The first card, Alien Grey, is a Level 2 monster with 300 ATK and 800 DEF. It’s a Reptile type with the Light attribute. The reason for its low stats is because its main usefulness doesn’t lie in attacking. Alien Grey is a flip-effect monster with the following ability.

FLIP: Place 1 A-Counter on 1 face-up monster on your opponent's side of the field. (If a monster with an A-Counter battles a monster with "Alien" in its name, reduce its ATK/DEF by 300 points for each A-Counter during damage calculation.) After this card has been flipped face-up, when it is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the Graveyard, draw 1 card.

Let me introduce you to its friend, Cosmic Horror Gangi’el: a level 7 monster with 2600 ATK and 2000 DEF. It’s also a Reptile type with the Light attribute. Cosmic Horror Gangi’el is also an effect monster with the following ability.

You can Normal Summon this card with 1 Tribute if you are Tributing a monster on your side of the field that your opponent owns. Once per turn, you can put 1 A-Counter on a monster on your opponent's side of the field. (If a monster with an A-Counter battles a monster with "Alien" in its name, reduce its ATK/DEF by 300 points for each A-Counter during damage calculation.)

Some of you must be wondering what’s the deal with this “A-Counter” business. Think of them as nasty spores these aliens use to infect other monsters for their own mysterious and otherworldly ends. If a monster was infected and tried to battle against this alien menace, it would be weakened due to the effects of those annoying (and potentially deadly) A-Counters.(You may want to use dice, pennies, or some other method to clearly represent any A-Counters that may be on the field.)

What potential impact do these A-Counters hold for the metagame as it currently stands? Look at it this way—losing 300 ATK can mean the difference between your monster being the dominant presence on the board or being destroyed and sent to the graveyard. Also, if there is more than one A-Counter on a monster, then the effects are cumulative. It’s possible to reduce a monster’s attack by 600 or even 900 if you are lucky enough to get those counters on it. The scary thing about them is that they are stuck to the monsters just like an infection. They don’t just stay for one turn: they stay until the monster is destroyed. Of course, if you’re able to turn a monster face down, and then flip it up again, then that particular monster will lose all counters on it.

Now that we have a better understanding of what those counters are about, let’s take a look again at Alien Grey. If it’s attacked while face down, then its flip effect will activate and you get to put an A-Counter on a face-up monster on your opponent’s side of the field. As you can see, Alien Grey is one of the “counter generators” for this extraterrestrial horde. With its low stats, it probably won’t be sticking around, but by weakening your opponent’s monsters with A-Counters, you are in a position to plan your attack with another alien monster that can capitalize on the weakened state of your opponent’s monster. Another neat thing about Alien Grey is that after it’s been flipped face up, if it’s attacked and destroyed as result of battle, then you get to draw one card—which is never a bad thing (unless you’re about to be decked out . . . so don’t let that happen to you!)

Since Alien Grey is really a support monster, let’s take a look at an alien that can dish out some serious damage. With an ATK of 2600, Cosmic Horror Gangi’el is an offensive beatstick just waiting to be used. Of course, some of you may look at it and say, “Ewww, I have to tribute two monsters to get it out.” But if you look closely at its special ability, you’ll see how to circumvent that annoying condition. If you’re somehow able to take control of one of your opponent’s monsters (with Brain Control or Snatch Steal, for example), you can offer that one monster as a tribute to summon Cosmic Horror Gangi’el. Taking one of your opponent’s monsters and using it as tribute fodder to bring out your own big monster is always fun.

Gangi’el’s bag of tricks doesn’t end there, of course. Once it’s on the field, it allows you to put an A-Counter on one of your opponent’s monsters once per turn. If you are able to keep this alien out for awhile (and that’s very likely, considering its high ATK value), then you can just keep tossing out A-Counters like parents toss out candy to kids on Halloween. With Cosmic Horror Gangi’el out, your opponent has to be able to deal with it or else watch each of his or her monsters get weaker as A-Counters get dumped on them turn after turn.