Tuesday

  Well, we're back after a nice little break, and continuing to review Light of Destruction cards.  We open this week with Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry, a Level 8 monster, of the Wind attribute, with an impressive 2900 atk, and a not so great 2000 def.

  Now, our Bird has a few effects.  First, when on the Field, both players can summon Wind monsters with one less tribute than is required.  I can think of one incredibly popular Wind monster that requies a tribute but you want to tribute for that card, or else you don't get its effect.

  Secondly, if you tribute only Wind monsters to summon this card, you can return two cards from your opponent's Field to their Hand.  So, it returns one more card than Raiza, but they both only return to the Hand.

  Furthermore, the Bird is treated as a Normal Monster while it is held in your Hand, for whatever reason.  In short, an all Wind Deck isn't competitive right now, although this isn't a bad card, just Raiza, at the very least, does the job better.

Ratings:

Traditional:  1.5/5

Advanced:    2.5/5

Art:  4/5   Sort of looks like the leader of an Indian-Bird tribe, or

something.

Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry

One step at a time.

2900 attack: Beats DAD and Dark Magician of Chaos, but loses to Heraklinos. For a two tribute monster, its along the right lines.

2000 defense: You won't lose it to anything that didn't require some work to get to the field, so thats a relief. Still, I wouldn't put it in defense mode deliberately.

Two tributes: While there's nothing preventing you from special summoning it, that its effect only occurs when tribute summoned with particular monsters does hurt its usefulness a bit. Granted, a dedicated deck doesn't mind it, but it means you won't be borrowing trib bait from your opponent.

Effect: The first effect is not the most amazing thing I've seen. Of the few one tribute wind monsters we have, most of them prefer you to tribute summon them (Raiza, Swift Birdman Joe). Of the monsters that don't require it, only Spell Canceller and Armed Dragon LV5 really stand out as enjoying any benefit. Maybe Cyber-Tech Alligator if you've got some sort of normal monster deck going on (see its third effect), but otherwise... meh.

Its second effect is the real shiner. A single Wind Effigy can easy the summoning cost (again, see its third effect), making it a big brother to Raiza. Beyond that, though, the effect can at least break even. Thats what makes the Monarchs so loved, but then again... they aren't picky about their tributes.

Its third effect makes it a normal monster in the hand. Ancient Rules can drop it for free (without its effect), and Common Charity turns it into two possibly more useful cards. Oh, and Wind Effigy. Not a useless effect, but you have to want to work for it.

Wind/Winged Beast: A combination that works well with each other. Between Spirit Art: Miyabi and Icarus Attack, any attempt against this card'll make the effort almost painful. On top of Simorgh's own effect, its a rather impressive level of destruction.

Now then, this poor guy got hosed in its rarity. Why did the Deepsea King get an ultra rare status and this guy only got a rare? Robbed, I tell you, robbed.

A two tribute monster with the power to pay for itself is rare, but this guy is capable of it. A two-for-two that leaves you with a 2900 attack monster is pretty nice, and its combo work with other common Wind cards means that it can fit into current Wind decks that already see some play in the local tournaments. Harpies appreciate having someone with some real swing, and I can't help but find enjoyment in the notion of Ancient Ruling out Simorgh, and follow it with a free Cyber-Tech Alligator. Granted, not everyone is going to try out the Normal/Wind deck, but I like options.

Give it a shot. Seriously. Its better than it looks.

Traditional 2/5 (as much as I may like it, its still a two tribute monster...)
Advanced: 3/5 (the sheer level of destruction capable between this card and the cards it combos with is undeniable; dis not the bird)

Tuesday - Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry

     After a long, long time of not reviewing cards with the crew, I'm finally back this week to review more cards for you guys with the rest of the COTD crew! Today we're reviewing a LODT regular rare monster that hasn't gained much populairity in top tier decklists.  Let's follow the usual format of my COTD review, shall we?

Effect Explanation

     Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry allows all WIND-attribute monsters that require a monster to be sacrificed to bring them onto the field as a Tribute Summon to be able to be Tribute Summoned with 1 less tribute while it's face-up on the field. For example, if the WIND monster was a six star monster, the monster could be Normal Summoned without a tribute. This means that the monster is never treated as if it was Tribute Summoned, and no monsters were sacrificed. If the WIND monster was a seven star monster, the monster could be Tribute Summoned with only 1 tribute. Also, if Simorgh was Tribute Summoned only using WIND-attribute monsters as tributes, then you can return up to 2 cards that the opponent has on his/her field to his/her hand. Lastly, Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry is treated as a Normal Monster card while in your hand.

     If you control more than one Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry, the number of tributes required to summon WIND monsters are still only reduced by 1. During your draw phase, you may reveal Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry to the opponent to activate "Heart of the Underdog"'s effect. You can tribute 1 Simorgh to Tribute Summon a level 7 or higher WIND monster. Simorgh's second effect targets.

Stat Analysis

     This monster is a WIND-attribute card, which isn't too great in the current format, especially with such little support cards available. Simorgh is an 8 star monster, meaning it can only be Tribute Summoned by sacrificing 2 monsters. It's a Winged-Beast, which is a type that doesn't have much support at all, either. The monster has 2900 ATK points, and 2000 ATK points, which is just higher than many of the top 8 start monsters we see today (DMoC and DAD).

When is Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry good and when is it bad?

     Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry is only good when it's Tribute Summoned and it's bonus effect was activated. Even then, Simorgh is vulnerable to Spell and Trap cards. In my opinion, Simorgh isn't good in any situation, not even in a WIND deck, because it's too easy to destroy and its effect is too difficult to pull off. This card isn't handy in any situation and it won't be seeing competitive play until some crazy WIND support is released, and even then, it's not a definite inclusion.

Traditional: 1/5

Advanced: 1/5

Art: 1/5 - a little too plain for me

Tuesday
Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry

At this point in Yu-Gi-Oh’s metagame this card is far to slow and has no potential yet. However it may be a force to be reckoned with in the future, as well being a normal monster in the hand may have a huge advantage in the future.

Traditional: 1/5
Advanced: 1/5