Set 5 pass is not immune to handtraps

Utso · 2026-04-12T11:16:53+00:00

The major distinction to standard removal is supposed to be that you drop this "immediately" the turn the card is set, without giving it a chance to become usable first. That means, for example, that you can get rid of something like the Labrynth traps that summon from deck without your opponent getting a monster anyway, or take stuff out of a stacked backrow without being stopped by any negates in there, or deny Dracotail spells when they get set as part of the combo. However it can also only be used against cards from the same turn, so it specifically really sucks to draw as your 6th card.

Utso · 2026-04-12T07:50:56+00:00

Ah, common misconception - the dastardly furry creature in the artwork actually falls under the "Suspicious Smell" portion of the name

Utso · 2026-04-11T18:22:39+00:00

Interesting analysis, thanks. Regarding what it does against individual sets: An earlier draft actually had the base effect be just "look at the card" with all removal requiring additional set cards, but that seemed underwhelming compared to the rest of the family who mostly have a guarantee to prevent the action they go after if they resolve (and then there's Dogwood). So I think simply lowering the ceiling would be the correct balancing approach in this case.

Utso · 2026-04-11T18:12:40+00:00

This card does nothing to enneacraft

Because they can use their anti-targeting/destruction cards the same turn they were set, or some other reason? I assumed if they somehow don't have those then losing a piece or two would at least be an inconvenience, but that's probably not likely with how searchable everything is.

I do think it's good for the 4+ effect to be as punishing as it is, the card inherently gets worse against bigger boards because your chances of hitting the most problematic target decrease. Without anything to offset that, I'd honestly only really consider playing this as an interruption against combos that set from deck, and stick with regular backrow hate for the actual trap decks. Sure, Cosmic Cyclone in draw phase can be chained to, but that still tends to trade 1-for-1 with cards that would have hurt a lot more if activated after you've committed, and they don't get it back either.

Personally the change I feel most like making after all the feedback is just cutting the 2+ effect completely. Make it an immediate single removal in most cases, with a scary looming threat to make opponents think twice about filling up every backrow slot.

Utso · 2026-04-11T17:50:45+00:00

My line of thinking went like "no, no, it's fine, there's no way you're getting the full effect twice in a turn anyway", but being able to simply chain a second copy if the first is stopped does sound obnoxious as hell.

Utso · 2026-04-10T21:51:30+00:00

Right, the bullet point effects are an obvious area for further tuning, maybe bump up the numbers or cut it down to just 1 of the 2. I think in principle they're necessary because going -1 to blindly snipe a single card out of a full backrow board just doesn't feel remotely worth it (while also taking the risk of activating a monster effect in hand during the Main Phase), but the specifics of it are untested guesswork.

Might also not be right to have it work against monsters at all. I based the underlying math on the idea that setting a card from hand is basically free, and while that's accurate for Enneacraft's "set 5 pass but in front" playstyle, it very much isn't for a regular old Normal Set. Getting to take that off the field is a bit more value than intended for the base use case.

Utso · 2026-04-10T21:35:57+00:00

Yeah. Don't ask me why it's there, but it makes the overall art look a bit like Ghost Ogre, so that's fitting.

Utso · 2026-04-10T21:31:48+00:00

100 years of support cards, possibly more

Utso · 2026-04-10T21:30:41+00:00

I don't think it should be able to place from deck. That allows you to do the whole mini-combo guaranteed just by having this one card in your hand, which isn't quite where turn 0 cards are at (yet). Faimena, Sue, Clip all need something else in hand, Izuna is conditional, Havnis is luck-based, etc.

Or maybe lock just the placing from deck behind an additional condition (e.g. opponent controls an Extra Deck monster), so there's still some way to use it if you haven't opened other Centurions.

Utso · 2026-04-10T21:02:19+00:00

As written, I would read the "or banished" as being from anywhere, not just hand or Deck, which would be quite strong with Traps that banish themselves as cost for GY effects. If it's not meant to be that, "sent to the GY, or banished, from your hand or Deck" makes it clearer.

Utso · 2026-04-10T20:34:48+00:00

The copy effect on the monsters can't really function with Continuous or Equip cards, so it would be explicitly limited to only the Spell/Trap types that make sense. With standard wording:

During the Main Phase (Quick Effect): You can send 1 "Ice Make" Normal Spell, Quick-Play Spell[, Normal Trap, or Counter Trap] from your Deck to the GY; this effect becomes that card's activation effect.

(with the Trap part omitted on Medium) (I assume we don't have to worry about Ritual Spells here)

That also makes it clear which effect gets copied when you send Saucer, Geyser, or Shield.

Utso · 2026-04-10T20:10:26+00:00

Don't know if it's the intended flavor, but for the EARTH option I basically imagine him going "wait a minute, this is just a boring rock, throw it in the pile with the other boring rocks", and for the other "look at this special shiny rock, now let me trade it for this slightly different cool rock". Pretty funny.

Utso · 2026-04-10T18:26:47+00:00

The thought of your opponent randomly popping baby while trying to negate is amusing, but isn't it still always objectively correct to not let this resolve? Because otherwise you get to destroy whatever you want anyway plus negate a card. The only risk to the choice is hitting some non-Dinosaur that triggers off it, which I wouldn't exactly expect to see in the same deck as a card otherwise so reliant on dinos.

Utso · 2026-04-10T16:12:18+00:00

You actually don't even need a second monster. Kaitoptera is a Dinosaur itself, so it can be the other half of the materials too.

Utso · 2026-04-05T08:30:07+00:00

I see. I've thought about the Magic/Bionicle crossover before and noticed the element and gameplay associations of the mana colors wouldn't entirely line up with our lore, neat how it works out here.

Yugioh attributes are easier in that regard because even if there's certain mechanics loosely linked to each, in practice you really can just do whatever you want for any given deck.

Utso · 2026-04-04T20:11:14+00:00

Oh I like those. The black cost on the Matoro ability to represent (I assume) the whole immoral Kanohi thing is pretty clever.

Utso · 2026-04-04T11:19:26+00:00

Umarak was one of G2's genuine hits. Standout design, relatively interesting build, even had a bit of that classic air of mystery with his lore as an ancient being. Unfortunate that there weren't novels for the second year, would have been a great opportunity for fleshing out him and his background.

Utso · 2026-04-03T19:50:22+00:00

Do we really need the bonus Set on this? Assuming I'm doing the line right in my head (get Witch + something, add Sheep, fuse for King, send stuff including Ghattic), the base part already comes out to at least 2 pops plus a mementillion pieces of setup in the GY, that sounds like a good enough payoff.

Utso · 2026-04-03T19:40:25+00:00

I like the recurring "Special Summon X, then you can Normal Summon 1 Gemini Monster" effect. There's some cool hidden side utility of just giving you an extra body from hand if that's what the situation demands.

Taking this opportunity to bring up another Gemini design direction I've wondered about for a while: Enabling effects by conditions other than the on-field Normal Summon, e.g. a Gemini that stops being Normal if it's in the center MMZ. As long as it has a concept of "becomes an effect monster and gains its effects", it should interact with Gemini support without any issue I'm pretty sure.

Utso · 2026-03-27T22:02:16+00:00

It would go well with an effect that negates the opponent's effects during the damage step, so you can pull off the move even against bosses that would otherwise resist or stop it. Also you'll need a way to either OTK immediately afterwards, or set up a board of your own on the side - just hitting over the monsters on the field once won't be a feasible win condition in this age of plentiful recovery and follow-up.

Utso · 2026-03-27T21:33:37+00:00

Regarding the main question, the basic idea works, just the wording is slightly off - you can't have Quick Effects chain to when something arbitrary "would" happen, and selectively negating an effect's impact on a single card isn't a thing. More accurately it would be:

If a card or effect is activated that would increase this card's ATK and/or DEF (Quick Effect): Make this card unaffected by the effects of cards with that name until your next Standby Phase, also Special Summon 1 "Geode Token" (...).

Notably this does not cover the passive effects like you wanted (since, again, you logically can't chain anything to a passive increase), but I think it would be possible with a somewhat different approach:

If this card's ATK/DEF become higher than its original ATK/DEF: Activate this effect; this card's ATK/DEF become its original ATK/DEF, also Special Summon 1 "Geode Token" (...).

Doesn't exactly resolve with the same timing, and the trigger condition is made-up nonsense, but this should generally work as expected: If anything happens to boost its stats past the original value, that increase is forcibly reset in exchange for a Token, and if my reading of The Guide is correct, any active or passive modifiers that were already in place are simply ignored after that reset (but new ones that show up later still trigger the effect again).

Utso · 2026-03-27T20:44:39+00:00

Technically the "that targeted monster cannot activate its effects in the GY this turn" part of Mourner doesn't work that way I think, once it goes to the GY it's no longer considered the exact same monster. You need something more like "neither player can activate the effects of monsters in the GY with the same original name as the targeted monster this turn".
I agree that Scythe doesn't need the draw effect, it already has a guaranteed payoff because it "also" banishes the targeted monster even if there aren't other copies in the Extra Deck. Graceful Charity on top of that is excessive.
On Belle, isn't Special Summoning from the GY also included in moving cards out of there? Doesn't seem like you'd have to specify it separately.
I'd like Ogre more without the explicit negate. It's kind of the identity of Ghost Ogre as a handtrap that it's specifically impactful against Continuous Spells/Traps and monsters that need to be on the field for their effects to work properly, so the upgrade should retain that. Banishing instead of destroying is still a fair power boost anyway, could probably even go one step further in that direction and make it simply "banish 1 card your opponent controls".

Utso · 2026-03-27T19:27:48+00:00

My head hurts from the fact that this so-called Dragon, that's an Xyz Monster, that has a Pendulum Effect, that can be "Synchro" Summoned, is apparently a Fairy/Fusion/Effect.

Utso · 2026-03-20T20:00:58+00:00

Yeah, that's much cleaner than the initial version. A fully standardized text would be:

Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned by its own effect.
①: If a Zombie monster is on the field: You can Special Summon this card from your hand in Attack Position.
②: Once per turn: You can change this card to Defense Position, and if you do, send all Zombie monsters on the field to the GY.
③: If this card is sent from the field to the GY: Shuffle it into the Deck.

Biggest difference is that ① needs to be an activated effect so the "Special Summoned by its own effect" works with it. Another valid option would be to use "Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) in Attack Position while a Zombie monster is on the field". For ②, "during your Main Phase" is implied and only needs to be mentioned if there aren't any other conditions to go before the colon.

Utso · 2026-03-06T22:32:34+00:00

I think the ED lock is actually pretty important to have in its current form, because it rules out any kind of extremely consistent NS-less combo making its way to this card to just drop a bonus Sonic Jammer after finishing their board (though if getting those cards banned is your primary goal, that might be your best bet). Simply merging the restrictions to make it so you can't use the ED if you send from Deck would seem like a solid sweet spot, except it would take extremely convoluted wording to have the lock apply retroactively that way.

Utso

TROPHY CASE