Continuing our examination of the new LV Monsters from Cyberdark Impact, this week we change our focus to the more graceful of the two: Allure Queen.

Dark Lucius used physical strength and negation of monster effects to grow from its first form into its last. The Allure Queen lacks any real physical strength and she cannot negate monster effects. Instead, she finds the power she needs to grow through the forced servitude of opposing monsters.

It all begins with Allure Queen LV3. Her text says:

Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can select 1 Level 3 or lower monster on your opponent's side of the field and equip it to this card. (Only 1 card at a time can be equipped due to this effect.) If this card would be destroyed by battle, the equipped monster is destroyed instead. During your Standby Phase, by sending this card to the Graveyard while it's equipped due to its effect, Special Summon 1 "Allure Queen LV5" from your hand or Deck.

Allure Queen LV3’s first effect (a targeting effect) requires a proper monster on your opponent’s side of the field. You cannot activate this effect if your opponent does not have a face-up level 3 or lower monster on his or her side of the field to select as a target. This does place restriction upon your success because you can find yourself dependant upon your opponent’s deck and how he or she plays his or her monsters.

Once you’ve forced your opponent’s monster into servitude, it equips to your Allure Queen LV3, taking up a space in your spell and trap card zone. Your Allure Queen now uses this monster as a protective barrier, giving her the ability to survive battle by destroying the equipped monster instead. Any damage resulting from the battle is still deducted from your life points, so don’t think you’re coming out unscathed.

In order to grow into Allure Queen LV5, her LV3 form needs to claim a servant and retain it until your standby phase. When you accomplish this, you send the Allure Queen LV3 to the graveyard and special summon its LV5 form. The equipped monster is destroyed in the process, as is common for equip cards.

It is important to note that the equipped monster does not need to be “sent to the graveyard” or anything of that sort. It is only lost because the monster it was equipped to, Allure Queen LV3, left the field. This is important because it allows you to use monster tokens as a means of satisfying your Allure Queen. All those little Sheep tokens are perfect for servitude (or supper).

With this strategy, the Ojama Trio can come through for us. We can use them as servants for our Allure Queen and as a means of satisfying her requirement for “leveling up.” This gives us a way to use our Allure Queen even when our opponent’s own monsters don’t support her. Is there anything Ojamas can’t do?

Any monster equipped to an Allure Queen loses its effects while equipped. We first saw this behavior with Relinquished and Thousand-Eyes Restrict many years ago and it continues to be true to this day. In those early days it was common for an inexperienced player to question whether or not an “absorbed” Jinzo would still retain its ability to negate the effects of trap cards. After all, it was still technically face up, right?

Such was not the case. While equipped, Jinzo’s effect wouldn’t do anything. This holds true for most monsters in the game, and only changes when the monster finds itself removed from equipment status. Sangan, for example, will activate its effect at the time it hits the graveyard, even though it didn’t do anything while equipped.

Like Dark Lucius LV6, Allure Queen LV5’s effects are entirely dependant upon her being special summoned by the effect of her previous form. As I mentioned in my previous article, this makes using Level Up! a bad choice. With Dark Lucius you could still get some power out of the deal, but Allure Queen lacks any ATK or DEF values worthy of such action. Using her effect should remain your focus.

Allure Queen LV5 retains the effects of her previous form, but she is now able to take your opponent’s face-up monsters of level 5 or lower into servitude. This opens up her range of influence substantially, allowing her access to a large percentage of the popular monsters used today. You really don’t need to worry about assisting Allure Queen LV5, because it’s fairly easy to nab a level 4 monster from your opponent. If your opponent isn’t being cooperative, however, you can still rely on Ojama Trio to get the job done.

Allure Queen LV5 has the same timing window and “level up” requirement her previous form had. Once met, she can level up into her final form, Allure Queen LV7. At this point, the effect changes slightly to the following:

Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if this card was Special Summoned by the effect of "Allure Queen LV5", you can select 1 monster on your opponent's side of the field and equip it to this card. (Only 1 card at a time can be equipped due to this effect.) If this card would be destroyed by battle, the equipped monster is destroyed instead.

Allure Queen LV7 no longer has any restrictions limiting which of your opponent’s monsters she can force into servitude. It no longer matters what level they are nor does it matter if they are face up or face down. If she wants them to serve, she will take them.

Now you’re probably thinking, “So I take my opponents’ monsters during my turn, but won’t they just attack my Queen on their next turn and make me lose it?” That could happen very easily, actually. The Allure Queen isn’t very strong on her own. This is why every good queen has bodyguards.

The Queen’s Bodyguard cards are intended to serve as a distraction for any monster that would dare to challenge the Allure Queen in battle. Until they’re gone, she cannot be selected as an attack target. Being Warriors, they are easily searched out and can have their power increased easily as well.

Until next time, send all comments and questions to Curtis@Metagame.com