Introduction

The 2019 tins bring new excitement with 3 promos catering to players that go second. Introducing one of the most devastating hand traps to date, Nibiru, the Primal Being single-handedly shifts the tide of the game. We will be going over its practical uses and compare it to its older cousin Ra Sphere Mode.

What Does Dwayne Johnson Do?

Nibiru, the Primal Being is already called a "quick effect Sphere Mode" or a "Kaiju on crack" by many players. However, there are some notable differences. Essentially, if your opponent has summoned at least 5 monsters in a turn, you can tribute all monsters on the field and summon Nibiru anytime during that Main Phase. To compensate, the opponent gets a token whose stats equal the total of the tributed monsters'.

Nibiru itself is a 3000 ATK monstrosity, but even 3000 might not be enough to get over a giant token. Fortunately, the token summons in any position. If Nibiru tributes Link monsters, Defense position may be more favorable as the token's defense would be 0.

The card has a single effect, but it has many traits worth discussing.

Nibiru's Pros

Nibiru is designed to break boards before the 2nd turn even begins. As a quick effect, it can be activated any time after the 5th summon. This means that it will only become more devastating when it resolves over the course of the turn. Unlike The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode, Nibiru can clear more than 3 monsters by getting rid of everything. Nibiru also has the upside of not using up a normal summon.

The token summoned to the other side also has its uses. As a giant beatstick, the token is incredibly prone to OTK plays like Borrelsword Dragon or even Borreload Dragon.

Combo decks are not the only ones to fear Nibiru. Control decks that summons many monsters also lose to Nibiru. A prime example is Salamangreats. While Sphere Mode needs 3 monsters to wipe, Niburu will guarantee to clear all monsters when Salamangreat opens a playable hand.

Finally, as a handtrap, Nibiru has the luxury of being unable to be hit by Called by the Grave. This limits the counterplay options going 1st players have against Nibiru.

A Meteor's Downsides

Nibiru ironically suffers a bit from the good traits that it carries. Nibiru's effect activates, creating an opportunity to negate it. Therefore, players cannot be too greedy when wanting to drop Nibiru. An end board may be able to negate Nibiru, thus wasting its potential. Otherwise, some players can play around it by setting up a monster negate beforehand.

Second, topdecking Nibiru is an awful feeling, when many would wish the card was Sphere Mode or a Kaiju instead. Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay can help mitigate this downside by further digging for Nibiru.

Finally, Nibiru funnily has a bad matchup against Dinosaur decks. Miscellaneousaurus, now at 3, makes all Dinosaurs unaffected by activated effects during the Main Phase, which coincidentally is the only time Nibiru can activate.

Conclusion

Nibiru, the Primal Being is an insanely powerful card that will be an instant side deck option against any monster heavy deck. The downsides of the card are relatively few for the rewards that it reaps. With its accessibility in the 2019 Gold Sarcophagus Tins, we can expect many players to try this card in the 2019-2020 Yugioh season.