Monday, October 3, 2011

Photon Shockwave Set Review - Part 1

Over the next few days, I will be providing a set review over Photon Shockwave. I will most likely do a third of the core set per day, then follow up with the TCG exclusives, and add individual reviews of the exclusives as they get revealed. I am mostly taking into consideration current tournament-level playability; I don't care how good the card may be in "sealed/draft/limited", and I obviously can't predict how the card may interact with un-released cards. For the important cards, I will give my prediction for what it's secondary market value may be as well. If it doesn't have a value by it, it will most likely be a $1/$2 Rare/Super at most.

Translation of the card effects and rarities were taken from Spike & Baron's Duel Monsters Comet. I'm not too concerned about altering any rarity up/downgrades, unless it's very significant (like the 'most likely' Rescue Rabbit bump).

Scoring guidelines:
0/5 - Garbage card. Auto-trashbin.
1/5 - Better, but still pretty bad. I wouldn't feel bad about throwing it away.
2/5 - Has potential in a lower-tier archetype-specific deck. OR, can still be bad, but I wouldn't throw it away.
3/5 - Has potential in a middle-tier archetype-specific deck.
4/5 - I could see this card being played competitively, but not necessarily busted.
5/5 - Bomb that will affect the competitive game. Try to pick these up at sneak peeks.

So without further ado, part one of the review!
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PHSW-JP001
Bunnila
Earth/Beast/1/150/2050
(Normal Monster)
Well, Battle Footballer at least has 2100 DEF, but if there is ever a good rank 1 XYZ that requires a normal monster, sure, but for the time being, pointless.
0/5

PHSW-JP002
Rabbi Dragon
Light/Dragon/8/2950/2900
(Normal Monster)
Another pointless normal monster. Blue Eyes has 50 more attack and the same type/attribute. Who cares about DEF?
0/5

PHSW-JP003
Rai-Rider
Light/Thunder/3/1200/1400
When this card battles with an opponent's monster, that monster cannot attack as long as it's face-up on the field.
Um, wouldn't Fiendish Chain be a much better card than this?
0/5

PHSW-JP004
Needle Swordsman
Wind/Warrior/1/300/600
When this card deals battle damage to opponent's Life, return all face-up card in opponent's Magic & Trap Zone to their owner's hand.
So it's a situational Giant Trunade that only hits face-up S/T's? With triple MST, Heavy, Dust Tornado, Breaker, etc, pointless.
1/5 because it's RotA-able.

PHSW-JP005
Kagetokage ("Shadow Lizard")
Dark/Reptile/4/1100/1500
This card cannot be normally summon.  When you successfully summon a Level 4 monster, you can special summon this card from your hand.  This card cannot be used as Synchro material.
Rare
A cute little way to XYZ for rank 4. I can't see this being better than the current Rank 4 engines we have now in Ultimate Offering Gadgets, and Summoner Monk + Sacred Crane/Tengu.
1/5

PHSW-JP006
Korobokkuli
Earth/Plant/1/200/400
Activate only during your Main Phase.  Send a [Matsubokkuru] from hand to Graveyard, special summon this card from your hand.
Review combined with the following card since they are a "combo".

PHSW-JP007
Matsubokkuru
Earth/Plant/1/400/200
When this card is sent to Graveyard by the effect of [Korobokkuli], you can special summon this card from Graveyard.
So if you have both of these guys, one in hand and one in grave, you can special them out to the field. If one was a tuner you could at least bring out Formula with it, may be OK when we have the Rank 1 XYZs.
1/5

PHSW-JP008
Killer Rabuka ("Killer Frilled Shark")
Water/Fish/3/700/1500
When a face-up Fish, Sea Dragon, or Aqua-type monster on your field is chosen as target of attack, remove this card in Graveyard from game to activate. Negate the attack of an attacking monster, and until your next End Phase the attack strength of that monster is decrease by 500. The effect of [Killer Rabuka] can only be used once per turn.
Rare
Neat, a Necro Gardna for Fish/Sea Dragon/Aqua. I really don't know the new Fish/Aqua cards that were released in GENF, but I can't imagine this being the card that sets them over the top. It seems like a decent card, level 3 for Rank 3 seems good.
2/5

PHSW-JP009
Shark Sucker
Water/Fish/3/200/1000
When a Fish, Sea Dragon, or Aqua-type monster is Summon or Special Summon to your field, you can special summon this card from hand.  This card cannot be used as Synchro material.
If it were special'd from the grave I think it would be pretty good, but from the hand, I don't see it being that good.
1/5

PHSW-JP010
Hari Manbou
Water/Fish/3/1500/100
When this card is sent to Graveyard, choose a face-up monster on opponent's field to activate.  The attack strength of the chosen opponent's monster is decrease by 500.
I've never really liked cards like this. There are much better cards that have better effects when they're destroyed/sent to the grave.
0/5

PHSW-JP011
Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon
Light/Dragon/8/3000/2500
You can special summon this card by releasing 2 monsters on your field with attack strength of 2000 or more.  During the Battle Step in which this card battles an opponent's monster, you can remove that opponent's monster and this card from game. The monsters removed from game by this effect is return to field at the end of Battle Phase. If the removed monster is an Exceeds Monster, this card's attack strength is increase by the number of Exceeds material on that Exceeds monster when it's removed from game x500.
Ultra/Ultimate/Holographic Rare
So here's one of our tin promos - I'd hate to pull this from an actual booster pack, lol. I think the summoning conditions are too steep, and the effect not good enough, to be considered playable.
2/5
Market value: $5-7, but will be hard to move simply because it's in the tin as well.
Ghost rare, for the sake of it being Ghost, maybe $10. If you pull one and aren't a collector of Ghosts, trade/sell it on sneak day. 

PHSW-JP012
Daybreaker
Light/Warrior/4/1700/0
When this card is successfully special summon, you can special summon a [Daybreaker] from your hand.
Rare
Even if this were re-worded to be good, it still wouldn't be that great.
1/5

PHSW-JP013
Light Serpent
Light/Reptile/3/1200/800
When this card is sent to Graveyard from hand, you can special summon this card from Graveyard.  This card cannot be used as Synchro material.
Super Rare
Unfortunately this ain't no Sinister Serpent, nor is it Treeborn Frog. Level 3 is still the best level to be for XYZ purposes, so at least it has that going for it.
2/5

PHSW-JP014
Plasma Ball
Light/Thunder/3/900/900
This card can attack opponent directly.  When this card deal Battle Damage to opponent's Life in a Direct Attack, destroy this card.
Wait, what? Destroy itself when you successfully deal damage with it? Unless there's some combo with it that I'm not seeing, seems rather pointless.
0/5

PHSW-JP015
Photon Kerberos
Light/Beast/3/1300/600
During the turn this card is successfully summoned, neither player can activate Trap card while this card is face-up on the field.
Super Rare
So it's like a one-turn mini-Jinzo. I think Trap Stun is a better card, but at least you can XYZ with this guy or whatever. Light attribute is good.
2/5

PHSW-JP016
Evoldo Gephiros
Fire/Reptile/1/200/400
When this card is destroyed and sent to Graveyard as a result of Battle, you can choose a [Evoldar] monster from your Graveyard and special summon it.
I really don't know how these Evoldo/Evoldar things are, but like most new archetypes, probably won't get anywhere. For its archetype though, the effect seems pretty decent. Too bad it wasn't just "sent to the Graveyard".
2/5

PHSW-JP017
Evoldo Vestro
Fire/Reptile/3/700/1900
Reverse: Special Summon a [Evoldar] monster from your deck.
Rare
Seems a lot like that one worm guy that can special from the deck. This has a very good DEF, and a good effect.
2.5/5, but would probably be staple in an Evoldo/Evoldar deck. Giving it an extra 0.5 because it's the best of the Evoldos.

PHSW-JP018
Evoldo Odokeris
Fire/Reptile/2/500/1200
When this card is successfully summoned, you can special summon a [Evoldar] monster from your hand.
This card is a good Evoldar-enabler. It's crappy stats are a turn-off, but all the Evoldo's work with Offering to the Snake Deity so that's cool.Vestro is clearly the best Evoldo at this time.
2/5

PHSW-JP019
Evoldar Urucanodon
Fire/Dino/4/1200/1000
When this card is successfully summoned by the effect of [Evoldo] monster, you can choose a [Evoldar] monster from your Graveyard and special summon it.  The monster special summoned by this effect cannot declare attack.
Rare
It's too bad none of these Evoldo/Evoldar guys are tuners to bring out Trish in some way, but it's mostly to support Lagia's 2x 4star Dino requirement. Too bad it has to be summoned by an Evoldo to get its effect.
2/5, probably 4/5 in Evoldo deck.

PHSW-JP020
Evoldar Cerato
Fire/Dino/4/1900/1400
When this card is successfully summoned by the effect of [Evoldo] monster, increase the attack strength of this card by 200. Afterward, when this card destroys opponent's monster as a result of battle, you can add a [Evoldo] monster from your deck into your hand.
Super Rare
Being 1900 is great, and has a good effect when it successfully kills a monster.
2/5, staple in Evoldo deck.

PHSW-JP021
Evoldar Diplodocus
Fire/Dino/4/1600/800
When this card is successfully summon by the effect of [Evoldo] monster, choose a Magic or Trap card on opponent's field and destroy it.
Another solid Evoldar monster, this time with a great effect.
2/5, staple in Evoldo deck.

PHSW-JP022
Zenmai Warrior
Earth/Warrior/4/1200/1800
Can be activate by choosing a face-up [Zenmai] monster on your field. Until End Phase increase the level of the chosen monster by 1, and its attack strength by 600. This effect can only be used once while this card is face-up on the field.
This looks like more Wind-Up support, I really don't know much about the archetype other than they have a psuedo-Black Whirlwind. It's 600 atk boost is OK, but doesn't seem quite good enough to mean much.
1/5

PHSW-JP023
Zenmai Knight
Light/Warrior/4/1800/1200
When a face-up [Zenmai] monster on your field is chosen as the target of attack, you can negate that attack. This effect can only be used once while this card is face-up on the field.
A one-time Utopia-like effect. 1800 atk is OK in this era.
2/5

PHSW-JP024
Zenmai Hunter
Light/Warrior/4/1800/1200
Can be activate during your Main Phase by releasing a face-up [Zenmai] monster on your field other than [Zenmai Hunter]. Send a card from opponent's hand to Graveyard randomly. This effect can only be used once while this card is face-up on the field.
Super Rare
LOL I can totally see someone using this effect and hitting a Darkworld monster. 1800 atk is again OK, and against non-Darkworld is good.
0/5 vs Darkworld, 2/5 otherwise

PHSW-JP025
Zenmai Bat
Wind/Machine/1/300/350
Can be activate during your Main Phase. Change this card on your field in face-up attack mode to face-up defense mode, add a [Zenmai] monster from your Graveyard into hand. This effect can only be used once while this card is face-up on the field.
Being a floater is good, I don't see it being played even in Wind-Ups though, I dunno.
1/5

PHSW-JP026
Zenmai Nyanko ("Zenmai Kitty Cat")
Earth/Beast/2/800/500
Can be activate during your Main Phase. Choose a monster on opponent's field and return it to its owner's hand. This effect can only be used once while this card is face-up on the field.
A lot like Neospacian Grand Mole except you don't have to attack with it; nice. Too bad it has to sit there next turn though. Obviously good to bounce away synchros and XYZs.
2/5

PHSW-JP027
Telepon D.D.
Earth/Psychic/2/500/1800
When this face-up card on your field is removed from game, you can removed a Psychic-type monster with attack strength of 1500 or less in your deck from game.  During your next Standby Phase, special summon the mosnter removed from game by this effect.
Ever since Mind Master got banned the Psychic fans in our area have given up on the archetype. So it has to be banished directly from the field, which I don't know how often happens in Psychics. The recursion effect is good, but again, it's Psychics; whatever.
1/5

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