Raidraptor – Wise Strix – Yu-Gi-Oh! Review

King of
Lullaby

Hello Pojo Fans,

Raidraptor – Wise Strix starts out a week highlighting some really good Link Monsters.

Wise Strix is one of those Extra Deck monsters that was meant for one archetype, but can be used in several. Level 4 DARK Winged Beast can be Blackwings as well as the intended Raidraptors. Special Summon from the deck is great no matter how a monster does it, thinning the deck and getting a monster on the field for you. Can’t use it as Link Material nor its effect(s) balances out the Special Summon (and is pretty standard for this kind of effect) Grave effects will still trigger and you can set up your grave for future plays. The Special Summon is meant to set up an Xyz Summon and now with Master Rule 5 you can keep Xyz Summoning, making this card better. Outside Raidraptor it is a good Link 2 that gets you another monster to use for an Xyz Summon to then get that monsters effect(s) and then continue Extra Deck Summons. In Raidraptors, this does that as well as searches a Rank-Up-Magic for you to play. Yes, you need to use this in conjunction with a Raidraptor Xyz monster, but that is what the first effect is for. The Quick-Play Spells aren’t as good as the Normal Spells but being able to activate the Quick-Play Spells this turn you set them with this cards second effect is a nice touch to ensure you get the most out of both effects.

Wise Strix helps Raidraptors get to their big bird Xyz monsters easier alongside Last Strix. I think it’d be pretty good to first turn get an Ultimate Falcon online and pass to your opponent.

Advanced-4/5     Art-3/5

Until Next Time
KingofLullaby

Crunch$G

New week, more Links. This time ones with less generic purposes than the summoning mechanics and a boss. We start with a Link to help Decks like Raidraptors and Blackwings, Raidraptor – Wise Strix.

Wise Strix is a Link-2 DARK Winged-Beast with 1400 ATK and two bottom diagonal arrows. ATK is a little low, but fine, and you got a perfect Attribute to go with Winged-Beast since two of the best Archetypes of that type use DARK Monsters. The requirements are 2 DARK Winged-Beasts, which is achievable for Blackwings and Raidraptors. Upon being Link Summoned, Wise Strix lets you summon a Level 4 DARK Winged-Beast from Deck in Defense Position with its effects negated and you being unable to use the summoned monster as Link Material that turn. Free body from Deck suggests an easy Xyz Summon of a Rank 4 like Force Strix in Raidraptors, or if you do use this with Blackwings you can go for more Synchros. The summoned monster can’t be material is a reminder of a time Summon Sorceress was legal. The second effect is exclusive to Raidraptors as if your Raidraptor Xyz activates its effect, you can set a Rank-Up-Magic directly from Deck and it can be activated that turn if it was a Quick-Play Spell. Easy Rank-Up plays enabled is nice, especially for Raidraptors since they love to do that with all the Rank-Ups they have. You can get Soul Shave Force so when you Link away the Force Strix, you can pay half your life to revive it to go into Cyber Dragon Infinity. You also got Skip Force or Astral Force to turn your Force Strix into a Revolution Falcon, or the many Rank-Up-Magics to get Blaze Falcon off your Force Strix. Each effect is a hard once per turn, mostly to prevent too much advantage from being generated. Wise Strix is a great card for the Raidraptor Deck, and as I’ve mentioned it helps Blackwings as well. Either Deck could use Zephyros the Elite for the monster with its easy graveyard revival for more plays. If we get more DARK Winged-Beast Decks, then Wise Strix could have another home. The Rank-Up set can be for each of the aforementioned Decks as well since Force Strix is generic with an effect easy to activate. It’s a staple for DARK Winged-Beasts.

Advanced Rating: 4.5/5

Art: 4.25/5 The birds are getting smarter, they understand technology.

Solember
YouTube

   Here is a Link Monster with a clear purpose. This is an effective bridge between plays that already exist in the Raidraptor archetype. Additionally, this works well in Blackwing decks, especially those that make use of Rank-Up-Magic Spells.

   Jumping right in, this card Special Summons a Level 4 DARK Winged Beast monster from the deck when Link Summoned. That is obviously best used for the many Raidraptor Level 4 monsters. This usage carries over to the next effect.

   If a Raidraptor XYZ monster uses its effect, you can search for a Rank-Up-Magic Spell card and set it on the field. Pretty straightforward and pretty solid. I like that this effect can be used during both players’ turns. This can add a lot of versatility with the right monsters. The effect is a great addition to the numerous other ways to search for Rank-Up-Magic Spell cards and can even justify removing such search cards to increase the deck’s consistency.

   The card is well balanced by negating its searched monster as well as setting the Rank-Up-Magic card instead of adding it to the hand. Being a HOPT is a good balance choice, too.

   The art is well done. Nothing is amazing here, but it is recognizable on a table.

Versatility – 3
Rogue Plays – 4
Art – 4
Balance – 5
Uniqueness – 3

I score this card a 4/5. If you are running Raidraptors, there is no reason not to play this.