It must have been almost a year since I've written most anything on those loveable critters, the Toons. Truth be told, though, I've been very busy as of late, and, also, there hasn't really been much new to report on the western front with regards to cards that will help Toon Monsters....until most recently, when Konami started to release even more soldiers for you, the ever-fickle duelist, to wield under your command.

Now, with the advent of these new cards, I will, as I have before, give my thoughts on the newcomers into the Toon army, and if they're truly worth being part of the Toon Deck.

 

Now, before I begin, just a few thoughts.

A while ago, when I had written my first article, 'Tips for building a Toon deck', I had stated that when it comes to 'ScapeGoat' and high-level Toons such as Toon Summoned Skull and Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, it was all fair game, since these monsters are considered to be Special Summons, NOT Tribute Summoned monsters, despite what they appeared to be. Now, someone (whose name shall not be mentioned), sharply disagreed, and bombarded me with e-mails disagreeing with me. I think her last letter confused me the most....it went something like 'so what you're trying to tell me is that Special Summons and not quite Special Summons but are actually Tribute Summons'...blah, blah, blah. Well, All I've got to say now is look who's eating crow, eh? Now that the Netrep website is on-line and readily available to anybody who wants to check rulings (http://www.netrep.net) , you can go look up 'ScapeGoat', and see for yourself, under ruling number 4:

"You may offer Sheep Tokens as Tributes for Toon Monsters, since they are Special Summoned and not Tribute Summoned."

Check and mate.

You CAN use Sheep Tokens to summon high level Toons, END OF STORY.

Now, I would like to think that we've evolved a lot in the game to know things like this off the bat, so let's not ever discuss this again, 'kay? GOOD.

All right, enough flapping from me.

ON TO THE TOONS!!

Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with what Toons are already out, and how they measure up to today's meta-game, allow me to fill you in:

Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon- Ah, old Blue Eyes. I remember the good old days when he used to wreak HAVOC on an unsuspecting player. 3000 direct? OMGWTFBBQSAWCE!!! But alas, those days are over. Two-monster tributes are frowned upon in today's 'here today, gone tomorrow' metagame, and BETD suffers from a TON of weaknesses now that the likes of Exiled Force, Black Luster Soldier, and even a common MST exist. The mere fact that he can't attack the same turn he comes out of hiding hinders him even more. Did I mention that Magic Cylinder totally PWNS him? (Well, most ANY Toon that you have to pay for, I reckon...) Run ONE, if any at all.

 

Toon Summoned Skull- In my opinion, the best and ONLY worthwhile Class-A Toon monster left (I'll explain later). One Tribute, more than enough power to crush a Jinzo's gonads and 2500 LP of screaming direct-damage DEATH at your opponent. However, he suffers from the same weaknesses as most Toons in his class, but he's still worth taking a peek at. Run one, or two, if you're feeling lucky.

 

Toon Mermaid- Practically, the only thing she had going for her was the fact that she was (and still is) the only Four Level or lower Toon monster that can be Special Summoned. This means you could have summoned up to three in the same turn, and have a Blue Eyes Toon Dragon and a Toon Summoned Skull breathing down your opponent's face in that same turn the next instant. But alas, alone, she is dead weight, a horrible topdeck (since she can't attack the same turn she's summoned) and can't even face off against many of the 1800/1900 ATK monsters that rampage the environment. In a serious, competitive deck, don't bother. In a deck where you feel VERY confident, run three, since it's better to have them all for their mass summoning power than just one or two that may end up scattered in your deck.

 

Manga Ryu Ran- Ugh. NO. Just....NO. The WORST Toon to ever come out, simply because there was already a far superior....make that TWO far superior Toons out already, namely, TSS and BETD. If you want to run a fire deck with a Toon-fied twist, give him a try (Fire Spirits make for easy summoning and Molten Destruction means 2700 ATK direct damage), but in a Toon deck, DON'T.

Now, you may have realised that I spoke about TSS being a 'Class-A' Toon.

What does that mean?

Well, Toons, on the whole, are broken down into three classes.

These classes share common characteristics, and, while some monsters of a particular class have yet to be released, I'll just jump ahead and explain them here:

 

CLASS A: The first batch of Toons to be released. Characteristics include:

- Cannot be summoned PERIOD without Toon World;

- Are considered Special Summons;

- Require a payment of 500 LP to attack;

- Are destroyed when Toon World is destroyed;

- Cannot attack the same turn that they are summoned.

- RECURSION CARDS SUCH AS 'MONSTER REBORN' DO NOT WORK UNLESS YOU'VE SPECIAL SUMMONED THE MONSTER CORRECTLY.

 

CLASS A TOONS: Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, Manga Ryu-Ran, Toon Mermaid, Toon Summoned Skull.

 

CLASS B: Yet to see the light of day on our shores, Class B Toons:

 

- Don't need a payment to attack;

- CAN attack the same turn that they are summoned;

- Come with an additional effect beside the default effect of Toon monsters.

 

However, they still fall under the same restrictions as the Class A Toons in the other aspects.

Also, there is only one Class B Toon so far in Japan:

 

CLASS B TOONS: Toon Dark Magician Girl

 

CLASS C: Probably the Toon type you'll see the most in competitive play. These monsters:

 

- Don't require a payment to attack;

- Do NOT need Toon World on the field to be summoned;

- Come with an additional effect beside the default effect of Toon monsters (usually the same effect as their normal counterparts, save Gemini Elf);

 

However, they:

- Are STILL destroyed when Toon World is destroyed;

- Can only inflict direct damage if Toon World is on the field;

- Can NOT attack the first turn that they are summoned;

- Are considered Normal Summons.

 

That second drawback really hurts, but I'm sure you'll find ways around it. We've seen two be released in English to date, Toon Gemini Elf and Toon Goblin Attack Force. It's only a matter of time before the others come out of hiding.

 

CLASS C TOONS: Toon Gemini Elf, Toon Goblin Attack Force, Toon Masked Sorceror, Toon Cannon Soldier.

 

Well, now that that's out of the way, let's review these cards and see how they add up:

 

Toon Gemini Elf: GREAT for a Toon deck. A MUST, if I may be so bold. 1900 ATK is strong enough to stand up to most beatdown monsters, and the ability to casually fling an opponent's card from their hand upon inflicting damage to their life points. However, the biggest weakness to this card is that it can't attack the same turn that it's summoned, meaning that your opponent is given one turn to get rid of her (which you definitely do NOT want, but may definitely happen). Still no reason not to run it, it's still a vaulable card to have in a Toon deck, in terms of beatdown. Run three, or two, if you wish to be cautious.

 

Toon Goblin Attack Force: Like its un-Toonised counterpart, it's a 2300 wall to place in front of your opponent. Chances are, unless he has a Goblin Attack Force of his own, no 4-star beatdown monster will take him down anytime soon. His attack is pretty close to Toon Summoned Skull's, so, he is practically the primary example of a simple strategy I have conceived, that is, summon him WITHOUT Toon World, Heavy Storm the field on the next turn, plunk down Toon World and NAIL those Life Points. He DOES come with that side effect of lying down and playing dead in Defense mode after an attack just like normal Goblin Attack Force, but you can use this time to tribute him for something better....can you say Jinzo or Toon Summoned Skull? Run three, or two, if you don't like the idea of your monsters playing dead. :)

 

Toon Masked Sorceror: To be honest, he may be a Toon, but I can't see him fitting well into a Toon deck. Upon inflicting damage, he allows you to draw a card. That's good. He's also 900 ATK/ 1400 DEF. That's BAD. Chances are, with those low stats, he'd be cannon fodder for a beatdown rampage, and probably won't last long enough for you to use the effect. Gravity Bind doesn't even help him here, which is a shame. Don't run any.

 

Toon Cannon Soldier: Ah. The fun one. :) I remember the good old days when I had my Necrovalley deck, and my Gravekeeper's Cannon Holder was one of the most feared monsters in my deck, not because of its stats, but what it can do. It added insult to injury by launching my Gravekeepers, one after the other, in a 700LP-per-monster ONSLAUGHT, and boom. 2100-2800 damage inflicted, and I WIN. YAR! ^_^ Toon Cannon Soldier is the same philosophy. So WHAT if he can't attack the same turn he's summoned? Launch Sangan for an easy 500 and get a free monster. Snatch your opponent's Jinzo and watch his face turn pale as Jinzo go BOOM. Go ALL out and launch Toons after they've served their purpose and REALLY screw with your opponent! ^__^ All in all, a VERY fun card. Run one, or two, since that's all you'll really need.

 

Toon Dark Magician Girl: Ah. To be honest, I think Pegasus did this as a little jab to Yugi's own DMG. TDMG is one of a kind, as she's the only Class B Toon. She can attack the same turn that she's summoned, and can do so free of charge, which is nice. 2000 ATK is pretty solid (against 4-star beatdowns), but not at the cost of a Tribute (I'd much rather reserve that for a Vampire Lord or a Toon Summoned Skull). The second effect (where she gains 300 for every Dark Magician/Magician of Black Chaos in the Graveyard) is pretty useless since you won't see either in a Toon deck and you won't play this card in a Spellcaster deck. Play one, if you're feeling whimsical, but, IMO, you're better off just having a Toon Summoned Skull in your deck.

 

Whew.

That's certainly a LOT of Toons, now isn't it?

But WAIT....there's MORE.

Alongside these Toons, there were also cards to assist them.

Well, three to be more precise. Let's take a gander:

 

Toon World: Come ON. Don't tell me that you've heard of Toon monsters and did NOT hear of this card. Truth be told, Toon World is a horrible card, since it comes with more disadvantages than advantages. Unfortunately, you can't summon Toon monsters outside of Class C (or even derive the best advantages of the sooner) without it, so, you have no choice. :( Run THREE, because you NEED it.

 

Toon Table of Contents: Man, do I LOVE this card. :) It's just great. Search your deck for any card with 'Toon' in its name? Groovy. By all means, run three in your deck, because, guaranteed, you'll NEED to get a Toon World or a Toon monster in your hand at some point in the game. Great card. Embrace it. Take it to dinner. Make LOVE to it. O___o;;; Okay. I REALLY have to stop typing now and go outside. An interesting thing to note about this card is that Manga Ryu Ran gets the shaft here, because his name does not contain the word 'Toon'. Which should tip you off as to how many you should run to begin with. :)

 

Toon Defense: I say to you, what sense does it make running this card when there's a card called 'Astral Barrier' which does the same thing for ALL monsters, not just Toons? Just to fill you in, this card allows you to take Direct Damage to your LP instead of having a 4-level Toon monster take the attack intended for it. Astral Barrier does the same, but for ANY monster.

PASS, or opt for Astral Barrier instead if you WANT to run it.

 

And now, some cards that work GREAT with Toon World. I'm not saying to run ALL of them, heaven forbid. You might end up with a 125-card deck that'll topple over when you draw. Choose what you think feels right, and make a deck out of that.

 

Spell Absorption- Not bad. 500 LP for every Spell Card will more than make up for all of the LP you'll be shelling out for the Toons.

 

Solemn Wishes- With all of the drawing cards out there, this card will be worth a LOT every draw opporunity you get, for the same reasons as Spell Absorption.

 

Cyber Jar-Mass summoning power = good for high level Toons, or just simply to get as many Class C Toons as you can on the field. Plus, opponent's monsters go bye bye.

 

Jinzo/Royal Decree-Nothing pees on your parade of Toons worse than a Mirror Force or a Magic Cylinder, or any of those damn Sakuretsu Armor/Draining Shield/Waboku cards that people ABUSE to the point of sheer annoyance. Jinzo's the way to go unless you want your precious room to fit all of your Toons, in which case, you should opt for the latter (and sacrifice your pay check in doing so....OWCH. >_<).

 

Scapegoat- If I have to explain to you why this card is great for a Toon deck, I'll personally come over to your house and beat you with oranges. Weren't you paying attention?

 

Exiled Force/Breaker the Magical Warrior- The terrible twosome. Under NO circumstances, leave them OUT of your deck, or you WILL regret it.

 

Magic Jammer/Imperial Order- Of course, I refer to Imperial Order if, in the insane notion you want to run a Toon deck in the Chaos-battered Traditional environment, but you SHOULD put up some line of defense against those Heavy Storm/MST/Snatch Steal cards, which HURT against this deck, by the way.

 

Giant Trunade/Heavy Storm/MST/Dust Tornado- Don't EVER underestimate Giant Trunade, because it can port Toon World safely back to your hand while your Toons remain safely on the field, allowing bigger and badder cards to pass through, like Heavy Storm. Pack the other three simply because you WANT your opponent NOT to have any defense. Plain and simple.

 

Magic Reflector- Your opponent will not likely want to burn TWO S/T removal cards just to get rid of Toon World....not unless your TSS is roasting his ass, or something. :)

 

Book of Moon/Interdimensional Matter Transporter- If Toon World IS destroyed, then save your monster with either of these.

 

Ultimate Offering-Not that I actually LIKE paying even more LP, but summoning more than one Class C Toon mightn't be a bad idea.

 

And now, some strategies to try:

1) Try this tactic with Class C Toons. Summon them WITHOUT Toon World, let your opponent's turn pass (since you can't attack anyway), and then, BLAZE his defenses with a Heavy Storm/MST/Dust Tornado blitzkrieg. When they are all gone, plunk down Toon World and just jump straight for those juicy life points. Toon Gemini Elf works WELL with this, since you get the added bonus of your opponent losing a card. Afterwards, try putting something to protect Toon World and/or your monsters, or just Giant Trunade it back to your hand. Rinse/repeat if you can do it.

2) Old strategy: Special Summon three Toon Mermaids, and then off them for your high level Toon monsters, or even some non-Toons, like Jinzo. Remember, you may have gone on a summoning spree, but you still have a Normal Summon for the turn, despite that.

3)Toon Cannon Soldier has CHAIN PRIORITY. Use this to your advantage. :)

4)Remember what I've said about Scapegoat. If you have some high-level Toons in your hand you need to get rid of, activate Scapegoat when your opponent enters his End Phase, draw, and let the summoning BEGIN! (Since the turn when you have activated Scapegoat has long ended.)

If all doesn't go according to plan, at least you still have some sheep tokens to block your life points.

5) Don't EVER go on a summoning orgy UNLESS you're positive your opponent's got nothing. If you go all out and summon all of your best Toons, and your opponent knocks them all out with an MST in the next turn, you'd be feeling pretty stupid, now wouldn't you? No. Don't EVER waste your resources like that. Always expect the worst, and always be prepared.

 

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for...the deck.

Now, I'm going to try my hardest here and assemble a deck you can actually be competitive with, but I can't guarantee much since Toons are probably one of the most vulnerable arch-types in the entire game. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try, eh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that's really the best that I can do.

I am, however, interested in what ideas some of you guys have for Toon decks, if so, please let me in on it. :) I'd love to swap ideas.

 

You can contact me at this e-mail neweraoutlaw@hotmail.com or at neweraoutlaw@gmail.com .

Be sure to let me know what you think of this article (NO debates about Scapegoat and Toon monsters, PLEASE.)

 

Until then, adios, amigos!