This is it: the card you’ve been waiting for. Every now and then, a card comes along that boosts the decks of creative duelists and mainstream players alike. Before its restriction, Elemental Hero Stratos was one such card. With three copies available for any deck, and the missing piece of the puzzle for Diamond Dude Turbo to boot, Stratos was a golden card for every Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG player. Card Trooper is another good example. Its versatility allowed it to be played in almost any deck you could think of, and its unique effects gave birth to Bazoo Trooper Return, Machine Duplication-based builds, and at least part of the new cycle of Magical Explosion decks.

Today’s preview has the same traits as these magnificent cards before it. Ladies and Gentlemen: Raiza the Storm Monarch!

Raiza the Storm Monarch

Winged Beast/WIND

Level 6

2400 ATK/1000 DEF

When this card is Tribute Summoned, send 1 card on the field to the top of its owner’s Deck.

The first thing you’ll notice is that Raiza possesses the same ATK and DEF as his Monarch buddies, which means he’ll be dropping down and threatening almost a third of your opponent’s life points. Since Raiza can target any card on the field, you can be sure your opponent is taking 2400 damage if he or she is unable to produce a monster or a defensive card. This same versatility also lets you take out whichever card your hand doesn’t have answers to. Holding Nobleman of Crossout? Get rid of that spell or trap card, clear out the monster, and stomp your opponent down. Packing a copy of Dust Tornado? Destroy his or her spell or trap card, spin the monster to the top of the deck, and pound away.

Not only do you get to ensure safe attacks, but also you really frighten your opponent. Imagine staring down a 2400 ATK monster and knowing that your next draw isn’t going to help get rid of it. Chances are if you’re in this situation, you’ll make some desperate plays, or simply pray that your next draw makes everything better. In either situation, the player controlling Raiza will be able to take advantage and seal the deal over the next few turns.

Using multiple Raiza effects makes the situation even sillier. Picture a close duel where both players have only two cards. Your opponent has a monster and a spell or trap set, and you have Treeborn Frog with two copies of Raiza the Storm Monarch in your hand. You decide to bounce the monster card and attack with Raiza, who connects for 2400 damage. Next turn, your opponent is going to have the exact same setup and your second Raiza will be able to make the same move. You’ll likely get to punch home 4800 damage, hopefully winning the game.

Many players look at Raiza and say, “Why should I bounce the card to the top of my opponent’s deck when I could simply destroy it with a different Monarch?” While it’s true that Zaborg the Thunder Monarch and Granmarg the Rock Monarch may have been able to win the game for us in the previous scenario, neither of them could have done so if we get more specific. What if your opponent’s set monster was Treeborn Frog, Sangan, or even Card Trooper? Then your opponent would get the chance to search his or her deck or draw, and enjoy the benefit of a fresh card next turn. Raiza not only denies the effects of face-down monsters entirely, but also forces your opponent to waste another turn simply to draw the card and set it again.

If, like me, you believe that the strength of Monarch decks comes from the hidden identities of its face-down monsters (thus forcing your opponent into a guessing game) then you’ll really appreciate how Raiza can actually counter the Monarch deck. Raiza’s effect works on every face-down monster, eliminating the Monarch mind games entirely. You can throw a Gravekeeper’s Spy, Legendary Jujitsu Master, or Sangan back to the top and cause just as much trouble for your opponent no matter what the face-down monster turns out to be.

Of course, you must be careful to only use Raiza when there is a good target available. Giving an opponent back his or her Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch or Call of the Haunted can really backfire. In addition, you will be forced to spin a card to the top of your deck if your opponent doesn’t control any cards. However, these scenarios aren’t very common. Most players usually have one or two cards on their field that they’d like to keep there, and if they’ve got nothing at all, you can simply wait until next turn. Fields don’t stay blank for very long.

I’m willing to bet that many creative duelists already have plans to use this Monarch with Icarus Attack. Before now, there have been very few competitive Winged-Beast monsters, and those usually couldn’t balance out their own loss. Raiza however, is both formidable on the attack and replaces himself by forcing your opponent to redraw a card. This makes him prime fodder for your Icarus Attack, and in case you spin a card you didn’t want to see drawn next turn, you can destroy that card anyway with the Icarus Attack. Raiza’s Wind status will also earn some attention, since it opens up the doors for Silpheed and Spiritual Wind Art - Miyabi.

Finally, Raiza can be absolutely devastating in the side deck. Decks such as DDT, Demise, and burn won’t want to see a lot of their combo pieces drawn again. Usually they’re counting on their draws to finalize the combo or create more stall until the combo is fully drawn. Cards like Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade and Destiny Hero - Malicious in DDT won’t be fun to see again. The same can be said of Royal Decree and Neo Bug for the Demise player. Against burn, sometimes you just need to clear out Gravity Bind so all your monsters can attack for game. Raiza’s versatility will truly come into play during those kinds of matchups, and Monarch players would be wise not to leave home without at least a pair in the side deck.