Hello Pojo Fans,
 
To round out the week, we're going to review arguably the best of the first generation of monarchs: Caius The Shadow Monarch. A Level 6, Dark, Fiend-Type, Caius has the standard 2400ATK/1000DEF all monarchs have. When Caius is Tribute Summoned, you can target one card on the field and banish it, and if it is a Dark monster you deal 1000 Life Point damage to your opponent.
 
Banishing rather than destroying or discarding can disrupt your opponents resources, as well as get around some cards that would prevent you from destroying them (Stardust Dragon). Raiza is good by returning a card to the top of the players Deck, but that isn't always going to solve a problem you may be facing. Attack is good, defense is weak, one tribute is good, Dark-Type has a ton of support, so Caius is a pretty good monster. Of all the first generation monarchs, players are likely to run only Caius and Raiza, and for good reason. Caius can also banish itself and deal 1000 damage to your opponent to end the game, something no other monarch can do (this has happened to more than a few players).
 
If you don't have a Soul Exchange or a monster to use as a tribute for the summon, then Caius is dead in your hand, but he doesn't stay that way for very long. Allure of Darkness makes him more flexible than any of the other monarchs, and, as mentioned above, the ability to summon him, remove himself, and deal damage to your opponent is a great option. If a deck can use level 5-6 monsters, Caius has to be at the top of the list for available monsters to use, even in specific archtypes like Blackwings and Zombies.
 
Traditional-3.5/5
Advanced-4/5
Art-4/5
 
Until Next Time
KingofLullaby

Caius the Shadow Monarch

With exception to Mobius in a couple of situations, Caius is overall the best Monarch. Monarch decks should obviously use 3 of Caius and any deck that is looking for a strong tribute monster should use Caius.

By banishing a monster and being able to attack in the same turn, on top of being a strong beater that needs to be taken care of, he can +1 or at the very least 1-for-1. Banishing rather than destroying is best. Not only does it get rid of the card permanently but it bypasses effects that either prevent/negate destruction or benefit when the monster is destroyed or about to be destroyed. The 1000 damage burn is a nice added bonus (not necessary but can help you win a duel when life points are low).

In an era where people are Special Summoning 2500+ beaters out of their Extra Deck, Caius is slow in comparison because he takes up your Normal Summon. Also, he lacks a place in an archetype-driven meta. Do you really expect Fire Fists or Mermails to use Caius, or any monster that doesn't share their name/attribute really?

But all in all, when it comes to single-tribute monsters, Caius the Shadow Monarch is one of the best in the business. If tribute summons ever become big again, Caius will be your go-to card. Until then, it's interesting to see how people use him because he really does pack a punch.

Traditional: 2.0 (Mediocre)
Advanced: 3.0 (Good)