One of the main attractions of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG is the fact that you get to use some very big monsters to club your opponent senseless. While low-attack monsters like Kuriboh or Yata-Garasu have their own certain charm, nothing can replace that thrill of summoning a monster whose ATK value is 3000 or more. It’s even cooler when that monster is a Dinosaur, since Dinosaurs are the last word in huge, angry, hungry behemoths. Up until recently, they were almost a forgotten type among Yu-Gi-Oh! players. However, with the release of Power of the Duelist, these prehistoric powerhouses have been given new life, and, with a slew of support cards, are ready to see some serious play at your local tournaments.

Let’s begin by taking a look at one Dinosaur that doesn’t actually look like a ravenous, monstrous beast. Babycerasaurus’s stats are low, which isn’t surprising, since it is a baby Dinosaur. However, we are more interested in its effect. When Babycerasaurus is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, you can special summon a Level 4 or lower Dinosaur from your deck. The effect doesn’t work if Babycerasaurus is destroyed as result of battle, but with the popularity of Zaborg the Thunder Monarch among many players out there, I have a feeling that this effect can trigger more times than not when your opponent drops everyone’s favorite monarch into play. You could also try to trigger this effect yourself, by summoning Sangan and then deliberately activating Torrential Tribute when your Babycerasaurus is already on the field. Not only will you clear the board (and get a monster into your hand with Sangan’s effect) but you will also get to special summon via the effect of Babycerasaurus. In these cases, I recommend special summoning Sabersaurus. You’ve got a clear field, so you might as well try to inflict as much damage as you can while you’ve got the opportunity. A 1900 ATK monster hitting directly will definitely put some nasty pressure on your opponent.

On the other hand, perhaps you want to play a little more conservatively. Instead of pulling out an aggressive monster like Sabersaurus with Babycerasaurus’s effect, we can instead special summon a more defensive monster like Miracle Jurassic Egg. Not only does it have a DEF of 2000, it also cannot be removed from the game while it is face up on the field. That means that the effects of cards like Chaos Sorcerer or D. D. Warrior Lady are completely useless against it. Your opponent targets your egg with Big Bang Shot and then plays Giant Trunade? That’s a big fat waste of a spell card, because the egg will still stay in the game. Of course, while the egg’s defense is good, it’s not invincible, so watch out for those copies of Cyber Dragon.

Now, just having a 2000 DEF uncooked omelet out for the heck of it may seem like a wasteful move. But like all eggs, this one can hatch into something quite useful. It all depends on how you utilize your Dinosaurs. While Miracle Jurassic Egg is in play, any time one of your Dinosaurs hits the graveyard for any reason (destroyed in battle, was tributed, was discarded, etc.), your egg gains 2 counters. If you wish, you can tribute the egg on your turn to special summon a Dinosaur whose level is equal to or less than the number of counters you had on the egg. So if you had 6 counters on it, you could tribute it to bring out Dark Driceratops (a level 6 Dinosaur) or Black Stego (a level 4 Dinosaur); whichever would be best for the situation at hand. Black Ptera is a great pick if you need extra tribute support, while Black Stego’s “hit and run” ability is extremely versatile. You can attack with it, and then when your opponent goes to hit it back, its effect of changing to defense position (with its DEF of 2000) will help keep it on the field.

So far, I’ve shown you how these Dinosaurs can help maintain your field presence in a duel due to their special effects. Of course, field presence can only take you so far. It’s what you do with it that determines whether you can take control of duel. In this particular case, our field presence of Dinosaurs helps us to tribute for the most feared Dinosaur yet: Ultimate Tyranno. With the cards I’ve mentioned, you have some options on how to bring out this primal engine of destruction. You could do it the normal way by tributing two monsters on the field. With the special summoning effects of cards like Babycerasaurus or the defensive capabilities of Black Stego, you will definitely have fodder for tributes. Other Dinosaur support cards like Black Ptera and the trap card Fossil Excavation will also help you maintain presence for tributes. Or, if you are able to get 8 counters on your Miracle Jurassic Egg, then you could just tribute that to special summon Ultimate Tyranno from your deck. If you have Cobraman Sakuzy out, use its ability to see if your opponent has any nasty traps on the field, and then tribute it to activate Ultra Evolution Pill and special summon Ultimate Tyranno. No matter how you bring it out, your opponent will be staring at a 3000 ATK monster that can clear his or her entire side of the field in one fell swoop.

In any case, I do hope that you will give these Dinosaurs a try. Using different cards always helps to make the game fun and refreshing. Thanks again for reading, and if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at baldnbeautifuljudge@yahoo.com. As always, I hope all of your games are good ones, and your draws are even better.