Hello again! I’m here this week to discuss more on the upcoming Battle Pack: Epic Dawn (BPED) set that will be released later this month. First, I want to start with some good news. Although BPED is officially being released May 29th, YCS Philadelphia will be holding BPED sealed side events on both the 19th and 20th – a week and a half before hobby stores get the product! I will be attending this YCS and while I hope I don’t have time for side events because I’m doing well in the main event, knowing BPED sealed play is debuting will make the sting of scrubbing out a little less painful.
Now, on to today’s topic – bombs! In sealed play, the term “bomb” refers to a card that is so overpowered for limited (sealed), that it absolutely must be played in the deck if the proper support cards are present. Cards like Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End and Harpy’s Feather Duster are both examples of bombs. What I would like to do this article is start going over some of the bombs you’ll stumble upon in BPED and why you’ll want to play them. So, here goes! Note: I’m going to try and stick with mostly cards that aren’t blatantly obvious as broken (ie: Raigeki, Pot of Greed, etc).
Metal Reflect Slime
This card is rarely played in constructed events because of the copious amounts of monster and trap removal that construct the current metagame. However, with the ability to drop a 3000 defense monster on your opponent in a format where there are very few forms of removal can give you the enough time to build momentum and win the duel. And let’s face it, your opponent is probably not going to be able to attack over it; the only way that would happen is if they have a big monster plus a battle trick. If this is the case, your Metal Reflect Slime will still be a 1-for-1, so you won’t necessarily minus yourself by playing it. Another use for this card is that it is gives you a special summon in a format where special summoning may be very limited (you’re not going to run into Tour Guide into Leviair, bring back Rescue Rabbit, special summon two Sabersaurus, make Laggia, blahblahblah). Because Monarchs, who succeed best with tribute fodder, will likely be critical to successful beatdown strategies, any card that gives you an easy special summon will hold a ton of value in the format. A card like Metal Reflect Slime is considered a bomb because of the various ways it can shift momentum in your favor.
Liberty at Last!
The second card on this list is another trap. Liberty at Last! saw some success when Agents were a popular deck because it served as an easy way to get rid of Gachi Gachi Gantetsu and a boss monster. I want to mention that the text on Liberty at Last! is not correct. The monsters are returned to the deck, not the hand. I’m sure one reason Konami chose to include this card in BPED was to correct this text once and for all. Now, this card is very clearly good because it can completely remove your opponent’s momentum. When I read this card, I immediately think versatility. While it can only return face up monsters to the deck, Liberty at Last! can bounce back your own monsters if you are close to decking out or if you want to reuse some of your monarchs. This card can also be used on either turn. On your turn, you can crash your smallest monster into your opponents, activate Liberty at Last! and bounce away two of your opponent’s monsters to clear a direct path to their life points and a victory.
2x Tour Guide from the Underworld
Clearly one of the most anticipated cards in BPED is Tour Guide. Unsurprisingly, this card is insane in sealed play too. Tour Guide is one of the only monsters in the game (I’m very tempted to say the ONLY monster in the game) that single-handedly can yield offensive, defensive, and strategic plays by itself. Looking up the word “versatility” in the Yugioh dictionary would yield a picture of Tour Guide from the Underworld. If you are lucky enough to open up two of this card in your sealed packs as well as a rank 3 XYZ, you absolutely must play them. Overturning your opponent’s momentum with a 2500 attack Leviathan Dragon can be just what you need to pull out a win. I’ll be especially envious of anyone that nabs a starfoil version of this powerhouse.
Mask of Darkness
With some powerful trap cards like Torrential Tribute, Solemn Judgment, and Dark Bribe all in BPED, a card that lets you reuse them is too good not to pass up. Having the chance to play Solemn Judgment twice in a limited environment where field clearing cards like Raigeki and Torrential Tribute will be scarce to come by will likely devastate your opponent beyond making a comeback.
Gem-Knight Pearl
This card is not actually a bomb in sealed play, but Gem-Knight Pearl is the most sought after card in the set because BPED will be the card’s debut in the TCG. A rank 4 monster with 2600 attack that cannot be Fiendish Chained (as it is a normal monster) will likely find its way into most players’ extra decks as it gets over both Utopia and Leviathan Dragon (Both problems for DinoRabbit decks whose boss monsters are only 2300 and 2400 attack). Needless to say, the starfoil version of this card will also be THE card to get to impress your friends.
With the debut of BPED now only one week away, my (and hopefully your) anticipation for sealed play is increasing exponentially. I hope this article and the three previous BPED articles I’ve written have helped you all understand sealed play a little bit better. With that being said, the last pieces of advice I can give before sealed play begins are know the set (so you know what to expect from your opponent), table shuffle every round (especially if you aren’t sleeving your deck), and conserve your resources until you absolutely need to use them (effectively doing this will almost permanently shift the momentum in your favor). If I get a chance to play in a BPED side event next week, I will likely do a small tournament report explaining my card choices and whatnot.
I want to close by asking you what card(s) from BPED you are most excited to get your hands on. For me, I am looking forward to Gem-Knight Pearl (starfoil, of course) and Greenkappa (one of my favorite cards).
Until next time,
Play Hard or Go Home!
Tej Trivedi
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