The Lost Millennium expansion builds upon a concept from previous sets by emphasizing the elements. While most of the new set focuses on Rock monsters and monsters from “Yu-Gi-Oh! GX” that are likely to be famous in the future, the elemental Charmers Aussa the Earth Charmer, Eria the Water Charmer, Hiita the Fire Charmer, and Wynn the Wind Charmer provide a new outlet for players focusing on the four elements. Monsters of a Charmer’s chosen attribute can fall under a spell and turn against their former masters.
But the elemental Charmers have weaknesses. A Charmer’s discipline is focused and exact, and the right form of disruption will break the spell. Judges should know about these weaknesses, since we may have to explain why a Charmer player’s plan fell apart.
Charmed
Each of the elemental Charmers has a variation of the following text.
“FLIP: Take control of one <Attribute> monster on your opponent's side of the field for as long as this card remains face up on the field.”
First, you should note that the Charmers are flip effect monsters that have all of the normal issues associated with flip effects. Therefore, the speed at which you can use their effects will be slowed down, and the monsters will be vulnerable to cards like Nobleman of Crossout.
When an elemental Charmer’s effect is activated, you select a monster on your opponent’s side of the field that has the same attribute as the one that’s written in the Charmer’s text. For example, if I activate Aussa the Earth Charmer’s effect, I can target my opponent’s Berserk Gorilla, because the Gorilla is an Earth monster. If nothing goes wrong, I’ll take control of the monster when the effect resolves.
But this is where things can easily go wrong . . .
Elemental Unity
An elemental Charmer’s target needs to remain legal when the effect resolves. This means that the targeted monster’s attribute must remain consistent through the entire process.
Example: Elemental Shift
Violet has Eria the Water Charmer face down on her side of the field. Her opponent, Mike, has a face-up Levia-Dragon - Daedalus in his monster zone and a set card in his spell and trap card zone.
Violet begins her main phase by flip summoning Eria. The flip effect is activated, and Violet chooses to target Mike’s Levia-Dragon - Daedalus. In response, Mike activates his set trap card, DNA Transplant, and chooses to have all face-up monsters on the field change their attributes to Dark.
Now, Violet has a problem. Eria the Water Charmer can only take control of Water monsters, but her opponent’s Levia-Dragon - Daedalus has the Dark attribute, so it’s an illegal target. Eria’s effect fails, so Violet doesn’t take control of the monster.
Sometimes, you can use an attribute-switching effect to help you. Do you remember an old spell card from
Labyrinth of Nightmare called
Scroll of Bewitchment? It allows you to alter the attribute of the equipped monster to one of your choosing. This card can help you change the attribute of an opponent’s monster to meet the demands of your elemental Charmer.
Loss of Concentration
Keeping control over a charmed monster takes a lot of focus. You’ll retain control only as long as the elemental Charmer you are using remains face up on the field. If the Charmer is removed from your side of the field or turned face down, the effect will disappear.
A Charmer can be removed from the field in many ways, so long-term charming is difficult. Cards like Compulsory Evacuation Device, Ring of Destruction, and Brain Control can put a stop to the charm.
Brain Control? What can that do? While Brain Control won’t remove a Charmer from the field, the spell will remove the monster from its controller’s side of the field, and that’s not good for a Charmer’s concentration. Your opponent will get to take your Charmer, which will break the spell and allow him or her to regain control of the charmed monster.
What will Book of Moon do to an elemental Charmer? By turning it face down, Book of Moon will break its hold on the charmed monster and return that monster to its previous controller. You’ll also need to be careful around the blue-eyed Tsukuyomi. After one quick summon of that monster, things will fall apart in a hurry.
Example: Charm vs. Control
John has Hiita the Fire Charmer in face-down defense position. His opponent, Veronica, has out two attack-position monsters, Solar Flare Dragon and Infernal Flame Emperor, and one set card in her spell and trap card zone.
John is annoyed about the damage he’s been taking from Solar Flare Dragon. He kept Hiita safe with Threatening Roar during Veronica’s last turn, and now the time is right to spring into action. He flip summons Hiita the Flame Charmer and chooses Infernal Flame Emperor as the target.
Veronica has a chance to respond. She flips over her face-down card and reveals
Enemy Controller. She decides to tribute
Solar Flare Dragon so she can take control of Hiita. What happens to Hiita’s effect? Unfortunately for John, he can’t gain control of
Infernal Flame Emperor unless Hiita remains face up on his side of the field. While Hiita will return to John in the end phase, it will be vulnerable to the Emperor on Veronica’s next turn.
Supporting the Charmed Ones
The elemental Charmers have one last weakness: if one is flipped over because of an attack, it must survive the battle in order to use its effect. Running a card like Waboku so you can prevent an elemental Charmer from being destroyed in battle is a wise investment. You could also run a trap from Ancient Sanctuary, Wall of Revealing Light, to prevent an opponent’s monsters from attacking at all.
Your options don’t end there. The new set includes a great protector of face-down monsters: Hieracosphinx. This 2400 ATK powerhouse can plow right over most tournament-level monsters, and its effect will keep a face-down Charmer safe from attack. For similar short-term protection, you can use A Feint Plan from Legacy of Darkness.
Now, let’s talk about some cards that are sure to cause trouble—those Light and Dark monsters. Everyone playing in tournaments knows that Light and Dark monsters are Yu-Gi-Oh!’s answers to Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. The elemental Charmers are usually powerless over them. Thanks to Invasion of Chaos, however, you have DNA Transplant at your disposal! In one of my earlier examples, the trap was used to stop Eria the Water Charmer, but it can just as easily be used to the Charmer player’s advantage. With DNA Transplant, you can turn all monsters on the field into Water monsters, allowing Eria to take control of whatever you like. Keep in mind that each Charmer’s effect targets, so you must make sure that the monster you want has the right attribute before your Charmer is flipped face up.
Don’t forget about Creature Swap when you’re formulating your elemental Charmer’s strategy. If you can get an opponent’s monster with a Charmer, you can use Creature Swap to give that monster back to your opponent in exchange for the Light or Dark monster you really wanted.
The path of an elemental Charmer is difficult and rife with peril. But with the right support and a clear strategy in mind, the elemental Charmers can help you on your way to victory.
Until next time, send all comments to Curtis@metagame.com.