Stats                : D.D. Survivor is a Level 4 Monster, making it simple to Summon (seems silly to point out, but I know what’s being reviewed the rest of the week).  It is a Dark/Warrior, a fantastically potent Attribute/Type combination.  Dark Monsters have decent support and Warriors appear to be the best supported type, plus together they are a perfect fit for Warrior/Chaos decks.  Moving on, we see a solid 1800 ATK.  This used to be tops for Level 4 beatsticks, and even though the cap has long since passed it by, it still remains quite solid: only “real” beatsticks can top it.  We then see a DEF of… 200?  This is rather tiny, but I am glad to see it?  Why?  This is an Effect Monster.  As you know, I complain about the lack of apparent “stat” caps in Yu-Gi-Oh: It used to be the lone Level 4, 1800 ATK monster was king.  Now, if it doesn’t have an effect, it’s pretty much lucky to be used as filler.  Well, the ATK isn’t the only stat that can be sacrificed to justify an effect: DEF can be decreased as well.  There are several cards that change Monster Battle Positions, and two (Book of Moon and Enemy Controller) are common played.  So a pitiful 200 DEF, while better than something less, means that this is as good as dead in DEF mode.  This should cover the cost of a decent effect.

 

Effect(s)            : The effect is that when this face-up Monster is removed from play, it is Special Summoned to the Owner’s side of the field during the End Phase.  On its own, it isn’t a great effect, but it isn’t horrid either.  Still, it probably could have gotten away with a higher DEF and still be balanced.  Unless there is a good combo for it…

 

Uses and

Combinations  : Okay, one combination is somewhat weak, but works: Card of Sanctity. Do your normal stuff Main Phase 1, attack with this, and assuming it survives, play Card of Sanctity, hopefully only removing this from play, draw 2, then make use of them and get this guy back during your End Phase.  Not great, but something.  Gee, if only there were Monsters with ATK/DEF scores of less than 1800 that removed Monsters from play… yeah, that is right, this card, ironically, is anti-D.D. Warrior Lady and D.D. Assailant.  Their effects become essentially useless.  Are there any other effects that remove a face-up Monster from play?  Yes, one of my favorite Equip Spells: Big Bang Shot.  You may recall how I love trample.  Well, Big Bang Shot gives a 400 ATK power boost and trample.  The downside is that when Big Bang Shot is destroyed, the Monster it was attached to is removed from play.  While it will still be annoying if your opponent manages to use a set Mystical Space Typhoon to protect themselves from an attack from a Big Bang Shot equipped D.D. Survivor, better that than not being able to score 2200 damage against Sheep Tokens, and better they use Mystical Space Typhoon on that then on a Pre-Mature Burial or Call of the Haunted.  It gains some protection from Dark Core and, if for some reason Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning didn’t want to risk attacking it and just tried to remove it from play… well, that’s only a temporary fix.  This card makes Different Dimension Capsule a hair more useful, I suppose: choose D.D. Survivor and one of their Monsters, and no matter what, you get your Monster back by the end of the turn.  Well, that is all I can find for now.  Nothing too great… good thing this is still a decent Beatstick and Chaos food.

 

Ratings

 

Traditional       : 3/5-Why so high?  It works with Chaos decks, and is a decent top deck, and D.D. Assailant and D.D. Warrior Lady are so common.

 

Advanced        : 3.5/5-As above and being a solid Level 4 beatstick is more useful here.

 

Limited            : 4/5-Why so high?  Here it happens to be one of the best no-Tribute beatsticks.

 

Summary

Most of the cards the D.D. Survivor can combo with don’t see any significant play in serious decks, but its ability to counter the popular “D.D.” based Monster removal and work with Chaos decks makes it a solid card.