The results from Shonen Jump Nashville are in and it looks like Roy St. Clair did it again. Say what you want about him but the man’s Yu-Gi-Oh! card analysis is clearly in the upper rung of all players worldwide. He saw the power of XX-Saber Emmersblade and its ability to anchor the X-Saber archetype.
XX-Saber Emmersblade is a unique theme-specific recruiter monster. While there are many slight variations on the recruiter term, the general definition is a monster that retains field presence while searching another suitable monster. So while monsters like Sangan and Goblin Zombie add to the hand instead of the field, I term them “floaters” because it’s exceedingly rare to lose card advantage with such cards. Unfortunately they do not replace field presence, which can lead to getting overrun.
I see many players have difficulties managing and opposing recruiters. So this quick hit will “quickly” discuss recruiters.
The Always Relevant Recruiters
From Mystic Tomato to Pyramid Turtle to XX-Saber Emmersblade, recruiters have always been relevant and always welcome in the top tier decks of the global metagame. The base definition for why you run a recruiter is central to the very definition; recruiters find monsters that are better than them. We can actually boil this down to a few simple examples.
Example 1: Tomato fetches Sangan. Sangan is tributed or Synchro Summoned. Whereas the Tomato would have netted a -1 if tributed, the Sangan replaces itself. So if you tribute Sangan for a Caius, the opponent loses a card with no loss to you and a 2400 attack monster.
Example 2: Pyramid Turtle fetches Goblin Zombie. This example is identical to #1.
Example 3: Emmersblade fetches XX-Saber Ragigura. Ragigura can fetch Emmersblade or other appropriate targets.
In each of these trades, the recruiter has generated card advantage (or replaced it) while improving the player’s position. Because this exchange does not cost a normal summon, a monster like Mystic Tomato can occasionally be better than a Sangan or even a Witch of the Black Forest!
The chief drawbacks to recruiters are actually rarely exploited by midrange to casual players. It takes a true expert to understand the weakness of a recruiter and exploit it thoroughly.
The Plight of the Face-Down Monster
Yu-Gi-Oh! was once a game where face-down monsters and spell/trap cards were feared. That sleeve facing your board could be anything, from a monster that blew the whole board up (Cyber Jar) to a trap that actually destroyed everything (Torrential Tribute)!
Of course nowadays with all sorts of overpowered targeted effects floated about, monsters on the board are frequently handled. The chief weakness of the recruiter monster is not attacking it. Not attacking it creates a sunk field cost that cannot be recouped until attacked and replaced. This ostensibly means the player controlling the recruiter cannot put more monsters on the board until the recruiter is replaced. Otherwise, the risk of losing the board is catastrophic.
Against many decks, it’s simply not a good idea to attack a face-down monster unless you’ll be pushing through significant (1000 or more) damage in the turn. Against Lightsworn decks, you can certainly feel free to attack. In fact, the optimal play is to summon some sort of floater and attack the face-down monster first (to absorb Ryko). LS generally only sets Necro Gardna or Ryko.
But against other decks, you’re simply making a mistake by attacking a face-down monster, particularly on turn one. Momma Kim told me when I was a young’un not to do something if “nothing good could come out of it.” There’s really nothing good to come out of attacking a face-down monster if you’re not pushing through damage. Every deck is centered around not losing advantage through battle.
Leave their monsters face-down or in attack position while blocking damage with your monster. Then your cards like Celestia/Judgment Dragon, Icarus Attack, War Chariot/Gyzarus, Monarchs, Dark Armed Dragon, and others that generate mass advantage against non-floaters can really hammer the recruiter-locked board! That, dear readers, is the key to exploiting.
The next time you see a recruiter and you can’t push through damage, leave it alone. If you see a face-down monster in any deck, just leave it alone until you can get a second monster to push through damage.
Exceptions: In Blackwings, Shura the Blue Flame evens out the trade with recruiters (though even this will often be a losing transaction) and can hammer home damage.
In Gladiator Beasts, a Chariot, Murmillo, or Equeste can even out the trade. But turn 1 attacks into face-down T-sets just aren’t the greatest idea unless you’re fetching Bestiari.
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Another Exception could be when your using Different Dimension stuff like Macro Cosmos ,Banisher or D. Fissure because most if not all searchers need the grave. =D
1) I, more than probably anyone who reads your blog, appreciates your old school perspective.
2) You are entirely right – don’t attack recruiters these days, most always.
Great Article. Another form of recruiter exploit could be through RDA. His effect bypasses recruiters, if he attacks them while they are in defense position.
Well this was a quick hit on recruiters not in an in depth thing. So he didnt cover the strengths and weaknesses of recruiters.
I’m curious where Lonefire Blossom falls into this category. I doesnt fit the usual mold of having to be destroyed by battle, and its range is a tad wider being able to target any plant.
Though its a replacement recruiter i guess since it replaces itself and can usually tip the scales in favor of something else.
Actually speaking of Lonefire, im curious because I’m trying to work my way through a new plant deck for the next format (after ABPF SE:Is released for the Dandylions) where would be a place to post it to where i could get GOOD feedback. I’ve tried Pojo, TCG players, etc, etc. But a majority of responses i’ve seem to get fall along the lines of “your playing plants…noob LS = win” and id rather have constructive criticism than someone who would get blown out of the water at a regional.
Hi,
My name is Pablo, I really apreciated you are back. You have an amazing blog, I agree with your perspective of this game.
I’m playing a frog deck right now, but probably is not what you are thinking. I don’t use limit area B, or gravity bind, or the field spell card of frogs. That’s all crap. My deck doesn`t have dead draw (and I dont use exodia either). I hope I can show you some day.
good lucke, and keep writting.
sorry if my english is not perfect, I speak spanish.
Super-wicked as always, sir!
Recruiters are very important to my deck, while not being the only way of grabbing the monsters I need.
I would like to say that in terms of whether to attack a face-down monster has been much trickier as of late, mostly because [Super-Nimble Mega Hamster] and [Gravekeeper's Spy] are able to grab great cards from the deck, whether they are destroyed in battle or not. The players in my area who have been doing best make heavy use of Monsters with Piercing, especially with [Blackwing - Bora the Spear], [Gragonis, Lightsworn Dragon] (and it’s easy-to-reach 4000+ ATK), and even the Trap [Meteorain] in Stardust/Red Dragon Flamvell.
I’m pulling for your Volcanic Rocket deck(s)! I’d say this is the best format for it.