Slifer the Suck Dragon

[Sluggaholic]

 

Slifer the Sky Dragon

DIVINE - Level 10 - Divine-Beast-type (Egyptian God) Card

Requires 3 Tributes to Normal Summon (cannot be Normal Set). This card's Normal Summon cannot be negated. When Normal Summoned, cards and effects cannot be activated. Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this card was Special Summoned: Send it to the Graveyard. This card gains 1000 ATK and DEF for each card in your hand. If a monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned to your opponent's field in face-up Attack Position: That monster(s) loses 2000 ATK, then if its ATK has been reduced to 0 as a result, destroy it.

ATK ?/DEF ?

 

 

So, I think it's fair to say that, by today's standards, the infamous Egyptian Gods (and not just Slifer, as pictured here) are not up to par with what a deck's "Boss Monster" should consist of. Nowadays, if we're going to be honest, it's much less about a singular, powerful card, but about that card and the cards you support it with, from other archetype's splashable boss monsters (ABC + Cyber Dragon Infinity) to simply having a group of powerful boss monsters all working together within an archetype. (Fluffals come to mind, here.)

 

So, if Konami wanted to make Slifer stand on the same grounds as these behemoths, how would they do it? Via errata? Via good support cards? Or, perhaps, is Slifer the Sky Dragon, the Pharoah Atem's signature beast, sans the Dark Magician, doomed to remain a trophy to be shown off, but not to be played?

 

I believe, personally, that the best way to make the card, is to simply give it an effective errata. Something worth the three tributes you have to sacrifice for it. With Slifer being the "Control" of the trio, it'd make sense for him to perhaps be more Towers-esque, but not as unfair, given he can be summoned by just tributing Tokens. Something like giving him a base ATK of at least 2000, perhaps a little more, as it's rare for most decks nowadays to have more than 1 or 2 cards in hand after going off, and attempting to summon a powerful card.

 

But these are just my own thoughts. What're yours? Do you think that it's possible to redeem these not-so-amazing God Cards, or are they a lost cause?

 

 

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

Add Killer Clause

 

Fixed

[IQuitDolphin]

The modification of Ra was a disgrace.

[Draconus297]

Well, in the anime, Ra had quite a number of effects, and they wouldn't all have fit in its text.

1. Gains stats equal to the combined stats of its Tributes

2. Pay 1000, Dark Hole.

3. Unaffected by S/T.

4. Pay all but 100 LP to increase its ATK by the amount paid.

5. Comes out in useless shiny ball mode if you can't recite its Summoning chant properly.

6. Due to "hierarchy", can't be killed by Obelisk or Slifer in a direct fight.

 

So, really, nerfs were necessary . . . but they did go kinda heavy handed with it.

 

As for Slifer, it could have benefited from Ra's anime immunity to S/T effects.

[Sleepy]

I've re-written this comment like 4 times when I realize I'm making a giant essay and possibly going on tangents nobody is asking for.

There are several ways to do something with the gods.

-Erratas

-Support

-Retrains

-Evolutions

 

Some are more likely than others. Ra has evolutions that make it more playable but still fall short. "Divine Evolution" from Yugioh R would have produced an Obelisk upgrade but they used Obelisk's evolved artwork for a "Tormentor" so that's kind of screwed. Gods have 2 Spells ("True Name" and "Mound of the Bound Creator") which are support, and Ra has "Ra's Disciple". It is certainly possible to make more. Erratas are highly unlikely and I would personally not want them to have those. Erratas need to be minimized in the game.

 

Re-trains would be my ideal personal pick on them. Though they have always meant to be collectors items IRL, that's why they were legally released so late and under the calculations that they wouldn't really break anything at their meta-game. Obelisk in Frogs was not something that came from the get go, and Slifer was only used in Ninjas for a short time and in an unexpected (and casual) way. That's without counting all the more casual uses for gods like Yugioh4RealMen's Obelisk OTK video or Kogarasho's Alien build that used Slifer (<links in the YouTuber's names). Heck "Ancient Sacred Wyvern", "Machine Emperor Grannel", and "Endless Decay" are arguably better choices than Ra's when it comes to beaters through LP size, and "Ascension Sky Dragon" probably a better choice of Slifer unless the second mouth effect is a crucial part of your plan.

 

To be honest, it is a bit hard to balance these bosses out without stripping them out of all their pressure and presence.

I'd say for Slifer, I'd go more or less like this:

Slifer the Sky Dragon

DIVINE Level 10 [Divine-Beast/Effect] ?/?

Needs 3 Tributes to Normal Summon/Set while Level 10+. If you Tributed 3 this way, it's Summon cannot be negated, and it is unaffected by targeting/destroying effects. Gains 1000 ATK and DEF for each card in your hand. If a monster(s) is Summoned to your opponent's side of the field: That monster(s) loses 2000 ATK and DEF, and monsters affected by this effect that are in the position they were in when affected have their effect negated while that position's points are 0. Once per turn, when a monster(s) is Special Summoned from the Graveyard: You can draw 1 card and increase your hand size limit by 1 (this last as long as this card remains on the field), and if you do, halve the battle damage to players involving this card this turn. If Special Summoned, during the End Phase you must either send it to the Graveyard or return it to your hand.

 

 

^Here's something I have in no way shape or form tested out.

-It makes Slifer easier to Summon.

-It gives Slifer destruction/target protection (though only if you Summon it the cool way).

-It provides a light version of Infinite Cards + Card of Safe Return built in.

-It changes the second mouth's "destroy monster that hits 0" with non-target effect negation on the spot, and now it doesn't care if the monster's stats were already 0. It also doesn't care for positions anymore, but it'll at least allow small monsters to remain on the field to be used as materials for things that have a bigger chance of survival. It also would have been great to see this double as legacy nostalgia fan-service AND as an indirect way to say "Pendulum Summon added to your current deck whatever its theme will help you get by against Slifer" back when Pendulum Summon was starting up. 

-Finally, it's End Phase effect can return it to the hand for future use or even to give +1 hand in case you have another one. The "sent to Grave" effect still being an option is for when you literally can't put it in the hand or when you would rather revive it instead next turn.

 

 

I think this wold be overpowered to be honest, but still throwing it out there.

[jabber2033]

Well, in the anime, Ra had quite a number of effects, and they wouldn't all have fit in its text.

1. Gains stats equal to the combined stats of its Tributes

2. Pay 1000, Dark Hole.

3. Unaffected by S/T.

4. Pay all but 100 LP to increase its ATK by the amount paid.

5. Comes out in useless shiny ball mode if you can't recite its Summoning chant properly.

6. Due to "hierarchy", can't be killed by Obelisk or Slifer in a direct fight.

 

So, really, nerfs were necessary . . . but they did go kinda heavy handed with it.

 

As for Slifer, it could have benefited from Ra's anime immunity to S/T effects.

 

 

They probably could've been able to include all but the last two in the card effect.  Granted, the text would've been kinda small, but it's doable; just look at some other cards with a wall of text in their effects.  If they had to nerf it, probably just the first 3 would've been fine.  

[Draconus297]

All that, on top of its Summoning condition of requiring 3 Tributes, would probably not have fit in card text, especially seeing as this was the era where they couldn't fit the name of Relinquished's Ritual Spell because of its card text.

 

Still, though, given the choice, effects 1, 2, and 4 would be my choices for Ra's effects in its era. All the ATK, and if your opponent puts out a Marshmallon you can obliterate it.

 

Now though, 1-2-3 is the best combo.