#7

Elemental Hero Stratos

I never quite understood the uproar over Stratos. He's a solid card, and definately should be played in an E-Hero or D-Hero deck, but he isn't very splashable, and I think that's what hurts the card the most.

He has two good effects. First, being able to destroy a number of Magic or Trap cards equal to the E or D-Heroes you control, excluding himself, or, you can choose to add an E or D-Hero from your Deck to your Hand.

So, he's at least an instant +1, maybe more, or at least he should be, and he gets his effect if he's Normal or Special Summoned. Really, I think his biggest downfall is that he is of the Wind Attribute. Even his attack (1800) is great.

Ratings:

Traditional: 2/5 Wind, or E-Heros, here?

Advanced: 5/5 It's own deck.

Art: 4/5

            Today's card, Elemental Hero Stratos, was limited to one before it even became playable, and for very good reason. In three's, this card would be able to abuse its effect by searching itself out twice and then possibly destroying opponent's spell/traps rather quickly, which really helps with card advantage. Apparently, UDE noticed this beforehand and limited it to one. Also, this card has fairly decent attack.

            Stratos has been seen in various decks, from D-Hero Beatdown to just plain Elemental Heroes. It's extremely useful because it is capable of searching the deck for useful D-Heroes such as Disk Commander and Fear Monger, which help card advantage and to keep up a fast-paced deck. It's been a key card in the previously mentioned decks, and continues to be a staple in any deck that includes more than three Destiny/Elemental Hero monster.

            That's not all, though. This card's second effect is also extremely useful. Stratos can destroy any spell/trap on the field when it's summoned. Because this effect can be triggered when its special summoned, it can seriously be abused. Destroying a spell/trap also means removing a monster equipped to a Call or Premature. An 1800 beatstick isn't too bad either, so an 1800 ATK beatstick with an additional effect of removing an opposing spell or trap isn't bad at all. The cost of this effect isn't at all bad either. Chances are, if you're running this card in your deck, that you will have another E-Hero or D-Hero on your side of the field. Thus, this card's effect can almost always be activated, and you'll gain a +1 no matter what.

Traditional: 3/5 – I can see some of the Advanced Decks that run this doing okay in this format.

Advanced: 4.7/5 – Not perfect.

In a Destiny/Elemental Hero Deck: 5/5 – A staple.

Art: 3.7/5