Even though it’s been just two weeks since YCS Seattle, we’re already seeing some new trends here in Atlanta. Some of those trends are thanks to new Fusion Enforcers cards, but not all of them!

Aleister the Invoker and Invocation

While there are a few dedicated Invoked Decks, we’re also seeing a lot of Invoked teched into other strategies. It’s easy to simply put a pair of Aleister and Invocation into an existing Deck, and some also use Magical Meltdown. Once you draw into Aleister, the cards are pretty much self-sufficient. We are mostly seeing the Invoked used in strategies that don’t mind giving up the Extra Deck space, since they’ll want to use at least one of each Invoked Fusion Monster. Zoodiacs are a prime candidate, since they typically just need their own Zoodiac Xyz and Daigusto Emeral anyway, but we are also seeing the Invoked paired with Windwitches a fair amount.

Lunalight Black Sheep and Fusion Substitute

Lunalight Black Sheep is making an appearance as part a new variant of the typical Zoodiac combo. Where the normal Zoodiac combo usually results in a field of Zoodiac Drident and Daigusto Emeral, this allows you to get the same field with an additional card! You play the combo out like usual, but at the point where you normally would use Zoodiac Broadbull to search out Zoodiac Whiptail, you search out Lunalight Black Sheep instead. Discard that to add Fusion Substitute to your hand. Now continue your combo to the point where you’ve got Broadbull and Emeral on the field, and you’ve used Emeral’s effect to put two Zoodiac Ratpier back in your Deck. Then, use Fusion Substitute to Fusion Summon Elder Entity Norden, using Broadbull and Emeral. Yes, that’s right, you Fusion Summon Norden – no Instant Fusion here.

Norden will Special Summon your remaining Ratpier from your Graveyard, and you’ll Xyz Summon a second Broadbull using Norden and Ratpier. From there, you continue the combo like normal, ending with Drident and another Rank 4 – Probably Emeral again. You’ve ended with the same field, but now you can use Fusion Substitute’s effect in the Graveyard to put back Norden and draw a card. You lose almost nothing by playing a single Black Sheep and a single Fusion Substitute – if you draw them before you’d search with Broadbull, you can just search out Whiptail like you normally would.

Forbidden Chalice and Lost Wind

These two cards negate monster effects, and both have been seeing a lot of play here in Atlanta. The obvious use is to negate Zoodiac Drident, leaving it unable to destroy a card and dropping its ATK. It even will stop Zoodiac Whiptail – since Whiptail is actually giving an effect to the Xyz Monster, that will also be negated by Chalice and Lost Wind.

These cards are for more than just negating Xyz Monsters, however. While Dimensional Barrier is very powerful, it can’t do anything to regular Effect Monsters that come from the Main Deck. That’s where Forbidden Chalice and Lost Wind shine! For example, they can negate Artifact Scythe, which we’re seeing in tons of Decks today.

Xyz Universe

At first glance, Xyz Universe has somewhat strict activation requirements; however, since most Zoodiac combos end with a field of Zoodiac Drident and Daigusto Emeral, you can blow away that field with Xyz Universe and get your own high-Rank monster! If your opponent only has one Xyz Monster, you can still use one of your own. We just saw Xyz Universe in action on our live stream, where Laqman Mateen used it to take out two opposing monsters and play Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!