“He’s escaped! Dreadmaster has esc-”
Are they truly heroes? Perhaps they are villains in disguise, waiting for their master to order them into action. Only the mystery duelist arriving at Duel Academy this summer knows for sure.
Last week, we examined Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude and dissected how it functions. This week belongs to the other Destiny Heroes.
Of Lords and Captains
We begin with Destiny Hero - Doom Lord. “Once per turn, if this card is in face-up Attack Position on your side of the field, you can remove from play 1 of your opponent’s monsters. The player who used this effect cannot declare an attack this turn, and the removed monster will be returned to the opponent’s side of the field in the same battle position during your second Standby Phase after activation.”
Destiny Hero - Doom Lord isn’t picky about its target. It doesn’t care if the opponent’s monster is face up or face down, nor does it care about the monster’s battle position. It will remove the monster from play and be quick about it.
But the monster doesn’t go away forever. During your second standby phase after activating the effect, the monster that Doom Lord removed from play will return in the same battle position it held when it was removed. For example, if the monster was in face-down defense position when it was removed from play, it will return to the field face down during your second standby phase.
You will notice that the first line of text states that Destiny Hero - Doom Lord must be in face-up attack position when you decide to use its effect. This is only true when you choose to remove a monster from play. Losing Doom Lord before your second standby phase after having used its effect to remove an opponent’s monster from play will not prevent the opponent’s monster from returning to the field. Make sure you remember this, because you don’t want to plan a faulty strategy.
Destiny Hero - Doom Lord is a fairly simple monster, so let’s move on to Destiny Hero - Captain Tenacious. “Once per turn, while this card is face-up on your side of the field, if a monster on your side of the field that includes ‘Destiny Hero’ in its card name (except this card) is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon that 1 monster to your side of the field during your next Standby Phase.”
Destiny Hero - Captain Tenacious must remain face up on your side of the field during the entire process of its effect. If it is removed from field at any time, you will lose its effect. It also does its best to give its allies another chance. Each Captain Tenacious you have will be good for one rescue, as long as you can keep them face up on your side of the field. This means having two face-up copies of Captain Tenacious will let you rescue two Destiny Heroes, assuming that each monster you intend to rescue was destroyed as a result of battle.
Naturally, you’ll need an open monster zone to special summon the rescued Destiny Heroes, so try to plan accordingly. Usually the spot the monster occupied previously will still be open when you attempt to rescue the monster, so in most cases you won’t have anything to worry about.
Escape from Clock Tower Prison
Before looking at Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster, it is helpful to understand the prison that once held it captive. Clock Tower Prison says, “Put 1 Clock Counter on this card during each of your opponent’s Standby Phases. While there are 4 or more Clock Counters on this card, the controller of this card does not receive any Battle Damage. When this card with 4 or more Clock Counters is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon 1 ‘Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster’ from your hand or Deck.”
When you have succeeded in placing four or more Clock counters on Clock Tower Prison, it begins to protect you from battle damage. This means that your life points will not be harmed due to battle. However, your monsters are on their own, and can still be destroyed in battle.
The fun really begins when Clock Tower Prison is destroyed and sent to the graveyard while it has four or more Clock counters on it. Doing so will set Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster free. “If this card was Special Summoned by the effect of ‘Clock Tower Prison,’ destroy all monsters on your side of the field (except for ‘Destiny Hero’ monsters), then you can Special Summon up to 2 ‘Destiny Hero’ monsters from your Graveyard. During the turn this card is Special Summoned, ‘Destiny Hero’ monsters on your side of the field cannot be destroyed, and all Battle Damage inflicted to the controller of this card becomes 0 during battle involving ‘Destiny Hero’ monsters on your side of the field. The ATK and DEF of this card are equal to the combined original ATK of all ‘Destiny Hero’ monsters on your side of the field (except this card).”
When Dreadmaster escapes from the Clock Tower Prison, it destroys every monster on your side of the field in a fit of rage, unless that monster is a Destiny Hero monster. Afterwards, it lets you special summon up to two Destiny Hero monsters from your graveyard to your side of the field.
Fortunately, you can still special summon up to two Destiny Hero monsters, even if you didn’t destroy any monsters with Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster’s effect. Destroying every monster on your side of the field is not a requirement for special summoning those Destiny Heroes. From here, the remainder of Dreadmaster’s effects are independent of Clock Tower Prison.
The first independent effect says it occurs during the turn that Dreadmaster is special summoned. For this effect, it does not matter how Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster was special summoned—the fact that it was special summoned is the only condition. It has a similar effect to Clock Tower Prison, though in this case, it only applies to battles involving your Destiny Hero monsters.
The second independent effect says that Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster’s ATK and DEF are equal to the sum total of the original ATK values of every other Destiny Hero monster on your side of the field. Dreadmaster’s strength is derived from its allies, so you can see why special summoning it with Clock Tower Prison is so helpful.
You may have noticed something else about Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster: it can be normal summoned, too. If you ever choose to normal summon it, you will only receive its second independent effect (not any of its other effects), because its other effects depend on specific criteria. Choosing to normal summon Dreadmaster may make sense in some situations, but make sure you’re aware of the cost before doing so.
It is important to remember that the ATK and DEF of Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster are not defined while it is in your hand, or in your deck and graveyard. This means it will not be possible to special summon it with Mystic Tomato or search for it with Sangan.
Welcome to the game, Destiny Heroes. We’re keeping an eye on you . . .
Until next time, send all comments and questions to Curtis@Metagame.com