https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJl657WTadw
Prologue
Every year, one pack that almost everyone looks forward to is the Battles of Legend pack. This series imports cards from the OCG over to the TCG and also reprints a bunch of older cards. Generally, the imported cards would come from OCG exclusive packs and structure decks that we didn't get in the TCG. And the reprints would be harder to get cards that players have been wanting for a while.
In this year's Brothers of Legend set, we receive 60 new cards and 30 reprints. And in today's article, we're going to go through the set and take a look at some of the more notable cards. Since Battles of Legend always brings over some cool cards, I'm sure Brothers of Legend will be no different. Let's get into it!
The Lottery Cards
In Battles of Legend: Armageddon, we got two cards that we thought we'd never receive; Astral Utopia and Ten Thousand Dragon. In this year's Brothers of Legend, this trend continues with Astral Leviathan and Starlight Dragoon.
With the release of Astral Leviathan in the OCG, we were pretty sure we'd receive it in the TCG soon too. This card pairs nicely with Astral Utopia as I'm sure they'll look great displayed together. It's also an amazing addition to anyone's Number collection if you're fortunate enough to obtain one. You can also play with it and show it off, though I'm not sure who would play this card in 2021. If you do though, just make sure you have a translation available as per the rules.
Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon is a card that speaks for itself. Debuting in the 2020 Tin of Lost Memories, Dragoon is a card that has caused havoc ever since its release. While it's currently banned in the OCG, it's still Unlimited in the TCG and is still one of the strongest cards in the game. But despite its controversy, Dragoon is also a fan favorite. Perhaps that's why many players have been asking for a reprint of this card. Although I'm sure this wasn't what they had in mind, Starlight Dragoons is definitely a stunning rarity upgrade. While this won't make Dragoon any easier to get, it will be a nice surprise if you're lucky enough to pull one.
If we've learned anything from last year's Battles of Legend, we know that both these cards will be extremely rare. With one being an Astral XYZ and the other glorifying one of the most played cards of the past two years, expect both of these cards to be quite pricey.
Animation Chronicle 2021 Imports
In Brothers of Legend, a decent chunk of new cards come from the OCG's Animation Chronicle 2021. In Animation Chronicle, cards used by characters in the anime finally make it to the TCG. These cards include the Kuriboh brothers, Noble Knight cards, Appliancers, and much more. Since this set is so big, we won't cover all the cards here but we will go through some of the more notable ones.
D - Force
D - Force is a new continuous spell that is specific support for Destiny HERO - Plasma. It has a hefty restriction but also has some powerful effects. When it's activated, you can search Plasma from the deck or GY. Then, if you control Plasma you can apply the rest of its effects. To start, it disables your normal draw. While this is a pretty heavy drawback, it might be worth it considering everything else this card does. For example, D - Force's 2nd effect makes all your cards untargetable. With targeting being so prevalent, it's obvious why this is a powerful effect. And lastly, D - Force also powers up your Plasma, lets it attack twice, and makes it immune to your opponent's destruction effects. This makes Plasma incredibly difficult to deal with - as if it wasn't hard enough already.
Wing Requital
Wing Requital is a simple card. If you only control Winged Beast monsters and you have at least two with different names, pay 600 LP and draw 2 cards. This card is great in the new Lyrilusc and Floowandereeze decks as it's just an easy way to draw 2. It's also great in older archetypes such as Blackwings, Raidraptor, and Harpies. The only problem with this card is that if you aren't able to establish 2 monsters, the card can become dead. Perhaps that's why the card isn't too popular in the OCG. But despite this, I would still never count out a card that says draw 2. After all, there's a reason why cards like Pot of Desires is so good.
Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray
Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray is a new XYZ monster for Utopia. It goes along nicely with the rest of the Utopia support from Overlay Universe that we're finally getting in Brothers of Legend. In the Utopia deck, Leo fulfills the role of being a double negate. This is done by using Leo's effect to equip ZW - Pegasus Twin Saber. This gives the archetype a much needed way of interaction. However, this combo does have a problem. While having 2 monster negates is nice, the weakness of this is that it can only negate effects that activate on the field. This means Leo cannot negate hand traps like Nibiru, the Primal Being. Despite this, Leo is still a strong card and a staple in pure Utopia decks.
Iconic Anime Cards!
Brothers of Legend also features a bunch of cards that were iconic in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. Although most of these cards won't be competitively viable, they do bring back some memories. For example, the Kuriboh brothers first debuted in the Waking the Dragon arc almost two decades ago. Personally, I remember them as being part of one of the first duels the Pharaoh lost. Dragonroid and Rebirth Judgment also played an iconic role in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX as they signified the time when Zane passed the torch to Syrus.
Premium Pack Imports
Earlier in the year, we got a few cards from Premium Pack 2020 in our TCG set; King's Court. In Brothers of Legend, we get the cards that were left out.
Notable Altergeist Support
Altergeist Pookuery is a new monster that is built around Link summoning. Its first effect lets you use it as link material from the hand which makes it easier to summon an Altergeist Link monster. Pookuery's 2nd effect lets you add it back from the GY if an Altergeist Link monster is Link summoned to your field. This is a once per duel effect so use it wisely.
Altergeist Memorygant is a new Link-4 monster that makes it easier for you to OTK. It has a Quick Effect during the Battle Phase to increase its ATK and can also attack twice if it destroys a monster. In addition, Memorygant also has a continuous effect that lets it avoid destruction by banishing a monster from your GY instead. This gives Altergeist some much needed firepower and the ability to contest strong monsters like Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon.
Overlay Universe Imports & Astral Kuriboh
Earlier this year, I wrote an article that reviewed Overlay Universe when it came out in the OCG. For a more in-depth look at it, check out the article here. Aside from that, we also receive Astral Kuriboh which is a V JUMP Promo card in the OCG. Since I've already reviewed most of these cards once, I'll just be talking about Astral Kuriboh here.
Astral Kuriboh
Astral Kuriboh is a new level 1 monster that is a flexible extender for XYZ decks. It can be summoned by revealing a Number XYZ monster in your Extra Deck and becomes the same level as that monster's rank. Furthermore, it also makes a Number XYZ monster using it on the field as XYZ material immune to destruction by battle and your opponent's card effects. The only thing you need to be careful of is Astral Kuriboh's restriction. Just make sure when you summon it, you're ready to go into a Number XYZ monster or the restriction is quite punishing. Other than that, Astral Kuriboh is a great card and a staple in future Numbers XYZ decks.
Notable Reprints (The Big Stuff)
As with every release, reprints are an integral part of what makes a set good or not. In Brothers of Legend, we receive reprints that include Legendary Duelists chase cards, a former YCS Prize card, Mid-Tier meta cards and much more. And again, although we can't review all of them, we can take a look at some of the more noteworthy ones.
Forbidden Droplet
Perhaps the most anticipated reprint in Brothers of Legend is Forbidden Droplet. Debuting in Rise of the Duelist, Forbidden Droplet has been one of the most popular meta cards since its release. It provides an almost guaranteed way to turn off problematic monsters and is a staple in many strong decks. It also happens to be one of the most expensive cards in modern Yugioh. With the cheapest version of Droplet at ~$160 at the time of writing this article, a reprint is well due. With the competitive season starting up again due to the announcement of YCS Pasadena and YCS Las Vegas, Forbidden Droplet is a great reprint to prepare people for in-person events.
Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker
Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker is the prize card of the 2017-2018 YCS season. It's a Rank 7 XYZ monster with an effect that banishes cards face-down from your opponent's deck and Extra Deck. This effect banishes based on the number of face-down cards your opponent already has making it very strong against decks that play Pot of Desires. It's also a missing piece of many player's Number collections. With Mind Hacker finally more accessible, collectors and players who want to mess around with this card finally get their chance to do it. Personally, I've been looking forward to playing this card in Dark Magicians for some time now.
Legendary Duelists: Reprints
In Brothers of Legend, we also receive reprints to Evil HERO Adusted Gold, Evil Hero Malicious Bane, and Magicians' Souls. All three of these cards were released in the Legendary Duelists series and were all short prints in the North American versions. These cards have also become very expensive in the past few months with the cheapest one still over $100. Despite none of the decks playing them being meta, these cards retain high price-points making them one of the huge barriers of entry for players wanting to play HEROs or Dark Magicians. Hopefully with the reprints, these prices will calm down a bit and make these cards more accessible to everyone. After all, I'm sure most people don't want to pay over $300 just for 2 cards in HEROs.
Notable Reprints (The Other Stuff)
Mid-Tier Rogue Cards and Rarity Upgrades
Seeing reprints to Mid-Tier rogue cards is always nice as it makes a variety of cards and decks more accessible. In Brothers of Legend, we see reprints to Infernoid cards, Inzektor Exa-Beetle, Relinquished Anima, and more. This is great as all of these cards only have 1 printing and have been increasingly difficult to obtain. In addition, some of these cards also get rarity upgrades to their original print. Gadarla, the Mystery Dust Kaiju has been increasing in popularity and this is its first holo print. Cards like Fossil Dig and Monarch Support also receive their first ultra rare print which is nice for players looking to holo up their decks.
Just Good Stuff
And lastly, we have reprints to just good stuff. In this section, we have cards like Nibiru, Downerd Magician, Red-Eyes Fusion, and etc. These are all cards that have had big meta impacts over the past year and are also quite pricey. With the cheapest versions of Nibiru and Downerd at $20 and $25 respectively, having more of these in circulation is definitely nice. Furthermore, cards like Allure of Darkness that always come in and out of the meta being reprinted is also cool as it's their first ultra rare print since Phantom Darkness.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, Brothers of Legend seems like a pretty good set. It brought over a lot of OCG imports we've been wanting for a while and also reprinted a lot of cards that are in demand. There are cards that are great for casual players as well as cards that are used in top tier play. Whether you're a casual player, collector, or competitor, Brothers of Legend has something for everyone.
