Cyber Dragon is an older card I bet most players either forgot about or haven't been around long enough to play. Cyber Dragon is a Light attributed (good) Machine (also good) who is Level 5 (good for XYZ and the Special Summon ability) with 2100 attack (averages out to being all right effect wise) and 1600 defense which is meh-tastic. Having looked at this week, I'm assuming we're looking at Cyber Dragon to reintroduce and give a hint of the taste that we're looking at various forms or counterparts. The effect here is simple, and was quite a gem, back in the day. If your opponent controls a Monster and you don't, there's a Cyber Dragon for you. Makes it that much easier to Summon your Rank 5, gives you a Level 5 for a Synchro, or just a Monster, which makes the 2100 attack not so bad. He gains big benefits from being Light and Machine even as well, as stated. I wouldn't blame anyone for using one, or even two, if they used lots of Rank 5 XYZ Monsters. I don't want to say much else till the week progresses though, as to not completely shat out what else we have coming.

Ratings:

Traditional: 2/5
Advanced: 3/5
Art: 4.5/5

All this week, we will be reviewing cards from the new Cyber Dragon Structure Deck. First up is the card the deck centers on – Cyber Dragon. Cyber Dragon has been around a long time and has always been a pretty good monster. Being able to summon a 2100 attack monster with relative ease can be advantageous. Not only can you summon this big monster, but because it is a special summon, you can still summon another monster with your normal summon. That’s when things get really interesting.

After you special summon your Cyber Dragon, you can use your normal summon to summon a tuner to Synchro an even bigger monster with good effects. You can also use your normal summon for a monster that can become a level 5 monster so you can Xyz summon a monster with good effects. One such monster is Cyber Dragon Drei. With these two monsters, you are Xyz summoning Cyber Twin Dragon. More on Dr. Drei tomorrow.

Cyber Dragon has some pretty nice attributes that make it a great monster. First, it is a light monster so it works well with Honest and in a Chaos Deck. Second, it is a Machine Type monster so it works well with Limiter Removal. It is also a perfect fit with Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, Cyber Eltanin, Cyber Network, and Cyber Repair Plant to name a few. Cyber Dragon is not just for summoning one tribute monsters or for running over Gemini Elf any more. Cyber Dragon actually becomes playable again with the new Cyber Dragon Structure Deck.

Traditional: 2/5
Advanced: 3/5

         Welcome everyone! We have a very exciting week for you this time around, as we have Cyber installments for review each day. What better way to start off the week then with the main iconic monster itself? You will remember Cyber Dragon very well if you have been with this game since the GX saga or prior . When this card was originally released, it's effect was unprecedented and was a real game changer. Cyber Dragon was a staple in almost all decks, and was ran at 2-3 copies at all times. The reason for this was it's effect to special summon itself if your opponent controlled a monster and you didn't, it meant you could get a level 5, 2100 attack beater on the field without even using your normal summon. And with powerful fusion monsters available like Cyber Twin Dragon and Cyber End Dragon, there was potential for Cyber Dragon decks to OTK (One Turn Kill) since their inception. With its powerful, unique effect, and as the ace monster card of fan favorite and ultra powerful duelist Zane Truesdale from the GX anime, Cyber Dragon became an expensive, must have tech that dominated the meta for quite some time.

        Fast forward 9 years later after its original release (we are getting old, aren't we?), and new support has just been added to make Cyber Dragon relevant again.  The cyber dragon archetype now plays much different from its original form back at release, but the power level of the archetype has been restored. Cyber Dragon's effect can still be useful to special summon itself when the conditions are met, but Cyber Dragon is more important for its name sake than anything. There is so much support now that let's you search, special summon, and protect "Cyber Dragon" monsters, that Cyber Dragon remains a staple within the deck. With 2100 attack, it isn't as powerful as it once was deemed to be, but is still far from a pushover. 

         Really the most important thing about this card is what you can do with it, like summoning even more powerful monsters. Monsters like Cyber Twin Dragon, and now especially Cyber Dragon Nova, are extremely mighty, and are summoned by using your Cyber Dragons. Cyber Dragon Nova is the new boss monster of the archetype and is insanely powerful as well as often times frustrating to play against. Also, the Cyber Dragon archetype is now more capable of OTK's than ever, as Cyber Dragon Nova can reach over 4000 attack just by its own effect, not to mention it can special summon a Cyber End Dragon or another machine fusion monster when destroyed by the opponents card effects. Coupled with power bond and limiter removal, the opponent is sure to be beaten if they underestimate the new and improved Cyber Dragon's.

        In summary, Cyber Dragon has been revitalized after almost 10 years since its original release. It is a staple at 3 copies in a Cyber Dragon themed deck, however it still won't see much play outside of its own archetype as there have been more powerful cards released with easier special summoning conditions.

Ratings:

Traditional:  1.5/5
Advanced:   3/5

Mechanic Design: 2/5 (If this were a review upon the release of Cyber Dragon, this rating would have been scored at a 4.5 or 5/5. However, in this stage of the game, Cyber Dragon's effect itself is not very powerful, and couldn't be considered versatile by today's standards.)
Art:  5/5 (One of the coolest, yet simple looking monsters to come out. Not overdone, but unique and likable to the point where people who know nothing of Yu-Gi-Oh would look at the art and find it interesting or neat. Cyber Dragon is iconic and classic!)

It's a Cyber Dragon deck week, and to start things off, why not with the monster the deck is named for. Cyber Dragon is a level 5, Light, Machine-Type monster with 2100ATK and 1600DEF. “ If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand).”.

Cyber Dragon was first released back in 2005, and though its use in decks has gone up and down since, it remains a solid card. 2100 attack will take out most level 4 and below monsters, while 1600 defense is pretty respectable in comparison to other monster level 5 or higher. If your opponent has a monster and you don't, you can Special Summon Cyber Dragon from your hand, that's great. You can use Cyber Dragon to force your opponent to activate a spell/trap you wouldn't want your Normal Summon to fall victim to, or set up a Synchro Summon. Being a Light, it has Light support and offers support to several different decks (Chaos, Monarch, Machine, etc.). Now with several more “Cyber”-themed cards coming in the Cyber Dragon Revolution Structure Deck, it's possible for Cyber Dragon not only to be a card most players can play in a deck, but make a deck around Cyber Dragon.

The only real drawback to Cyber Dragon is if you have a monster on the field. You can still Tribute Summon for Cyber Dragon, but you don't want to do that, it defeats the cards purpose. 2100 attack won't always win, but if a monster has higher attack than Cyber Dragon, and you are without a monster, you can still Special Summon Cyber Dragon in defense and keep your Life Points safe.

Traditional- 3/5
Advanced- 3/5
Art- 3/5

Until Next Time
KingofLullaby

Cyber Dragon

Hello everyone! And welcome to Cyber week!

Three things:

1 – I made an error last week. The XYZ monsters (Draccosack and Big-Eye) are composed of LV7 monster and not LV8 monsters. My overall thoughts and ratings for “Alsei” still remain the same though.

2 – I'm surprised that “RUM Astral Enforcer” received scathing reviews. Perhaps I overestimated it, but I still think it has some potential. Who knows. Time makes fools and saints of us all.

3 – I am changing my rating system from a 5-point scale to a 9-point scale with .5 intervals.

On to Cyber Dragon!!!

Back in the day... 2005 it was. Monsters above 2100 ATK were not very common and neither was Special Summoning. So, if you were able to bring out a 2100 beater really quick and get to Normal Summon too, it was a huge feat. And, he was a LIGHT monster for Chaos. So, all decks that wanted to be competitive had 3 of these in them. Today though, it's tough to understand just what made him so magical back then.

Thankfully, with plenty of Machine-type support, before and after the recent “Cyber” support cards, he has carved a niche for himself in Machine-type decks, even when he has found less room in hybrid decks like Monarchs. Future Fusion, Overload Fusion, Limiter Removal, Chimeratech Overdragon, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon are a few of the many cards that make Cyber Dragon powerful. This is compounded by the fact that with recent cards, there's even more support for him. He literally has his own archetype now.

Today, Cyber Dragon might be remember more for what he can turn into above what he is on his own (the exact opposite of the old days), but nonetheless, CD remains relevant today. I can't let nostalgia get the better of my judgment though. It still requires constant attachments and upgrades to stay relevant like an aging Sega Genesis, but it's capable nonetheless.

Not needed for beatdown or hybrid decks, but really good in Machines and of course, his own deck type.  Overall, a classic regardless.

Traditional – 2.5 (Okay)
Advanced – 3.5 (Very Good)

Oh how I wish we were skilled enough to always open with either 3 Cyber Dragons and Power Bond or 2 Cyber Dragons, Polymerization and Time Capsule, like Zane/Ryo from GX did. That man has some skills. Fond memories of his 20,000+ ATK Cyber Dragons. Heh.

Hello, guppies, and welcome my Cyber Dragon of review. I will teach you how to Cyber Dragon while you Cyber Dragon out your Cyber Dragons. Cyber Dragon is the card that put the game on the path to rapid fire Special Summons back in the day, with its impressive 2100 ATK off a costless special summon. To further add to its uses, it's Machine (Limiter Removal, Overload Fusion etc), Light (Honest, Constellar Pleiades) and can clear away your opponent's machines via Chimeratech Fortress Dragon.

Advanced: 2/5
Traditional: 1.5/5