Warriors

Warriors are the most supported Type in this game. There are several archetypes that, while not Warrior-exclusive, possess numerous splashable monsters at their disposal. Destiny Hero - Malicious, Colossal Fighter, Don Zaloog, D.D. Warrior Lady—these are but a few examples. In fact one of the, if not the most supported monsters in the game is Elemental Hero Neos, a Normal Monster!

Why do I bring this up? Well, at the Extreme Victory Sneak Preview last weekend, while going through the commons and rares in the set I came across T.G. Striker and Elder of the Six Samurai. 

T.G. Striker (Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 2/ATK 800/DEF 0)

If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. During the End Phase of the turn this card on the field was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can add 1 "T.G." monster from your Deck to your hand, except "T.G. Striker".

Elder of the Six Samurai (Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 3/ATK 400/DEF 0)

If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand.

Now I'm sure I'm not the first to think up of this particular combo but Striker + Elder = Legendary Six Samurai  - Shi En. 

With this new trick, combined with the handful of splashable Warriors in Extreme Victory, Warrior Toolbox just got one heck of a lot better.

Remember players, the game ends with you.

Samurai vs Gravekeeper's

A recent article regarding the match-up between Six Samurai and Gravekeeper's caught my attention. While I have no doubt that Samurai could easily overpower Gravekeeper's, the combination of Royal Tribute and Necrovalley could cost them a game or two.

The solution?

Without Necrovalley to worry about players are safe to recover fallen Samurai. The extra Bushido Counters are just a bonus. Of course I wouldn't expect anyone to Main Deck it, but it is a decent Side Deck option.

Remember players, the game ends with you.

Going Oldschool

As many of you may have already realized that the prices of classic Six Samurai support cards has increased exponentially since the announcement of new support for the theme. The first of these was True Six Samurai - Kizan, a card that unlocked so much potential to the Samurai that players began hyping them up as the new X-Sabers. I was skeptical at first but when I learned that the archetype was to receive their own set of Tuners and a new Shien Synchro Monster, it was pretty clear that Six Samurai would join the ranks of the other Tier 1 decks.

Speaking of which, I just love how each of the True Six Samurai has a relation to previous Six Samurai cards:

• True Six Samurai - Kizan is a younger Grandmaster of the Six Samurai.
• True Six Samurai - Shien is Great Shogun Shien before he became a ruler. Also, Tenkabito Shien is Great Shogun Shien without his armor. Tenkabito means "conqueror of the world".
• True Six Samurai - Enishi is Enishi, Shien's Chancellor before he joined Shien's court.
• True Six Samurai - Mizuho is a younger Hand of the Six Samurai.
• True Six Samurai - Kageki is a younger Chamberlain of the Six Samurai, before he lost his arms.
• True Six Samurai - Shinai is Spirit of the Six Samurai before it died. Also, based Shinai and Mizuho's effects and art, it's likely they may have been lovers in the past.
• Shien's Yoriko is a younger Shien's Footsoldier. Yoriko means "approaching child" (scout).
• Kagemusha of the Six Samurai is a younger Kagemusha of the Blue Flame. Kagemusha means "impersonator" (body double), and Shien means "blue flame".

A few hours ago I received word of new Spell and Trap support for the archetype, and believe me Samurai fans, you'll be lovin' some of these:

Shien's Smoke Signal (Normal Spell Card)

Add 1 Level 3 or lower "Six Samurai" monster from your Deck to your hand.

Residence of the Six (Field Spell Card)
Each time your Normal Summon or Special Summon a "Six Samurai" monster, place 1 Bushido Counter on this card. Face-up monsters your opponent controls lose 100 ATK for each Bushido Counter on this card.

Ascetism of the Six Samurai (Quick-Play Spell Card)
Activate by selecting 1 "Six Samurai" monster you control. Special Summon 1 "Six Samurai" monster with the same ATK as the selected monster but with a different name from your Deck. During the End Phase of this turn, destroyed the selected monster.

Rokusakani no Magatama (Counter Trap Card)
Activate only if you control a face-up "Six Samurai" monster. Negate the activation of an opponent's Spell Card, Trap Card, or Effect Monster's effect that destroys a card(s), and destroy it.

Their own Reinforcement of the Army, a new Field Spell that has synergy with Gateway of the Six and Six Samurai United, a newer version of Cunning of the Six Samurai, and finally their own Counter Trap...makes me think that Konami should have named this set Storm of the Six Samurai.

Remember players, the game ends with you.

Double or Nothing

With Heavy Storm now banned, I've been seeing a LOT of Mystical Space Typhoon spamming now that the latter's been semi-limited. The solution? Chain Whirlwind.

I'll admit, I was surprised when most players overlooked this common card in Duelist Revolution, but it's quickly proved to be quite potent. In an age where player set without fear, turning your opponent's 1-for-1 removal into a 2-for-3 can be quite devastating, if not unexpected.

It certainly makes up for the lack of mass S/T removal, though there are other options. The newly unlimited Black Rose Dragon also comes to mind, though you'll need to watch out for Starlight Road.

Remember players, the game ends with you.

UPDATE: Apparently teching a copy of Chain Whirlwind in your Six Samurai deck isn't a half bad idea, especially when Hand, Yaichi, Kamon, and Irou can easily fulfill the activation requirements.