-==Jordyce's Look into the Future==-
Article 1: 27nd June 2004 'Soul of Shield Warriors'

Welcome to my first and hoefully not only, look into the future of the TCG of Duel Masters - which it was lacking. So I decided to oblidge and give you - the people - what you may want in look at new cards to come.

Today we look at some 'protectors of holiness', a.k.a. Light/White cards from the next set named 'Rampage of Super Warrors'. We'll be looking at some new cards with different and 'wacky effects that may see a place in your deck soon. These 3 cards all specialise in adding onto your shield zone with their effects.
Let's begin!

1st up we'll look at a card called 'Holy Mail'. This card is a spell for 4 mana. Apart from Diamond Cutter and Holy Awe I feel that that light lacks in powerful spell cards. Can this make up for it?

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HOLY MAIL
Spell / Light / 4 / 1
- Choose 1 card from your hand, and place it face-down as a Shield.
39/55 (Common)
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We have a 4 mana card. This means you can get it out effectivly mid-late game, were you are likely to start getting your first hits from attackers (unless your versusing a rush deck) and this will help you keep your defenses steady. Another awesome (but non-confirmed) effect of this card is that it dosen't state any restrictions on how many shields you may have.
If you play a 2-civ deck with natures' mana accelartion along with 4 of these cards you can play pretty meanly with 9 shields. Don't forget they return to your hand when destroyed - so your really delaying your hand's cards in order to defend yourself.

Another simple but suprising effective combo is to do with shield triggers, leaving your opponent messed up if you combo with Holy Awe or the lesser Solar Ray. How about lengthening the combo with a Logic Cube to delay this even more? Of course their will be more Spell Triggers such as Protect Cube, Light Boomerang and other powerful mana-effecting cards.

Waiting to build up 4 mana to play some of these cards against weenies and rushes can be deadly. You shouldn't make a deck solely around this card, unless you want to play a shield generation deck. Toss 1 or 2 in a good defensive light deck for fun.

Rating: 6.5/10 - Only if it were a mana cheaper, or a spell trigger.

BTW, since spells don't count on the field or in your hand upon activation - you can't select this card to play as the shield. This would have been a 9.9/10 if you could.

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PROPHET ARESU
Creature / Lightbringer / Light / 6 / 1000 / 1
- When this Creature goes to your Graveyard from the Battle Zone,
it is placed face-down as a Shield.
36/55 (Common)
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Ick, another one of these high-cost, low-powered creatures that I absolutely dislike. We had allot of these in dark from base and evo, but I don't think we needed to do this to light. Sure, when it's destroyed it becomes a shield, but if your opponent goes directly for your shields instead of this card, if you attack - they ain't gonna be scared. I'd like to see this card improved into a blocker or get a 1000-2000 power boost. Hopefully Wizards changes that for the english game.

Increasing your shields is definetly a great point. But monster-wise this guy is crap. Apart from being a monster that plays as an optional defense shield, the only good point about this card is when your opponent uses it against you. Even in a shield generation deck this card is a weak creature in your arsenal.

Combos? Pah, I can't think of any straight off. You could suicide this against one of your opponents creature but it leaves you a defense less for a defense more. Meh, who cares?

Rating: 2/10 - Best point; when your opponent uses it against you.

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MAGIC CIRCLE OF GREENERY
Spell / Nature / 4 / 1
- Shield Trigger (When this card is returned to your hand from
the Shield Zone, you may use it without paying its Cost.)
- Choose 1 card in your Mana Zone, turn if face-down, and it
becomes a Shield.
35/55 (Uncommon)
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Another 4-mana spell for shield generation. Read my comment on light-spells on Holy Mail for more information on the subject.
This card unlike the other two gives us the handy feature of being a shield trigger, a potentialy life-saving feature because of shield destruction. By the time you could/can need to use this card you will have a card in your mana zone. You can also use this to bring a shield of a good card you were forced to play in your mana zone earlier in the duel to your shield zone, and have it destroyed and sent to your hand.

The same combos presented with Holy Mail are also present here, by playing shield triggers you have earlier played in your Mana Zone such as Holy Awe, Solar Ray, Logic Cube, Protect Cube, Light Boomerang and in the case of Magic Circle maybe playing Full Defenser (From set 4, Challenge of Black Shadow) for super defense. Being a shield trigger makes allot more posibilties. Using Holy Mail to play one of these into your shield card zone, then playing three more of these in your mana zone.
This makes it when this card is destroyed you play another from your mana zone in your shield zone. It's destroyed, then you play another one from your mana zone. This is capable of blocking 4 attacks if utilised properly.

It'd also be nice when the Shield Trigger creatures are released. I mean - this card can become an ultimate force of power. You get to play cards as mana, then play them as shields. It dosen't play to much in Japanese decks that I know of, but I hope it changes in the western playing worlds.

Rating: 7.5/10 - This card's potential won't be unleashed until Set 4. Stay patient!

I'm not going make decks with these cards as DM7FGD did, or at least not yet.
All card translations are from Edo's webpage!! Visit their, just type in 'Edo Duel Masters' at google to be transferred there.

Next time we'll look at those who kill the unkillable - SLAYERS.

Jordyce, TikkuGaming@hotmail.com