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Carrotizer on YuGiOh
Carrot Analysis: Make Way for the Rockin’ Stonehead!
August 20 2007 
 

            Raiza the Storm Monarch probably still is one of the cards sought after.  All the Monarchs are.  Except one.  I don’t have any Ultimate Rare Monarchs, but I do have a FET shiny one.

            Yeah, Granmarg the Rock Monarch is obviously never preferred to other Monarchs by the Duelists.  Why?  Is it that bad?  Monarch is a Monarch, after all…

Granmarg the Rock Monarch

EARTH/Rock/Monarch (=D)          ****** (6 stars!)

Effect: When this card is Tribute Summoned, destroy 1 face-down card on the field.

            Raiza the Storm Monarch has a mandatory effect that can target any cards on the field, even your own, to be returned to the top of the owner’s deck.  Face-down Monster, face-up Call of the Haunted, whatever you want to spin.  Yet because you are always forced to activate the effect, sometimes bringing him in for the final strike is impossible, though never likely. 

            Mobius the Frost Monarch, on the other hand, can destroy 2 cards! +2!!!!! Well, Spells/Traps.  Good thing is, face-up/-down doesn’t matter to cool Mobius.  UP TO 2 cards help you a lot sometimes, since being forced to destroy your own card stinks. Bad thing is, you might be targeting Bottomless Trap Hole and Scapegoat.  Bleh.  Nukes 2 Spells/Traps, usually as good as Heavy Storm with 2400 ATK.  Deal. Blow up Call of the haunted that you used to bring up Sangan with which you Tributed Summoned Mobius. 

            Thestalos the Firstorm Monarch once was the best Monarch, even better than Mobius.  Before Raiza was born.  Discard 1 random card from opponent’s hand, if it’s a monster, deal 100 x number of stars.  Simple, right?  Now, Dark World guys are not so omnipresent.  Unless you discarded Destiny Hero - Malicious/Disc Commander/Volcanic Shell/Treeborn Frog/Night Assailant, you are good to go.  

            Zaborg the Thunder Monarch?  BFF of the infamous Chaos Sorcerer brothers. Only Monarch so far to have 5-star, Zaborg can Metamorph into Dark Balter the Terrible (or Reaper on the Nightmare).  After destroying 1 monster on the field, that is.  Sometimes you’ll hit Treeborn Frog.  Or Sangan.  Or some random Sand Moth. Or some Destiny Heroes. 

            Excluding Zaborg, all Monarchs can be used with Spiritual Art Traps.  Raiza can even be Tributed for Icarus Attack.  Brutal…and Granmarg is only a Rock? Sure, Spiritual Earth Art – Kurenai can bring back Neo-Spacian Grand Mole, Exiled Force, or other useless cards such as Legendary Jujitsu Master.  Man, sometimes you have to Tribute those pretty Scapegoats…it stinks, right?? 

            No, I’m not high on anything.  Granmarg the Rock Monarch has what other Monarchs don’t have: flexibility.  Except Raiza, but Raiza is…weird.   

            If you’ve noticed the Rock-Type monsters, you will realize they aren’t that bad after all.  Hey, Gigantes isn’t that bad.  Heavy Strom when anything beats him in arm wrestling.  Sure, I’ll take him.  Hey, he’s a rock too!  Megarock Dragon is a “bad” Rock version of Chimeratech Overdragon, without the need for the Fusion cards. 

            At U.S. Nationals, Granmarg appeared once in the second place.  The guy used 13 Monarchs…meaning he used 1 Granmarg after using 3 of EACH Monarchs. AND a Jinzo. Nevertheless, that proves Granmarg isn’t so bad. He didn’t’ use Blowback Dragon (although it would have been a bad choice for his deck in my opinion, with everyone using Brain Controls) 

            Targeting any face-down monsters will usually result in similar effect as Zaborg’s, except when Ceasefire is chained.  Targeting a face-down Spell/Trap should be avoided, as it can be anything…even Call of the Haunted will be brutal since if the targeted card is face-up when Granmarg’s effect resolves, it will disappear. 

            Granmarg the Rock Monarch is usually considered shoddy compared to other Monarchs.  Think of him like a more themed Zaborg the Thunder Monarch that may only target face-down monsters. There, there. Feel better now, Granny? 

            P.S: Ban list should be released real soon, presumably tomorrow (August 16).  Now, on that unofficial list from DS game, Konami/UDE once again stressed the anti-OTK policy by Limiting Megamorph. However, if OTK strategy is so dismal to UDE, then why isn’t Lightning Vortex at 2? DDT is a OTK. DDT can Raigeki face-up monsters for virtually no cost. Lightning Vortex is one of the cards (let’s set aside Magical Stone Excavation) that bolster DDT. Why Limit Megamorph when Metamorphosis is at 2 and Vortex at 2? Unlike Snipe Hunter, which will never get you advantages; discards usually give them.

By Paul Yeem – Carrotizer @ paulyeem@gmail.com