Smashing Ground
Normal Spell
Destroy the 1 face-up monster your opponent controls that has the highest DEF. (If it's a tie, you get to choose).
 
Next up in ye olde card week is Smashing Ground, the DEF version of Hammer Shot.
 
Smashing Ground as a simple effect it destroys 1 monster your opponent controls with the highest DEF and if it’s a tie, then you choose. While Hammer Shot is better at getting rid of the monster that is probably the biggest threat, it can blow up in your face and destroy your own monster; Smashing Ground doesn’t have that problem but generally High DEF means weak ATK, so it might not get rid of the monster you are hoping for.
 
Overall, a solid destruction card, nothing massive but it has no cost or massive drawbacks like many cards.
 
Traditional: 3/5
Advanced:  3/5

Happy Thursday folks, almost at the end of the week.  Once again today we look at an old card, and a classic method of removal, Smashing Ground.

Like it's cousin Fissure, Smashing Ground destroys a single monster on the field without targeting it.  It chooses its victim based on who has the highest defense, so while you need to pay attention to what you're doing to avoid hitting something you didn't mean to, it can generally be used to remove the greatest threat you're facing.  Kaiser Colosseum players can certainly take advantage of this since their opponent will typically only control one monster.

But does it have a place in today's game?  It's a one-for-one trade as far as resources, but resources aren't really measured the same today as they were a few years ago.  XYZ and Synchro monsters, while only a single card themselves, require multiple cards to produce.  For example, say you bring out a Photon Thrasher, normal Photon Crusher, and XYZ into Utopia, pass turn.  I play Smashing Ground.  I trade my spell for your monster, but really you lost two cards to create that resource.  By managing your resources well and being patient, you can use the card to its fullest potential to either destroy a high-profile monster, or force your opponent to waste a defensive card to save it.

Smashing Ground does not belong in every deck.  There is plenty of themed removal out there that is searchable and in some cases, reusable.  Examples like Bujingi Quillin, Sylvan Marshalleaf, Spellbook of Fate/High Priestess, Inzekor Hornet, Fire Fist _______, and many more.  But once again with the stun theme, if you're not running a themed deck or don't have a themed destruction card, you might consider this.

Traditional: 1/5
Advanced: 3/5
Art: 3/5

Thanks for reading! 

Smashing Ground is a normal spell card which allows you to destroy the one face up monster your opponent controls that has the highest defense. Right away we can notice that this is a "one for one" resource card, meaning it requires just itself to use, and it destroys one monster (resource) your opponent controls.

What really allows Smashing Ground to shine and continue to be effective even to this day, is how it destroys without targeting. Since this card doesn't specify targeting, it is able to bypass a lot of restrictions pertaining to monster removal, where other card effects fall short. Also, monsters with higher defense values tend to have high attack values as well, so more often than not this card will be able to destroy your opponents most threatening monster. And of course, when your opponent only controls one monster, Smashing Ground is easily capable of eliminating it.

Smashing Ground is a normal spell with a spell speed of one, so it is slow, and cannot be activated during your opponents turn. Also, in certain instances, since Smashing Ground does not allow you to choose which monster will be destroyed, it isn't always as reliable as you might need it to be.

Despite these drawbacks, Smashing Ground is a solid tech choice for monster removal which is still viable even to this day. 

Ratings:

Traditional:  1.5/5
Advanced:   2.5/5 

Mechanic Design: 3/5 ("One for one" resource monster removal with no cost and non-targeting mechanic. The downside being you cannot select between multiple monsters, and as such, it can be inconsistent or unreliable)
Art:  4/5 (A giant hulk arm and fist smashing through the ground, with visually stunning flare)

Smashing Ground

Released in Invasion of Chaos (2004), Smashing Ground became an important card because it was an era where cards are beaters you were supposed to care about when they died. Like... well... D.D. Warrior Lady.  Fissure originally was the 1-for-1 removal to use, but Smashing Ground's high-DEF clause ensured the bigger monsters (usually) would die first.

It's a 1-for-1, but the problem is that it doesn't work quite well in the modern era. By the time it's your turn, your opponent's monster has already activated its effects. Smashing only destroys cards after they've served their purpose.  Too late. You want to negate them and destroy them before they can attack your life points. Or have a deadly combo to help your deck type.  In short, Smashing is too slow.  It was great for a slow format.  Today, not so much.

Smashing Ground isn't a bad card, but since the game has sped up, it's usefulness has sharply declined. In Traditional, where there's cards like Raigeki, forget about it.

Traditional: 1.5 (Bad)
Advanced: 2.5 (Okay)

Smashing Ground is no longer the go to card for individual monster removal. The most prominent card currently in that category is probably Raigeki Break, which is a trap (and thus can be used on your opponent's turn) and has the added benefit of being able to target any monster, spell, or trap. Most players don't want to run monster removal in the form of spells anymore, as you can lose before your opponent even passes their turn back to you. Even if you do run spell monster removal, Dark Hole and Soul Taker are generally better options. Dark Hole obviously destroys all your opponents monsters, not just one, and Soul Taker allows you to choose which you want to destroy and can make monsters like Lightpulsar Dragon miss timing. Smashing Ground might not even be able to destroy the monster you want it to if they have another with more defense.

Smashing Ground does have the advantage over Soul Taker in that Smashing does not target. This lets you play around cards like Bujingi Turtle. That's about it though, as far as positives go. There are simply better options at this point, even if you want to play individual monster removal.

Rating: 2/5 (Bad)

Thursday

Smashing Ground, one of the simplest and perhaps most effective little Magic cards out there. It destroys an opponent's Monster with the highest defense, you choose, if tied. This is a great example of a 1-for-1, maybe a -1 if it gets negated via effect, and maybe a +1 still if your opponent has to give something up to use this. But you should always at least break even. It's a card that's always been pretty much up to preference. I know we're more about Monster effects these days, but still good certainly.

Ratings:

Traditional: 2.5/5

Advanced: 3.5/5

Art: 4/5