Today we get to take a look at one of the greatest cards in Duel Masters.  Of course Megaria, Empress of Dread does have a few flaws, but it’s one of the very few cards that can change the entire metagame.  Your opponent will hardly be prepared for this effect.  Are you crazy enough to step up?

Megaria, Empress of Dread
 

Cost: 5

Race: Dark Lord

Civilization: Darkness

Type: Creature

Rules Text:

·         Each creature in the battle zone has "slayer." (Whenever a creature that has "slayer" battles, destroy the other creature after the battle.

Power: 5000
 

Megaria, Empress of Dread is indeed a unique specimen in that it establishes its own meta.  At first glance we see that her 5000 power is pretty average for a 5 mana creature.  However, does power really matter?  In Megaria’s case it doesn’t.  Once she hits the battle zone everything turns into a slayer, which means that Megaria can kill and be killed with very little effort.  It doesn’t matter how big or small a creature is.  Despite these facts, the 5000 power does play an important role.  5000 power means that Megaria is out of the range of some of the Fire Civilization’s devastating destruction spells.

Naturally, most duelists prefer to stay away from Megaria because of its unpredictability.  Let’s face it, when you turn your opponent’s creatures into slayers, there’s a chance you could be giving the game away.  The funny thing is that your opponent will almost never be prepared for this kind of effect.  Just think about it, when power becomes arbitrary, anything goes.  This means that it doesn’t matter who has the largest creature.  This is why it’s important to combine Megaria with a cheap and efficient swarm deck.  You can also throw in some cheap blockers because they can stop anything, no matter how strong.  As long as you keep Megaria in the battle zone, you are in control.

Let’s also consider that Darkness has all sorts graveyard recursion.  Even if you and your opponent shred through each other’s creatures, you’ll still be able to bring yours back.  Cast a Morbid Medicine or a Zombie Carnival and watch your deceased swarm come back to life.  One of the greatest battles I’ve ever had was when I faced a Petrova deck while using a Megaria deck.  My opponent’s guardians all had +8,000 power but it didn’t matter because they were all slain.

Of course this strategy suffers when Megaria gets removed, but that’s the beauty of having more than one in the deck and having graveyard recursion.  As long as you’re able to understand the methodology and the carnage, you’ll be unstoppable.

Oh and one more thing… try a Megaria strategy in multiplayer.  It’s a whole different game!

The Good:  If your opponent isn’t prepared to go against this strategy then the match was over before it ever began.  Power has no meaning when it comes to this strategy.

The Bad:  Megaria comes out a little late so your swarm will have to stall until turn 5.  Slayer blockers or Bloody Squitos are recommended.

The Ugly:  If you’re not prepared to have Megaria removed from the battle zone then the strategy falls apart.  Keep practicing!

Constructed Rating: 4.5/5 – Seriously… Who is ever ready for a match where all creatures are slayers?  When your opponent is forced to play into your strategy, victory is almost certain.  Enjoy the bloodshed and keep the graveyard recursion handy.

Limited Rating: 3/5 – It’s hard to build a deck around this creature in limited.  It’s always worth a shot but there are no guarantees.