Two years ago, the Traptrix monsters debuted in Judgment of the Light. They’re a group of Plant and Insect-type monsters that work with your “Hole” Normal Trap Cards, namely the long running series of “Trap Hole” cards, to prevent Summons and eliminate monsters! While most themes have a powerful monster to lead their strategy, Traptrix got Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare, a powerful Trap Card that could both negate effects and destroy monsters! It became a big player on the competitive scene overnight, but that didn’t stop Duelists from asking for an ace monster for the Traptrix Deck! Well, the time is now here: Say hello to Traptrix Rafflesia!

Traptrix Rafflesia is a Level 4 Xyz Monster that you can use any two Level 4 monsters to Xyz Summon. With 300 ATK it’s certainly not dealing much damage, but it makes up for it with a solid 2500 DEF. She’s got 4 abilities, 1 for each of the basic “Traptrix” monsters! First, she’s unaffected by Trap effects while she has Xyz Material. Second, she extends immunity to destruction by battle and card effects to all your other “Traptrix” monsters! Third, your other “Traptrix” monsters can’t even be targeted by your opponent’s card effects. The combination of these abilities allows you to easily protect all your monsters with cards like Torrential Tribute and Needle Ceiling, wiping out your opponent’s monsters and leaving your own safe and sound! Traptrix Rafflesia is a difficult monster for your opponent to remove from the field, and the longer she stays in play, the more headaches she’ll cause your opponent.

Traptrix Rafflesia’s fourth and final ability is so good that it’s landing her in Extra Decks everywhere, just like how Traptrix Myrmeleo wound up in Main Decks everywhere once people realized the power of being able to search out Bottomless Trap Hole and Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare. The last ability goes like this:

“Once per turn, during either players turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and send 1 “Hole” Normal Trap Card that meets its activation conditions from your Deck to the Graveyard; this effect becomes that Trap Card’s effect when that card is activated.”

Traptrix Rafflesia lets you use any “Hole” Normal Trap Card in your Deck at any time without having to draw it. Bottomless Trap Hole and Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare are two of the standout “Hole” Traps you can use, but with access to Trap Hole to stop Normal Summons, and Time-Space Trap Hole to stop mass Special Summons (like Pendulum Summons), you can deal with just about anything! You can even destroy 2 monsters that were already on the field immediately after Summoning Rafflesia by sending Treacherous Trap Hole to the Graveyard if you have no Traps in your Graveyard yet, making her a good turn 2 play for breaking through your opponent’s opening setup! Summoning Traptrix Rafflesia means that you don’t have to draw your Traps in order to use them, giving you a ton of flexibility for the low cost of 2 Level 4 Monsters.

Traptrix Rafflesia works best in a Traptrix Deck where you can make full use of its effects, but it’s easy to Xyz Summon in a ton of popular strategies right now. Just about every Pendulum strategy uses level 4 Pendulum Monsters, like Igknights, Majespecters, and Performages, making it easy to have monsters to use for an Xyz Summon! In a Traptrix Deck, Traptrix Dionaea sets up an Xyz Summon single-handedly, Special Summoning any Traptrix monster from your Graveyard when you Normal Summon her. Just about every Deck has some access to Level 4 monsters, so it’s really easy to get the Materials to Summon Rafflesia.

Traptrix Rafflesia packs an extremely powerful effect, finding the right “Hole” Trap Card for any situation. If you’re looking for an Xyz Monster that can deal with a variety of threats while letting you use some of your best cards without drawing them, Traptrix Rafflesia from Breakers of Shadow might just be what you’re looking for!