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Pojo's Yu-Gi-Oh Card of the Day
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Horus the
Black Flame Dragon LV4
Rare / Ultimate Rare
Dragon / Effect Monster
As long as this card remains face-up on your side of
the field, control of this card cannot switch.
During the End Phase of a turn that this card
destroyed a monster as a result of battle, send this
card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Horus the
Black Flame Dragon LV6" from your hand or Deck.
Type
- Fire / 4 / 1600 / 1000
Card Number
- SOD-EN006
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale 1 being
the worst. 3 ... average. 5 is the highest rating
Date Reviewed - 10.15.04 |
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Horus the
Black Flame Dragon LV6
Super Rare / Ultimate Rare
Dragon / Effect Monster
As long as this card remains face-up on your side of
the field, it is unaffected by any Spell Cards.
During the End Phase of a turn that this card
destroyed a monster as a result of battle, send this
card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Horus the
Black Flame Dragon LV8" from your hand or Deck.
Type
- Fire / 6 / 2300 / 1600
Card Number
- SOD-EN007 |
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Horus the
Black Flame Dragon LV8
Ultra Rare / Ultimate Rare
Dragon / Effect Monster
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This
card cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect
of "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6". As long as
this card remains face-up on your side of the field,
you can negate the activation and effect of any
Spell Cards and destroy them.
Type
- Fire / 8 / 3000 / 1800
Card Number
- SOD-EN008 |
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Tranorix |
Horus Family
I'd be lying if I said the Horus Dragons weren't the
most anticipated cards in Soul of the Duelist. I'd
be lying if I said the Horus Dragons weren’t very
playable. I'd also be lying if I said that the Horus
Dragons weren't overrated. They are. But let's get
to the review:
Lv4 is good. It isn't great, but it's good. With ATK
of 1600, he can hold his own; but he isn't really a
powerful monster. The effect of not being able to
change control can be useful, of course, if your
opponent has nothing but Change of Heart and/or
Snatch Steal and/or Creature Swap handy. Then if it
kills something in battle, you get to summon Lv6.
Lv6 > Lv4. Having 2300 ATK isn't spectacular for a
tribute monster, but it isn't bad either. Since you
can summon Lv6 through the effect of Lv4, it
decreases the negative aspect of Lv6’s being...Level
6. And he's unaffected by Spell Cards! Dark Hole?
No. Raigeki? No. Change of Heart? No. Etc...you CAN,
however, use something like Premature Burial to
bring him back from the Graveyard since his effect
only applies when he's on the field. It's useful;
it's definitely useful, but it doesn't make Lv6
invincible. After all, monster effects, Traps,
stronger monsters, or even a suicide attack from
Goblin Attack Force will all take care of him. But
if he kills something in battle...you get Lv8.
Lv8 is undeniably an awesome monster. It's a nomi
monster, like Armed Dragon Lv7; but that doesn't
detract from his power. You get to negate any Spell
Card you want with absolutely no cost. Add an
impressive 3000 ATK into the equation and you have a
dominating force. It's still vulnerable to monster
effects and Traps, but there's a good chance that
you're going to win if you manage to get Horus Lv8
on the field.
Can a deck built around these cards win tournaments?
DEFINITELY. But will Horus Decks become the new
Cookie Cutter Chaos Control? No, they won't. They
are too easy to counter. Nevertheless, the Horus
Dragons are among the best cards in Soul of the
Duelist and certainly deserve consideration (though
not the extensive worship they seem to be getting).
I'm giving them the same rating for Traditional and
Advanced; the deck plays a little easer in Advanced
Format, but in Traditional Format there are more
game-breaking Spells that Horus can negate.
Traditional – CCCC: 2.5/5
Traditional – Horus: 3.5/5
Advanced – Horus: 3.5/5 |
|
Coin Flip |
The Black Flare Dragon of Horus was something that
really just became its own decktype upon release in
Japan, and was instantly envied by American players.
I mean, the power of Dark Paladin for a smaller and
easier to fulfill cost is just insane. Let's look at
all three of them.
LV4 is a small fry among the other two. The effect
has actually done a lot for players in this area...
I've seen both players mess up in the same duel
concerning the effect. One of them tried to use
Creature Swap when they had only a Horus LV4 on the
field, and the other tried to Change of Heart it.
That was funny. The effect is minorly annoying.
LV6 is a huge step up... 2300 attack is more than
decent, but the real effect lies in the fact that it
is unaffected by Magic cards. No Raigeki. No Dark
Hole. No Change of Heart, no United We Stand, no
Snatch Steal... Instant domination over a good deal
of the monsters in the game + instant domination
over all magic cards in the game makes for a very
good monster. It CAN be offered for Level Up!!, by
the way.
Speaking of Level Up!!, LV8... wh0a. 3000 attack is
just plain wh0a. People reworked their entire deck
just to fit in chaos monsters, constantly subjected
themselves to using cards that they thought were
lackluster to summon cards with effects somewhat on
par with this.
I say that loosely. CED has a powerful effect, BLS
has a powerful effect, but neither one can really
handicap one player to the point that around 3/7's
of the cards in her/his deck are useless.
The effect can be used in the Damage Step, can be
used to chain against magic cards of all speeds, and
best of all, is FREE. Dark Paladin is annoying, this
is just freaking g0dly. It has built-in protection
against most removal with NO cost. NO COST.
I've personally been able to get out of Horus locks
with some success, but the average deck post-ban
will run about 4 cards that can stop it, and 3 are
restricted. DDWL, Tribe-Infecting Virus, Magical
Scientist and Ring of Destruction...
Here's my Horus-themed deck with heavy Dragon
support. This is lacking Mirage Dragon, but no
biggie, that comes out next set anyway.
Monsters: 18
Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV8
Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV8
Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV6
Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV6
Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV4
Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV4
Jinzo
Luster Dragon
Luster Dragon
Element Dragon
Element Dragon
Twin-Headed Behemoth
Masked Dragon
Masked Dragon
Masked Dragon
Troop Dragon
Troop Dragon
Troop Dragon
Magic: 18
Pot of Greed
Change of Heart
Heavy Storm
Snatch Steal
Forceful Sentry
Premature Burial
Nobleman of Crossout
Nobleman of Crossout
Creature Swap
Creature Swap
Stamping Destruction
Stamping Destruction
Stamping Destruction
Book of Moon
Book of Moon
Book of Moon
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Traps: 5
Dragon's Rage
Dragon's Rage
Dragon's Rage
Interdimensional Matter Transporter
Hallowed Life Barrier
Remember, this is just what I would run if I made a
Horus deck. |
|
ExMinion OfDarkness |
Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 4/6/8
These three cards are hailed as the powerhouses of
the set -- the Chaos monsters of IOC, the V-Lord and
DDWL of Dark Crisis, the Jinzo of Pharaoh's Servant.
Are they that good? Let's find out.
Lv. 4: 1600 ATK means non-searchable (in Advanced)
-- most likely the reason he was given that exact
ATK score. Immunity to Change of Heart, Snatch
Steal, Creature Swap, and Enemy Controller is
helpful -- a player who would swap over a Shining
Angel or Mystic Tomato has to wait for some other
card to go when this guy's out. With 1600 ATK, it's
not too hard to get him to kill a monster to get to:
Lv. 6: This card gains immunity from even more
things -- namely, ALL spells. It'll take some good
Trap cards to get rid of this thing -- Sakuretsu
Armor and Ring of Destruction come to mind for
Advanced, joined by Mirror Force back in the
Traditional world. With so many cards in Advanced
Format being 2400 attack (Zaborg, Mobius, Jinzo...)
he'll have to pick off something weaker to level up,
but that shouldn't be a great problem. That brings
us to:
Lv. 8: Any Duelist who misses Imperial Order badly
enough may make this deck just to get to Lv. 8. It
lets you negate all opponent's spells and none of
your own. The weaknesses are glaring but can be
covered -- Trap cards can be stopped a few ways --
Jinzo, for those who haven't blown thousands on the
game, and Royal Decree (in this case, the better
option) for those who have. The only monsters that
really hurt this card are X-Force, DD Warrior Lady,
and Tribe-Infecting Virus. Most other threats aren't
really used in competitive play. Right now, that
weakness is fairly large -- when the next set comes
out, "Heavenly Punishment" (Trap; discard 1 card
from your hand when a monster uses an effect, negate
the effect and destroy the monster) will be this
card's greatest aid...and greatest foe, as you could
possibly lose your Horus for trying to negate a
Spell.
This + Royal Decree = a near-stranglehold on the
game.
This + Solemn Judgment F/D = even better.
Traditional: 2.75/5 -- Imperial's still here, so
there's better spell-killing. However, the speed
that Traditional affords its players can enable a
player to get Horus 8 out on the first turn (with Lv.
6 in the Graveyard, a Reborner, and Level Up!).
Advanced: 3.75/5 -- It will see play. It will
probably see more play than it deserves. It's one of
those things you worry about for now and is no
longer a problem later -- as previously told,
"Heavenly Punishment" will knock Horus down a
notch...that is, if it ever gets off the ground in
the first place. It's still a good Deck, but less
M/T kill = more Traps = more things that can kill
Horus. |
|
Snapper |
Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4, LV6, and LV8
With Friday come the reviews of the most hyped
monsters of SOD, the Horus Dragons. The question
most people ask about the Horus Dragons though is,
“Are they worthy of the hype?” I hope to make the
answer painfully clear.
Stats (All LVs): LV4 has 1600/1000 ATK/DEF, allowing
it to be searched by Witch of the Black Forest.
Unlike many of the first LV monsters, Horus LV4 has
a useable ATK, allowing it the possibilities to
destroy something. LV6 has 2300/1700 ATK/DEF. While
the ATK is not as high as that of most used level
5-6 monsters, it isn’t bad; 2300 can still destroy a
lot of monsters. Ana although it would be nice to
have the ability to retrieve LV6 with Witch, it
isn’t a big drawback. LV8 has 3000/1800 ATK/DEF.
With such a high ATK, LV8 will have zero problems
surviving a few turns. All the Horus Dragons are
FIRE monsters, which have been receiving increasing
support over the last few sets. They are also all
Dragons, which have always had a good amount of card
support. Stats (LV4) – Good. Stats (LV6) – Adequate.
Stats (LV8) – Good.
Effect (LV4): LV4’s first effect forbids it from
being taken control of by your opponent; a nice
effect to ensure it is never used against you. Its
second effect is common amongst the LV monsters;
when it destroys a monster as a result of battle you
can send LV4 to the Graveyard during the End Phase
to Special Summon LV6 from your hand or Deck. With a
good ATK of 1600, LV4 won’t be having a lot of
problems using this effect. Effect – Good.
Effect (LV6): LV6’s first effect makes it immune to
all Spell Cards while face-up on the field. This is
a very simple effect to understand; your opponent
used Dark Hole? LV6 lives. They used Swords of
Revealing Light? LV6 can still attack. They’re
trying to Snatch Steal LV6? You keep LV6 and gain
1000 Life Points each turn. When it’s put that way,
it’s obvious that this is a wonderful effect. The
second effect allows you to send LV6 to the
Graveyard during the End Phase of a turn that it
destroyed a monster as a result of battle, to
Special Summon LV8 form your hand or Deck. Like LV4,
LV6 won’t have many problems using this effect with
such a high ATK. Effect – Great.
Effect (LV8): LV8’s first effect is common with the
final LV of all the LV monsters; it can only be
Special Summoned through the previous LV’s effect,
meaning that the second it goes to the Graveyard, it
will be staying there. The thing about LV8 though is
that it may never get to the Graveyard. The second
effect allows you to negate and destroy a Spell Card
when it is activated. Note the words ‘when it’s
activated’. This means you can’t Special Summon LV8
and then destroy your opponent’s already activated
Premature Burial. With that aside, this is a godly
effect. Think of Imperial Order. Now think of an
Imperial Order that doesn’t require you to pay Life
Points. Now think of that same Imperial Order with
the ability to turn it on or off. That’s what LV8
is. Your opponent just used Raigeki? Just choose to
negate it and you’ll keep all of your monsters. They
used Monster Reborn on something? Just negate it.
You want to give LV8 and United We Stand? That’s
perfectly fine; just don’t negate it and you’ll have
a monster with a phenomenal ATK. The possibilities
with LV8 are endless… Effect – Excellent.
Combos (All LVs): Like all the LV monsters, you can
use Level Up! on a lower LV to Special Summon the
next. And for those who don’t know, you can indeed
use Level Up! on LV6 because to send LV6 to the
Graveyard through Level Up! is a cost, which LV6
can’t negate. You can use Level Limit – Area B while
LV6 is on the field so that all of your opponent’s
threatening monster will be put in Defense Position,
and LV6 will still be able to attack. Have Royal
Decree or Jinzo on the field with LV8 so that you
can bring down the number of cards your opponent can
use against you to a very small number.
Interdimensional Matter Transporter would help to
keep LV8 out of the Graveyard in case it meets a
possible unfortunate end with a Trap Card or Effect
Monster Card.
Usability (All LVs): All of the Horus Dragons fit in
to two types of decks with ease. In a Horus Deck,
you will focus on getting LV8 out ASAP along with a
possible Jinzo to bring the duel to a quick end.
They also work well in any type of Dragon Deck.
While the goal is the same as with a Horus Deck, you
will also focus your attention on getting other
powerful dragons onto the field. LV6 is also not
confined to just these two deck types, it can fit
well in any deck that fears Spell Cards.
The Horus Dragons receive a lot of hype, but I think
it’s clear that they are very deserving of it. Try
them out; you may be very pleased.
Advanced Format (All LVs): 4.5/5. There are no forms
of major Spell negation in Advanced, and the Horus
Dragons can give that with ease.
Traditional Format (All LVs)t: 4/5. Spell Negation
is easier to come by, and is also very important,
giving the Horus Dragons a warm welcome.
Art (All LVs): 4/5. All of the Horus Dragons look
more along the lines of falcons or some other type
of bird, but not dragons. |
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