Scattershot Hotshot

[weeb]

(I posted this on the other forum, but decided I'd post it here as well, and will continue to post cards here as well, since it seems the community is split right now.)

 

Artwork Source: Red Riding Hood by Arden Rey 

 

Scattershot Hotshot

Level 4 | DARK | Warrior/Effect

ATK: 1900 – DEF: 500

Effect:

Once per turn: target 1 face-up card you control; destroy that target, and if you do, destroy all other cards in that same column. This card cannot attack the turn this effect is activated.

 

Design Notes: I’ve always thought cards that play around with the columns and rows are neat, I think the first one that I personally saw (that I can remember anyway) that mentioned columns in its effect was Alien Infiltrator, way back whenever that came out. In an era with Link monsters, columns and rows are more relevant than ever. So, I wanted to make a monster that plays around with this mechanic.

 

The effect is pretty straightforward. At worst, it offers 1-for-1 removal. At best, it can ruin your opponent’s day; if they have their Extra monster Zone, the main monster zone behind it, and their Spell/Trap zone all full, this 1 card can get rid of all of that with a heavy 1-for-3 removal. It’s also technically non-targeting destruction (you target your card, but not your opponent’s) on top of that. Since you can use Scattershot’s effect to target itself, it kind of reminds me of an Exiled Force on steroids – if you wanted, you could just summon it in front of your opponent’s boss monster and pop both.

 

Another fun use I thought of with this card is, it can act as a hard “off-switch” for continuous effects that have outlived their usefulness. Back in the day, you could flip Imperial Order on your opponent’s turn, negate their spells, then not pay the cost during your turn so it goes to the Graveyard. Since then, Imperial Order has been errata’d so you can’t do that anymore. But, with Scattershot’s effect, you actually can; just target it, and blow it up, and takedown some of your opponent’s cards with it.

A quick ruling note about the card’s wording that I think is kind of interesting: since the card has an “…and if you do,…” clause, that means Scattershot has to be the one to destroy its target to determine whether it can destroy the other cards in the column. So, if you target a face-up Spell or Trap you control with Scattershot, and your opponent chains Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy that face-up Spell or Trap, Scattershot’s effect doesn’t resolve correctly because its target is gone. Unfortunately, Scattershot’s “Cannot attack this turn” effect still applies. So, it turns out MST can negate after all. Who knew?

 

Anyways, I think this is a fun card, hopefully you like it too. When I designed this card, what I really wanted was to make a simple tech card that does only 1 thing, but does it (hopefully) well, and in a balanced way. So, what are your thoughts? What decks do you think this card would find a home in?

 

 

[and1dodger]

I dont have any criticism or anything very insightful. I just want to say I like this design/effect very much. Seems like it would be useful for various decks If it was a real card I would try it out. :)