Starving Venom Fusion Dragon [COMPARISON]

[Draconus297]

Okay, I was thinking that, every month or so, I could do one of these threads where I compare how a card worked in the anime or manga with its IRL counterpart. So, here's the one I thought of first: Starving Venom Fusion Dragon.

 

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon [TCG/OCG]

DARK - Level 8 - Dragon/Fusion/Effect - 2800/2000

2 DARK monsters on the field, except Tokens

If this card is Fusion Summoned, you can make this monster gain ATK equal to 1 Special Summoned monster your opponent controls, until the end of this turn. Once per turn: You can target 1 Level 5 or higher monster your opponent controls; This card's name becomes that card's original name, and replace this effect with that card's original effects. If this Fusion Summoned card is destroyed, destroy all Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls.

 

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon [ANIME]

DARK - Level 8 - Dragon/Fusion/Effect - 2800/2000

2 DARK monsters

Once per turn, if this card was Fusion Summoned this turn using only monsters on the field as Materials: You can make this card gain ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Special Summoned monsters your opponent currently controls, until the end of this turn. Once per turn: You can target 1 Level 5 or higher monster your opponent controls; until the end of this turn, that opponent's monster has its effects negated, and replace this effect with that monster's original effects. If this card is destroyed: You can destroy as many Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls as possible, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the total ATK the destroyed monsters had on the field.

 

So, what's the damage, in YCM's opinion? Personally, while I would have loved to have its anime Materials and first effect, I understand why they took the nerfs in the direction they did, and that said nerfs were absolutely necessary.

[Abdelrahman]

(If this card is Fusion Summoned, you can make this monster gain ATK equal to 1 Special Summoned monster your opponent controls, until the end of this turn. Once per turn: You can target 1 Level 5 or higher monster your opponent controls; until the end of this turn, negate that monster's effects, this card's name becomes that monster's original name, and replace this effect with that monster's original effects. If this Fusion Summoned card is destroyed: Destroy as many Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls as possible, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the highest ATK among those destroyed monsters.)

 

Would this have been broken?

[evilfusion]

Starve Venom was stupidly powerful in the anime, so I'm not surprised by the nerf.

 

I have very mixed feelings about all its nerfs in general.

 

Materials - Any 2 DARK Monsters from anywhere is stupidly generic, and the OCG still had access to Super Polymerization (and even Yuri used Super Poly, so this was deliberate). I do wish the TCG Starve Venom didn't require the Materials to be on the Field, but I do agree that disallowing Tokens is acceptable. Then again, Starve Venom is also a Dragon, and Dragon's Mirror would be similarly OP with Starve Venom.

 

ATK Buff Effect- The anime ATK buff was OBVIOUSLY going to get nerfed, because it's as powerful as anime RR - Rise Falcon, but Rise Falcon only had 100 ATK, and Starve Venom has 2800. Granted, the anime only got this effect if you fused the Materials from the Field. I guess the OCG card decided to mix the concept, by requiring the Materials on the Field in the first place, and giving it the expected nerf of only 1 SSed Monster's ATK for the turn.

 

Effect Stealing Effect - This is pretty much the same in both versions. Both only work on Level 5+ monsters, but the anime version negates the opposing monster's effect. I kind of wish OCG Starve Venom kept that bit, because it's strategically useful in a number of situations, and being restricted only to Level 5+ makes it a bit limited.

 

Graveyard Effect - The funny part is...anime Starve Venom never used this effect. It was the THREAT of using the effect that made it so dangerous (vs Yugo and vs Yuya). Broken as hell, honestly. Expected nerf is expected, and I'm actually more disappointed that Greedy Venom got nerfed similarly.

 

All in all, Starve Venom is still very powerful, even with the nerfs, but it's a lot more conditional. Most Fusion-using Decks, even those with lots of DARK Monsters, don't necessarily have the ability to bring out 2 DARK Monsters and fuse them. Or rather, they CAN do it, but the means in which they achieve it, more often than not, allows them significantly stronger plays than Starve Venom, which is MOSTLY a glorified beater.

 

For example, I run Starve Venom in my Fluffal Deck. But only the Edge Imps and Frightfurs are DARK, and if I'm able to bring out multiple Fusions or a Fusion and an Edge-Imp, PLUS have Poly (not Factory or Fusion, must be Poly)...how is it none of my other options achieve similar or better? I'm guessing the problem there is I'm using Starve Venom in Fluffals, specifically, rather than it being a problem with Starve Venom.

 

Ultimately, Starve Venom got nerfed because it's so generic. Any DARK heavy Deck would be able to tech Poly or Dragon's Mirror for something ridiculous if not for the Summon Condition.

 

[Dragulas]

Honestly what makes me angry about the TCG/OCG counterpart is the fact that it specifies the darks on the field as materials (not problem with tokes as evilfusion stated it was the correct desicion). It would ve been nice to be just 2 non token darks, and gain the boost if using materials on the field as well of cours with its current boost.

Its really a shame this card didnt work with ultra poly because of how the materials are worded, although if it were possible, that play  would ve last less than 2 months (TCG), now ultra poly cannot function properly unless you have acces to MMZ via Link monsters.

 

Funny fact: If the former play could ve been possible, with a dark link monster pointing to MMZ (like proxy does) and another dark you could revive it to point to MMZ now to coninue the plays 

[~~~~]

Graveyard Effect - The funny part is...anime Starve Venom never used this effect. It was the THREAT of using the effect that made it so dangerous (vs Yugo and vs Yuya). Broken as hell, honestly. Expected nerf is expected, and I'm actually more disappointed that Greedy Venom got nerfed similarly.

It got used in the Yuri vs Yugo duel

[The Highlander]

It got used in the Yuri vs Yugo duel

No.

Greedy Venom burns in that game and Yuri later uses this to intimidate Yugo, so he can steal Clear Wing's effect.

[~~~~]

No.

Greedy Venom burns in that game and Yuri later uses this to intimidate Yugo, so he can steal Clear Wing's effect.

oh ok I got mixed up

[Draconus297]

You know the part I just realized, that makes me kinda sad? Anime Starving Venom didn't have to have been Fusion Summoned to get off its nuke effect. Of all the changes to the card, that is the least necessary imho.

[notcleverusername]

Ultimately, Starve Venom got nerfed because it's so generic. Any DARK heavy Deck would be able to tech Poly or Dragon's Mirror for something ridiculous if not for the Summon Condition.

Just for record, Dragon's Mirror into Starve Venom would honestly prob be fine--more than fine--with the other nerfs applied. Heck, even move over the effect negation from the animu, and it would probably still be fine. The card is pretty nice but nowhere near so amazing that a rando topdecked Dragon's Mirror should be anything worth fearing.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

Honestly imo the real nerf is in the the word "nontoken"

 

Making this with vague shadow tokens would be so funking cool.