“Elf twins that alternate their attacks.”
The quote above comes from one of the most famous beatdown cards in Yu-Gi-Oh!. It’s the flavor text of the first 1900 ATK, level 4 monster that was released in America or Japan. In fact, it was a card everyone knew the name of, until more 1900 ATK monsters were released at lower rarities. This monster was expensive at its time, and it still is. It’s considered the crowning glory of Labyrinth of Nightmare (LON), the fifth Yu-Gi-Oh! booster set . . . hey, wait a minute! That’s not even the theme of Labyrinth of Nightmare!
Labyrinth of Nightmare’s trademark as a Yu-Gi-Oh! booster set was cards with effects that revolved around the graveyard, though most will recognize it for its 1900 ATK secret rare, Gemini Elf. Labyrinth of Nightmare features monsters that require you to have monsters in your graveyard to be summoned, as well as monsters that destroy the graveyard. There are also monsters that work with dead monsters to take out the opponent. Many new cards came out of this set, and a few contributed to new and popular deck themes.
The Rock Spirit/Spirit of Flames: Both of these monsters have equal stats, and each gets a 300 ATK power boost during a battle phase. The difference is that Sprit of Flames (a Fire monster) powers up during your battle phase, while The Rock Spirit (an Earth monster) powers up during the opponent’s battle phase, making it a bit harder to kill. These monsters are great additions to decks based around their types.
Aqua Spirit/Garuda the Wind Spirit: Like The Rock Spirit and Spirit of Flames, these two belong to their specific types and share common effects. Aqua relies on Water monsters, and Garuda relies on Wind monsters. The difference is their ability to change the modes of the opponent’s face-up monsters. Garuda can switch weak monsters into attack mode so you can clear your opponent's side of the field and deal damage, while Aqua Spirit can stall a monster’s attack for one turn. Both have their uses.
Offerings to the Doomed: This quick-play spell was one of the easy ways to destroy Jinzo during the opponent’s turn. Offerings to the Doomed can prove very useful in many situations. The only problem is that control is a popular deck these days, so skipping a draw phase could cost you the game. Of course, Offerings can quickly shut down Yata-Garasu, and if it’s negated, you don’t lose your draw phase. I personally find this card to be great, and it’s especially good in draft.
Cyclon Laser: There’s not a lot to say about this card. However, it’s the second card that ties into the Konami cameo, Gradius, from Pharaoh’s Servant. If you’re interested in making a fan deck based on Gradius, here is card number two!
Vengeful Bog Spirit: There aren’t many cards in existence that make Toons playable. Vengeful Bog Spirit is one of those few cards that helps Toons out. The Toons out right now have the weakness of not being to attack the turn they are summoned. Bog Spirit forces this weakness on all monsters. It’s a great stall tactic, if only for a turn.
Fusion Gate: At the time of LON, Polymerization was still only in super rare form. This changed one month later, but that didn’t change the usefulness of Fusion Gate. Fusion decks needn’t worry about removing the fused monsters from the game. The Fusion monster summoned to the field will make the difference that it needs to, especially with the release of two impressive Fusions in this set.
Miracle Dig: Removing cards from play shouldn't be too big of a deal, but at times, it can seem rather costly. This is where Miracle Dig comes in. Using this spell, you can bring those monsters back to the graveyard, allowing you to either remove them once more for a special summon or effect, or you revive them so that you can use them on the field. Miracle Dig is not a card for every deck; you might find yourself drawing this at the wrong time.
Zombyra the Dark: Many duelists overlook the value of this card. Zombyra is a very strong level 4 Warrior, with the ability to overpower any 1900 attacker that goes against it . . . at first. Of course, the downside to Zombyra shouldn’t be too much of a concern, since it will most likely be destroyed by a spell card or sacrificed for a high level monster or a monster effect you control.
Skull Lair: At one point, Skull Lair was the most destructive common to ever be released. It could single handedly turn the game to your favor by removing a few unwanted spells and traps from your graveyard. Unfortunately for Skull Lair lovers, the effect was errata'd—there had been a mistake on the Japanese version of the card. After that point, all you could remove was monsters, which took Skull Lair’s power level down by quite a bit.
Marie the Fallen One: This fallen angel has a nifty effect that seems rather pointless, but it can actually inflict massive damage on the opponent. Marie can eventually become useful for keeping you alive if you have two or three in the graveyard. If you have two or three Maries and a Fire Princess out on the field, then you’ll be gaining some life while your opponent finds out why Marie isn’t so bad after all . . . the hard way. See Fire Princess for more information.
Jowgen the Spiritualist: This spellcaster has a decent effect that can destroy a lot of monsters from this set. However, one of the most notable uses of Jowgen is a combo using this monster and the trap card Last Turn. Basically, if you have this out when you activate Last Turn, your personal reaction should be holding out your hand to your opponent for a handshake, and the exchange of the phrase “good game.” Jowgen has its uses, but it’s certainly not meant to be tossed into any deck.
Gilasaurus: This dinosaur can be a godsend on turn 1 if you can protect it. Perhaps it’s better to extend that to your entire field, from the opponent’s spells and traps the next turn. Gilasaurus can use its effect even if your opponent has no monsters in the graveyard, meaning that if you’re lucky on turn 1, you can special summon all three to the field in that turn. Of course, without the protection I mentioned, it’s basically telling your opponent “Wow, don’t I have a good field advantage? I apparently don’t fear Raigeki and Dark Hole in this situation.” That usually kills the card, though it can be very deadly in an Earth rush-themed deck.
Bazoo the Soul-Eater: This monster saw some massive play just after the release of LON, similar to that of Skull Lair. The errata page killed the playability of this card, though some duelists still use the Soul-Eater for its decent power boost. However, being restricted to removing only monsters has truly hindered the monkey.
Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer: This spellcaster is the last of the three popular errata cards from LON, where its effect can only remove monster cards now—oh wait, that isn’t a horrible downside. Monsters are the first priority for removal anyway, since there’s always a risk your opponents can use recursion to revive those monsters. The wave of 1900 attackers has shut down a lot of Kycoo use, but I’m sure it’ll start seeing the play he deserves again once “Chaos” hits the metagame . . .
Fire Princess: Earlier in this set review I mentioned something about Marie that can damage the opponent quite easily. This card is the cause of that damage. Fire Princess is a fun pyro who can put a lot of burn damage on the opponent.
Okay, that was a pretty bad pun, and I’ll admit it. However, Fire Princess, if you can find ways to keep her alive, and deal around 1500 damage each turn, depending on the number of Maries you have in the graveyard. Of course, the Princess's usefulness isn’t limited to just the combo with Marie, as there’s quite a slew of life gain out there, especially in Labyrinth of Nightmare.
Jar of Greed: At first glance, Jar of Greed is almost a trap version of Pot of Greed, except that you draw one less card. I’m sure some of you are thinking, “What? Why would a lame card like this be made into a super rare?” The reason for this rarity, besides the use of it to speed up Exodia decks, is that it’s chainable. I mean that you can chain this card to Harpie’s Feather Duster, Heavy Storm, Mystical Space Typhoon, Dust Tornado, basically anything as long as you can activate Jar of Greed at that time. Using this card won’t kill your hand advantage either, as is replaces itself while making your opponent waste removal on it. In the right decks, such as Exodia and Mirage Knight, this can help you easily go through your deck, as well as waste your opponent’s decent removal. I expect Jar of Greed to be used more in the future as more cards requiring deck burning are released.
De-Fusion: This card is usually dismissed pretty quickly, as most duelists think it’s meant to be used on the opponent’s Fusion monsters. That would make this quick-play spell very situational. However, De-Fusion is made for you, the owner, to use on your own monsters. If your opponent were to target your Fusion monster with a spell or trap, Change of Heart or Magic Cylinder for example, you can chain to that with De-Fusion, remove your Fusion monster, bring back the components to that monster, and make the opponent’s card resolve with no effect. It’s pretty useful. The big thing I see with De-Fusion is its ability to kill the opponent in one turn.
If your opponent has a clear field, attack with Black Skull Dragon (make sure you have both Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon if your graveyard). Attack for 3200, then play De-Fusion from your hand. This splits the Black Skull Dragon into its components, Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes. Attack with your new monsters for a combination of 4900 damage, making the total damage this turn reach up to 8100. It’s not that bad at all.
Revival Jam: In the cartoon, Revival Jam would return to the field every time it was destroyed, without any cost. In the real card game, that effect doesn’t exist. The cost to keep Revival Jam alive isn’t worth it half the time. If you want to run some fun Water cards, try Legendary Fisherman. If you want to pay massive amounts of life to keep a Jam alive, play this card.
One advantage it has is that it can provide a monster you can use for a tribute during your next turn.
Card of Safe Return: This spell will only barely let you draw anything if you don’t have a deck to go around it. However, with the use of Spear Cretins, this spell can easily let you draw an extra card almost every turn. Combine this with Sacred Crane or Molten Zombie from Invasion of Chaos, and you’ll draw some extra cards from those recursion cards quickly. This card is meant for Exodia decks, and is also the key card in a one turn kill, involving a card from Invasion of Chaos, and perhaps another super rare from LON if you want a variation. I’ll let you figure this one out yourselves for now, but I’ll mention the components in my set review of Invasion of Chaos. Until then, good luck finding out what Invasion of Chaos card is used.
Mage Power: In Magic Ruler, we were given Axe of Despair, which provided a massive attack boost to one of our monsters. Mage Power can make Axe of Despair look like the Skull Servant of equipment spells. Mage Power, if you have the field size for it, can become a 3000 ATK point bonus to one monster of your choice. Of course, that kills your hand presence, and with a well-timed Heavy Storm, it will kill your field presence as well. Use Mage Power wisely.
United We Stand: Mage Power has the problem of not letting you maintain field and hand presence. United We Stand gives you what Mage Power couldn’t, plus an extra 4000 ATK if you combine this spell with Scapegoat and another monster. United We Stand is, without a doubt, the most destructive equipment spell to be released in terms of the damage it can do.
Destiny Board: This Bakura fan card is the second alternate victory to be added into the game. However, it’s also hard to use. With one well-timed Dust Tornado or Typhoon, your alternate victory can disappear. By using the right amount of spell negation, such as Imperial Order or Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell, you can greatly increase your chances of victory with this card. If you work with Destiny Board enough, it’s possible that your deck can easily spell death for the opponent . . . no pun intended.
The Last Warrior from Another Planet: In my opinion, the Last Warrior is one of the coolest cards to be released in the game of Yu-Gi-Oh! Its art is just amazing, and its effect is very intriguing. However, is it playable?
Zombyra is a strong and durable level 4 attacker, and you always have the option of using fusion substitutes like Goddess with a Third Eye. If you keep the Last Warrior protected from spells and traps, he can also cause massive damage to the opponent. Of course, it takes a deck revolving around the Last Warrior to use it, but it’s worth a try. If you’re getting tired of beatdown, the Last Warrior is always an option.
Mask of Restrict: In Pharaoh’s Servant, we were given Gravity Bind, one of the best ways to keep the opponent from attacking. In Labyrinth of Nightmare, we are given Mask of Restrict, one of the best ways to keep the opponent from using a lot of effects or a few monsters, specifically Jinzo. This trap is not meant to be casually thrown into a stall deck, but you can find many creative ways to use Mask of Restrict. One of the most useful cards to combo with Mask of Restrict and Gravity Bind is Lava Golem, from Pharaonic Guardian.
The Masked Beast: There’s not a lot to say about The Masked Beast. It was the strongest ritual monster of its time, and it’s one of the strongest Dark Fiends to be released to this point here in America. It’s not a force to be looked down on if you can summon it.
Dark Necrofear: If there’s one monster that can claim to be the ki . . . um . . . queen of a booster set, it would be Dark Necrofear. This demon can be summoned only by removing three Fiends from the graveyard, which keeps Necrofear in the theme of this set. Its stats are impressive as well, as they can stand up to almost any monster in any tournament deck you can find. Even if your opponent works up the nerve to destroy this LON queen, it’ll come back to haunt that opponent at the end of the turn by taking control of one of his or her monsters. There’s ways to save yourself from this effect, such as with Dark Hole and a face-down monster, or if you have no monsters on the field at the end of the turn in which Necrofear dies. Dark Necrofear is by far the most destructive Fiend monster to be released to date, and it’s something the opponent will always hate to see.
Magic Cylinder: One of Yugi’s trap cards made its debut as a secret rare in Labyrinth of Nightmare. Magic Cylinder was considered a staple at its release; as its effect can single-handedly win you the duel on a number of occasions. It also became the victim of all the spell and trap removal that has been released. Many people believe Magic Cylinder has no power in today’s tournaments, which is funny to hear, as I still see people lose the last of their life points because their opponent has activated this trap. While some people fear Mirror Force, they’ll hardly be afraid to attack if they know it’s face-down. Magic Cylinder is the one card that strikes fear into the opponent’s heart and can cause the opponent not to attack.
Gemini Elf: Remember that quote I wrote at the beginning of this set review? Here’s the card it came from. Gemini Elf was the first 1900 ATK, level 4 monster to be released. It’s pure beatstick power and nothing more than that, yet because of that extra 100 attack it has over monsters like La Jinn, it became the sole desire of half the tournament duelists in the world.
Labyrinth of Nightmare brought several new themes to Yu-Gi-Oh!, as well as some new cards to be used in elemental decks. The set provided duelists with many new options, and many of those effects can be the ones that win you duels. Then there’s Gemini Elf, but that’s been mentioned enough already. Overall, Labyrinth of Nightmare is a creative set that added elements that were needed to expand Yu-Gi-Oh! in a positive direction.