It’s that time of year once again. We’re approaching the fall of 2005, and many parents know that the holiday season is closing in. It’s that time of year when parents and other family members all discover the joys of angrily brawling with other parents and different family members for that last copy of the brand-new video game or action figure. We’ll soon be able to witness adults fighting each other with the futuristic and medieval toys in aisle six of a Toys “R” Us, all because they want this season’s hot buy. Aren’t the holidays great?

Fortunately, not every popular holiday purchase is ridiculously hard to get. The Yu-Gi-Oh! tins for 2005 have just been released, and this gives parents out there a chance to make a few holiday purchases before mass hysteria takes over after Thanksgiving. Similar to last year, the 2005 lineup of Yu-Gi-Oh! tins includes five of the latest booster packs that have been released since last fall. This year, each tin contains one pack each of Soul of the Duelist, Rise of Destiny, Flaming Eternity, Dark Beginnings 1, and Dark Revelations 1. Each tin will also include one all-new promotional monster card. Unlike last year, the monster’s artwork is also featured on the tin, so you can see what you’re getting into.

Vorse Raider is one of the promo cards available in this season’s series of collector’s tins. You’ll find that it will likely be one of the most popular collector’s tins available, as Vorse Raider is one of the most recognizable monsters from the television show. If you’re a parent and your son or daughter is a fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh! animated series, then you may want to purchase one of these tins before the holiday season really begins to take off.

Vorse Raider’s Origins

Vorse Raider premiered in the Yu-Gi-Oh! animated series during the BattleCity storyline, when tributing monsters in order to summon higher-level monsters was implemented in the series. Due to the new rule being implemented in the BattleCity tournament, Kaiba immediately took the opportunity to run a variety of level 4 monsters with high ATK values. Vorse Raider was first summoned during the tag-team duel of Yugi and Kaiba against Umbra and Lumis, two of Marik Ishtar’s rare hunters. During this duel, Kaiba’s cards backfired against him—his Vorse Raider was destroyed early in the duel because of his reluctance to work together with Yugi. Had it not been for Yugi’s Multiply spell card, Kaiba would have lost to a direct attack from Shining Abyss, of all things.

Vorse Raider’s Dark attribute was also abused by Kaiba in conjunction with his Shrink spell card and his copy of Crush Card during his duel against Ishizu Ishtar during the Battle City quarterfinals. Shrink successfully reduced Vorse Raider’s ATK to 950, which allowed Kaiba to sacrifice it as a cost to activate Crush Card. Kaiba’s Crush Card decimated Ishizu’s monsters, though its activation nearly caused Kaiba to lose the duel due to Ishizu’s trap card Exchange of the Spirit*.

Vorse Raider was summoned and used as a first-turn offensive for Kaiba throughout much of the series, but lately it’s been replaced by Kaiba’s XYZ monsters. However, Vorse Raider will remain as one of Kaiba’s signature cards.

The Value of the Collector’s Tins

While Vorse Raider may stir excitement for fans of the animated series, the lack of an effect may disappoint many competitive duelists in the United States. However, Vorse Raider, as well as the other five promo cards, are all part of what can be seen as the perfect Yu-Gi-Oh! gift concept.

The collector’s tins are a perfect way of combining booster packs, a storage case for your cards, and some brand-new product all in one convenient package. The packs included in the tin are a sample of what has been released throughout the year, which allow casual duelists to enjoy a small selection of cards from each booster set. The promo cards are also spread out for a large audience. Many of the collector’s tin promos, including Vorse Raider, are popular monsters from the animated series. Some of the promo cards may also have tournament-worthy effects, such as Exarion Universe. You can be sure that one of the promo cards will feature one of Yugi’s key monsters, such as Dark Magician Girl. Last year’s batch of tin promos showcased Obnoxious Celtic Guard and Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, which became popular choices in Yugi’s deck during the Noah story arc.

This year’s set of collector’s tin promo cards includes a variety of TV-series favorites. Not only was Kaiba’s Vorse Raider released, but a new variation of Dark Magician Girl was released as well. Many of Joey’s signature monsters have also made an appearance. Joey’s consistently-used Panther Warrior debuted in the collector’s tins, and Rocket Warrior has also come to U.S. shores. Joey’s legendary Warrior, Gilford the Lightning, also made its way into the collector’s tins. This year’s promo set favored the fans of Joey Wheeler, as each of his promos range from the old BattleCity arc episodes to the new Grand Championship season that’s airing this fall. Rocket Warrior and Exarion Universe will also appeal to competitive duelists who are looking for new and exciting options to test in their tournament decks.

As you can see, these collector’s tins are made to cover a wide audience, from casual fans to hardcore tournament participants. The goal of the seasonal collector’s tins is to make everyone happy during the holiday season. Even if someone isn’t excited about one of the promos, the other options mean that they’ll still be able to purchase a tin with a promo card that they’ll like.

Is Vorse Raider worth raiding your game store for?

Vorse Raider appears to be a rather unexciting monster to a seasoned veteran of the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game. However, it’s one of Kaiba’s most popular cards, and it’s bound to be an enjoyable collector’s item for fans of the show. You should also look out for Vorse Raider in Bastion Misawa’s deck in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, which premieres on October 10.

Vorse Raider’s ATK also makes it a powerful tool for beginners who are looking to learn the basic rules of the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game. Vorse Raider has no effects that may confuse someone who’s new to the card game, and its ATK will allow it to survive in a battle against almost every level 4 monster, with the exceptions being big bruisers like Berserk Gorilla and Elite Goblin Attack Force.

Are there better cards than Vorse Raider? Of course there are. Does it make the tins, or even Vorse Raider, a lesser product as a holiday gift? It definitely doesn’t. After all, Yu-Gi-Oh! fans and collectors can like cards for more than just their playability at a Shonen Jump Championship tournament.

Next week, I’ll be going over some of the suggestions that I received on making a successful Dream Clown deck, and I’ll be analyzing some of the strategies that have been submitted. As I mentioned last week, I’ll try to get back to everyone who sends me an email, but I may lose track of what I haven’t responded to, so I apologize if you didn’t get a personal response.

Feedback is welcomed at MRosenberg@metagame.com.

*Exchange of the Spirit will be released as a promotional card for those who participate in events at their local Elemental Energy Sneak Preview location this November. You can check out information on the upcoming Sneak Preview weekend at www.yugiohpreview.com.