In the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, we have a few cards with “Forbidden” in the name that are quite powerful and fun to play. I wrote an earlier article on Disciple of the Forbidden Spell, a great monster that packs a nifty effect. Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell has been finding its way into many players’ side decks since its release in Invasion of Chaos, and Exodia the Forbidden One is one of the game’s signature cards.
Any new card that joins this Forbidden family must be packing some serious heat to warrant consideration. I’d like to present to you a card from Cyberdark Impact.
Flash of the Forbidden Spell Normal Spell
Activate this card only when all of your opponent's Monster Card Zones have monsters in them. Destroy all monsters on your opponent's side of the field.
Now that the effect has been revealed, let’s analyze this new addition.
Composing My Initial Thoughts
The first thought that comes to mind is that Flash of the Forbidden Spell boasts a rather uncanny resemblance to Raigeki, which is rightfully on the Forbidden List. Any time a printed card resembles a Forbidden one (Pot of Avarice and Treeborn Frog are two examples), you can be assured that the designers will include restrictions or costs to temper the powerful effect. Flash of the Forbidden Spell has a simple effect and a complicated trigger. On the surface, it will allow you to destroy all monsters on your opponent’s side of the field as a normal spell card.
The ability to destroy all of your opponent’s monsters on the field is probably the most powerful effect in the game. In fact, it’s so powerful that even effects that destroy all monsters on the field (as opposed to just your opponent’s), such as Dark Hole and Torrential Tribute are either on the Forbidden List or Limited. Keeping in mind that you usually have to assess the advantages that a combo-based card can generate for you, I think it’s safe to say that a properly triggered Flash of the Forbidden Spell has juicy potential. Unlocking its requirements, however, can be a complicated process.
Most duels nowadays feature lots of monsters hitting the field. Between Cyber Dragon’s special summon effect and the constant desire for players to use their one normal summon per turn to maintain field presence, you can expect to see two or three monsters on the field quite frequently. Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that your opponent will have a full monster zone. You’ll have to run cards in your deck that actually fill the opponent’s field.
Strategies for Unlocking the Forbidden Spell
Your two staunchest allies in the race to unload the Flash are actually your opponent’s cards! Scapegoat and Treeborn Frog will consistently fuel your opponent’s monster presence. The fuzzy tokens alone will fill four of your opponent’s monster slots; all he or she has to do is summon a monster and the conditions are met. At that point, you simply play your Flash of the Forbidden Spell and take two cards for the price of one!
Treeborn Frog will consistently fill your opponent’s monster slots as well. If he or she uses a Cyber Dragon, sets a monster, and has Treeborn Frog on the field, you’ll just need two more slots. Let’s analyze a few of the choices you have towards filling up the opponent’s monster zones.
The obvious one is Ojama Trio. As a staple of Lockdown and Burn-based strategies, it is unquestionably one of the best cards you can use for the Flash of the Forbidden Spell strategy. It will immediately pack your opponent’s zone with three tokens. Since your opponent can unwittingly supply two of his or her own monsters to the field quite easily, the trap should be set. The net trade will be your Flash and Ojama Trio for two of your opponent’s monsters and 900 life points. Not too shabby.
If you don’t like the ugly critters however, there are always other options. Many of them are actually great stalwarts of the Exodia-based strategy. You can even play a “Forbidden” deck that hinges on Exodia and Flash of the Forbidden Spell! The Shallow Grave and Spear Cretin both put a monster on you and your opponent’s side of the field. The difference, of course, is that you get to keep your own monsters while destroying all of the opponent’s! Since Nobleman of Crossout has been limited to one copy per deck, the Spear Cretin wall of defense is definitely still viable. Once you’re done with the defensive stance, you can use a Flash of the Forbidden Spell to start all over again. Remember, Spear Cretin is still highly viable for an Exodia deck because of its ability to bring back a Sangan or Emissary of the Afterlife card, as well as its ability to summon another copy of itself from the graveyard for an infinite loop!
The Shallow Grave puts a monster from the graveyard on your opponent’s side of the field. You can grab a flip effect or a solid tribute monster of your own and then wipe your opponent’s field clear. Another great strategy might use Magician’s Circle to special summon a powerful Spellcaster such as Injection Fairy Lily while forcing your typical opponent to bring out something weak like a counter-less Breaker the Magical Warrior or face-up Magician of Faith. While those monsters may be nearly useless to your opponent, they still fill up a monster zone!
The point is to manipulate your opponent’s field to use this powerful spell card. I’m sure you can think of more strategies, but some of the ones I’ve suggested definitely belong in a lockdown-based deck or an Exodia deck. Remember to offer your opponent a Yu-Jo Friendship after you use Flash of the Forbidden Spell. He or she will probably be weeping after losing all of those monsters, so you’ll definitely want to extend a handshake to add some holiday cheer!