June 2007

Fear the Dark Side
 
So it is better on the dark side. These three monsters (Don Zaloog, Mataza the Zapper, and Zombyra the Dark) are all powerful DARK attribute Warrior type monsters. this means that they have access to some of the most powerful support in the game. Reinforcements of the Army, The Warrior Returning Alive and other warrior support makes these monsters very playable. However, with the odd use of Don Zaloog in some decks, they rarely see play. Here I give some reasons to play the warriors of darkness and why they are so powerful.
 
Mataza the Zapper
1300 ATK 800 DEF
This monster may attack twice during your battle phase. This monster may not shift control to your opponent.
 
Why Play Him?
A fairly simple effect. He attacks twice and can't shift to your opponent. Big Deal right? He only has 1300 ATK points, and that is hardly any damage at all. However, it is not curse, it is a blessing. Your opponent will likely not destroy him because he is so puny and by the time they realize it, it is too late. Cards like United We Stand, Mage Power, and The A Forces boost his ATK points to all time high levels. I once had a Mataza that was on par with Dragon Master Knight. When you unleash this fury on your opponent, they WILL lose the game. Also his second effect is what is really interesting. He cannot switch sides, which negates some of the best spell cards in the game, Brain Control and Snatch Steal. Monarch players will have to rely on their monsters to tribute, very much harming their gameplan. My friend who I was playtesting this guy against tried to take him 3 times, and he knew I was playtesting Mataza! Just imagine an opponent in Tourney that has never seen Mataza before, he'll be throwing Brain Controls at it left and right.
 
The Bottom Line
If you are playing warriors, give him a test, you might like what you find.
 
 
Don Zaloog
ATK 1400 DEF 1500
When this monster Inflicts damage to your opponent's lifepoints, you may choose to activate one of the following effects:
-Discard one card at random from your opponent's hand.
-Discard Two cards from the top of your opponent's deck.
 
Why Play Him?
This is a favorite from my area. Some people still play him even though he is out of favor with the American Metagame as a whole. Why? He is a beast as far as advantage is concerned. He tosses a card from your opponents hand or deck, which can be game breaking. He also has a decent 1400 ATK points. This can run over most of your opponent's non tribute monsters, but you often won't want to. Clearing out your opponent's monsters fro a direct attack is devastating, making this plus Cyber Dragon a very good second turn drop. The fact is that he is also very versatile. You can discard from the hand or deck, so that if you don't want to do hand (Dark World) or deck (Bazoo Return) you can do the other(I don't know what he could do against a Bazoo/Dark World dek though).
 
The Bottom Line
Play this guy in warrior decks. He is good and will stay good until Dark World becomes broken (meaning never).
 
 
Zombyra the Dark
2100 ATK 400(?) DEF
This monster loses 200 ATK each time it destroys a monster. This monster may not attack a player directly.
 
Why Play Him?
He boasts a whoppin' 2100 ATK. That is reason enough. His ATK decrease is not really a concern, because you will tribute him for Deck Devastation Virus. Also in a pinch he takes down everything from Cyber Dragon on down the food chain. This guy is a great idea for Virus lovers, as he is searchable by Reinforcements. This gets your viral infection spreading much sooner than your opponent expects. This makes it perfect for the deck, unlike Giant Orc and Dark World Monsters, the preferred way of getting your infection spread.
 
The Bottom Line
Play him in a virus deck to get that Virus off sooner. Otherwise other cards are better.
 
 
So that is my take on these three cards. Try them out, they jus might take you to a Regional win, or even top 8 of an SJC. Playing against the National Metagame is a great way to break out into the professional dueling circle.
 
So if you have any comments, questions or ideas, I am available at raptor1k@hotmail.com
 
Thanx for reading!
GeneralZorpa