Zombyra the Dark

Rated For: Warrior Decks

We culminate this week with Zombrya the Dark, underlooked and underestimated by all Cookie Cutter Warrior Decks for God knows what reason, especially considering the fact that Dark Warriors aren't exactly common. In fact, the typical cookie cutter Warrior deck has only Don Zaloog as a viable warrior option, with the other slots going to cards such as Kycoo, Skilled Dark Magician, Breaker, Magical Scientist, and Jinzo. Here's a *brilliant* idea; instead of splashing in a worthless 1900 spellcaster that doesn't fit the theme, why not put in a field dominating, Berserk Gorilla-owning Zombrya the Dark?

See, Zombrya is one of the godliest normal summons in the game for numerous reasons. It kills Airknight, Gorilla, and almost any other monster in the game, including Ryu Senshi, Dark Balter the Terrible, and such. It also offers no benefit to your opponent if Change of Hearted or Snatch Stealed, making it one of the best opening drops in the game (especially if you draw Crossouts). It's also a DARK type.

Of course, cookie cutter users are never really known for their ingenuity or innovative capabilities, so it's easy to understand why Zombrya has been ignored completely. Let's lift the veil of ignorance and hail the age of Zombrya the Dark. He really deserves it; he's like the superheroes in The Incredibles, really; nobody shows him any love!

Advantage F/H: There's a word for a  2100 attack monster that is only four stars. The word is godly, and that's what Zombrya is. Imagine if you smash a Kycoo/Skilled Dark/Airknight/Gorilla with him. He drops down to 1900! 1900 is still enough to dominate the field. This card provides utter, rampant field advantage right out of the box. Ownage in a bottle.

Traditional:                                         9/10

Advanced:                                          9/10

Best Draw for the Situation: His biggest hindrance, the fact he can't attack direct, is actually a boon if you think about it. Play this card on turn 2 or turn 1 (depending on who goes first), and your opponent can only react to it with monster threats. If they Change/Snatch it, they better tribute it! And if they play Smashing Ground/Ring of Destruction etc al. (which they're often forced to do because of this bad boy's attack power), you still gain!

T:                                            8/10

A:                                            8/10

Attributes/Effect: Warrior. Dark. 2100 attack. Enough said.

T:                                            9/10

A:                                            9/10

Dependability: Here's the tough part; sure you'll keep him on the field for a while, but his effectiveness won't directly win the game for you. Scapegoats are his bane, and you can't ever attack direct, meaning you'll eventually have to get rid of the guy.

T:                                            6.5/10

A:                                            6.5/10

The Bottom Line: A great counter to Metamorphosis decks, Gorilla decks, etcetera.

A BAD Score--

Traditional:                                         4/5

Advanced:                                          4/5

FORCE System Suggestions:

++        Contributes to Field Control, On-Field Presence, Counter-Defense
 

Zombyra the Dark

I’ll be honest: I’ve never liked Zombyra.  Yes, he has 2100 ATK.  Yes, he’s a Warrior.  But he has two bad effects, one of which isn’t that bad – but the other is terrible.  Statistically, Zombyra’s a great monster.  You don’t find many Level Fours with 2100 ATK, and of course, the Warrior type is always a bonus.

But his effects kill him.  First of all, whenever he kills a monster, he loses 200 ATK.  So if you kill one, your Zombyra is at 1900 (still fairly respectable).  If you kill two, he’s at 1700 (more vulnerable now).  If you kill three (getting fairly unlikely), he’ll now be at 1500, and so forth.  Eventually he’ll be useless. 

That brings us to his second effect.  He can’t attack directly.  If your opponent’s field is open and you need to attack for the win, you can’t.  If you need to score that last bit of damage, you can’t.  This monster is very unlikely to damage your opponent significantly, because he lacks an ability that almost all other monsters have, an ability of, really, extreme importance. 

Zombyra is a field-clearer.  Use him to get rid of monsters if you can’t find anything better, but I will say right now that there are better ways to clear your opponent’s field, ways that don’t waste summons and aren’t vulnerable to things like Sakuretsu Armor.

Traditional – CCCC: 2/5

Traditional – Warrior: 2.5/5

Advanced – CCWC: 3/5