It’s quite amazing to think that we here at metagame.com have already gone through eight sets of Yu-Gi-Oh! Finally, we have reached set number nine: Dark Crisis (DCR). Let me ask you something quickly. With Guardians, Archfiends, and a variety of other cards that support older themes, has there been a set as diverse and supportive as Dark Crisis?

Well . . . yes, actually, there have been other sets as diverse as Dark Crisis. Pharaonic Guardian, Legacy of Darkness, and Magician’s Force come to mind, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make. Dark Crisis contains cards that can help duelists break away from the mainstream decks right now, except for generic Beatdown. That will never die.

After ruining that perfectly good introduction, let’s get on to the reviews. Archfiends, Angels, Guardians, weird random cards, and a lot of fun—that’s that you get in Dark Crisis.

Battle Footballer: It’s a common normal monster with 2100 DEF, making it more durable than any other defender at its level. It’s like the 1900 ATK monster, in a way, and pretty self explanatory.

Nin-Ken Dog: This actually has no significance to the Yu-Gi-Oh! metagame in general, however, Dark Crisis gave us a ninja dog. It’s an 1800 ATK ninja dog, and that’s certainly cool enough to mention.

Arsenal Summoner: This Spellcaster can’t be searched out by Witch of the Black Forest or Sangan, but its effect makes Guardian decks a little more versatile. Elma, Ceal, and Tryce are just one flip effect away . . . oh wait, Guardian Sphinx is also a flip effect away. This effect isn’t that bad after all!

Guardian Elma and Butterfly Dagger - Elma: The monster, Guardian Elma, isn’t that bad if you can summon it. Its effect allows you to reuse great equips like Mage Power and United We Stand, making Elma a bit stronger. However, its equipment spell is what can be threatening.

In the Magician’s Force set review, I mentioned Butterfly Dagger twice. This spell card, Gearfried the Iron Knight, and either Magical Marionette, Royal Magical Library, or Morale Boost and Fire Princess can create one turn kills. I’ll go ahead and let you figure out how one turn kills result from this restricted spell.

Gyaku-Gire Panda: As if there was not enough punishment for Scapegoat users with Legacy of Darkness, Dark Crisis brings us a new defense crusher (deals damage if its attack is higher than the destroyed monster’s defense). Gyaku-Gire Panda’s attack increases very easily and can even be supported by the Ojama Trio. Your opponent will regret using Scapegoat if you have this vicious Beast out.

Despair from the Dark: The strongest warrior of the undead is unleashed in this set. Despair from the Dark has a devastating 2800 ATK, which is even worse when you combine it with Call of the Mummy and Book of Life. However, its added effect allows you to special summon it when it’s discarded from your hand or deck by your opponent’s card effects, such as Delinquent Duo, Morphing Jar, or Morphing Jar #2. Zombies now have their Blue-Eyes White Dragon, except this one is a corroding evil skyscraper.

Dark Scorpion Warriors: This set of three monsters (the remaining members of the Dark Scorpion Burglars) includes Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow, Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn, and Dark Scorpion - Gorg the Strong.

Chick the Yellow, the weakest of the Dark Scorpions, has the nifty ability of returning a card to the owner’s hand. This gives you the chance to reuse Swords of Revealing Light, or to reuse equipment spells on other monsters. Meanae the Thorn can provide you with an army of itself by dealing damage every turn and returning another Meanae the Thorn from your graveyard back to your hand. Gorg the Strong can either thin the opponent’s deck or thin the opponent’s field.

Shooting Star Bow - Ceal and Guardian Ceal: Guardian Ceal has average attack for a standard monster, but its ability can deal good damage to the opponent. By sacrificing useless equipment spells on Ceal, you can clear the opponent’s field of monsters. It’s a great reason to try out Collecting Power. However, the equipment spell required to summon it might be even better. The Shooting Star Bow can either provide your monster with the ability to finish off the opponent, or it can significantly power down the opponent’s powerhouse monster, giving you the chance to punch through his or her defenses. You’ll find it fun to destroy the opponent’s Jinzo with a simple Mystic Clown, and Shooting Star Bow makes this possible.

Gravity Axe - Grarl and Guardian Grarl: The Gravity Axe isn’t a bad equipment spell. The attack increase will most likely help you out, and its effect can hurt the opponent if played at the right time. For example, if your opponent decided it would be funny to attack with his or her Spirit Reapers last turn . . .

Guardian Grarl isn’t a bad Guardian, either. It’s not meant for an early game play, but later in the game, when having only it in your hand is a little more possible, you can easily bring out a 2500 ATK titan.

Wicked-Breaking Flamberge - Baou and Guardian Baou: Guardian Baou may start off weak, but with a small equipment spell or a well timed Riryoku, you’ll have Baou powered up easily. His second effect makes him even better, giving him the chance to power up and negate something like Sinister Serpent.

Wicked-Breaking Flamberge - Baou can be just as useful. The 500 ATK bonus isn’t the main point of the card, as the ability to negate effects is even better. Equipping this onto your Jinzo will leave your opponent in pieces.

Fairy of the Spring: Mage Power, United We Stand, Premature Burial, Snatch Steal—Fairy of the Spring can not only bring these back, but also any of the Guardian weapons. That’s not too bad at all.

Non-Spellcasting Area: This card gives your non-Effect beatdown monsters the freedom to attack without worrying about Raigeki, Change of Heart, or Dark Hole. The problem is that this card applies to your opponent’s non-Effect monsters as well, and Non-Spellcasting Area is as easy to destroy as an equipment spell. If you have enough support for your 1900 ATK monsters and this continuous spell, you should be able to inflict some good damage on your opponent.

Ojama Trio: These little meddlers are the funniest token monsters ever released. They provide an excellent power up for Gyaku-Gire Panda give your defense-smashing monsters, like Airknight Parshath, an easy target to go after. One of the greatest combos I’ve seen with Ojama Trio is D.N.A Surgery with Insect Princess. Despite the fact that this was played against me, I couldn’t stop laughing. It was a lot of fun.

Gagagigo: This reptile made an appearance in the art of My Body as a Shield. Expect this monster to make a few more appearances in the later sets.

Archfiend Soldier: It’s a fiendish 1900 ATK monster, and it gives Archfiends a stronger advantage over other themes in this set. Its flavor text is funny as well.

Vilepawn Archfiend: As the weakest of the Archfiend chess monsters, Vilepawn Archfiend acts as the literal pawn to the rest of the field. It will protect any other Archfiend by forcing the opponent to attack it, instead of any other Archfiend monsters.

Desrook Archfiend: The statistics don’t matter on the rook that much. In chess, rooks are often always on the field at the end of a game, and they’re commonly captured when you need to protect your king. The effect of Desrook is identical to the real game of chess, except that your opponent will be a little more irritated if you can save your Terrorking Archfiend.

Zolga: This Fairy’s statistics are about average, but its effect will have your opponent incredibly angry at you. By offering this as a tribute in a tribute summon, your life is increased by 2000. That is enough to withstand a Gemini Elf’s assault or lessen the blow of Jinzo’s direct attack.

Final Countdown: Another alternate victory card has been released. This one is also a bit more difficult to use than many others. Final Countdown gives you an automatic victory twenty turns after it's activated. Of course, you need to stay alive for twenty turns first (one turn is one player’s draw phase to end phase, meaning you and your opponent’s turns count for a total of two). A little life gain and some stall can help you get to this victory, and so can Fiber Jar. Just be careful if your opponent breaks through your defenses.

Pandemonium: Archfiend monsters, such as Terrorking Archfiend and Shadowknight Archfiend, have a nasty upkeep during your standby phases that isn’t even optional, meaning these Archfiends can literally suck the life right out of you. Pandemonium takes care of that, and it makes sure you’ll always have Archfiends in your hand if they were destroyed by your opponent’s effects. This field spell makes Archfiends a deadly and bloodthirsty force to be reckoned with.

Skill Drain: With the ability to negate all monster effects while they’re on the field (excludes monsters like Sangan or Giant Rat, as they resolve in the graveyard), Skill Drain makes monsters like Goblin Attack Force and Armor Exe powerful killers. Add something like Final Attack Orders, and your opponent will have no chance of recovering. Skill Drain is a great card for stopping monster effects, but it’s the greatest earache to any judge, since it has the longest list of rulings in the game.

Great Maju Garzett: Tribute summon this by offering a Goblin Attack Force or a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. This card is pretty easy to understand, and its power can make it simply massive. Great Maju Garzett becomes even stronger with the release of Invasion of Chaos, relying on a slick combo using the Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning.

Infernalqueen Archfiend: At first, this monster’s attack is relatively low. However, as each standby phase passes by, its attack strength can become 1900, or it can give a 1000 ATK boost to another Archfiend, making Vilepawn Archfiend 2200, or even Terrorking Archfiend an incredible 3000 ATK. Infernalqueen is quite easily one of the best Archfiends, next to Terrorking Archfiend.

Tsukuyomi: A Spirit monster finally reappears after taking a break since Pharaonic Guardian. Tsukuyomi is very similar to Otohime, except that it turns monsters face down into defense position, and it can affect your field as well. This is great for using Nobleman of Crossout, and even better for reusing flip effects such as Magician of Faith and Needle Worm. It’s a shame Spirits are so easily overlooked because they pack a powerful punch.

Legendary Flame Lord: This pyro is a Spellcaster who inherited the spell counter effect from Magician’s Force. While rituals take time, and they’ll usually deal some damage to your hand, Legendary Flame Lord can easily be worth the summoning. If you manage to charge up three spell counters on the Lord, the entire field is going to go up in smoke, and Legendary Flame Lord is going to smite the opponent for a good 2400 damage.

D. D. Warrior Lady: This Warrior has become the latest popular monster in tournaments. Not only can it destroy Don Zaloog and other commonly used monsters easily, but D. D. Warrior Lady can remove them from play after damage calculation. Monsters like Vampire Lord, Jinzo, and Witch of the Black Forest will not see play again once D. D. Warrior Lady hits them . . . unless, of course, your opponent is running Dimension Fusion.

Dark Flare Knight/Mirage Knight: Dark Flare Knight is another great monster to use with Magical Scientist, as fusion summoning it normally is next to impossible. Not only does it have the power to blow past high defense walls like Battle Footballer, but it can add to the Magical Scientist one turn kill. Speaking of one turn kills, if your opponent has a clear field of spells and traps and a monster of 2300 ATK or more out, you can have three Dark Flare Knights commit suicide by attacking that monster, bringing out three Mirage Knights from your deck. Add that to Magical Scientist, and it’s game over unless your opponent has Kuriboh.

Different Dimension Dragon: While this Dragon may not seem worth the monster needed to tribute summon it, you may find that its effect can help you out if you plan a deck around it. Torrential Tribute is a great way to aggravate your opponent when you summon Different Dimension Dragon. It’s great protection against the opponent’s Mirror Force and Raigeki as well.

Terrorking Archfiend: The mighty Terrorking Archfiend has a small requirement in order to normal summon it to the field, but that shouldn’t be a problem in an Archfiend deck. Its attack strength is above average, especially for a level 4 monster, and its ability easily negates the effects of Witch of the Black Forest and Fiber Jar, as it’s the same effect as Dark Ruler Ha Des. Its dice roll ability isn’t bad either, as it gives you a 1 in 3 chance to negate effects like Change of Heart and Exiled Force.

Dark Master - Zorc: If there’s any ritual monster out there that can claim the title for best ritual, this Fiend would be it. Not only is the art on Dark Master - Zorc beyond amazing, but its effect is great, too. With the roll of a six-sided die, you have a 5 in 6 chance of destroying something your opponent controls. The problem is that you also have a 1 in 6 chance of nuking every monster on your field. If you have good luck, you’ll love Dark Master - Zorc. If you’re like me and roll that 1 in 6 chance of nuking your field 5/6 of the time, you’ll probably hold a grudge against the big demon.

Mudora: Early in the duel, Mudora will most likely have only 1500 ATK. However, as the game progresses, and possibly with the help of Painful Choice, Mudora can easily achieve attack strengths of 2300, 2700, or even 3100. This monster makes the Fairy type strong to build a deck around, along with other angels that have been released, such as Airknight Parshath and Guardian Angel Joan.

Reflect Bounder: Machines have gotten enough support already, especially since Limiter Removal was removed from the limited list. However, Reflect Bounder adds to the card pool of incredibly powerful Machine cards. Its attack strength is rather average, but if your opponent wants to attack it, you’ll easily welcome the attack with open arms, as the effect of Reflect Bounder will deal some massive damage to the opponent. Add one or two Limiter Removals to Reflect Bounder when the opponent attacks, and he or she may end up losing through self-destruction.

Shinato, King of a Higher Plane: While Dark Master - Zorc is the ritual master for Fiend types, the angelic monsters of Yu-Gi-Oh! receive the most powerful ritual monster (stat-wise) in the game. Shinato, King of a Higher Plane has a blinding 3300 ATK, and its effect will make sure your opponents take damage no matter how they summon their monsters. It may seem like a waste if you keep attacking something like a defensive Sinister Serpent, but by attacking a monster in attack mode, you’ll score an easy 3300 damage.

Exodia Necross: In the event that you lose all your Exodia pieces, you’ll be able to bring the Forbidden One back from the dead with Exodia Necross, which possesses . . . some really cool art. Its ability reminds me of the Toon monsters. In the T.V. show, it was indestructible by any card and its ATK power increased by 1000 every time it attacked. In the game version, you’re only protected from spells and traps, and its attack power only increases by 500 during your standby phase. It’s a shame, since this monster is so hard to summon.

Kaiser Glider: Some people enjoy running Dragon decks, so Luster Dragon #2 was a blessing with the release of Legacy of Darkness. The poor Dragon felt abandoned when Dark Crisis was released, as Kaiser Glider completely outclassed the green Dragon. Kaiser Glider has the same attack strength as Luster Dragon #2, but this monster won’t be destroyed if it goes head on with a monster of the same attack strength, such as Jinzo. Even if your opponent manages to kill this Dragon, a monster of your choice will still be sent back to the owner’s hand.

Cost Down: Wouldn’t it be a lot easier if Airknight Parshath or Different Dimension Dragon was level 3? What would happen if Jinzo was level 4? Cost Down gives you the answer to those questions; it would rule for you and be lousy for your opponent. By activating Cost Down, all monsters in your hand are lowered by two levels until the end of the turn. This allows you to summon a Jinzo or Airknight Parshath without any tributes. Cost Down is also begging to be abused with Ultimate Offering.

Judgment of Anubis: Most standard tournament decks will run a Harpie's Feather Duster, a Heavy Storm, and three Mystical Space Typhoons. This trap card makes them regret it. Judgment of Anubis acts as a situational Magic Jammer, as it can only negate and destroy spells that would destroy your spells and traps. However, the second effect of Judgment of Anubis is what makes it such a threat. If your opponent has a monster face-up on the field, this trap card destroys it and deals damage to your opponent equal to that monster’s attack strength. It’s by far the best way to say, “Don’t play removal on me again.”

Vampire Lord: Pyramid Turtle already has an army of undead monsters that it can summon out through its effect. Book of Life already has enough Zombies to revive with its effect. Call of the Mummy has plenty of monsters it can summon through its effect. Vampire Lord smiles at the sight of these cards, as it’s another reason to abuse the Zombie theme. Not only does Vampire Lord have a good deck destruction ability, allowing you to thin the opponent’s deck of a monster, spell, or trap of his or her choice, but it’s also the true example of what Zombies usually do in movies—they keep coming back no matter how many times you kill them. As long as Vampire Lord is destroyed through your opponent’s effects, this monster will keep reviving during your standby phase. Add a Card of Safe Return to this effect, and you’ll be swarming your opponent with blood-sucking Vampires and big scary Zombies.


Dark Crisis has the most diverse collection of cards after all, as it brings out two new themes (Guardians and chess piece Archfiends), Zombies, Angels, and a few extras in there as well, such as Warriors.

Next week is set number ten, Invasion of Chaos. The set truly brings chaos to the Yu-Gi-Oh! environment in more than one form. Don’t forget that I mentioned that the Labyrinth of Nightmare card Card of Safe Return creates a one turn kill if you use it with one other card in Invasion of Chaos. Do you think you know what it is?

I guess you’ll find out next week. Until then, I’m going to be practicing my hunting aim. It’s almost open season on Yata-Garasu.

Please send any questions or comments on this article to mrosenberg@metagame.com.