Edit: Forgot Alkahest was a nomi-monster. I placed a strikethrough across the paragraph with that error.
Fullmetalfoes Fusion
The deck's quick-play themed fusion, similar to how Shaddolls obtained theirs, but Fullmetalfoes Fusion isn't restricted to a once-per-turn activation unlike El-Shaddoll Fusion. Opens possibilities to OTKs alongside Mythriel (more to talk about that later) and bring surprises onto the field during your opponent's turn. On its own, it seems like a normal quick-play fusion spell, but is actually the main play-maker for the deck. One fusion spell is enough to wreck havoc and bring the deck beyond the previous threshold. Get ready for explosive plays people~ Fullmetalfoes Fusion is in the house.
Just one thing though - You can't use it the turn you set it using a Metalfoes pendulum effect, due to game mechanics. But having it in the OCG for some time now, I witnessed many players overlooking or forgetting this fact and target this card for destruction, before I perform my pendulum summon. (No materials to fuse, so I couldn't 'chain' was what they thought.) Plenty of times for me, it surprisingly makes for a good Mystical Space Typhoon bait. Then, you use Mythriel to recycle it.
Raremetalfoes Bismagia
Raremetalfoes Bismagia adds more balance to the scales by providing users with another Scale8 to use, being the second low-leveled Scale8 in the archetype, lifting the burden off Metalfoes Steelen's shoulders. Your first and only effect Metalfoes monster, there isn't much to say about Bismagia except a few:
- Bismagia should always be prioritized over Steelen and Metalfoes Volflame if you are looking to fetch a Scale8 from deck. The logic is simple: the former two normal pendulums are targets for your Painful Decision and Summoner's Art to resolve, and for Volflame's case you might even want to keep it in deck for Metalfoes Counter. Bismagia is hard to search out from the deck outside of Metalfoes Combination, so I think it will be wise to take that into account and leave the searching of Steelen to Painful Decision. You definitely don't wanna find yourself in a situation whereby you need a Scale8 via Decision, but can't resolve it as you have only a single copy of Steelen left in the deck. So to keep your copies of Decisions useful and 'live', Bismagia it is.
- Bismagia should also be placed on your scales last, in terms of priority, as it is a Level1 that can't be pendulum summoned out. So if you open with a hand of pendulums, rather than place Bismagia onto the scales first to be destroyed for your series of "destroy-set, destroy-set" plays, place it last or second-last, so you can still have Steelen/Volflame on the field instead of either of those two stuck on the scales.
- Kinda basic, but is more easily neglected than many expect - Don't forget to search off his effect. Searching during End Phase is a new thing to Metalfoes players. So don't forget to resolve it during the End Phase. Also, unlike Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, its effect doesn't activate during the End Phase but is upon destruction. So don't forget to explicitly declare its effect being triggered and activated when you destroy it.
- Alongside Metalfoes Counter, it can set up a complete scale: Counter summons Bismagia during the opponent's turn (likely Battle Phase), and Bismagia gets destroyed by battle due to its low attack. End of that turn, Bismagia searches a Scale1, and the next turn, Counter can retrieve the Scale8 Bismagia.
- On this note, it would be wise to retrieve Bismagia via Metalfoes Counter's effect rather than other Scale8s. Bismagia serves little to no purpose otherwise, sitting face-up in the Extra Deck.
As far as numbers goes, you do fine with either 1 or 2. You can go for a playset if you play Pot of Desires but I wouldn't cut any of the other two Scale8s just for this card. Being a normal pendulum monster has its merits - such as being more easily searched out via spells, as mentioned.
Metalfoes Mythriel
The strongest offensive threat to behold, Mythriel provides players with another option when they choose to fuse two Metalfoes pendulums together. Metalfoes are treated as Pendulum Normal monsters. Hence, they can be used to fulfill the fusion materials required by Mythriel and Alkahest; they can be the or the that you require.
Mythriel is a beautifully designed card that aids the archetype by a lot - It allows recycling of Metalfoes cards, so you can either reuse your Metalfoes spells/traps or the milled monsters from Painful Decision can also be used to fund this card's targets. Most importantly, I feel more at ease when I am forced to perform fusion summons using materials from hand, knowing that Mythriel can recycle them back to the deck later. Being Level6, my deck entered a Rank6 focus for a little while back then when Kirin was still at three, as both shared the same level. The Rank6 engine was indeed formidable - having recycle + removal abilities in the form of Constellar Ptolemy M7 and OTKs thanks to Number 39: Utopia Beyond.
Kirin at three. Those were sure good days~
Anyway
Having a wide range of targets for its bounce is a true blessing. I mostly use it to bait or remove threats like Solemn Strike, before going into a pendulum summon. With its effect to special summon another pendulum monster upon its demise, whether or not Strike is chained to its effect is unlikely to change the outcome - I have successfully prevented my pendulums from running into a summoning negation, and it is usually the mass pendulum swarming that closes the game.
Its final effect is what I love most about this card. It replaces itself with another pendulum monster. My most common targets would be pendulum monsters in the grave, so that I can 'transfer' them to the Extra Deck when they are destroyed, adding on to my pile of usable resources. From the Extra Deck face-up, I will mostly target Raremetalfoes Bismagia. Not only will I get the search off it when it is destroyed, I make Bismagia re-enter the field - something pendulum summon can't achieve. (The ability to use Bismagia's search effect more than once per game, due to cards like Metalfoes Counter and Mythriel is also why I only play a single copy of it.)
Mythriel also allow players to cut back on the amount of Metalfoes Spells/Traps played, to accommodate for other previously forgone opportunity costs. Plenty of OCG players have since cut Counter to a single copy since it can be reused via Mythriel. Some may argue that it hinders the deck's capabilities in offense, since you won't get to summon Volflame from the deck that often, but with Mythriel, a single Volflame in either Extra Deck or Graveyard is sufficient, due to its revive ability to constantly resummon that copy of Volflame.
Mythriel allows OTKs to happen due to that said revival ability. Plenty of times, my fusion-orientated deck play style revolves around Mythriel bouncing off monsters on the opponent's field, then engaging in a direct attack. Mythriel is then fused alongside another Metalfoes monster for a second copy of itself, and the first copy revives another Metalfoes monster (such as the one used as a fusion material). It is usually the high-in-attack Volflame. Thanks to its reviving effect, I get to maintain my field presence and advantage.
Mythriel allows resources to be reused and acts as a recurring threat and on top of that, can remove backrow traps and problematic monsters you can't bypass in battle. I max out Mythriel at three as I play a fusion-focused build. Mythriel is splendid at both offense and defense, and I think that even the synchro builds involving Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow should consider two slots for this badass fusion monster.
FMA - Fullmetalfoes Alkahest
The single card which makes opening with a full hand of Metalfoes pendulums playable. He contributes to a strong first turn opening and shares Majespecter Unicorn - Kirin's burden of filling your opponent with salt when their monsters disappear from the field.
Fullmetalfoes Fusion actually works very well with Alkahest. Firstly, it can be used to perform a fusion summon during your opponent's turn, it being a quick-play spell. Apart from bringing out some big guns like Metalfoes Orichalc, you can add more flavor to the board by calling Fullmetalfoes Alkahest, which presents an annoying effect for your opponent to bypass and is the only Metalfoes fusion monster with an on-field effect that can be activated during your opponent's turn.
The major flaw and weakness of Alkahest however, that many Metalfoes players overlook, is its inability to target normal monsters with its effect. Vanilla monsters can thus bypass Alkahest as easy as taking candy from a baby, as the old saying goes, via the old-fashioned way of destroying Alkahest via battle. It will be common to see Blue-Eyes shift their focus to summoning out their iconic ace, the Vanilla Blue-Eyes White Dragon, or Metalfoes just summoning any one of their normal pendulum monsters capable of destroying Alkahest by battle. Decks piloting the Brilliant Fusion engine may find that drawing into their normal monsters turns out to be a blessing in disguise. This is why I normally only summon Alkahest out during the opponent's turn, usually during the Battle Phase. Players who are not constantly updated with the game's latest monsters and support cards suffer due to their lack of knowledge. Some might not even know of Alkahest's existence and thus suffer a major setback to their game plan, indicating yet another situation whereby knowledge and intelligence is required to secure victory in the competitive field.
Interestingly enough, I would like to share a relevant piece of information to our readers regarding Alkahest's interaction with the latest set of Union monsters: A-Assault Core, B-Buster Drake and C-Crush Wyvern. More commonly known as the ABC deck, they will be gaining more popularity in recent months as their long-awaited debut in the TCG finally takes place. Alkahest can do its stealing shenanigans on effect monsters. The alphabet Union monsters are of course, unable to be excused from that. Unless of course, you have a LIGHT machine equipped with A-Assault Core, protecting the equipped monster from monster effects. (But we will get to that later.)
Assault Core will be the most likely searched and summoned monster by ABC decks, so let's go with it as our example for most of the proposed scenarios. The reason being Assault Core's 'Salvage'-ish effect isn't generally preferred, as you would rather want your Union alphabet parts to stay in the grave, and with it having the largest attack among all three, players would prefer summoning it than having it take the back seat and being equipped to another monster. There are however, exceptions of course.
I posted this before on my blog and countless forums, private messages and Facebook groups. But I shall repeat myself here again: You should always target the opponent's Union monster, no matter what deck you are playing. What do I mean? Against a ABC matchup, if you are playing Metalfoes, focus on using Alkahest's effect on their Union monster, which is likely to be their first normal summon, if Gold and Silver Gadgets aren't involved. A good ABC player, would however, play around it cleverly, by first special summoning Photon Thrasher, then summoning their Union monster (E.g. A-Assault Core). Once Assault Core gets stolen by Alkahest, Photon Thrasher is thus free to attack, with it being the only monster on the controller's field. While it may seem like Alkahest failed to stop the ABC player in any significant way, you have actually succeeded in preventing them from fetching a Union piece from their deck (via Union Hangar). Without another alphabet on board/field, their plans to summon ABC-Dragon Buster are thus delayed.
The same argument goes for the limited Majespector Unicorn - Kirin as well. Get rid of their Union monster from the board and prevent Union Hangar from resolving. That's the general strategy and game plan. Union Hangar can only be activated (as a card) once per turn, and its effect is also once per turn. If they can somehow still get ABC-Dragon Buster that turn out without successfully resolving Union Hangar's effect, via means like Hand Destruction or Photon Lead into Bujintei Tsukiyomi, then give it to them - You did your best in attempting to disrupt their plays.
So where was I....? There is so much to mention.... Oh yes!
We go back to our original discussion about ABC matchups for Metalfoes, but first, let's have a look at Assault Core's full card text:
Once per turn, you can either: Target 1 LIGHT Machine-Type monster you control; equip this card to that target, OR: Unequip this card and Special Summon it. A monster equipped with this card is unaffected by your opponent's monster effects (except its own), also if the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle or card effect, destroy this card instead. If this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: You can add 1 other Union monster from your Graveyard to your hand.
Notice the clause where it mentions: "A monster equipped with this card is unaffected by your opponent's monster effects (except its own), also if the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle or card effect, destroy this card instead. " ? If you catch my drift, you will be catching yourself smirking too. For those who haven't, read on with anticipation. Now catch this:
- A monster equipped by A-Assault Core, will be unaffected by monster effects.
- Be it equipped via Assault Core's own effect or by other means..... let's say: Fullmetalfoes Alkahest?
- So, my point is, a Fullmetalfoes Alkahest that uses its effect, targeting Assault Core, and upon successful resolution, will gain a monster effect immunity PLUS a destruction substitution! (The destruction substitution is mandatory, I might add.)
- Once your opponent's Assault Core, equipped to Alkahest, is sent from your field to your opponent's though, they still get to use the grave effect if it is applicable and if they choose to. So take note of that too.
Tl;dr - Fullmetalfoes Alkahest is awesome against ABC, get it out ASAP when you go first. And use it on the Union monster targeted by Union Hangar's effect.
Sorry for those I disappointed if you find that this is no new info, but I hope some others managed to learn more regarding this piece of information. For ABC players, it might thus not be so wise to offer your A-Assault Core for sacrifice to Alkahest, as they will thus be protected from Dragon Buster's banish. Give them Buster Drake and spells don't work on Alkahest too. And it is just the opponent's spells, so Alkahest can still be used for a fusion summon. To get over Alkahest as an ABC player, I would opt to search Crush Wyvern/Buster Drake, get another enabler (Photon Thasher/Gadget) on the field and my Union Hangar's effect will likely be interrupted. Stripe Alkahest from its equipped card, trigger Crush Wyvern's effect if I have a Union monster in hand, if not just settle for a search from Buster Drake, then proceed to destroy Alkahest by battle with the special-summoned Union monster. When Main Phase 2 comes, it is either Gear-Gigant X or Bujintei Tsukiyomi for further plays.
If I am lucky enough, or my opponent carelessly misplays, thinking that he can rob my monster during the Battle Phase instead, I will just proceed to equip Assault Core to my Union monster so I can attack over Alkahest. Note that this strategy may be thwarted if your opponent decides to switch gears and opt to target Photon Thrasher, giving Alkahest a 2100DEF that neither Crush Wyvern nor Buster Drake can bypass. However at times like this, spell/trap destruction comes in handy.
Knowing how your opponent will play is crucial information. Knowing their best possible play in any current situation will help you in strategy-planning, placing yourself a few steps ahead of the opponent.
Since the stealing process requires the target monster to be equipped to Alkahest, Alkahest is thus unable to use its effect on face-down position monsters. And since Alkahest targets your opponent's monsters, and can thus lead to interesting situations whereby trap and spell monsters are equipped to Alkahest and eventually used for a fusion summon.
The following is a pretty useful and gimmicky trick that can be abused:
Using Alkahest's effect, obtain one of your opponent's monsters during their turn.If they manage to spawn another monster onto the field, threatening to attack Alkahest, or if they are planning to end their turn, activate Fullmetalfoes Fusion, fusing Alkahest with the equipped monster.
Usually, the popular candidate would be Metalfoes Adamante. Most equipped monsters are below the 2500 benchmark.If you happen to obtain a pendulum monster, Metalfoes Mythriel with its self-floating effect will be a good choice.
Whichever it is summon, the fusion summon will result trigger the continuous spell Combination's field effect, allowing you to revive Alkahest once more.Alkahest is thus free to reuse its effect, as the card effect text of Alkahest is written as " Once per turn, you can..." and not "You can only use Alkahest's effect once per turn". The common slang used will hence be a "once per turn for each card".Alkahest can thus obtain your opponent's monster for a second time, perhaps foiling your opponent's Plan B as well.
We are so deep into this chapter of the article for Alkahest and we haven't even gotten to its other and better effects. So far all the talk has been mainly about its first effect. But let's touch on its other (last effect in the card text) since we have mentioned fusion summons regarding Alkahest.
While this card is equipped with a Fusion Material(s) listed on a "Metalfoes" Fusion Monster, you can use that equipped card(s) you control as a Fusion Material for that Fusion Monster.
A restriction is not imposed upon the number of equipped monsters Alkahest can have. With turns and opportunities, and maybe coupled with some bad plays or lack of answers from your opponent, Alkahest can even end up with five equipped monsters, fully utilising the spell/trap zones. The closest I got to that was three cards equipped to Alkahest in a game against an ABC deck - Assault Core, ABC-Dragon Buster and a Gadget monster. The pivotal moment of the game came when my opponent overlooked Assault Core's effect, thinking it didn't extend to Alkahest. Using Dragon Buster effect to target Alkahest, he got caught off guard, and I managed to steal Dragon Buster during his turn, after he wasted a card from his hand due to the discard cost. The rest of the game was pretty much one-sided, where he couldn't find an out to my fusion monster, and he spent the remainder of the duel labeling Assualt Core as a traitor. #lulz #salt
If the shoes fit, and the situation allows, you can thus enter a fusion summon WITHOUT involving Alkahest, but with only the equipped monsters. The closest likely scenario I can propose is a mirror matchup, whereby Alkahest is equipped with Raremetalfoes Bismagia and another pendulum monster. There is of course also the option of fusing Alkahest's equipped monster with another Metalfoes monster you control (for a 2nd Alkahest maybe?). My point is: Alkahest's effect doesn't state that Alkahest himself must partake in the fusion summon.
Lastly, Alkahest is far from an offensive monster, as the equipped monster contributes to Alkahest's defensive stats, and not attack. While this may imply Alkahest won't be seen in attack position on the field, it adds on more troubles for your opponent to bypass it as the equipped monsters count stacks. Against Blue-Eyes, stealing a 3000ATK monster would indeed set them back a few steps as they ponder how to break the power ceiling.
To end off this chapter on our dear friend Fullmetalfoes Alkahest, for our readers in the west unfamiliar with Asian culture, Alkahest's name is likely an inspiration from the popular anime and manga series - Fullmetal Alchemist. This is further supported by the fact that Alkahest is referenced in the show as a hypothetical universal solvent.
Conclusion
Thanks to all for reading and I hope you enjoyed the read. Apologies for the delays and all, but with this, we have officially come to the end of the Intro To Metalfoes Series~! Thanks to all who followed the series faithfully and I hope I managed to share new information with everyone who has been reading. As always, I will continue to provide more articles for the site and perhaps move on to another series of articles. Comment section is down below for anyone with further questions and suggestions for further articles.
YOT Thailand, the upcoming and last Asia Premier event of the year just got cancelled, so plenty of players are still dealing with the disappointment. Personally, I am still crying over my darn luck and deciding on what to do with the flight and hotel. :( There are talks about it possibly being postponed/cancelled so one can always remain hopeful. If by some miraculous chance that I am still able to attend it, I look forward in providing event coverage for everyone to read about! Let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we?
Well, that's all for now. Thank you once again, this is Ken Sir, signing off. (:
