Welcome to the start of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Sneak Peeks, where we’ll be looking at cards from the upcoming Flaming Eternity set. The set is terrific, and you can bet that the Flaming Eternity Sneak Preview weekend is going to be a blast. Be sure to go to a Sneak Preview event near you. Not only will you get to see the new set before its official release, but you’ll also get free stuff just for going, including the all-new Cyber Harpie Lady promo card!

We’re kicking off the countdown to the Sneak Preview events by looking at some of the cards from Flaming Eternity. The first card we’re previewing is none other than a continuation of the Silent Swordsman series, Silent Swordsman LV5.

Attribute: Light
Type: Warrior/Effect
Level: 5
ATK: 2300
DEF: 1000

This monster is not affected by your opponent’s spell cards. If this monster successfully attacks your opponent’s life points directly, send this card to the graveyard during your next standby phase to special summon a “Silent Swordsman LV7” from your hand or deck to the field.

Before some of you say, “Aw, man! I have to wait until the next Yu-Gi-Oh! set before I can get the last Silent Swordsman!” don’t worry about that. Silent Swordsman LV7 will be one of three promo cards in the next Yu-Gi-Oh! video game for Game Boy Advance, Yu-Gi-Oh! 7 Trials to Glory: World Championship Tournament 2005. The final Silent Swordsman should be available within the week, and it’s certainly going to turn heads.

Some of you may wonder where the Silent Swordsman line comes from. Silent Swordsman is one of the cards Yugi plays in his deck, but you haven’t seen it quite yet. I’m not talking about the “Spirit of the Pharaoh” Yugi . . . it’s the large-eyed, innocent Yugi who plays the Silent Swordsman line of monsters. But when did the original Yugi make his own deck? You’ll find that out, and see Silent Swordsman in future Shonen Jump Yu-Gi-Oh! manga episodes. For now, let’s return to our sneak peek.

Silent Swordsman LV5 is a first-turn draft pick. You can tribute one monster to summon this Warrior, it has a solid 2300 ATK, and it’s bound to destroy almost any monster you go up against in a Sealed event. Whether the card’s protection from spells will be useful is unknown. However, it certainly can’t hurt as a bonus effect combined with the monster’s powerful stats.

Silent Swordsman LV5 will shine in Constructed tournaments, even if you aren’t running a level-up theme with other versions of Silent Swordsman. Its 2300 ATK can deal with most lower-level monsters (except for Goblin Attack Force), though the ATK won’t be enough to scare away most of the popular, higher-level monsters. This shouldn’t be a big problem, because most decks run only one tribute monster, and that’s Jinzo.

Silent Swordsman LV5’s effect makes the Warrior powerful in Constructed. If you look at the Top 8 decklists from the Gen Con Shonen Jump TCG Championship, you’ll notice that many duelists played Change of Heart, Smashing Ground, Creature Swap, and Snatch Steal. All of these spells are useless against Silent Swordsman LV5, so an opponent has fewer options for dealing with the Warrior. This gives you a huge advantage.

If you’re looking for a great combination of tribute monsters, try using multiple copies of Silent Swordsman LV5 with multiple copies of Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6. Most offensive spells will be useless against your powerhouses, and you’ll get to smash your opponent with 2300 ATK monsters. Silent Swordsman LV5 can still be affected by your spells, and this could help you. Not only is the Warrior a great candidate for Metamorphosis, but you can also target the Swordsman with equipment spells. You can boost Mystic Swordsman LV5’s ATK with Wicked-Breaking Flamberge – Baou. The spell pumps the Warrior up to 2800 ATK and can negate the effects of monsters like D. D. Warrior Lady and Fiber Jar.

You can expect Silent Swordsman LV5 and the entire Silent Swordsman line to make a splash in future Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments. However, the Swordsman isn’t the only card that’s bound to change the state of the game. Tune in every day this week and next week to catch a glimpse of a new card from Flaming Eternity. Also, be sure to attend the Yu-Gi-Oh! Sneak Preview events on February 26and February 27! Not only are these events a lot of fun, but you’ll also receive a free Cyber Harpie Lady card just for entering the big event!