“What’s this service here at the bottom?”
“Hmm . . . that’s the ‘Bokoichi Deluxe.’”
“Why is it so cheap?”
“Well . . . ”
This week, we’ll take a look at a variety of combinations available in Rise of Destiny. Each will be covered with attention paid to the difficulty in applying the combination and its potential results.
Two-Card Combinations
Machine Duplication and a Machine-Type monster with 500 ATK or less
Machine Duplication serves a practical purpose in both Sealed Pack and Constructed. It has multiple strategies, associated with the monsters it brings into play, that can easily be used as part of your deck’s focus.
Machine Duplication and A-Team: Trap Disposal Unit is one strategy that quickly brings out one or two more copies of A-Team: Trap Disposal Unit from your deck in order to assemble two or three of them on your field. With A-Team in place, you will be certain to negate any trap cards your opponent activates with little difficulty.
Machine Duplication and Heavy Mech Support Platform also function well, supplying your other Machine-Type monsters with a way to survive being destroyed. Unlike previous Union monsters, Heavy Mech Support Platform’s effect is not limited strictly to destruction from battle, making it much more effective.
Machine Duplication and Woodborg Inpachi is a good strategy to use in Sealed Pack. Woodborg Inpachi is a common, making it possible to get three copies for your deck. You can then use one to bring the other two into play, creating a wall of defenders that can later be used for tributes in a tribute summon.
Looking beyond Rise of Destiny, you can use Machine Duplication to get three copies of Jinzo #7 into play and attack your opponent directly for 1500 damage each turn. Mix in some equip cards and Limiter Removal to really put on the hurt.
Homunculus the Alchemic Being and Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan
Using only what’s available in Rise of Destiny makes things a bit difficult for Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan. The set is full of plenty of Earth, Wind, and Fire monsters, but lacks in Water monsters.
Homunculus the Alchemic Being makes up for this with its effect, allowing you to change its attribute to Water and thus get another step closer to using the powerful effects of Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan. Multiple copies of Homunculus can step in and fill out any other missing attributes to make the effect work faster. Homunculus is also one of the strongest Level 4 monsters in Rise of Destiny, making it better able to defend itself.
Homunculus the Alchemic Being and Element Magician or Element Saurus
Just like the combination of Homunculus and Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan, the Homunculus can step in with the two element monsters in Rise of Destiny to provide the attribute you need. Element Saurus is the meaner of the two element monsters, as it has the potential to become a 2000 ATK monster with an effect-negating power. Homunculus, as a monster with the Fire attribute, can give it 2000 ATK or, with the Earth attribute, can give it effect negation. Naturally, having two copies of Homunculus gives you the best of both worlds.
Sasuke Samurai #4 and Ballista of Rampart Smashing
This combination focuses on battles involving face-down defense position monsters. On its own, Sasuke Samurai #4’s effect is capable of destroying almost any monster in the game, but its success rate is only 50 percent. When Sasuke Samurai #4 battles with a face-down defense position monster and its effect fails, Ballista of Rampart Smashing steps in and picks up the slack by increasing the Samurai’s ATK to 2700, which is more than enough to take out most monsters in Rise of Destiny.
Multi-Card Combinations
Machine Duplication, Bokoichi the Freightening Car, and Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive
The trick here is easy, but executing it will take more than one turn. Start with a set Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive in play. From there, summon a Bokoichi the Freightening Car and use Machine Duplication to swarm it so that you have two to three copies in play. When Dekoichi is flipped, you will receive the full benefit of its effect and draw more cards, one for Dekoichi and one additional for each Bokoichi on your side of the field.
Machine Duplication, a Machine with 500 or less ATK, and Perfect Machine King
This combination relies on the swarm tactic of Machine Duplication, creating an army of machines to increase the Perfect Machine King’s ATK. The results vary depending on which Machine-type monster you choose.
A-Team: Trap Disposal Unit works well with this combination because they can be used to stop your opponent’s trap cards. The last thing you need is some trap ruining your fun.
Heavy Mech Support Platform can be swarmed and then one of them equipped to Perfect Machine King to offer more protection. The 500 ATK and DEF bonus that the equipped Heavy Mech Support Platform gives to Perfect Machine King will make up for the loss of a Machine-type monster from the field.
Fusilier Dragon, The Dual-Mode Beast, Machine Duplication, and Flint x3
This combo may seem a bit strange, seeing as how the three copies of Flint work against the equipped monster. The idea here is to lower Fusilier Dragon’s ATK to 500 or less so that you can use Machine Duplication and bring out the other two from your deck.
Fusilier Dragon aids this if you summon it without offering any tributes. Doing so halves its original ATK and DEF, giving it 1400 ATK. From here the three Flints are used to lower its ATK down to 500 ATK, making it a candidate for Machine Duplication. After doing this you will want to do something with the equipped Fusilier Dragon so that the three copies of Flint don’t become a liability. Covering Fire can help keep it from being destroyed in battle until you can bounce it from the field with a card like Back to Square One or tribute it for a summon or card effect.
Raging Flame Sprite, Astral Barrier, and Covering Fire
Raging Flame Sprite is a naughty little monster that grows in power with each successful attack. While this works great over time, it’s weak in the beginning and needs protection. Measures need to be taken to protect the Raging Flame Sprite so it can grow up to be big and strong.
Let’s direct our attention to the support cards. Astral Barrier is the most costly of the two cards, but it does do its job of protecting the Raging Flame Sprite. This card functions well when your opponent is lacking in monsters.
Covering Fire is the better of the two, but also requires you to have another face-up monster. While any damage resulting from this won’t satisfy the Raging Flame Sprite’s effect, it does keep it in play, and that’s the main goal.