I don’t know about you, but sometimes I wish I knew what all of my opponent’s cards were all of the time, regardless of whether they’re face-down on the field or safely hidden in his or her hand. Knowing what your opponent has (or what he or she doesn’t have) can give you all the advantage you need to swing a duel into your favor. Today, we’re going to take a look at some cards whose abilities use that time-tested motto, “Knowledge is half the battle.”
When most duelists see the card Mind on Air, they immediately dismiss it as completely unplayable. It needs one tribute to bring out, and its ATK of 1000 is low for a monster of its level. However, an effect monster like this one can’t be solely judged on its ATK value alone. If you have Mind on Air in play, your opponent always has to show you his or her hand—eliminating those silly mind games that ensue when he or she draws, shuffles his or her hand, and starts to frantically calculate the life totals.
One suggestion in trying to efficiently capitalize on this effect is to use Mystic Tomato. Hopefully, your opponent will attack and destroy the Tomato, and you can then special summon Mind on Air in the damage step. Remember, this effect is continuous, so even if your Mind on Air won’t be sticking around for very long (if, say, your opponent has another Cyber Dragon ready to attack it), you get to look at your opponent’s hand until Mind on Air actually leaves the field.
Another fun way to bring out this monster is to use Magical Dimension. Make sure you have a Spellcaster out on the field, tribute a monster like Treeborn Frog, and special summon Mind on Air. If you are feeling especially mean, then go ahead and destroy something with the effect of Magical Dimension while you’re at it. Obviously, it would be ideal if you can keep it on the field indefinitely, but if your opponent manages to get rid of Mind on Air, you still took a good look at his or her hand, and information like that is always useful.
Let’s take a step back from trying to see what’s in our opponent’s hand and concentrate on those monsters, spells, and traps that all of us like to set. Whether we are setting that Mirror Force or a bluff card that we can’t really use at the time, I’m sure that if we were allowed to peek at those mysterious set cards, it would definitely help us in making those important decisions like trying to attack, or using that Nobleman of Crossout we just drew.
Cobraman Sakuzy, when flipped up, allows us to look at all the set cards on the opponent’s side of the field. If it’s a set monster, spell, or trap, then you get to take a quick peek. Please note that Cobraman Sakuzy also has the neat ability to flip itself face-down in defense position once per turn, so if you’re really lucky, you will be able to keep using its ability over and over again. With its low ATK of 800, it is a legal target for Giant Rat’s effect, which is a move I’m sure your opponents will not expect.
If you’re feeling really daring, then you can flip summon the Cobraman, and after taking a look at your opponent’s set cards (and seeing that nothing he or she has is a threat), you can play Ultra Evolution Pill, tribute the Cobraman, and special summon that Dark Driceratops you’ve got in your hand. I have to admit, I’ve only pulled off this combo once, and I eventually lost the duel anyway. But the fun I had, combined with the look on my opponent’s face, was well worth the effort.
I’d now like to discuss a card that roughly combines both of the abilities of Mind on Air and Cobraman Sakuzy. The trap card, Mind Haxorz may cost 500 of your life points to activate, but believe me, those life points are well spent. Because it’s a trap card, and doesn’t have any specific activation requirements, it’s a great way to lure your opponent into using that Mystical Space Typhoon or that Breaker the Magical Warrior that he or she is just itching to use. If your opponent falls for it, you can just simply chain and activate Mind Haxorz. He or she has just wasted a card, while you got to look at his or her hand and all the set cards on his or her field. Another trap card, Pikeru’s Second Sight, allows us to look at any card our opponent draws until the end of his or her second end phase in which it was activated. While it doesn’t allow us to look at his or her entire hand, Pikeru’s Second Sight is a much better card to use when your opponent is either topdecking or is already low in cards.
How can we really reap the rewards of our knowledge? For starters, there’s the trap Mind Crush. If you know what is already in your opponent’s hand (and you should know at this point), then Mind Crush has a nasty way of cutting down those cards. Currently, I would recommend that you try to get him or her to discard a spell or trap card, or else you may be doing your opponent a favor if he or she runs multiple copies of Chaos Sorcerer.
For all of you Cyber-Stein OTK fans, you may want to side in Mind Crush for your second game, since your opponent may have put in a copy or two of Kuriboh. You can also use D. D. Designator with reckless abandon, if you’re able to keep continuously looking at your opponent’s hand. Because of the popularity of Return from the Different Dimension, I strongly suggest that you call the name of a spell or trap that your opponent has, instead of a monster.
Finally, I have to pay homage to the one card that some duelists claim is a staple: Confiscation. Being able to take a look at your opponent’s hand and then take a card of your choice is just downright brutal. Nothing is more demoralizing that having your opponent play Confiscation on you, followed by a Graceful Charity. I’m sure it’s happened to all of us.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this article. As always, please feel free to email me at baldnbeautifuljudge@yahoo.com. The emails I’ve received so far have been very interesting, and I’d like to take the time to thank all of you who have sent me such memorable missives.
Next week, please make sure to tune in as Metagame.com takes a sneak peek at some cards in the upcoming set, Power of the Duelist. Until then, I wish you all good games and even better draws.