Invasion of Chaos was responsible for many of the game’s most powerful cards, but it’s hard to forget one of my favorite cards from the set: Dimension Fusion. One of the decks I ran for the first Advanced format was a Strike Ninja deck that wanted to bust out a ton of Dark-attribute monsters with a timely Dimension Fusion.
Dimension Fusion has always been a very powerful spell. Any card that lets you summon monsters from a place other than your hand shows some potential, and a card that can special summon multiple monsters from some area other than your hand can be downright nasty. Unfortunately, Dimension Fusion didn’t see much popularity when it was released. It became one of those cards that you looked at, said something like, “Oh wow, that’s cool,” and then put in your binder and never looked at again. Why? Well, when you could be sure that almost all of your opponents were playing decks that removed a Light and Dark monster from the graveyard every game, then Dimension Fusion was probably going to benefit the opponent almost as much as it benefited you. This meant that Return from the Different Dimension saw much more play, since it only special summoned monsters from your removed-from-play pile, instead of both players’.
For this reason, Dimension Fusion never saw much play until Chaos Sorcerer was banished from the Advanced format. After that, players started using Monarch control decks, Hydrogeddon-based tempo decks, and other strategies based on fair cards and interactions. None of these cards cared about removing things from play.
But Dimension Fusion finally found an opportunity to have its moment of glory. The biggest reason to not play it (other than the required life point payment) has always been that most of the format’s biggest decks typically remove their own monsters in the graveyard from play. When Chaos Sorcerer was Forbidden, the only cards that involved removing monsters from a player’s own graveyard (at least the only ones which saw much play) were Freed the Brave Wanderer and Strike Ninja. Neither appeared in high numbers, and Dimension Fusion could finally be played to its full potential.
Dimension Fusion represents quite possibly one of the most powerful card effects to ever be printed in this game. Being able to summon multiple monsters from a zone that card effects don’t usually influence can be downright game-winning . . . but that should be pretty obvious. I’m sure a lot of people have looked at Dimension Fusion and read the effect as, “Special summon five monsters from your removed-from-play area to your field. Win the game.” Essentially, that is what Dimension Fusion is. It’s a win condition.
Dimension Fusion can serve as the focus to your entire deck. This means that you will be playing cards that, while hopefully good on their own, make Dimension Fusion more powerful. This is because Dimension Fusion is exactly what a win condition should be. When drawn and played, it can win you the game that turn. Many other players and writers have mentioned how Return from the Different Dimension is also a win condition, and that’s true. There are many similarities between the two cards, and there has been plenty of discussion debating whether Return from the Different Dimension is better or worse than Dimension Fusion.
In reality, the two cards shouldn’t really be compared at all. Both have their place in their respective decks. Return from the Different Dimension is a versatile, spell speed 2 trap that doesn’t require a specific amount of life points to work. However, Return lacks the ability to use the effect the turn you set it on the field. This means you have to wait a full turn in order to win with it. This is a huge loss in tempo, but for a control deck that plans to win with Return, the trade in tempo is worth it.
Dimension Fusion, on the other hand, offers instant gratification. You draw it, you play it, and you win with it that turn. However, these benefits also come with restrictions on the card’s power level. The 2000 life point payment is strict, and if you are any lower than that, you won’t be able to play it. Dimension Fusion can also benefit other players if they remove monsters from play too.
The reason why the two cards are so different is because, while they play the role of win condition in their specific decks, the decks that play these cards are very different. Return from the Different Dimension is typically seen in slower control decks as their essential blow-out card, to ensure a win. Dimension Fusion, however, is best used in combo decks. We’ve seen this quite a bit in the past few months, when Dimension Fusion has truly shined.
The first major deck that included Dimension Fusion over its trap variant was the Chimeratech combo. This deck won using a massive Overload Fusion to bring out Chimeratech Overdragon. While a giant Machine sitting at around 10000 ATK or higher with the ability to attack each of the opponent’s monsters was a huge threat, it wasn’t always enough. This is because Chimeratech Overdragon has no actual protection built into itself, leaving it vulnerable to cards like Sakuretsu Armor if it doesn’t have the proper support. This is where Dimension Fusion came in. The massive spell card offered the final nail in the coffin for the Chimeratech player’s opponents. Overload Fusion was typically removing monsters such as Jinzo and Spell Canceller. When Dimension Fusion was played, there was a good chance that all of the opponent’s spells or traps would be instantly locked out.
Dimension Fusion was also a solid backup option for Chimeratech Overdragon, since the deck could sometimes fumble off of its own massive Machine. The Dimension Fusion was essentially another way to outright win the game, and was the real force that made the Chimeratech combo so destructive.
The other deck to make use of Dimension Fusion was Diamond Dude Turbo (or DDT), which is one of the most complex and powerful combo decks to ever be released. With Dimension Fusion playable at three copies, DDT was created to abuse the card in multiples. Using the powerful Elemental Hero Stratos with various Destiny Heroes, discard effects, and Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade, the deck could build up a huge graveyard and removed-from-play pile. A timely Dimension Fusion resulted in multiple Elemental Hero Stratos monsters hitting the field, either searching up a horde of monsters from your deck or wiping away the opponent’s spell or trap zone. Power cards like Jinzo and Dark Magician of Chaos also added to this deck’s power, making Dimension Fusion even more explosive!
My words can only do so much to describe these decks. If you haven’t checked out the event coverage, then I would suggest that you do so. Shonen Jump Championship Orlando and SJC St. Louis were huge tournaments for Dimension Fusion, with St. Louis having some of the most interesting match reports of any tournament I’ve seen. The complexity of DDT is astounding, and watching the deck play out with its deck-cycling shenanigans can be very cool.
Even with Dimension Fusion limited to one copy per deck, it’s still making itself known on the tournament scene. Many decks run the card because of its massive game-changing effect, allowing Bazoo/Card Trooper decks to power out massive turns with a full monster zone. The Limited status of Dimension Fusion has hindered DDT a little bit, but Kris Perovic proved at SJC Houston that the deck is still alive. Dimension Fusion now acts as the major win condition of the deck, and while that combo deck requires an attentive and methodical player to play it properly, DDT still remains one of the format’s top decks. Even with remove-from-play effects becoming more popular, DDT is easily the deck best equipped to play Dimension Fusion to its full potential. That combo deck can easily run multiple copies of Lightning Vortex, which can nullify the benefit Dimension Fusion gives to the opponent. This may actually prove to be a powerful synergy for other decks later in the year, as the huge swing in momentum granted by Dimension Fusion can make it more explosive than Return from the Different Dimension. Some players may include Lightning Vortex in their decks just to have access to a more powerful Dimension Fusion.
If there is one thing to learn from seeing Dimension Fusion in action, it’s that the card is very, very powerful. A timely Dimension Fusion can lead to some explosive and destructive turns for the person who activates it. Expect to see the card a lot in the next few months, as its potential to win a game on its own is astounding. Be sure to test Lightning Vortex too, as it is quite possibly one of the best follow-up plays to a Dimension Fusion right now. It’s definitely worth exploring further.