[Archetype] Penguins

[-Noel-]

Ran into this set I made a year ago, so I thought since I'm too lazy to find arts for new set, I would remake them so that they become a competitive deck. And after some playtests on DP there're now quite balanced (at least imo.) The playstyle of the deck is a half-control-half-swarm topped with bouncing (nope, banishing) strategy.
 
[spoiler=Monsters]Effect Monsters[spoiler="Spirit of Arctic"]

While face-up on the field or in the Graveyard, this card is also treated as a "Penguin" monster. When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Penguin" monster from your hand or Graveyard in face-up Attack Position or face-down Defense Position. You cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except WATER monsters. Once per turn: You can target 1 "Penguin" monster you control; until the End Phase, this card's Level becomes the Level of that monster.

[/spoiler][spoiler="Penguin Squire"]

When this card is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: You can target 1 card on the field; return it to the hand. When a "Penguin" monster you control is targeted for an attack or by a card effect while the only monsters in your Graveyard are WATER monsters: You can banish this card from your Graveyard; negate that attack or effect.

[/spoiler]Synchro Monsters[spoiler="Major Penguin"]

 

1 WATER Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Penguin" monsters

Monsters you control gain 200 ATK for each "Penguin" monster you control. If this card is sent to the Graveyard by your opponent's card (either by battle or by card effects): You can target 1 card on the field; return it to the hand.

[/spoiler][spoiler="Penguinus, Dragon Lord of Arctic"]

1 WATER Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Penguin" monsters

While this Synchro Summoned card is face-up on the field, "Penguin" monsters you control cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects. While you control another "Penguin" monster, this card gains 300 ATK. After damage calculation, if this card attacks or is attacked: You can target 1 card on the field; return it to the hand.

[/spoiler]Xyz Monsters[spoiler="Penguin Magician"]

2 Level 2 WATER monsters

When this card is Xyz Summoned: You can add 1 "Arctic" or "Penguin" card from your Deck to your hand. Once per turn, during either player's turn, if the only face-up monsters you control are WATER monsters: You can detach 2 Xyz Materials from this card, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; change it to face-down Defense Position, then this card gains 400 ATK.

[/spoiler][spoiler="Penguin Archmage"]

2 Level 4 WATER monsters

When this card is Xyz Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Penguin" monster from your Deck in face-up Attack Position or face-down Defense Position. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this turn, all face-up "Penguin" monsters you currently control cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects.

[/spoiler][/spoiler][spoiler=Spell][spoiler="Penguin's Blazing Spirit"]

Target 1 "Penguin" monster you control; this turn, it is unaffected by other card effects, also it gains 1000 ATK if it has 1600 or less ATK. During either player's turn, except the turn this card was sent to the Graveyard: You can banish this card from your Graveyard, then target 1 "Penguin" monster you control; it gains 500 ATK until the end of this turn. You can only use this effect of "Penguin's Blazing Spirit" once per turn.

[/spoiler][/spoiler]

 

CnC appreciated. More cards will be made once I have arts.

[Spinny]

Are these to be used with the existing penguins?

If so could you post them up here aswell just for referal?

Other then that it looks kinda bare as to what they do....

[Darj]

Well, I already dropped a couple of fixes and sugestions to these so I won't repeat them all over again.

My only complain/issue is Spirit's "When this card is Summoned" clause, because it is a bit too flexible. Yes, I know you already dropped a couple of nerfs to it, but still, a "1-card ED" that can triggered when Summoned from the grave or deck can be scary. Plus as a Level 1 it gets support from stuff such as One for One and Kinka Byo.

[-Noel-]

Are these to be used with the existing penguins?

If so could you post them up here aswell just for referal?

Other then that it looks kinda bare as to what they do....

Well, the answer is yes, but I'm not sure posting several TCG cards here is fine or not. Basically you just have to look for Nightmare Penguin who being a Level 4 for Spirit that can also bounce on flip and Nopenguin that can SS itself from Graveyard when a "Penguin" monster activate its effect and banish any card that would be bounced by Penguins while it is on the field.

 

Well, I already dropped a couple of fixes and sugestions to these so I won't repeat them all over again.

My only complain/issue is Spirit's "When this card is Summoned" clause, because it is a bit too flexible. Yes, I know you already dropped a couple of nerfs to it, but still, a "1-card ED" that can triggered when Summoned from the grave or deck can be scary. Plus as a Level 1 it gets support from stuff such as One for One and Kinka Byo.

Sure, thx for fixes/suggestions back then. As for Spirit...She's not a Penguin monster, so even with Penguinus face-up or Squire ready in Graveyard she's still vulnerable to Breakthrough/Fiendish, and since the deck barely make any play out of ED stuffs I'm not sure giving an effect that is already at hard OPT more restriction will cripple the deck playability or not. As for cards you mentioned, 141 is limited so you won't get her from Deck so often and Kinka will screw Squire and Magician, so I think it's not a good choice.

[Love of Ghibli]

I agree with Voltex on the spirit.  No matter how she hits the field she becomes a +1 definitely not a fan. And while one for one maybe the quickest way to get its +1 action but ALL forms of revival help it the card. Meaning you really just have to get it in the grave and with that you have many more card options including Tidal and that horrific fusion monster that I personally loathe. I mean she's a tuner and she level modulates...so she make +0 on the extra deck summons (which I'm also not a fan of, but everyone seems to be doing it nowadays). Yeah she does way to much. Personally I feel like she should lose either the tuner or the level modulation and her first effect should only trigger on NS (like all the other cards similar to her).

[Cirrus]

One question: I get that Spirit of the Arctic is supposed to be a 1-card ED, which is not always bad. Why is it so versatile (gets its effect when summoned via any method, gets to level modulate so it gets double the toolboxing power) and yet also randomly gets to be searched by Penguin Magician? If the majority of the cases will involve a Normal Summon, why not just cut out the high-powered play of using 141 by making it Normal Summon only?

 

Other possible windows of power-cutty-ness: Archmage's protection is possibly ridiculous in its scope, especially if it is intended to also protect facedowns - and of course you can do it twice, especially since it will protect itself. Magician's effect is a quick effect, which I really really don't like because it adds a huge amount of power to a card that's already a floater. Penguinus and Major seem to promote target-less removal design - that's more of a game health issue but it's nice to keep that in mind, and I think Penguinus should either be less accessible, have fewer stats, or protect anything-but-itself; possibly two of the three but that isn't likely.

 

Blazing Spirit would be a fine card without the second 500 ATK clause but that's fine; not much of an issue either way.

[-Noel-]

I guess I'll not being ignorant like a certain member then. Spirit nerfed, basically shift her activation timing to NS as suggested and slightly buff a card accordingly.

 

Other possible windows of power-cutty-ness: Archmage's protection is possibly ridiculous in its scope, especially if it is intended to also protect facedowns - and of course you can do it twice, especially since it will protect itself. Magician's effect is a quick effect, which I really really don't like because it adds a huge amount of power to a card that's already a floater. Penguinus and Major seem to promote target-less removal design - that's more of a game health issue but it's nice to keep that in mind, and I think Penguinus should either be less accessible, have fewer stats, or protect anything-but-itself; possibly two of the three but that isn't likely.

 

Blazing Spirit would be a fine card without the second 500 ATK clause but that's fine; not much of an issue either way.

Well, Archmage cannot protect face-down from effects since they can't be confirmed as a "Penguin" monster, even if they were SS'd or have been flipped by BoM/Magician. Penguinus may looks powerful on paper, but bringing him out is not easy, especially after Spirit got nerf'd, also since no one else seem to have problem with my cards aside from Spirit so far, I'm not nerfing them for now, but these suggestions noted.

[Cirrus]

So, Archmage protects only all Penguins currently face-up at effect activation (and not those later attacked into)? That's much safer.

[-Noel-]

So, Archmage protects only all Penguins currently face-up at effect activation (and not those later attacked into)? That's much safer.

Well, I was gonna say it actually protect the face-down that were attacked. What I meaning is that it cannot protect face-down if it is chained to TT and such. But think about it again, the way you understood that seems more balanced and still playable, so I think I'll just reword the card. Actually, it kinda ruin deck's flavor, so I think I'll keep it as is. Not much as a problem imo when it can only stall 2 turns at best.

[Cirrus]

OK, so. Three nerfs that I am heavily proposing as people are somewhat concerned about these Pingus.

 

Major Penguin: Reduce this guy's Attack by 200. Or make his attack gain affect only other Pingus. Your choice.

Penguin Magician: Remove the ability to search Spirit of Arctic. Make the Book of Moon effect Spell Speed 1 (choice 1) or make it cost Xyz Materials. Also remove the Attack gain ideally, but feel free to buff the Attack of the monster itself slightly to compensate (by 200-300).

Penguin Archmage: Just make it protect all face-ups until end of turn. The alternative (lingering effect) is much clunkier and frankly annoying to play against. Nominally it stalls for two turns but practically, it provides a huge tempo advantage that the opposing deck cannot possibly protect against. Ideally, also make this cost 2 Xyz Materials or restrict it to either player's Main Phase.

[-Noel-]

OK, so. Three nerfs that I am heavily proposing as people are somewhat concerned about these Pingus.

 

Major Penguin: Reduce this guy's Attack by 200. Or make his attack gain affect only other Pingus. Your choice. No problem at all, 1600 ATK will do

Penguin Magician: Remove the ability to search Spirit of Arctic. Make the Book of Moon effect Spell Speed 1 (choice 1) or make it cost Xyz Materials. Also remove the Attack gain ideally, but feel free to buff the Attack of the monster itself slightly to compensate (by 200-300). Fine, 2 mats won't hurt this even with 1600 max ATK

Penguin Archmage: Just make it protect all face-ups until end of turn. The alternative (lingering effect) is much clunkier and frankly annoying to play against. Nominally it stalls for two turns but practically, it provides a huge tempo advantage that the opposing deck cannot possibly protect against. Ideally, also make this cost 2 Xyz Materials or restrict it to either player's Main Phase. For this one, I'm a bit iffy with the suggested fix due to how Penguins' flavor and playstyle with face-down, but this worth experimental and I'll just buff it again if it's proved to be subpar to useless in this upcoming tour.