Borreload Dragon – Yu-Gi-Oh! Throwback Thursday

WarlockBlitz

Borreload Dragon is an interesting throwback pick. It’s got great stats but requires 3 or more effect monsters which is a bit high. For the trouble you get a big 3000 Atk body with good Link Arrows and immunity to targeting monster effects. Then it can steal an opponent’s monster to a zone Borreload points to. The stolen monster can attack and activate its effects. Finally, Borreload can decrease an opponent’s targeted monster by 500 Atk/Def with impunity since nothing can respond to the effect’s activation or effect. So we have some protection, some stat altering, and some stealing to make this a threat. Dark Dragons get a lot of support and will always, so this is a good Extra Deck call if you think you can spare the space and resources. I think both artworks are good, but they definitely look more like machines to me. 

Score: 4/5     Art: 4/5

Crunch$G

For Throwback Thursday in a Link Week, it makes sense to look at one of the older Link Monsters, even when Links in general aren’t that old, so here we’ll look at Borreload Dragon for a second time on Pojo as we did with Borrelsword Dragon.

Borreload Dragon is a Link-4 DARK Dragon with 3000 ATK and arrows pointing Left, Right, Bottom Left, and Bottom Right. 3000 ATK is the highest I usually see on Link-4s unless they’ll have very hard summoning conditions, the DARK Dragon combo is a good one, and the arrows make this great in a Main Monster Zone or Extra Monster Zone for Extra Deck plays or for Borreload’s effect. The summoning requirements are any 3+ Effect Monsters, and while I would with for it to be 2+, Borrelsword proves that this isn’t hard at all, and we all know how good that is. Borreload is untargetable by any monster effects, which is great protection and arguably better than Borrelsword’s battle immunity considering both have 3000 ATK. Sure you got non-targeting removal, Ignister Prominence comes to mind as he might still be one of the best non-targeting removal monsters, but most monsters target, so Borreload should be immune to mostly everything. Borreload has a once per turn Quick Effect to debuff any monster by 500 ATK and DEF while your opponent cannot respond to said effect. Borreload has an effect that I’ll get to that makes him not really need to kill many monsters in battle, but this can help your other monsters deal with other threats the opponent controls, and having your opponent unable to respond to this means it won’t fall to Solemn Strike that often. This can trigger Rokket monster effects, as I’m sure this is what Borreload was designed for here, so that’s another benefit. Borreload has another effect where if it’s attacking an opponent’s monster, then at the start of the Damage Step you can take control of said monster to a zone Borreload points to, but it is sent to the graveyard during the next turn’s End Phase. Stealing an opponent’s monster and them not getting it back (on their field at least) is a very nice effect as it can give you a Link Material, Synchro Material, Xyz Material, or just another attacker on your side of the field. Even if it isn’t used for material, once again it’ll go to the graveyard instead of back on your opponent’s field. Sure said monster must specifically go to a zone Borreload points to, but unless it’s in the far left or right Main Monster Zones, then Borreload should have two zones it’ll be pointing to, so you can invest one for Extra Deck Monsters and the other for his effect. Borreload is a great Link-4 that covers ground Borrelsword doesn’t, it’s an amazing card that is worthy of an Extra Deck slot in any deck that can feasibly summon a Link-4 without going too far out of the way, or just to have it as an emergency boss.

Advanced Rating: 5/5

Art: 4/5 for this altered art and 4.25/5 for the original, I always love original art more for some reason, as I’m sure I’ve said before.

Alex
Searcy

Borreload Dragon is our Throwback Thursday card, and while not the oldest of cards (one prior review in 2017) all of 18 months ago, still fits in a week of Link cards, especially given how much we’ve spoken of Dragons lately.   

Borreload Dragon is Link 4, requiring 3+ Effect Monsters for a Link Summon, and is a Dark, Dragon Monster, with arrows to the immediate left and right, as well as (again again) to the diagonal bottom left and right, all attached to a 3000 attack body.

So, familiar as y’all probably are with this, let’s look:  A (once a turn) Quick Effect lets you Target a face-up Monster to lose 500 attack and defense, and your opponent cannot respond to you using this effect.  This is good, but with 3000 attack already, that’s likely only letting you push for more Damage in an attack, but that’s good too, and only makes this card bigger and badder.

Finally, when this card attacks, during the Damage Step, you can take that Monster and attach it to a Zone this card points to, and take control of it.  Said Monster is sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase of the next turn.  Stealing Monsters is good, using them against the player they belong is awesome, and then having them be destroyed after punishing the opponent with them is phenomenal.  This guy is still incredible 

Rating:  4.75/5

Art:  4.5/5  Too much dark on the Dragon for me, but the flames and colors behind, as well as the green lights on the body are really cool.  Yes, he is Dark, but the lights glowing on him contradict that a bit, being so bright.