The Rise of Destiny Sneak Preview weekend will be happening in just a few short weeks. If you’re wondering what sorts of cards you might pull, then you’ve come to the right place. I’m going to take a look at the unnamed-in-English Card #30, then talk about what it does and what works well with it. Rulings questions will probably spring up as this card enters the play environment, and we can’t really finalize them all here, but let’s have a look at the card.

It’s a Machine-type Effect monster and has the Dark attribute. It’s a tribute monster, level 6, with an ATK of 2300 and a DEF of 1100. The text translates, more or less, to, “This monster gets 3 counters when normal summoned. It can't be destroyed in battle. It loses 1 counter after each battle. If it battles without any counters, it is destroyed at the end of battle.”

Since it’s a Machine-type monster with a fair amount of utility, duelists playing Machine decks are going to be the most interested in seeing what it can do. You can play Limiter Removal on it when it’s down to its last counter (or if it was special summoned), and it gives almost as much bang for the buck as Jinzo. Since it hasn’t been restricted, a duelist could include three copies of it in his or her deck. One tribute for a 2300 ATK monster might not sound like much, but for Machine types, it’s not too shabby. There’s a lack of strong “wall” types in Machine decks, apart from Jinzo, Battle Footballer, or Gear Golem the Moving Fortress. Card #30 can try to sit there and block for a few turns, and with an ATK of 2300 it can tough it out against many of the more popular monsters.

Presumably, if Card #30 is the defender in an attack, it’s still bound by the counter requirement. Now that Witch of the Black Forest and Sangan are on the Forbidden list, there’s less additional incentive for an opponent to deliberately sacrifice a monster. Mystic Tomatoes and Nimble Momongas might be worth the sacrifice to get #30 off the field, but it still provides a respectable type-specific wall. The wall effect can combo well with Staunch Defender, especially if #30 has all three of its counters. Your opponent’s smaller monsters can be forced to smash themselves against it, and if it’s down to its last counter and is destroyed, no more attacks can be made that turn. This really helps take advantage of the card’s effect.

Special summoning this monster won’t keep it around for long, so if a duelist isn’t planning to use it with Limiter Removal during the turn it’s summoned, it’s going to need to be normal summoned instead. This does require a tribute, but since Machine decks focus on getting a lot of monsters out as quickly as possible, one monster to tribute isn’t that hard to get into play. Most Machine decks run Magical Scientist, which can quickly bring out tribute fodder to normal summon #30. True, the 1000 life points per summon cost can be hefty, but it’s a way to get the monster out quickly. Cyber Jar is seen in Machine decks as well, so that can also provide a fast tribute. Reflect Bounder also has a firm place in machine decks, and since many opponents are reluctant to attack it, it will generally sit around long enough to become a tribute.

As I said before, Limiter Removal can really put the hurt on when combined with #30. Just one Limiter Removal is going to jack its ATK up to 4600, and the inherently short lifespan of the monster makes it a lot easier to bid farewell to it than to Jinzo, unless you’re playing in a metagame that’s already light on trap cards. Besides, a duelist can run three copies of #30. Targeting #30 with Ring of Destruction right before it’s about to be destroyed can wring another 2300 damage out of it (or more, if Limiter Removal has been activated), although the backlash is something to watch out for.

One more thing—those duelists running Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning in their decks are going to love Card #30. Do you remember its attribute? It’s a Dark monster! Unlike Battle Footballer, which has the Fire attribute, Card #30 will help you get Black Luster Soldier into play. Card #30 has a limited life span, so it’s bound to end up in the graveyard anyway. Why not use that to your advantage?

We’ll have to wait to see the final template of the card, as well as the official name of the monster. Any duelist who runs a Machine deck, though, is definitely going to want to give this card a try. It’s got both offensive and defensive potential—it can work as a wall, which helps out in the early game, and can then turn to dish out heavy damage. Machine decks will really get a boost from it.

There are still many more cards to be previewed, so make certain to check back frequently. The Sneak Preview weekend will be here quickly, and knowing ahead of time what cards to look for both as pulls and trades can only enhance the event. We’ve got several writers preparing articles for you. Don’t miss any of them!