From: Monji Osso (by way of Augustine <yugitips@pojo.com>) [aosso@fuse.net]
Sent: Wednesday, October 02, 2002 10:13 PM
To: Bill
Subject: The best Equipment Cards- Ringbearer
Well, first off, these tips aren't for newbies.  If you still run a Blue Eyes White Dragon in today's environment, you'd better be pretty slick to pull it off.  Almost any card (not just Maha Vailo!) can take down the most powerful monsters with not that much assisstance.  Here are a few that I've found should be in every deck.
 
1. Axe of Despair.  NO equip card tops this one.  +1000 attack can make even a lowly Mystical Elf just as strong as most level 5 Beatdown mons, such as La Jinn and 7 Colored Fish.  One Axe of Despair and the Dark Elf is just as powerful as the Blue Eyes White Dragon, and one Axe makes the Summoned Skull stronger than ANY other monster in the English set, bar the Gate Guardian.  If you aren't playing this card, your only excuse is you don't have it or you play an Exodia deck.
 
2. Malevolent Nuzzler.  I rate this higher than Horn of the Unicorn simply because it is a more focused card than the Horn and it's a lot easier to get ahold of.  +700 attack is nothing to sneeze at, and I usually equip this card to La Jinn or 7 Colored Fish when I have a Skull on the field.  Why?  Well, simply because with the Nuzzler the most common beatdown monsters (La Jinn, 7 Coloed Fish, Neo the Magic Swordsman, Battle Ox, Dark Elf) can stomp through any defense.  And don't forget, not even a Labyrinth Wall can stand up to a Summoned Skull with a Malevolent Nuzzler!
 
3. Horn of the Unicorn.  Rarer and more hard to get than the Nuzzler, the Horn of the Unicron ups both attack and defense by 700 points.  In the deck I play, those 00 points are useful either way.  And people, even if you play a Beatdown deck, you can't sustain an offense indefinitely!  You need to have some type of defense, if for no other reaosn than to hae monsters to tribute for.
 
4. Black Pendant.  The weakest up card on my list, it weighs in with a merely average +500 attack.  So why is it in my list?  Because if this card is sent to the graveyard, an extra 500 lp damage is done to your opponent, no strings attached.  I'd sideboard at least one, but no more than two of these.  In DEF Burn decks, though, these are very nasty cards, and should be dealt with as soon as possible.
 
5. Stim-Pack.  A holdover from Metal Raiders, many don't play this card.  And yes, it's drawbacks are pretty well defined.  However, thsi is also teh environment of monster removal, where everyone and his brother is packing enough cards to give your monsters a bady day.  I have yet to have a monster last long enough for the negative effects to take place.  At the most, your monster will be out two or three turns at best, right?  so, he (or she!) might as well do as much damage as possible, right?  This is good in a pinch and a rather nasty surprise for just about anyone who gets hit by it.  And I strongly advise you to sacrifice the monster this card is equipped to the turn the effects go bad.  'Till then, hit e'm hard and hit 'em fast!