Stats:
Search Striker is a Level 4
Wind/Warrior. Because there just aren’t enough
Warrior cards already, right? There aren’t as
many Wind Warriors, so it isn’t as groan
inducing as another Dark Warrior would have
been. Wind doesn’t do much for the card, but
being a Warrior gives it access to some potent
support, the most obvious being
Reinforcements of the Army. Well, that and
being a Level 4 Monster, which keeps it a legal
target for Reinforcements of the Army and
nice and easy to get it into play.
Search Striker
has a respectable 1600 ATK and an okay 1200
DEF. In Attack Position, it’s on the small end
of the beatsticks, but still a beatstick. In
Defense Position, Search Striker can only
survive hits from weenie Monsters that normally
won’t be attacking, like Sangan; even the
assorted Attribute-based searchers could take it
out.
Effect(s):
When this card attacks a facedown Monster, it
destroys that Monster without flipping, and due
to this effect (as opposed to Battle Damage,
which won’t happen since that step won’t be
reached). That is only the first part of the
effect, though: if you did use this effect to
destroy a Set Monster, you have to change this
card to Defense Position at the end of the
Battle Phase and can’t change it back (except
through the effects of other cards) until the
end of your next turn.
The first part is useful and fairly familiar:
Sasuke Samurai has a differently worded but
essentially identical effect. Sasuke Samurai
was even a Wind/Warrior as well… looks like he
bulked up. Unfortunately he didn’t work on his
stamina, and that’s going to kill this card:
it’s the biggest Monster I can recall with this
kind of effect (though I realize similar effects
are found on certain higher Level Monsters), but
shifting to Defense Position means it won’t have
any more staying power than its smaller friends.
Uses and Combinations:
If you really, really want a Wind Warrior deck,
you kind of need him.
I have never, ever seen such a deck.
If you really feel facedown Monsters are a
threat… well, you actually have several options
already: Nobleman of Crossout is at two
per deck, and Shield Crush is completely
unrestricted. That is five Spells to make
people fear to Set. Then there is the current
speed of the format, and all the other Monster
removal in the game (like Dark Armed Dragon).
I guess if you are running a Warrior Toolbox,
this might be a better option than old, small
Sasuke Samurai, just slightly larger
Mystic Swordsman LV.2, and bigger-than-this
Mystic Swordsman LV.4. Mystic
Swordsman LV.4 has an even more restrictive
effect to it (it can’t be Normal Summoned, only
Normal Set).
Ratings
Traditional:
1/5 – As usual, if it isn’t going to enhance or
combat Chaos or FTK,
it won’t mean much here.
Advanced:
2/5 – Not a horrible card, but neither does it
seem especially useful.
Art:
2/5 – At first I thought it was kind of cool,
but after a glance you realize that it is your
generic “I have big high tech guns” guy. The
overall look and feel is reminiscent of Rob
Liefeld’s work. It could work… but doesn’t
here.
Summary
This is another “recycled” card that takes an
old effect and puts it on a bigger body with a
restriction to compensate. Better than just
stat inflation, but it certainly could be done
better. Namely, picking on Set Monsters, which
should be a duelists main Defensive Option while
on the ropes, seems to further the “swing”
nature of games.
-Otaku
