Currently, there are two monsters that are feared more than any other in the Advanced format: Spirit Reaper and Cyber Dragon. Both provide unparalleled domination over the battlefield, and each can cause a massive swing in momentum in a duel. Reaper accomplishes that with its pair of effects, while Cyber Dragon does the same with its huge stats and ability to be accompanied by a normal-summoned buddy. Whenever either hits the field, the result is usually a sudden shift in tempo, and often a change in control over the duel.

Answers to these two monsters are highly prized. Smashing Ground is played over Fissure, partly because it can pick Cyber Dragon out of a lineup. Widespread Ruin pales in comparison to Sakuretsu Armor, chiefly because it can’t stop Spirit Reaper. Cards that can stop both the Reaper and the Dragon are bound to be playable . . .

 . . . and that’s exactly what we’re previewing today!

Disciple of the Forbidden Spell is a level 4 Light/Warrior-type monster. It’s got a respectable 1700 ATK that places it firmly in the realm of lightweight beatsticks, and it has a decent 800 DEF. Its ATK value is high enough to take down a wide array of popular monsters like Mystic Tomato, Don Zaloog, and Breaker the Magical Warrior, while its DEF keeps it safe from Smashing Ground.

That said, its effect is what makes it potentially great. When the Disciple is brought to the field, whether it’s by a normal summon, flip summon, or special summon, you can name different monster attributes equal to the number of Disciples in your graveyard. Attributes are those designations in the upper right-hand corner of a monster card, like Fire, Water, and Light. Then, if the Disciple on the field attacks a monster with one of the attributes you named, that monster is destroyed without damage calculation.

Basically, this monster gets to declare a feud with either one or two other monster attributes. Then, whenever it goes after a monster that has one of those attributes, that defending monster gets destroyed, no matter what. Cyber Dragon’s size? It won’t save it. And Spirit Reaper’s effect? No dice, because the Disciple will take it down.

Let’s touch on some basics before investigating how to get the most out of this cool effect. First up, Disciple of the Forbidden Spell is a Warrior, so it’s searchable with Reinforcement of the Army and Freed the Matchless General. It carries the Light attribute, and that’s a very relevant fact, because it automatically gives this card at least one immediate home: Chaos decks.

Many Chaos duelists, including Shonen Jump Championship San Francisco Top 8 competitor Andrew Long, run a pair of Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke. It fills out the deck’s quota of Light monsters and it deals with Spirit Reaper. Disciple of the Forbidden Spell isn’t as powerful as Sasuke in the early game, since you need a little time to get one copy into the discard pile before the Disciple “turns on.” But once you hit the mid-game and get to your second copy, the card is far better than Ninja Grandmaster. By making the shift between the 1800 ATK Grandmaster and the 1700 ATK Disciple, you lose 100 ATK, but it’s a very minor difference in the current environment. D. D. Survivor can destroy the Disciple in battle, while it would have to kamikaze the Ninja. That’s literally the only thing you give up.

In return, you get that awesome monster-destruction effect. The fact that you’re limited to choosing one or two attributes isn’t a very big deal, since there are usually only three that you’ll want to hate on anyway.

Dark

In Constructed, this will probably be the most common attribute to name with the Disciple’s effect. Spirit Reaper, Mystic Tomato, and Apprentice Magician are all commonly played monsters that clog the field with their effects, so the ability to destroy each one outside of the application of battle damage is highly useful. Reaper will go down, and Tomato and Apprentice won’t get to call a buddy from your opponent’s deck. At the same time, several Dark monsters also have threatening ATK. Jinzo, D. D. Survivor, and Gravekeeper’s Spy are all frustratingly large in many situations. Size doesn’t matter to the Disciple, and even though it has lower applicable stats than all three of these commonly played monsters, it can easily disassemble each one.

Earth

Roughly half the monsters worth destroying with an effect like the Disciple’s are Earth attributes. D. D. Assailant can’t remove the Disciple from play. Giant Rat and Nimble Momonga can’t bring out their chittering pals. Injection Fairy Lily and Kinetic Soldier never make it to the damage step, and Bazoo the Soul-Eater’s impressive numbers are useless. Even if the monkey is running at full capacity and has been buffed up to 2500 ATK, the Disciple’s effect won’t care.

Light

While the ranks of Light monsters worthy of destruction with the Disciple aren’t nearly as deep as those of Dark and Earth, there are still several Light monsters that you don’t want to tangle with. D. D. Warrior Lady is a classic example of a monster that you’d usually prefer to destroy with an effect than go up against in combat. Shining Angel sees far less play than it once did, but it still shows up, and it’s still worth shutting down. Finally, Cyber Dragon is big, bad, and waffles under the Disciple’s mighty glare. Huzzah!

The only tricky part about running Disciple of the Forbidden Spell is getting one or two into the graveyard to begin with. While Shadow of Infinity will have some snazzy cards that let you do just that, there’s always Morphing Jar and Card Destruction. Of course, if you want to get really crazy, you can play it with Exchange of the Spirit. In that case, the destructive power the Disciple wields can really help control your opponent while they draw through his or her last few cards!

While it may be hard to get two or three of these at your Sneak Preview event, remember that high-ATK monsters are always gems in Sealed Pack. And if you can get two or more, well, these basically become a must-play card.

Disciple of the Forbidden Spell has the kind of effect that will only become stronger with time. As more cards are released that allow you to pitch things to the graveyard for minimized costs to your card presence, this unique monster will just get more and more useful. It’s definitely playable in the current format, but its status as a potential tier 1 card will just get better and better!