[Ritual & Spell] Gravekeeper's Excommunicator /-Passover (Sure to Give a Shiver Up Your Spine)

[Black D'Sceptyr]

"alright Brain, what do you want to do today?"

 

"since we've already done a Spooky Scary Skeletons nametwist for one post and a Ghostbusters ref for another, the same thing we do every other night, Pinky-try to take over the world!" 

 

(labrats the world over start breakdancing)

 

     

 

[spoiler=Gravekeeper's Excommunicator: Info]

 

DARK/Spellcaster-Type Ritual Effect Monster/Level 9/2500 ATK/2500 DEF

 

Lore: You can Ritual Summon this card with "Gravekeeper's Passover". While you control this Ritual Summoned card,  your opponent cannot target "Necrovalley" cards you control with card effects, also they cannot target "Gravekeeper's" monsters you control for attacks, except this one. Any monster that would be sent from the hand or field to the GY is shuffled into the Deck instead, except "Gravekeeper's" monsters. If this card is sent from the field to the GY by a card effect: You can destroy up to 2 cards your opponent controls.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Gravekeeper's Passover: Info]

Ritual Spell Card

 

Lore: This card can be used to Ritual Summon "Gravekeeper's Excommunicator". You must also Tribute monsters from your hand or field, and/or Tribute 1 monster from your Deck that specifically lists the card "Necrovalley" in its text, whose total Levels equal 9 or more. You can banish this card and 2 other "Gravekeeper's" cards from your GY; add from your Deck or GY to your hand, 1 "Necrovalley" card or 1 "Charm of Shabti". You can only use this effect of "Gravekeeper's Passover" once per turn. This card's activation and effects are unaffected by "Necrovalley".

 

 

 

 

that my consistency record on introductions is the spottiest ish...

 

...so let's get to the heart of the matter with these cards already (s'been a while on Advanced anyhow.)

 

Alright, first of all-no need to fear, I SPECIFICALLY demanded that the Tributed monster from the Deck had to have THE CARD "Necrovalley" (e.g. not 'a "Necrovalley" card',) placed there on purpose. So no, you cannot use 1 Excommunicator from the bush to Ritual out one from the hand (WORDPLAY!) 

 

Second off, giving Gravekeeper's a Ritual is to round out them getting a Fusion-and it being Level 9 also fills out the one Level category between 2 and 10 they didn't already have on lock. So that's a nice milestone. And this card's effect is a wondrous millstone paired up with Supernaturalist - now The Most Anti-Meta Field Spell in The World can't be targeted with card effects or be destroyed. 

 

Third, sweeping all attacks into the face of the 2500 ATK beat-stick that takes two cards down with it if it dies? Priceless. Even more so if you use Passover to get your battle-immunity totem, the Charm of Shabti, into the hand. WHICH I GUARANTEE NONE OF YOU KNEW EXISTED TILL THIS POST This concludes your History in Powercreep lesson from the BlaDeS of Change Workshop.

 

P.S., I'll be off helping to plan a wedding, so don't expect another Advanced card until the start of my Spring Break next week-and in that case, I will have one here for each day off. As a treat to you all for sticking it out here on YCM.

 

Until the next card; reviews, revelry, you know the drill.

 

BD'S, signing off.

[Doigt]

Gravekeepers is one of my favourite archetypes, so well written support for it is always appreciated. The images chosen look cool and appropriate. However, while I like rituals as well, you have to recognize that they run contrary to today's meta and that playing rituals will be in the way of the usual gravekeeper strategies rather than supporting it.

 

The problem here is that rituals cost a lot of resources to be Summoned and you need specific resources in your hand to summon them, so it will force you to build your entire deck around that ritual. Otherwise, drawing either card when you have neither the other card nor the monsters to tribute to summon it will result in a dead draw.

 

A change in play style wouldn't have been much of an issue normally. But the monster itself doesn't contributing anything as a boss monster. It doesn't impact the field in a meaningful way, it's just a beat stick. It would have been okay to be a 2500 beatstick in any other scenarios, but since this is a ritual cards and a lot of the pre existing ritual support plays in the graveyard, you will have a hard time to summon this thing, let alone a second one, since afterwards nothing can go the gy except gravekeepers.

 

So, in the end, you have with a ritual which fits neither in a gravekeeper deck nor a dedicated ritual deck. However, I can't stress enough how I like the cards visual appearance, theme and writing.

[Black D'Sceptyr]

Gravekeepers is one of my favourite archetypes, so well written support for it is always appreciated. The images chosen look cool and appropriate. However, while I like rituals as well, you have to recognize that they run contrary to today's meta and that playing rituals will be in the way of the usual gravekeeper strategies rather than supporting it.

 

The problem here is that rituals cost a lot of resources to be Summoned and you need specific resources in your hand to summon them, so it will force you to build your entire deck around that ritual. Otherwise, drawing either card when you have neither the other card nor the monsters to tribute to summon it will result in a dead draw.

 

A change in play style wouldn't have been much of an issue normally. But the monster itself doesn't contributing anything as a boss monster. It doesn't impact the field in a meaningful way, it's just a beat stick. It would have been okay to be a 2500 beatstick in any other scenarios, but since this is a ritual cards and a lot of the pre existing ritual support plays in the graveyard, you will have a hard time to summon this thing, let alone a second one, since afterwards nothing can go the gy except gravekeepers.

 

So, in the end, you have with a ritual which fits neither in a gravekeeper deck nor a dedicated ritual deck. However, I can't stress enough how I like the cards visual appearance, theme and writing.

 

It allows you to Tribute stuff from the Deck to Ritual Summon it (taking out a large part of why the Ritual Summoning method tends to flop so often, lack of on-board resources), overlaps the last layer of protection Necrovalley needs. In addition, impacting the field in a meaningful way is what The Most Restrictive Field Spell Today does-something that Passover helps forment.

 

As well as put Excommunicator's ATK at 3000. And redirect every attack to it. And punish your opponent for trying to do anything but battle past it. Assuming they can field that type of power, what with Hidden Temples of Necrovalley locking out their Special Summons and Hidden Tombs Solemning everything else.

 

The point is, this is the icing to a Deck that already does amazing work defensively (especially in terms of neutralizing the GY) but usually hasn't gotten it done offensively (AKA, when you're going second) even with their newly acquired Supernaturalist. A 3K beater whose Ritual Spell searches more Necrovalley stuff with the material used to Ritual Summon it, protects Necrovalley further, and protects your otherwise lackluster backrow from attack seems fine with me.

 

I do thank you for the appearance, theme and writing props, however-but except for turning Passover into a Ritual Spell (which I can't believe I missed) I'm not seeing how impedimentive it is to the Gravekeeper playstyle-especially with Pre-Prep to help among the clause.

 

It's not the Gravekeeper's playstyle that needs changing (in fact, it gets insane with the right cards)- its the durability. The Flips (Spy and Guard) aren't cutting the mustard anymore, Recruiter's timing issues are too big to have it work (though the Ritual Summon could help with making it useful again) and most of the other ones are so susceptible to disruption already. I can't fix everything of the Gravekeepers (heaven knows I've playtested them enough), but I can give them something to help counteract the plays of the most prominent swarm Decks they'll face, Danger! and Salamangreats most of all. Because that "shuffling from hand or field" clause will prevent A LOT of Graveyard effects from ringing true.

[gmaster1991]

This might seem like a minor gripe, but why is the Spell a Quick-Play instead of a Ritual? It has no compatibility with Pre-Preparation of Rites or Manju.

[Black D'Sceptyr]

This might seem like a minor gripe, but why is the Spell a Quick-Play instead of a Ritual? It has no compatibility with Pre-Preparation of Rites or Manju.

 

Oh my go-Yeah, I meant to fix that ages ago. Starting now.