Bill: Wow, you built up quite a field of monsters.

Tom: Yeah, I blasted your Jinzo away with Exiled Force and brought out your Jinzo with Monster Reborn. Then I summoned Don Zaloog and let you have it for 3800 damage.

Bill: But your field is useless now. I summon Tribe-Infecting Virus and discard two cards from my hand to destroy your Warrior and Machine. I attack directly and end my turn.

Tom: Wow. You killed your hand to kill my monsters.

Bill: Yeah, it worked well to turn the tables over to me, didn’t it?

Tom: I play Dark Hole and then summon Yata and attack for the full-on lock.

Bill: Crow lover. Cookie-cutter over-user.

Tom: Dude, your favorite number is 1900. Just don’t speak.

Bill and Tom just can’t seem to branch out into different decks. Their duels are so boring . . .


With every set, there will always be one or two cards that will be released that become the gem in every cookie-cutter duelist’s eye. For reference, the definition of cookie cutter would be a typical overseen deck. An example of this would be using a copy of Ng Yeung’s championship-winning Control deck, as it’s overused and is just a replica of the original. Along with the release of Yata-Garasu in Legacy of Darkness, Exiled Force was also another popular card for a variety of duelists looking for something that works in almost every situation. Thus, it became the supreme removal monster option for quite a while.

Exiled Force lost its reign in cookie cutter decks with the release of Tribe-Infecting Virus, a super rare in Magician’s Force. At the cost of one card from your hand, you could destroy all face-up monsters of a specific monster type. This made a deep wound into many zombie decks and warrior decks, as one card in your hand with Tribe-Infecting Virus out would be annihilation of their best monsters. While this only affected face-up monsters, the amount of damage, along with the fact that this monster won’t die to its own ability (unless you name Aqua), made Tribe-Infecting Virus a more popular choice than Exiled Force. However, is either monster worth using in every deck? Both possess advantages and disadvantages, and both were very popular for their time. Are they overrated, or do they see average play?


How the Cards Break Down

Exiled Force is a pretty straightforward card. If you have an annoying obstacle in front of you, such as a Jinzo or a face down Fiber Jar, with no Raigeki in your hand, Exiled Force is the perfect solution to your problems. While this Warrior will cost your turn’s normal summon, it can be beneficial to you if your opponent’s main attacker is shut down, or if their one monster that could cause you to lose is destroyed.

Exiled Force also brought a confusing concept into Yu-Gi-Oh!: priority. Some monsters, when summoned on their owner’s turn, can take priority with their field effects before the opponent's effect resolves. This means that if it was your turn, and your opponent was about to use something like Torrential Tribute on a monster like Cannon Soldier, you could activate the effect of Cannon Soldier before it was destroyed by the Torrential Tribute. This can be very confusing, especially in tournaments, but Exiled Force falls under the same category. Even if your opponent was waiting to use a Torrential Tribute upon Exiled Force’s summon and he or she had Different Dimension Dragon out, you could claim turn priority for Exiled Force’s effect and sacrifice it to destroy Different Dimension Dragon before Torrential Tribute was activated.

Tribe-Infecting Virus is the main monster killer of Magician’s Force. At the cost of discarding a card from your hand, you can name a monster type, such as Warrior or Dragon. Tribe-Infecting Virus’s effect will immediately destroy all face-up monsters of the type you declared. This dealt a crippling blow to Warrior decks and Gravekeeper decks, where all monsters are generally of the same type. This changes the way the opponent will play, since you can summon a monster that can potentially destroy every monster on their field. Similar to Exiled Force, Tribe-Infecting Virus also has priority when it’s summoned, allowing you to use its effect once before your opponent can respond to its summon with a card like Bottomless Trap Hole.


The Cards in the Metagame

Exiled Force was a slow card at the release of Legacy of Darkness, as not many duelists caught on to how useful it actually was. As time slowly passed, this monster became better known for its ability to easily destroy any monster on the opponent’s field. To be fair, not even Yata-Garasu was well known upon its release in a few places, but this changed within one or two tournaments. Exiled Force went through the same deal. However, duelists began using this monster even if it was completely unnecessary. You would find Exiled Force, an Earth Warrior, alongside his true army . . . with Dark Necrofear? With White Magical Hat? Hey! Wait a minute! This monster’s being used outside of a Warrior deck! What’s going on?

Tribe-Infecting Virus, unlike its Legacy of Darkness monster-killing friend, became an instant hit in the metagame. Everyone wanted to own this card for its sheer destructive power, despite the looming and popular threat of Yata-Garasu. Some desperate duelists were willing trade away two Ring of Destruction trap cards for only one Tribe-Infecting Virus! The desire for this card was insane!

It’s safe to say both cards were used, but they popped up in quite a few decks that countered their attributes and themes. They successfully became “cookie cutter” cards, but Exiled Force actually saw quite a bit of Warrior play, thanks to cards like Marauding Captain, Don Zaloog, and Freed the Matchless General.


How to Use or Counter These Cards

Exiled Force is best used in a Warrior deck, where this is quite a bit of support for its effect. Marauding Captain is a great way to summon Exiled Force without leaving your life points open to attack. Reinforcements of the Army helps fetch Exiled Force from your deck with ease, and The Warrior Returning Alive allows you reuse the effect of Exiled Force many times. Freed the Matchless General can also fish Exiled Force out of your deck.

There isn’t a lot you can do if you’re on the receiving end of Exiled Force’s effect. The best defense you can use against it is by setting a Witch of the Black Forest or a Sangan. Your opponent will waste his or her normal summon for the turn, or a decent recursion card, and you’ll be able to get a desirable monster from your deck. It’s a good trade off.

The hand cost for Tribe-Infecting Virus isn’t even that bad. This monster was immediately used in a combo with Sinister Serpent upon its release, allowing the user of Tribe-Infecting Virus to use its effect without destroying his or her hand. Thunder Dragons and Marie the Fallen One also work rather well with Tribe-Infecting Virus. If you want to try something that's outside the typical metagame, try combing Tribe-Infecting Virus with DNA Surgery. You won’t see this combo often.

Tribe-Infecting Virus has some nasty weaknesses to counteract its strengths. Like many monsters, this one is vulnerable to controller spells, including Snatch Steal and Change of Heart. Using Change of Heart on the opponent’s Tribe-Infecting Virus allows you to deal some damage to the opponent and then destroy the Virus with its own effect after the battle phase. Control decks are a great counter to Tribe-Infecting Virus as well. Your best bet against Tribe-Infecting Virus, if you know your opponent is going to summon it soon, is to diversify your monsters. Make sure they all aren’t of the same monster type, which will leave your opponent to either choose and destroy one specific monster or send his or her entire hand to the graveyard to destroy all of your monsters. Either decision leaves the opponent vulnerable to attack afterwards.


Are These Cards Over or Underrated?

Both Exiled Force and Tribe-Infecting Virus are great monster killers. Each monster has strengths and weaknesses. Exiled Force can destroy any monster, face up or face down, and has a great amount of Warrior support to back it up. Tribe-Infecting Virus can easily lay waste to the opponent’s field, if you have enough cards in hand.

Both are still found in many decks, and both aren’t utilized that well. Exiled Force might have slowed down in popularity, but the cost of your normal summon or needed recursion cards might not be worth paying when it comes to dealing damage to the opponent, which is what really counts in the duel in the long run. This monster can be deemed overrated.

Tribe-Infecting Virus is another strong monster that allows you to clear a path to your opponent’s life points for the cost of a few cards in your hand . . . and those few cards in your hand can land you into a topdecking situation or a Yata-lock, both of which aren’t something you want to be in during an intense tournament match. Tribe-Infecting Virus is more overrated than Exiled Force.


Wow. Another week of overrated cards. Next week, I’ll be covering what might actually be *gasp* different from the previously reviewed cards. The ultimate summoning combo—Strike Ninja and D. D. Scout Plane—will be covered next week.

Got questions, are you interested in submitting an analysis request, or would you like to report the mysterious missing Pharaonic Guardian set review? (Seriously, it’s coming. Give it time.) Email me at Mrosenberg@metagame.com to ask your questions and to suggest cards to be analyzed.

[Editor's Note: Look for the missing set review next week, when it will be posted along with Mike's regularly scheduled article.]