Introduction

These days, it isn't enough to destroy Spells and Traps and send them to the GY. For example, Orcustrated Babel can add itself back to the hand from the GY. Salamangreat Balelynx can protect Will of the Salamangreat from Twin Twisters or Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit. However, Cosmic Cyclone banishes these cards with a simple cost of 1000 LP.  Since its release in late 2016, this amplified Mystical Space Typhoon has been seeing use through various formats.

A Cosmic History

Cosmic Cyclone wasn't popular during its debut. 1000 LP for a slightly better MST wasn't appealing when Twin Twisters existed. However, it saw some play for reasons that outweigh Twin Twisters. For example, Pendulum decks used Cyclone to ease the mirror match and to dodge the discard cost of Twin Twisters. Some Demise decks could not even afford the discard cost, opting for Cyclone instead. The early days of Cyclone weren't unsuccessful, but it was mostly outclassed by Twin Twisters.

Cosmic Cyclone spiked in usage when two of the most degenerate archetypes were released in 2017: Zoodiacs and True Draco. Many people shifted from Twin Twisters because many Zoodiac decks were playing Starlight Road to protect their boards. Also, sending True Draco spell and traps to the GY provided more ammo, resulting in them getting their destruction effects. As a result, Cosmic Cyclone became the safest choice for spell and trap removal.

After the heavy Zoodiac hits, Cyclone was still prevalent when the meta shifted to Draco and Pendulum Magicians. True Draco had the same problems, but Pendulum Magicians were a brand new challenge. Pendulum Call protected their scales from destruction, and the new Magicians had bonus effects when destroyed. For example, Purple Poison Magician would take another card down with her if destroyed. And thus, Twin Twisters took a break and let Cosmic Cyclone handle the meta.

Cosmic Cyclone Today

After the Pendulum/Draco format, Cyclone returned to trade binders while powerful cards like Red Reboot, Dingirsu, and Evenly Matched changed the game. Twin Twisters came back to clear Striker and other backrow. However, in the recent format, Cosmic Cyclone became a contender for backrow removal for similar reasons as the Pendulum/Draco format. Draco has reappeared as True Draco Sky Striker, and Cosmic permanently gets rid Striker backrow. Endymion is the Pendulum deck to beat, and banishing scales like Servant of Endymion is incredibly effective. Dingirsu cannot protect backrow from Cosmic Cyclone. Finally, if negated by Salamangreat Roar or Orcust Crescendo, it becomes a 1 for 1, while Twin Twister's discard cost would hurt more.

While Cosmic Cyclone has benefits over Twin Twisters or MST right now, it does suffer from time rules. Cosmic Cyclone is a difficult card to play when time is near, and activating it with 10 seconds left can cost the match. Unfortunately, there isn't much one can do about this; it is just one of the drawbacks of playing Cosmic Cyclone.

Conclusion

Overall, Cosmic Cyclone is one of the few cards that are good, but also fair. It's a card that can only get better. Right now, Cosmic Cyclone is clearing or baiting backrow that its rival Twin Twisters cannot touch. Even if it falls out of favor, Cyclone will eventually be considered a staple in another future format.