The New Age of Vampires!
Once upon a time, the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME was ruled by Vampires. When Vampire Lord was released in Dark Crisis back in 2003, it was one of the most impressive monsters Duelists had ever seen. Virtually invincible, Vampire Lord could only be taken down in battle. Any time an opponent’s card effect destroyed it, it would return to the field, where its 2000 ATK would terrorize weaker monsters, and its effect would slowly cause an opponent’s Deck to deteriorate.
But times were different back then. Monsters with 2000 ATK were tough to destroy in battle, and Duelists’ Decks were packed with Spell & Trap Cards like Raigeki and Sakuretsu Armor that were powerless against Vampire Lord. Vampire Lord slowly faded out of popularity as its effect became less relevant against the most popular cards that Duelists used.
Now, a new age of Vampires is among us! Shadow Specters contains brand new Vampire cards that breathe new “life” into Vampire Decks. Duels against the undead are about to become more intense than ever before! Read on to learn more…
One of the new Vampire strategies introduced in Shadow Specters revolves around Special Summoning Level 5 Zombies to Xyz Summon Rank 5 monsters. The new Vampire monsters in Shadow Specters make it easy to control 2 Level 5 Zombies at once.
Shadow Vampire is a Level 5 Zombie with 2000 ATK and 0 DEF. When it’s Normal Summoned, you can Special Summon a DARK “Vampire” monster from your hand or Deck, other than Shadow Vampire. Choose to Special Summon a Level 5 Vampire, and you’ll already have 2 Level 5 Zombies on the field, like a vampiric version of Tour Guide from the Underworld’s effect. The monster you Special Summon is the only monster you’ll be able to attack with during the turn you use Shadow Vampire’s effect; but that’s only a small sacrifice to make in exchange for an augmentation to your army of the undead.
While you could Special Summon good old Vampire Lord with the effect of Shadow Vampire, there’s also a new World Premiere vampire in Shadow Specters – Vampire Duke – that you might want to Special Summon instead. Vampire Duke is a Level 5 Zombie with 2000 ATK and 0 DEF, just like Shadow Vampire. In addition, when it’s Normal Summoned, you can Special Summon a DARK “Vampire” monster from your Graveyard in Defense Position. When it’s Special Summoned, you can force your opponent to send a Monster, Spell, or Trap Card from his or her Deck to his or her Graveyard.
Just as Shadow Vampire can Special Summon Vampire Duke when it’s Normal Summoned, Vampire Duke can also Special Summon Shadow Vampire when it’s Normal Summoned. That makes it a breeze to get both of these Level 5 Vampires on the field at the same time.
Shadow Vampire and Vampire Duke can only be used as Xyz Materials for the Xyz Summon of a DARK monster; but that’s not a problem thanks to the new Rank 5 Xyz Monster, Crimson Knight Vampire Bram!
Crimson Knight Vampire Bram has 2500 ATK and 0 DEF, and can only be Xyz Summoned by combining 2 Level 5 Zombies like Shadow Vampire and Vampire Duke. Once per turn, you can detach an Xyz Material from Bram to Special Summon a monster from your opponent’s Graveyard. That monster is the only one that can attack during the turn you use Bram’s effect.
If Bram’s ability to add your opponent’s monsters to his army weren’t impressive enough, Bram is also nearly impossible to permanently vanquish. Whenever Bram is destroyed by an opponent’s card and sent to the Graveyard, it Special Summons itself to your field in face-up Defense Position during the next Standby Phase. You can keep Bram up as a wall for as long as you need to, then use him to unleash Gaia Dragon the Thunder Charger when you’re ready to go back on offense!
The Level 5 Vampire strategy is getting a huge boost in Shadow Specters, rewarding Tribute Summons with Special Summons and tough-to-defeat monsters. Now is the perfect time to dust off your old Vampire cards and suck the life out of your opponent’s Decks!