Pendulum themes like Performapals, Dracos, and Magicians are what put Pendulum Monsters back on the competitive map.  But a handful of more flexible Pendulums often pop up in all sorts of different strategies; cards like Guiding Ariadne and Rescue Hamster have made big breakthroughs in recent tournaments, and you they’re not tied to any one Deck.

Archfiend Eccentrick’s the most versatile of them all: a multi-purpose Scale 7 with not one, but two powerful destruction effects.  As a Level 3 Fiend with “Archfiend” in its name, it also has some cool synergies with Tour Guide from the Underworld and other Archfiends, but its biggest value rests in its abilities to destroy any card on the field.

Play Archfiend Eccentrick as a Pendulum Spell and you can activate its Pendulum Effect to target it, and another Spell or Trap Card on the field, and destroy both.  Summon it instead, and you can Tribute Eccentrick to target a monster and destroy that.  With the right set-up you can activate Eccentrick, destroy it to blast a Spell or Trap, then Pendulum Summon it back for monster removal.

You can play Archfiend Eccentrick many different ways, but lately we’ve seen Duelists running it to stop Monarchs.

The field Spell Domain of the True Monarchs is a huge game changer: if a Monarch player controls Domain with a Tribute Summoned monster, and they don’t have any cards in their Extra Deck, you can’t Special Summon from your Extra Deck.  That’s a huge problem for Decks based around Pendulum Summoning, because your biggest moves all require Xyz and Synchros.  Domain can shut down stuff like Burning Abyss and Phantom Knights, too.

Archfiend Eccentrick’s the solution.  Activate it as a Pendulum Spell, destroy it to destroy Domain, and suddenly your Extra Deck’s live again.  You can follow up by Pendulum Summoning Eccentrick to blow away your opponent’s Tribute Summoned monster too, making it tougher for them to lock in another Domain.  It can out other problem cards like Naturia Beast and Vanity’s Fiend as well.

And while your opponent will almost always have something worth destroying, some of the slickest moves with Archfiend Eccentrick actually involve blowing up your own cards.  Imagine setting up a Pendulum Scale with Eccentrick and Guiding Ariadne.

Guiding Ariadne’s a Scale 3 and Archfiend Eccentrick’s a Scale 7, so together they create a complete Pendulum Scale.  That’s cool, but the real attraction is the synergy between their effects.  Whenever Guiding Ariadne’s destroyed you can search your Deck for three Counter Traps, reveal them, and then your opponent chooses one to add to your hand.  (The rest go back to your Deck.)

That means you can destroy Archfiend Eccentrick and Ariadne with Eccentrick’s Pendulum Effect, send both monsters to your Extra Deck, and search Solemn Warning or Solemn Strike from your Deck.  From there you can build a new Pendulum Scale, Pendulum Summon both monsters back to the field, and Tribute Eccentrick to destroy Ariadne again and get another Counter Trap!  Searching two powerful Trap Cards for free in one turn can win you the Duel then and there, so don’t be afraid to get creative with Archfiend Eccentrick.

Previously available only as a Secret Rare in Clash of Rebellions, Archfiend Eccentrick is back in Premium Gold: Infinite Gold!  Re-styled with Gold Rare technology it’s never looked better, and its powerful effects make it a strong addition to your collection.