Freed the Matchless General
EARTH/Warrior
5 Star
ATK: 2300, DEF: 1700
Effect:
Negate the effect of any Spell Card that designates this card as a target and destroy it. As long as this card remains face-up on the field, you can add 1 Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type monster from your Deck to your hand per turn instead of drawing 1 card during your Draw Phase. Then shuffle your Deck.
Rulings
Stats:
2300 ATK is solid for a 5 star monster and just shy of the Jinzo/Mobius the Frost Monarch standard. 1700 DEF will stand up to a good majority of the popular beatsticks, save a few. EARTH gives it lots of support and being a Warrior gives it even more support. I'm not even gonna bore you with all the support this combination has, but some of the better cards are Gaia Power, The Warrior Returning Alive, The A. Forces, etc. So far so good, but nothing truly game-breaking yet.
Effects:
First off, this guy can negate any Spell card that targets this lone card. That means any equip cards, your own Premature Burial, Tribute to The Doomed, etc. are ineffective. They can still be activated; they will just be destroyed. Sadly, this doesn't negate Creature Swap or cards like Fissure, Smashing Ground, Hammer Shot, etc. because they do not target. The good news is, he has another effect and boy is it a sweet one.
By giving up your draw for the turn, you can instead add a 4-star or lower Warrior to your hand from your deck. Now obviously this isn't something you're gonna want to use every turn, but it can sure help when done right. Add a Marauding Captain and swarm the field using his effect. Add a D. D. Warrior Lady or D. D. Assailant and you got a nice threat on the field. Add an Exiled Force and wipe out your opponent's big monster that's being a pain in your side. Add a... well, be creative - you get the idea.
As previously mentioned, this isn't something you'll want to use every turn because you could be giving up a valuable Spell or Trap that would prove even more useful than the monster you'd be selecting, but the effect is definitely useful.
Combos:
Obvious combos are the ones involved in giving up your draw to add a 4-star or lower Warrior. You could use Metamorphosis on this guy to summon something like Dark Balter the Terrible, Fiend Skull Dragon, or Reaper on the Nightmare. That doesn't fit the theme at all, but these cards certainly have their uses if you're so inclined. Let's face it though, Warriors swarm just as good if not better than any other type and Freed the Matchless General really adds to that.
Summary:
Warriors are a very popular type with plenty of support and options available. EARTH gives him good support, too and the stats are very solid. The ability to swarm and/or take control of the field using his second effect can be truly gamebreaking. I would go so far as to consider at least one a staple in a Warrior deck, particularly those heavy on the EARTH side. Heck, you might even be able to find a home for two.
Overall Rating:
8.5/10 - higher if you can boost his stats and surround him with useful Warriors.
EARTH/Warrior
5 Star
ATK: 2300, DEF: 1700
Effect:
Negate the effect of any Spell Card that designates this card as a target and destroy it. As long as this card remains face-up on the field, you can add 1 Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type monster from your Deck to your hand per turn instead of drawing 1 card during your Draw Phase. Then shuffle your Deck.
Rulings
- This card's effect that negates Spell Cards that target it is not optional.
- You can Special Summon this card from the Graveyard with "Monster Reborn" because its effect that negates Spell Cards is not active while it is in the Graveyard.
- You can activate "Premature Burial" to Special Summon this card from the Graveyard, and then this card's effect will negate and destroy "Premature Burial". "Freed the Matchless General" will not be destroyed since the effect of "Premature Burial" was negated by his effect.
- If this card is targeted by the effect of a Spell Card while face-down, the Spell Card's effect resolves.
- If your opponent activates "Change of Heart" and gains control of this card while it is face-down, and it is then flipped face-up, they retain control of it until the end of the turn. This is because the effect of "Freed the Matchless General" must be applied when the Spell Card is activated.
- A Spell Card that targets this card may be activated, but it will be negated and destroyed.
- The effect of this card will not negate "Creature Swap", "Fissure", "Smashing Ground", "Dark Hole", "Raigeki", or similar Spell Cards that do not target.
- If you try to equip "Fusion Sword Murasame Blade" to this monster, it will be negated and destroyed.
- The effect of this card that allows you to forfeit your draw to place a Warrior-Type monster from your Deck into your hand is optional. You do not have to activate it if you don't want to. If you attempt to activate this effect and find that you do not have any Warrior-Type monsters in your Deck, you do not get your normal draw back. You have already forfeited it.
- You can only forfeit your normal draw. If you activate "Jar of Greed" during the Draw Phase, you cannot replace that draw with the effect of "Freed the Matchless General".
- If you have two copies of this card on the field, you can still only add 1 Warrior-Type monster to your hand by forfeiting your normal draw.
- The activation of this card's effect that adds a Warrior-Type monster to your hand can be chained to.
- [Re: Butterfly Dagger - Elma] If "Butterfly Dagger - Elma" is negated and destroyed by "Ryu Senshi" or "Freed the Matchless General", it cannot return to your hand.
- [Re: Creature Swap] The opponent cannot chain "Fairy's Hand Mirror", "Riryoku Field", or "Shift" to "Creature Swap" because it does not target. For the same reason, "Lord of D." does not prevent Dragon-Type monsters from being selected, and "Freed the Matchless General" will not negate the effect of "Creature Swap".
- [Re: Fusion Sword Murasame Blade] If you equip this card to "Freed the Matchless General", "Ryu Senshi" or to a Warrior-Type monster you control when you have "Frontier Wiseman" on the field, it is negated and destroyed.
- [Re: Weapon Change] If you use "Weapon Change"'s effect on "Freed the Matchless General", "Weapon Change" is destroyed.
Stats:
2300 ATK is solid for a 5 star monster and just shy of the Jinzo/Mobius the Frost Monarch standard. 1700 DEF will stand up to a good majority of the popular beatsticks, save a few. EARTH gives it lots of support and being a Warrior gives it even more support. I'm not even gonna bore you with all the support this combination has, but some of the better cards are Gaia Power, The Warrior Returning Alive, The A. Forces, etc. So far so good, but nothing truly game-breaking yet.
Effects:
First off, this guy can negate any Spell card that targets this lone card. That means any equip cards, your own Premature Burial, Tribute to The Doomed, etc. are ineffective. They can still be activated; they will just be destroyed. Sadly, this doesn't negate Creature Swap or cards like Fissure, Smashing Ground, Hammer Shot, etc. because they do not target. The good news is, he has another effect and boy is it a sweet one.
By giving up your draw for the turn, you can instead add a 4-star or lower Warrior to your hand from your deck. Now obviously this isn't something you're gonna want to use every turn, but it can sure help when done right. Add a Marauding Captain and swarm the field using his effect. Add a D. D. Warrior Lady or D. D. Assailant and you got a nice threat on the field. Add an Exiled Force and wipe out your opponent's big monster that's being a pain in your side. Add a... well, be creative - you get the idea.
As previously mentioned, this isn't something you'll want to use every turn because you could be giving up a valuable Spell or Trap that would prove even more useful than the monster you'd be selecting, but the effect is definitely useful.
Combos:
Obvious combos are the ones involved in giving up your draw to add a 4-star or lower Warrior. You could use Metamorphosis on this guy to summon something like Dark Balter the Terrible, Fiend Skull Dragon, or Reaper on the Nightmare. That doesn't fit the theme at all, but these cards certainly have their uses if you're so inclined. Let's face it though, Warriors swarm just as good if not better than any other type and Freed the Matchless General really adds to that.
Summary:
Warriors are a very popular type with plenty of support and options available. EARTH gives him good support, too and the stats are very solid. The ability to swarm and/or take control of the field using his second effect can be truly gamebreaking. I would go so far as to consider at least one a staple in a Warrior deck, particularly those heavy on the EARTH side. Heck, you might even be able to find a home for two.
Overall Rating:
8.5/10 - higher if you can boost his stats and surround him with useful Warriors.
