an opponent’s, it caps at 5000 ATK.  It’s not apt to be that big, at least all but the last one you play.

 

There is a second effect: if King of the Skull Servants is killed in battle, you can remove a Skull Servant or King of the Skull Servants from your graveyard to revive it, though obviously this lowers the ATK by 1000.  Now, why revive it if it was weak enough to die in battle?  Oh yeah, the low DEF means it’s usually going to die in battle via a position change… so it’s nice to get it back again, at the very least to block a direct attack from an opponent’s second Monster.

 

I will mention, King of the Skull Servants’ effect tying into a card that until now was honestly near useless (though with a strong fan base), is pretty cool.  Unfortunately, since Skull Servant is such a weak card on its own, it lowers King of the Skull Servants’ playability.  Guess you can’t win them all.

 

Uses and

Combinations  : Sadly, what might have turned him into at least a common sight in decks is only legal in Traditional: Painful Choice.  Still, there are many cards common to decks that work for discards: Tribe Infecting Virus, Graceful Charity, Card Destruction, Lightning Vortex, and Raigeki Break.  Some of them are in nearly every deck, and all are pretty easy to add.  When you look at more specific deck types (like bounce), you find even more options (like Back to Square One).  Just be careful as it randomly discards off the top of your deck until it hits a Spell or Trap.  You can also let your opponent help you out: you do choose what you discard for the second card discarded by Delinquent Duo.  Another option is Magical Merchant.  It is a low level Light/Insect we have reviewed before, and isn’t too bad for Chaos decks. 

 

Okay, now for some tricks that pertain more directly to the cards stats.  It is a Level 1 Monster.  This screams for Opti-Camouflage Armor, which allows a Level 1 Monster to which it is equipped to attack directly.  A direct 2000-3000 damage I actually pretty nice.  Level Limit-Area B and Gravity Bind are wonderful can proved a good amount of protection; especially early on when it may only be at 2000 ATK.  We also stumble upon another way to make use of those Skull Servant and early King of the Skull Servants cards you pull: use Metamorphosis and change them into Thousand-Eyes Restrict.  Granted, you usually would use that on a Scapegoat-provided Sheep Token, but tell me, why is it bad to have that option?  Does that hurt Sinister Serpent?  No, of course not; an extra option, no matter how redundant, is still better than no having it.  I mean, imagine if both these Monsters were Level 2.  Well, that and I love trample and have been using cards like Ojama Trio and Windstorm of Etaqua more, so Scapegoat isn’t always an option.  I’ve seen good players become “Goat Locked”: they used Scapegoats, expecting me to kill such and such Monsters… and I don’t.  Now maybe they are stuck with four Sheep Tokens and a Sangan, desperately trying to top deck a Metamorphosis.  Sure, that gives them time to build… but it also gives me, the player who can actually make use of his Monster zones, a chance to build a solid field presence.

 

Aside from feeding Chaos Monsters, being Dark doesn’t have a lot of combos (like it needs more than Chaos), so let us touch upon why being a Zombie is so good for this card.  In Traditional, it means a deck built to take advantage of having 6 recursion cards available for King of the Skull Servants: three Book of Life in addition to the standard Call of the Haunted, Monster Reborn, and Pre-Mature Burial.  So it really just becomes a matter of drawing into a Painful Choice in order to get a solid beatstick out.  The Book of Life aspect would normally lead one to think that they should remove the Skull Servants first… but that might not be the right idea.  Remove the King of the Skull Servants first (for the revival effect).  Why?  So that you can use Return from the Different Dimension later on, then follow up with traditional revival cards.  Getting back your D.D. Warrior Lady, D.D. Assailants, and/or two 3000 ATK beatsticks sounds pretty nice to me.

 

Another benefit of being a Zombie, particularly one with a DEF of 0, is that Pyramid Turtle can fetch it from the deck.  Once you have at least two of the pre-requisite Monsters in the discard, it becomes a very worthy candidate, especially if both copies of Vampire Lord are already out of the deck.  Speaking of Vampire Lord, he compliments King of the Skull Servants: one fears death via battle, the other via effect.  So let one “absorb” the methods of defeating the other.

 

Ratings

 

Traditional       : 3.5/5-This is a decent Monster to include if you can find room.  Why?  First, there are the cards to support it here, even though its second effect is much less likely to get used.  Second, while Skull Servant is a horrid top deck in this format, chances are you King of the Skull Servants won’t be as you’ll already have two or more of the requisite Monsters to fuel it in the graveyard.

 

Advanced        : 3/5-This is a composite score.  With respect to just tossing it into a deck, it is more of a 2/5: it can work with the standard Chaos build, but not especially well.  On the other hand, your typical Zombie build already has everything needed to make it a good card, and a little extra effort will make a suitable deck for King of the Skull Servants.

 

Limited            : 3/5-Since it is a Common, you stand a decent chance of pulling it in multiples.  That means you could probably make decent use of it in a deck.  I wouldn’t bother with it unless you get three copies: that is enough to have a 2000 ATK beatstick (third copy) and then if need be, a 1000 ATK and then 0 ATK meat shield or Tribute fodder (if they somehow over-power it).

 

Summary

Over all, I like the concept and the execution of this card.  Personally, I think they need to give the “Harpy” treatment to more cards: that is, now we need a “new” Skull Servant with an effect that makes sure it is treated as being named Skull Servant and either some slightly better stats, or probably better a complimentary effect.  If they keep this up, a lot of the former filler will start to be useful, or can be safely “forgotten”.

 


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