Harpie’s Feather Duster

We are doing a week of banned cards, which I couldn’t find real value in, so my reviews will be based on the idea of “what if?” meaning “what if these cards were legal in today’s game?” Luckily, we start with Harpie’s Feather Duster, which is legal in the OCG. The question is mostly answered already. It’s still too good.

Honestly, there is only one reason this card is allowed in the OCG, and I believe it’s because there is just a glut of spell and trap removal already. MST, Twin Twisters, and Neverending Nightmare (OCG) are all perfectly reasonable options in nearly every deck offering, so why would one copy of this make a difference? It doesn’t, and yet most competitive decks use it, especially now when several forms of pendulums and True King/Draco decks are elite. The advantage that the Duster has over a card like Raigeki is two-fold: first, tons of monsters have effects that pop when destroyed. Where Raigeki was once a sure-fire one-for-one and often a plus, now it can be something the opponent would welcome. Second, and related to the first point, this game now revolves solely around monsters. 15 years ago, the player who drew the broken spells and traps earliest usually won, but today, most decks only run spells and traps if they are super good and tie directly to the theme. Monster-to-spell/trap ratio has increased from 45-50% to 60-80% on average. But this is by no means a negative for Duster. Rather, it heightens the power, because any spells and traps the opponent is running are sure to be crucial.

Now, on the other side of the pendulum swing is… well, the pendulum. Pendulum monsters to be specific. Harpie’s Feather Duster does really dastardly things to pendulum decks the most. Not just in theory, but also in sheer opportunity. If you count pendulum monsters as spells, your monster(non-pendulum)-to-spell/trap ratio decreases substantially. And that means more targets and more potential for inflicting minuses. But should pendulums ever go the way of the dodo, even temporarily, well Harpie’s might lose some of its duster, er… luster. Especially in light of Neverending Nightmare, which is just the most busted side deck card released since Ghost Reaper.

I also believe Duster will come back to the TCG at some point. As I said before, Konami has created a pool of spell/trap removal options that makes the ban irrelevant. But when it does come back, it will be highly used and feared.

Advanced: 5/5

Future Potential: 5/5

We haven't reviewed this card in a long while, maybe when it first came out.  Some of you know this card as the card Mai had (which would have defeated Tea, but she willfully decided not to use it).  Most of you know this card as the amazing promo, alongside Sinister Serpent, that made everyone want to buy the GBA game Stairway to the Destined Duel. 
 
This card was, right out the gate, a more broken version of Heavy Storm.  Unlike Heavy, your own Spell/Trap cards were not at risk and you didn't have to play conservatively to benefit from this card.  Duster wasn't as broken back then (as we would see such a card today) because there were a lot of other really broken Spell cards too.  Although, there is some debate now about Duster being less broken with Pendulums out (because, with Heavy, the player can destroy their own Pendulums and resummon them).
 
It's really simple as to why Duster was a staple though.   If Yugioh is about two parts of the field: monsters and spells/traps, you want to run a card that can completely wipe out half of the opponent's field.  Everyone who had it, ran it.
 
Will it come back?  Likely not.  We have so many balanced Spell/Trap removal options.  There are dozens including Twin Twister, Mobius, Night Beam, Galaxy Cyclone, MST and the list goes on.
 
As far as how I would balance Duster, I would just make it like it was originally intended.  Require the player to have a face-up Harpie monster in order to activate it.  Sure, Harpie's have plenty of backrow hate, but it's hard to resist one as good as Duster.  It would be more niche, but I can't think of a better way to nerf it otherwise.
 
5/5

Hello Pojo Fans,

Ban week on CoTD, and starting it off with Harpies Feather Duster.

Absolute devastation back in the day when this card was legal. Wipe the spell/trap zone of your opponents clean at no cost...amazing. If you didn't play this card it was because you couldn't find one or afford it. This card is limited in the OCG, so I don't see why they couldn't bring it back for one ban list session like they did with Snatch Steal and reban it.

If it comes back, play it, even if it makes your deck uneven. That, or find a spot.

Advanced-5/5
Art-4/5

Until Next Time

What can be said about Harpie's Feather Duster that hasn't already been said? It's been reviewed twice on Pojo already and has been Banned in the TCG for years. The OCG has been able to work magic with this Normal Spell Card while the TCG cries for more back row destruction or removal. Why is this banned? No cost, multiple activations allowed per turn, can be run in any deck, and it has the potential to destroy 8 or more of the opponent's cards. Fast and effective destruction for Spells and Traps. If this ever comes back it will be a race to have it in the hand before the opponent. Getting rid of even one Solemn Strike is worth the deck space. Honestly, I'd rather have Giant Trunade back. Happy Valentine's Day!

Score: Banned/5
If ever unbanned: 5/5
Art: 3/5

Sorry I missed most of last week. :(
-WarlockBlitz

Hello Pojo! This is my first review for Pojo.com. My team is H3Gaming. The team consist of myself and my brother. We both have been playing since 2002. So with that out of the way, lets get to the review! Harpie's Feather, what can I say? The effect is simple "destroy all spells and traps on your opponent's side of the field." I was around when this card first came out as a video game exclusive. The sheer power of this card can not be understated then, nor can it even in the current meta. The effect to essentially "sweep" your opponent's board of all spells and traps(this would now include pendulum scales) is immensely powerful. It is a Raigeki for spells and traps. I feel that this would easily become a staple "one of" in every deck if ever unbanned. This would enable and sharp spike in OTK style decks, also I think that it would keep the "derp-derp, set five, pass" in check as well. The only draw back to this card is that it is a spell speed one. This card belongs in the 5/5 category.

5/5