Legendary Duelists: Rage of Ra has a clear target demographic in anime lovers. While The Winged Dragon of Ra is the star of the show, you may be surprised that a different theme steals the show here. I would like to go over each theme of support, as well as the economic aspects of buying this pack.
Ra Support
Ra's cards are focused on summoning Ra and recreating its traditional effects as seen in the anime. While these cards are great for what they do, they cannot cover for the mediocrity of The Winged Dragon of Ra itself.
Slime Time
Reactor Slime is a bit odd in that its two effects clash with each other, since its first effect locks you into summoning Divine-Beast monsters. That isn't to say the effects are bad - they do properly give you material to summon Ra in one Normal Summon.
Guardian Slime is a bit more awkward. Taking damage is a poor condition to activate, since you'll either need to play an additional card to do so, or crash your limited monsters. You are more likely to use Guardian Slime for its search effect, but again, you will have to play a card outside of Ra's support to send it.
Egyptian God Slime is a strange anime callback that ties all the "Slime" cards back to Ra. Interestingly, its protection effects are great! In a different deck, it could block both Infinite Impermanence and Effect Veiler. However, when paired with the design of the Spell and Trap support, you may be confused as to why you would like to Tribute Summon for Ra.
Sealed Power of Ra
I have to say, "unusual design choices" seems to be the theme of Ra support. Millennium Revelation is a semi-consistent way to Special Summon Ra, and Sun God Unification seems to support the notion that you would WANT to special summon Ra. However, the Slime cards and Ancient Chant suggest a Tribute Summon-oriented build. While either build can result in an OTK-level Ra, it would have been more conducive to have all the support work toward a single goal.
The Price of Power
It is clear that Ra is a casual deck. That is not indicative of card singles prices in this matter; Ra fans are the ones picking this up, not competitive duelists. Ra's minions are likely to be the chase cards of this set, and thus the most expensive.
There is an Ghost Rare of The Winged Dragon of Ra in this set. If past sets are any indication, this Ra will be incredibly rare and valuable. Likewise, it could go for anywhere between 300 to 1,000 USD. This set doesn't have competitive cards either, meaning that it won't be widely opened, increasing its scarcity. I would not recommend buying this pack just to try for it, as only those opening cases are likely to find it.
Jinzo Support
Similarly to Ra, Jinzo's support wants to summon its boss and activate flavorful cards. Most of the cards reference the "psychic" aspect of Espa while staying true to Jinzo's anti-trap playstyle.
Control and Consistency
Jinzo the Machine Menace has a rather loose condition. As long as a Trap has been played, it will be live whenever you draw it. That being said, it is the norm in non-control decks to only run Infinite Impermanence as your sole Trap card. Jinzo players may find it difficult to find an opportunity for the machine menace just because traps are uncommon outside of Eldlich. Nonetheless, Machine Menace having a quick effect means it places the opponent's traps in a precarious situation, being both destroyed and negated on the summon of Jinzo.
It's good to see that the designers for this set recognize the need for a good normal summon for each theme. For Jinzo, it is Psychic Bounder. Its search effect is simple, and its protection flavorful in regards to Espa's "control all aspects of the duel" theme.
Psychic Megacyber seems as though it sets up Jinzo the Machine Menace. However, the order seems off, as you would likely be using Meance to summon the original Jinzo. That aside, Megacyber's removal effect is diverse, getting past destruction and targeting protection.
Mine to Command
Law of the Cosmos' optional effect may seem counter intuitive, but it may be applicable if the opponent has no traps in their deck. Otherwise, adding Jinzo is obviously important to the deck anyway. Cosmos Channeling is simply more flavor, but acceptable design considering the amount of consistency the deck gained.
Both Cyber Energy Shock and Everlasting Alloy require Jinzo on the field to be activated. While it is important to keep Jinzo on the field, playing cards that do not contribute to a path to victory will only be detrimental to the deck. It is important to note that Everlasting Alloy negates at activation, not at resolution of card. That means you will have to play it preemptively, which is a poor choice when many quick effects can chain to Alloy to nullify its purpose.
Cheap Metal
Between its non-viability in tournaments and being outshined by Ra in terms of anime star power, Jinzo cards will not be expensive. It will likely have two to three Ultras, less than the two other themes present.
Meklord Support
Surprisingly, the odd-one-out is the most impacted by its support. That is to say, Meklord is a playable deck now. Beyond that, it has focus that the other themes here lack!
War Against Synchros
Meklord Astro Dragon Triskelion is the card that every other Meklord support card works toward. Ironically, the recent restriction of Jet Synchron and Mecha Phantom Beast O-Lion has reduced the amount of decks that play Synchros. But against decks that do, expect Triskelion to hit at least 5000, if not 6000 ATK from Borreload Savage Dragon. Either way, it's enough to blow away an unprotected opponent.
Deploy the Troops!
Meklord Nucleus Infinity Core is an absolute play maker. As is the consistent factor, it garners a search upon its summon. This is an alternative way to summon Triskelion, since it can destroy itself with Meklord Assembly.
Meklord Army Deployer Obbligato's ability to summon two Meklord Army cards is hampered by its machine-type restriction. Its main function is fueling Triskelion's summon condition while providing support with either
Heavy Armored Train Ironwolf, Union Carrier, or Platinum Gadget.
Meklord Emperor Wisel - Synchro Absorption has the least focused effect of the set. Its design suggests that it is here to protect Triskelion if your opponent survives the turn. Protection from attacks and destruction are not enough to stop Triskelion's untimely death, considering the multitude of alternative removal available.
Assemble the Tools
Meklord Assembly acts functionally the same as Infinity Core, providing an instant Triskelion. It also provides Spell/Trap destruction upon using its first effect, if a pesky Mystic Mine finds it way on board. While it does help activate the old Meklord Emperors' effects, they do not mesh well with the new style.
Meklord Deflection seems of the same mind as Synchro Absorption, in that it assumes you will live a turn after a failed OTK. Also, having multiple Meklords on the field does not mesh well with the Triskelion-oriented build.
While you may not want to assume you get another turn with this deck, Meklord Astro the Eradicator draws a parallel to Void Feast. While clearly not as good, it provides enough defensive capabilities while providing a potential offense that it might be worth considering as your sole trap.
Soldiers a Dime a Dozen
I'm glad to tell Meklord fans that their army should be the most affordable of the set. Even the cards not reprinted in this set are widely available, leaving no buyout targets. For future reference, if your deck needs multiple cards exclusive to a set like Ra, it will increase its price.
Should You Buy Rage of Ra?
This is a pack for the collectors. It offers no competitively viable cards, and you're more likely to spend more money on packs getting cards you want than on singles, even if you're looking to build a Ra deck. The only reason you would buy packs of "Rage of Ra" is if you're buying cases to find that elusive "extra special" Ra. Even then, there is a chance that you won't find it… but someone has to open packs to do so!
