Formud Skipper

[Blake]

During your Main Phase: You can reveal 1 Link Monster in your Extra Deck, and if you do, the name, Type, and Attribute of this face-up card on the field can be treated as the revealed monster's, if used as material for a Link Summon this turn. If this card is sent to the GY as material for a Link Summon: You can add 1 Level 5 or higher Cyberse monster from your Deck to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Formud Skipper" once per turn.

 

This card was preeeeetty mediocre when it was initially revealed, becuse there was very little reason for you to want to copy names or search a 5+ Cyberse, because all of the 5+ Cyberse were bad or simply too slow. However, with Flames of Destruction + Start Deck 2018, this card gained utility for both effects.

 

So let's start off with the good targets.

[spoiler=Degrenade Buster]

Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by banishing 2 Cyberse monsters from your GY. (Quick Effect): You can target 1 monster your opponent controls whose ATK is higher than this card's; banish it until the End Phase. You can only use this effect of "Degrenade Buster" once per turn.

[spoiler=Cyberse Whitehat]

If you control 2 or more monsters with the same Type, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). You can only Special Summon "Cyberse Whitehat" once per turn this way. If this card is sent to the GY as a Link Material: You can activate this effect; all monsters your opponent controls lose 1000 ATK until the end of this turn.

 

Both of these give you cards that actively do something after they're added, with the ability to field more cards and to beat a little harder. If you do something like Linkuriboh with Formud, you leave a Cyberse on board and you're half-way to fulfilling either of their conditions, so any additional devotion means you can really roll. Cyberse can do that easily, but I'm kinda interested in other potential applications.

 

But what about the first effect? What made that relevant?

 

Troymares. Especially Mermaid.

 

[spoiler=Destroymare Iblee and Troymare Mermaid]

When this card is Normal Summoned: You can target 1 Link Monster in your GY; Special Summon it linked to this card, but change its ATK to 0, also it has its effects negated. You cannot Special Summon monsters, except Link Monsters. If this card you control is sent to your GY: You can Special Summon this card to your opponent's field in Defense Position. You can only use this effect of "Destroymare Iblee" once per turn.

 

1 "Troymare" monster, except "Troymare Mermaid"

If this card is Link Summoned: You can discard 1 card; Special Summon 1 "Troymare" monster from your Deck, then if this card was co-linked when this effect was activated, you can draw 1 card. You can only use this effect of "Troymare Mermaid" once per turn. All monsters on the field lose 1000 ATK/DEF, except co-linked monsters.

 

You can have Formud Skipper become a Troymare, so it's a 1-card Mermaid that isn't Iblee. So you can then discard for Mermaid and replace that card with a search + Iblee. Again, if you have any further devotion, this means you can use Iblee to make a Link 2 underneath Mermaid... Or you can just go into Aleister, which means you now have 2 Cyberse in the Grave (Formud, Iblee) for Degrenade.

 

Alternatively, you can just turn Iblee into another mermaid or Link Disciple for the same effect of filling the grave.

 

It's still early days for this card, but his utility is quickly growing, and there might end up being a good use for him as a sort of power card in the future. Shame he's an NS tho.

[CraneMonk]

Also a good card for Brandish maidens actually.

[The Highlander]

Also a good card for Brandish maidens actually.

Not necessarily, the targets it can add are contradicting the aim of Brandish Maidens, furthermore about unsummonable.

Beyond that Brandish Maidens have Rei, RotA, Start-Up Engine and Hornet Bit as obvious ways to start its link plays, not counting the field spell and upstart to make this even more consistent.