Card of the Week #26

Card of the Week #25: Goyo Guardian



With the new TCG banlist in play in just two days, Goyo Guardian has quickly become a very widely discussed card. Based on his effect and high ATK, I'm sure even those who have not previously experienced what he can do first hand could guess why he is so good, but there's definitely room for discussion.

First of all, let's take a look at another common Level 6 Synchro Monster: Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth. They are the same Level, have the same attribute, and are both generic and summonable with any combination of Synchro material that gives you a Level 6. Quite similar, really. But one significant difference is that Gaia Knight is a vanilla monster; it has no effect. In a majority of useful cases, vanilla monsters have a higher attack than Effect monsters. This generalisation brings us on to the next difference. Goyo Guardian has MORE ATTACK than Gaia. Funnily enough, it also has more defense, although that isn't hard considering the pitifully small 800 that Gaia wields.

This means that Goyo Guardian is either equal to or better than Gaia Knight in every single way. Some card game communities use the term "strictly better" to define this. Consider that Gaia Knight is not a horrificly bad Synchro monster and people actually run it in order to give access to different possible plays. It will be redundant, however, because Goyo outclasses it. An easily accessible 2600 ATK beater is clearly inferior to a 2800 ATK beater with the same ease of access, especially with an effect like Goyo's.

Goyo's effect is a gamechanger. It has a high attack with which to pull it off, and will summon more monsters to your side of the field. If you're trying to make a comeback, it's perfect; it means your opponent has to deal with the monster they put on the field in their own way, which can be difficult if you pull it off right. It's even better if you can use your opponent's monster's effect to bolster your own strategy, although those circumstances don't come around much.

Put bluntly though, people would run Goyo even if he didn't have his effect. That effect is just what made him banworthy, and now Konami have decided it's time to release him. With Plaguespreader at 3 in a format which is very Level-4-heavy, I'm sure Goyo will be popping up all over the place. I guess now is also time to point out that Goyo's initials spell out "GG".