~ Skill Drain ~ DCR-049

Skill Drain
Continuous Trap

Pay 1000 Life Points. As long as this card remains face-up on the field, negate the effects of all face-up Effect Monsters on the field.

Skill Drain is one of the most versatile and underused cards, hands down. Not to mention one of the most misunderstood. Skill Drain negates the effects of ALL monsters on the field. Flip effects DO NOT get activated because the monsters are flipped face-up and when they are, they get negated. And yet certain monsters on the field can get around Skill Drain, mainly those with "trigger effects," certain cost effects that allow you to tribute said card for its effect, for example. Exiled Force gets around SD this way. Tribe-Infecting Virus, although you can discard for his effect, you do not get to destroy monsters of the chosen type.

Skill Drain decks are nearly always beatdown decks, focused around 4 star 2000+ attackers with detrimental effects like Goblin Attack Force and Jurai Gumbo. However people seem to forget that many monsters can get under Skill Drain because their effects activate in the GRAVE or in the HAND. Examples of graveyard only effect monsters are Sinister Serpent, Vampire Lord (his self-recursion) and Dark Necrofear, and hand-activating effects are Fusilier Dragon, Gilasaurus, and The Field Megacyber. And other monsters that aren't beatsticks with detrimental effects can even be incorporated into a Skill Drain deck, such as Big Shield Gardna.

What I'm getting at is a Skill Drain deck can be far more interesting and powerful than simply a revised beatdown theme...I am currently attempting to build such a deck with the list of monsters I've come up with thus far that evade Skill Drain and AREN'T 4 star beatsticks. Feel free to comment and add to the list!

Fusilier Dragon (beatstick but has GOOD effect)
Gilasaurus
Vampire Lord (self-recursion)
Curse of Vampire (when it comes out)
Gigantes (cept it destroys Skill Drain too)
Helpoemer
Newdoria
Dark Necrofear
Granadora
Big Shield Gardna
The Fiend Megacyber
Archfiend of Gilfer
Giant Germ
Kuriboh
Twin-Headed Behemoth
Nimble Momonga
Any of the 1500> searchers
Exiled Force
Sinister Serpent

...Basically monsters whose effects activate either in the hand or in the grave. Comments/Opinions?

Skill Drain gets a 5/5 in its own deck. Protecting a Continuous Trap can be difficult so it would be wise to pack your SD deck with Magic Jammers and maybe some Cats of Ill Omen to get to your Skill Drains quickly.
 
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An underused card but a very poweful one. It can send my deck packing if I don't get rid off it.

I think you have pretty much cover all the monsters that get under SD or benefit it the most. Usually when I think SD deck, I think some strange version of beatdown but your right, there are monsters out there that would also benefit from it besides the usually 2000+ atk'ers. The card doesn't negate summoning conditions so cards like Gilasaurus would still SP itself but the opponent would beneift from the secondary effect. I love what it'll do for Fusilier Dragon. Heh, normal summoning a 2800 atk'er without tribute. Same thing with Gardna. Blasted thing will finally STAY in defense mode after consecutive attacks.

Those Cats of Ill Omen could the trick. So can Magical Merchant. Cats can be bad sometimes when you all of the sudden at the end of the turn need something else than skill drain and Merchant won't necessarily give you SD and you can burn through a good portion of your monsters. But there are always ways around things.
 
Actually the opponent doesn't benefit from the secondary effect because Gilasaurus has to be successfully special summoned for your opponent to get the effect, but when hes special summoned, Skill Drain immediately negates his effect.

"You can Special Summon "Gilasaurus" while "Skill Drain" is active, but its effect is negated so your opponent does not get to Special Summon."

http://www.netrep.net
 
Um, I'm not sure if I am right about this SS, but in your list of cards that can get around Skill Drain, you had Vampire Lord in there (and I assume you mean that it CAN be resurrected through the special summon even with SD on the field)

Well, again, I'm not sure if I'm right, but Vampire Lord reads:

Each time this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent, declare 1 card type (Monster, Spell, or Trap). Your opponent selects 1 card of that type from his/her Deck and sends it to the Graveyard. Also, when this card is destroyed and sent to your Graveyard by your opponent's card effect, it is Special Summoned to the field during your next Standby Phase.

Would it not be correct to say that since VL is on the field along with SD that the ability mentioned is negated.

E.g VL is only monster on field
Fissure is used on it
It has been destroyed by effect...HOWEVER, since it was on the field at the time, the effect is negated and it doesn't return?

Also, it seems a couple there have the same problem (about where the effect actually activates) but this VL one I'm pretty sure about.


Otherwise, agree with you totally, SD is very underused for something that can prevent so much of someone's strategy being allowed to take place. A brilliant card (and at the low low price of said 1000 LP)
 
Skill Drain only negates effects that activaite on the field or take place on the field. Here's the ruling:

'"Skill Drain" negates the effects of face-up Effect Monsters on the field, but does not negate effects that activate in the Graveyard, such as "Witch of the Black Forest", "Sangan", "Mystic Tomato", "Giant Rat", "Exiled Force", "Sinister Serpent", and "Vampire Lord".'

It is for this same reason summoning requirements are not negated. They occur before the monster gets on the field.
 
doh, I could have just gone and read that for myself...silly me.

So rather than the first part of the effect about 'when destroyed by opponents cards effect' being the true effect...it's more of a requirement before the GRAVEYARD effect happens.

K, that makes more sense now.
 
While we're on the topic of Skill Drain, don't forget the ultimate sneaky combo. Since Skill Drain negates the effects of face up effect monsters DURING RESOLUTION, what youc an do is this: Flip Cyber Jar (for instance) and then chain Book of Moon to its effect activation to flip it face down again. The effect has properly been activated and since Book of Moon has flipped Cyber Jar face down before Skill Drain can kick in and negate the resolution of the effect, Cyber Jar's effect still goes through, even though its face down! 8^D

I don't take credit for this, there were numerous questions about Skill Drain when it came out that resulted in a ruling/post about this. Just wanted to archive it here for thsoe searching.
 
Cool. So Effects will be negated ONLY if the monster in question stays face up while the effect is resolving. Flip it down and the effect will continue unhindered by Skill Drain unless the effect itself require the monster to stay face-up.
 
Underused, but can turn the duel around at anytime. Espically with Fusilier Dragon's effect, which can be Special Summon w/ out tributes, can easily make ur opponent cower w/ out the loss of his amazing 2800 ATK points.

And monsters that ARE already face up when Skill Drain is activated (that have effects, such as Dark Ruler Ha Des) and monsters that are face down (such as Noble Man Eater Bug) their effects will be negated. And Skill Drain might even be powerful enough to take down the mighty Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 8 w/ ease, since w/ Skill Drain, spell cards will effect now, just wat SamuraiSasuke is trying 2 say.
 
Yeah, but just to clear up stuff, Fusilier's effect allows him to normal summon himself without tribute. Not Special summon. The card would have been too strong and Fiend Megacyber would be retired if this guy had its effect without a really good hinderance.
 
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