Tentative Thoughts on Breakers of Shadow

[Blake]

Howdy! Dropping in to give my thoughts on Breaker of Shadows as a whole, as well as to partially apologize for the other day. Am I still gone? I wanted to be, but… My days are still ridiculously empty. Moreso, I’d argue. Things aren’t bad, especially now that I’m not… completely collapsing on myself anymore. Just on a serious break now. How long the break period will last? Who knows? Just know I’m not… dying. Not dead. Yeah, yeah, gone for 4 days and making a post blah blah. I’m not… ashamed of myself any more, beyond some sorta harsh words said while blinded by pain. Hard not to be when your solid ground turns into quicksand.

And a certain someone reached out to me earlier today and made me feel a little better about myself. Yeah, it’s pathetic that I can’t leave this place. Maybe basic will finally be the time…

Oh, and YCM is actually one of the better YGO communities. Odd as that is.

Anyways, I’ll be covering cards by their groups. Dinomists, Performapals, etc., so as to make this more efficient.

Tuning Magician, Timesword Magician, and Enlightenment Paladin:

• Tuning Magician is a great card. The fact that it can summon itself from the hand is what really sells it to me, even though that’s less value. Pendulum Call value also exists. Unsure if it’ll see much/any play, though, just due to not really assisting in locks aside from Spark Dragon’s Bind. Needing both scales to be Magicians makes me a little sad, as well.
• Timesword is really cute, and his scale effect isn’t bad at all, but I’m even less sure it’ll see play. It seems like a tech, at best, but it’s not a BAD card. Worth remembering, especially given it’s a decent generic 2-scale.
• Enlightenment is a good card, but it’s a tad small. It’s nice to make, but there aren’t a ton of Spells you’ll want to readily recycle. Call’s not bad to get back, Wavering’s good, Raigeki is definitely one, but it just feels underwhelming in context, given how monster-heavy Magicians really are. Other options may be better.

 

Performapals Monkeyboard, Guiturtle, Big Bite Turtle, Raingoat, Trump Girl, and Performance Band Hurricane:

• Monkeyboard is one of the best cards in the set. Scale 1 pseudo-Tenki for Ppal is really, really good, and makes the deck a lot more consistent. Finding your upper scale or Sorceror for a +1 scale is just too good. I could gush on and on, but it’s just an extremely solid card, even with the restriction.
• Guiturtle… disappointment. The only reason I ever considered it was due to first turn Monkeyboard w/means to Sorcerer in hand. Find this, place it down, draw 1, then PS and pop both scales. However, unlike the anime, Guiturtle must be the first Pendulum Scale set. Now this is a potential +1 draw every turn, so what’s the issue? Well, firstly it’s better to find Silver Claw early, in order to get a free Level 4 into the ED. Secondly, it sticks to the scale. It’s Wavering bait, and it makes scale management (a key part of Ppal) harder to accomplish. Not to mention it’s Level 1. Just… mediocre.
• Big Bite Turtle is cute, but not the best. The ramming effect is overall worse than Archfiend Eccentrick (who is somewhat searchable) or just going Rank 3 when possible, and the scale effect is practically non-existent. Not bad, but not a good card either.
• Trump Girl upsets me, too. I was really hoping to see Landlord Hermit Crab, as it had some interesting implications, but it was shoved aside for this. As was Seesawhopper, but I don’t care about that one. Trump girl isn’t as bad as her sister, but the fact that she has to be used for the Fusion makes me a bit sad. Her scale, level, and stats are bad, too, as you can only summon her off of a Monkeyboard/Dragonpulse scale, really. Her effects ARE good, though, so she’ll probably be good in something not Ppal that uses the engine.
• Performance Band Hurricane is not good. Maybe it could be okay sometime, but now is not that time. It targets. It bounces. It requires MONSTER presence. If it said “Performapal card” it would be decent, because the best use is clearing backrow to push. Instead, it says monsters, which means its best use is gone. Only other purpose is clearing ED bosses, but your own ED bosses do that better.
• Finally, Raingoat angers me. Greatly. I had high hopes, given what happened to Damage Juggler… and we got this instead. The discard effect is okay, but the other effect is plain garbage, and on a level 1 0/0 non-pendulum. So my thoughts on this billy…

it's a beautiful day outside.
birds are singing.
flowers are blooming.
on days like these, kids like you...
Should be burning in hell.

 

 

Superheavy Samurai Jisha-Q, Kokorogama-A, Hisu-E, San-5, and Kyu-B:

• Jisha-Q seems perfectly fine. It’s a themed level 4 Marauding Captain. Definitely not a bad card, though I don’t know how good it actually is.
• Kokorogama-A seems like a waste of space to me. Maybe it’s good in some monster mash deck, aside from SHS, but it really just feels like a worse battle fader with slightly better level/stat, but slower and less guaranteed protection.
• Hisu-E is a better Ben Kei nine times out of ten. It does the same job for a little less punch, but more efficiency and flexibility, though. Shame the ATK is so high. The scale effect also has potential.
• San-5 is the card that makes me wanna look at the deck at all. Sure it’s level 1, but both of its effects are really good. Double swinging ala BLS or drawing cards ala Nekroz Valkyrus. Sounds great, to be honest.
• Kyu-B just seems bad. I’m sorry, but this card just feels all sorts of underbuffed. Hooray, I have a 2500 against a clear board… that only gets better when my opponent has monsters? Definite pass, and really disappointed.

 

Melodious Solo and Score:

• Solo is slow, but she makes your lock easier to achieve, while also being a LIGHT Fairy Level 4 Cyber Dragon. Solid card, honestly, just boring.
• Score is a weaker Honest. More versatile than honest, given her ability to be used as a Fusion Material, but the point remains. See Solo.

 

Blackwing - Harmattan the Sandstorm:

It… exists? I mean, certainly not bad, but it really only works in niche combos. Seems like the sort of card that either should have been a tuner (easy Leo yo) or had something else tacked on, as it just feels there.

 

Twilight Ninjas Shingetsu, Nichirin, and Getsuga:

• Shingetsu seems really cute with Ninjitsu Art of Duplication… until you realize Hanzo does that plain better with Getsuga/copies of itself, especially considering it searches out both Dupe and Getsuga. It’s a pass, honestly.
• Nichirin is odd. When would you get this on board? It’s unwieldy, honestly. Even moreso, the fact it has to discard a Ninja makes me sad. At least broaden it to Ninjitsu Arts, as well, for the discard…
• Getsuga, however, is a great card that makes other worse cards shine. And Hanzo. It allows you to amass advantage quickly with just a little bit of setup, and rewards you for running cards like Call of the Haunted to ensure it hits the board. No, this isn’t enough to sell Ninjas, but it’s a really good card with a lot of potential. Free advantage and searches for daaaaaaays.

 

Buster Blader support:
Hooo boy… Here we go. I’m not going to cover the cards individually here, as I can’t be assed.

While not as bad as the BLS support by any means, Buster Blader still feels very lacking. They got a new Buster Blader… that doesn’t fit in the deck. He got tuners and equips… reliant on the bad OG BB. He got a Synchro, Fusion, and Super Poly… With restrictions on the latter two that make them mediocre (OG BB strikes again!), and the synchro falters as the center falters. And he got another Spell and Trap… That do nothing.

It’s not as bad as before, and the lock potential is there, but they dropped the ball as it began to roll. Magicians won’t use BB, as Apex Avian and Majespecter Unicorn are better lock cards, and that’s the best way to play BB.

Not a regression, but I’d say it was a wasted opportunity.

Oh, and funk Toon Buster Blader. Seriously. It isn’t even cute.

Dracoslayers Master Pendulum, Dinoster Powerful, and Clash of the Dracorivals:

• Master Pendulum is good for one major reason… It is a restrictionless vanilla. This means you can pull it from the deck with Ignister, making it more live, to extend plays in more potent manners. Scale effect is mostly good for editing your own scales.
• Dinoster Powerful is really, really good. It’s generic as hell to summon, thus making cards like Monkeyboard/Eccentrick better, protects your sheet all you like, and it recovers Xyz Fodder Dracoslayers. This is a huge deal, and it makes OTKing all the easier, while making resources more efficient. Value! I think this is one of the top 3 cards of the set. I’d say best, but… one other competes, and another kinda competes.
• Clash of the Dracorivals is not good… right now. When we get another Dracoruler, it will be. But for now, there are simply not enough targets. Remember that this card exists.

 

Dinomist:
Again, going to talk about these collectively.

It’s a flop. Easily the worst of the Igknight/Majespecter/Dinomist series of archetypes. The stegosaurus and plesiosaur are so incoherent, the pteranodon is just decent, the triceratops and brachiosaurus are okay, and the T-Rex is amazing.

The continuous spell is good, as is the trap, but the Field is okay at best.

The big problem with these guys is how they got 3 cards for one idea… then 3 for a completely different idea. The 4s do NOT match the 5s, and it just feels wrong. Maybe they mesh better in practice, but I am VERY doubtful that they will compare to Igknight or Majespecter as-is.

At least they have CDI going for them.

Majespecters Frog, Sonic, and Supercell:

• Frog… is extra copies of Fox that can double as extra copies of Crow. It’s a stupid idea, and will make the deck a lot better, but isn’t the problem with the deck. However… Well, it’ll be covered in Supercell. Remember, this card is not part of the Frog archetype, so expect a name other than this.
• Sonic is okay. It lets you get over… anything. Yazi and Killer are the most notable. This means you can kill them then lock the opp out with Tempest/Solemn Notice, which is good. Not great, but solid enough.
• Supercell is meh… when only Fox gets it. Now, you don’t have to waste a Fox on it. Fox + Frog = Supercell + Tempest early. Supercell rewards you for Xyzing and keeping the opponent from playing YGO, and is something the deck needed. It’s not super broken, but damn, it’s MOAR TEMPEST.

 

Shiranui:
Another group to talk about… and the most disappointing part of the set.

The tuner doesn’t do enough to outweigh its terrible level, the Swordsmith is slow as balls, the Priest is usually a worse Zombie Master in exchange for no discard, the swordsman is a crappy D.D. Warrior Lady wannabe.

The banish effects of each are also meh, with the exception of Priest. Mononofu is honestly kinda counterproductive, even.

The Synchros are basically just filler.The 6 is weak as balls and does very little, with the side effect of the first effect being counterproductive, and the “boss” is a mediocre beatstick.

Then there’s the field and the trap. The Field… is, again, worse Zombie Master. Sure, it doesn’t eat an NS, but it requires a clear frontrow. Like, really? I get they wanted to balance it, but funk.

Then there’s the Icarus Attack… which requires running Shiranuis in your deck. Not that Icarus Attack is especially awesome for Zombies in the first place.

The deck wasn’t given a means to actually get set up, so it’s just a subpar Zombie engine. Regular Zombies seem better, which says a lot.

 

Really regressed from Aroma/Greydle.

 

Dark Doriado Golf and Spa:
Cute. Not much else to say, just really cute.

Liberating Ariadne:
EXTREMELY good. It’s a Flame Mascot that finds Notice/Warning/etc., but has far better stats and a better Pendulum Effect. It combos extremely well with the Dracoslayers, arguably moreso than Flame Mascot does, as well as the other cards Flame Mascot works with. One of the best cards in the set.

Illumirage:
A cute Towers out…? IDK, it feels like filler to me. Wyrm continues to be a type that says “we have random art, slap it on a wyrm and call it a day.”

Deskbots 007 and 008:
Both seem like solid additions, especially 8. Deskbots are just boring as sheet. Shrug.

Seal Arbiter:
Confuses me. It’s so funking random…It’s mainly a mind crush out, but it’s so niche, and its monster effect, while either turn, is just slow. Indicator of things to come…?

And is it supposed to be Zorro…?

Yokoshimauma:
funk this card

seriously, trying to hype us up for garbage like this

Should’ve been a scale 1. funkers.

Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon and Odd-Eyes Advent:
A decent pair. I’ve talked about them before, so I’ll keep it short. They’re not bad cards by any means… just require dedication, and idk if it’ll be worth it. Definitely in the upper half of the pack. Probably top 15, sadly.

Goyo Defender, King, and Emperor:

• Defender is good and cute. Makes easy R3 + Fodder or Quasar, is a generally okay Level 3 Synchro… just solid.
• Goyo King, however, is not up to date on complexity creep. Additionally, it can’t even be the best option to summon with Defender, which is sad.
• Same for Goyo Emperor. Having a means to put out a Level 2 Tuner after Defender is Quasar. Why would I waste Poly/equivalent on making this outdated design when I can go for game?
• They suffer from being outdated and being outclassed by other Synchros/equivalents, honestly.

Hi-Speedroid Tennis Racket Hagoita:
Cute, for sure. Decent disruption. Not what Speedroids needed. While I understand the WIND restriction here, it has nothing of worth to ladder into, and just comes across as okay at best due to it. Shrug.

Magic Sea Castle Aigaion:
this card is weird man

I dislike the banish randomly from extra deck mechanic. Sure, it’s been done, but it rubs me the wrong way. It is a wild card with lots of potential, so I don’t know where it falls, honestly. Feels weak, but time will tell.

Pendulum Storm:
This is cute in Pendulum. Nothing else. Say, you side it against Pendulums. You blow up their scales and MST… They set more. Sure, that’s life, but MST or a later card do this better, tbh. You can run it IN Pendulus for Scale Modulation + MST, but that’s about it. At least it doesn’t target.

Hi-Speed Relevel:
Overkill flashy filler. It’s just extra damage with an LOLLEVELEDIT attached.

Twin Twister:
A great card. It’s slightly worse than MST in general, but it really feels like decks such as BA can profit from it, as it’s more anti-scales ala Fire Lake, but takes less setup. Not to mention anti-heavy backrow, right as we get more Counter Traps in the game…

False Accusations:
Criminally underrated. I’m not sure what impact it will have, but this is a funking matchup winner. The big problem being… decks tend to generate advantage, and it requires losing + drawing this in order to win a matchup. It’s weird. It’s definitely not valued enough from what I’ve seen in places, though.

rip sangan

Dragon’s Bind:
Been known for a while. It’s a situational Vanity’s, sorta, that makes locks. Not a ton to say, clearly a card worth remembering, at the least.

Chasing Wings:
Worse than Safe Zone. Sure, there are more upsides, but it’s more narrow as well. Except… it doesn’t stop targeting, so yeah. Not filler, but not good.

Reject Reborn:
Really overrated card. Sure, it can gain advantage, but it’s not the best at it, and very few decks will have the criteria met all the time, making it a situationally strong Negate Attack.

Sandstorm Mirror Force:
Well, it sticks spots on the board… but you have to run over them to win. I dunno, this one’s really weird, and feels not worth it. Needed to destroy + block the zones afterwards, maybe with a time limit on the block.

Pendulum Reborn:
2 cards.

Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer.

D/D Magical Astronomer Kepler.

These and more exist and are amazing uses. May not be good right now, but it will surely shine at some point, as this takes next to no setup for a drawbackless and versatile revival.

Forbidden Tome:
This one’s weird to me. I get it… but it feels so weak. Seriously. Weak and slow. I wouldn’t forget it, but I do not like it much.

Solemn Notice:
The other best card in the set. It’s mostly better than Warning, with some examples like Denko Sekka being worse, but it only costs 1500 LP. Additionally, released in the same set as Liberating Ariadne and 3 of it… Stupendous. Not BROKEN, but not a card that should exist @3, really.

Unlucky Blast:
… There is only one way to end this.
 

geeettttttt dunked on!!!

 

 

As a whole, BOSH is... disappointing. Good generic cards, but the archetypes are meh at best, and the existing support is either for subpar themes or is mostly weak. Monkeyboard, Dracoslayers, Solemn/Ariadne, Twin Twister, and a few others shine bright, rest is rather eh.

[Wildflame]

Didn't really think that you of all people would miss the chance to comment on the new set, lol.

[Lonk]

I am disappointed by BOSH as a whole.  Outside of the Solemn and the Counter Fairy, I just don't like this set.  It's boring.

[Dragulas]

I really hope they release more dracoslayers-rulers, as you said clash of dracos needs more targets to be good, for now it is the only pendulum deck im looking forward.

 

This set released many Synchro monsters, yet most of them (if not all) turned out to be very gimmicky or worthless cards to run in their respective archetype. Kinda a disapointed on that aspect

[ihop]

man, Black, I'm really funking happy to see this. I've been very close to hanging up my boots myself in the past couple of days after you left, but I guess I'll be hanging around here a bit longer as well. I really really value your presence in this place, and I hope things get better for you and you can put your demons to bed so I can get a bit more of the real Black. I don;t think trying and failing to leave this place is pathetic, believe me I've tried a couple of times with even less success than you. There's no shame in being involved in this site, and the only person to judge you is yourself.

 

Anyway, I read the comments about the cards I'm interested in (basically 5 of them) and it looks pretty on point. I agree that Twin Twister is excellent, obviously Solemn Notice is ridiculous and definitely the best card in the set and, yes, the set seems mediocre. I am of the opinion that Dust Force actually has potential and might be slightly better than you're giving it credit for, but time will tell for that one and it'll rely on specific interactions whether it's good or not.

 

edit: oh, and I appreciate that you mentioned failure to stop Denko when talking about Solemn Notice, I think that is very relevant and nobody else seems to really have picked up on it.

[Toffee.]

man, Black, I'm really funking happy to see this. I've been very close to hanging up my boots myself in the past couple of days after you left, but I guess I'll be hanging around here a bit longer as well. I really really value your presence in this place, and I hope things get better for you and you can put your demons to bed so I can get a bit more of the real Black. I don;t think trying and failing to leave this place is pathetic, believe me I've tried a couple of times with even less success than you. There's no shame in being involved in this site, and the only person to judge you is yourself.

This^

Forums are forums, either way. Doesn't matter what the theme/subject/etc of it is, since its still just another online community. Plus, you know a lot of us here, so you know we still exist on the off chance you want to chat with us more. Really, no pressure on your end at all =D

[goodfusion]

I quite like the Buster Blader support, mostly because it would be hilarious to run in singles on DN and rip apart any Dragon deck you see. I think it makes decent legacy support.

 

I understand your thoughts on Dinomists and Shiranui, they seem kinda average.

The Shiranui have some cool bits, mainly Sword of Swallow + Chief Priest. But not anything too noticeable.

The Dinomists annoy me a bit, because of how different the power between some of the cards seems to be - Rex is either a 2400 double attacker or non-targeting shuffling into the Deck removal that can hit the hand as well as the field, whereas Plesios just makes your opponent's monsters a bit weaker...

 

The card I like the most out of the set is Goyo Defender. Being able to get a +2 out of nowhere is funny, and I think it will be a very interesting card to use for both Synchro and Xyz plays.

 

Anyway, thank you for posting this thread; it is nice to see the opinions on these cards from someone with quite a bit more experience at this game than me.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

Actually, Hagoita is a badminton racquet.

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

Solemn Notice makes PlaugeDAD a good deck so I'm satisfied 

[Kaiji]

I almost want to see Tuning Magician played for Double Lord Omega, probably one of the nastiest T1 board it can make.

[Jord200]

So all the BOSH cards are known now? In that case, I agree. This set is kind of a let down. Gravity Dragon and Tuning Magician catch my eye, but that's it. Aside from the Superheavy Samurai stuff and Doraido.

 

 

I am extremely disapointed inthe Shiranui. I was expecting something big.

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

So all the BOSH cards are known now? In that case, I agree. This set is kind of a let down. Gravity Dragon and Tuning Magician catch my eye, but that's it. Aside from the Superheavy Samurai stuff and Doraido.

 

 

I am extremely disapointed inthe Shiranui. I was expecting something big.

Maybe TCG side. But with Rabbit @3 I think we can expect a pretty good Majespecter Dracoslayer Ignite deck rising