It’s Sneak Preview time again! Adding in a new expansion set just a few months after the latest Advanced format changes is going to mix up the metagame even more, and Metagame.com is offering you a glimpse of some of the more intriguing cards that will soon be released.
Today, I’m going to look at an Earth card. TLM-EN012 is a level 6 Rock/Effect monster with 2400 ATK and 1200 DEF. If you’re playing a deck that relies on defense position monsters, then this is a card that’s going to interest you. Its effect text states, more or less, “As long as this card is face-up, your opponent cannot attack your face-down Defense Position monsters.”
The one drawback is that it’s a tribute summon, but it will only cost you one monster. I’ve noticed a resurgence of interest in Earth decks, so this might generate some excitement in that quarter—012 has the same price tag and packs the same ATK punch as
Jinzo. Anyone running
Morphing Jar/
Needle Worm Mill decks might like to experiment with this card, and Lockdown decks should try it out as well, especially now that
Gravity Bind is on the Semi-Limited list. Decks that utilize the growing number of reuseable flip effect monsters (the ones you can flip back face down) should try and find room for this monster for maximum opponent annoyance.
As far as card combos are concerned,
Book of Moon springs immediately to mind. It’s a quick-play spell, so if you’ve got 012 out on the field and your opponent attacks one of your other face-up monsters, you could use
Book of Moon to protect it. Of course, you could also just use
Book of Moon on the attacking monster, but whatever works best. Using
Book of Moon repeatedly on
Magician of Faith is a popular play, but only if you can keep the Magician on the field, and 012 will protect
Magician of Faith while it’s face down. It also seems like 012 will work well with cards like
Pyramid Turtle that have a good resettable flip effect, but are vulnerable when they are face down. Just about any card with a “flip summon” effect, rather than a flip effect, could use the extra protection this card can provide.
Gravity Bind will shut down pretty much any monster that could defeat 012 by attacking it, allowing it to protect face-down monsters that could be attacked under the Bind.
Will it see much play? Tribute monsters are tricky. Most competitive duelists like to restrict the number of tribute monsters they run in their decks, and the ones that are already used heavily have more or less proved their place. Earth decks might like it just for power, since it does rank alongside
Jinzo, and there will be duelists who can make it work in Mill or Burn decks. They’ll enjoy forcing an opponent to sit there waiting, knowing that there’s a
Needle Worm or another card just sitting there and not being able to take out 012 to stop the pain. If the card does make its way into the metagame, then
Nobleman of Crossout will probably make more of a showing in main decks, rather than sitting in the side deck.
This card ought to be great in Sealed Pack! If you pull one in the upcoming Sneak Previews, it will be a cheap beatstick and will protect your face-down monsters in defense position as well. I’ve found it’s much easier to get tribute monsters onto the field in Limited, since there’s not quite so much monster destruction going on, so I’d definitely run this card if I pulled it. It will combine really well with a number of other cards you’ll see in the set.
You won’t know what it combines with unless you get out to the Sneak Preview in your area, so clear up your schedule for next weekend! Attendance at most Regional tournaments is rising, and the Shonen Jump series is going strong. Innovative new decks have emerged at each of the Shonen Jump events after the Advanced format changes, so if you want to be on the cutting edge, you owe it to yourself to see the new set, test the cards, and evaluate their place in your game.