Solemn Strike from Breakers of Shadow has had a huge impact this weekend, as evidenced by its presence in 20 of the Top 32 Decks.

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20 out of 32 Duelists who made it to the Single Elimination Rounds used at least 2 copies of Solemn Strike in their Main Deck or Side Deck. In total, 55 copies of Solemn Strike made it to the Top 32, with the following breakdown:

• 12 Duelists included 3 copies of Solemn Strike in their Main Deck
• 3 Duelists included 2 copies of Solemn Strike in their Main Deck
• 3 Duelists chose not to include any copies of Solemn Strike in their Main Deck, but included 3 copies of it in their Side Deck
• 2 Duelists chose not to include any copies of Solemn Strike in their Main Deck

It’s obvious why Solemn Strike was so prevalent this weekend. At the mere cost of 1500 Life Points, Solemn Strike can negate a Special Summon or the activation of a monster effect, making it a versatile card that’s effective against a large variety of Decks.

Against the most dominant Deck of the weekend, Performapal Pendulums, Solemn Strike can be used to stop an entire Pendulum Summon. Once an opponent announces which monsters he or she intends to Pendulum Summon, a Duelist can flip Solemn Strike and pay 1500 Life Points to negate the Summon and send all of the monsters that would otherwise be Pendulum Summoned to the Graveyard instead. This is a devastating setback to a Pendulum-based Deck that relies on reusing their Pendulum Monsters.

In addition to stopping Pendulum Summons, Solemn Strike can stop crucial Xyz Summons and Synchro Summons of monsters like Cyber Dragon Infinity and Traptrix Rafflesia. A well-timed activation of Solemn Strike is sometimes the difference between victory and defeat.

Solemn Strike’s power to negate monster effects has also had a tremendous impact this weekend. Lots of Duelists rely on Effect Veiler and Maxx “C” to slow down an opponent’s momentum or stop an opponent in his or her tracks. Solemn Strike can negate these otherwise hindering cards, to force powerful plays right through your opponent’s defenses. In addition, the effects of monsters like Performapal Skullcrobat Joker, all of the Monarch monsters, all of the Kozmo monsters, and many more popular cards are often crucial to a Duelist’s success. Solemn Strike can negate the activation of all critical monster effects.

Solemn Strike also has incredible synergy with Guiding Ariadne – a new Pendulum Monster in Breakers of Shadow. While Guiding Ariadne is in your Pendulum Zone, Solemn Strike becomes completely free to activate. In addition, when Guiding Ariadne is destroyed by battle or a card effect – including while it’s in the Pendulum Zone – you can reveal three Counter Trap Cards from your Deck (including 3 copies of Solemn Strike), and force your opponent to add one of them to your hand. Because of the powerful interactions between Guiding Ariadne and Solemn Strike, all of the Duelists who made it to the Top 32 using Guiding Ariadne packed a full 3 copies of Solemn Strike in their Main Decks.

Even though the Advanced Format is about to change on February 8th due to the introduction of the “Adjusted List,” Solemn Strike’s potency will not. It will still be a powerful weapon against any Deck that performs Pendulum Summons, and will be an amazing tool for stopping an opponent’s most useful Monster Effects and key Special Summons. Solemn Strike’s versatility makes it an asset in just about any Deck.