Did you know that 90 percent of all Big Scary Monsters in the game have self-esteem issues? It’s sad, but true. I mean, how would you feel if nearly every competitive player on the Internet leapt at any opportunity to bash you just for being who you are? Last I checked, Skull Archfiend of Lightning was out punching a wall and lamenting its lot in life, Dark Necrofear was sobbing quietly while holding that little doll, and Armed Dragon LV7 had gone completely emo. These monsters shouldn’t have to go through life unloved, especially on Valentine’s Day, so today’s preview is dedicated to finding the perfect somebody for one of these sadly unappreciated monsters. The rest of the Big Scary Monsters took a vote and chose Necrofear, so without further ado, let’s take a look at today’s preview card.

Raviel, Lord of Phantasms

Level 10

DARK/Fiend/Effect

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Tributing 3 Fiend-Type monsters on your side of the field. Each time your opponent Normal Summons a monster, Special Summon 1 "Phantasm Token" (Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 1/ATK 1000/DEF 1000). These tokens cannot attack. Once per turn, by Tributing 1 monster, increase the ATK of this card by the original ATK of the Tributed monster, until the end of the turn.

ATK 4000/DEF 4000

Raviel is the second of the three Sacred Beasts from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX that we’ve looked at so far, and unlike its big red cousin Uria, this Beast isn’t sporting zeroes in its ATK and DEF slots. 4000 ATK and DEF for a level 10 monster is certainly Big, but how does Raviel stack up in terms of Scariness? Well, it requires you to tribute three Fiend-type monsters to summon it, which is sure to scare the pants off of the Internet. It also has a nasty habit of terrorizing the field with its Phantasm tokens that get summoned every time your opponent normal summons something. Finally, thanks to its ignition effect, Raviel also keeps your opponent hoping that he or she never has to be alone without a monster to protect against its attack. I’d say that’s pretty scary, and since Raviel is clearly a monster, it fits all the requirements to be a Big Scary Monster. The question remains, then—how compatible is it with Dark Necrofear?

As it turns out, the answer is “very compatible.” It’s heartwarming to see that naturally fulfilling the summoning requirement for Raviel automatically fulfills the requirement for summoning Dark Necrofear as well, and the two look so nice together on the field. One of them is enormous and likes to eat monsters to gain ATK points. The other likes to come back from beyond the beyond to steal your opponent’s monsters. Am I the only one who sees sparks flying here? Getting these two monsters out on the field together ensures that something bad will probably happen to your opponent, regardless of what he or she does.

Got a Smashing Ground or Sakuretsu Armor? Brilliant. I’ve still got another big ol’ Fiend for you to deal with. Wait, you actually have two removal cards right away? That’s kind of crappy, but as a consolation prize, Necrofear will steal one of your monsters anyway. The only real way around it is to use a field-clearing effect and then not try to press your advantage, which is a generally bad move after playing Dark Hole or multiple single removal cards. In fact, the Raviel player can even take one extra step to ensure that your Dark Hole doesn’t matter, and that step is playing Pole Position. Sure, Necrofear will still buy the farm, but when it comes to Necrofear, death isn’t the handicap that it used to be.

I’d assume that the big question on everyone’s mind is, “So how are we supposed to get three Fiend-type monsters on the field, anyway?” I’m glad you asked, since I’ve been thinking about that very question for a while now. The easiest way to do it is to somehow generate Fiend-type monster tokens. You can do this with Statue of the Wicked combined with Magical Hats and some sort of other Fiend-type monster, preferably after your opponent is done with his or her attacks. Giant Germ is pretty good for this purpose, and if it gets destroyed in battle, you then have two more Germs to work with, in addition to nailing your opponent for a bonus 500 damage. The other Germs also set you up to get the three Fiends in the graveyard for Necrofear as well. Basically, you have to avoid getting nailed by a Nobleman of Crossout or some other face-down monster removal spell or trap. Mystic Swordsman LV2 isn’t so much of a problem in this respect as it at least gives you a chance to activate Magical Hats, and as a bonus if it misses and hits a Statue, the Statue will activate.

Before Raviel goes off to live a happy life in Fiend decks (along with Dark Necrofear), I think we should take a look at its single life—that being the Shadow of Infinity Sneak Preview event nearest you. It’s really quite simple: if you have the Fiends to support Raviel, you play it. In Sealed Pack, big monsters win you the game 90 percent of the time, so you’d be crazy to pass this in any Booster Draft format, regardless of whether or not you can play it, because if you don’t take it, they will. It’s also an ultra rare that’s sure to have some serious value to players and collectors alike, so if you aren’t going to take it to make your deck better or your opponents’ decks worse, go ahead and rare-draft it. In fact, I don’t even care why you draft it—just do it.

That’s going to do it for previews from me, but we’ve still got a few days to go before the Shadow of Infinity Sneak Preview events. There are plenty more previews coming your way this week, so be sure to check back every day for a new one. I’ll be judging at the preview and regional tournaments in Pittsburgh, PA, so if you’re in the area, you should definitely drop by, if only to say hi. Regular service resumes next week, so until next time, play hard, play fair, and most importantly, have fun!

Jerome McHale

Jcmchale AT andrew DOT cmu DOT edu

NEXT WEEK: The secrets of the Insect kingdom revealed, next time on Nature.