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Doomkaiser Dragon
Card# CSOC-EN043
Doomkaiser Dragon's effect isn't just for Zombie World duelists: remember that its effect can swipe copies of Plaguespreader Zombie, too!
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It's been over a month since the release of Invasion of Chaos, the tenth set for the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game. With its release, thanks to the set's hobby secret rare, one powerful fact has remained true.
Chaos Emperor Dragon is the essence of evil in a shiny little card.
 Anything that makes Yata-Garasu even more deadly than it originally was is truly a horrifying card. However, this article is not about Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End, but about the other devastating Chaos monsters, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning and Dark Magician of Chaos. The Envoy gives the user the option to remove a monster on the field from play, or to attack again immediately after destroying a monster through battle. Dark Magician of Chaos, when summoned, returns a spell card from your graveyard to your hand, and it also removes monsters destroyed by itself from play.
Dark Magician of Chaos and Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning (which will be referred to simply as Envoy of the Beginning from this point on) are both devastating cards when they are played. However, these monsters are still mere shadows next to the true evil known as Chaos Emperor Dragon. But why? Why would the powerful Envoy of the Beginning have its removal and double strike effects overlooked? How could the spell-retrieving effect of Dark Magician of Chaos be shrugged off? The answer is simple: These monsters don’t destroy everything in existence.
 I’m sure a few duelists will probably read that quote and say to themselves, “What?! Those are hard standards to live up to! How can that overshadow two great monsters?”
I don’t expect Dark Magician of Chaos and Envoy of the Beginning to destroy everything, as Chaos Emperor Dragon already does that. It’s because Chaos Emperor Dragon is so deadly and close to unstoppable as a Chaos monster that the effects of Envoy of the Beginning and Dark Magician of Chaos seem so trivial and weak. However, neither of these monsters is weak. They’re Chaos monsters, after all. Their effects cause your opponent to shriek in physical pain. They make people beg for mercy. Their power can dismantle a thermonuclear warhead . . .
Okay, so maybe they can’t stop nukes, and perhaps they don’t make people shriek in physical pain. It’s also very possible that these small cards can’t make people beg for mercy. These examples are great exaggerations that describe the overlooked strength of these monsters. Both Dark Magician of Chaos and Envoy of the Beginning emphasize the Chaos in the set name Invasion of Chaos.
The Breakdown
Envoy of the Beginning’s effects are both catastrophic. You either have the option of removing a monster on the field from the game, or you can attack again if you destroy a monster through battle. This means you’ll either remove an annoying monster (almost) for good or deal some major damage that could end up winning you the game quickly. The requirements to special summon this monster aren’t too hard to meet, either. The only real problem with Envoy of the Beginning is its weakness to control cards, such as Change of Heart and Snatch Steal.
Dark Magician of Chaos might not be as easy to summon as the Envoy of the Beginning, but it definitely isn’t a lightweight either. A 2800 ATK is nothing to laugh at, especially since the highest ATK of any monster commonly seen in a Regional tournament (excluding all Chaos monsters) is 2400, which belongs to Jinzo. Then again, in the case of Jinzo, its attack strength is nothing since it’s going to be removed from play after destruction anyway. Also, that normally-shunned Diffusion Wave-Motion secret rare from Magician’s Force can easily make Dark Magician of Chaos into a living, breathing Chaos End for your opponent. Most duelists will also try to get around the sacrificing to summon Dark Magician of Chaos by dumping him into the graveyard for revival with Monster Reborn. It’s a good strategy if you have Monster Reborn in your hand. Otherwise, it’s basically telling your opponent, “Hey, over there! I dare you to win the game with my monster!”
The Cards in the Metagame
Chaos monsters, despite their obvious power, have not popped up too much in the metagame. You might find them in local tournaments commonly used by about a quarter of the duelists, but you’ll mainly continue to find the same decks—“modified Control,” boasting Yata-Garasu, Delinquent Duo, The Forceful Sentry, and perhaps a Don Zaloog or two. Chaos Emperor Dragon sees quite a bit of use due to its Chaos lock combo with Yata-Garasu . . . effective, annoying, and cheesy all at the same time.
Envoy of the Beginning will usually make an appearance in one or two of the Top 8 decks at a Regional tournament. Its effect cannot lock the opponent, nor can it kill his or her hand in one blast, but its removal effect is more than enough to make it quite effective. The problem is that most duelists only use four to five Light monsters in their decks when running a Chaos monster without full dedication to the Chaos theme. Most of the time, those Light monsters are three D. D. Warrior Ladies and a Reflect Bounder. While the Reflect Bounder may be a good candidate for sacrificing to a Chaos monster, the D. D. Warrior Ladies are very unreliable sacrificial bait. Most of the time, you’ll end up removing the attacking/attacked monster of D. D. Warrior Lady from the game. If you don’t remove the monster and you let the Warrior Lady die casually, your opponent will most likely catch on to the fact that you are about to summon an Envoy of the Beginning or End, giving him or her an educated guess when using cards like D. D. Designator or Delinquent Duo.
Dark Magician of Chaos has a very dedicated following. While this monster sees about the same amount of play as Envoy of the Beginning, Dark Magician of Chaos actually has specific decks made to utilize its effect. One duelist from one of the latest Regional tournaments utilized Dark Magician of Chaos in a Magical Scientist one-turn kill deck! However, even without Magical Scientist, Dark Magician of Chaos can become a one-turn kill on its own if you have Monster Reborn in hand and three Dark Magician of Chaos cards in your graveyard.
Though both possess great strength, and despite how some duelists respect their power, these Chaos monsters are still overlooked when it comes to choosing between using them or using what has been effectively played since Pharaonic Guardian.
Ways to Use or Counter These Cards
Envoy of the Beginning has an advantageous monster type, which is Warrior. The Warrior types have a strong amount of support, usually useful in keeping Warriors alive and keeping them rushing towards the opponent. One specific card that works well with Envoy of the Beginning is The Warrior Returning Alive. This is a great card to use right after playing something like Painful Choice, where your opponent will most likely not give you Envoy of the Beginning. Not only do you get Envoy of the Beginning back, but you just dumped some monsters needed to summon it.
If you’re on the receiving end of this terrifying Warrior, try using monster control cards like Change of Heart or Snatch Steal. You may be able to finish off the opponent using Envoy of the Beginning's double strike capability. However, if you just want to make sure Envoy of the Beginning won’t be used against you again, use Envoy of the Beginning’s first effect to remove it from the game.
Dark Magician of Chaos has some more combo potential, but it also has a few more weaknesses. While Envoy of the Beginning may have a chance at annihilating an opponent quickly and effectively, there’s no real guarantee that you’ll successfully kill the opponent with monster effects and trap cards proving to be a threat. Dark Magician of Chaos gives the user a chance at an easy and very true one turn kill. Dump three Dark Magician of Chaos monsters into the graveyard, and then play Monster Reborn on one of them. The effect of Dark Magician of Chaos will activate, allowing you to return Monster Reborn to your hand. Play it again to revive the second Dark Magician of Chaos, return Monster Reborn, and repeat again for the third Dark Magician of Chaos. Which spell card you choose to return to your hand is up to you, but make sure it can help you win the game in the turn you summon all three Dark Magicians of Chaos. If you want another way to summon all three, try using Dimension Fusion when all three are removed from play to deal some nasty damage. If you really want to try an odd combo, combine Dark Magician of Chaos with Big Bang Shot and Diffusion Wave-Motion to lay waste to your opponent’s field.
If you’re looking to stop these deadly combos from going off, you have a few options. The first one is to negate the effect of Monster Reborn, but Imperial Order won’t always work. A solid method of stopping Monster Reborn for good would be to negate it via Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell, which will make sure it can’t be used again if the opponent naturally sacrifice summons a Dark Magician of Chaos, stopping the combo. However, if you want to turn their one turn rush into your victory, and the opponent foolishly dumped one or two Dark Magicians of Chaos without using Monster Reborn, play a Monster Reborn of your own, use Dark Magician of Chaos to return any spell card you need, and teach your opponent a lesson that it’s unwise to assume that your opponent doesn’t have the card needed to win.
Are They Over or Underrated?
Both cards are underrated compared to Chaos Emperor Dragon, but are they underrated when compared to all other cards?
Envoy of the Beginning’s strength is only being seen for its ability to lay waste to a field, and not because of its attribute or its monster type. Duelists also forget how easy it is to manipulate Envoy of the Beginning against its user, whether it’s through Change of Heart or monster removal followed by a Monster Reborn. This card has seen more and more play as time passes, so in comparison to how the metagame sees this card, it’s currently overrated. However, the use of its Light attribute and Warrior type are highly underrated, as they help give Envoy of the Beginning much more strength. This card is a fair balance in the middle. It’s not overrated, but it’s not underrated either. Its strength is very well known.
Dark Magician of Chaos, on the other hand, is sadly underrated. Its ability is utilized by one out of eight duelists at a Regional tournament. However, those who actually use this card know how powerful Dark Magician of Chaos really is, and how easy it can be to win a duel quickly and effectively by using it. Perhaps if this card becomes restricted, duelists might start paying more attention to it.
Chaos will continue to reign for quite a while, but perhaps Ancient Sanctuary, the eleventh booster set coming in June, might fix this problem . . . or perhaps it will strengthen Chaos. We’ll find out soon enough.
As always, if you have any questions, complaints, or if you want to suggest underrated cards to be used for this column, email me at Mrosenberg@metagame.com. I’m always open for suggestions.
Next week, we’ll be covering a monster duo that makes trap cards scream "Yata!" It’s the trap oppression duo of Jinzo and Breaker the Magical Warrior.
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