Thursday
 
Coming in at #9 is Diamond Dire Wolf.  This is a bit of an overrated card, it was upon release, and is good support for a theme, in this case, Fire Fist.  We have a Rank 4 XYZ Monster, XYZ Summoned with two Level 4 Monsters.  This is an Earth Monster, who is sort of weak, with only 2000 attack and 1200 defense.  You can, once per turn, detach an XYZ Material from Diamond Dire Wolf to target a Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged-Beast Monster and destroy it, along with one other card on the Field.
 
Fire Fist works very fast, in bringing out not only other Fire Fist Monsters, but Fire Formation Magic and Trap cards too.  Destroying Fire Fist Monsters via this ability does help add to the power of the Deck, making the Deck go even faster, at least in my own opinion.  This isn't just for Fire Fist, I'd say Harpie, and any other Deck you can put together to utilize playing any of the three Beast types of Monsters.  I just wish he had more attack.
 
Ratings:

Traditional:  2.95/5 
Advanced:    3.95/5 
Art:  5/5

Diamond Dire Wolf
Earth/ Beast/Xyz/Effect/Rank 4/2000/1200
2 Level 4 monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast-Type monster you control and 1 other card on the field; destroy them.
 
At Number 9 on our Top 10 cards of 2013 is Diamond Dire Wolf! Diamond Dire Wolf wants to be the new Scrap Dragon with a similar effect. However unlike Scrap Dragon, Diamond Dire Wolf has 800 less ATK, and crucially his effect has a cost and condition. The cost isn’t big it’s the usual “detach 1 Xyz Material” cost that most Xyz monsters have. However the condition is the kicker you have to destroy 1 Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast-Type monster you control, unlike Scrap Dragon which allowed you to target any card you control, luckily like Scrap Dragon Diamond Dire Wolf can target himself if needed. So he isn’t as splashable as Scrap Dragon, but still powerful in the right deck. Sadly  his biggest let-down is his stats, they just are high enough so this guy is easily vunerable to a counter attack.
 
Overall a solid card but could have been a better beast if he can a bit more bite.
 
Traditional: 2/5
Advanced: 3.5/5 

Hey everyone, today we keep moving with the top 10 with card #9, Diamond Dire Wolf.  This guy caused quite a stir when he came out, but is he worth it?

First, how does it work.  Well, he's a generic rank 4, so that's great, plenty of ways to summon him. 2000 Attack is mediocre, and 1200 Defense won't stop anything.  However, as with all cards of this day and age, it's the effect that matters.  He detaches a material to pop a beast, beast-warrior, or winged-beast you control, then destroys any other card you so choose.  Very similar to Scrap Dragon, who remains a very popular Synchro choice to this day.
 
Now, there are great ways to use this effect to your advantage.  Pop your own Reborn Tengu and he'll just replace himself.  Destroy a Fire King, and you'll get whatever effect, hopefully your Garunix set up in the grave.  Or, if you have no other options, just have him kill himself to remove some threat on the field.  Use a Forbidden Dress on your own target so it's not destroyed.  You have plenty of options on how to best utilize his effect.
 
There's not much more to say here.  He's a generic rank 4, so he can be tossed in the toolbox with your other XYZ monsters and used when you need him.  Do you need him every game?  Of course not.  Is he good to have available?  Absolutely.  If you have the room in your Extra Deck, you should certainly play one.
 
Traditional: 1/5, there are WAY nastier destruction effects here
Advanced: 4/5, great when you need him, not a problem when you don't
Art: 4.5/5
 
Thanks for reading!

Number 9 is here. It's a big one and a card that definitely deserves a spot on this list. Diamond Dire Wolf is an extremely powerful generic rank 4 monster with some monstrous synergy. You can target 1 Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast-Type monster you control and 1 other card on the field; destroy them.
 
Diamond Dire Wolf being a beast type himself, the first option for the cost of the effect would be to tribute himself, and many decks will run Diamond Dire with no other beast, beast warrior, or winged beast types, because his effect really is that useful. Think of Diamond Dire Wolf as a way to get over a large majority of the problem cards that exist in today's meta. Now imagine running him in a deck that utilizes the beast typings, and he gets even more insanely powerful! In decks like Fire Fists or Harpies, you can sacrifice fodder on your side of the field to get rid of any of your opponents best monsters or spell/traps. Use Diamond Dire's effects to get over menacing back row and attack directly for game with peace of mind. Use his effect to get over that dastardly monster with high attack your opponent has been beating you down with turn after turn. Use his effect to get rid of the broken field spell your opponent is using to keep gaining massive card advantage over you. For all of these uses, and so many more, Diamond Dire Wolf does the trick.
 
Think of Diamond Dire Wolf as similar to Scrap Dragon, another intensely powerful boss monster. However, I would say that Diamond Dire Wolf is much easier to summon being a generic rank 4 monster, and he can get you out of a majority of dangerous situations in a pinch. Think of him as a swiss army knife monster, great for many uses.
 
Diamond Dire Wolf does have some drawbacks, albeit very small in comparison to most other cards, even powerful ones. He requires you to sacrifice a monster, and if you don't have another monster besides himself on the field, he will need to sacrifice himself. Also, his stats are lackluster. With only 2000 attack and 1200 defense, don't expect him to stay on the field tanking for very long.
 
Overall, Diamond Dire Wolf is an extremely diverse and useful resource to add to any rank 4 toolbox. It's a card so powerful even non beast themed decks will run him, and in beast themed decks he gains a whole new tier of power. He is a monster you might not use every game, but when you find yourself in between a rock and a hard place, you are going to be extremely glad you have him at your disposal. For all of these reasons, Diamond Dire Wolf has earned the spot of #9 on our Top 10 Cards of 2013.
 
Traditional: 3.5/5 (Still powerful here especially with the flurry of tuners to use to get him out)
Advanced: 4.2/5 (Sadly he isn't popular, since XYZ is still well XYZ, but dear zombie jesus, a dragon that eats stars -mind blown-)
Mechanic Design: 4/5 (Strong, versatile, "swiss army knife" type ability. Strong, but not broken)
Art: 4/5 (Love the blue wolf in armor, and the armor looks pretty neat. His head looks funny, however, although somewhat in a positive way)

Hello Pojo Fans,
 
Today we're going to be looking at Diamond Dire Wolf, #9 on our Top Cards of 2013 list. This rank 4, Earth, Beast-type monster has 2000ATK and 1200DEF. Wolf needs 2 Level 4 monsters to Xyz summoned and once per turn you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast-Type monster you control and 1 other card on the field; destroy them.
 
Diamond Dire Wolf, despite its effect revolving around certain types of monsters, can be Xyz'd by any 2 level 4 monsters, that's a plus. You will be playing this guy if you are playing Fire Fist, Gladiator Beast, Blackwings, or even a combo of Beat-Warrior, Beast or Winged Beast monsters. Knock off a material and trade a monster of yours for a card on your opponents side of the field. Not having to target a monster on your opponents side of the field is a plus, as you may not need to. Bring this guy out to destroy a Beat, Winged Beast, or Beast-Warrior on your side (Diamond Dire Wolf can target itself as well, another plus) and take out the final thing stopping you from winning the game. You could also combo this card with Wild Nature's Release or Horn of The Phantom Beast. With Release, Wolf will attack with 3200ATK, then destroy itself to destroy a card your opponent controls before Dire Wolf is destroyed by Release in the End Phase. Draw a card each time Dire Wolf destroys a monster and sends it to the Graveyard.
 
2000 attack isn't great for a rank 4 monster, so unless you are playing one of the decks described above, or a different deck that runs or combos the monsters Diamond Dire Wolf's effect works with, you probably won't be playing him. He's a Beast, Earth-type monster, which has some support, but not a lot, especially for an Xyz monster. Wolf is a good card on your turn to get his effect off, but he's weak on his own.
 
Traditional- 2.5/5
Advanced-3.5/5- Tenki returning to 3 in TCG may make him more playable
Art-4/5- I prefer the Secret Rare art versus the Tin art.
 
Until Next Time,
KingofLullaby

Diamond Dire Wolf

With the amount of decks using easy to summon LV4 monsters, there's no doubt that this card is accessible and can stand alongside it's friends like Utopia, Maestroke and others. For decks with Beast, Winged-Beast and Beast-Warrior monsters, it's a no-brainer (especially for decks like Fire Kings). For most uses, it can sacrifice itself to destroy a card. Think of Exiled Force and Mei Kou combined into one card.

Yes, there are better Main Deck options for removal, but what if you don't draw into them? You still have immediate access to your Extra Deck. It could be a stall card that's impeding your progress, a Field Spell that is fueling the opponent's deck or a monster that's locking you down. Spending two cards to destroy 1 card seems crazy, but not if it's severely hurting your deck, like let's say Macro Cosmos is. If your opponent doesn't have Spells or Traps to protect them, you can always destroy a monster in battle with Dire Wolf and then use it's effect to take care of the other one.

Its weaknesses aside from it's rightfully weak ATK strength are pretty much the same weaknesses that all XYZ monsters face. They need a deck of monsters that are able to summon them (as well as a floater engine to help lighten the cost). And in Traditional Format, this card only falters where most other XYZ's do in that it's not game-breaking enough to spend the resources to summon it.

As it is now, Rank-4 XYZ's are lacking in removal options, and this card may be just what you need. It may not get quite as much use as Utopia, but it nonetheless has an important place in a well balanced Extra Deck.

Advanced Format: 4/5 (Very Good)

Traditional Format: 2/5 (Okay)

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