JOTL Analysis #3 - World Premiere Review

It's that time again when a set of ten brand new, never before seen cards get released into the TCG! Since these cards tend to have a big impact on determining if a given set is good or not, I enjoy giving them a review.

000 Galaxy Serpent
In Hieratics, this opens up some new play sequences and easy access to Synchro Monsters. I'm not sure their Extra Deck can fit a ton of new Synchro options, but there's a chance that new builds that focus more on the Synchro aspect will begin to pop up. Outside of Hieratics though, I can't figure out any other decks that have a very good use for this card.  
Best use: 7.5/10
Generic use: 1/10

081 Bujingi Warg
This idea behind this card isn't bad, it's just that there are a million better things you could be doing with your time than trying to get this guy set up and ready to go. His protection doesn't cover his own ass, so I imagine you'd typically be better off trying to summon it after you already managed to get Yamato into play - at which point it would probably just make more sense to use them both to summon Susanowo. But if you are trying to use him, his effect isn't that hard to set up assuming you've got Bujingi Crane or some backrow ready to protect him during the turn he's left in attack position. Side note, his artwork is extremely badass: he looks like a Dark version of Bujingi Wolf! 3/10.

082 Mecha Phantom Beast Aerosguin
I'm not an expert on Mecha Phantom Beasts, but everything I've heard so far is that this card would've been better if it was level 4, in which case you'd be able to use it to summon Chidori and Dracossack. It can still generate tokens rather easily though, which I think is always a nice addition to the theme. Take it for what you will, I guess. Abstention/10.

083 Cockadoodledoo
It's nice to have another monster that helps you summon Wind Xyz like Totem Bird and Lightning Chidori (especially Totem Bird), but I can't figure out any particularly noteworthy uses for this card. There are some small things you can do with it here and there such as summoning it with its younger form Cheepcheepcheep, but ultimately it's not very impressive. 3/10.

084 Noble Knight Drystan
Noble Knights now have 1800 removal that can be both pulled straight from the deck and instantly activated with Medraut, or used as a standalone wrecking ball. Awesome. 8/10.

085 Tour Bus To Forbidden Realms
The fastest way to analyze the effectiveness of this card is to simply grab a list of "good" searches it can perform:

1. Lava Golem
2. Jowls of Dark Demise
3. Koa'ki Meiru Doom
4. Evil Hero Infernal Gainer
5. Evil Hero Malicious Edge

Your opinion of what cards are good might differ from mine, but overall I think we can all agree that this card itself won't be very good until more potential searches are released. Also, Flip Effects are not very good at this point in the history of the game. On a side note, I think it's awesome how the artwork parodies Sangan's journey to the banned world lol. 3/10.

086 Confronting the "C"
Another defensive wall that you can drop from your hand, similar to last set's Trifortressops - the chief difference is that your opponent must summon from their Extra Deck to trigger this card's summon. This card is pretty decent, since it can block a lot of potential attacks and it protects itself from targeting monster effects. If it had just 100 more DEF, that would make it the ultimate defense against Dracossack and Big Eye. Also, it'd be better if you could drop it at any point during your opponent's turn, or at least also during the Battle Phase. It's not amazing, but it's still a hand trap, still a good defense, and overall, still a playable card. Also, really cool art! I love the idea of some random guy who doesn't pick up after himself waking up to six different pairs of blinding glares and slowly realizing that, well, now might be the time for an exterminator. 5.5/10.

087 Angel of Zera
If you want to find the definition of overhyped, look no further! As a longtime Agent player, I am only going to say this once: This card alone will not make Agents competitive again. The combo with Hyperion is great and all, but people are ignoring the fact that you have to summon this card in the first place. Summoning Level 8 Synchros is no easy task for an Agent deck unless you want to run trashy cards like Birdman, who even then will only get it done easiest when performing your once-per-game Venus play. And in that case, how do you know for sure that the situation won't call for another level 8 Synchro? There's a truck full of other good ones out there that may suit the situation at hand better than this guy would.

The hype doesn't change the fact that this is a pretty decent card, though. Being basically immune to banishing removal is great insurance for a monster with such high ATK, and the card is AMAZING for Banishing decks. Imagine staring down a 2800+ monster that you literally cannot get rid of, who grows stronger every time another card falls into the Dimensional Fissure. The main issue for everyone else is that he's competing with an already well-established roster of extremely powerful level 8s, making it both tough to find room for him and tough to justify summoning him.  
Best use: 9/10.
Generic use: 5/10.

088 Xyz Encore
I've already gone into detail about this card when it was first revealed last week, so go check that out if you haven't already. It's a very difficult card to apply a rating to since it's nearly useless (or completely outclassed) against most decks, but an absolute wrecking ball against the decks we've established to be weak to it (cough, Evilswarm).
Best use: 8.5/10
Generic use: 5/10 

089 Moon Dance Ritual
This card is really eccentric. It's yet another entry in the "Wind World Premieres that have a distinctively anti-meta feel to them," and like those previous entries, it's pretty mediocre at best. I think the core of the problem here is that it's difficult to find a Wind Xyz that's easy to summon, has good stats, and can ditch its materials fast. And even then, why wouldn't you just play Skill Drain? 1.5/10.



All in all, I think this batch of World Premieres was strikingly average to below average. Only one card is really good (Drystan), but I expect Xyz Encore to have a big impact on the game going forward just because of how well it counters one of the top decks right now, Evilswarm. With nine ratings in the mix, the average rating for this set of WPs (using generic ratings only) came out to about 3.8/10, which isn't great, but hey. At least a few of the cards have much higher potential when used in their best strategies.

I had so much fun doing this review that I've decided I might occasionally review other sets of World Premiere cards, regardless of how new they are. So if you're interested stay tuned for that, and don't hesitate to suggest cards or sets that you'd like to see reviews for. As always, thanks for reading!