Evolving the "Crystal Beast" archetype

[Svenny]

Hi everyone! Lately I've been feeling that the Crystal Beasts deserve another chance, therefore I decided to give them a little boost to make them slightly more playable. The main addition is the Ancient Crystal Beast sub-archetype (lvl 5 and 6 Dinosaurs), but I also made some Fusion Monsters as well as some Spells/Traps. I realize there are quite alot of cards and so I don't expect you to review each one individually, all and any cnc is appreciated. Looking forward to your thoughts!

[spoiler=Monsters]Ancient Crystal Beast Cuprite Cera
Level 6 / Fire / Dinosaur / Effect
Cannot be Special Summoned from the Deck or Graveyard. You can Special Summon this card (from your hand or face-up from your Spell & Trap Card Zone) by sending 1 other "Crystal Beast" card you control to the Graveyard. You can only use the following effects of "Ancient Crystal Beast Cuprite Cera" once per turn.
• Send 1 "Crystal Beast" card from your Spell & Trap Card Zone to the Graveyard; destroy 1 Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls.
• When this card destroys a monster by battle: You can place 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card.
• If this face-up card is destroyed while in a Monster Card Zone: You can target 1 "Crystal Beast" monster in your Graveyard, except "Ancient Crystal Beast Cuprite Cera"; place it face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card.
2500 / 1600

Ancient Crystal Beast Obsidian Ankylo
Level 6 / Earth / Dinosaur / Effect
Cannot be Special Summoned from the Deck or Graveyard. You can Special Summon this card (from your hand or face-up from your Spell & Trap Card Zone) by sending 1 other "Crystal Beast" card you control to the Graveyard. You can only use the following effects of "Ancient Crystal Beast Obsidian Ankylo" once per turn.
• Send 1 "Crystal Beast" card from your Spell & Trap Card Zone to the Graveyard; destroy 1 monster your opponent controls.
• Banish 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Graveyard; place 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card.
• If this face-up card is destroyed while in a Monster Card Zone: You can target 1 "Crystal Beast" monsters in your Graveyard, except "Ancient Crystal Beast Obsidian Ankylo"; place it face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card.
2100 / 2600

Ancient Crystal Beast Azurite Plesio
Level 5 / Water / Dinosaur / Effect
Cannot be Special Summoned from the Deck or Graveyard. You can Special Summon this card (from your hand or face-up from your Spell & Trap Card Zone) by sending 1 other "Crystal Beast" card you control to the Graveyard. You can only use the following effects of "Ancient Crystal Beast Azurite Plesio" once per turn.
• Send 1 "Crystal Beast" card from your Spell & Trap Card Zone to the Graveyard; draw 1 card.
• When a "Crystal Beast" card is placed in your Spell & Trap Zone: You can place 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card.
• If this face-up card is destroyed while in a Monster Card Zone: You can target 1 "Crystal Beast" monster in your Graveyard, except "Ancient Crystal Beast Azurite Plesio"; place it face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card.
1900 / 2400

Ancient Crystal Beast Jade Dactyl
Level 5 / Wind / Dinosaur / Effect
Cannot be Special Summoned from the Deck or Graveyard. You can Special Summon this card (from your hand or face-up from your Spell & Trap Card Zone) by sending 1 other "Crystal Beast" card you control to the Graveyard. You can only use the following effects of "Ancient Crystal Beast Jade Dactyl" once per turn.
• Send 1 "Crystal Beast" card from your Spell & Trap Card Zone to the Graveyard; discard 1 random card from your opponent's hand.
• When a "Crystal Beast" card in your Spell & Trap Card Zone is sent to the Graveyard to activate the effect of another card you control: You can place 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card.
• If this face-up card is destroyed while in a Monster Card Zone: You can target 1 "Crystal Beast" monster in your Graveyard, except "Ancient Crystal Beast Jade Dactyl"; place it face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card.
2300 / 1400

Crystal Beast Cassiterite Magpie
Level 4 / Dark / Winged Beast / Effect
When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can send up to 3 "Crystal Beast" cards from your hand and/or Spell & Trap Card Zone to the Graveyard; add an equal number of "Crystal Beast" monsters, and/or "Crystal" Spell/Trap Cards (except "Violet Crystal") with different names from your Deck to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Crystal Beast Cassiterite Magpie" once per turn. If this face-up card is destroyed while it is in a Monster Card Zone, you can place it face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card, instead of sending it to the Graveyard.
1700 / 900

Crystal Beast Agate Chameleon
Level 1 / Light / Reptile / Effect
For a Fusion Summon, you can substitute this card for any 1 "Crystal Beast" monster. During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the Graveyard: You can banish this card from your Graveyard, then place 1 "Crystal Beast Agate Chameleon" from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card. You can only use this effect of "Crystal Beast Agate Chameleon" once per turn.
400 / 400

[spoiler=Spells]Crystal Advantage
Spell / Normal
Draw 2 cards, then, if you have a "Crystal Beast" monster in your hand, place 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your hand face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card. Otherwise, reveal your entire hand, then shuffle it into your Deck. You can only activate 1 "Crystal Advantage" per turn.

Crystal Fusion
Spell / Normal
Fusion Summon 1 "Crystal Beast" Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck using monsters from your hand, your side of the field, or face-up "Crystal Beast" cards in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as Fusion Materials, then place 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card. (Cards in your Spell & Trap Card Zone are treated as monsters for this Fusion Summon.) If this card is in your Graveyard: You can send 1 face-up "Crystal Beast" card from your Spell & Trap Card Zone to the Graveyard; add this card to your hand. You can only activate 1 "Crystal Fusion" per turn.

Crystal Beacon
Spell / Continuous
(This card is always treated as a "Crystal Beast" card.)
Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can send 1 "Crystal Beast" card from your Spell & Trap Card Zone to the Graveyard; place 1 "Crystal Beast" monster with a different name from that card from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card. When a "Crystal Beast" card(s) is placed in your Spell & Trap Card Zone; You can target 1 Set Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls; it cannot be activated this turn. Your opponent cannot activate the targeted card in response to this effect's activation. When this face-up card is sent from the field to the Graveyard by the effect of a "Crystal Beast" monster: You can set 1 "Crystal" Trap Card directly from your Deck. You can only use this effect of "Crystal Beacon" once per turn.

Crystal Arrangements
Spell / Continuous
(This card is always treated as a "Crystal Beast" card.)
Once per turn: You can place up to 2 "Crystal Beast" monsters from your hand face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as Continuous Spell Cards, then draw the same number of cards you placed in the Spell & Trap Card Zone by this effect. When this face-up card is sent from the field to the Graveyard by the effect of a "Crystal Beast" monster: You can set 1 "Crystal" Trap Card directly from your Deck. You can only use this effect of "Crystal Arrangement" once per turn.

Crystal Armor
Spell / Equip
(This card is always treated as a "Crystal Beast" card.)
Equip only to a "Crystal Beast" monster. It gains 200 ATK and DEF for each "Crystal Beast" card you control. If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle or card effect; destroy this card instead, then you can place 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card. When this face-up card is sent from the field to the Graveyard by the effect of a "Crystal Beast" monster: You can set 1 "Crystal" Trap Card directly from your Deck. You can only use this effect of "Crystal Armor" once per turn.

[spoiler=Traps]Crystal Barrier
Trap / Continuous
(This card is always treated as a "Crystal Beast" card.)
When this card is activated: "Crystal Beast" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effects until the End Phase. When a "Crystal Beast" monster you control is targeted for an attack: You can shuffle 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Graveyard into the Deck; negate that attack. When this face-up card is sent from the field to the Graveyard by the effect of a "Crystal Beast" monster: You can set 1 "Crystal" Spell Card (except "Violet Crystal") directly from your Deck. You can only use this effect of "Crystal Barrier" once per turn.

Crystal Altar
Trap / Continuous
(This card is always treated as a "Crystal Beast" card.)
Other "Crystal" cards in your Spell & Trap Card Zone cannot be targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects. During either player's turn (except during the Damage Step): You can send this face-up card and 1 other "Crystal Beast" cards in your Spell & Trap Card Zone to the Graveyard, then shuffle into the Deck, from your Graveyard, the Fusion Material Monsters listed on a "Crystal Beast" Fusion Monster, then Special Summon that Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.) When this face-up card is sent from the field to the Graveyard by the effect of a "Crystal Beast" monster: You can set 1 "Crystal" Spell Card (except "Violet Crystal") directly from your Deck. You can only use each effect of "Crystal Barrier" once per turn.

Crystal Hurricane
Trap / Continuous
(This card is always treated as a "Crystal Beast" card.)
When this card is activated: Your opponent chooses as many cards as possible they control, but not more than the number of "Crystal Beast" cards in your Spell & Trap Card Zone; any battle damage your opponent takes is halved for the rest of this turn, also return them to the hand. When this face-up card is sent from the field to the Graveyard by the effect of a "Crystal Beast" monster: You can set 1 "Crystal" Spell Card (except "Violet Crystal") directly from your Deck. You can only use this effect of "Crystal Hurricane" once per turn.

[spoiler=Extra]Leopald, Majestic Champion of the Crystal Beasts
Level 10 / Light / Beast / Fusion

3 "Crystal Beast" monsters with different names
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. Once per turn: You can send any number of other "Crystal Beast" cards you control to the Graveyard; destroy an equal number of cards on the field. If a "Crystal Beast" monster(s) would be destroyed by a card effect, you can shuffle 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Graveyard into the Deck for each of those monsters instead. You can use this effect of "Leopald, Majestic Champion of the Crystal Beasts" up to twice per turn. When this face-up card in a Monster Card Zone leaves the field: You can place 1 "Crystal Beast" Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card.
3300 / 2700

Rexard, Primal Tyrant of the Crystal Beasts
Level 9 / Dark / Dinosaur / Fusion
1 "Ancient Crystal Beast" monster + 1 "Crystal Beast" monster
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card gains 100 ATK for each "Crystal Beast" monster in your Graveyard. If this card destroys a monster by battle: You can send 1 other "Crystal Beast" card you control to the Graveyard; this card can attack again in a row. When this face-up card in a Monster Card Zone leaves the field: You can place 1 "Crystal Beast" Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card.
2800 / 2500

Aesthetic Crystal Beast Abysmal Sapphire
Level 6 / Wind / Rock / Fusion
"Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus" + 1 "Crystal Beast" monster
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. When this card is Fusion Summoned, you can place it face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card, then Special Summon 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Graveyard. While this card is treated as a Spell Card it gains these effects.
• Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of a "Crystal Beast" card's effect.
• Once per turn: You can place a number of "Crystal Beast" monsters from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as Continuous Spell Cards, up to the number of "Crystal Beast" cards sent from your Spell & Trap Card Zone to the Graveyard this turn.
0 / 0

Aesthetic Crystal Beast Gleaming Topaz
Level 6 / Earth / Rock / Fusion
"Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger" + 1 "Crystal Beast" monster
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. When this card is Fusion Summoned, you can place it face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card, then Special Summon 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Graveyard. While this card is treated as a Spell Card it gains these effects.
• When a "Crystal Beast" monster attacks, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step.
• Once per turn: You can target 1 "Crystal Beast" monster you control; it gains 1000 ATK until your next Standby Phase.

Aesthetic Crystal Beast Shimmering Ruby
Level 6 / Light / Rock / Fusion
"Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle" + 1 "Crystal Beast" monster
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. When this card is Fusion Summoned, you can place it face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card, then Special Summon 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Graveyard. While this card is treated as a Spell Card it gains these effects.
• Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the Normal/Special Summon of a "Crystal Beast" monster(s).
• Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 other "Crystal Beast" card from your Spell & Trap Card Zone.
0 / 0

 

[krisanderson]

Definitely need a like revamp of Rainbow Dragon. Ancient Crystal Deity of Light - Rainbow Dragon :-) idk the effects but it could be like a fusion that needs 7 material. Just an idea. As far as rating them, I honestly love them. I do have a small fear of them being a tad OP. But they seem pretty easy going in a way. Any who ultimately I give them a 10/10 for functionality, interesting idea, and balance.

[The Highlander]

1.) Cera: Not really a fan of this, it does not add all too much to make the archtype work better than before.

2.) Ankylo: Expensive ...

3.) Plesio: Turning a Sapphire into set 2 is quite amazing.

4.) Dactyl: Useful, however again it requires setup to start working, which is CB's biggest issue right now.

5.) Magpie: ... consumes advantage as well ... right now CB's are too reliant on Pegasus, so relying on that is not all too good an idea.

 

 

6.) Advantage: A good step into the right direction, however drawing 3 cards is rather excessive, I would suggest cutting the draw 3 to draw 2 and cut the discard.

7.) Fusion: Well written, however I would suggest allowing using monsters from the hand as well, considering it is CB restricted anyways, otherwise well designed (9.5/10).

8.) Beacon: Alright to create setup, however going (-1) to place a single CB is not really all too well, so I do not like this all too much. Also the ATK buff is meaningless.

                   (Though you could fuse this with Advantage to turn it into "Place 1 CB from your hand, then draw 2 cards").

9.) Armor: A low ATK boost, a scapegoat for destruction and ... it sadly does not float upon doing that, I suggest you do that, otherwise there is hardly a point.

 

 

10.) Barrier: The defensive effects sadly do not matter all too much, consider a trap is slow in nature, however relying on attacks and effect destruction for 1 turn is hardly that useful, as for the float effect ...

                    you can remove the part, which prevents one from using the spell that turn, considering the trap is slow enough.

11.) Altar: Crystal Vanguard exists for these defensive purposes, otherwise it is a worse fusion, which floats if used in yet another way (with the same issues as the last one).

 

 

12.) Leopald: Interesting float effect, destruction effect (though the protection is rather unhelpful).                 (Good card, though I would suggest changing the protection to negate targeting effects on any CB, without an

                                                                                                                                                                            once per turn restriction)

13.) Rexard: A way for CBs to actually push, that is quite well done, though I suggest restricting a third attack in such a way that it cannot be made if one wants to attack with other CBs.

14+15+16.) The Crystal Cores: I suggest turning Topaz into a 1k boost for 1 monster, ... except for that, these cards are amazing gameplay-wise, balanced and quite amazing from a flavor perspective, all 3 have exactly the kind of effects they should have.

 

All in all kind of a mess, though there are real jewels among these cards (... yea that joke was kind of awful), though the archtype would still have major setup issues you did design cards, which solve the problem of having next to no plays (as well as not being able to push in a significant way (without abundance)).

In case you want advice, card ideas (considering I have a few ideas you might like), just send me a PM.

[Svenny]

1.) Cera: Not really a fan of this, it does not add all too much to make the archtype work better than before.

2.) Ankylo: Expensive ...

3.) Plesio: Turning a Sapphire into set 2 is quite amazing.

4.) Dactyl: Useful, however again it requires setup to start working, which is CB's biggest issue right now.

5.) Magpie: ... consumes advantage as well ... right now CB's are too reliant on Pegasus, so relying on that is not all too good an idea.

 

 

6.) Advantage: A good step into the right direction, however drawing 3 cards is rather excessive, I would suggest cutting the draw 3 to draw 2 and cut the discard.

7.) Fusion: Well written, however I would suggest allowing using monsters from the hand as well, considering it is CB restricted anyways, otherwise well designed (9.5/10).

8.) Beacon: Alright to create setup, however going (-1) to place a single CB is not really all too well, so I do not like this all too much. Also the ATK buff is meaningless.

                   (Though you could fuse this with Advantage to turn it into "Place 1 CB from your hand, then draw 2 cards").

9.) Armor: A low ATK boost, a scapegoat for destruction and ... it sadly does not float upon doing that, I suggest you do that, otherwise there is hardly a point.

 

 

10.) Barrier: The defensive effects sadly do not matter all too much, consider a trap is slow in nature, however relying on attacks and effect destruction for 1 turn is hardly that useful, as for the float effect ...

                    you can remove the part, which prevents one from using the spell that turn, considering the trap is slow enough.

11.) Altar: Crystal Vanguard exists for these defensive purposes, otherwise it is a worse fusion, which floats if used in yet another way (with the same issues as the last one).

 

 

12.) Leopald: Interesting float effect, destruction effect (though the protection is rather unhelpful).                 (Good card, though I would suggest changing the protection to negate targeting effects on any CB, without an

                                                                                                                                                                            once per turn restriction)

13.) Rexard: A way for CBs to actually push, that is quite well done, though I suggest restricting a third attack in such a way that it cannot be made if one wants to attack with other CBs.

14+15+16.) The Crystal Cores: I suggest turning Topaz into a 1k boost for 1 monster, ... except for that, these cards are amazing gameplay-wise, balanced and quite amazing from a flavor perspective, all 3 have exactly the kind of effects they should have.

 

All in all kind of a mess, though there are real jewels among these cards (... yea that joke was kind of awful), though the archtype would still have major setup issues you did design cards, which solve the problem of having next to no plays (as well as not being able to push in a significant way (without abundance)).

In case you want advice, card ideas (considering I have a few ideas you might like), just send me a PM.

1-4) I'm guessing the main problem with all of these is the general lack of set up capabilities in the archetype, especially with Cera and Ankylo since they require 2 tributes. Therefore I consider making Cera and Ankylo lvl 6 lowering their stats but making them easier to summon (also makes them all searchable by Fossil Dig). Would prefere not to scrap them just yet.

 

5) I see your point, not sure if adding draw power to the archetype would make it a better replacement for Vanguard or if it needs something more.

 

6) Sounds fair.

 

7) Also fair.

 

8) Really like the idea of fusing it with Advantage. Would probably change it into "Once per turn: You can place up to 2 "Crystal Beast" monsters from your hand face-up in your Spell & Trap Card Zone as Continuous Spell Cards, then draw the same number of cards you placed in the Spell & Trap Card Zone by this effect" though.

 

9) Might scrap this all together since it's not that interesting.

 

10) Might scrap this as well since it's not at all what the Crystal Beasts need.

 

11) Changed it to only require sending one other Crystal Beast to the Graveyard but it's still kind of underperforming.

 

12) Improved the protection to "If a "Crystal Beast" monster(s) would be destroyed by a card effect, you can shuffle 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your Graveyard into the Deck for each of those monsters instead. You can use this effect of "Leopald, Majestic Champion of the Crystal Beasts" up to twice per turn."

 

13) Not sure how to word that without it geting kind of messy but it might be more balanced.

 

14-16) Thanks, was very unsure of how balanced they'd be since they're kind of expensive for a Spell Card (even though you would always be able to summon one of the materials). Changed Topaz to +1000 until your next turn.

 

Furthermore, I,m continuously creating and improving (adjusting) cards so there is more than what I've posted here.

[Svenny]

Made some major changes with the Ancient Crystal Beasts and some minor fixes to most of the cards

[Svenny]

Added "Crystal Arrangements" as well as "Crystal Hurricane"

[The Highlander]

1.) As for the revised version of Armor, I would suggest allowing it to block any kind of destruction (for the equiped monster) and float in a similar way to the already existing equip they do have. 2.) Arrangements is a real jewel, considering it turns a hand filled with multiple CBs into a draw engine, rather than a nightmare (while creating setup). I like this card quite much, considering this is exactly what CBs do need. 3.) I have to admit that Hurricane, while being ridiculously unusable, could easily be repaired, in case it gets worded "return as many as possible, up to the number", so that it does not rely on that exact number.

[Svenny]

1.) As for the revised version of Armor, I would suggest allowing it to block any kind of destruction (for the equiped monster) and float in a similar way to the already existing equip they do have. 2.) Arrangements is a real jewel, considering it turns a hand filled with multiple CBs into a draw engine, rather than a nightmare (while creating setup). I like this card quite much, considering this is exactly what CBs do need. 3.) I have to admit that Hurricane, while being ridiculously unusable, could easily be repaired, in case it gets worded "return as many as possible, up to the number", so that it does not rely on that exact number.

1) What sort of destruction does Armor miss? 3) Not 100% satisfied with the new wording for Hurricane. What do you think?

[The Highlander]

1) What sort of destruction does Armor miss? 3) Not 100% satisfied with the new wording for Hurricane. What do you think?

1.) My bad, I did not see it works outside of battles. 3.) The wording should be alright, the only thing questionable should be if the trap card might be too powerful, considering spinning up to 4 cards is extremely powerful, you should propably limit the number one can control to 1.

[Svenny]

1.) My bad, I did not see it works outside of battles. 3.) The wording should be alright, the only thing questionable should be if the trap card might be too powerful, considering spinning up to 4 cards is extremely powerful, you should propably limit the number one can control to 1.

3) The effect only triggers on activation though, it's not a "once per turn" effect. But you could make it so that you can only activate one per turn. Or did i get you wrong?

[The Highlander]

3) The effect only triggers on activation though, it's not a "once per turn" effect. But you could make it so that you can only activate one per turn. Or did i get you wrong?

I mixed something up that it would be once per turn, however afterwards corrected it. What I am suggesting is that one cannot control multiple copies, considering in that case one would have to remove the prior copy before being able to use another one.

[Svenny]

I mixed something up that it would be once per turn, however afterwards corrected it. What I am suggesting is that one cannot control multiple copies, considering in that case one would have to remove the prior copy before being able to use another one.

Not sure if I find that necessary, considering how easy it is to remove and how you actually benefit from doing so. Can't see any situation where you wouldn't want to replace it with a Spell.

 

Btw, just noticed one thing. What happens with "Crystal Beast" Spells and Traps when you SS Carbuncle?

[The Highlander]

Btw, just noticed one thing. What happens with "Crystal Beast" Spells and Traps when you SS Carbuncle?

Ruby should try to summon as many as possible, it is not possible to special summon Spell/Trap cards, unless they get treated as monsters for that summon => they cannot get summoned => ruby summons as much as possible, excluding them.

[Svenny]

Crystal Bump

[Svenny]

Changed "Crystal Beacon" - Can now be activated during either player's turn and locks back row instead of increasing ATK and DEF.

[Svenny]

Changed "Crystal Beast Cassiterite Magpie"