Soul Release
 
We're at the end of October.  Happy Halloween!! 
 
Today we don't have a Halloween themed card for you, but we do have a classic.
 
Hasn't been reviewed since 2002.  12 years ago ; back when the pages were black!
 
http://pojo.com/yu-gi-oh/COTD/2002/Oct2002/7.shtml
 
So, times have changed.  Early on Soul Release was attractive because they're weren't many other good options out there.  Of course, the only threatening card which abused the graveyard was Monster Reborn.  Premature and Call came around, but that just made deck space for Soul Release even tighter.
 
For a while Soul Release has become that card that only noobs ran.  Sometimes it worked for them and some of the time it didn't.  Removing 5 targets is a powerful thing!  But most monsters back then didn't really abuse the graveyard.  There would probably be 1 or 2 graveyard-relevant monsters back then.  Maybe you'd hit some chaos food for BLS, but that's it.
 
Today, this card would totally wreck decks like Lightsworns and such.  And it can.  The problem is issues like dependability and speed.  D.D. Crow only removes one target, but it's way faster and can actually chain the things (preventing the opponent from plussing).  Another issue is that  you might not draw Soul Release soon enough.  Rhapsody in Berserk (the XYZ) may have a heavier cost for only removing 2 monsters, but it's CONSISTENT.  You know you can bring it out at any time.
 
I think since monsters in the graveyard are easier to revive (Soul Charge, et al.) as well as abuse, Soul Release, has reversed power creeped and actually gone up in playability.
 
But just by a bit!
 
Ratings
 
Power -- 4
Versatility -- 3
Dependability -- 2
Advantage -- 3
Speed – 2
 
Traditional – 2.5
Advanced – 3

Soul Release closes our week.  Something if I recall correctly Yugi and Kaiba both had in their respective Decks.  Very simple, very pretty.  You can remove up to five cards from the Graveyard from play.  What a pain in the ass this can be...honestly I feel this card only gets better later in a Duel, and with the more things that there are too remove from a Graveyard.  Odds are you're using this defensively but certainly can be used in a number of ways for your benefit also.  That being said, you can't just throw it in your Deck and hope for the best.  But at the same time, you're Deck doesn't, per say, need to be constructed for it, either.  Might be best used in the Side-Deck however.
 
Ratings:

Traditional:  3.5/5  Honestly, I've said this twice this week, but if only because of Chaos, it might be better here.  As well as things like Dimension Fusion, Return From the Different Dimension...You might get more from it here.
 
Advanced:  3.25/5
Art:  5/5

Soul ReleaseNormal Spell

No Halloween themed card this year, instead we look at another old card Soul Release, released back in 2002 and was last reviewed back then.
Soul Release to be honest was never a major card, even when banishing cards back in those days meant they could never return. Even when decks became more Graveyard focused like Lightsworns and various Synchro decks, Soul Release was nowhere to be seen. Despite making a bit of a comeback recently it still isn’t a game breaker.

The reason why is simple, by the time 5 cards are in your opponent’s graveyard , there is a high chance they have already summoned the monsters they wanted and have the advantage. Soul Release is just too slow. What doesn’t help is that there are plenty of cards that can either recover banished cards or benefit from cards being banished, so you could actually be aiding your opponent.

Overall too slow to be actually useful and you don’t gain any advantage from playing it.

Traditional: 1/5
Advanced: 1.5/5

Hello Pojo Fans,
 
Finishing up the week we're going to take a look at a very old card: Soul Release. Simple Normal Spell Card to use, select up to 5 cards from the Graveyard(s) and remove them from play. Use this card to manage either graveyard on the field. If you play monsters that need the graveyard to be specific like Guardian Eatos or Dark Armed Dragon, this card will help. Decks that depend on the graveyard like Zombies, Lightsworn, and Infernities are hurt especially by this card.
 
Though you can manage both graveyards at the same time with this card, and remove a maximum of five cards from your opponents graveyard if you wanted to, it is still a Normal Spell. Though you don't need to set it like Transmigration Prophecy, often the opponent will use their resources in their graveyard during their turn, taking away the power of Soul Release.
 
Soul Release is a good card when used correctly. If your opponent sets up moves for later this card can wreck that strategy. If they are making moves during their turn, then this card won't be much help. Still, it may be a consideration for the Side Deck.
 
Traditional-4/5- Better because of more dependency on Chaos monsters
Advanced-3.5/5
Art-4/5
 
Until Next Time
KingofLullaby