Blaze Accelerator is one of Axel’s cards of choice in his Volcanic deck. It kicked things off in his recent duel against Jaden, and in the TCG it functions with several of the new Volcanic cards. Even the Volcanic Rocket promotional card given out at the Force of the Breaker Sneak Preview event worked with Blaze Accelerator, putting it right into your hand where you needed it.

In order to fully understand the Volcanic deck, you need to understand Blaze Accelerator and the cards that function with it.

Accelerate

Blaze Accelerator uses Pyro-type monsters as ammunition to destroy your opponent’s monsters.

“You can send 1 Pyro-Type monster with 500 or less ATK from your hand to the Graveyard to destroy 1 monster your opponent controls, but you cannot declare an attack during this turn if you do.”

Blaze Accelerator is a continuous spell card with an “ignition-like” effect that you can activate during your main phase. Like Call of the Mummy from Pharaonic Guardian, you don’t use this card’s effect at the time you first activate it. You activate its effect in a separate chain to destroy one of your opponent’s monsters (assuming you have a Pyro-type monster in hand with a low enough ATK to satisfy the effect).

Axel already has two Pyro-type monsters that function perfectly with Blaze Accelerator. The first is Volcanic Shell, a little Pyro-type with an effect you can use to retrieve another copy from your deck once per turn. This allows you to play Blaze Accelerator like Axel, using one Volcanic Shell as ammunition and then using its effect to retrieve another copy for further use.

It is helpful to remember that you can use Blaze Accelerator’s effect multiple times during the same turn, just like Axel did. The little Volcanic Shell cards make this fairly easy to accomplish, if you don’t mind paying life points. Blaze Accelerator plans on sticking around long-term—so you can reuse its effect over the course of several turns—but like all continuous spell cards, the effect of Blaze Accelerator will disappear when it is removed from the field.

Fortunately for you, Blaze Accelerator does not have a cost for its effect. You will not discard your Pyro-type monster until its effect is resolved. That doesn’t mean you can use Blaze Accelerator as many times as you want. You still need to send the little Pyro from your hand to the graveyard (if you don’t, you will not destroy any of your opponent’s monsters with Blaze Accelerator’s effect).

Volcanic Scattershot is another of Axel’s monsters that is well prepared to be ammunition for Blaze Accelerator.

“When this card is sent to the Graveyard, inflict 500 damage to your opponent. If this card is sent to the Graveyard for the effect of a “Blaze Accelerator” card, you can send 2 “Volcanic Scattershots” from your hand / Deck to the Graveyard to destroy all monsters your opponent controls.”

When Volcanic Scattershot is sent to the graveyard, it will normally inflict 500 damage to your opponent . . . but not if you decide to take advantage of its second effect, which replaces its first effect when you decide to activate it. You might feel shorted, but keep in mind that you will be destroying every monster your opponent controls. You only need to give up two Volcanic Scattershot cards from your hand and your deck combined. You can split this any way you want, so even if you have one in your hand and one in your deck, you’ll be all set.

The Volcanic Scattershot cards you ditch for the effect of the first copy will activate their damage-inflicting effect. Each of their effects is placed onto a chain after your opponent’s monsters have been destroyed. In the end, you’ve destroyed every monster your opponent had on his or her side of the field and you’ve inflicted 1000 points of damage.

Of course, you also can’t declare any attacks during the same turn, and this restriction limits when you can activate the effect of your Blaze Accelerator. Last week, when we examined Volcanic Hammerer and Volcanic Slicer, I noted that this limitation prevents you from activating the effect and also attacking with the monster during the same turn. Volcanic Hammerer and Volcanic Slicer had methods they could use to get around this, but Blaze Accelerator does not.

If Blaze Accelerator applies its effect, getting rid of it won’t suddenly allow you to declare attacks. Once this condition is applied, it will remain for the rest of the turn. While Volcanic Hammerer and Volcanic Slicer had the condition placed upon themselves, Blaze Accelerator applies the condition to you. For these reasons, the Blaze Accelerator is typically used in the first main phase.

Beyond Acceleration

When your opponent has an armada and it’s coming your way, Blaze Accelerator can overload with Wild Fire, generating something new.

“Pay 500 Life Points. Destroy a face-up “Blaze Accelerator” card you control and destroy all monsters on the field. Then, Special Summon 1 “Wild Fire Token” (Pyro-Type/FIRE/LEVEL 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000) in Attack Position. Also, you cannot declare an attack this turn.”

When Blaze Accelerator goes down, it takes everyone with it. All you need is the quick-play spell card Wild Fire to get the job done. You pay 500 life points to activate it, and when it resolves, you must destroy your Blaze Accelerator. Destroying Blaze Accelerator is essential to the effect. If you cannot do so, no monsters will be destroyed and you can forget about getting your Wild Fire Token.

Since using this effect prevents you from declaring an attack during the same turn, you might be thinking that you are looking at another main phase one effect. This is normally true during your own turn, but not when you use Wild Fire during your opponent’s turn. Since you won’t be attacking during your opponent’s turn, the condition that prevents you from declaring attacks will be meaningless.

If you want to summon Volcanic Doomfire, you will need to upgrade to Tri-Blaze Accelerator, which is played like Blaze Accelerator with an added damage effect and more flexibility in the Pyro-type monsters you can ditch for it. It can also take advantage of every support card Blaze Accelerator uses.

This can catch players off guard. The text “a face-up “Blaze Accelerator” card” or “a ‘Blaze Accelerator’ card” refers to a card that has “Blaze Accelerator” in its card name. Tri-Blaze Accelerator has “Blaze Accelerator” in its card name, so it fits just fine. Every support card we’ve looked at in this article will also work for it, which is certainly welcome news for anyone making a Volcanic deck.

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