Since new cards are constantly being released, the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG is always evolving. The game exists in a state of perpetual flux, consistently challenging even the best of its players to adapt. Promo cards and new Advanced lists can change the tournament landscape, but the biggest swerves always come with the release of new booster sets.
So it’s no surprise that The Duelist Genesis will change dueling as we know it. What is surprising is the sheer magnitude of those changes. The debut of new mechanics will rock the game to its core, and the biggest is the introduction of an all-new type of card: Synchro monsters. Leading the pack is the marquee monster from the upcoming Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s animated series, Stardust Dragon. Sneak Previews of The Duelist Genesis are less than two weeks away, so check it out . . .
Stardust DragonDragon / Synchro / Effect
Wind Level 8
2500 / 2000
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
You may tribute Stardust Dragon to negate the activation of a spell, trap, or effect monster’s effect that destroys a card (or cards) on the field, and then destroy that card. If you negate an effect, you can special summon Stardust Dragon from your graveyard during the end phase.
Stardust Dragon is big, incredibly difficult to get rid of, and shuts down monsters like
Gladiator Beast Gyzarus in a heartbeat. We’re going to be seeing a lot of it at tournaments over the coming years, but to understand how good it really is, we need to answer a question first.
What is a Synchro Monster?
Good question! Synchros are a totally new type of card—you can’t miss them, because while other monsters have yellow, orange, blue, or purple borders, Synchros have white borders. Your Fusion deck has changed a little too. It’s now called your Extra deck, and that’s where you keep Synchro monsters until you’re ready to summon them. Your Extra deck can hold up to fifteen monsters total, and it’s up to you to choose how many of those cards will be Fusions and how many will be Synchros.
You can special summon a Synchro monster from your Extra deck by sending a face-up "Tuner" monster and one or more face-up non-Tuner monsters from your field to the graveyard. Just add up the combined levels of the monsters you sent, and you can special summon a Synchro monster with the exact same level.
Tuners are a new sub-type of monster, like Toons or Spirits. Just look for the word "Tuner" next to the monster’s type in its effect text. When you special summon a Synchro from your Extra deck with a Tuner, it’s called a Synchro summon.
Synchro summoning is easy. Just make sure you have the right monsters face up on the field, and declare that you want to perform a Synchro summon in your main phase. Be sure you’ve got the right number of levels, and then send the monsters you want to use as Synchro materials to the graveyard. Once the monsters are sent away, get the Synchro monster from your Extra deck and summon it to the field in face-up attack or face-up defense position—your choice.
Even though Synchro materials are "sent to the graveyard," you can still Synchro summon when Macro Cosmos or Dimensional Fissure are on the field—just remove the materials from play instead. You can even use Token monsters as Synchro materials, opening up a lot of combo potential.
Once a monster has been properly Synchro summoned, you can special summon it back from the graveyard with a card like Monster Reborn.
Pretty Easy Stuff, Huh?
You bet it is. Let’s look at how easy it is to Synchro summon Stardust Dragon by examining one of the new Tuner monsters from The Duelist Genesis . . .
Dark Resonator Fiend / Tuner
Dark Level 3
1300 / 300
Once each turn, if Dark Resonator would be destroyed by battle, it’s not destroyed (damage calculation is still applied).
There are a lot of Tuners in the set and all of them are useful, but some are better than others for particular Synchro monsters. Dark Resonator is a very solid Tuner all around. Its effect lets it survive, so you can summon another monster to use as Synchro material on your next turn. At 1300 ATK it’s got respectable stats while still being searchable by Sangan, too.
Its level is what really makes Dark Resonator shine. Since this Tuner is level 3, and Stardust Dragon is level 8, you’ll need five more levels’ worth of monsters to Synchro summon Stardust. Summoning a level 5 monster might not sound easy, but there are a lot of ways you can get the necessary materials.
Take Cyber Dragon. If your field is empty, just special summon Cyber Dragon with its effect. Then use your normal summon to bring Dark Resonator to the field. With 8 level stars between them, you can send Cyber and Resonator to the graveyard to instantly Synchro summon Stardust Dragon. Cyber Dragon is a powerful card on its own, so the combo isn’t hard to include in a variety of decks.
Alternatively, you can swipe one of your opponent’s monsters with Brain Control or Mind Control. Even though Mind Control says you can’t tribute the monster you take with it, Synchro summoning sends monsters to the graveyard, so using a monster taken with Mind Control as Synchro material is fine. With Dark Resonator and a level 1 monster like Treeborn Frog, you can take any of your opponent’s level 4 monsters and get it off the field, while unleashing one of the game’s all-time toughest control cards.
Giving up a monster that has already earned you a card (like Magical Merchant or Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive) is another great way to amass Synchro materials without giving up too many cards and options. But if you really want to bring out a Synchro like Stardust Dragon, Instant Fusion may be one of your best tricks. For 1000 life points, it lets you special summon a Fusion monster of level 5 or lower from your Extra deck, and you can use that monster as part of a Synchro summon. Since there are plenty of Fusion monsters at level 3, 4, and 5, Instant Fusion will always get you the exact monster you need for whatever Synchro you want to bring out. If you want to special summon Stardust Dragon, all you need is Dark Resonator and Instant Fusion. Special summon a level 5 like Reaper on the Nightmare or Ojama Knight, and then Synchro summon to bring out Stardust. Easy.
Dark Resonator is a Dark monster, so it’ll work with Allure of Darkness while also fueling Dark Armed Dragon in any current Dark Armed deck. It’s a nice defensive play in the early game too, and Dark Armed duelists can special summon more Synchro fodder with cards like Dark Grepher, Limit Reverse, or Fires of Doomsday to get the five extra levels Stardust Dragon requires.
But don’t think that the Dragon is a one-trick pony reserved for Dark Armed decks. No matter what you play, you’ll probably want three copies, because virtually every deck has unique ways of getting Stardust Dragon to the field. This week we’ll be showing you more Tuner monsters, and you’ll see just how simple it can be to fit Stardust Dragon and other powerful Synchros into decks you already play.
And Believe Me: You’ll Really, Really Want To
It’s no secret: the most powerful decks right now revolve around destroying the opponent’s cards with out-of-nowhere plays, and monsters like Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, Judgment Dragon, and Dark Armed Dragon have shaped the game as we’ve come to know it. Other easy-removal cards like Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress, Gladiator Beast Bestiari, Snipe Hunter, and Gladiator Beast Murmillo are also focused on destroying key cards to open up your opponent to further attacks. Monarchs are the one exception to this rule, but virtually every other deck—from Gadgets to Big City—depends on its ability to destroy your stuff in order to win.
And Stardust Dragon stops them. All of them. For free, in fact. Then it comes back at the end of the turn to do it again.
When I put it bluntly like that, the whole issue may seem very simple. It is, but there are some intricacies to it that are worth exploring as well. For instance, consider the exact timing of Stardust Dragon’s special summoning. Once the Dragon is tributed to negate a spell, trap, or monster effect, it comes back at the end of the current turn, not your next one. That means that if your opponent has a trap in hand like
Torrential Tribute that could help him or her at least ward off the Dragon's attack, that card is powerless against it: Stardust Dragon will be special summoned before the trap can be activated.
A trap-based answer needs to be set a turn in advance, forcing your opponent to make potentially bad plays. Also, the tribute effect is optional, so if you think your opponent does have an answer, you don’t have to go blundering into it. Even then, the only effect that reliably stops Stardust Dragon after it negates an effect is
D.D. Crow, and your opponent is going to have to activate somethingfor the Dragon to negate first. That usually means giving up two cards to your one Dragon. If you used one of your opponent’s monsters for your Synchro summon, or Stardust destroyed at least one monster in battle, you’re in an awesome position.
And it’s quite likely that the Dragon will attack and destroy something! With 2500 ATK it’s big enough to run down anything short of Dark Armed or Judgment Dragon, swinging over big nasties like Gladiator Beast Gyzarus or the much-feared Prime Material Dragon. Even turning it to defense mode with Enemy Controller will require a sizable counter attacker to take advantage, since Stardust wields 2000 DEF. Stardust Dragon can wreck your opponent’s plans if it’s left on the field, so expect the opposition to do whatever he or she can to get rid of it. That means walking into your Bottomless Trap Hole, Dimensional Prison, or Mirror Force surprisingly often, leaving you with a free shot for life point damage. This card is scary, and with a little bit of defensive support on your side it becomes utterly terrifying.
Stardust Dragon fits into virtually any competitive deck, and its effect shuts down the top strategies currently dominating tournaments. Its ATK crushes all but the biggest monsters, and while it’s easy to play, it’s exceptionally tough to play against. There’s no two ways about it: to remain competitive over the coming months, you will need an Extra deck packed with the right Synchros, and two or three copies of Stardust Dragon are an absolute must. Getting yours as soon as you can should be a top priority, so try and pick a few up at your local Sneak Preview of The Duelist Genesis.
The new set ushers in a totally new way to duel, and we’ll be spending a lot of time this week investigating more Synchro and Tuner pairings. Be sure to check back, because if there’s one Synchro that might be better than Stardust Dragon it’s the one Jerome’s previewing tomorrow. Everybody here at Metagame.com is really pumped about Synchro monsters, and by Friday you will be too.
See you at the Previews!
—Jason Grabher-Meyer