We’ve spent all week reviewing the awesome new tin cards. Julia Hedberg showed you the stunning power of Exarion Universe. Jerome McHale demonstrated the true power of Rocket Warrior. Curtis Schultz illustrated how to get the most out of Gilford the Lightning, and Jae Kim and Mike Rosenberg got to talk about two of the ultimate nostalgia cards in the game—Vorse Raider and the new and improved Dark Magician Girl.

Which brings us to me, and to Panther Warrior. Sad, lonely Panther Warrior.

Panther Warrior took a lot of heat from some duelists who were underwhelmed by it at first glance. “That’s unplayable!” some cried, while others preferred to just pretend it wasn’t there. Surely a monster that requires a tribute to do what any other monster can do for free must be terrible, right?

Well, maybe that’s true, but maybe it’s not! I’m going to go ahead and argue the latter opinion. Why don’t we start off by checking out the card itself?

The first thing that you’ll notice about Panther Warrior is its stellar ATK value. The mythical 2000 ATK always puts a level 4 monster into some sort of negative territory. Now, that number is huge, but it always comes with a cost. Zombyra the Dark, Berserk Gorilla, Goblin Attack Force, and Jirai Gumo are all monsters that break the 2000 ATK level 4 barrier but have some sort of drawback.

Hence, we come to the second most notable feature of Panther Warrior—its effect. In order to attack with it you need to tribute a monster, and that can often result in Panther Warrior just standing around looking pretty. This might appear debilitating at first, but it can actually be quite manageable in the right deck.

There are a number of convenient ways to pay for Panther Warrior’s effect, and the best is Scapegoat. Got a few extra Sheep tokens lying around? Feed them to Panther Warrior to give it a quick energy boost, and send it off into the fray! How often have you activated Scapegoat and found yourself with one or two extra Sheep tokens? The odds are good that your answer is, “almost every time I use it.” Panther Warrior takes advantage of that surplus of mutton. Do you have two extra Nimble Momonga because your first went down to an attack last turn? Stuff one in Panther Warrior’s mouth and you’ve got a far more impressive attacker than the squirrel can ever be. In fact, all of these monsters work well together, because they all carry the Earth attribute. I smell a theme deck!

Even in a regular “cookie cutter” deck, there are plenty of options for Panther fodder beyond the obligatory lamb chops. Just flipped that Magician of Faith? Don’t want it being attacked next turn, because you don’t care to lose a ton of life points? Why, you can just have Panther Warrior cram that attack-position miscreant right into its gaping maw! The same goes for a set Night Assailant. The key to using Night Assailant effectively is by understanding its use not just as a discard, but also as a piece of board control due to its flip effect. It’s important to use that source of monster destruction to get the most out of the card. But again, you’re often left with an attack-position small fry just sitting out in the open, and that gives your opponent a strong option for retribution on the next turn. Just have Night Assailant seek “refuge” in Panther Warrior’s stomach. No one can hurt it there.

And Sinister Serpent? Panther Warrior loves those. “They taste like chicken,” the Warrior candidly confided in a recent interview.

Getting back to the Earth deck idea for a moment, a deceased Panther Warrior can be used as fodder for Gigantes, which is often an important card for the Earth theme. In addition, because the Panther is a Beast-Warrior, it can take advantage of Enraged Battle Ox’s effect. At the same time, Panther Warrior also gets huge with Wild Nature’s Release. Its 1600 DEF makes it a 3600 ATK attacker for one turn. That’s big enough to take down Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning . . .

 . . .or, you know, most opponents. “They also taste like chicken,” the Warrior candidly confided in a second interview.

One of the great things about Panther Warrior is that it’s an incredible monster to summon on turn one if you get to go first. Like Zombyra the Dark, it’s got a massive ATK that makes it highly imposing, but it’s also very difficult for an opponent to use effectively. Think of it this way—if I opened a game with Goblin Attack Force face up, you could easily grab it on the next turn with Snatch Steal or Brain Control. You’d attack with it, plus whatever you’d summoned that turn, and I could lose more than 4000 life points on turn one.

That, for lack of a technical term, would suck.

But if I open with Panther Warrior instead, you’re going to have a far more difficult time using that Snatch Steal or Brain Control. If you attack with Panther Warrior, you’re losing your turn’s summon to its effect. Though you can attack with your summon first and then charge with Panther Warrior to score two big hits, there’s a good chance that Panther Warrior will be coming back to me next turn. Then you’re the one that’s wide open, I’m the one with the big monsters, and momentum has shifted in my favor.

Panther Warrior is a great turn-one play, and should be taken seriously because of that fact. Its only real competition for a “bully play” on turn one is Zombyra the Dark, but Zombyra gets weaker over time and it can never attack directly. What do I mean by “bully play”? Well, if I have a big face-up monster opening on turn one and you can’t take it down, you’re most likely to just set a monster. You’re going to make me wonder what you set, and possibly benefit from a flip effect or Sangan in the process. It makes a lot more sense than just playing a face-up monster that I can immediately stomp. Smart, right?

It is the best move to make, but I’ve manipulated you into making that move, and it suppresses your ability to be a threat. It also leaves you vulnerable to Nobleman of Crossout. You’d be surprised at how many duelists just can’t deal with this trick.

A strong opening play, a great card for Earth decks, and a glove-like fit for the current metagame, Panther Warrior is not to be underestimated. If you’re an aggressive player who’s looking to end games quickly in the current conservative environment, consider running a pair. However, if you’re an Earth duelist, this is one of the best things to come along in ages. Give it a shot in your themed deck and you won’t be disappointed!

—Jason Grabher-Meyer