Compulsory Evacuation Device

We continue our week of looking at cards that should have a huge presence after link monsters are introduced. Compulsory Evacuation Device is definitely near the top of most players’ lists of must-have cards. Simply put, the extra deck is going to be completely reliant on a single monster zone space after link summoning is legal. I’ve overheard many players claim that link summoning is going to be just as fast as the prior formats simply based on what appears to be some fast combos. And have no doubt, there are already some very long two-card combos that people are coming up reminiscent of those infamous 20 minute turns that led to monsters like Quasar. But that’s so far from what’s actually likely to occur. Allow me to explain.

The fact of the matter is that the meta is going to change to focus so heavily on disrupting plays in the one allotted Extra Monster Zone. It’s a single target, and it should be easy to do. If you have Compulsory, the opponent’s entire turn can be devastated just by hitting the key card. It’s not like before, when bouncing a monster could be momentarily disruptive. A timely hit of a crucial link monster can completely annihilate a turn, because the entire extra deck can be made inaccessible. And cards that you could use any time will now probably be reserved for the extra deck summon that matters. Compulsory Evac, along with Solemn Warning, Solemn Strike, Ring of Destruction, Bottomless Trap Hole, etc. will have much simpler and easier-to-identify targets. And all of this will lead to the meta inevitably morphing into slower protection setup and more reliance on main deck plays. There’s no way the game can maintain today’s pace, as currently constituted, even with tokens, because the new mechanics forbid it. It’s a single designated space. Just as good players know when to hit that crucial normal summon because they know the opponent won’t get another one, they will also know which link monster to target and when. And if the game is controlled like that by both players, and overextending is punished so cruelly by a single card like Compulsory, then the game will inevitably transform and slow down. Konami would need to overhaul the ban list and crush it with a glut of new cards to prevent this kind of control on the Extra Monster Zone.

I could be wrong, but it seems Konami is making this change for a reason. Power creep needed to be reset 5-10 years, and it wouldn’t help them if the game immediately sped right back up. It’s much more likely that the game is about to balance out by a mechanic that Compulsory Evacuation Device highlights the dangers of abusing. We should know soon how this trap will impact the game, since Compulsory is at 3 in the OCG. Time will tell, but I’m positive this card will be a big player for years to come.

Advanced: 3/5

Future Potential: 5/5

Compulsory Evacuation Device
 
I guess this is what you could call a throwback week.  When this card was originally released, it was largely a tool for either aggro (taking a -1 to reduce the opponent's field advantage) or, occasionally, as a 1-for-1 method of protecting your monster from removal (at expense of your field advantage).  It was a decent card always but didn't gain prominence until the Synchro/XYZ era allowed this card to return the monster back to the Extra Deck.  But now that those two types of monsters are no longer the most powerful monster types (and decks are more diverse), running CED hasn't been as safe of a bet, but you never know when a versatile no-cost card of this sort may come in handy again.
 
3/5

Hello Pojo Fans,
 
Compulsory Evacuation Device, or Compulsory for short, is an old card, but still relevant and useful.
 
Pop a monster on the field (any monster) back to the owners hand with this Normal Trap. Easy, simple, no cost or restrictions. Go after a face-down monster, Xyz, Fusion, Special Summoned, etc. Interrupt your opponents swarming, stop their big combo, or just get rid of their Synchro, Fusion, or Xyz before they get to use it. Compulsory has lost favor over other traps as deck space has become thin, but you can still find it here and there in the side deck and main deck of certain builds.
 
I think it is still a solid card, and one that will remain that way.
 
 
Advanced-3.5/5
Art-3/5
 
Until Next Time