Majespecter Unicorn - Kirin may be the first card in Metalfoes Majespecter to fall under the guillotine by the Forbidden and Limited list, but that doesn't mean that it will be the last. Especially with OCG banlist incoming, it seems likely that Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow will be under scrutiny soon as well. With that in mind, I believe it wouldn't be too early to start seeking for replacements. Without Gofu, naturally, it will be a tall order to summon the ultimate dragon - Ultimaya Tzolkin - in Metalfoes. The absence of two additional targets as destruction & fusion purposes would also not go unnoticed. So what then, can replace this popular winged-beast?


There is no perfect replacement for Gofu, that's for sure. But something does come close. Quickdraw Synchron!

 

Quickdraw has been around since the QuickdrawDandy days, a deck existing formats ago, which emulates Yusei Fudo's ability to spam synchro summons after synchro summons. The key difference between Quickdraw and Gofu is that the former isn't dead-weight in later stages of the game, when the board is already flooded with monsters on your side of the field. Quickdraw can special summon itself at the cost of a discard (of a monster card). While its summoning procedure does indeed require a cost, it is arguably easier to summon than Gofu, which requires an empty field - a challenge when your field has already been set up. The burden of drawing into Gofu, late, is also highlighted by the harsh truth that Gofu can't be normal summoned or set, and worse - must first be special summoned by its own effect. This makes a pendulum summon of Gofu out of the question. Quickdraw is different in this aspect. You can normal summon or even set this machine tuner monster. Capable of summoning Ultimaya Tzolkin as well, since Tzolkin's summon doesn't involve a formal synchro summoning process, and is instead more of a send-from-field-to-grave type of thing, so you can disregard Quickdraw's restriction

Quickdraw's greatest weakness is also at the same time, its utility. While it may not be used for generic synchro summons, it allows you to open the Warrior synchros toolbox in your Extra Deck arsenal. Warrior synchros? No, I do not mean synchro monsters which are warriors. I mean them!



 

 

 

 

 

The archetype of synchro monsters that require a specific monster as a synchro material. Quickdraw is all those Synchrons packed into one, being capable of being used in place of any and every of them, due to its inherent restriction effect.  One can always revert into the old days of QuickdrawDandy and recall those old friends of Quickdraw Synchron. Dandylion, Quillbolt Hedgehog and Doppelwarrior all comes to mind. But I believe Dandylion deserves more of the spotlight, as it is capable of spawning tokens once it hits the grave, simulating the tokens generated when Gofu touches down on the field.



Fluff Tokens surpasses Vague Shodow Tokens in a way: While it may contain restrictions on its own, the limitations are less steep - preventing the use of them for a tribute summon for only the turn they are summoned. After that turn, it can be used to do so. Fluff Tokens are also capable of being used for synchro summons the turn they are used, reminding you of Dandylion's utility and how it acted as an accomplice alongside Quickdraw Synchron, in the synchro-oreintated deck during the olden days.

 

Your army of synchro monsters does have plenty to offer.

1. Junk Destroyer can clear threats, up to three with the help of Quickdraw and a few tokens.


2. Road Warrior, apart from packing the largest ATK stats, can help the deck summon out Cyber Stein faster, contributing to a field lockdown set up. This is obviously more applicable to the OCG, since TCG still has theirs Forbidden. But let's stay optimistic shall we?


3. Road Warrior's offensive capabilities are also contested by Nitro Warrior, which via its own effect can potentially inflict more damage to the opponent AND kill two birds with one stone by destroying two monsters in a single battle phase (by itself), should your opponent be careless enough to leave their weak monsters in defense position.


4. Drill Warrior, having forced to the backseats since Quickdraw Dandy was hit by the list, brings a recycling effect to the table, and the opportunity to chip your opponent's lifepoints bit by bit vai direct attacks. With the inclusion of more hand traps over the years of the game, the recycling ability of Drill Warrior does seem more alluring and helpful. However, cards like Solemn Strike and Vanity's Emptiness makes you wonder if this Level6 synchro can survive the climatic change the game had went through.


5. If you find the need to do so, such as the incursion of the Meklord Emperors, Turbo Warrior is at your service - a Level6 substitute option to summon which remains invulnerable to lower-leveled effect monsters.


6. Junk Gardna is the more defensive option, but can support your offensive tactics with its ability to change your opponent's monsters battle position.


7. Last but not least, let's not forget the newest member of the team - Jet Warrior. On top of being a Compulsory Evacuation Device on legs, it has a self-revival effect, which may prove to be useful


8. Junk Warrior, despite being the most iconic one of them all, and having an overpowered support spell card to go with, is the most underwhelming option to include. Guess he is better suited for a slot in your collection album than Extra Deck. Junk Archer also remains to be a worthy mention on this list, pales in comparison with the rest, since its removal effect is only a temporary one.

Sure, Quickdraw is nothing new and fancy. But ideas will always remain ideas until you test it. Don't forget Vanity's Emptiness was once a dirt cheap and neglected card. It remains to be my personal subjective opinion until I have established its usage and consistency, but I think a couple of Quickdraw Synchron, Level Eater and Dandylion could inserted into a Metalfoes deck to replace either the Kirin engine, or the Gofu-into-Ultimaya engine. But that remains to be seen. After all, this strategy is indeed taxing on the Extra Deck space and slots.

Another strategy that I am keen to test out, which seems like a fitting opportunity to mention now, is the Hippo Tokens and Scapegoat. Both methods are capable of generating field advantage by spawning tokens, which could help in either synchro summon plays or just destruction fodders.

A Metalfoes deck is capable of Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and Pendulum plays - not at all losing out to the Arc-V protagonist's deck ability to include all summoning techniques. Metalfoes remain malleable and flexible enough to survive banlist hits, and is likely to be around for formats to come. I, as a fan of the deck, plan to deck it further, with gimmicky tech options and planning ahead. Thanks for reading and I will be back to share more of my ideas soon once I do more playtesting.

I look forward to a list that changes the metagame, allowing Metalfoes to sneakily climb up the tier level, after fan favorites like Blue-Eyes and D/D/D suffer a hit. In the OCG, Darklords and ABC are slowly gaining traction as well, increasing in popularity and usage. Phantom Abyss, more popularly known as PK Fire, fades out of existence in the OCG. The nature of powercreep is indeed scary enough to force the fiends to take a backseat.