DM Home
Message Board
DM News Reports
Trading Card Game
Price Guide
Card of the Day
Duel Yammers - Fan Tips
Top 10 Lists
Tourney Reports
Featured Writers
JMatthew on DM
cecillbill's C-Notes
Hydromorph
Deck Garages
Dry’s Arsenal
Drizer's Dungeon
cecillbill's Dojo
Knives101's Lab
NFG's Garage
aka GDOG'S-VERSION
Spoilers
Base Set DM-01
Evo-Crushinators of
Doom DM-02
Rampage of the
Super Warriors DM-03
Starter Deck
Shobu's Fire Deck
Kokujo's Darkness Deck
Shadowclash Collector's Tin
Shadowclash of
Blinding Night Spoiler
Survivors of the
Megapocalypse
Disruptive Forces Decklist
Block Rockers Decklist
Duel Masters Starter Set (2)
Twin Swarm Deck
Hard Silence Deck
Promo Card List
Stomp-a-trons
Thundercharge
Epic Dragons
Fatal Brood
Shockwaves
Blastplosion
Thrash Hybrid
Video Games
Sempai Legends
Other
Staff
Magic
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Duel Masters
DBZ
Pokemon
Yu Yu Hakusho
NeoPets
HeroClix
Harry Potter
Anime
Vs. System
Megaman
|
 |
Pojo's
Duel Masters Card of the Day
|
Image from
Wizards Duel Master site
|
|
Aqua Hulcus
Base Set
Card # DM23
Date Reviewed: 06.06.05
Constructed Average Rating:
4.75
Limited Average Rating: 4.75
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst. 3 ... average.
5 is the highest rating. |
cecillbill
(Top 4 at
2004 GenCon - Indy
Championship) |
AQUA HULCUS
"Hulk" is hands down one of the top cards in the
game. It will be played FOREVER. I might be "putting
my foot in my mouth" by saying that, but I seriously
believe this card has that kind of longevity--unless
something better comes along, lol. Sure, you can
make an argument to try out Energy Stream instead if
you simply want to run some draw and don't care
about Lancer, Paladin, or Jouster. But, I assure you
gaining that extra body in the process will pay off
in the long run (hey, you can run both, but we're
assuming you have to do one or the other for a
moment--indulge me). Hulcus puts a body on the field
that your opponent must answer. Putting your
opponent in a postion where he needs to react to
your threats is important.
And with Hulcus it's a one-two punch--he has to
answer the Hulcus you drop and will likely contend
with the extra card you've drawn. Got it? Good.
Let's take a closer look, shall we?
[Effect]
1. When you put this creature into the battle zone,
you may draw a card.
First, let me point out that Hulcus' draw effect has
and always will be OPTIONAL. That means there's
never a time when this creature will force you to
deck out when you summon it. You can opt not to draw
a card with it.
Granted, every single time I've played this card
I've gone for the draw, but if there's only one card
left in my deck, then I won't get greedy. Ha!
Second, this is sweet card economy. With Hulcus just
one card gives you a body on the field and a card in
hand. You may hear duelists refer to Hulk as a "body
that replaces itself." What that means is this: you
lose one card in hand (Hulcus) to draw a card, and
that card you draw simply takes the place of Hulcus
in your hand. Why is that important? Well, it comes
down to the fact that making plays requires mana and
the cards from your hand that you want to play,
which means you're draining your hand to make plays
and build your mana for them. Your hand and the
cards you have in play (sometimes even your
graveyard) comprise the options you have during the
duel. The more options you have during the duel the
more ways you have to advance your strategy and
deter your opponent's strategy. Card drawing is one
of the simpliest ways to create more options. Here's
another way to look at how Hulcus being a body that
gives you a card is beneficial: if I've put a new
threat on the field (Hulcus) that expands my
attacking options next turn or makes my opponent
expend one of his options (mana & a card in hand, or
an
attack) to remove it. On top of that option, I have
an additional option in hand that I normally
wouldn't have received until my next turn. I can
turn that new option into another on-field attacking
or blocking option, mana, a way to answer my
opponent's play, or a way to get more options (if
it's a draw card). See how that's a good thing?
Memorize this: More Options = Good.
Third, I can't stress enough that Duel Masters is as
much about resource management as it is a race to
break your opponents shields--something that every
good control player already knows because his aim is
to control your resources while increasing his own.
Often the player who has more options in hand and
who has made the most use of his mana--as in tapping
out all his mana on most of his turns--is the player
who walks away from the duel with a win. In a game
that requires you to lose options in hand just to
play other cards, your hand is oh so precious--it
will be naturally drained if you hope to do anything
worthwhile with your deck. So, it stands to reason
that cards that re-stock the hand are worth glancing
at in the least--and choices that provide a body on
the field, at least a replacement card in hand
instantly, and combo or evobait material--are poised
to be insanely good. Hulcus is insanely good, and
it's a no-frills creature--players of every skill
level can figure out how to use it.
[Power/Cost]
2000 for 3 mana--that's not bad when a creature has
a CIP effect like
Hulk's. Okay, I don't care that it's only 2000
power. That's enough to kill
guys like Emeral, Deadly Fighter Braid Claw, and
Horrid Worm--anything 2000
and below. Suicide mission or not, this card gives
me everything in return
that I could want for 3 mana with the potential to
do more (evolve).
[Where To Deck]
Any deck that runs Water. Yeah. Any.
Oh, did I fail to mention that Hulcus is a Liquid
People? There's that
"evobait material" thing that grants Hulk even
greater card utility as it
can be an investment in a future power play--one of
the Liquid People evos.
This guy is a MUST in mono-Water, which tends to
focus on Lancer. IMHO it's
better than Hyperquid Walter at the 3 drop, even
when your deck aims to play
the Merfolk combo. I know that a good opponent is
going to toast anything
that lets me draw cards each time it attacks--he'd
be insane not to if he
has the means to do it. If my creatures are going to
die--they are so
fragile--I need to reap as many "instant" advantages
or uses from my
creatures as possible. Hulcus is instant use. But
it's also the gateway to
Crystal Paladin, Crystal Lancer and Crystal
Jouster--bigger threats that
present their own formidable challenges to your
opponent. Sweet.
[Combos]
Try Hulcus out with cards that let you replay it
like Spiral Gate. Also, try
it out with cards that strip your opponent's hand.
You gain options in hand
+ your opponent loses options in hand = you're one
happy camper, baby!
[Format Ratings]
Constructed: 5/5. Hum, I can't say anything bad
about it. Worth every bit of
mana you spend on it and then some.
Limited: 5/5. I probably will not make sense when I
state this, but Hulcus
is even better in Limited. It can help you cycle
thru the "OMG why did I
pick that card" kind of selections. Draft it, deck
it in Sealed. One of the
best ways to draw in this format hands down. Yummy.
|
|
Lee Sandow |
Aqua
Hulcus
Cost: 3
Civilization: Water
Card
Type: Creature
Race: Liquid People
-
When you put
this creature into the battle zone, you
may draw a card.
Flavor
Text: I >
You.
Power:
2000
Mana
Generated: 1
Rarity:
Common
Card Number: 25/110
This guy
sees more play than almost any other card.
Any self respecting deck running blue sports
four of him, and many other decks that only
slash a little blue still use him. And some
decks, which use Liquid People, abuse him.
Let’s review!
Civilization/Race: He’s water, which
means very little by itself, but it is also
a liquid people, which has three VERY good
evolutions. Aqua Hulcus is excellent
evolution bait, so this guy looks good so
far.
Cost:
He costs three mana. This is a little high
for a creature with only 2000 power, but
once you use his ability, it more than evens
out. He’s worth his cost. He’s also an
excellent third turn drop, and he fits
easily into the water mana curve.
Power:
2000 power can easily suicide into most
other creatures like him, which include
Horrid Worms, Baron Vorgs, and other
Hulcuses. And he can kill Locomotivers and
BAT’s. Unfortunately, when he’s tapped,
Pyrofighter can easily pwn him. I hate
Pyrofighter.
Abilities: Do I even need to say it?
When you play this guy, you get to draw a
new card to replace him. He provides hand
advantage, which any veteran will tell you
is essential, and any n00b will tell you is
nice. In a game where you likely play two
cards a turn (mana and creature, or spell),
replacing one of the cards is nice. It also
helps keep the loss of hand from cards like
Locomotiver to a minimum. Very nice.
Ok, now
that I’ve reviewed these stats, let’s see
how they stack up.
Constructed overview: I’ve already told
you why he rocks. This guy SHOULD be played
in any water deck, or any deck playing
water. If you run a liquid person deck and
are not using this card, I will have to
question your sanity. I give this guy a
nice 5/5. He’s an EXCELLENT card.
Limited overview: He has no evolutions
in this format, but since card drawing power
is quite rare in base set (This guy and
Brain Serum), I would take him and never
look back. HE can hold his own against most
other small creatures, and his ability will
help you draw out that fattie you were lucky
enough to pull. Once again, 5/5.
I
wonder what his foil art will look like?
|
|
White Wolf |
Folks, today
we're reviewing Aqua Hulcus, a card that has been
well known throughout the history of Duel Masters.
For 3 mana, you get a decent 2000 power and you get
to draw a card. In addition, it's a Liquid People,
meaning that it's got some nice evos later on in
it's life.
So why don't I use this? Maybe it's just me, or
maybe I've just grown out of it. You see, my current
deck is a merfolk control (the usual CCutter one),
but it doesn't use Hulcus. Why? Because it uses
Hyperquid Walter. To me, Hypersquid is BETTER than
Aqua Hulcus. WHY?! Because if you can control the
game as much as you can when your using water, you
should be able to get an extra card into your hand
every turn up till turn 4. But we're not reviewing
Hyperquid Walter...
Back to Hulcus. You really can't review it. It's a
staple for most blue decks out there in multiples of
4. Maybe I'm just weird and don't use it enough -who
knows.
Constructed - 4/5
Limited - 4/5 - card advantage is amazing in
limited, but in this format you also have blockers
to deal with more often and on the turn 3 ticker,
your facing Jade Trees and Emerald Grasses.
|
|
Steven Cantrell |
The reviews this week involve the Invitation
Circuit events that started last weekend at
Wizard World Philly. Today is one of the two
highly-anticipated promotional cards given away.
Aqua Hulcus
Type:
Creature
Civilization: Water
Race: Liquid People
Mana Cost: Three
Rules Text:
When you put this creature into the battle zone,
you may draw a card.
Flavor
Text:
Liquid People freely control liquid. For them,
water is armor and shield.
Power:
2000
Rarity:
Common
Set:
Base Set, McDonalds Promo, Circuit Promo
Note: I
already wrote up a review for Aqua Hulcus just a
couple months ago. Not much has changed since
then, so this review is only slightly modified
from last time.
Power/Cost:
Aqua Hulcus costs three mana to summon for 2k
power in return. That means you are paying 2
mana for 2000 power: the standard going-rate in
Duel Masters. The extra mana cost nabs a free
replacement card. Cheap cards that come with a
body and an ability are very nice.
Civilization/Race:
The Water civilization offers the best draw
power in Duel Masters hands down. Aqua Hulcus
works well alongside Illusionary Merfolk, Brain
Serum, etc. to give you massive hand advantage.
He is also compatible with the great Liquid
People evolutions. As if Crystal Paladin and
Crystal Lancer were not good enough by
themselves without a staple card as evo-bait.
Effects:
Card advantage wins
games. Good things happened when you can gain
presence on the field and maintain hand
advantage with one summon. Say you need to
topdeck a Searing Wave, but it just doesn’t
happen. Hulcus gives you another shot to pull
off the game winner. Very helpful in a tight
spot. Hulcus can even let you break when
attacked by hand control. Note that you
are not forced to take the card like Bronze-Arm
Tribe. This helps when you are in danger of
decking out. There is not a single bad thing I
can say about Aqua Hulcus. He’s just that good.
Limited:
5/5
Constructed:
5/5
|
Toilet
Head
Brett |
This week we are reviewing the
promos from invitationals. The first one is
aqua hulcus...
Aqua Hulcus
Liquid People
Cost 3
power 2000
When you put this creature into the battle zone,
you may draw a card
This is a very good little creature
who can replace himself in your hand when you
play him. Sure, the ability costs 1 more mana,
but the only other good 3rd turn drop for water
I can think of is angler cluster. This card
should be used in every deck that uses water and
most of the time... it is. This is one of my
personal favorite creatures, even though I have
no idea what the art is like on the promo. If
you use a deck with water which means any
water/something and do not use at least 2 of
these, I will personally find you and beat you
until you put it in your deck(unless it is a
survivor deck or something). Using water in a
survivor deck is really the only excuse not to
use Aqua Hulcus...
Constructed: As I said above, if you don't use
it in a control or water deck I will beat you
until you do. 45/5 maybe not that high..... 5/5
Limited: If I pulled this in a draft (which I
have never been to) I would use it. It is still
very good here. 5/5
Art: If the promo looks anything like the
original, it should be awesome... 5/5
If there isn't a picture of the
promo in today's cotd, then I would appreciate
it if someone sent me a picture at
Toiletheadbrett@aol.com or AIM at
Toiletheadbrett. If you have any questions you
can also email those ;) |
|
