Warrior-Type monsters are some of the most powerful and popular around, from Elemental HERO cards to Six Samurai. Their Xyz monsters are quite strong as well, and thanks to Return of the Duelist it’ll be easier than ever to Summon them courtesy of Heroic Challenger – Double Lance!

Heroic Challenger – Double Lance is a Level 4 monster with a respectable 1700 ATK, but its effect is what makes it a stand-out choice for Xyz Summoning. When Normal Summoned, you can Special Summon another Heroic Challenger – Double Lance from your hand or Graveyard in Defense Position. That gives you 2 Level 4 monsters, all you need for a Rank 4 Xyz Summon.

Heroic Challenger – Double Lance can only be used as an Xyz Material when Summoning Warrior-Type monsters, but with there being several useful Rank 4 Warriors around that won’t be a concern.

First-off you can Summon Number 39: Utopia, which shows up in a lot of Extra Decks, making Double Lance a handy option for any Deck that needs or wants to Summon it. You can also use Double Lance to give you 2 of the 3 Level 4 monsters you need to Summon Number 10: Illumiknight. A Silver Sentinel Summoned by its own effect makes a fine 3^rd Level 4 monster.

Naturally, Warrior-based Decks will get the most use out of Double Lance as they’ll need to Xyz Summon more often. Blade Armor Ninja can be Summoned with Double Lance and is capable of attacking twice per turn with its effect, which can quickly chop your opponent’s Life Points in half!

If you’re in need of a high ATK monster right away, Heroic Challenger – Double Lance is the quickest way for you to Summon Heroic Champion – Excalibur! Heroic Champion – Excalibur starts out with 2000 ATK, but by detaching 2 Xyz Materials that can double to 4000 until your opponent’s next End Phase, enough to take down anything that stands in your way.

Heroic Challenger – Double Lance is easy to use as well. If you hold 1 copy in your hand, you can use Reinforcement of the Army to add a second to your hand and set up your quick combo. Likewise, if you have 2 copies in the Graveyard, The Warrior Returning Alive will get one back and Double Lance’s own effect will Summon the other. This can lead to a handy combo in most Warrior-based Decks, which will have plenty of choices for both Spell Cards.

With just a single Double Lance and Reinforcement of the Army, you can Summon Heroic Champion – Excalibur. By detaching both Double Lances for Excalibur’s effect, it’ll double its ATK and the Lances go into the Graveyard. Follow that up with the Warrior Returning Alive and you’re set for another Xyz Summon. If you Summon Excalibur and wait a turn to activate its effect, you can use its effect, bring back a Double Lance and Normal Summon it to set up another Excalibur Summon. Detach the Materials from that one and you have 8000 ATK on the table, enough to wipe out your opponent in an instant!

Heroic Challenger – Double Lance is a simple yet effective way of Summoning your Warrior-Type Xyz Monsters, and when combined with other cards can be quite a powerful ally.  Even if you aren’t going to use it right now, you might want to in the future, so grabbing three copies of this card now so that you’ll have them when you want them is a good idea!