Looking Ahead 15 - Card Blocker

Just because we can't get enough of Card Trooper.

Card Blocker
Earth/Warrior/3/400/400
When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned, put it in defense mode. When a face-up monster on your field is the target of an attack, you can change the target of that attack to this card. When this card is target of attack, you can send up to the top 3 cards from your deck to Graveyard. For each card sent, increase this card's DEF by 500 until the End Phase.

Where From: Limited Edition 10, Chaos Black Pack (Pack 1)
Likely TCG Appearance: Shonen Jump Magazine (As some promo deal)

Gee those stats and effect look vaguely familiar. So how exactly does Card Blocker stack up to big brother? Not as good, but this card has several things going for it on its own.

For starters, Card Blocker is a Warrior rather than a Machine. So while no Limiter Removal or Machine Duplication for this card, Reinforcement of the Army can find it easily enough. Also, it's effect allows it to beef up its DEF rather than its ATK. Fortunately, another of its effects allows it to shift to defense position on being summoned so you don't have to worry about getting it to face-up defense position in order to use the boost.

While this card won't let you draw an extra card when it's destroyed, this can be used to help protect your other face-up monsters when an attack is declared. Also unlike Card Trooper, the boosting effect can be used more than once to help create a very strong defensive monster. Granted, Cyber Dragon and Monarchs will usually be able to attack over this, but otherwise Card Blocker will be able stop most attacks (including Card Trooper). Lastly, Card Blocker provides yet another option for decks that are built around getting monsters and cards into the Graveyard.

3 out of 5. Big ATK Monsters are almost always better than big DEF Monsters and the lack of an extra draw made Card Blocker far less useful than Card Trooper. However, the card is very good for slow and stall themed decks. It will still provide the means to mill through your deck and get cards like Malicious, Dasher, Disk Commander, etc. into the Graveyard for you to work with as well as fuel decks like Bazoo/Return and Skull Lair. If anything happens to Card Trooper, this card can fill in as a decent replacement in a number of non-machine dependant decks.
 
I pretty much hate these kind of effects, myself, but in the right decktype, they're alright. It's nowhere near as abusable as trooper, not having the +1 draw on it, and not being a machine. It was nice to see Machine Duplication being used, but just having it splashed into any old random deck for the sake of 3 troopers is pretty bad.

This is what Trooper should've been more like, however, only pumping up to 1900 defense total isn't as useful as it could be if it pumped up to 2100 or 2200, making it more of a threat to be dealt with, since Cyber Dragon wouldn't just run over it that way.
 
Think of it this way. youre attacked by a monster you send the cards but stop the attack by also playing sakuretsu or something then his other high atk monster attacks send 3 more to the grave then he gets pretty nice and its great mill for your deck.
 
The lesser brother of Card Gunner/Card Trooper. It's not as good, since this is defensive rather then offensive. (Only 1900DEF, if you need DEF, run GK Spy) Although this thing is supported by ROTA. (And Card Trooper is supported by Limiter Removal and Machine Duplication)

And yeah, the biggest downside is the lack of draw effect. Really, the reason why Card Trooper is being SO ABUSED right now is the draw effect when destroyed by battle OR card effect. (I mean, when a player does the Card Trooper + Machine Duplication, your kinda forced to activate that Torrential Tribute/Mirror Force even though you KNOW that they'll draw 3 cards or else eat a 5700LP damage or OTK game if they have Limiter Removal along with it) A 1900ATK beatstick that have draw power is kinda abusive...
 
Back
Top