Crystron Halqifibrax – Yu-Gi-Oh! Review

King of
Lullaby

Hello Pojo Fans,

Crystron Halqifibrax took years and a name change, but it finally found the TCG.

Insanely easy to summon in any deck that runs a “Ghost Girl” or any Tuner for that matter. Pays for itself with a deck thin/Special Summon if you have another Level 3 or lower Tuner, which you will if you are going into Halqifibrax. You then just sit on it until your opponents turn and tag out for something bigger. If it wasn’t treated as a Synchro Summon it wouldn’t be as great of a card as it is. Formula Synchron, Coral Dragon, T.G. Wonder Magician, Life Stream Dragon and Shooting Riser Dragon to name a few are the prime targets for this cards effect. There are several others that are archetype specific which is great for those archetypes having another way to summon monsters from the Extra Deck that they need, but Halqifibrax is too strong. In a clutch situation you can make your LP 4000 with Life Stream Dragon and have a big monster without needing to go through Power Tool Dragon, T.G. Wonder Magician pops a card and then can be used to Synchro Summon on your opponents turn as well, Formula Synchro, same thing as Wonder Magician except draw a card instead, then get a card off the next Synchro Summon you do while using this card.

This card works with a lot of archetypes. This card makes it easier to get to the Extra Deck for Synchro Tuners. This card should have had more restrictions. Negating the Level 3 Tuner’s effect on the field isn’t enough. Halqifibrax interrupts your opponents turn badly. If you have the means you will be playing it. If you have even a few options in your deck you could play it.

Advanced-4/5    Art-3/5

Until Next Time
KingofLullaby

Crunch$G

The three year wait for the TCG is over as we now have Crystron Halqifibrax.

Halqifibrax is a Link-2 WATER Machine with 1500 ATK and arrows pointing Bottom Left and Bottom Right. Okay-ish ATK compared to yesterday, WATER is good, Machine is always nifty, and the arrows are good to not give the opponent anything and it did let you Synchro Summon in Master Rule 4, if only we got that card when Master Rule 2020 wasn’t a week away, so this is basically better now. The summoning requirements are any 2 monsters, as long as you include a Tuner. Very easy to summon and there’s a bunch of good generic Tuners in the game. Glow-Up Bulb is banned, alongside Destrudo and Blackwing – Steam the Cloak, meaning your best options remaining are Mecha Phantom Beast O-Lion or Jet Synchron for generic Tuners. Many archetypes have Tuners, especially the World Legacy archetypes having random Tuners in them. The first effect upon Link Summon lets you summon any Level 3 or lower Tuner from Deck in Defense Position, but it cannot use its effects on field that turn. In Crystrons, this makes sense considering their effects are on the opponent’s turn really. Outside Crystrons, you got so many insane combos that it isn’t even funny. Synchro and Link plays open wide up for you with this card even after some of the best Tuners being banned. We were lucky to not have this alongside Summon Sorceress and Firewall Dragon in the same format. The combos are insane from this card considering the summoned Tuner can use graveyard effects still. The second effect is on the opponent’s Main or Battle Phase as a Quick Effect to banish itself to summon any Synchro Tuner from the Extra Deck and treat that as a Synchro Summon. There’s so many Synchro Tuners that get better with this. T.G. Wonder Magician becomes a pop for backrow and then a draw if it’s destroyed. You got Formula Synchron to get that free draw considering it is treated as a Synchro Summon. Shooting Riser Dragon to dump a monster from Deck. Life Stream Dragon is even an option against burn. This helps open up so much more considering there’s several good Synchro Tuners to use. You could also use the Crystron Level 4 Synchro Tuner just to have a Level 4 option. Also you can’t forget most Synchro Tuners let you go for Synchros on the opponent’s turn. Each effect of Halqifibrax are hard once per turn, because if the combos are insane with this restriction, imagine without it. The card was Limited in the OCG years before the TCG got it for a reason, and we can’t be shocked if it ever gets banned. It’s an insanely powerful card. I like it for Synchros, but I do understand the pure power of this. It already got some Tuners banned and we could see more Tuners taking the axe for it before it does. It’s one of the best Link Monsters ever printed.

Advanced Rating: 5/5

Art: 4.5/5 I really like the Crystron aesthetic.

Solember
YouTube

   This card can do too much, as many readers probably already know. This is similar to Firewall Dragon, in that the L/F card list will likely ignore it for some time before finally acknowledging that the cards it can Special Summon aren’t the problem.

   Let’s dive in. Link summoned with 2 Monsters, including at least 1 Tuner. That’s easy, and it can be done with Tokens and non-effect monsters. The attack is not a big deal. It’s Type/Attribute combo isn’t anything to be critical of.

   The first effect to Special Summon a Level 3 or lower Tuner from the deck in DEF position is not unheard of, and it stops the Tuner from using its effect for the turn. That is pretty straightforward. If this card stopped there, I would say, “Good Job. Nice card with a lot of usability.”

   There is more, though. The Quick Effect will banish this card and Synchro Summon a Tuner/Synchro Monster during the opponent’s MP or BP. The potential there is mind numbing. It can make a lot of great plays even while dodging out of the way of something destructive.

   The balance on this card is basic. The effects are HOPTs, so at least there is that. The Level 3 or lower Tuner has its effect stalled for a turn. No big loss there, but it would make the card a lot more overpowered if it didn’t include that. That’s it, though. You can Special Summon a lot of targets that have no other business being in certain decks, and you can even accelerate other archetypes.

   With so many hand traps being Tuners, you don’t even need to Synchro Summon in your deck to make use of this card. It even allows for rapid laddering if you want to just bypass the second effect altogether and skip into a Link 3 Monster (and get GY effects of the searched Tuner). Find a way to bring this guy back to the field and you will be able to gain incredible advantages.

   I do enjoy the art, though. The card is easily recognizable.

Versatility -5 
It can fit in any deck that can run Monsters.
Rogue Plays – 5
If you want a card that can start the end of your opponent, this is it.
Art – 4
It’s a good design.
Balance – 1
It tried. It failed. This card has no drawback whatsoever.
Uniqueness – 5

I score this card a 5/5, but I don’t suggest investing too much into it. I doubt it will stick around for too long without getting forbidden.
SIDE NOTE** This is a great card for teaching new players about combo plays and the Extra Deck due to its simple text and versatility. I definitely recommend it if you are a community supporter.