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Pojo's Yu-Gi-Oh! Card of the Day
Daily Since 2002!

The Forceful Sentry
- #MRL-038
 
Look at your opponent's hand, then select 1 cards and return it to his/her Deck. The Deck is then shuffled.

Card Rating
Advanced: 4.50 

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 is Horrible. 3 is Average. 5 is the highest rating.


Date Reviewed: Feb. 16, 2017

Back to the main COTD Page

 

RCG

The Forceful Sentry

 

Of all the banned cards we are reviewing this week, The Forceful Sentry is the most bland and unnecessary. Long ago, there wasn’t much imagination in card development. There didn’t need to be. And this is one of those foundational cards that you had to run just like everyone else. There’s not much else to say.

 

And as not all you readers might acknowledge, this card would be a staple in every deck if it returned. There would be no reason not to run a single copy. You’d fill in a deck space with a card that is 1-for-1 and provides crucial information. Would an errata help? Konami wouldn’t bother. There’s no reason to bring back a card no one really cared about in the first place. And let’s say I’m wrong and no one runs it – does that even matter? The sheer simplicity of this spell is annoying and in no way adds value to the game. It’s not coming back.

 

Advanced: 4/5 I guess

Future Potential: 0/5


Baneful

This card hasn't been reviewed on Pojo since it first came out in late 2002.  From its release until the day it got banned (right before Goat Format), it was a staple that every competitive deck needed a copy of.  While it did not provide the easy +1 that Delinquent Duo did, it was definitely superior to Confiscation.  Perhaps early on in the game's history people thought that sending cards to the graveyard was better than shuffling them back in the deck, but at that time graveyard reviving (and monsters with effects that activate in the grave) weren't as common.
 
Surprisingly, this card got banned over Delinquent Duo, but that's somewhat understandable.  Duo had a lifepoint cost plus the possibility of wasting it when the opponent had a Sinister Serpent in hand.  The Forceful Sentry gave the player a clean easy advantage with no downsides, including the advantage to view the opponent's hand.  Trap Dustshoot (a slower, slightly more situational version of The Forceful Sentry) saw play in the late 2000's, but it was banned once people realized the abuse of having a player's hand reduced before they even began their turn.  It's safe to say that if Dustshoot isn't coming back, The Forceful Sentry is never coming back, and I'm okay with that.
 
How would I balance this card with an errata?  Require a discard cost so that the player has to use it intelligently in order to gain an advantage from it.  
 
5/5


Kingof
Lullaby

Hello Pojo Fans,
 
The Forceful Sentry was part of a devastating combo of cards when it was legal (Dustshoot, Mind Crush, Delinquent Duo, Confiscation) that would rob your opponent of resources as soon as you drew the card.
 
Easy to use, see your opponent's hand, know what they are playing, prepare against what they currently have in their hand, and cycle a card back into the deck. Not having the card go to the grave is a major benefit as the graveyard is even more central to strategies as time has passed in the game. This was another card you just automatically slipped into your deck. It was a 1-for-1 and the knowledge you gained from it would help you straight-away. 
 
Advanced-4/5- If Legal
Art-3/5
 
Until Next Time
KingofLullaby


Warlockblitz
YouTube

This card is so overpowered turn one that it is still banned. I'm surprised this card has only been reviewed once. From the set formerly known as Magic Ruler, The Forceful Sentry is a free one for one. But it gains the user something that few cards can, knowledge. At no cost, you look at the opponent's hand and put something back into the deck. Problems arise if you have something like Serial Spell, or a ready to be flipped Magician of Faith (lol) because you can nuke their hand and they can't respond turn one. Anyway, back to knowledge. During any part of the game but more so in the early game, the opponent may try to bluff a Solemn Strike. But if you know they don't have one, then you can Normal and Special Summon with impunity. Knowledge is power, and this card could come back, but it would be very expensive if it did. 
 
Score: Banned/5
If ever unbanned: 5/5
Art: 5/5
 
-WarlockBlitz


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