I’m going to get right to the point, folks. Strike of Neos has me more interested in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG than I’ve been in the past fifteen months. I got my sneak preview assignment in the mail last week, and the editors, knowing that I enjoy (nay, obsess) over the Dark World theme, assigned me two very appealing cards. Did I mention how awesome Strike of Neos is going to be? If you don't believe me, check out these two cards.

Dark World Dealings

Normal Spell

Each player draws a card, then discards a card.

Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World

Level 2

DARK

Fiend-type

ATK: 300

DEF: 500

If this card is discarded to the graveyard from your hand by an effect, destroy 1 monster on the field.

That’s right, everyone. Dark World has returned to the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, and Strike of Neos is giving the theme a considerable boost.

Dark World Dealings is a super rare (and ultimate rare) in the Strike of Neos booster set and it’s closely tied to the Dark World theme. Dark World Dealings serves one of the most important purposes in the Dark World strategy: it allows you to discard Dark World monsters as an effect.

Dark World already has a couple of discard outlets that allow the deck to run. Dark World Lightning is probably the most (in)famous, since it has been used at countless tournaments to destroy any face-down card the opponent has, while following it up with a special summoned Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World. The other powerful discard outlet for this theme is Brron, Mad King of Dark World, which allows for some ridiculous battle phases. However, those are only six cards total in a deck (three Lightning and three Brron) that act as discard outlets, and the spell card is a one-time only deal while Brron has to deal damage—not always an easy task. Dark World Dealings adds another discard effect to this theme’s arsenal, allowing you to special summon monsters like Sillva, Warlord of Dark World more frequently than before.

The nice element to Dark World Dealings is that you get to draw that extra card before you have to discard. This can be invaluable for a theme like Dark World, where seeing another card may help you find that game-ending Card Destruction or Morphing Jar. More importantly, the card draw from Dark World Dealings lets you special summon a big Dark World monster from your hand without actually spending an extra card doing so. If you’re playing Dark World Dealings in order to put Goldd or Sillva into play, then the card practically reads, “Draw a card, then special summon a huge monster to the field.”

Of course, Dark World Dealings isn’t just limited to the Dark World theme. Treeborn Frog is also an excellent discard to this new spell card, which will immediately get the little croaker into the graveyard so you can special summon it later. Combo-driven plans also love seeing more cards, and Dark World Dealings is yet another tool that decks like Chimeratech OTK can take advantage of.

While Dark World Dealings can be used in a variety of decks, it’s still best in a Dark World theme. That’s why there are new Dark World monsters inside Strike of Neos, and they make a lot of the support for this explosive strategy even more powerful. Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World is one of the most interesting. While he can be summoned to the field, his effect really encourages you to keep him in your hand. He’s one of two Dark World monsters in Strike of Neos that gives the user an effect like a spell or trap card when the monster is discarded from your hand, whether it’s by your effect or your opponent’s. When used with Dark World Dealings, you’ll be able to draw a card, discard Kahkki, and then destroy a troublesome monster on the opponent’s field.

The one card that stood out as a powerhouse the moment I saw Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World was Forces of Darkness. I’ve always been a fan of this trap card, since it’s not only a good source of cards, but also a powerful recursion card for getting back Dark World monsters for another round of discards. Kahkki looks like he was made for Forces of Darkness since he’s not even special summoned to the field. Imagine using him to add some extra destruction to an effect like Dark World Lightning, and then returning him (along with another Dark World monster) from your graveyard to your hand for some more destruction. Your opponent is going to have a real hard time keeping anything on the field with powerful tricks like that!

There is one danger, however, in playing Dark World Dealings. Your opponent also gets a free card’s worth of filtering when you play it. While this is not normally a big deal, it could turn into a huge problem if Dark World becomes a very popular deck or an even more popular side-deck strategy. While you may be busy discarding your own Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World to Dark World Dealings, your opponent is going to be much happier discarding a Dark World monster to one of your card effects—then getting a free special summon and a bonus effect from either Goldd or Sillva.

Despite the dangers of Dark World Dealings in a Dark World heavy environment, this new spell card is bound to be a very powerful addition to the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. It is easily one of the most powerful support cards ever released for a deck theme, and Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World is also a welcome addition to the Dark World ranks.