Deep Sea Diva. Why are you not using it?

Another blog entry from the TCG lover. This is just a casual blog entry to talk about Deep Sea Diva.

This card has been around for a while, and like many cards in our card pool, they get better with age. When Deep Sea Diva came out in Raging Battle, it was designed to be used with the other sea serpents in the set, like Spined Gillman. It was a support card for a very unsupported archetype, and if there was ever a sea serpent deck, Diva would be in it.

With it, you can drag out a monster from your deck. Sounds familiar to another card we all know doesn't it?

You know. It's a little girl with red hair and works in tourism. Specialises in one particular area; THE UNDERWORLD.

Yes. Tour Guide is probably one of the most powerful meta cards currently being played. Billy Brake (1st at YCS Columbus) used it, Alistair Albans (2nd) used it. Over half of the Top 32 used 3 of them. It's that good. However I, like most of the playerbase, have a life and the majority of our funds go to things that are a necessity. I would just like to say that if you devote your money into this game to play competitively, then I do not have any problems with that. It's really your money and if you want to spend $500+ on a playset of Tour Guides, then be my guest.

But I'm not one of those people. I look for alternatives and as far as I can see, Deep Sea Diva is a great alternative.

Here's what Tour Guide can do:

1. Special summon a Sangan or another copy of it.
2. Xyz into a Rank 3, mainly leviair
3. It can be fodder for Black Luster Soldier, Chaos Sorcerer or whatever you want
4. Poke for 1000
5. Make grown men yank their junk in a YCS (I don't actually know if this happens, but I guess I will be able to confirm that at YCS Brighton)

Now, here is what Deep Sea Diva can do:

1. Special summon any Sea Serpent below level 3 which includes a copy of itself
2. Xyz into a Rank 2. Gachi Gachi anyone?
3. Synchro into a level 5. Librarian/Catastor/Android anyone?
4. Fodder for Miracle fusion, which is what I use it for when it hits the grave.

Now that's been listed, lets see what they can fetch from the deck.

Tour Guide: Itself, Sangan (best generic searcher), Broww, Huntsman of Dark World (Bounce for Grapha, discard for a +1), Dark Resonator (Cannot be used for a synchro summon, but can stay on the field a while), Koa'ki Meiru Doom (Negates the hell out of so many cards this format).

Deep Sea Diva: Itself, Lost Blue Breaker (pop a backrow with it), Spined Gillman (Decent 1700 beater), Gishki Diviner (Good +1 if you guess it right)

But the main reason why I compare them is because while in many situations they are different, in some situations Deep Sea Diva is the better card. Simple as that. But it's been proven that Tour Guide overall is the better card to use, but that's not what I'm saying. Deep sea diva can make a quick synchro monster OR xyz into a Gachi Gachi OR get rid of back rows. It's ALMOST as versatile as Tour Guide yet it does not get the play it deserves. If you use the same layout that you do with Tour Guide (3TG + 1 Sangan), then you can toolbox Deep Sea Diva just as well. Because lets face it, Leviathan Dragon is a bad card. You made a 2500 vanilla (almost) with two $200 cards. Here's an idea: why not use a $3 rare and make catastor? One of them is prone to anything with a bit of muscle, and the other is almost Invincible in battle.

Seriously, It's a really good card. The amount of times I've been left with a level 4 on the field and nothing else. I topdeck Diva and just like that, the game has been turned around with a Trishula. 

Keep in mind that I only suggest this alternative to players who cannot afford Tour Guide. If you have the money, Tour Guide FTW.