🎭critiques are welcome🎭 ⚫️⚪️”Arch-Malefic” retrains for most of the “Malefic” monsters, that are designed to refine and modernize their original effects, as well as provide a niche for them as Field Spell support.⚪️⚫️

[But First He Lit It On Fire]

Field Spell

This card’s name becomes “Malefic World” while in the hand, Deck, GY, or on the field. If you Summon a monster(s) that is mentioned in the text of a “Malefic” monster you own that is Banished or in the GY: You can add any of those “Malefic” monsters to your hand. Once per turn, you can Shuffle your entire hand into your Deck; Add 1 “Malefic” card to your hand from your Deck or GY for every 2 Shuffled cards. If this card leaves the field by an opponent’s card or effect, you can Activate 1 Field Spell from your hand or Deck. You can only use this effect of “Arch-Malefic World” once per turn.

This card’s name becomes “Malefic Parallel Gear” while in the hand, Deck, GY, or on the field. If this card would be used as Synchro Material, 1 “Malefic” monster in your hand can be used as 1 of the other materials. If a “Malefic” monster(s) you control would Destroy itself by it’s own effect, you can Banish this card from your hand, field or GY Facedown; your “Malefic” monsters cannot Destroy themselves by their own effects for the rest of the turn.

This card's name becomes "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" while in the GY or on the field. Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand or GY) by banishing 1 "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" from your Hand, Field or GY (Quick Effect). You can only control 1 “Arch-Malefic Red-Eyes Black Dragon”. Face-up Field Spells cannot be Banished.  Once per turn, If a card(s) is Banished, you can add 1 Field Spell to your hand from your deck or GY. If there is no face-up Field Spell on the field, destroy this card.

This card's name becomes "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" while in the GY or on the field. Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand or GY) by banishing 1 "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" from your Hand, Field or GY (Quick Effect). You can only control 1 “Arch-Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon”. Face-up Field Spells cannot be Destroyed.  Once per turn, If a card(s) is destroyed, you can add 1 Field Spell to your hand from your deck or GY. If there is no face-up Field Spell on the field, destroy this card.

This card's name becomes "Stardust Dragon" while in the GY or on the field. Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand or GY) by Banishing 1 "Stardust Dragon" from your Field, GY or Extra Deck (Quick Effect). You can only control 1 “Arch-Malefic Stardust Dragon”. Your “Malefic” monsters cannot be Destroyed by their own effects, except during the End Phase. If there is no face-up Field Spell on the field, destroy this card.

(This card is always treated as an "Ultimate Crystal" card.)

This card's name becomes "Rainbow Dragon" while in the GY or on the field. Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand or GY) by banishing 1 "Rainbow Dragon" from your Field, GY or Extra Deck (Quick Effect). You can only control 1 “Arch-Malefic Rainbow Dragon”. Face-up Field Spells and their effects cannot be Negated. If there is no face-up Field Spell on the field, destroy this card.

This card's name becomes "Cyber End Dragon" while in the GY or on the field. Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand or GY) by banishing 1 "Cyber End Dragon" from your Field, GY or Extra Deck (Quick Effect). You can only control 1 “Arch-Malefic Cyber End Dragon”. Face-up Field Spells cannot be targeted by card effects. If there is no face-up Field Spell on the field, destroy this card.

1+ Tuner monsters + 1+ non-Tuner monsters.

You can only control 1 “Arch-Malefic Paradox Dragon”. If this card is Synchro Summoned using only “Malefic” cards, you can Special Summon 1 monster from either player’s GY. At the end of each phase, you gain 1000 LP for each Face-up Field Spell on the field. If there is no face-up Field Spell on the field, destroy this card. If this Synchro Summoned card leaves the field while a Field Spell is Face-up on the field (Quick Effect): You can pay 4000 LP to Special Summon it.

Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned by its own effects. If a "Malefic" card(s) you control leaves the field by an opponent’s card or effect: You can pay half your LP (Quick Effect); Special Summon this card from your hand or GY. You can only control 1 “Arch-Malefic Truth Dragon”. You gain LP equal to any Damage your opponent takes. If this card inflicts Battle Damage: Destroy all cards your opponent controls. If there is no face-up Field Spell on the field, destroy this card. If this card leaves the field while a Face-up Field Spell is on the field: You can pay 5000 LP; Special Summon 1 “Malefic” from your hand, Deck or GY, ignoring it’s Summoning conditions.

The design changes for most of the monsters is as follows: Make their restrictions more manageable, give them effects that are WORTH having those restrictions on them to begin with, give them more synergy with the monsters they’re supposed to be counterparts of, and play into the field spell angle more. The “Malefic” monsters that are based off of earlier archetypes follow the general same pattern of being Special Summon only monsters, that you can only control the one each of, that must be Special Summoned from your hand or GY on a (Quick Effect) by banishing it’s original counterpart from any given location. From there, they treat themselves as said original card in name, have a Field Spell focused effect (mostly about protecting Field Spells on the field in different ways), and of course the usual Self-Destruction if there IS no Field Spell on the field. Arch-Malefic Stardust, just as its base counterpart is the oddball of the OG Malefics for actually HAVING an effect besides its restrictions, continues being just that here by having an effect that instead delays the Malefic’s Self-Destruction effects until the end phase, allowing you a hot moment to get another one back on the field. Also, Arch-Malefic Rainbow Dragon treats itself as an “Ultimate Crystal” monster on top of it’s naming effect, for more ensured synergy with the Crystal Beasts.

As for the more pure “Malefic”s… The reworked Gear card should work solidly enough with the Level 7, 8 and 10 Main Deck Malefic monsters in your hand for your Synchro plays for Level 9, 10 and 12 Synchros. It also almost always treats itself as its original version in name, same as the other prior Malefics, and had a GY Self-Banish to further protect against the archetypes self-destruct. The retrains for Paradox Dragon and Truth Dragon both deviate from a few of the above established conventions, whilst also following their own. Paradox has more flexible Summoning Conditions when compared to the OG, but has a more powerful version of its original effect IF it’s summoned using Malefic cards only. It also lets you gain 1000 or 2000 LP per Phase for each Field Spell on the field, which is to help fuel it’s self-revival effect you can use for 4000 LP if it leaves the field while a Field Spell is still on the field (if there IS no Field Spell, you’re out of luck). And as for Malefic Truth… It has 2 means to summon itself, one from your hand or GY and paying half your LP after a “Malefic” card(s) leaves your field by your opponent’s imput, and a magnified version of Paradox Dragon’s Self-Revive that lets you summon ANY single “Malefic” monster, ignoring Summoning Conditions, for 5000 LP, which it can fuel by converting your opponent’s taken damages into LP gain for yourself. It also has a big board wiping effect if it inflicts battle damage to your opponent.

Lastly, the rework for “Malefic World” treats itself as it’s original version the same way as the Monster retains do, lets you search out your “Malefic” monsters upon summoning their OG versions (So for example, summoning a “Blue-Eyes White Dragon” lets you search out on of it’s “Malefic” versions for a later Summoning), gives you a mass search for more “Malefic” cards by shuffling your entire hand into your Deck and adding 1 such card to your hand for every 2 shuffled cards, AND a HOPT Field Spell activation from your hand or Deck upon being outed by your opponent.

Overall, I’d be hopeful if, upon any hypothetical release of these cards into the real game, that they’d uplift the entire “Malefic” archetype from being longstandingly low tier into B or even A-Tier in a competitive setting, either by themselves and/or in tandem with other decks. I feel like “Arch-Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon” would play fairly well in a modern “Blue-Eyes” deck at least.

Give me your thoughts, one an all!

Edited May 31 by But First He Lit It On Fire

[JonRich]

The effect of the Spell Card is confusing. Should it be a "Field" or "Continuous"? Also, the effect "This card’s name becomes ‘Malefic World’ while in the hand, Deck, GY, or on the field" is problematic 'cos players cannot verify card names in hidden zones (Deck/hand). Commonly, the cards use the "name copy" change only when they are face-up on the field or GY.

[But First He Lit It On Fire]

1 hour ago, João Ricardo Pavani said:

The effect of the Spell Card is confusing. Should it be a "Field" or "Continuous"? Also, the effect "This card’s name becomes ‘Malefic World’ while in the hand, Deck, GY, or on the field" is problematic 'cos players cannot verify card names in hidden zones (Deck/hand). Commonly, the cards use the "name copy" change only when they are face-up on the field or GY.

The naming effects for of the cards are lifted partially or directly from the official card "Gunkan Suship Shari"… The following effect reads as follows:

This card's name becomes "Gunkan Suship Shari" while in the hand, Deck, GY, or on the field.

Thus, there is precedent for what I am trying to do… The above effect slows the card to basically be named another card from just about anywhere, WITHOUT running into deck building problems like what “Umi” or “Harpie Lady” cards often run into (This card is always treated as "Umi".).

Also, I see where I messed up… “Arch-Malefic World” IS meant to be a field spell, not a continuous one. I was just tired of all the typing I was doing when I was writing this… APPARENTLY in my haste I skipped out on some important details.

THERE, made tha adjustments on the Field Spell.

Edited May 31 by But First He Lit It On Fire

[But First He Lit It On Fire]

1 hour ago, João Ricardo Pavani said:

The effect of the Spell Card is confusing. Should it be a "Field" or "Continuous"? Also, the effect "This card’s name becomes ‘Malefic World’ while in the hand, Deck, GY, or on the field" is problematic 'cos players cannot verify card names in hidden zones (Deck/hand). Commonly, the cards use the "name copy" change only when they are face-up on the field or GY.

Beyond THIS, how do the other cards look?

[JonRich]

24 minutes ago, But First He Lit It On Fire said:

Beyond THIS, how do the other cards look?

Very cool. Strategically, the archetype could have a recovery Spell that protects the player from a direct attack like or a trap that punish the opponent.

 

Arch-Malefic Reborn

Continous Spell

"Once per tun: If an "Arch-Malefic" monster you control is destroyed by its own effect and sent to GY: you can Special Summon that card in face-up Defense Position, and if you do, it has its effects negated until the end of the turn, also, shuffle [or banish] it into the Deck when it leaves the field. You can only control 1  [...].

 

Arch-Malefic Revenge

Normal Trap

If an Arch-Malefic monster you control is destroyed by its own effect and sent to GY: You can destroy 1 card your opponent controls. If an "Arch-Malefic" monster you control would be destroyed by its own effect, you can banish this card from your GY; that monster is not destroyed. You can only use each effect of [...] once per turn.

Edited May 31 by João Ricardo Pavani

[But First He Lit It On Fire]

52 minutes ago, João Ricardo Pavani said:

Very cool. Strategically, the archetype could have a recovery Spell that protects the player from a direct attack like or a trap that punish the opponent.

 

Arch-Malefic Reborn

Continous Spell

"Once per tun: If an "Arch-Malefic" monster you control is destroyed by its own effect and sent to GY: you can Special Summon that card in face-up Defense Position, and if you do, it has its effects negated until the end of the turn, also, shuffle [or banish] it into the Deck when it leaves the field. You can only control 1  [...].

 

Arch-Malefic Revenge

Normal Trap

If an Arch-Malefic monster you control is destroyed by its own effect and sent to GY: You can destroy 1 card your opponent controls. If an "Arch-Malefic" monster you control would be destroyed by its own effect, you can banish this card from your GY; that monster is not destroyed. You can only use each effect of [...] once per turn.

It’s telling that the “Malefic”’s self-destruction gimmick is so annoying that any GOOD support for them has to do either mitigate or exploit it.

But YEAH, I like these. I wonder if, between your cards and mine if they were actually released, if the “Malefic”s would actually see any serious play?

[JonRich]

15 minutes ago, But First He Lit It On Fire said:

It’s telling that the “Malefic”’s self-destruction gimmick is so annoying that any GOOD support for them has to do either mitigate or exploit it.

But YEAH, I like these. I wonder if, between your cards and mine if they were actually released, if the “Malefic”s would actually see any serious play?

I don't know. The archetype needs an omni-negate boss. Also, the monsters have high-ATK but are very vulnerable to destruction and heavily dependent on the Field Spell.

[But First He Lit It On Fire]

2 hours ago, João Ricardo Pavani said:

I don't know. The archetype needs an omni-negate boss. Also, the monsters have high-ATK but are very vulnerable to destruction and heavily dependent on the Field Spell.

True, BUT they should also be easy enough to slip into Decks that use the cards their Malefic counterparts are based off of (Arch-Malefic Blue-Eyes could see SOME use in Blue-Eyes decks proper, at least now that Blue-Eyes decks are competitively competent in and of themselves these days.) Meanwhile, that have a wide suite of protections FOR those Field Spells, so they could probably play nice with Decks that need Field Spells like them (such as “Earthbound” decks.)

…

Maybe what I could do is put in some Level 9 and 11 “Malefic” Synchro bosses, so that the Malefic Tuner can use the Malefic Red-Eyes, End Dragon and Rainbow Dragon to make more Synchro plays, not just for Paradox Dragon.