Number Hunters Full Spoiler + Set Review

It's here! Over the course of Tuesday, July 9, the full spoiler of Number Hunters was revealed. As such, here I am to give a set review! For those of you who want to see the spoiler in its entirety, check it out here: http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Number_Hunters

First, let's get specific. Below are two lists - cards I found to be useful and cards that I believe are amazing. Obviously I'm not an expert on every archetype that gets support in this set, so my opinions mostly come from the standpoint of an outsider. That being said, here we go:

Useful Cards

003 Chronomaly Mud Golem (Super)
026 Number 54: Lion Heart (Secret)
028 Number 44: Sky Pegasus (Secret)
029 Number 49: Fortune Tune (Secret)
035 Mechquipped Angineer (Super)
037 Coach King Giantrainer (Secret)
041 Comics Hero King Arthur (Secret)
047 Photon Alexandra Queen (Secret)
050 Princess Cologne (Secret)
054 Puppet Ritual (Super)
058 Number Wall (Secret)

Total: 11

Amazing Cards

027 Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder (Secret)
032 Number 74: Master of Blades (Secret)
033 Number 85: Crazy Box (Super)
039 Norito the Moral Leader (Secret)
045 Skypalace Gangaridai (Secret)
059 Heraldry Record (Super)

Total: 6

Now that I've shown you this, here are my general comments on the set.

First, the theme support. Most of it seems very lackluster from my initial reading of the set. Chronomaly decks got nothing to help coalesce the theme, Heroic Challengers got a couple of monsters with a lot of potential but nothing to lock in with, and Gimmick Puppets appear to be missing something important.

Secondly, the Xyz Monsters. It's a little disappointing that so many of the Xyz in this set turned out to be forgettable at best, especially for a set whose main selling point is the fact that it's chock full of new Xyz Monsters. But for the ones that ARE playable... well, watch out. They're coming for you.

And thirdly, the chase cards. I've outlined above what I believe to be the best cards in the set, and here's why you should be going after them if you don't already know:

Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder: Any card that can destroy two monsters in a single turn is great. Just look at my buddy Gauntlet Launcher! It also can causes heaps of burn damage if you happen to bring it out against an Xyz-heavy strategy at the right time, though I feel that's more of an added bonus instead of a reliable outcome.

Number 74: Master of Blades: This card is obviously good, packing big ATK and self-protection which is always valuable on strong monsters since they're often lightning rods for destruction. But it's particularly good in the Dragon Ruler mirror match, where the only real way to get rid of him is to drop Blaster, LADD, or any Level 8 Synchro with enough ATK and run him over. All things which can be easier said than done when you're being pressured by a formidable monster.

Number 85: Crazy Box: Every deck that can reliably summon Rank 4 Xyz now has an instant tribute for the Virus Traps. Have fun at your day jobs, because you certainly won't be having fun when you play Yugioh from now on lol. I can't think of a single playable deck that is completely or at least nearly unaffected by both Deck Devastation Virus and Eradicator Epidemic Virus, and even then your opponent still gets to see your hand, field, and whatever you draw for a few turns. On the bright side, at least Prophecy is less playable now. They might be forced to start siding Royal Decree, Trap Stun, or Seven Tools of the Bandit lol.

Norito the Moral Leader: The only deck I know of that can summon this badass chief priest somewhat easily is Dark Prophecy, but watch out for any others if they exist. He's yet another entry in a long line of monsters with high ATK and self-protection, which makes him instantly dangerous.

Skypalace Gangaridai: Decks that can summon Rank 10s now have access to spot removal with a side of burn. Nice!

Heraldry Record: I haven't seen many people talking about this card yet, but it's fucking amazing. It has a wider window of opportunity than my old favorite, Black Horn of Heaven, since it can be used any time an Xyz Monster is trying to activate a Material-costed effect, not just when the monster is originally being summoned. Look for this to replace Black Horn in sides aimed at defeating Xyz-focused decks like Wind-Ups and Dino Rabbit, and it's even useful when going up against current popular decks like Dragon Rulers or Evilswarm.

Now, for the rating. The set overall is not exactly overflowing with amazing cards (less than a third of the cards made it onto one of my lists), although the few that are worth picking up are pretty awesome, and even in a few cases meta-changing. So with all of that being said, I give Number Hunters a 7/10.

It's not something that's a massive priority to buy packs of, but if you like collecting good cards before they become extremely relevant, then this is the pack for you. Trust me, many of these cards are only going to get better with time, as more and more options for summoning them become viable and more decks come into existence that really benefit from them. So that's all for now, and thanks for reading!

EDIT: After buying a few packs of the set myself, I'm actually going to decrease my rating to a 5/10. The chance of pulling any of the best cards is far too low.