Classic COTD Reviews – Metal Raiders (2002)

Card Name

Pojo Avg

My Rating

Notes

Time Wizard

2.7

2

The real downside if it is fails: you’re wide open for a direct attack, while the opponent has monsters on the field, and you already used up your Normal Summon.

Barrel Dragon

3.9

1.5

I know there was excitement over the release of a tribute monster that has an actual effect. 

But you’re still spending 2 tributes just for the chance (not guaranteed) of destroying 1 card.  It would take 3 turns to go positive on this, which is not likely with how common removal is.

Good revival target for Monster Reborn if you discard it (but that’s a 3 card combo), and the opponent can revive it too.

Mirror Force

4.9

5

Tribute to the Doomed

4.3

3

-1 but can clear both set and face-up monsters (but would suck if the set monster is a Sangan/Witch).  Can help in clutch situations.  Not for every deck.  Side worthy?

Cannon Soldier

2.76

4

I get why it was rated low at the time.  Weak stats and it’s effect doesn’t generate card advantage. 

But it’s meta in retro format because it has combos.  Can trigger effects like Witch, Sangan and Last Will.  And it can deal the final lethal 1000-1500 damage to end the game, especially when combo’d with Change of Heart or Monster Reborn.  Labyrinth Tank decks also use it as fusion material.

Dream Clown

2.25

2

Shield and Sword

3.6

2.5

Helps your LV4 monster beat the enemy LV4 monster.  It’s fine, and it would’ve been good the previous format, but there’s more powerful cards released in this set.

Thunder Dragon

2

4

Underrated.  It wasn’t played back then but later became meta in retro format.  It thins the deck, allowing you to draw into your power cards.  It makes Muka Muka 2100 ATK. Fusion decks use it for Twin-Headed.  Tribute summoning it can synergize with Change of Heart and Last Will.

Twin Headed Thunder Dragon

3

3.5

Has seen play in Labyrinth Tank decks.

Heavy Storm

4.5

4.75

Changed the meta.  Previously there was nothing that punished players for setting 2+ spell/trap cards.

This set has a lot of backrow cards (Mirror Force, Robbin Goblin, the counter traps).

Witch of the Black Forest

4.2

5

Meta defining staple.

Sangan

2.75

5

Meta defining staple.  The reviewers were way off the mark even in context of 2002.  It was a hard-staple back then.  It counters mass removal cards, and fissure.

Back in 2002, people were in the beatdown mentality and overvalued LV4 beaters.  <1500 ATK creatures were some of the best monsters.

Princess of Tsurugi

2.5

2

Okayish for burn.  Bad everywhere else.

Stim-Pack

2.9

3

This will help any LV4 monster get over any LV4 monster.  The stat reduction drawback doesn’t matter because monsters don’t live long anyway. 

Magic Jammer

4.5

4

The discard is a big downside (manageable with Thunder Dragon), but it’s often used to negate cards that would be a +1 for the opponent anyway (Pot, Raigeki, Heavy, etc). 

Sword of Deep-Seated

2.3

1

The return to top of deck effect is actually a major downside because you have to wait a turn longer to draw into your best cards.

Fake Trap

1.3

3

Most decks don’t use this.  Niche for trap-heavy decks that want to protect against Heavy Storm.?

Horn of Heaven

2.3

3.5

Steep cost but 2x Witch and 2x Sangan make it viable.

Robbin’ Goblin

4

4

This had its heyday with 2000 DEF walls being attacked into by 1800 beaters, which are less common with Muka Muka reaching 2100+.  Still a threat though.

Block Attack

3.4

3

Can act as 1-for-1 removal against beatdown. Does nothing against defense walls, Witch, Sangan or flip effects.  Or control utility monsters (i.e. Masked Sorcerer).  Side deck 1 if you want to, but don’t main.

Dark Elf

3.5

3

In 2002, it could be side decked against LV4 1800 beaters.  But it’s terrible against Witch, Sangan, defense walls and flip effects. 

Nowadays, Muka Muka can reach 2100+ without paying any life points, making this obsolete.

Waboku

2.95

3.5

Ideal case is beaters of equal ATK, which may be a less common scenario now that everyone isn’t using 3 LaJinn + 3 Fish.  But decks in current format are able to pull off more lethal finishing combos that this can protect against.

Big Eye

4

1

Reviewers were way off..  It’s a -1.  It’s slow.  Bad stats.  Does nothing to help your boardstate.  Even Exodia doesn’t use this.

Masked Sorcerer

2.5

4.25

Was very underrated during its time, because people were still in the beatdown mentality (ignoring monsters with weaker effects).

Monster removal is plentiful, so setting up a direct attack with ease.  It can be summoned with Last Will.  You can protect it with Trap Hole to make it an ongoing threat.

Aside from Mirror Force, no traps really counter this.  It gets under Trap Hole.  Waboku would be a -1 for the opponent. etc

Jirai Gumo

3.1

3

Reasonable takes from Pojo reviewers.  You may not want to attack with it, but it’s still an anti-aggro card that the opponent has to get through before they can attack directly.  Possibly side against beatdown heavy decks?

Magician of Faith

4.7

4.75

Mask of Darkness

2

3

Spells were overall more powerful than traps at the time, so Magician of Faith was given more attention.  It’s still a 1-for-1 that can recycle Mirror Force, and even if it’s offmeta, it’s better than some other cards that were given higher ratings.

Gate Guardian

1.2

1

Candidate for worst card ever created?

Tremendous Fire

3

2

For dedicated burn decks only.  Bad everywhere else.

White Magical Hat

2.7

3.75

Underrated.  Similar points as Masked Sorcerer.  + It counters Exodia.

But it has some weaknesses.  It’s affected by Trap Hole.  And lower DEF means you can’t set it against Witch/Sangan

7 Colored Fish

4.5

4

Another 1800 ATK beater alongside La Jinn.  This instantly made Neo and Battle Ox obsolete.  Though you’d only use this after you have 3 La Jinn already.

Nowadays, this card is less common as people use Muka Muka with 2100 ATK.  Or just avoid LV4 beaters altogether and try to go for removal + card advantage cards

Kuriboh

1.9

1.5

Minus 1.   Could save you against  big beater (i.e. Twinheaded or Labyrinth tank).  But what about 2-3 monsters (i.e. a La Jinn + Witch/Sangan); you’d still -1 yet still only negate 1 of the attacks.

Shadow Ghoul

2.8

1

Reviewers were off.  You need 9 (!!!) creatures in your graveyard (which is late game), just to be on par with Summoned Skull.  Even if it could reach 3000, that’s overkill in most cases.  It’s terrible early to mid game and passable late-game.

Steel Scorpion

1.3

1

Paralyzing Potion

2.4

1

Why not just use the 10+ removal card that actually destroy the enemy creature and don’t get hard countered by Heavy Storm.?

Electric Lizard

1.8

1

Seven Tools of the Bandit

3.3

4

I love how well these Ultra Rare counter traps were balanced.  All are viable, but none of them are must-haves.  This one is helpful for aggressive decks that want to make big game ending plays.

Solemn Judgment

3.5

4

Reviews were fair.  It’s high cost, high benefit.  Polarizing.  Good but not staple.  Some decks use it, some don’t.

Muka Muka

2.2

4.5

This card was criminally underrated at the time, and it’s hard-meta in retro formats, used with Thunder Dragon to increase hand size.

It’s not hard to bring this up to 2100 when you’re playing defensive +  Witch/Sangan replenishing your hand when they die.

It doesn’t have to scale late-game.  If you +1 from battle early-game, that’s what matters.

B. Skull Dragon

2.9

1

At the tail end of Metal Raiders, there was a fusion substitute

The Immortal of Thunder

1.9

1

Weak stats.  Makes you lose 2000 life points, and 1 reviewer skewed it with a 4 / 5 review LOL

 Suijin, Sanga of the Thunder, Kazejin

2.3

1

Two tributes is a -2.  Plus effects are useless because 2400+ monsters are destroyed by removal – not battle

Catapult Turtle

2.7

1.5

Would be viable next set with Mother Grizzly next set, but not worth the tribute now.  It’s a 1 that I gave an extra 0.5 because of Last Will synergy, but just use Cannon Soldier.

Mushroom Man #2

1

1

Mechanical Chaser

5

4.5

Came just after Metal Raiders.  Changed the meta.  All other LV4 vanilla beaters were outclassed.  (But it was a $200 card at the time so you wouldn’t see it in most local tournaments back then)

But this card is not unbeatable.  Even at time of release, you could take out the 1800 vanilla beaters and focus more on utility/defensive monsters.

White Hole

1.65

1

With Heavy Storm released, you can’t afford to be setting cards that will be useless 95% of the time.

Elf’s Light

1.7

1

Goddess with the Third Eye

2.5

2.5

This was released at a weird time.  Polymerization decks are viable in Metal Raiders retro format, but this card was released just before Magic Ruler, that increased the power level of the game, and made Fusions never worth it.

Patrol Robo

1.4

1

The Unhappy Maiden

2.27

1

Waboku is chainable, doesn’t take up a summon and can be 1-for-1 removal in some cases.