Machines have fallen from the pedestal that Card Trooper and Machine Duplication set them upon with the most recently posted Forbidden List (which Limited Trooper and tore the game-altering combo asunder). However, many dedicated Machine players are waiting for a reason to go back to playing cards like Future Fusion, Overload Fusion, and Limiter Removal—cards that can quickly deplete an opponent of life points. The problem has largely been the deck’s inability to abuse new spell-based draw engines and its reliance on Monster-based card drawing instead. Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive and Cyber Phoenix are far stretches from Destiny Draw and Allure of Darkness.
However, those dedicated Machine players are in for a treat with the release of Jinzo - Returner, a new combo-powerhouse with the ability to put Machines back on top of competition. With Jinzo currently Unlimited, there’s a lot of potential to be had.
Jinzo - Returner
Level 3
600 / 1400
Jinzo - Returner can attack your opponent directly. When it is sent to the Graveyard, you can special summon a "Jinzo" from your graveyard. Destroy it in your end phase.
While Jinzo - Returner’s first effect (attacking your opponent’s life points directly) may not seem terribly useful at first, its utility shouldn’t be ignored in favor of the second, more powerful, effect. Utility is key, and any extra options it has could win you matches when you least expect. Obviously, if an opponent is very low on life points or the game goes to time, you’ll have a rather simple, game-ending solution.
Regardless of its first ability, Jinzo - Returner’s second effect is obviously the real show. First, its effect doesn’t state from where it has to be sent to the graveyard. Sure, setting it and having it be destroyed by battle is an option, but it’s not the most powerful. If sent from the deck to the graveyard, you’ll get its effect also, which leads to some potent combinations in Machine decks. If Jinzo - Returner is discarded for anything but a cost (much like Dark World monsters, its effect would miss the timing), you’ll get to special summon a Jinzo.
Having Jinzo - Returner sent from the field to the graveyard is a simple procedure. You’ll probably notice its synergy with Torrential Tribute, or its ability to dodge cards like Mirror Force or Sakuretsu Armor (as your opponent won’t want to destroy Returner for fear of unleashing a bigger problem). However, you won’t be able to use it as a combination tribute for your Monarchs or Monster Gate (sadly, since the rather intriguing possibilities force it to miss the timing).
More exciting than sending it from the field to the graveyard is Jinzo - Returner’s ability to be discarded from your hand and still function. While being discarded as a cost for something like Raigeki Break (or as part of an effect preceding another immediate effect of the same card) would force it to miss its timing, some cards don’t. Dark World Lightning is a great way to eliminate opposing monsters while providing a quick way to discard Jinzo - Returner. Dark World Dealings can help you dig through your deck while unleashing Returner's effect. Consider Justin Womack’s deck from the Top 8 of the 2007 United States National Championships, in which he blended Dark World, Machines, and Injection Fairy Lily to play so aggressively that his opponents couldn’t keep up. There’s a lot of potential in a deck like his again, as having a copy of Jinzo on the field will protect your overextensions from almost everything but Scapegoat. By blending Dark World with Machines, you’ll have a mix of monster and spell-based card-drawing engines, plus enough speed to match almost any deck—including Dark Armed Return.
You’ll also find a lot of potential in the ability to send Jinzo - Returner from the deck to the graveyard, which is possibly the most devastating combination you can throw at your opponent. If you’ve adopted a spell-based draw engine to compliment three copies of Cyber Valley, Cyber Phoenix, and possibly Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, you’ll be drawing through your deck fairly quickly. When Machine decks reached their height, they were treated as One-Turn KO decks, which won as a result of either Overload Fusion, Limiter Removal, or Card Trooper and Machine Duplication. You still have access to the first two of those powerhouse cards. Since you’re already running Future Fusion (for its synergy with Overload Fusion) and you have both a monster and spell-based draw engine to sift through your deck quickly, you’ll be able to send three copies of both Jinzo and Jinzo - Returner to the graveyard to compliment your Cyber Dragon. You’ll have already set up for Chimeratech Overdragon, but you’ll also have just special summoned three copies of Jinzo to tide you over until the real monster hits the field! That’s three free copies of Jinzo, with the impending threat of Chimeratech hanging over your opponent’s head for the rest of the game. Also, while Foolish Burial doesn’t see much play in Machine strategies, you’ll also have the option of playing it to send Jinzo - Returner to the graveyard and then claim its effect. Even Card Trooper will be giving you new chances at combinations, as it’ll have the ability to send copies of Jinzo to the graveyard that can later be brought back with Returner.
Players with access to Gold Sarcophagus are going to have a large number of options with it in Machine decks. Opening the game with Future Fusion is going to be even better than opening with Card Trooper and Machine Duplication, and adding Gold Sarcophagus is obviously going to double your chances of having access to it. While Different Dimension Capsule will be helpful for the same reason, and you can run it in triplicate, it’ll be a risky venture to chance a piece of your main combo (Future Fusion) to spell and trap destruction.
Machines are being given just the booster shot they need to climb the ladder and retrieve their title as a top competitive deck once again. Jinzo - Returner makes cards that were already good into cards that are absolutely remarkable. I’ll be getting three copies of this card as soon as possible thanks to the Light of Destruction Sneak Previews, and getting ready for Machines to make a strong comeback in Day 2 showings!
—Ryan Murphy