If you read comic books or like to watch action movies, you’re probably used to seeing people dive acrobatically out of the way of oncoming objects. Whether it’s a car, a bullet, a fist, or a piece of debris from an exploding aircraft, Hollywood has a wonderful notion of the “Leaping Hero” who evades virtually any threat with a deft dodge. It’s a romantic notion, and I’m told that many people react in just such a fashion by utilizing their cat-like reflexes to keep themselves out of harm.

I’m not one of those people.

When something comes flying at me, I do what most people do—I cover my face with my hands and pray that whatever’s sailing my way hits my exposed midriff and nothing lower. And if the object in question has to hit lower, then hopefully it will miss my groin. That’s exactly what today’s card does. It shields you with your hand, and appropriately, I’m going to nickname it “Not In The Face.”

Today’s trap card can only be activated when your opponent activates a normal spell, and you need to pay 1000 life points to do so. The trap’s effect alters the text of the spell to which it’s responding. It changes that spell’s effect to read as follows: “Your opponent discards 1 random card from their hand.”

Let’s say that you activate Smashing Ground. If I respond to your activation by flipping Not In The Face, I’d save the monster that you were going to destroy, but I’d have to pay 1000 life points and discard a card at random. In this case, I’m literally shielding myself with my hand.

Basically, you can look at this trap like a variant of Magic Jammer. It prevents the intended effect of the opponent’s spell from resolving, and you have to discard a card as a result. The difference is that Magic Jammer lets you choose the card that will be discarded and doesn’t cost 1000 life points to activate.

While it might seem like a poor card in comparison, there are some big advantages to using today’s subject. First, the discarding of your card is not a cost, as it is in the case of Magic Jammer. You can activate Not In The Face regardless of whether or not your opponent is going to have a card to discard. Their spell has already been activated, so the opponent can’t return it to his or her hand as a misplay.

The other cool part about the forced discard being an effect is that the discard can trigger other cards. For instance, let’s say that you had an Electric Snake in your hand. Your opponent plays a spell, and you respond with Not In The Face. You pay 1000 life points, your Snake is discarded, and you draw two cards. You’ve virtually negated the opponent’s original spell effect, and you’ve traded a card in hand and a trap on the field for two draws. That’s not a bad deal.

You could also do the same thing with Elephant Statue of Destruction. You lose 1000 life points, but the opponent loses his or her spell effect and takes 2000 damage. That kind of move can win duels.

Of course, where this card really shines is in a deck built around Monday’s preview card, causing it to knock Big Gold right into play. Because the altered spell was controlled by your opponent, you’ll not only get to special summon Big Gold, but you’ll also trigger its second effect, meaning that you’ll get to destroy up to two of the cards your opponent controls. You’ll render one of the opponent’s spells null and void, special summon a huge monster, and destroy two of the opponent’s cards. Not to sound too much like that guy who tries to sell you electric scissors on cable channels at 3 am*, but you get all this at the cost of just one card (the trap) and 1000 life points! That’s a pretty amazing deal.

Triggering effects like that of Big Gold is an obvious use for today’s subject, but you can’t ignore Not In The Face’s use as a general piece of spell negation. It doesn’t actually negate anything, but you know what I mean—it prevents a spell effect from happening. Given the fact that Gold itself is a prime target for Smashing Ground or Brain Control, this ability becomes even more useful than usual. You’ve invested a great deal in getting that monster into play, so you want to see it stay on the field. At the same time, it’s pretty huge, so if it ever switches sides you won’t be thrilled about it. Two to three copies of Smashing Ground and one to two copies of Brain Control are quickly becoming a standard choice for many duelists, so a proprietary answer to spell-based threats is exactly what this new breed of monster needed in order to be competitive.

And boy, are they! You’ve only seen two of the cards in this theme, and odds are good that you’re already keen to try them out. There are a ton of support cards for this exciting new monster family in Elemental Energy, and if you open several at your local Sneak Preview, you’re probably going to be a happy camper. But they’ll truly shine in the Constructed environment, where you’ll be able to carefully pick and choose which you’ll want to use. Careful balance will be the key to playing these cards successfully, and today’s featured trap will be an important part of that strategy.

—Jason Grabher-Meyer