Rank-Up Xyz support, and anti-support

[Rongaulius]

Rank-Up spells were one of the more niche mechanics that Konami has more or less gotten away from.  The decks that can use them with any consistency are exactly Raidraptor and Phantom Knights.  Which is a shame, because there are some archetypes out there that wouldn't mind having access to rank-up spells.  Virtually every other mechanic has received some card or cards that make it possible to spam out their monsters.  The other mechanics also have received some truly absurd support over the years. Anaconda for Fusions, Junk Speeder for Synchros, Links...well, let's not get into Links.  Xyz decks have gotten a few interesting boss monsters in the form of Zeus, but something most Xyz decks don't do well (for obvious reasons) is make different Ranks of Xyz monster.  Except for Zeus, but Zeus doesn't count.  

That's a shame, because there are a few Xyz decks that have tried to make more than one Rank of monster.  There are very obvious problems with making Rank 5 monsters in a deck with Level 4 main-decks, but there should be more ways to do precisely that.  I don't think it should be a deck's main goal, necessarily; we don't need more busted mechanics. But giving Xyz decks limited access to one higher rank doesn't seem like the worst idea.

Anyway, on to the actual concepts:

Rank-Up Magician – Spellcaster/Xyz/Effect, LIGHT, Rank 4, ATK 1500, DEF 2500. 2 Level 4 monsters. If this card is Xyz Summoned: You can Set 1 “Rank-Up” Spell/Trap card from your Deck, and if it is a Quick-Play Spell, it can be activated this turn. You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; send 1 Xyz monster from your Extra Deck to the GY, but negate its effects in the GY this turn, also this card’s name, Type, Attribute, and Rank become the same as that sent monster’s, until the end of this turn. You can only use each effect of “Rank-Up Magician” once per turn. You cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck during a turn you used any of this card’s effects, except Xyz monsters. 

The first and most obvious way to do this is to make an Xyz version of Elemental HERO Prisma.  Rank 4 is the most popular Rank. However this only gives Rank 4 decks access to generic Rank-up spells, leaving Ranks 5 and 6 out in the cold.  Hence the next card:

Rank-Up Wizard - Spellcaster/Link/Effect, DARK, Link-2, ATK 1000. 2+ monsters, including an Xyz monster. This card gains ATK equal to the original Rank of an Xyz monster used as Link Material for this card’s Link Summon, x200. If this card is Special Summoned: You can banish 1 “Rank-Up” Spell card from your Deck; add 1 card with the same name as that banished card from your Deck or GY to your hand. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects from the hand in response to this effect’s activation. You can only use this effect of “Rank-Up Wizard” once per turn. If an Xyz monster is Summoned to a monster zone this card points to, you can make that monster gain ATK equal to this card’s current ATK, also this card cannot attack directly this turn.

This card is completely generic in Xyz strats, but it's probably not playable in every Xyz strategy.  It does require a lot of investment, needing a total of 4 materials in every Deck that isn't Zoodiac (2 to make the Xyz, the Xyz itself, plus one more monster).  Some decks could still find a home for this card.

The downside of making it too easy to summon higher ranks in a given Xyz deck is that you run the risk of busting those strategies wide open.  Zeus didn't do that on its own, but we don't need more versions of Zeus.  Which is basically what you'd get if Xyz decks could just make any Rank whenever they want to.  Hence the following card:

XYZsion Sorceress – Spellcaster/Effect, DARK, 4*, ATK 1500, DEF 1500. If an Xyz monster is Special Summoned without using any Xyz materials with the same Level as its own Rank: You can Special Summon this card from your hand or GY, and if you do, negate the activated effects of that Xyz monster on the field, then this card gains ATK equal to half the current ATK of that monster. Cannot be destroyed in battle with an Xyz monster. Unaffected by the effects of an opponent’s Xyz monsters. If this card is Normal Summoned, you can target 1 Xyz monster on the field or in the GY; return it to the hand. You can only use each effect of “XYZsion Sorceress” once per turn.

This card is also a HARD counter to Zeus...

It's not searchable, but neither are other generic hand traps.  This one is extremely specific and lives only in the Side Deck unless you know you're up against an Xyz strategy.  

Lastly, the reason I started messing with Rank-up cards was because I like playing Galaxy-Eyes, and they have a few big monsters that are almost impossible to make consistently inside their own strategy.  In particular, Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon and Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Blade Dragon.  Tachyon is much better than Cipher, but they're both cool monsters with enormous stat lines.  The final card in this post:

Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Equasar Dragon – Dragon/Xyz/Effect, LIGHT, Rank 9, ATK 3200, DEF 2800. 2 Level 9 LIGHT monsters. Once per turn, you can also Xyz Summon “Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Equasar Dragon” using 1 Rank 8 LIGHT Dragon monster as the entire Xyz Material (transfer materials to this card). You can detach 2 materials from this card; Special Summon 2 Level/Rank 8 LIGHT Dragon monsters, 1 from your Extra Deck and 1 from your GY, and their Level/Rank become 9, then Xyz Summon 1 Rank 9 “Galaxy-Eyes” Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck, using this card and those Summoned monsters as Xyz Material. You can only use this effect of “Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Equasar Dragon” once per turn.

This card gives immediate access to either one of the Rank-9 Galaxy-Eyes titans.  Which probably isn't the best play the deck can make, when you have cards like Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord, Neo Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon, Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy, etc.  They aren't worthless, however; if you manage to resolve the effects of Neo Tachyon, you're going to OTK.  And Neo Cipher Blade can potentially steal every monster your opponent controls, so they either have to stop it from hitting the field or just negate the effect when it goes off.

That's it for now.

 

[Jordan Ashwood]

These are some really cool ideas! I like the concept of taking an under-explored mechanic (rank up) and working to fix it. Rank-Up Magician does an especially good job of this, since (if I understand it correctly) it can more or less be used to summon any XYZ monster in the game!

...Provided one is willing to use a few extra deck slots and a Rank-Up Magic.

 

The last card scares me, but I don't know the archetypes well enough to comment x3

[Rongaulius]

1 hour ago, Jordan Ashwood said:

These are some really cool ideas! I like the concept of taking an under-explored mechanic (rank up) and working to fix it. Rank-Up Magician does an especially good job of this, since (if I understand it correctly) it can more or less be used to summon any XYZ monster in the game!

...Provided one is willing to use a few extra deck slots and a Rank-Up Magic.

 

The last card scares me, but I don't know the archetypes well enough to comment x3

The last card has two targets that can't ordinarily be Summoned inside their own deck without some inconsistent shenanigans.

Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon can, once per turn, detach a material to negate all other cards and effects on the field until the end of the turn.  It can also Tribute 2 other monsters to give itself 3 attacks on monsters, but that effect can only be used if it has Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon as material.

Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Blade Dragon is a 4500 ATK vanilla, unless it has a Cipher card as Xyz Material.  Then it gains the effect to detach all its XYZ materials to take control of the same number of monsters your opponent controls until the end of the turn, negating their effects, making their ATK 4500 until the end of the turn, and changing their names to Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon.  It also makes itself the only monster that can make a direct attack during that turn.  

Both have strong effects IF they resolve, but they're Spell Speed 1, easily negated, and not the most impactful outside of the Battle Phase.  Which is why I figured this was a fairly safe card, even with that absurd effect.  

Edited February 3 by Rongaulius

[Zamazenta the OS-Tan Fan]

Pretty Good Cards.

[Jordan Ashwood]

3 hours ago, Rongaulius said:

The last card has two targets that can't ordinarily be Summoned inside their own deck without some inconsistent shenanigans.

Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon can, once per turn, detach a material to negate all other cards and effects on the field until the end of the turn.  It can also Tribute 2 other monsters to give itself 3 attacks on monsters, but that effect can only be used if it has Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon as material.

Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Blade Dragon is a 4500 ATK vanilla, unless it has a Cipher card as Xyz Material.  Then it gains the effect to detach all its XYZ materials to take control of the same number of monsters your opponent controls until the end of the turn, negating their effects, making their ATK 4500 until the end of the turn, and changing their names to Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon.  It also makes itself the only monster that can make a direct attack during that turn.  

Both have strong effects IF they resolve, but they're Spell Speed 1, easily negated, and not the most impactful outside of the Battle Phase.  Which is why I figured this was a fairly safe card, even with that absurd effect.  

I would agree it's safe, yeah. Those effects are CRAZY! But it's not like a card that could lock your opponent out of ever playing the game.