[[Yugioh DBA]] • Serpentine Dragon •

[Saiba Aisu]

Hello, everyone. After the many varied reviews I received on my recent single, Reptiless Pyromancer, I decided to try again, this time with one of my long-time ideas and favorite monsters, Serpentine Dragon. This card works well in any Reptile-Type Deck, but especially with the recently-revealed Reptiless Monsters that will be released in the upcoming set, Stardust Overdrive.

 

Anyone unfamiliar with the Reptiless Monsters should click here.

 

Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts about which version you prefer when it comes to this card, and also especially when it comes to its applicability to the current metagame trends.

 

===

 

Serpentine Dragon [In Two Forms of Holographic / Super Rare]

 

(Actual Image Link: http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll217/GXCyber_Star/Custom%20Card%20League/SerpentineDragon2.png?t=1246407445 )

 

- Image by SEC / Edited by Cyber_Ice

 

 

Card Text:

You can tribute 1 Reptile-Type monster you control to Special Summon this card from your hand. You can remove 1 Reptile-Type monster in your Graveyard from play to activate one of the following effects:

• Destroy up to 2 Spell or Trap Cards your opponent controls.

• Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls and make its ATK and DEF 0.

 

[spoiler=Version Two]

 

(Actual Image Link: http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll217/GXCyber_Star/Custom%20Card%20League/SerpentineDragon1.png?t=1246407752 )

 

- Image by SEC / Edited by Cyber_Ice

 

 

Card Text:

You can tribute 1 Reptile-Type monster you control to Special Summon this card from your hand. You can remove 1 Reptile-Type monster in your Graveyard from play to activate one of the following effects:

• Destroy up to 2 Spell or Trap Cards your opponent controls.

• Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls and make its ATK and DEF 0..

 

 

 

 

===

 

Thanks in advance.

[Zeaux]

Not very creative, I've seen better from you :(

But is not bad too, the only problem that it could only work well in a Reptile Deck (Maybe on a alien Deck, who knows)

 

Rate - 8.6/10

[Saiba Aisu]

What do you mean, "it's not creative?" The effect is plenty useful and unique in today's metagame, which is centered on flurries of multiple Special Summons rather than Type-Specific removal effects. What better cards have you seen from me, lol? And please, don't say one of my old sets - they're terrible by the game's standards.

 

The fact that it only works well in a Reptile Deck is its balancing factor - note that you can use its effect as many times as you like per turn, and that the ATK and DEF reduction is permanent. That's pretty damn powerful - without the restriction of being confined to a themed Reptile-Type Deck, this card would easily be broken. In fact, I recall a similar comment on Reptiless Pyromancer, simply because she dealt with Spells.

 

/Edit: You also didn't mention which version of the artwork you preferred.

[Zeaux]

Yes I was talking about your last old set. This card is not creative, in a really it is way too simple BUT its effect is pretty useful (Forgot to tell this). Now that I saw it more closely, I must say that it is OP. It could be easily SS. Maybe if you put "This card can be Normal Summoned by Tributing 1 Reptile-Type monster". or maybe lower its stats (Because destroy 2 Spell and Trap Cards is too much if this card is used on the correctly Deck it could be OP or at least Limited)

[Saiba Aisu]

Yes I was talking about your last old set. This card is not creative' date=' in a really it is way too simple BUT its effect is pretty useful (Forgot to tell this). Now that I saw it more closely, I must say that it is OP. It could be easily SS. Maybe if you put "This card can be Normal Summoned by Tributing 1 Reptile-Type monster". or maybe lower its stats (Because destroy 2 Spell and Trap Cards is too much if this card is used on the correctly Deck it could be OP or at least Limited)[/quote']

 

I hope to sweet Yolandë that you're not talking about Tragic Romance... If ever there was a terrible and impractical set, it was that one. Oh, so you've decided to look closely at it? Good. You'd be surprised what happens when you take a second look at things.

 

Well, first off, I thought you had said that it would only work in a Reptile-Type Deck? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think I read the would-be scathing tone of your comment, and the way you said it, you made it sound like Reptile-Type Decks aren't very good right now.

 

You're entirely right, of course.

 

Reptile-Type Decks don't stand a chance right now against the current Metagame, even with the help of cards like Offering to the Snake Deity or Snake Rain. That is why cards like this represent a useful and necessary opportunity for these Decks to fight back. Considering that its usefulness is limited to one and only one Type-Specific Deck, which is nowhere near Top Tier, I assume that it's safe to say that it's not overpowered.

[bury the year]

Not very creative' date=' I've seen better from you :(

[/quote']

 

Long =/= creative. I like to think of cards as houses; you need a well-balanced and simple foundation (effect). If there's too much stuff tacked on, it'll crumple under its own weight, but if there's just a small amount, there's no room for use. This card is excellent by my standards, because it has flow and an interesting balance, albeit a bit OPd. 9.1/10.

 

BTW - The last line should be, "Reduce the ATK and DEF of 1 face-up monster your opponent controls to 0."

[Saiba Aisu]

Long =/= creative. I like to think of cards as houses; you need a well-balanced and simple foundation (effect). If there's too much stuff tacked on' date=' it'll crumple under its own weight, but if there's just a small amount, there's no room for use. This card is excellent by my standards, because it has flow and an interesting balance, albeit a bit OPd. 9.1/10.

 

BTW - The last line should be, "Reduce the ATK and DEF of 1 face-up monster your opponent controls to 0." [/quote']

 

Thanks, Rinne. I knew I could count on your support and (useful) opinion. Serpentine Dragon is pretty useful in any Reptile-Type Deck, but it really takes advantage of Reptiless Monsters and Snake Rain. I think that it needs to be a little overpowered - even with the Reptiless cards being released, I doubt Reptile-Type Decks will get much of a boost.

 

And damn, you're right - I could've sworn that Black Rose Dragon read "make its ATK 0," but apparently not. I'll get right onto editing that.

 

Merci pour ton reponse... If only you'd been there when I posted Reptiless Pyromancer...

[ragnarok1945]

2nd effect is a little too powerful, might want to tune the effect down slightly

 

8/10

[mo_etsh]

the cadr is pretty well balanced, not that much OP. 9/10

[Saiba Aisu]

Thanks for the comments, guys.

 

Ragnarok - This card is already pretty garbage by today's Metagame standards. Even when the original was DARK, Level 6, and 2400/2000, it was still kinda garbage simply because Reptiles aren't good enough to take advantage of it.

[Angel of Silence]

It's a little OP'd like every else said. The pic is great though. creative idea as well. 8/10

[WTF]

2nd effect OPed lower it a little

[Mister Sir]

"Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls and make its ATK and DEF 0."

 

"Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. Reduce it's ATK and DEF to 0."

 

2nd is correct OCG.

 

It's okay. Pic is nice.

 

8/10

[Saiba Aisu]

Thanks for the comments, guys.

 

Although, if you don't mind indulging me...

Why does everyone seem to think that the second effect is the better one? Generally, I find it more useful to destroy two S/Ts and clear the way for an attack than to drop a monster's stats.

 

Luxord: Thanks for that OCG lore correction - it was very thoughtful, although Rinne had already pointed out the current format a few posts above you.

 

Glad you all liked the image... Which version do you like better?

[Skyson]

Obscenely broken. You're guaranteed at least 1 shot with his effect, and the lack of a "once per turn" is really ****ing cute. 4 backrows for 2 cards, one of which you Tributed to Special Summon him? Hilarious. The second effect is also good for the fact that the Reptiless work handily with 0 ATK monsters of your opponent's. The Synchro in particular handling 0 ATK monsters and turning them into food for her draw effect, that's a real kicker. This is hilariously overpowered just for the fact that it lacks a turn restriction. I would play this with Snake Rain and laugh my days away as one Spell Card set up a potential 5 cards in the Graveyard to fuel this one's effect. So awesome.

 

5/10.

 

 

P.S.: Current Reptiles are bad. As you yourself said, this is intended to work well with the upcoming Reptiless set, which does in fact give the Reptile-type (if not specifically geared towards the Reptiless theme alone) a genuine boost in the right direction. This would easily push them over the line in terms of being genuinely good.

 

The logic is pretty cool, though. "[Theme] sucks so I'll make something lolably OP and cite the fact that the Decktype [despite being better than janky and in fact able to make an impact in the hands of a competent player] is garbage as my reason for making it OP." :]

 

I like the second picture a lot better. The lines on the first one look ugly. <_<

[Saiba Aisu]

Obscenely broken. You're guaranteed at least 1 shot with his effect' date=' and the lack of a "once per turn" is [b']really[/b] ****ing cute. 4 backrows for 2 cards, one of which you Tributed to Special Summon him? Hilarious. The second effect is also good for the fact that the Reptiless work handily with 0 ATK monsters of your opponent's. The Synchro in particular handling 0 ATK monsters and turning them into food for her draw effect, that's a real kicker. This is hilariously overpowered just for the fact that it lacks a turn restriction. I would play this with Snake Rain and laugh my days away as one Spell Card set up a potential 5 cards in the Graveyard to fuel this one's effect. So awesome.

 

5/10.

 

 

P.S.: Current Reptiles are bad. As you yourself said, this is intended to work well with the upcoming Reptiless set, which does in fact give the Reptile-type (if not specifically geared towards the Reptiless theme alone) a genuine boost in the right direction. This would easily push them over the line in terms of being genuinely good.

 

The logic is pretty cool, though. "[Theme] sucks so I'll make something lolably OP and cite the fact that the Decktype [despite being better than janky and in fact able to make an impact in the hands of a competent player] is garbage as my reason for making it OP." :]

 

Sometimes my own words aren't enough. I showed your post to a few of my online Dueling Forum's members... You're quite the comedian, eh? Let's just take a look at some of the responses you warranted...

 

Well' date=' I'd start by asking if that sad little creature even knows the concept of "Chainable Traps", or if it's ever heard of this one card, it's pretty new, that's called Threatening Roar. =/

Oh, and Waboku + Gladiator Beasts, for that matter.

And also Solemn Judgment, Compulsory Evacuation Device, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, and Bottomless Trap Hole.

All cards mentioned above make the first effect almost pointless (it does force the opponent to activate those cards right away instead of maybe saving them for something else later on)

And turning the ATK to 0, even if it's permanent, isn't that big a deal, since you still need to attack to get rid of the affected monster, and until you do successfully attack it, that monster can still be tributed for a Monarch or something else that's threatening, used in a Synchro or simply switched to defense.

It's a worse/better Mobius for reptiles with a better reduce-to-0 effect than Black Rose Dragon on the side, and that's good, but it's hardly broken.

And I haven't even mentioned the Attribute (poor support), the ATK/DEF scores (Gale tramples Serpentine all by itself) and the Level (useless for Synchros until we get decent Level 9s).[/quote']

 

He's clearly a *censored* retard.

 

So, there you have it. Take your two-penny sarcasm and horrible Ygoz elsehwere, if you don't mind.

[Kale]

Neat! it brings back the reptiles.. ;) easy to summon, and with the summon requirements you can activate his effect easy.. blow up the back row or make a Stardust seem like a wimp.. :D

 

i rather like it. [9/10]

[Sander]

Seems liek Skyson doesn't like decent cards posted up on this site.

[Saiba Aisu]

Thanks, guys. Nice to see that YCM has managed to hold on to some camaraderie.

 

I appreciate your comments and support.

 

Comments, anyone?

[Skyson]

It's so cool that you became so massively offended by my "sarcastic" comments, that you'd go running to a bunch of other forumgoers to show off my post, like it was a scourge in your side. It was a comment of my opinion, and to see that you'd go to such lengths to tear it apart is pretty amusing. I am honored, really. =O

 

Let's amuse your forum buddies and toss back a response, since your own words aren't enough to do your work for you. A "thanks for your opinion, though I disagree" just doesn't dig deep enough into my skin, I guess. xD

 

 

 

"Well, I'd start by asking if that sad little creature even knows the concept of "Chainable Traps", or if it's ever heard of this one card, it's pretty new, that's called Threatening Roar. =/"

 

Right, because Threatening Roar is maindecked outside of Synchro Cat and jank OTKs. <_<

 

"Oh, and Waboku + Gladiator Beasts (Gladiator Beasts are chainable? orly?), for that matter. And also Solemn Judgment, Compulsory Evacuation Device, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, and Bottomless Trap Hole (chainable to monster effects, not really a "chainable trap" in general, lolz). All cards mentioned above make the first effect almost pointless (it does force the opponent to activate those cards right away instead of maybe saving them for something else later on)"

 

The way he debunked his own response with the last sentence was hilarious. Blowing away backrows immediately to force a response that could have been better spent on another option is the whole point of dismantling backrows. That's why Heavy Storm is limited to 1, and Mobius requires a Tribute. We don't get to activate our set cards whenever we want to, and the game moves forward at the speed that the opponent forces with their moves. MST on a set Threatening a turn earlier than expected still forces your opponent to show their counters a lot earlier than they'd like.

 

 

"And turning the ATK to 0, even if it's permanent, isn't that big a deal, since you still need to attack to get rid of the affected monster (Blasphemy, back in my day we killed monsters by looking at them!), and until you do successfully attack it, that monster can still be tributed for a Monarch or something else that's threatening, used in a Synchro or simply switched to defense."

 

This guy does know that this card is intended to be used with the Reptiless monsters, right? The ones that have effects tailored to your opponent having 0 ATK monsters on the field? Killing them off in battle and doing massive damage would be cool, but I'm very bluntly aware that it happens less often than one would like in this meta. Necro Gardna, Honest, Shrink, Waboku, all kinds of crap to make destruction by battle less interesting, hence all of the card effect destruction running around. The 0 ATK thing is just a nice touch for the Reptiless monsters to come in and abuse on. If he thought my idea was "OH, DUDE, 0 ATK, KILL IT KILL IT BIG DAMAGE LOL" then he's the one that should clue himself in on some new cards. xD

 

 

"It's a worse/better Mobius for reptiles with a better reduce-to-0 effect than Black Rose Dragon on the side, and that's good, but it's hardly broken."

 

Mobius + Black Rose Dragon = good, hardly broken. I see all the sense in the world with that sentence. <_<

 

 

"And I haven't even mentioned the Attribute (poor support), the ATK/DEF scores (Gale tramples Serpentine all by itself) and the Level (useless for Synchros until we get decent Level 9s)."

 

"Poorly supported attribute" = "It's not Light or Dark." Really, put it in plain terms. Gale is an answer to another monster with less than 2601 ATK! Gale also tramples Stardust Dragon all by itself, but it doesn't seem to be that mediocre of a card, so that's a moot point. "lololol 1 card answers this card so it's bad"

 

The Level? What the heck? You would use this as synchro food? It sits and 0s your opponent's monsters, while being able to blast their backrows unrestrictedly. Why the **** would you waste it as a Synchro for.. nothing, as of current. >_>

 

 

"So, there you have it. Take your two-penny sarcasm and horrible Ygoz elsehwere, if you don't mind."

 

Right. Take your butthurt somewhere else and accept criticism for what it is, if you don't mind. =D

[Chevalier]

A bit of controversy following the card, eh?

 

Serpentine Dragon

 

Although it's hardly a factor to me, the picture suits the name nicely and is pleasing to the eyes. That aside, I find it easily underpowered.

 

The first bit of the effect suits it and is a bit of a wake up call for Reptiles, allowing them easier field presence without a basic or enormous cost.

 

The DaDish effect here also promotes a green future for Reptiles as you'll always have at least one Reptile handy in your grave after you tribute it for its summon. Chainable Traps, which are a bulk of the type of Traps run these days, dodge around this effect easily so nothing to wag the OP finger at there.

 

Lastly, the 0/0 effect is helpful and indeed an asset but no where near broken. Alright, make my Synchro's useless with priority or destroy 2 Fd's but chances are you'll be Bottomless'd before you can take advantage of what you've done.

 

The attribute and Level are equally strong restrictions that stop abusable Synchroing or abusable summoning.

 

All in all, no where near OP'd. In all actuality it's tilting toward UP.

[Delspencerdeltorro]

I'd have to agree with those who say it's overpowered. In a Reptile deck, it would totally dominate. It seems like it would be way to easy to use both effects (the summoning and the one of your choice) in the same turn.

[Saiba Aisu]

It's so cool that you became so massively offended by my "sarcastic" comments' date=' that you'd go running to a bunch of other forumgoers to show off my post, like it was a scourge in your side. It was a comment of my opinion, and to see that you'd go to such lengths to tear it apart is pretty amusing. I am honored, really. =O[/quote']

 

I don't see what's so cool about it - I wasn't offended at all. Rather, I was amused, hence the reason I called you a "comedian". And I didn't go "running" anywhere - the Forum in question is actually mine, and I visit it more often than I do YCM. I generally don't complain to other people about my problems, especially when they're little nuisances like you. The reason I quoted your post was because I found it amusing, and because quite a few of our members frequent Nationals and other high-level competitive play events, making them authorities on what is and isn't broken.

 

But yeah, if you're dying to be flattered, I guess me finding your post so pathetically funny counts for something...

 

Right' date=' because Threatening Roar is maindecked outside of Synchro Cat and jank OTKs. <_<[/quote']

 

Yeah, of course - because it's not like Synchro Cat is a potent, popular Deck or anything. And just for the sake of time, that was sarcasm.

 

(Gladiator Beasts are chainable? orly?) Bottomless Trap Hole (chainable to monster effects' date=' not really a "chainable trap" in general, lolz).[/quote']

 

Fierbreth obviously meant that you can chain Waboku to Serpentine Dragon's effect - thereby protecting your monsters from destruction via battle, even if you go to the lengths of reducing their stats. The fact that Waboku is most often used with Gladiator Beasts, who take advantage of it, goes without saying. And, even more obviously, you'll probably be calling priority with this baby when you Summon it, meaning that Bottomless can and usually will be chained to it.

 

The way he debunked his own response with the last sentence was hilarious. Blowing away backrows immediately to force a response that could have been better spent on another option is the whole point of dismantling backrows. That's why Heavy Storm is limited to 1' date=' and Mobius requires a Tribute. We don't get to activate our set cards whenever we want to, and the game moves forward at the speed that the opponent forces with their moves. MST on a set Threatening a turn earlier than expected still forces your opponent to show their counters a lot earlier than they'd like.[/quote']

 

He didn't debunk his sentence - he's merely saying that such an effect is the only part that makes Serpentine Dragon halfway worthwhile. Yes, it may cause a minor problem for the opponent, but generally, the Decks that are popular right now take such a situation in stride. Obviously, you don't have a good grasp of the current metagame.

 

This guy does know that this card is intended to be used with the Reptiless monsters' date=' right? The ones that have effects tailored to your opponent having 0 ATK monsters on the field? Killing them off in battle and doing massive damage would be cool, but I'm very bluntly aware that it happens less often than one would like in this meta. Necro Gardna, Honest, Shrink, Waboku, all kinds of crap to make destruction by battle less interesting, hence all of the card effect destruction running around. The 0 ATK thing is just a nice touch for the Reptiless monsters to come in and abuse on. If he thought my idea was "OH, DUDE, 0 ATK, KILL IT KILL IT BIG DAMAGE LOL" then he's the one that should clue himself in on some new cards. xD[/quote']

 

If you like, I'll take a leaf out of your book - you definitely just 'debunked' your whole argument. It's you that's not familiar with the Reptiless Monsters. If you'd bothered to do your homework like a good little boy, you'd notice that most of the effects that they have don't really benefit from already having monsters with 0 ATK - Reptiless Scylla involves destruction by battle, which we agreed wasn't common; Reptiless Gorgon deals with lowering ATK to 0 by battle; and Reptiless Medusa deals with discarding a card to drop the ATK stat to 0.

 

The only cards that take advantage of 0 ATK are Reptiless Lamia and Reptiless Viper - the others deal with destroying their crippled targets by battle. And furthermore, Reptiless Lamia is a Level 6 Synchro Monster, making it nearly impossible to summon on the same turn as Serpentine Dragon; also, the Tuner monster, Reptiless Viper, only gains its effect when its Normal Summoned, which will be impossible to do on the same turn that you really put Serpentine Dragon into action, since you'll have already Summoned.

 

So, congratulations - the grand total of Reptiless monsters that can take advantage of 0 ATK without battling draws up to two, one of them being a Synchro Monster and the other being a Tuner that only works with Normal Summons.

 

"Poorly supported attribute" = "It's not Light or Dark." Really' date=' put it in plain terms. Gale is an answer to another monster with less than 2601 ATK! Gale also tramples Stardust Dragon all by itself, but it doesn't seem to be that mediocre of a card, so that's a moot point. "lololol 1 card answers this card so it's bad"[/quote']

 

Generally, a card that isn't Light or Dark suffers a lot unless it has decent, specific support. I'm not saying that having Gale as a backdrop is an iron-clad excuse to defend Serpentine Dragon, but it's certainly a popular, high-Tier card that one would encounter often.

 

The Level? What the heck? You would use this as synchro food? It sits and 0s your opponent's monsters' date=' while being able to blast their backrows unrestrictedly. Why the **** would you waste it as a Synchro for.. nothing, as of current. >_>[/quote']

 

What are you on about now? Sure, it can drop their ATK to 0 - so what? I thought we had agreed that destruction and inflicting damage via monster-to-monster battle wasn't very common right now...? Not to mention the fact that you require a well-filled Graveyard to make any use of Serpentine Dragon's effect, so, unless you're planning on running and drawing 3 Snake Rain consistently for one monster, gtfo. You're also forgetting the fact that Serpentine Dragon can only works it magic on your turn - your opponent is free to take the crippled 0 ATK monsters and Synchro/Tribute them into something much more menacing. I hope you're familiar with the ATK of today's popular Synchro Monsters? If you hadn't noticed, they all outclass Serpentine Dragon.

 

Right. Take your butthurt somewhere else and accept criticism for what it is' date=' if you don't mind. =D[/quote']

 

I accept good criticism, which you obviously don't know how to give. I mean, even your idol Chevalier disagrees with you, right? But, then again, one can't ask a peach tree to give apples - I'll try not to expect too much from you in the future, okay?

 

Don't quit your day job, for your sake.

 

Chevz: Thanks, homme. I knew I could on you to post something reasonable.

[Dairuga]

Hmm... Okay. I actually think that this card is really cool, as it works well, and is actually pretty useful. The only flaw I saw in this card is the big heap of spell trap destruction it could offer relatively free. Also, removing 1 reptile to summon it seems a bit too cheap. Maybe you should change it to 2, so that it could better match the level of desert twister, and fire and ice dragon?

 

While It's effect to remove 1 reptile from the graveyard to make 1 monster's ATK and DEF 0 is a really nice effect, that could support the reptiless monsters very good, I think that removing 1 reptile frome the graveyard to destroy up to two spell / trap cards is a bit too much. It seems like too cheap for a Multi-use Mobius effect. Maybe it would be better if you changed the cost to tributing a monster with 0 ATK or something? Or change it to: "when this card is special summoned", or give it the effect to destroy 2 face-up spell / traps to make it a bit more situational.

 

Anyway, I really liked the card, so good work there =D The only complaint would be of the easy spell / trap destruction this card would bring. Sorry if I sounded too obnoxious or rude ^^;

[Saiba Aisu]

Thanks for your comment, Diaruga. I do agree with you that the card might seem a little overpowered, but a few rounds against the top-tier Decks of this format would quickly change your opinion of that.

 

The original version of this card was Dark, Level 6, and had 2400/2000 stats, making it easier to summon, Allure-able, and a whole lot better. Even then, one of our best members, SirFunchalot, who frequents Nationals and other high-level play events, classified it as "garbage."

 

I think this one is a lot less powerful, right?