Yu-Gi-Oh Brothers of Legend – What You Should Know
Crunch$G
Oh brother! Hello Pojo Readers, Crunch$G here to tell you everything you should know about the final set of 2021: Brothers of Legend. This set contains a ton of anime and manga cards finally coming to life in the physical card game alongside some cards adapted from the anime and other imports from OCG sets. We also have a ton of reprints as well to go along with these new cards. Brothers of Legend is a follow-up on the Battles of Legend series, hence the same formula, and we did keep the Starlights in the set as we seen in Battles of Legend: Armageddon. Considering how last year was mainly sold on the Astral Utopia and Ten Thousand Dragon alongside a small handfull of good reprints and the Numeron cards, let’s see how this year follows what was, in my opinion, the worst Battles of Legend. (Spoiler: It’s better)
The Starlights
Now of course we weren’t getting another Ten Thousand Secret like we saw with Ten Thousand Dragon, so instead we get 2 regular Starlight Rares instead of one. The first one of course is another Astral language card, this one being Number 17: Leviathan Dragon, which is another classic Number monster from the early Zexal anime and another card that was played at the beginning of the Xyz era, so it’s a good choice. The other Starlight Rare is a reprint of Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon finally, exlcusive to the rarity. Another way to access Dragoon sounds nice in theory, but making it exclusive to being a Starlight Rare in actuality doesn’t change that much in terms of accessing the card. Still, two good Starlight Rares even if I would of rather they made Dragoon a Secret Rare as well.
The Kuriboh Brothers
Now for the namesake of the set, the Kuriboh Bros finally getting a physical card print after all these years. Our old friend, Kuriboh, can finally be joined by Kuribah, Kuribee, Kuriboo, and Kuribeh. Just to note now, all four of the Kuriboh Bros are always treated as Kuriboh cards and all match the stats of Kuriboh. Anyways, Kuribah lets you summon another monster with 300 ATK or 200 DEF that isn’t another Kuribah from Deck when it or another monster you control is destroyed in battle and it can be tributed alongside the other 4 Kuriboh Bros to summon Kuribabylon from Deck. Kuribee lets you add a Spell/Trap that lists Kuriboh in its text from Deck to hand when it or another monster you control is destroyed in battle and when an opponent’s monster delcares an attack while you control another Kuriboh monster, you can change the ATK of all monsters you control to 0 for the rest of the turn to negate the attack. Kuriboo can be discarded to add a Kuriboh monster that isn’t Kuriboo from Deck to hand when your opponent’s monster declares an attack and can let you discard a Trap as a Quick Effect to make your opponent’s monsters lose 1500 ATK until the end of the turn. Kuribeh can be discarded as a Quick Effect to target a Kuriboh you control and have it gain 1500 ATK and can be tributed alongside the other Kuriboh Bros to add Kuribandit from Deck or graveyard to hand and then immediately lets you Normal Summon a Fiend. Kuribabylon is a Level 5 DARK Fiend who gains 300 ATK and DEF for each Kuriboh monster you control and in grave and has two effects you can pick from to use once a turn where it can be Special Summoned from hand if you have more monsters in grave than the opponent and can return to the hand during your Main or Battle Phase to summon all 5 Kuriboh Bros from your hand and/or graveyard in Attack Position. Finally, Five Star Twilight is a Nomal Spell where if the only monster you control is a Level 5 monster, you can tribute it to summon all 5 Kuriboh Bros from your hand, Deck, and/or graveyard, but they can’t be tributed for a Tribute Summon.
Sea Surge
Now we get to all the WATER monsters from the various anime and manga series that were printed in here. Ice Barrier is a Normal Trap where when an attack is declared involving an opponent’s monster, you can change the ATK of the opponent’s monster to 0 while also negating its effects and preventing its battle position to change, also you can banish this card from the grave to send a Level 5 or higher WATER monster from Deck to grave and add a WATER monster from grave to hand, but you can only Special Summon WATER monsters until the end of the next turn. Ice Knight is a Level 4 WATER Aqua who gains 400 ATK for each Aqua monster you control and once per turn lets you gain the effect to Normal Summon a WATER monster in addition to your Normal Summon/Set, but you can only Special Summon WATER monsters for the rest of the turn. Ice Mirror is a Normal Spell that lets you target a Level 3 or lower WATER monster you control to summon a monster with the same name from your Deck, but you cannot summon from the Extra Deck while you control that monster. Silent Sea Nettle is a Level 4 WATER Aqua who can Special Summon itself if you control a WATER monster, but you can only Special Summon WATER monsters the turn you use this effect, and you can banish this card from the grave to return up to 3 WATER monsters from the grave to the Deck. Number 4: Stealth Kragen is a Rank 4 WATER Aqua Xyz who needs 2 Level 4 WATER monsters to summon, turns every monster on the field into a WATER monster, has a Quick Effect during the Main Phase to pop an opponent’s WATER monster and inflict damage to them equal to half that monster’s ATK on field, and if it was Xyz Summoned and destroyed, you can summon Stealth Kragen Spawn from your Extra Deck or grave up to the number of Xyz Materials this had on field and then you can attach up to 1 WATER monster each from your grave to those Stealth Kragen Spawns on the field. Stealth Kragen Spawn is another Rank 4 WATER Aqua Xyz that needs 2 Level 4 WATER monsters to summon, lets you destroy an opponent’s WATER monster during the Main Phase as a Quick Effect, and if it was Special Summoned by the effect of a Number Xyz and destroyed, you can summon other Stealth Kragen monsters from your graveyard up to the number of Xyz Materials this card had on field and then attach up to 1 WATER monster to each of those Special Summoned monsters as material. Right-Hand Shark is a Level 4 WATER Fish who upon Normal Summon lets you add Left-Hand Shark from Deck to hand, can be Special Summoned from grave, but it’s banished when it leaves the field, if you control no monsters, and an Xyz Monster that only used WATER monsters as material, including this card, gains the effect where it cannot be destroyed by battle. Left-Hand Shark is a Level 3 WATER Fish who becomes Level 4 if Special Summoned from the grave, can be Special Summoned from hand or grave, but it’s banished when it leaves the field, if you control a Right-Hand Shark, and an Xyz Monster that only used WATER monsters as material, including this card, gains the effect where it cannot be destroyed by card effects. White Mirror is a Normal Spell that lets you target a Level 4 or lower Fish in your graveyard and Special Summon it, then lets you add a monster with the same name from Deck to hand. Finally, The Ice-Bound God is a Normal Trap where if 2 or more WATER monsters are on the field, you can target a face-up monster the opponent controls to negate its effects and prevent it from attacking, also it can be Set from the graveyard, but banished when it leaves the field, if a Level 5 or higher WATER monster is Normal or Special Summoned.
Noble Fleurs
Now we get to the Sherry cards that are finally printed from the anime to go alongside the cards printed in Synchro Storm. Noble Knight’s Shield Bearer is a Level 4 LIGHT Warrior who upon Normal or Special Summon lets you banish a LIGHT from grave to draw a card and it can be banished from hand or field to add a Level 6 or lower WIND Beast from Deck to hand. Horse of the Floral Knights is a Level 3 WIND Beast who upon Normal or Special Summon lets you add a LIGHT Noble Knight from Deck to hand and once per turn, during your Main Phase, lets you Fusion Summon a monster using this card you control and other monsters from your hand or field as Fusion Material. Noble Knight’s Spearholder is a Level 2 LIGHT Warrior who upon Normal or Special Summon lets you target a Level 8 or lower monster you control to treat it as Fleur Synchron and make it a Tuner for the turn, also it can be tributed to add an Equip Spell from Deck to hand. Centaur Mina is a Level 6 LIGHT Beast-Warrior Fusion of any LIGHT Warrior and any Beast, can negate the activation of an opponent’s Trap Card during your turn and resets the card, can let you Special Summon a Level 2 or lower monster from your hand or grave during your Main Phase, and can destroy a face-up monster on the field if sent to the grave as Synchro Material for a WIND Warrior. Ecole de Zone is a Field Spell where if the turn player summons exactly 1 monster, that monster is destroyed and the controller of that monster Special Summons a Mask Token that’s a Level 1 DARK Spellcaster with the same ATK and DEF as the destroyed monster’s when it was on the field. Finally, Soul Binding Gate is another Field Spell that can only be activated if you control no monsters and a Set Spell/Trap Card(s) was destroyed that turn, and during the Main Phase if exactly 1 monster is summoned with ATK less than your LP and you have Z-ONE in your graveyard, that monster is destroyed and each player takes 800 damage.
Utopic Forces
Next up, we have some more Utopia support from the anime and from the OCG Structure Deck that we did not get. ZW – Sylphid Wing is a Level 4 LIGHT Beast you can only control 1 of, can be equipped from hand or field to a Utopia monster you control for an 800 ATK boost, lets the equipped monster gain 1600 ATK once per turn if a monster is Special Summoned by an opponent’s activated effect, and can be sent to grave instead of detaching a material from the equipped monster if you would use its effect. ZS – Ouroboros Sage is a Level 3 DARK Warriror who on Normal Summon lets you revive a non-LIGHT Number monster from grave with its effects negated and then equips itself and a Utopia monster you control to the summoned monster that each gives it 1700 ATK, but you can only declare one attack for the rest of the turn, also when the monster equipped to this card by its effect declares an attack on an opponent’s monster, you can double its ATK, but destroy it during the End Phase. Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray is a Rank 5 LIGHT Xyz that naturally uses 3 Level 5s to summon, is always treated as Number C39: Utopia Ray, can detach a material to equip a ZW – monster from your Deck or Extra Deck to itself as if it were equipped by that monster’s own effect, and this effect cannot be negated, also it has a Quick Effect while equipped with a ZW – to target an Effect Monster the opponent controls to negate its effects and halve its ATK. Zexal Catapult is a Normal Spell that lets you Special Summon a ZW – or ZS – monster from your hand, then you can make all monsters you control become Level 4 or Level 5 if you control a Utopia monster, also during the turn this wasn’t sent to the graveyard, you can banish this card and a ZW – or ZS – monster from grave to target and destroy a card the opponent controls. Astraltopia is a Level 4 LIGHT Warrior who can be Special Summoned from the hand if an Xyz Monster is on the field, also you can send a card from your hand or field to the grave to add a Xyz, Onomat, Zexal, or Number Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand. Zexal Field is a Field Spell that prevents the opponent from using cards or effects in response to your cards and effects that target Xyz Monsters you control, during your Draw Phase before the draw can let you place a Shining Draw from Deck on top of your Deck, and if an Xyz Monster(s) is Special Suummoned to your field, you can target one of those monsters to attach a Xyz from your Extra Deck or graveyard to that monster as material. The Deal of Destiny is a Continuous Trap that gains an Emperor’s Key Counter (max. 1) each time a monster is destroyed by battle or card effect, also when the opponent Special Summons from the Extra Deck, you can remove an Emperor’s Key Counter from this card to then send a copy of The Door of Destiny from your hand, Deck, or face-up field to the graveyard to summon a LIGHT Utopia or Utopic Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck and attach this card as material to it (This is treated as an Xyz Summon). Numbers Protection is a Counter Trap where when a Spell/Trap Card or monster effect is activated while you control a Number Xyz Monster, you negate that activation and destroy that card, also you can Set this card from the graveyard, but banish it when it leaves the field, if a Number Xyz Monster(s) you control is destroyed. Number 99: Utopia Dragonar is a Rank 12 LIGHT Warrior Xyz that naturally needs 3+ Level 12 monsters to summon, has a Quick Effect to detach 2 materials from itself to summon any Number monster with a Number between 1 and 100 from your Extra Deck, which is treated as an Xyz Summon, but you cannot attack directly with other monsters and you can only summon Xyz Monsters from the Extra Deck the turn you use this effect, also you can change the ATK of an opponent’s attacking monster to 0. ZS – Utopic Sage is a Rank 4 LIGHT Warrior Xyz that needs 2 Level 4 monsters to summon, can detach 2 materials to summon any ZW – or ZS – from your Deck, but for the rest of the turn you can only attack with Number Monsters and summon Xyz Monsters from the Extra Deck, also if a Utopia or Utopic Xyz whose original Attribute is LIGHT would be destroyed by battle or card effect, except ZS – Utopic Sage, you can banish this card from the field or graveyard instead. Hyper Rank-Up-Magic Utopiforce is a Normal Spell that targets a Rank 9 or lower Utopia Xyz you control to use it and its Xyz Materials as material to Xyz Summon a Rank 10 or higher Utopia or Utopic Xyz, also if an Xyz Monster(s) is Special Summoned by the effect of a Rank 10 or higher Utopia or Utopic Xyz, you can target one of those monsters to attach this card from the graveyard to it as material. Finally, Astral Kuriboh is a Level 1 LIGHT Fiend who can reveal a Number in your Extra Deck to Special Summon this card from hand with the same Level as the revealed monster’s Rank, but you can only Special Summon Number Xyzs from the Extra Deck while you control this card summoned this way, also a Number Xyz that uses this as material gains the effect where it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effect. Also, just to note, Number 39: Utopia has received an alternate artwork where it is in its Neutral Form.
Miscellaneous Cards
To wrap up all the new cards, we look at some other miscellaneous cards that don’t go with the previously mentioned strategies. Yowie is a Level 3 EARTH Reptile where if it, and no other monsters, is summoned, you can make the opponent skip their next Draw Phase, but you can only Special Summon once the turn you use this effect and it is once per Duel. Penguin Sword is an Equip Spell that equips to a Penguin monster to give it 800 ATK, returns an opponent’s card to hand when the equipped monster deals battle damage, and if a face-up card your opponent controls leaves the field by a Penguin’s effect and is returned to the hand or banished, negate the activated effects and effects on field of cards with that original name until the end of the next turn. D – Force is a Continuous Trap where on activation lets you add a Destiny HERO – Plasma from your Deck or grave to hand and applies the following effects while you control Destiny HERO – Plasma: you cannot draw during your Draw Phase, your opponent cannot target cards you control with effects, and Destiny HERO – Plasma(s) you control gain 100 ATK for each monster in the graveyards, cannot be destroyed by the opponent’s card effects, and can make a second attack during each Battle Phase. Doctor D is a Normal Spell that lets you banish a Destiny HERO from grave to add to your hand or Special Summon another Destiny HERO from grave, also it can be banished from grave to target 2 Destiny HEROs you control to change the ATK of one of the monsters to the ATK of another monster. Dragonroid is a Level 8 WIND Machine who while in grave can once per turn become a Dragon until the end of the turn and can be discarded to either let you add a non-WIND roid monster from your Deck to your hand or prevent your opponent from negating your effects that Fusion Summon and from using cards or effects when the monster is Fusion Summoned. Rebirth Judgment is a Continuous Trap that once per turn lets you declare a Type to change the Type of every monster in the grave to that Type until the end of the turn. Summon Storm is a Normal Spell that lets you pay 800 LP to summon any Level 6 or lower WIND from your hand and can be banished from the graveyard during a turn it wasn’t sent there to summon a Level 4 or lower WIND from your hand. Wing Requital is a Normal Spell where if all the monsters you control are Winged Beasts and you control 2 or more monsters with different names, you can pay 600 LP to draw 2 cards. Piri Reis Map is a Normal Spell where at the start of your Main Phase 1 can let you search a monster with 0 ATK from your Deck, but your LP are then halved and until the end of the next turn after this was activated, you cannot use effects of the searched monster until you Normal Summon it. Grandpa Demento is a Level 1 DARK Spellcaster who can detach a material from a Princess Cologne you control to Special Summon 2 Normal Monsters with 0 ATK or DEF from your graveyard as Level 8 DARK monsters in Defense Position, also if an Xyz Monster you control activates its effect by detaching a Normal Monster, you can target an Xyz Monster you control and a monster the opponent controls to destroy their monster and inflict damage to them equal to the Xyz Monster’s Rank times 300. Doll House is a Field Spell that lets you target a Normal Monster in your graveyard with 0 ATK or DEF, or up to 2 if you control Princess Cologne, to summon a monster with the same name as each target from your Deck as a Level 6 DARK monster, also when an opponent’s monster declares an attack, you can attach a Grandpa Demeto to a Princess Cologne you control to end the Battle Phase. Starving Venemy Dragon is a Level 7 DARK Dragon Fusion Pendulum that needs a DARK monster and a Pendulum monster to summon, has a Pendulum Effect where it gains 1 Venemy Counter for each monster sent from the field to the graveyard, reduces the ATK of all non-DARK Dragon monsters by 200 for each Venemy Counter on this card, and can reduce battle damage you would take to 0 once per turn alongside its Monster Effect to target a face-up monster the opponent controls to have this monster’s name become that monster’s original name and replace this card’s effects with the targeted monster’s effects until the end of the turn, then the opponent’s monster’s effects are negated, it loses 500 ATK and DEF, and you deal 500 damage to the opponent alongside the other effect where if it is in the Monster Zone and destroyed, it goes to the Pendulum Zone. Speedroid Scratch is a Normal Spell that lets you send a Speedroid card from hand to grave to add a Speedroid monster from Deck to hand. Lyrilusc – Bird Strike is a Normal Spell that if you control a Lyrilusc monster, you can negate the effects of all monsters the opponent controls until the end of the turn. Toy Parade is a Normal Spell that’s always treated as a Frightfur card, can target a DARK monster that was summoned from the Extra Deck that you control to make it the only monster able to attack that turn, but lets it attack once again in a row if it destroys a monster in battle and sends it to the graveyard, also you can banish this card from the grave during a turn it wasn’t sent there while you control a Fairy monster to add a Level 4 or lower DARK monster from your grave to your hand. Cipher Biplane is a Level 6 LIGHT Machine who once per turn can target 2 Cipher monsters you control to have their Levels become 8 until the end of the turn, can be Special Summoned from hand if a Cipher monster is Normal or Special Summoned, also if it is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the graveyard, you can banish it from grave to add a Cipher monster from your Deck to your hand. Cipher Interference is a Continuous Spell where during damage calcuation, if a Cipher monster monster battles while you control another monster with the same name, you can double the ATK of your battling monster until the end of the Battle Phase. Double Exposure is a Continuous Spell that lets you target 2 Level 6 or lower monsters with the same name on the field to double their Levels, also at the start of the Battle Phase you can target a Cipher monster you control and another monster on the field for the other monster’s name to become the name of that Cipher monster’s until the End Phase. FA.I.ghting Spirit is a Normal Spell that lets you target an @Ignister monster in your graveyard and Special Summon it, can be banished from grave instead if an @Ignister monster you control with 2300 or more ATK would be destroyed by a card effect, and if banished can activate the effect to prevent your @Ignister monsters with 2300 or more ATK from being destroyed by battle that turn. A.I.’s Show is a Normal Trap where while you control a Link-3 or higher @Ignister monster in the Extra Monster Zone when an opponent’s monster declares an attack, you Special Summon from your Extra Deck any non-Link Cyberse monsters with 2300 ATK whose combined ATK is equal to or less than the attacking monster’s, then end the Battle Phase. Appliancer Propelion is a Link-1 WIND Machine with an arrow pointing up, needs any Appliancer to summon, cannot be used as Link Material the turn it is Link Summoned, can attack directly, can make an opponent’s monster’s ATK become 0 if it battles your monster while this card is co-linked during damage calcuation, and also during damage calculation if this card isn’t co-linked and battles an opponent’s monster, you can make that monster’s ATK become 0. Appliancer Conversion is a Quick-Play Spell that lets you banish as may Appliancer Link Monsters in your Main Monster Zone as possible to then Special Summon Appliancer Link Monsters up to the number of monsters banished by this effect, also during the Main Phase of a turn it wasn’t sent to the grave can let you banish another Appliancer Spell/Trap from grave to add this card from grave to hand. Altergeist Memorygant is a Link-4 DARK Spellcaster with arrows pointing to the sides and the bottom sides, needs 2+ Altergeist monsters to summon, has a Quick Effect during the Battle Phase to tribute another monster you control to have this card gain the ATK the tributed monster had on field, upon destroying a monster in battle can let you destroy another monster the opponent controls and then lets this card attack once again in a row, also if it would be destroyed you can instead banish a monster from your graveyard instead. Altergeist Pookuery is a Level 1 DARK Spellcaster where if an Altergeist monster you control would be used as Link Material for another Altergeist monster, you can use this card in hand as another material, and has a once per Duel effect where if an Altergeist Link Monster is Link Summoned while this card is in your graveyard, you can add it to your hand. Altergeist Fijialert is a Level 4 WATER Spellcaster where if an Altergeist Link Monster is Link Summoned, you can target another Link Monster on the field to Special Summon this card from the hand to a zone that Link Monster points to, also that monster is treated as an Altergeist monster for the rest of the turn. Finally, Hidden Fangs of Revenge is a Quick-Play Spell that prevents either player from using cards or effects in response to this card’s activation, when an monster declares an attack can then destroy 2 Set cards you control to negate the attack and then if any Monster Cards were destroyed by this effect, it can choose 1 of them to destroy as many monsters the opponent controls as possible with ATK less than or equal to that monster’s DEF, and then it becomes the End Phase.
Noteworthy Reprints
Now it’s time for the part we all come to know and love from the Battles of Legend series previously outside the new cards from the anime/manga or just straight up imported, the reprints. Of course we were getting Kuriboh related reprints with Kuriboh’s alternate art in here alongside Kuribohrn, Performapal Kuribohble, and Detonate. We got a surprise with some Legendary Duelist cards reprinted with Magicians’ Souls, Evil HERO Adusted Gold, and Evil HERO Malicious Bane all in here. Red-Eyes Fusion is also reprinted to go with Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon. We get a Thought Ruler Archfiend reprint mainly for past formats. Stardust Dragon related reprints are in here with Starlight Road and Shooting Star Dragon. We get a prize card reprinted with Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker. There’s some Kaiju related reprints with Gadarla, the Mystery Dust Kaiju, Interrupted Kaiju Slumber, and Kaiju Capture Mission. Some of the cards from the Monarch Structure Deck finally get reprinted with Eidos the Underworld Squire and Edea the Heavenly Squire. We get a more accessible foil reprint of The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves. Some Infernoid related reprints are in here with Infernoid Decatron, Infernoid Tierra, and Void Feast. Some miscellaneous Xyz Monsters are reprinted with Wind-Up Arsenal Zenmaioh, Inzektor Exa-Beetle, Downered Magician, and Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal. Fossil Dig is in here to upgrade the Dinosaur searcher. We got some Number C/CXyz cards reprinted with Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force and Resurgam Xyz. Finally we get some other good generic reprints for cards like Nibiru, the Primal Being, Allure of Darkness, and Forbidden Droplet.
In Conclusion
I think it’s fair to say this is a good set, but there’s still a bit more filler than one would of hoped for. The new cards are fine since we got to get those somehow, but there is some good support for WATER Xyz, Utopia, and Altergeist to make them potential meta contenders in the rogue category if not higher. The reprints are mainly good, with Forbidden Droplet being more likely sought after compared to anything from last year, and Nibiru is a nice extra. It was a missed opportunity to make Allure of Darkness a Secret Rare, and I do question cards like Resurgam Xyz and Kaiju Capture Mission being in here and Performapal Kuribohble being a Secret Rare. Also strange to reprint Arsenal Zenmaioh when it was just in Toon Chaos and Starlight Road when it was just in Maximum Gold, but Zenmaioh is at least getting its first foil reprint, so that can pass. With all that said, there are good reprints in this set still, some of which were highly needed. I just wish the Dragoon reprint also came in Secret Rare to give it some more accessibility.
