“Now it’s time to take on a NEW form!  Merge again, my Kuribohs!  This time to form… KURIBANDIT!”

Yes, Dragons of Legend finally brings one of the most beloved fan-favorites of all time into the real world, as Kuribandit makes its playable debut!  In his second Duel against Rafael, the Pharaoh had to unite all five Kuriboh Brothers to unleash the incredible deck-thinning power of Kuribandit!  So what fuzzy hoops will you have to jump through?

None.

As a Level 3 DARK Fiend that you can Normal Summon, rifling through your Deck with Kuribandit’s effect is as easy as drawing it, Summoning it, and waiting until your End Phase to Tribute it away.  From there its sharp little paws will excavate the top five cards of your Deck so you can add a Spell or Trap Card to your hand: the rest of the cards go to the Graveyard.

Opening with Kuribandit will let you see eleven cards on your first turn, digging through more than a quarter of your Deck to get you to key Spells and Traps.  Here are just three cards you might want to dig for…

If you play Bujins or Fire Fists, then Fire Formation – Tenki gets you to all your best monsters.  Kuribandit virtually guarantees that you’ll see those all-important Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Bears and Bujin Yamatos.  If you’re a Geargia Duelist then you know the incredible power of Geargiagear; an instant Rank 4 Xyz Summon for cards like Gear Gigant X, Number 101: Silent Honor ARK, or Evilswarm Exciton Knight.  And if you’re running Reckless Greed, Kuribandit helps you get to two or even three copies at once, so you can cheat Greed’s drawback and draw as many as six cards!

Note that Fire Fists, Bujins, and Geargia can also benefit from the cards you don’t add to your hand.  Kuribandit can send a Level 4 FIRE Beast-Warrior to your Graveyard for Coach Soldier Wolfbark or Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Dragon in Fire Fists.  Bujins can load up on Bujingi Hare, Bujingi Quilin, or Bujingi Centipede so you can use their effects.  And even in Geargia, you can drop a “Geargia” monster to revive it later with Geargiano Mk-II or Call of the Haunted.

In fact, some of the best Decks for Kuribandit are great candidates because they have so many monsters they want to send to the Graveyard.

A Frog Monarch Deck can send cards like Treeborn Frog and Ronintoadin to the Graveyard, on its way to getting you powerful Spell Cards like Soul Exchange.  You can Special Summon Treeborn and Ronintoadin with their effects, getting Tribute fodder for your high-Level monsters and some defense as you dig through your Deck with Kuribandits.

It’s even better in Lightsworn.  To Special Summon heavy-hitting boss monsters like Judgment Dragon and Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning, you need to fill your Graveyard: Kuribandit sends away plenty of Lightsworns and DARK monsters, all while getting you to Solar Recharge and Charge of the Light Brigade.  Those spells then send even more cards to your Graveyard, getting you closer and closer to your best stuff.

And yes, I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t Kuribandit completely insane with Sylvans?”

Yes.  Yes it is.

Monsters like Sylvan Marshalleaf, Sylvan Komushroomo, and Sylvan Peaskeeper all have effects that trigger when they’re excavated and sent to the Graveyard.  Since Kuribandit does that, its ability can trigger your Sylvans five at a time.  That’s nuts, but it gets even crazier when you realize that Sylvan Decks tend to win even more when they can get to Miracle Fertilizer with a loaded Graveyard.  Kuribandit can get you to those cards, setting you up to make huge plays on your next turn.

Generally you’ll want to draw and Normal Summon Kuribandit, but since it’s a Level 3 Fiend that’s not the only way to play it.  If you run Tour Guide from the Underworld, you can use her effect to Special Summon Kuribandit from your Deck.  You won’t get to use Kuribandit’s ability since it has to be Normal Summoned for that, but you can Xyz Summon a Rank 3 monster and keep the other 2 Tour Guides in your Deck for later.  It’s just another way to get more range out of this stellar new monster.

Pawing its way through your Deck and loading up your Graveyard, Kuribandit’s a great addition to lots of different strategies!  Watch for it to make a big impact when it arrives in Dragons of Legend on April 25^th!