Number 53: Heart-eartH

[heraldry_lord]

 

 

Number 53: Heart-eartH

[Rank 5/DARK/Fiend/Xyz/Effect/ATK 100/DEF 100]

 

3 Level 5 monsters
Once per turn, when this card is targeted for an attack: It gains ATK equal to that attacking monster's original ATK, until the End Phase. If this face-up card on the field would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card instead. When this card on the field is destroyed by a card effect while it has no Xyz Materials: You can Special Summon 1 "Number 92: Heart-eartH Dragon" from your Extra Deck and attach this card from the Graveyard to it as an Xyz Material. (This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon.)

 

 

 

By some voodoo, they managed to reduce this guy's effect in the anime from a novel to the appropriate amount of text without butchering him.  Anyway, Heart-eartH is the Rank 5 version of Maestroke/Gachi Gachi/Zenmaines in that one of his effects allows him to detach to survive any kind of destruction, which would be pretty neat if he didn't need 3 Materials (basically the best way to use him is a deck built around him). Also, a Blackship of Corn can kill him.

 

Another of his alright effects is that if he's attacked, he gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the first monster to attack him and deals his almighty 100 Damage "Fake Burn", which gives him even more survivability, but if there are any stronger monsters than that, he's forced to use his anti-destroy detach, and if he doesn't have any materials left, he's done for.

 

The last effect, however, is the whole reason why you'd bother with a 100 ATK wall that just stands there doing a whole lot of nothing.  If Heart-eartH is destroyed by a card effect while he has no materials dangling off him, he digivolves to Number 92: Heart-eartH Dragon, and offers himself up as the lone material.  While this is intended to be a nice little shortcut to Summoning 92, since 92 will only have 1 material (as opposed to the motherload you get from Summoning it normally), you're forced to choose between its "BANISH ALL THE THINGS!" effect and its "You think I was gone forever?" effect, which can be a huge pain.  The best way to trigger Heart-eartH's digivolve is not to rely on your opponent, but kill it yourself.  Limit Reverse can do that pretty easily with a little setup for example.

 

 

[Neochu-H]

Decks build around him can easily summon him yes, but like you said, something like a blackship of corn can kill him. Also many people nowadays use cards that don't destroy anything, the either use cards like grand mole,  or they are those people with the obvious Dragon rulers that summon big eye and say "screw that i'll just take him and tribute him for some crap in my deck".

 

Also theres those monster effect negating cards....

[evilfusion]

The anime effect was WEIRDLY complicated.

 

The biggest issue with Number 53 is it's so PASSIVE. It doesn't pose a threat directly, so your opponent isn't compelled to attack it. They also can just use weak fodder attackers, like Tokens or indestructible weaklings (Spirit Reaper) to bait out the first effect and take only 100 damage, whereas you'll have to detach an Overlay or two and take more damage.

 

It won't Summoned Heart-eartH Dragon if it dies by battle, so you want to kill it yourself, and it needs to have no Overlay Units. Well, you only detach Units when it's going to be "destroyed", so non-destruction removal will just bypass its effects, the effort of Summoning 3 Level 5s, while nowhere near impossible, is not really worth it because of how passive it is compared to other Rank 5s.

 

It's a wall, mostly. A wall that isn't a direct threat, so you may need another strategy in the wings to keep pressure on your opponent. It's awesome for supporting Number 92's awesomeness, but you need to be really dedicated and/or have alternate win conditions. I do like that Inca build that used this card, since Limit Reverse and rapid-Summon Level 5 like Oracle, Cyber Dragon, and Garbage Lord work nicely with Inca Synchros.

[Toffee.]

If it had a "This card cannot be Targeted by card effects" clause, it would actually be playable :/

[玄魔の王]

The anime version was immune to cards effects. This needed that. As is, it's not worth it. It is esier to make than 92 though. They should make a RUM for this to turn into 92.

[Toffee.]

The anime version was immune to cards effects. This needed that.

That would be too much, as it would literally force the game into stall mode.
I mean, as it is, nobody in their right mind is going to manually set off Heart's effect.
(Well, as far as the Opponent goes).

Though, you can still play Limit Reverse to make an instant 92.

[玄魔の王]

Then give it targeting immunity. And I still say there should be a spell to Rank-Up this into 92.