Spikes & Baron D.M.Comet

Card Article 1: The Army of Undead

Umm...finally decided to do some articles about cards, so, I'll start with the most recent boost sub-type - Undead.

The army of Undead is currently very diverse, but I'll just summarize the best of them.

I'll start with the King of the Undead- Vampire Lord.

Vampire Lord
Dark/Undead/5/2000/1500
When this Monster does Battle Damage to your opponent, name a card type (Monster, Magic or Trap). Your opponent searches his or her deck for 1 card of the chosen type and puts it in his or her Cemetery. Also, if this card is destroyed via a card effect by your opponent, Special Summon this card to the Field during your next Standby Phase.

This card, as said in my Card of the Week, is just annoying, and consider the best Undead sub-type card by far.

First, the effect of Deck Destruction is pretty much self-explanatory, you just basically name a type of card, and your opponent choose one of them in his/her deck and put it into the Graveyard.

Now? Why is this card restricted to 1? The second effect make this card so annoying that people start to abusing the effect. Destory from hand via DDVD? It come back. Absorb into Black Hole? It comes back. Hits Mirror Force hard? It come back.

This card though, is kind of overrated 1-tribute monster, it's not that hard to kill this thing, simply a Dark Jelloid could spell the end of this card.

Now, going to the next card, Revive Mummy from 309 set.

Revive Mummy
Dark/Undead/4/1800/1500
When this card is sent from your hand to the graveyard by the effect of opponent's card, return this card from graveyard to hand.

This card, consider many the newest addition to the Undead army, can do some devastation itself.

First, the attack strength of this card is 1800, a better beatstick for the Undead sub-type (Since the best before this card is 1700, being Fear of Darkness). Then, the defense strength of this card is 1500, making this card searchable by Witch and special summonable via Pyramid Turtle.

Now, look at the effect of this card. This card come back to your hand if it's discarded by opponent. Basically, this is one of the anti-discard card create by Konami to stop the abusing of Hand Control, but, the effect comes in handy against Hand Control deck, as it basically serves as a secondary Killer Snake.

Otherwise, nothing much about this card, but as this card is a Common, it's pretty easy to get one and use one. Also, a nice Side-Deck card against Hand Control.

Then, I'll move on to Noble: Du Noir.

Noble: Du Noir
Dark/Undead/5/2000/1400
While this card is face-up on the Field, when your opponent's Monster attacks, this card's controller chooses the target.

This card, being the heart of a Swift Attack deck, can also be useful in a Undead Deck.

First, the defense strength of this card is 1400, which means this card is special summonable by Pyramid Turtle and searchable by Witch. One of the downside to tihs card, though, is that it has very low attack strength, so you won't expect this thing stay on the field for long?

WRONG! If you really face a Big Monster like Goblin Strike Team and Psycho Shocker, you basically swift the attack to another target, meaning that making their monster suicide into some bigger monster, and you basically just keep swifting and swifting, so this card can be annoying.

The downside, though, is that the effect is semi-useless when you don't have too many monster on the field, and the low attack make this card weaker. But overall, a very fun card to use.

Next, I'll move on the Soul-Banishing Spirit.

Soul-Banishing Spirit
Dark/Undead/3/300/200
This card cannot be destroyed as a result of Battle. When this card is the target of a Magic, Trap or Effect Monster, destroy this card. If this card successfully completes a direct attack on your opponent, your opponent discards 1 card at random from his/her hand.

This card, another core of an Undead sub-type Deck, can also be useful in Hand Control.

First, this card can't be destroy in battle, meaning this card is a nice stalling card before you could do anything. The effect, though, can also create problem, if opponent use large army of Trample, stay away from this card, as it will do more harm to you than help.

Then, this card is destroy whenever it's target of Magic, Trap, of Effect, making this card can be easy to kill. Anyone don't like this card? Just Equip some Equipment on this card, target it with monster effect (Such as Dark Jelloid, the big killer of Soul-Banishing Spirit), etc. But, before you say anything. No, this card is only destroy when it's target, that's mean non-target card won't kill this card.

The discard effect is the reason why people use this card. Just complete a direct attack, and opponent lose a card. But, watch out when you use this effect, as it's probably in attack mode, you'll be easily got kill just because this thing can't die in battle.

Then, I'll move on to Fear from Darkness, from 304 set.

Fear From Darkness
Dark/Undead/4/1700/1500
If this card is placed in the Cemetery from your hand or deck by an opponent's card effect, Special Summon this card to the Field.

This card, another better 4-star Undead, and a effect that can be devastating.

First, the attack is so-so, but it's better than nothing, as 1700 isn't always that easy to getting around, and can do some small damage before it got kill.

Now, the whole reason this card deserved a place in this article is the effect. You'll say "Well, it's not really helpful", but this card could turn the fun discarding by your opponent against him/her, and can deal some quick damage before you do anything else.

Many consider its counterpart, Despair from Darkness, a better anti-discard Undead, but since this card is 4-star and Despair is 8-star, making this card more useful.

The last card of this article will be Returning Zombie, from PP6

Returning Zombie
Dark/Undead/4/1000/1600
During your Standby Phase, if this card is in your Cemetery and you have 0 cards in your hand, pay 500 Life Points and put this card into your hand.

This card, even though may looks good, but it's not really as good as it seems.

First, this card's effect sounds like Killer Snake, just with some more requirement. It's hard, though, to have 0 cards in your Standby Phase, as you draw a card 90% of the time in Draw Phase.

This card is just basically design to anti-Yata Lock, but, looking at the effect, it's not really useful, and since Yata will be ban in 3/1, making this card even more less useful (Unless your opponent run 3x Drop Off), but, it's always a good card to run in Side Deck, and can be any other Undead sub-type - creating the death to Hand Control.

Just for a simple Undead Deck, I'll take my deck and use it as a simple (Side Deck coming later, but Returning Zombie is definitely one of them.)

Simple Undead Sub-Type Deck

Here is picture for the card (Thanks OCG!)

-AL, 2/28/04

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