The Los Angeles Shonen Jump Championship was certainly huge! It was the first big tournament to use the new Advanced format that went into effect on April 1. Duelists got a chance to demonstrate what changes in the new format would impact the game. Some duelists chose to run weird decks that hadn’t been seen in the American metagame, while other players ran a few unique cards. In the next few weeks, I’ll be talking about the unique cards that certain duelists chose to run in their main or side decks.

This week’s primary focus is on a personal favorite card of mine. After all, this card makes “Masks of Tsuku” infinitely better as a deck option in the national environment—not that I’m dropping any hints about a deck choice at your next Regional event. This trap was also played by other advanced duelists, such as Jae Kim from Team Savage. This week’s featured card can be either one of the most effective forms of removal in the game, or one of the weakest. Its power is based on your control of the game and the target you choose. Phoenix Wing Wind Blast is without a doubt one of the best cards to come from the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! set, Flaming Eternity.

The Basic Breakdown

Phoenix Wing Wind Blast is similar to Raigeki Break. They’re both trap cards that can be activated at almost any time, they both have a discard cost, and they both can target one card on your opponent’s side of the field. But you might be wondering how someone could benefit from returning a card on the field to the top of its owner’s deck. After all, Phoenix Wing’s effect doesn’t destroy the target card, so you’ll be seeing it again on the next turn. Or will you? My friendly Metagame.com colleague Jason Grabher-Meyer talked about the concept of deck control during his coverage of the Shonen Jump Championship in Los Angeles. The ability to manipulate your opponent’s draws, deck size, and field at the same time is a difficult effect to work with. Perhaps it’s best that I go into detail about this mechanic elsewhere.

The Not-So-Basic Breakdown

Deck control is one of the most complicated strategies in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. However, deck control can also be one of the most powerful strategies. If you were to activate Phoenix Wing Wind Blast and return a card to the top of its owner’s deck, how would that benefit you? First of all, cards like this provide card advantage. While the bouncing* effects of Guardian Sphinx and Penguin Soldier may provide field advantage, they don’t provide overall card advantage. The exceptions are when a bounced card was summoned or activated at a cost, or if you are the owner of a bounced card, in which case your opponent loses a card while you gain a card. In terms of card advantage, you could easily end up with fewer cards than your opponent if you use the Sphinx or the Soldier, and that’s the last thing you want for yourself in a competitive environment.

Bouncing effects like the ones on Phoenix Wing Wind Blast and Back to Square One give you both field and card advantage. The card that you bounce doesn’t return to the owner’s hand, so your opponent loses a card from his or her immediate control. In addition, your opponent will draw the bounced card before drawing a new one, robbing him or her of a fresh option for the turn (unless your opponent plays a card-drawing effect).

Phoenix Wing provides you with a new form of advantage over your opponent, known as potential advantage. The trap makes it so you know about one card in your opponent’s hand. Knowing about an “unseen” card allows you to play around or counter that card. The bounced card could become dead weight for an opponent, even if the card could give some advantage. Bouncing a card with Phoenix Wing is the same as a skipped draw phase for your opponent, because he or she loses new options.

How else does this effect provide advantage over standard card destruction? Phoenix Wing Wind Blast looks like a combination of Raigeki Break and Compulsory Evacuation Device. It has a cost and can target any card, much like Raigeki Break, but the trap only provides a temporary advantage, much like the Evacuation Device. However, Phoenix Wing’s effect on the game differs from the impact of the other two cards because of the reasons that I’ve outlined above. Not only does Phoenix Wing help you force one card out of your opponent’s side of the field, but the trap also helps you gain both real and potential card advantage over your opponent. Playing Phoenix Wing is justified because of these advantages and the fact that the trap can target any card on your opponent’s side.

This potentially deadly trap isn’t the only card that uses such a unique and powerful effect. Phoenix Wing’s ability deserves a name. “Spin” fits the effect of Phoenix Wing Wind Blast well, because it conjures up the image of a card going from an opponent’s deck to the hand, to the field, and then (with some help from your cards) back to the top of the deck. Then, the card returns once again to the hand. Phoenix Wing’s effect “spins” an opponent’s card through a cycle.

As a general note, there’s a reason why Phoenix Wing Wind Blast can only target your opponent’s cards. Imagine chaining Phoenix Wing to a copy of Pot of Greed or Card Destruction that you control. Not only would you benefit from the effect of the activated card, but you would also draw that card once again to pull off more combos against your opponent. The underrated Archfiend’s Oath would scream for abuse in this kind of combination. That sort of potential for brokenness was obviously recognized, so Phoenix Wing Wind Blast was given an appropriate restriction to affect only your opponent’s cards.

Combos and Counters

As with all discard effects, playing Phoenix Wing Wind Blast is a lot less painful when it’s combined with Sinister Serpent or Night Assailant. Both cards do an excellent job of making your discard cost minimal.

One of the best combos for Phoenix Wing Wind Blast is the infamous loop of Tsukuyomi and Mask of Darkness. Having the ability to spin a card every turn is completely insane. Considering how Tsukuyomi and the Mask work well with other trap cards, you’ve got yourself a nice deck theme.**

If you’re looking to seriously annoy your opponent, try combining Phoenix Wing Wind Blast with the other spin cards available to you. Legendary Jujitsu Master, Mysterious Guard, and Back to Square One have similar spin effects, though none of them are nearly as versatile as the wonderful Phoenix Wing.

Phoenix Wing Wind Blast can be chained to anything other than a counter trap or Jinzo. Even if you don’t think there’s a target for Phoenix Wing when an opponent plays Mystical Space Typhoon or Heavy Storm, you could still spin the activated spell back to the top of your opponent’s deck. While allowing your opponent to use a removal card again may seem like a bad idea, doing that could easily create a dead draw for your opponent’s next turn. The tactic also enhances the stalling and locking power of Tsukuyomi.

One of the best weapons against Phoenix Wing Wind Blast is Breaker the Magical Warrior. Drawing a versatile, 1600 ATK monster with a removal effect multiple times is hardly going to hurt you. You should be aware of any mental traps that your opponent may try to play with Phoenix Wing. The last thing you want to do is let yourself think that your opponent doesn’t have a face-down Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, only to have a newly summoned tribute monster returned to the top of your deck. Not only would you lose serious field presence, but you would also have a dead draw on your next turn. Be careful!

Final Thoughts

There’s a reason why I chose to run Tsuku-Lock at the Los Angeles Shonen Jump Championship. Had it not been for Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, I probably would have run a deck focused on Strike Ninja, which probably would have resulted in me finishing the tournament with a really bad record. (Trust me, most people expect that from me. Evan Vargas can back me up.) The sheer potential and power locked within Phoenix Wing are still waiting to be tapped. The card is one of the most abusive traps available in the current Advanced format. Be prepared for it, as Phoenix Wing is bound to show up in a lot of tournaments.

Do you have any questions, comments, or requests? I’d be more than happy to respond to any emails, whether you want to send in a ruling question, a greeting, or a request for advice about a deck concept. You can email me at Mrosenberg@metagame.com.


* “Bounce” is a term used to describe returning a card to its owner’s hand.