Naelshaddoll Ariel – Yu-Gi-Oh! Review

Crunch$G

Well Shaddolls took over the meta out of nowhere, but this was gonna happen anyways to be honest. We’re looking at the new Shaddoll cards starting with Naelshaddoll Ariel.

Ariel is a Level 4 WATER Psychic with 1000 ATK and 1800 DEF. Can’t be shocked at the stats since they match Gishki Ariel, but the DEF is the only good one, and you got a weird combination of WATER and Psychic, even though it’s cool to see Shaddolls get other attributes in the Main Deck. Ariel has a FLIP effect like all the Main Deck Shaddolls where it can summon a banished Shaddoll in face-up or face-down Defense Position. You’ll probably prefer to set it for that FLIP effect unless you’re getting back a Fusion. There can be some banishing going on with Shaddolls, especially with them now being mixed with Invoked to great success. I don’t expect that to come up often. The other effect is when it’s sent to the grave by a card effect, Fusion Summoning probably, where it can banish up to 3 cards in the graveyards. A little bit of disruptive potential here since getting to the banished zone can be harder than getting to the graveyard. This effect can come up fairly often enough when you need to make a Fusion. You get one effect per turn, just like every other Shaddoll we know in the Main Deck. Ariel is a card that comes up enough to be worth a copy of in the Main Deck, even if you do side it out sometimes.

Advanced Rating: 3.25/5

Art: 5/5 A great upgrade over the original Wendi’s artwork.

Alex
Searcy

The first week of March brings us to Shaddoll week, and Naelshaddoll Ariel kick things off.  This is an interesting new addition to the Archetype.  Water/Psychic/Level 4, with 1000 attack and 1800 defense here.  A flip effect lets you Target one of your Shaddolls removed from play and Special Summon it face-up or in face-down Defense position.  The removal aspect here is fairly new to how Shaddolls operate.

But it’s cool to see a new aspect being introduced to these cards.  If Ariel is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect (by either player, but not including as a result of Battle) you can Target and remove up to three cards in the Graveyard(s) from play.  I do like this effect, as it can always be quite the annoyance to the opponent to be removing Graveyard assets.

Each effect here is once per turn.  She’s not particularly strong, even if that defense isn’t terrible.  Psychic has loads of support, although Water is really interesting (in not appropriate given the name) and the removal/return effects are fun, but may not be the most helpful on either side.  Pretty average start to the week here

Rating:  3/5

Art:  4.5/5  I really like this.  Love all the color scheme here and the contrasts between light and dark, and she has a pretty enough face.