Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon

Welcome to our 3000^th review on Pojo.  What an occasion.  Every thousandth review is a mile stone.  #1000 was Exodia the Forbidden One, a very iconic monster for sure.  The one that defeated Kaiba's trio of Blue-Eyes.  #2000 was Tyler the Great Warrior, which was a specially made card for a severely ill child via Konami's participation in Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Carrying On The Tradition

I had this planned out for a good while, so I decided to pick Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.  The first card we ever reviewed was Blue-Eyes White Dragon.  Since this is the third milestone and the first card was Blue-Eyes, why not have 3 Blue-Eyes put together.  And iconic card.

And this in some way, symbolically represents the generations of Pojo:

- BEWD, 2002: The original very first writers of the site (1^st generation of Pojo)

- Exodia, 2006: Ex Minion of Darkness upholding the site (2^nd generation)

- Tyler, 2010: Dark Paladin carrying the torch for a whole decade (3^rd generation)

- BEUD, 2014: Myself, Baneful, trying to do the same as the forefathers (4^th generation)

Shout out to: Christian, Snype, Vendetta, T-Rex, Electric Soldier, John Rochas, Riko the Fox Kid, Guy With The Hat, and Kangarookas for making Pojo a better place.

The Excitement of Back In The Day

For those who are new to the game, you might not understand the excitement that the release of the original Blue-Eyes White Dragon carried.  Of course, competitive players knew, back then that weaker monsters with effects were what won duels.  But for the very heart of Yugioh, the many people who watch the anime, read the manga and build fun decks, it was an iconic moment.

The colorful featured writer Pook, back in late 2005, described this moment with an article in detail.  He bought three copies of the Shonen Jump and the clerk looked at him like he had three heads.

Gameplay and Design

Even though it took a long time to come out, this card was written the manga well before the TCG came out.  The fact that this card has no effect suggests a generally weak card design, but this was back in the day when effects were rare special things and brute force was the primary way of winning a duel.  We have to look at this card for what the standards were at its time.

ATK strength was what power was about back then.  Monsters were beaters back then.

And this card has a lot of beatings to be dealt with 4500 ATK.  Konami got that figure by adding up 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons to 9000 ATK and then cutting it in half.  A 9000 ATK fusion would be pretty broken, though with only 4500 ATK, it feels more like a bulked up Blue-Eyes (with two equips) than three of them.  With tons of basic removal available and the fact that 3000 ATK is more than enough to crush 99% of monsters, there's really no need for all that firepower.  You were better off with keeping the 3 Blue-Eyes rather than fusing them together. 

Then again, one good combo is with De-Fusion.  You strike with the burly 4500 beater, and then when the opponent tries to trigger a trap, you De-Fusion to fizzle out their card.  Then, you get 3 Blue-Eyes on the field and attack with each of them.  With the amount of support Blue-Eyes has and Dragon's Mirror, it still wouldn't be impossible to do this in a fun duel or even win a local with it. 

As for competitive play, it's zenith was with Cyber Stein (which is still available in Traditional).  The player would pay their life points to summon the 4500 ATK monster and then bulk it up to 9000 ATK with Megamorph since Cyber Stein made their life points lower.  I'm not sure how much water that combo will hold today, but since then, not a lot of people have been using this card competitively.

The fact that the Fusion Deck which was once a 60-card pile of cards collectors used just for fun/troll cards and rare situations (like Metamorphosis into Musician King), has now turned into a 15-card Extra Deck space which is really tight.  So, sorry, BEUD.  No dice.  Ouch. 

Ratings

None.  If I were to rate this card, it wouldn't be flattering.  It doesn't see much play.  The art and design of this card is a bit dated, but out of reverence, respect and nostalgia, I refuse to objectify it. 

Conclusion

Back at New Years, I wrote an article asking where Pojo stands in 2014, and I wasn't so sure.  Now, approaching near the end of the year, we have a team of great people with lots of ambition writing for Pojo, we stand strong.  Pojo pride.  #Pojo 2014.

God bless Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and good night.

Shaddoll Beast

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon

So the 3000^th CotD review is given to such a well known fusion monster and certainly a card that not all players will have (at least until the more recent reprint anyhow). While mostly a collectors card (primarily the first print) it still holds a place in some people’s hearts simply because of what it represents… The original and ultimate powerful monster.

Quite simply this card is made of 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which is one of the most, if not the most easily recognised monster in Yu-Gi-Oh!

This card has numerous ways in which to Summon it, by Polymerisation, something that is quite likely to never actually happen!

It can be Summoned via Future Fusion, which makes it far easier to Summon since you could use something such as King of the Swamp to substitute for one Blue-Eyes White Dragon, essentially meaning that even if you do not have 3 in your Deck but 2, Future Fusion still remains a viable option. Sadly this can give your opponent at least a small amount of time to deal with either Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon directly OR Future Fusion. However, at least the Summon is considered as a proper Fusion Summon so reviving it is an option later.

Another option is to use Dragon’s Mirror, another card that counts as a proper Fusion Summon… However, the downside to this is that you need at least 2 Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s in the Graveyard (if using King of the Swamp as the 3’rd) and you are required to banish the monsters to do so, which could be somewhat of a downside to Summoning Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in this way. Additionally, Foolish Burial, Mathematician or even Elemental HERO Prisma could all be ways of making this form of Fusion Summon easier to realistically do.

One of the biggest and most obvious ways to Summon Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, although in Traditional Format only is by using Cyber Stein. For the “Mere cost” of 5000 LP you can directly Special Summon it to the field, sadly not only is such a Summon expensive but being Summoned via Cyber Stein’s effect is not counted as a Fusion Summon, so revival is impossible.

Theoretically even Metamorphosis is possible, but since Level 12 monsters are extremely scarce in non-fusion form, Summoning in this way is likely to be close to improbable.

Realistically though, in Advanced format, only Dragon’s Mirror is a reasonable way to consider Summoning Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with.

If you have the space, and you run a Blue-Eyes White Dragon Deck you could place both it and Five-Headed Dragon in the Extra Deck… If you somehow have the space! Which you would be able to make if you choose to use Dragon’s Mirror.

Traditional: 1.5. I have seen this from time to time used successfully, generally because of Future Fusion, however the reality is that better Fusion monsters exist, and this lets it down. Still, there is something quite rewarding about beating your opponent with this card.

Advanced: 1.5. In a dedicated Blue-Eyes White Dragon Deck, sure, anywhere else and this is a collectors card. Worth it in a dedicated deck though because of Dragon’s Mirror.

Awesomeness: 5! Hey, I REALLY needed to give Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon a 5 for something!!!

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon

Welcome to your 3000th COTD!  Today we are reviewing one of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s most famous monsters the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Used by Seto Kaiba in both the Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime and Manga, this monster definitely left an impression on many a duellist. Despite being one of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s most famous monsters, this card wasn’t released in English until 2008, six years after it first debutted in the anime and four years after its movie counterpart Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon was released (not that really mattered because Shining Dragon is rubbish).
 
Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is a Level 12 LIGHT/Dragon fusion being a LIGHT/Dragon is very good, with 4500 ATK and 3800 DEF both are really good and makes Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon the strongest Non-Effect monster in the game. It requires 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons as Fusion material. Normally a 3 named-material fusion monster would be bad, but thanks to cards like Dragon’s Mirror, Future Fusion (though Future Fusion is currently banned) along with Blue-Eyes support like White Stone of Legend and Maiden with the Eyes of Blue, it is easy to get Blue-Eyes white Dragons I your hand/field/graveyard. Also since it has named material you can use fusion substitutes as well. Of course in Traditional in you have both Future Fusion and Cyber Stein allowing you to get this out even easier and with Cyber Stein preform the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon One-Turn-Kill, though who will be the victim of the One-Turn-Kill depends on if your opponent has Magic Cylinder or Dimension Wall.
 
Of course Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’s biggest weakness is that it has no protection ability, so even if you do get this monster out on the field, the opponent can easily get rid of it.
 
Overall, a Nostalgia card that is still playable in the right Blue-Eyes focused deck. Just watch out for nonsensical combos that melt your Dragon.
 
Traditional: 3.5/5
Advanced:  3/5

Hello Pojo Fans,
 
Happy 3000th CoTD!!! Still hard to believe there's been this many, much props to the staff and writers throughout the years. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, or BEUD for short, is a nostalgia monster: makes us remember the show, makes us happy, but may not be exactly playable. 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons are needed, or two and a fusion substitute make this dragon fusion monster. 4500 attack is tremendous, as well as 3800 defense. Elemental Hero Prisma can be used to send a Blue-Eyes to the grave while copying its name, allowing for a two-for-one punch in recruiting the materials you need. Dragon's Mirror is a better choice than Polymerization to summon this dragon, even if it negates the ability to use the De-Fusion combo to go for an OTK. Decoy Dragon can Special Summon BEUD back from the grave if attacked and if Ultimate Dragon were summoned correctly. This monster also combines with “Black Luster Soldier” to make Dragon Master Knight, another very cool and difficult monster to bring out.
 
While there are several cards that can aid in summoning this monster, it needs its own dedicated deck. It isn't out of the question to summon this monster, it just needs its own deck.
 
Traditional-1/5
Advanced-1/5
Art-4.5/5
 
Until Next Time
KingofLullaby

Today marks Pojo’s 3000th Card of the Day Review! It’s a little surreal to think about how long this has been around. In celebration, today’s card is the legendary Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!

Hailing from the original series, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was one of Seto Kaiba’s ace monsters, and he first used it in his Duel with Yugi during Duelist Kingdom. A combination of all three of Kaiba’s Blue-Eyes White Dragons, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon sports a monstrous 4500 ATK and 3800 DEF (stats that are very rarely matched even today), and was truly terrifying when it debuted.

In reality, however, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is not currently, nor has it ever really been, that great of a card. Any Deck that runs Blue-Eyes White Dragons in the first place will generally only run one or two copies, so it’s not even likely anyone will be running a full playset to accommodate the Ultimate Dragon. And in the instance that you do run 3 copies of Blue-Eyes, using all of them in a Fusion Summon is an incredibly hefty cost, as it requires those three cards and Polymerization: four cards for just one monster! Given the fact that Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon has no way of protecting itself, that’s a major setback should something happen to it (and something will).

You can mitigate the advantage lost by summoning it with Dragon’s Mirror, but the main Deck that can easily get Blue-Eyes in the Graveyard is Dragon Ruler, which would rather banish the monster for a Ruler or keep it in the Graveyard for Azure-Eyes.

The only widespread play that Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon has seen (to my knowledge) was in Cyber-Stein Decks, where it was one of the few Fusion Monsters that could reach 8000+ ATK when boosted by Megamorph. Obviously this strategy bit the dust when Cyber-Stein got banned some eight years ago.

So, as awesome as Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is, in practice it’s very underwhelming.

Traditional: 1/5

Advanced: 1/5

This is Pojo's 3000th review and Pojo has us reviewing Seto Kaiba's fusion of his 3 Blue Eyes, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon has one good thing going for it. Its massive stats of 4500/3800 for ATK and DEF. You will need monster effects to get around that, because you will not beat this three headed beast in a straight on head to head battle. With the loss of Future Fusion, this card is barely playable, even with Dragon's Mirror. You would have to play in a Traditional style duel to even try to get this card out. One helpful card (If you are able to get this out) is Battle Fusion, which is a quick-play spell version of Honest, but for Fusion monsters. White Elephant's Gift can get you 2 cards for tributing it. Non-Spell casting area, Honest, Skill Drain and even Effect Veiler can protect it. Overall, today's style of play usually gets you something for summoning a monster like this, but not in this case. While im sure no one will argue with its stats, sometimes ATK/DEF stats isn't enough.
 
Traditional: 2
Advanced: 1.5

What is there to be said about this iconic behemoth?  Not much, but I will surely try. For Kaiba's sake, of course
 
Quite simply, this is one of the most iconic fusion monsters this game will ever know, and one of the most iconic monsters overall.  This Dragon first appeared when Yugi was dueling Kaiba atop of Pegasus'
castle, for those who didn't know.  In that duel, Kaiba, who was already seen using all three Blue-Eyes separately beforehand, managed to Polymerize his three dragons into making this 4400 attack monster.
 
Now, what use is there in playing this card in today's competitive metagame?  There is none.  Even when Future Fusion, one of the only feasible ways of summoning this card was around, you were far better off just playing Five-Headed Dragon.  And that goes for Dragon's Mirror too.  Even if you DID manage to summon this thing, it is vulnerable to every card across the rainbow.  It is simply a vanilla beatstick in all regards.  I suppose I could mention its obvious interaction with Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, but that card is even worse.
 
However, due to its sheer iconic status, and being one of the first important fusion cards, I cannot bring myself to give this card a low rating.  All I can say is, if you happen to be wearing a Millennium Puzzle and you face this card, be sure to use Spell-Shattering Arrow to fuse your Mammoth Graveyard with this thing, therefore causing the fusion, now composed of both Light and Dark monsters, to be unstable, thus causing the monster's heads to rot away.
 
Yeah.
 
Advanced-5/5
Traditional-5/5
 
Aethetics-5/5 Still has really awesome artwork.

Hear that??  It's the sound of Dark Paladin not being dead, but rustling around and momentarily breaking free from the shackles of his dungeon.  You'd think they'd do a better job attempting to preserve me around here, but rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated.  Expect an article from me in the near future (within a week or two) and more to come yet.  
 
Card 3000...that really puts a perspective on just how long I was around.  Granted ten years is a long time to review, but on average (and yes we don't get a card in quite every day, or on weekends) but by math (even rounded down) that's still approximately 2500 cards I reviewed.  That's an honor to have been a part of.  I remember when we looked at Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon the first time, upon its release, years ago.  
 
Obviously the point here isn't really to discuss the pros and/or cons of a card like this, on such a momentous milestone.  But merely to talk about legacy.  Baneful did a great job of this when he took control.  I wrote and worked with some very smart and excellent people and players.  Ex Minion of Darkness (later Creator of the Points System) was a bit cynical, but he was real.  Tranorix was far more light hearted, but both really knew the game.  Jaelove and Otaku were two who also really did a magnificent job around here for a very long time.  Who could forget Ryoga, Snapper, Coin Flip, Ace of Spades...the list goes on and on, we had marvelous people here throughout time.  
 
To everyone who reads and participates in this site, for the reviews, articles, forums, or anything in between, thank you.  You people are what keeps this site going, and I, all of us, we are all very thankful to have all of you around.  Until next time my friends

~Dark Paladin