Dark Diviner/Assault Mode

[goodfusion]

So, I decided to make a /Assault Mode of my all time favourite Synchro Monster, Dark Diviner.

 

 

Dark Diviner/Assault Mode

Level 6

Fiend-Type DARK

ATK 2500 DEF 1500

 

effect:

Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned by "Assault Mode Activate", and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. During the Battle Phase, this card cannot be destroyed by battle or be targeted by opponent's card effects. When this card declares an attack, if the ATK of the attack target is higher than this card: This card's ATK becomes equal to the attack target's ATK during damage calculation only. If this card destroys a monster by battle: Reveal the top 5 cards of your opponent's Deck; banish 1 of the revealed cards and all cards with the same name as it in your opponent's Graveyard, then place the others on the top or bottom of their Deck in any order. When this card is destroyed: You can Special Summon 1 "Dark Diviner" from your Graveyard.

 

Like all /Assault Mode monsters, the intention is a generally upgraded version of the original Synchro Monster, although it could be possible that the original Synchro's effect could be better than its /Assault Mode's effect in some situations, such as with Colossal Fighter and Hyper Psychic Blaster.

I think I stayed close to this theme. Here are some of the differences from the Synchro version of Dark Diviner:

 

● Cannot be targeted by an opponent's card effects in the Battle Phase allows it to avoid Dimensional Prison and other cards that would otherwise remove it.

● Increasing its own ATK to the opponent's monster's ATK instead of reducing the opponent's monster's ATK allows it to kill monsters that would be unaffected by that effect, such as Apoqliphort Towers.

● The milling effect has been changed. I wanted to give it a similar effect, but just increasing the amount it milled felt cheap and doesn't get around the main problems that mill decks have: You are just filling up the opponent's Grave for them to access later. This is especially bad against archetypes such as Burning Abyss and Shaddoll, as you can just trigger a whole load of effects which can easily mean that milling their deck does more bad than good. Making it banish the card allows you to avoid these things, and banishing cards from the Graveyard can help get rid of anything you milled previously for good.

●The effect to place cards at the top or bottom of the deck is also meant to help mill decks: Simply place anything you want to mill at the top of the deck, and anything you don't at the bottom. It could also be a great way into forcing your opponent into a 'dead draw', as well as working nicely with weird cards such as Conscription or Parasite Paracide.

 

Anyway, I think that is enough explaining. OCG fixes, comments, suggestions, praise, or constructive criticism would all be appreciated.

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

The problem with Dark Diviner itself is that the materials are rather strange, considering its origins in the anime.

Because of that, not too many Decks nowadays (if any) can make it.

 

There are those new Korean exclusives that can get it out quicker, but for the purpose of this CnC, I'll disregard them.

 

Being immune to targeting effects + battle is nice (although yeah, sweep removal like Mirror will still screw it over anyway).

It does stop the opponent from chaining Fiendish when you attack with this (or other stuff)

 

Excavation effect is a nice touch, given that indeed the game revolves around the Graveyard nowadays and it'll do you more harm than good in the long run if you mill their Deck; especially with those two. (You can also hit 'tellars or some other Decks that rely on the Graveyard a lot; there are a few others).

 

That, and you can block them from recycling those cards, especially used copies (since most of the cards you'll probably hit are run in multiples).

 

In terms of using Parasite / Conscription, those are possible options (although, does anyone even run them nowadays?).

 

Making the opponent dead draw when this kills something will be fun (and it'll likely happen unless opponent uses sweep removal, which is essentially Mirror or one of its expies, to get rid of this OR a bunch of other stuff).

 

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While this card just excavates/banishes stuff in lieu of milling, this is a generation where Deck milling isn't going to work anymore without triggering crap from Deck, so yeah it would help in the current game. Provided that Diviner was less of a pain to summon out (I remember there was a Deck or two that could bring it out, but not ringing any bells right now).

[The Highlander]

 Provided that Diviner was less of a pain to summon out (I remember there was a Deck or two that could bring it out, but not ringing any bells right now).

Dark Bug into Junk Synchron or Junk synchron into Dark Bug/ Level Eater can summon it, but those decks would use it as a side play, unlike the way an assault mode monster would want it.

 

 

[goodfusion]

Thanks for the replies, people!

 

I originally had it be unable to be destroyed by card effects instead of being unable to be targeted, but I found that effects that targeted were worse, as I can still summon Dark Diviner if it gets Mirror Forced, although Comp. Evac. Device set me back far.

 

 

Dark Bug into Junk Synchron or Junk synchron into Dark Bug/ Level Eater can summon it, but those decks would use it as a side play, unlike the way an assault mode monster would want it.

 

And that is one of ways I summon it on Duel Portal, and it works fine. I intend to make more /Assault Modes, and more support for them, but I decided to post my first on here first to see what people thought.

[The Highlander]

Thanks for the replies, people!

 

I originally had it be unable to be destroyed by card effects instead of being unable to be targeted, but I found that effects that targeted were worse, as I can still summon Dark Diviner if it gets Mirror Forced, although Comp. Evac. Device set me back far.

 

 

 

And that is one of ways I summon it on Duel Portal, and it works fine. I intend to make more /Assault Modes, and more support for them, but I decided to post my first on here first to see what people thought.

Then you should also create an assault mode activate substitute, perhaps based on assault revival, summoning an assault mode by banishing a fitting synchro monster from your graveyard, going +-0. rather than -1, however losing the potential revival.

Further examples for assault mode cards (mist bird clausolas (being able to negate any one face-up card and if it is a monster drop the attack to 0, needless to say spell speed 2), armades, perhaps the psyframe lords (allowing them to flee the field without targets), hot red dragon archfiend/red dragon archfiend scarright, stardust spark dragon, dark flattop (even though it would be difficult to make it worth it), chaofeng, the majestic dragons, the aesirs, accel synchros and an alternate card, perhaps allowing one to summon multiple assault mode monsters ignoring their summoning conditions (however not being called assault mode activate while on the field, to prevent stardust abuse) or anything else to encourage playing multiple assault mode monsters).

 

An example for the last card:

 

Assault Mode's Final Onslaught          Spell (Normal)

Activate by shuffling all "Assault Mode" monsters into your deck; banish any number of "Assault" cards from your deck to summon an equal amount "Assault Mode" monsters from your deck, ignoring their summoning conditions.

This card's name becomes "Assault Mode Activate" while in the deck.

 

Back to your card ... interesting to say the least, being able to pinpoint-snipe cards from the opponent's deck, while possibly getting rid of their grave setup, while also (unlike the real dark diviner) predicting the future for the opponent and manipulating it a bit, very interesting design, not copying often used effects like destroy 1 monster, destroy 1 card, draw 1 card, search 1 card, special summon 1 card or simply removing something by banishing etc.

[goodfusion]

Thanks for the ideas, The Highlander, and I am glad you like my card!

I think you are right, an Assault Mode Activate retrain would probably be a good idea. I think one that allowed you to Special Summon the /Assault Modes from your hand/Graveyard, or allowed you to recycle previously used /Assault Modes would be a good boost to an Assault Mode deck, as having multiple /Assault Mode monsters in a deck (which I would like to have) can lead to dead draws.

I think I will also make a Synchro monster that supports Assault Modes, perhaps having an effect to copy the names of Synchro Monsters that are banished/in the Graveyard?

As for my next /Assault Mode monster, I was thinking of doing Underground Arachnid, as I have quite a liking for Insect-Types... although I do think the PSYframe Lords would be a cool idea, or maybe the Hi-Speedroids. I would want to wait for them to be fully released though before making them.