Future Visions: The Heroic Archetype

Now here's something a bit more interesting to read. I'm going to start doing a segment discussing the archetypes of the future. With more archetypes being pumped out and old ones becoming redundant in just a couple of sets, it's hard to keep up with them.

However, here's where I lend a hand. You can thank me later. Infact you can help me now by hovering your mouse on an advertisement on this blog and clicking it, but that's going off topic.

So I will use my current TCG superior knowledge to delve into the archetypes of the future and discuss their impact in the current TCG, the first being the Heroic archetype which debuts in Return of the Duelist.

Now there is currently only a few out with more debuting in the set after (the name of that set has not been announced yet). They mainly focus on helping eachother out and being overall quite cheap. They also have this annoying ability to boost their attack to stupid heights, allowing for OTKs and things like that.

Heroic Challenger Spartas

"Once per turn, when an opponent's monster declares an attack: you can target another heroic monster you control. During this battle phase, this card gains attack equal to the targeted monster's attack"

So yeah, off the bat it's already at 1600 and it can only go up. At long as you have 2 of these on the field, your opponent will have to summon something with 3200 attack to get over one of these. That's pretty stupid. And with 3 of them on the field, you're opponent will have to rely on removal to get these off the field. Add something like Safe zone on it and you've got something really nasty.

Heroic Challenger Warhammer

"When this card destroys a monster in battle: you can target the destroyed monster and equip it to this card (Only one monster can be equipped to this card at one time). This card gains attack equal to the monster equipped to this card by this effect."

So if you destroy something with 2000 attack, this card becomes 4100 attack. That's not too bad. It would be awesome if you could send the equip card to negate Warhammer's destruction. To be honest, it's not worth the effort unless you're playing a pure version. I'd rather summon something like caius with the tribute but at least Warhammer has the benefit with working with the other heroic cards.

Heroic Challenger Sword Shield

"During either player's turn, if you control a face-up Heroic monster: you can send this card from your hand to the graveyard; this turn, you take no battle damage and Heroic monsters you control cannot be destroyed in battle"

Now this can be compared to something like Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky or Shien's squire, but it's better. Even if you don't have a heroic to protect, it's 2000 defence is makes for a good wall. It can help keep your monsters on the field so you have them for an Xyz summon next turn. I think that's probably why it was made. Not much else to say about this card. I wouldn't run it personally since there are better more meta cards that do a better job. Why protect your heroics with this when you can just mirror force your opponent's away?

Heroic Challenger Double Lance

"When this card is normal summoned: you can special summon 1 Heroic Challenger Double Lancer from your hand or graveyard. This card cannot be used for a synchro summon. This card cannot be used for an xyz material, except for the xyz summon of a warrior type monster"

I'm so glad they changed the effect. In the anime, it could be treated as two monsters, therefore you can Xyz summon with just this card! When i watched it happening, I couldn't believe how broken that was. At least now it's not absolutely ridiculous. So with 1700 attack and the ability to summon another from the hand of graveyard, you can smack your opponent for 3400 with 1 card, which isn't too bad is it?

For a heroic player, this is most likely worth playing in 3s with it's ability to xyz, just by summoning itself. Currently you can summon either their Heroic xyz or Number 39: Utopia, which is nice.

Now for the Support cards

Heroic Chance

"Double the ATK of one heroic monster you control. That monster cannot attack your opponent directly. You can only activate one Heroic chance per turn"

So with this, you can boost any heroic you control to a pretty high number. It's good that they took away being able to attack directly, otherwise it would be a little stupid. That being said, with that, it becomes quite situational since your need to have a heroic on your field, a monster in attack mode on theirs, and the agreement that your monster can no longer attack directly with it's now large attack. And by the way, that's permanent until the monster dies, not just till the end of the turn. At least it allows most of the heroics to get over most problems.

Heroic Revenge Sword

"Target 1 Heroic monster you control and equip this card to that target. After damage calculation, if you recieved battle damage involving the equipped monster: Inflict the battle damage you recieved to your opponent and destroy the opponent's monster that battled."

Ok this card is pretty terrible. It assumes that your monster is going to have to die to get this effect off. That alone is what makes it bad. You have to wait for one of your opponent's monsters to attack over yours before this card becomes useful. Even then, inflicting that little bit of damage back to your opponent is not worth it. Sure, their monster dies but do you know what would have saved your monster? Any half decent playable trap card currently in the game.

Now for the main card of the archetype. The card you have all been waiting for...

 Heroic Champion Excalibur

"Once per turn: you can detach 2 xyz materials from this card; until the opponent's next end phase, this card's original attack is doubled."

Here we are, the big beater of the archetype. It's also the cover card of the Return of the Duelist set. I don't really know why though. So it's attack doubles to 4000 with it's effect, making it 99 times out of 100, the biggest monster on the field. It's not difficult to summon either and since it requires 2 level 4 warrior types to summon it, it's not specific to it's own archetype either. Bubbleman Beat is currently using Blade Armor Ninja but this card can also be used to dish out some nice damage. It also keeps its boost until your next turn, so it's not an easy card to run over after you've attacked with it. In the archetype itself, you can just use Double lance to get the necessary materials on the field. You could also use something like Goblinbergh to get the first double lance out then summon this card. Then next turn you can summon another double lance and do it again. the artwork looks nice too.

So yeah that's the Heroic Archetype so far. They currently need some outside help to make them work but so far they have some potential. They wont cost too much to make either and there's always hope for some broken TCG Exclusive to push them over the edge.