Today’s preview selection from Cybernetic Revolution is one of the few cards we’re profiling that you won’t see on the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX television series. A member of the illustrious D.D. family, it’s a level 5 Spellcaster with the Light attribute, and it’s called D. D. M. – Different Dimension Master. This card continues the game’s recent exploration of the remove-from-play mechanic.

While there are lots of powerful cards that remove monsters from play, there are only a few that return them to the field once they’re out of play. Different Dimension Master does just that. It allows you to discard a spell in order to special summon one of your monsters that’s been removed from play, and you can do this once per turn during your main phase. While its 1700 ATK and 1500 DEF make it a risky investment for a tribute monster, playing it carefully can really pay off.

The key to using D. D. M. successfully is in the exploitation of synergy. This monster does virtually nothing on its own, but once it has a few key cards to work with, it can quickly turn the tide of a duel. A few cards in Cyber Revolutions make D. D. M. especially worthy of play, both as tech and as a strong main deck choice, and you’ll get to see one of those in Jae Kim’s preview tomorrow. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say the following—the fact that D. D. M. is a regular rare will make it a definite possibility for Sealed Pack play at your Sneak Preview, and there’s another regular rare in the set that will form a powerful combo with it. You’ll know it when you see it.

In Advanced format play, there are many exciting uses for Different Dimension Master. Just like D.D. Survivor, it can help you abuse Different Dimension Gate by returning your removed monster to play. That’s especially helpful if you’re intending to bounce Different Dimension Gate back to your hand with Giant Trunade. Unlike D. D. Survivor, Different Dimension Master lets you get back your removed monster in time for the battle phase of the turn on which you used Different Dimension Gate, so you can press the advantage in order to catch your opponent off-guard.

Discarding a spell card is a heavy cost, but once D. D. Warrior Lady hits the field, it becomes a removal engine when it’s paired with the Master. As long as you keep drawing spells, you can bring it back into play each turn, attack with it, and remove your opponent’s most important monster. That’s pretty impressive, and it’s a trick that also works almost as well with D. D. Assailant.

One idea that I really like is creating a fusion deck that’s built around Fusion Gate. While this strategy isn’t exactly novel or fresh, it’s important to remember that Fusion Gate removes the fusion material monsters from play. Polymerization and the Hex-Sealed Fusion family of monsters just send the fusion materials to the graveyard. While that would normally be an advantage, D. D. M. lets you remove two big monsters from play through Fusion Gate and then special summon one of your choice. For something like B. Skull Dragon, that can mean a huge amount of ATK hitting the table at a rather alarming rate (thanks to Summoned Skull), while Gatling Dragon can bring along Barrel Dragon or Blowback Dragon for massive field control and a pair of crushing attacks. That’s a lot of power!

The synergy with Dark Magician of Chaos can also be interesting. If the Magician is removed from play, you can bring it back at the cost of a spell card, and when it hits the field, its effect will let you bounce a spell back to your hand. You can return the one you discarded to summon Dark Magician of Chaos essentially for free, or you can go one step further by using it like a spell-recycling program. You don’t need that Nobleman of Crossout or Mystical Space Typhoon at the moment? Go ahead, take your free 2800 ATK beatstick—and while you’re at it, trade in that currently useless spell for a Pot of Greed or Lightning Vortex.

As a piece of tech, there are a lot of cards that D. D. M. can provide answers for. It even punishes an opponent for using certain strategies! In the case of Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning, you can regain your lost monster, effectively costing your opponent his or her second attack for the turn. Is Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer getting you down by removing key monsters from your graveyard? Make your opponent pay by special summoning them back. Airknight Parshath, Jinzo, and Tribe-Infecting Virus are frequent targets for removal, and when an opponent thinks that those cards are down for the count, returning any of them to the field has the potential to win the game for you.

Heck, D. D. M. even works well with Black Luster Soldier, too! Maybe you just removed your Light and your Dark monsters to summon the Soldier? D. D. M. allows you to bring one of those monsters back onto the field, giving you access to two battle-worthy monsters in a single turn. The same is true for any attribute- or type-based deck that uses monsters like Aqua Spirit or Soul of Purity and Light. The monsters you remove from your graveyard to fuel your special summons can make a triumphant return to the field and contribute to the massive beating that you’re looking to give your opponent.