Xyz Reflect is a handy little Counter Trap that does something very well, it protects Xyz Monsters...but just how well is it after all?  This Trap allows you to negate the activation and effect of Magic, Trap, and/or Monster Effect that targets an Xyz Monster and destroy it.  Plus you get to inflict 800 damage to your opponent.  I don't like that this only works against a card or effect that targets, not that people don't play things that target, but it IS annoying to have it be dependent like that.  The damage aspect of the card is nice, and it's not bad support honestly.  But I don't think you throw it in your Deck and just hope to be able to use it.  Maybe if your Extra Deck is Xyz heavy, try one, but don't use it just for kicks.

Ratings:
3/5  
Art:  4/5

We are going to be looking at some cards this week that are pretty good and may or may not be able to find room in your deck. Xyz Reflect is one of those cards with this potential. If you have a deck that Xyz summons fairly easily, this card may be a good option for your deck. The first thing we notice is that Xyz Reflect is a counter trap making it a very powerful card that is hard to stop. The next thing of note is that it stops anything that targets your Xyz monster. This means that cards like Effect Veiler, Fiendish Chain, Dimensional Prison, and forbidden Lance can all be negated and destroyed by Xyz Reflect. And finally, we get to rob our opponent of 800 life points.

Xyz Reflect has a lot of upsides to it, but are they enough to make a spot in our deck? There is a popular card being played these days called Forbidden Lance, that does most of the things the Xyz Reflect does except stop monster effects. It has two things going for it that Reflect does not. Lance is a quick play spell that does not have to be set for a turn and it can be used to decrease your opponent’s attack by 800 thus allowing you to attack over it. Lance can also be used on any monster not just Xyz monsters, making it far more versatile than Reflect.

The one positive that keeps me coming back to Xyz Reflect is its ability to negate monster card effects, most notably, Effect Veiler. So, in a deck like Wind-Ups where getting the effect of your Wind-Up Carrier is very important to getting the hand destruction combo going, Xyz Reflect can make all of the difference in the world. All I can say is to try this card out and see if it is fast enough or versatile enough to earn a spot in your deck. Personally, I think that it is not, but I have not tested it out.

Traditional: 2/5
Advanced: 3/5

We're looking at Xyz Reflect today. It's a counter-trap, thus making it pretty good so far. It's like a Solemn Warning for Xyz monsters, as when your opponent tries to target an Xyz monster in the field with a spell/trap/or monster effect, you use Xyz Effect to negate the effect and destroy that card, and nail your opponent for 800 damage. A little bit situational, but still handy for blocking those cards that can get rid of your Xyz monster, especially Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon. Overall, the effect of Xyz Reflect is very good, needs a bit of setting up, but can save your Xyz from something bad happening to it. The 800 damage is just an added bonus.

Traditional: 2.5 *A bit more useful here than you think*
Advanced: 3.5
Tomorrow: Special summon,? I think not.

Monday:

XYZ Reflect
Counter Trap
"When a Spell Card, Trap Card, or Effect Monster's effect is activated that targets a face-up Xyz Monster(s) on the field: Negate the activation and destroy it, then inflict 800 damage to your opponent."

It's an XYZ week here, and it happened at the perfect time as I'm finally trying to built a successful XYZ deck, so lets look at the first card of the week:

XYZ R is the ultimate defense for XYZs and thorws in a nice bit of burn damage for added insult. If you plan on running a good number of XYZs in your extra deck, this is the perfect card for the main deck. I only wish it wasn't an Ultra Rare.

Traditional: 4.5
Advanced: 4.75

For our religious readers, I hope Easter was a blessing for you. For our students, enjoy your spring break and after reading my entry on this card of the rare Counter Trap variety, get to good work on your studies, lest they ruin your weekend.
 
Ok, well...first of all, to use this card, you will need to be intending to Xyz Summon a lot, yet your Deck can't be too fast-paced to warrant using a Counter Trap as situational as Reflect. Also, like Solemn Warning, Reflect has a slight bit of versatility in that it can negate ANY effect, so long as it includes targeting an Xyz monster. But think about it: it only works for Xyz monsters (so the only way to get consistent use out of it is if you got a deck such as Inzektors or Rabbit). And even then, there are very few targeting cards out there. Possibly the most notable one out there is BLS, but I don't want a Trap Card that solely protects one type of monster against one certain card. Sure, there are cards like Dimensional Prison, Ryko and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, but I'm just listing all the prime examples. And yes, it can effectively negate Hornet when Dark Bribe can't, but really, what good is negating Hornet when it's already in the Graveyard?
 
Look at it this way: The main Decks that rely on Xyz as their main offence are Wind-Ups, Inzektors, and Rabbits (all which also happen to be the top 3 popular Decks right now). Wind-Ups intend to use Xyz monsters to gain a massive control advantage; their favorite play is to use Wind-Up Hunter + Zenmaighty to shoot out your entire Hand on the first turn; the targeting card they're scared of the most is Effect Veiler on Zenmaighty, and you can't exactly activate Xyz Reflect on your first turn. Inzektors are similar, but when they bring out their Xyzs, they're already preparing for the final attack, after they've already decimated the field with Hornet. The worst the opponent can do is Effect Veiler a boost from Giga-Brilliant, which isn't all that big a loss. RabbiDinos...negate everything on their own perfectly fine. As for every other Deck, such as Vylons, well, Reflect is just a poor choice in general because some decks simply do not have the room, and if they do, they'd be much more inclined to fit in more splashable cards that are more likely to be more productive, such as Smashing Ground.
 
A Counter Trap is meant to cover your back, not be a situational protection on some of your monsters. Even if it didn't cover solely Xyz monsters, you will still find little use for it. The fact is that it only covers a specific type of monster against a paucity of threats, and that doesn't bode well. That's why something like Solemn Judgment, Solemn Warning, Divine Wrath, or Dark Bribe is much more reliable to fall back on, because generalization is good. They're not reliant on what YOU have and they have a much better chance of negating something the opponent is likely to do (as in, actually summoning a monster or activating an effect instead of trying to target an Xyz monster).
 
Oh, and the 800 damage is barely enough compensation. Maybe if it did more like...2000 damage, I'd be willing to use it.
 
You might as well be using Xyz Veil, and as you can see from THAT review some time ago, it's still a very ugh card.
 
Just to exploit Reflect's flaws, here's what I would edit it to make it useful:
 
Quickplay Spell: Pay 1000 LP. Target Xyz Monster is unaffected by other monster, Spell, or Trap effects, and cannot be destroyed this turn.
 
Counter Trap: When a Spell Card, Trap Card, or Effect Monster's effect is activated that targets a face-up monster(s) on the field: Negate the activation and destroy it, then inflict 2000 damage to your opponent.
 
Normal Trap: Activate when an Xyz Monster would be destroyed by an effect: Negate the activation and destroy it, then inflict 2000 damage to your opponent. (similar to the anime effect)
 
Traditional: 1/5
Advanced: 1.2/5 (I mean if you really want to protect your loved ones against BLS, Shrink, Forbidden Chalice)
Aesthetics: 2/5 Just one of those situational cards made near the very start of the Xyz era... And frankly, Gachi Gachi Gantetsu would be one of the last Xyz monsters that would need protection from Reflect.
 
Philosophy Corner: Gratituities are appreciated but never expected.
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