While I certainly can’t speak for every single metagame, all of the Regional and Shonen Jump events I’ve recently attended were full of Scapegoats. Scapegoat sees play in all kinds of decks, and if it’s on your opponent’s side of the field, it can drive you insane. Since it’s a quick-play spell, Scapegoat is tough to get rid of. Players resort to various tactics to rid the field of those pesky little goats, ranging from Creature Swap to simply attacking with monsters.

When Dark Crisis was released, I wondered if Token Thanksgiving was going to become a popular “backlash” card. It did see some play, but almost always in more offbeat, inventive decks that included it for synergistic reasons. Will the same thing happen with 057, today’s preview card? It’s another anti-token card, but with a few differences. It’s a trap, not a spell, and instead of increasing your life points, it inflicts damage on your opponent. Here’s an approximation of the card’s text:
 
“You can only activate this card when tokens are Special Summoned. Destroy all Tokens on the field, and inflict 300 points of damage to your opponent for each one destroyed.”

What’s the best way to use it? An ideal situation would be to have the trap set, your own Scapegoat set, and your opponent’s field full of sheep tokens. You’d begin your next turn, activate your own Scapegoat, activate 057, and there you go—2400 points of direct damage and a clear field. Burn decks might like this card as well, as it opens up some interesting options to mix with cards like Cobra Jar or Ojama Trio. If they’re on your side of the field, Gravity Bind and Swords of Revealing Light will protect your life points, but they won’t protect your opponent from direct damage if he or she is trying to lock you down.

This card's use in Sealed Pack is fairly limited. Unless you’re including cards that summon tokens, it’s not really going to do a lot. But when you play in a Sealed Pack tournament using a Joey Structure deck and a few packs of The Lost Millennium, you know exactly what to do.

What kind of an impact will 057 make in the overall metagame? That’s hard to say. I think it could work well in certain kinds of Burn decks, but beyond that, its future is uncertain. Duelists might side deck it along with multiple Scapegoats in case of sudden death matches. It could see play as a Scapegoat counter now that United We Stand is back on the Limited list. United We Sheep was a popular trick at one time, and if it makes a significant comeback, there will be more Scapegoats in the metagame and players will be looking for counter moves. Alternately, Scapegoat use might decrease somewhat now that Emergency Provisions has been restricted to two copies per deck, resulting in fewer players caring about anti-goat measures. The fact that 057 is a trap could also limit its use, since most competitive decks use few traps and focus on the ones that are already solid.

The new Advanced format has opened up the doors to unusual decks, bringing them out of the “quirky fun deck” category and into good tournament performances. With this kind of innovation finally receiving recognition, it’s possible that 057 will find a niche in the metagame. Decks are changing faster than ever, and with a relatively new Advanced format and a new expansion, there’s never been a better time to lead the pack. What new idea will sweep the next big tournament? Open your mind, step away from the usual card choices, and see what you can come up with.