Ah, March 1st! That wonderful date when players across the world revel in an exciting new format, looking to come out on top with the best decks and the most innovative tech. Alas, this particular anniversary also spells sadness for one young couple, their beautiful romance cut short by the whim of the Powers That Be. On this day, A fiendish lass mourns the loss of her three-eyed soulmate...
It’s true - Tour Guide From the Underworld is now single and on the rebound after the imprisonment of her beau Sangan. Her powers have obviously decreased somewhat without her #1 pet, but surely there are other fish in the sea? Today we take a look at the obvious (and not so obvious) new pairings for TGU and how they might usher in some overlooked archetypes. It’s “The Dating Game" - Tour Guide Edition!
“The Dream Dates”
Bachelor #1: Night Assailant
The likely go-to partner in crime for TGU is the Flip Effect monster Night Assailant. Although his stats are unimpressive, Night Assailant comes packaged with the classic Man-Eater bug effect which never goes out of style. One slight difference is that Night Assailant can only target monsters on your opponent’s side of the field, a small variance which can prove relevant if your opponent has ways to change the battle positions of your monsters (such as Photon Papilloperative).
Night Assailant’s second ability allows you to return another Flip Effect monster from your graveyard to your hand when he is sent from your hand to the graveyard. The wording here means that this effect can be used with both “discard” effects such as Dark World Dealings, as well as “send” effects such as Hand Destruction. While this ability will be irrelevant in many builds, its presence may prompt some players to play other Flip Effect monsters such as Morphing Jar for the rare instances in which they can net a +1.
On a similar note, Night Assailant pairs very well with two other cards which have seen tournament play in the past, Book of Moon and the newly semi-limited Tsukuyomi. Decks which turn to Assailant as their TGU target will likely play Book of Moon in place of one of their “preference” spells or traps, replacing a card such as Enemy Controller or Compulsory Evacuation Device. Tsukuyomi can use his effect in conjunction with Assailant to form a slow, but repeatable source of monster destruction.
Finally, Night Assailant is a proud member of the most over-supported attribute in the game (DARK), meaning he fits perfectly in builds playing cards such as Dark Armed Dragon, Allure of Darkness, and Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning.
Bachelor #2: 
You may have completely forgotten about this card until the recent list, when your friends starting asking if you had one laying around to trade. Dark Resonator may end up being the premier TGU target in the new format, an ever powerful Tuner monster with decent ATK to boot (1300).
Now, it is very important to note that Dark Resonator + TGU does NOT represent an instant LV6 Synchro monster. TGU’s effect specifically prohibits this type of shenanigans, stating that the monster she summons cannot be used as Synchro material. You can, however still XYZ summon (which will end up being a much better play in most cases), and you get the added benefit of opting to run Synchro monsters should you choose to do so, given you may draw Resonator on its own at some point in the game.
Dark Resonator is also a DARK attribute monster, and comes with the added ability of becoming indestructible by battle once per turn. If your opponent attacks your face down Resonator, it will flip during the attack declaration, and you may opt to use its effect acting as a one-shot Spirit Reaper. This effect can prove to be quite potent if it allows your Resonator to survive the turn and facilitate an XYZ or Synchro summon during your next play.
The other “Resonator” monsters of the Clock, Creation, and Flare varieties are also LV3 fiends, but their effects aren’t nearly as good and they aren’t DARKs.
Bachelor #3: Broww, Huntsman of Dark World
This one goes without saying, and has already been utilized to great effect since the arrival of Grapha and his friends from the Dark World. If you have a Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World in your graveyard, you can easily bring it to the field by summoning a Broww with TGU and then bouncing the Broww using Grapha’s effect. The said Broww can then be used as discard fodder for one of your many Card Destruction style effects, even netting a bonus card with its own effect. Plusses!
His stats aren’t bad either, and since you’re running 3 copies you won’t ever have a lack of targets for both of your Tour Guides. Since the TGUs are fiend types themselves, they even work with The Gates of Dark World. It’s a match made in heaven...err... the underworld?
Bachelor #4: Dark Mimic LV3
In my opinion, Tour Guide can do better than this guy, but he’s still a solid option. The main fault of Dark Mimic is that he must be destroyed by battle in order to draw an extra card, which could lead to blowouts if you choose to leave him on the field rather than XYZ summon. He’s not terrible if you draw him, but you’ll be sad if/when he gets banished or destroyed by an effect such as Dark Hole or Torrential Tribute.
Bachelor #5: Tour Bus From the Underworld
Given the name, one would think this would be the best match for the Tour Guide, but its effect is lackluster. It does work when detached as XYZ material, which is a huge plus. Use it to recycle an important boss monster in your grave, or prevent your opponent from using cards such as Pot of Avarice or summoning a “chaos” monster.
“The Unlikely Suspects”
Bachelor #6: Djinn Releaser of Rituals
Now we get into the wackier stuff. This card’s effect is very strong, preventing your opponent from special summoning when a Ritual monster he was used to summon is face-up on the field. Even better, he can be used as Ritual material in the graveyard by banishing himself from play, which you’ll be needing to do as his “material replacement” condition effect is negated by TGU when she calls him to the field. Luckily, this is easily bypassed by detaching him as an XYZ material! He also has a huge butt (2000 DEF), getting in the way of many commonly played attackers.
The obvious downside to this card is that you’re playing a deck based on Ritual summoning, which typically hasn’t been the most competitive strategy. The best fit for this card is likely in a Relinquished deck, as the latter is one of the best Ritual monsters in the game, and can be summoned with the Djinn acting as the only material (Relinquished being only LV1). Similar to the aforementioned Night Assailant combo, you can also pair Relinquished with Tsukuyomi to repeatedly suck up your opponents monsters, with each equip falling off when Relinquished is turned face-down and then flip summoned again. Keep in mind that doing so will cause the Djinn’s effect to cease, which is probably the reason you’re playing this deck to begin with!
Another Ritual monster worth considering is Demise, King of Armageddon. There has been some hype around this card given that Advanced Ritual Art is now semi-limited, and Rescue Rabbit can be used to fetch the same two LV4 monsters you’d be playing to summon him with the Ritual spell. The Djinn/TGU coupling may not have a place in this deck however, as Demise’s associated Ritual spell End of the World requires a tribute of EXACT levels, unlike Relinquished’s Black Illusion Ritual which can utilize levels equal to or greater. The Demise deck does look good on paper though, and may end up being a contender in its own right.
Djinn Prognosticator of Rituals gets an honorable mention here, but his effect & stats aren’t nearly as good as his brother.
Bachelor #7: Versago the Destroyer
On from Rituals to Fusion monsters! Versago is one of the original fusion “substitutes,” which can be used in place of one half of a fusion summon (provided the other monster has the correct name). Having a “material replacement” condition effect much like that of the Djinn, he IS negated by TGU while face-up on the field, however he can be used as a substitute while face-down, in the hand, etc. Interestingly, Versago can also pair with Elemental HERO Prisma, as Prisma can copy the correct name of the other fusion material.
The best place for this pairing would either be in the obvious HERO deck splashing TGU & Versago, or some type of The Last Warrior from Another Planet build. Last Warrior is one of the best fusion monsters in the game, preventing any type of summon from your opponent except setting. It’s not hard to envision a deck playing Versago, alongside some medley of Prisma & Zombyra the Dark (a reasonable, albeit subpar card in his own right). Fusion Gate could be used to summon the Last Warrior on the first turn, easily locking your opponent out of the game whilst protected by cards such as Forbidden Lance or Royal Decree. Fusion Gate is searchable by Terraforming, and cards such as Miracle Fusion and other HEROs could round out the build for the instances in which the “lock” fails, or as a transformational sideboard when playing 2nd. The other half of Last Warrior is Maryokutai, a WATER attribute monster, allowing for easier Elemental HERO Absolute Zero summons.
Summoning a Dragon Master Knight with Versago for a surprise 5000 point swing doesn’t sound too shabby either, but isn’t nearly as realistic.
“The Duds”
Bachelors #8 & #9: Fabled Dyf & Fabled Kushano
Neither of these cards are hindered by Tour Guide’s negation of their effects. Kushano can be bounced back from the grave by discarding another Fabled monster, and Dyf must be tributed as a cost for his effect, meaning he will activate in the graveyard. Whether or not you want to be running Fableds is another story...
Bachelor #10: Infernity Necromancer
Similar to the above two cards, grabbing a Necromancer off TGU seems perfectly reasonable, but it also indicates you’re running a dead deck. Oh, and his effect is negated too. Sorry bud! He does have a big 2000 DEF though.
Bachelor #11: Gren Maju Da Eiza
A forgotten relic from another era, this guy can be boosted to crazy numbers when played in a dedicated Macro Cosmos build. 400 ATK & DEF for each of your banished cards! Too bad he’ll be a 0/0 when summoned by TGU unless you manage to reset him via flipping.
BONUS! “The Sideboard”
Bachelor #12: Possessed Dark Soul
Tribute him as a cost, and steal all of your opponent’s face-up LV3 or lower monsters! "GIMME GIMME GIMME MUHAHAHAH!"
“The Winner?” To be determined!
While there are additional LV3 fiends that TGU could swoon, the remainder of the list do not fall anywhere within the realm of current playability. Looking back at these options, it becomes apparent why banning Sangan was such a good idea. Not only is his effect arguably too powerful, but his pairing with Tour Guide was completely ubiquitous. By removing Sangan as an option, Konami has preserved the fun & power levels of TGU while simultaneously opening up several new options for her partner that simply would not have had a chance to compete prior to March 1st. Given this circumstance, I wholeheartedly believe Sangan’s exit was called for and the correct decision to make! I look forward to seeing which of these cards become true boyfriend material for the little vampiress on the bus!
Play Hard or Go Home!
~Paul McCann~
Paul McCann
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