RCG |
Darklord Ixchel
We start a look at some of the new Darklord monsters
in Destiny Soldiers by looking at what some would
call the heart of the Darklord deck (it’s not), but
is definitely its enabler. Darklord decks are out to
do one thing first: summon Darklord Superbia. The
monsters all have abilities that can target Darklord
spells or traps and cycle them back into the deck to
use the effects, but there is only one reason the
deck succeeds on any level: Superbia. I’ve heard
players argue that their focus is first on setting
up Archlord Kristya and Vanity’s Fiend, or just
using as much speed as possible to flood the
graveyard and the field so as to get one mega turn
of effects, but I’ve seen many versions of Darklords
and my opinion is they would not be relevant without
Superbia.
And so the reason Darklord Ixchel is great (beyond
the obvious: draw 2 and thin the deck) is that she
can quickly get Superbia into the graveyard, or any
other Darklord, of course, but you’re really hoping
for that combo unless you already have him in the
grave. That’s because that singular play isn’t an
initial minus, unlike Nasten or Amdusc for example.
After that though, she’s a standard monster,
unfortunately. Her low attack and high level ensure
she won’t be the favorite target of Superbia, as
players usually prefer other level 8 targets like
Kristya and even Zerato for control or possible Rank
8 plays. Plus, her first effect is once per turn,
which is a real shame, if not understandable.
Regardless, she’s a triplicate must-run, despite her
one-trick pony status. Opening with Ixchel is
desired.
I’m not a fan of Darklords in particular, at least
not at the moment. In a way, Darklords suffer from
the same problem as Dark Magician. As explosive as
the deck can be under the right circumstances,
without consistent plusses or relentless control,
it’s hard to make up for all the minuses the
archetype demands. And the deck is so reliant on
certain cards, much like Dark Magician is so reliant
on Dark Magical Circle, the opponent knows exactly
what to target with preventative measures and side
deck options. As a result, the deck needs to win
quickly. However, that’s not to say it will always
be the case. I feel like Darklords also have a
brighter future than a lot of current archetypes
because the cards focus almost as much on
fairy-types in general as they do on Darklord cards
specifically. So future fairy support could very
well boost the archetype at any time. And of course,
any deck that can make good use of Kristya always
has potential. Ixchel will forever be a part of that
potential.
Advanced: 4/5
Future Potential: 4/5
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RCG |
Darklord Ixchel has a weird name. She is a Level
10 Dark Fairy-type monster with 2500 Atk and 2900
Def. Those stats are pretty bad for Level 10,
Especially if you want to use Trade-In, which wants
Level 8 monsters. With such bad stats, why did she
need to have a Special Summon only once per turn
restriction. Her effects aren't game breaking. The
first lets you discard her and any Darklord card to
draw 2 cards. The Darklord card could be another
copy of herself, Spells, or Traps. It's an even
exchange of resources, and probably puts monsters in
the grave to be revived later. That effect being
good does not warrant the Special Summon
restriction.
The second effect costs 1000 Life points. Ixchel
targets a Darklord Spell or Trap and applies its
effect. This might have been the reason for the
restriction except the effect shuffles the target
back into the deck, so multiple Ixchel's can't use
the same Spell or Trap. Furthermore, each Ixchel
effect can only be used once per turn. Soul Charge
can be bring out multiple Ixchel, but the
restriction still really hurts. Good effects, but
the wrong Level. Oh well. Darklord Ixchel is a good
Draw option for Darklord Decks. If you get her on
the field she can utilize spent or milled Spells.
Score: 3.5/5
Art: 5/5
-WarlockBlitz
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