Stats: Abare Ushioni is an Earth/Beast-Warrior Level 4 Effect Monster with ATK/DEF of 1200 each.  The good news is this means that it:

 

1. Can be easily Normal Summoned
2. Can be searched for and Special Summoned via Giant Rat
3. Can searched for via Sangan and Witch of the Black Forest
4. Can slip under Messenger of Peace
5. Has several strong supporting cards for its Attribute (Earth)
6. Has several strong supporting cards for its Type (Beast-Warrior)
7. Has an Attribute/Type Combination that has a lot of Support

 

The bad news is… it’s puny.  1200 for both ATK and DEF means that either mode, you’re probably dead if a successful attack is launched: this is weaker than the Attribute-based searchers, and only a few general support Monsters will clock in below 1200 (mostly Flip Effects).  As stated, it is a commonly seen combination, so there are ample alternatives to this card based on stats alone.  Good thing this is a Burner Week and this is an effect based card, huh?

 

Effect(s): Once per turn, during your Main Phase you can flip a coin.  If you correctly call it, you score a cool 1000 points of damage.  This is a solid effect.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there: if you call it wrong, you nail yourself for the 1000 points of damage.  Ouch.  As a whole, this is a fairly mediocre effect, and will not really give an Earth/Beast-Warrior deck running person much cause to try it.  For that matter, most Burners have better options too.  The random nature is a mixed blessing: it keeps Barrel Behind the Door from being used with is (that card requires you know that damage is being done), so while you can’t use that to insure you damage the opponent, neither can they use said card to make sure you hurt yourself.

 

Uses and Combinations: Don’t give up yet.  There is still a small niche for this card.  Obviously, if you want a Beast/Beast-Warrior Burner, you more or less have to use this (along with Man-Thro’ Tro’).  Still, that’s rather paltry.  So we need to see if there is any way to decrease the extent of the downsides of the effect.  I can think of two ways. 

 

First, play it in a deck that doesn’t mind occasionally taking damage, like Suicide Beatdown.  My current attempt at this deck actually follows an Earth theme, and has quite a few Beasts and Beast-Warriors in it, including Giant Rat.  In such a deck, Abare Ushioni is a little less puny (Gaia Power makes it a 1700/800 Level 4), and I won’t mind my LP dropping slightly below my opponents.  If I use the effect Main Phase 2 and in conjunction with Megamorph, there is a decent chance it will either still hurt the opponent, or may switch the LP scores enough to either even up the LP scores or drop me behind just a tad again, thus stopping Megamorph’s ATK halving effect and hopefully restoring its ATK doubling effect.

 

The second option is to add a little Burn to a Second Coin Toss deck.  Such decks uses several cards with coin flip(s) and then of course Second Coin Toss to skew the odds in that player’s favor.

 

Using either method (or something else), consider running Pikeru’s Circle of Enchantment or similar cards to block the negative aspect of the effect.

 

Ratings

 

Traditional: 1.25/5-Defintely not something to run here.  The possibilities I mentioned tend to favor a lot of Permanent/Continuous Spell/Trap support and a field with several Monsters in play, which means they are incredibly vulnerable here both kinds of mass removal.  Even non-CCCC decks will probably walk all over it.

 

Advanced: 1.75/5-I really am not seeing Abare Ushioni as too useful a trick, even for the deck ideas I threw out there.  If someone has a sick combo for it, maybe it would be useful.  My experience with Burners (usually not on the happy end of it) is that, even after restrictions, they still have a good deal of support, and this card just doesn’t make the cut.

 

Limited: 2.5/5-Here, the stats are less poor, relatively speaking, the burn effect will be a hair more useful.

 

Summary

I understand the idea, but believe the designers over-estimated the usefulness of the effect.  We have Stealth Bird for a much safer, more reliable 1000 points of Burn damage a turn, and it’s almost as searchable.  This even split of helping and hurting is better reserved for an otherwise average beatstick or wall.  Had Abare Ushioni been, say, 1600-1900 ATK Level 4, or had a DEF of 1900 or more, I could see it being worked into a lot more decks.  Even eliminating several “broken” Monsters, it still doesn’t keep up with the “mediocre” lot.  I guess if you want a Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, this would be a must: it’s very reminiscent of the boss of the second temple.