[Serenity79@aol.com]
Reverse Trap - Deadly Foe, Welcome Ally
So, let's talk about Reverse Trap..  You remember Reverse Trap, right?  The odd-looking card, sort of resembling Pokemon's Jinx, with an interesting effect:
 
Reverse Trap
Trap
 
All increases and decreases to ATK and DEF are reversed for the turn in which this card is activated.
 
Doesn't sound too threatening, does it?  I mean, unless your opponent is running a lot of equip cards (such as United We Stand or Mage Power, which are becoming more common sights), what good will it do?  Let's take a look at a couple of other uses for Reverse Trap, and where it might just do a lot of damage, and completely ruin an opponent's plan.
 
Reverse Trap vs. Injection Fairy Lily
 
If you want to kill Injection Fairy Lily quickly and efficiently, this is a card to do it.  If your opponent attacks with Lily while you have a Reverse Trap set, you just activate it, and boom - you have one dead needle-wielding Fairy.  Why?  Because Reverse Trap will essentially prevent your opponent from activating the Injection effect.  Nobody in their right mind will pay out 2000 Life Points to DECREASE their own monster by 3000 ATK.  Just make sure you activate Reverse Trap BEFORE damage calculation - since RT doesn't DIRECTLY increase/decrease ATK or DEF, it can't be activated there, unlike Lily's effect.
 
Reverse Trap vs. Shooting Star Bow - Ceal/Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce
 
A pair of equip cards that nobody seems to use, because they have a very negative effect in exchange for a positive.
 
Shooting Star Bow - Ceal
Equip Card
 
A monster equipped with this card decreases its ATK by 1000 points.  A monster equipped with this card can attack your opponent's life points directly.
 
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Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce
Equip Card
 
You must send 1 card from your hand to your Graveyard when you activate this card.  A monster equipped with this card decreases its ATK by 500 points.  A monster equipped with this card can attack twice during the same Battle Phase.
 
So you see, we have two equip cards that can give you an advantage, but are most often a liability.  After all, most any monster, when decreased by 1000 or even 500 ATK, tends to become dead on the next turn.  Now, consider Reverse Trap with these cards.  Let's suppose we have an Archfiend Soldier on the field, equipped with the Shooting Star Bow.  Alright, we have a 900 ATK monster who can attack directly.  Woo-friggin'-hoo, right?  Now, we spring a Reverse Trap, and we suddenly have a 2900 ATK monster who can attack directly.  2900 is a big chunk to take out of someone's life points in one blow.  If you decided to add a Twin Swords of Flashing Light to the mix, you would normally have a 400 attack monster who can attack directly, twice - that's 800 points of damage, max.  Again, you spring a Reverse Trap, and you suddenly have a monster who can do 3400 points of direct damage, twice.  That's 6800 damage, for those of you not keeping score at home.  In most games, that's an effective way to nearly end a duel in one fell swoop.  True, your monster will probably be slaughtered in the next move (unless you have another Reverse Trap set, in which case, you will probably win when the opponent attacks a 3400 powerhouse with what will most likely be a 1900 attack monster, if that). 
 
So dig out those binders and boxes full of starter deck cards, and try out a Reverse Trap.  Or side-deck it, in case of Injection Lilys or equip-heavy decks.  There are plenty of other combinations to consider with Reverse Trap...  Infernalqueen Archfiend, Maha Vailo, Megamorph...  Think about it.
 
Comments?  Suggestions?  Criticisms?  Email 'em to Serenity79@aol.com, in care of William.