Shonen Jump recently revealed the next promos you can get by subscribing to their magazine: Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and the long sought after Dandylion. Each card is very fun to play and can certainly prove to be useful, although Dandylion tends to work better with just about anyone.
Today we examine these new cards so you will be prepared to use them when you have received your copies . . . or when your opponent has.
Dandylion
Dandylion’s first effect is a mandatory trigger that activates when it is placed into its owner’s graveyard. Since this effect activates in the owner’s graveyard, the owner is always the player that will activate the effect. If your opponent controls your Dandylion when it is sent to your graveyard, he or she will not get its effect. Feel free to Creature Swap to your heart’s content.
Dandylion’s effect doesn’t care how or why it was sent to the graveyard. If it’s sent from your deck by the effect of your Lightsworn monster, its effect will activate. If you use Foolish Burial instead, Dandylion’s effect still activates. If you Tribute, destroy, or use Dandylion for a Synchro summon, its effect activates. Reaching the graveyard is all it needs to do. It isn’t picky about the reason.
Since Dandylion’s first effect is mandatory, it isn’t possible to "miss the timing." If Dandylion is tributed to pay the cost to activate an effect, it will start a new chain after the first chain finishes resolving. If Dandylion is sent to the graveyard by an effect that is chain link 2 or higher, its ability will start a new chain after the first chain finishes.
Example:
Alison has
Tytannial, Princess of Camellias and Dandylion face up on her side of the field. Her opponent activates Raigeki Break and Alison chains Tytannial’s effect, tributing Dandylion to pay the cost. Dandylion’s effect does not get added to the chain at this time. Instead, it waits until after this entire chain has finished resolving, starting a second chain.
If you tribute or otherwise send Dandylion to the graveyard to summon a monster and that monster has an effect that activates when it is summoned, the effect of Dandylion and the summoned monster will form a chain. Dandylion’s effect is placed first onto the chain, followed by the effect of the summoned monster. You can still activate the summoned monster’s effect if it is optional, so there’s no need to worry about losing the effect of either monster.
Example:
Nash tributes Dandylion to summon
Zaborg the Thunder Monarch. Both Dandylion and Zaborg’s effects activate. Dandylion’s effect is placed first on the chain, followed by Zaborg. If Nash had tribute summoned
Mobius the Frost Monarch instead, the chain would not be any different. Dandylion would still be chain link 1, followed by Mobius at chain link 2.
When Dandylion’s effect resolves, it special summons two Fluff Tokens onto your side of the field in defense position. You can’t tribute the tokens for a tribute summon during the same turn in which they are special summoned, but you can tribute them for a tribute summon during a later turn. This limitation is usually important during your own turn, because you won’t typically perform tribute summons during your opponent’s turn, unless something like Ultimate Offering is used. This limitation is a condition that is placed upon the Fluff Tokens when they are special summoned, so you can’t remove it with Skill Drain later in the turn. Also remember that Synchro summons do not tribute the Synchro material monsters and they are not a tribute summon, so you can use the Fluff Tokens for a Synchro summon during the same turn in which they are special summoned. They may only be level 1, but sometimes that’s what you’re looking for (You may be surprised how many times I am asked this).
One card you can’t use to get the effect of Dandylion is Burial from a Different Dimension. The cards placed into the graveyard by Burial from a Different Dimension are not "sent" to the graveyard. The text uses "return" to help distinguish this fact from the usual process of sending a card to the graveyard. Keep this in mind if you are planning on removing Dandylion from play to activate Mark of the Rose.
Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon
Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon is a monster that you can normal summon or special summon by any conventional means, but it also has an extra way you can special summon it during either of your main phases. If you control a Dragon, you can remove that Dragon from play to special summon the Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from your hand. This is an inherent special summon and will not start a chain, so it is vulnerable to Solemn Judgment and Thunder King Rai-Oh. If Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon is in your graveyard, you cannot use this special summon. It can only be used while the Red-Eyes is in your hand.
Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon’s second ability is an ignition effect that you can activate once per turn, during either of your main phases. When you activate this effect, you will not tell your opponent what Dragon you are going to special summon, because this effect does not target. Effects don’t typically target a card in a player’s hand, and Red-Eyes is not an exception. When the effect resolves, you pick a Dragon from your hand or your graveyard and special summon it in the battle position of your choice.
The effect states that you cannot special summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon. This text means that any Dragon-type monster named Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon cannot be special summoned with this effect. It is possible that you could activate Red-Eyes’ effect and your opponent could chain an effect that destroys the Red-Eyes, placing it into the graveyard. Red-Eyes couldn’t choose itself, nor could it choose another Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon. If you are activating this effect, you already have someone else in mind, and you are going to have to stick with them.
Until next time, send all comments and questions to Curtis@Metagame.com.
-Curtis Schultz