[Written] Refurbishing Gimmick Puppets [11/?]

[~Faytl~]

My attempt at adding some support to one of my favorite Xyz archetypes, the Gimmick Puppets. In order to make them more viable, I've tried to ramp up their consistency, as well as give them more options for Rank 4 to try and minimalize dead hands. Now be good and give me feedback on these, or I'll give you a taste of my...


FANSERVIIIIIICE

Gimmick Puppet Springbox
Level 8 EARTH Machine
When this card is Special Summoned, you can target 1 other face-up monster: It's Level becomes 8. When this card in your Graveyard is banished: Draw 1 card.
800/1900

Gimmick Puppet Broken Soldier
Level 8 EARTH Machine
During the turn a “Gimmick Puppet” monster is sent to the Graveyard, you can pay 1000 Life Points: Special Summon this card from your hand. You cannot Special Summon other monsters the turn you activate this effect, except “Gimmick Puppet” monsters.
300/1800

Gimmick Puppet Clash Monkey
Level 4 DARK Machine
When a “Gimmick Puppet” monster you control would be removed from the field by an opponent’s card (by battle or effect), you can banish this card in your Graveyard, instead. A "Gimmick Puppet" Xyz Monster that was Xyz Summoned using this card as Xyz Material gains this effect:
This card cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects.
500/100

Gimmick Puppet Menace Marionette
Level 4 DARK Machine
Once per turn, you can discard 1 card, then draw 1 card. If the discarded card is a “Gimmick Puppet” monster, this card’s Level becomes 8, until the End Phase.
1700/400

Gimmick Puppet Grin Dummy
Level 4 DARK Machine
When this card as an Xyz Material is detached and sent to the Graveyard, activate 1 of the following effects:
Send 1 "Gimmick Puppet" monster from your Deck to the Graveyard.
Draw 1 card.
You can only activate 1 effect of "Gimmick Puppet Grin Dummy" once per turn, and only once that turn.
1000/2000

Gimmick Puppet Shriek Mannequin
Level 8 DARK Machine
You can return a banished “Gimmick Puppet” monster to your Graveyard to Normal Summon this card without Tributing.
100/1000

Gimmick Puppet Hex Hand
Level 4 EARTH Machine
When an opponent’s monster is destroyed by the effect of a “Gimmick Puppet” monster you control, you can send this card in your hand to the Graveyard: Your opponent takes damage equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster.
1800/100

- - - - -

Gimmick Puppet Nightmare Mechanism
Rank 8 DARK Machine
2 Level 8 “Gimmick Puppet” monsters
Once per turn, you can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls: Place 1 String Counter on it. Once during either player's turn, you can detach an Xyz Material from this card to target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls that has a String Counter; Take control of it. During your Standby Phase, destroy all monsters with String Counters on them, and your opponent takes 500 damage for each monster destroyed this way. You can only use the effect of "Gimmick Puppet Nightmare Mechanism" once per turn.
2200/2800

CXyz Gimmick Puppet Eldritch Mechanism
Rank 9 DARK machine
3 Level 9 “Gimmick Puppet” monsters”
When this card is Xyz Summoned, place 1 String Counter on all face-up monsters your opponent controls. Once per turn, you can detach an Xyz Material from this card to target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls: Place 1 String Counter on it. If this card has “Gimmick Puppet Nightmare Mechanism" as an Xyz Material, it gains this effect:

• Once per turn, you can target 1 monster your opponent controls that has a String Counter on it: Take control of it. When a monster with a String Counter on it is destroyed, your opponent takes damage equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster.

2900/3000

Gimmick Puppet String Spider
Rank 4 DARK Machine
2 Level 4 Machine-Type monsters
Once per turn, you can detach an Xyz Material from this card to add 1 “Gimmick Puppet” monster from your Deck to your hand, and if you do: Target monster your opponent controls loses ATK equal to the added monster’s Level x100. When this card you control is removed from the field, place 1 String Counter on a monster your opponent controls.
1000/2400

Gimmick Puppet Shadow Mangler
Rank 4 DARK Machine
2 Level 4 "Gimmick Puppet" monsters
You can place String Counters equal to the number of "Gimmick Puppet" monsters you control with different names on monsters your opponent controls. You can detach an Xyz Material from this card to target 1 monster on the field that has a String Counter; destroy it, and your opponent takes damage equal to it's original ATK. You can only activate each effect of "Gimmick Puppet Shadow Mangler" once per turn.
2000/800

[The Warden]

Okie doke, as the Gimmick Puppet guy, it is my obligation to crucify look at these cards.

 

Springbox: Meh. While there are a fair few cards that would stun you during your turn, the ones that would hurt the most are the Solemns, which this card doesn't work on, and Notice can stop it anyways. More to the point that you are far likelier to SS during your turn than your opponent, since you need to hope to GOD that your opponent does some form of targeting while you are trying to make your plays. 2.5 fanservices out of 5.

 

Broken Soldier: Meh. He's only played for further plays, and while he-

 

Y'know what, I'm going to say it plain and simple: You haven't covered the GP's weakness, as their weaknesses are being super reliant on Dreary Doll for plays, and the fact that they eat their hand up supremely fast.

 

Springbox requires targeting to be pulled off. So either you sacrifice a card to set it off when you want to set it off, or hope to god your opponent does for you. This thing is completely inferior to Magnet Doll and wouldn't be run.

 

Broken Soldier has merit by being a Machine Dupe target. Plus, he can combo with a fair few things, but you're still eating up your hand to make him, and the Puppets have VERY few ways to restock their hand. But, for what it's worth, at least he be SSed off of Junk Puppet, and then Machine Duped so you can make Giantrainer for a draw 3. So, every cloud and whatnot.

 

Clash Monkey is flat out useless. GPs need a means to keep themselves going, and this doesn't help them at all. Granted, Machine Dupe target again, but it would be nice if it DID something for the deck, rather than a pointless and easily baited protection effect.

 

Menace Marionette I actually like. Decent stats, and does EXACTLY what Puppets want: To get rid of cloggy Dreary Dolls for when you don't have Trade-In or any other choice of discard. This guy could definitely compete with Egg Head, since it does what Egg Head does, but it's not a -1 to make him level 8, plus it lets you get rid of any cloggy card period for something potentially more useful.

 

Grin Dummy is meh. You're throwing away advantage to SS a level 4 monster. You might as well just SS him off of Humpty Dumpty, at least then you can Inferno Reckless Summon him. I honestly wouldn't run this, since it's just a waste of resources, which GP HATE to waste.

 

Shriek had SO MUCH potential, and you ruined it with that last clause. I'd understand if she could only make GP Xyz if she were SSed, but, come on, you're using your NS on her, you shouldn't restrict her like that when it's that damn clause that makes Dreary Doll not as great as she could be. Shriek would be infinitely better if her last clause only applies if she gets SSed. That way you can enforce the idea of using her NS effect.

 

Hex Hand is just needless burn, and will only ever be useful when you're in a winning spot. In other words, it's just overkill and doesn't aid the deck as a whole. I wouldn't run this even as a beater.

 

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Nightmare Mechanism is incredibly potent, and with a good hand, you can crap out 2 of them. So a hard OPT would be good due to mass stealing and then destruction.

 

It's impossible to even summon Eldritch unless you use Astral Force to upgrade a Rank 7 DARK Machine, or you use Marshalling Field to make 3 GPs level 9. Because it's not a Chaos Number or CXyz, you can't use most normal RUMs to make this card. Of course, assuming it was, this thing is insane. Upon summoning with Nightmare, you basically steal your opponent's entire field. This thing is pretty much an OTK on legs, and is WAY too powerful for its own good.

 

String Spider is kinda competing with Gear Gigant X, but it at least lets you grab Magnet Doll while not interfering with its effect. So it's pretty good I suppose, just a shame that it's only a wall once its materials are gone.

 

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So in terms of main deck monsters, I'd only consider using Marionette Menace and possibly Broken Soldier, as they help aid the deck. The others are honestly either useless, or plain inferior to pre-existing cards.

 

Spider is somewhat okay I'll admit, and the two mechanisms are OTK cards, and Eldritch is far too powerful for its own good, as unless you stop it, it WILL steal your entire field of face-up monsters, and that is really overpowered.

[~Faytl~]

So in terms of main deck monsters, I'd only consider using Marionette Menace and possibly Broken Soldier, as they help aid the deck. The others are honestly either useless, or plain inferior to pre-existing cards.

 

Spider is somewhat okay I'll admit, and the two mechanisms are OTK cards, and Eldritch is far too powerful for its own good, as unless you stop it, it WILL steal your entire field of face-up monsters, and that is really overpowered.

 

Thanks a bunch, you've been a big help. I've edited my cards with your criticisms in mind, trying to fix the issues you've pointed out. Would you say that these are an improvement? I've completely changed Dummy Head and Springbox, with some alterations to the Xyz and effects changed on some of the other main deck mons.

[Number IV]

I would say that for shriek mannequin, returning a monster from banished to graveyard is not really a cost per se. I would say do something like NEK, where shriek has, say 2500+ atk and you can normal summon w/o tributing in exchange for the atk becoming 100 or 0 or something of the like. Other than that, I like these, especially the redesign for eldritch

[Yuuji Kazami]

Okay, Doctor Yuuji back in the house. I'm sorry for being so late with this. However, as you do know, my city had a fire recently that's still not out yet. 

 

Springbox: This card is rather useful for Gimmick Puppets. Although the first effect is rather mediocre, as most Gimmicks are Level 8, I suppose that it can be very useful in combination with Humpty Dumpty and maybe other non-Level 8 Gimmicks if you happen to SS this card with something like COTH or Soul Charge. The second effect is pretty much the highlight; used in combination with Dreary Doll or Twilight Joker in order to receive the draw. The lack of the hard OPT limitation shouldn't be anything to worry about with the draw, because the other Gimmicks already have limitations of themselves in order to trigger this card's effect.

 

Broken Soldier: It's not bad, I guess, but maybe only 2 copies at most in the Deck. Same thing with Springbox now that I think about it. This is due to the fact that these cards, combined with the old Gimmick support, would require space within a 40 card Deck, although I suppose Mathematician and Foolish could speed this archetype up with these cards. However, 1000 LP is quite hefty, and you're pretty much paying the same LP as Solemn Warning to get 2 copies out at once. Other than that, I suppose that it does benefit more by being able to get another Level 8 for the Xyz. Nothing wrong here.

 

Clash Monkey: Oh boy, this guy's going to be a killer. It might be Level 4, but if you happen to convert it's Level with another Gimmick Monster's effect, this thing makes the Xyz Monster Summoned a nightmare to deal with. Not only that, the first effect enables protection from ANY removal, so this is a huge, huge benefit. Reasoning may be limited to one, but this card suggests that running cards like Instant Fusion may be worth it because Rank 4's are still a possibility with Norden and the Level 4 Gimmicks. I like this card a lot, bonus marks here for monkey. Hard OPT not needed as effects to dump this thing into the Graveyard wouldn't be able to drop an alarming number to deal with generally.

 

Marionette: Damn, increase this card's ATK to 1900 would still be fine. I mean, look at WIckedwitch for Kozmos. Dropping and drawing with these new cards make this card very potent, especially since its Level becomes 4. It's pretty much a Doomstar Magician, but it helps out Gimmicks by speeding the engine instead of slamming Pendulum Scales. It's fine as well.

 

Grin Dummy: Hmm, this card is lacking and wouldn't be a first choice in the archetype. Sure, the detach effects are very beneficial, but aside from that, it just becomes a dead draw/weak monster until you manage to convert its Level for the Xyz. By that time, this card would probably be killed in battle or removed via card effect, and would require another card to drag it back. The hard OPT is also unnecessary, as the majority of the Gimmick Xyz have only OPT detach. If the player manages by some miracle gets 2 copies out, turns them Level 8, and performs the Xyz, you might as well as allow them to utilize both effects if possible. It's pretty much restoring the cards used to allow the Xyz to happen, but if you're really paranoid, you can just change it to using each of the effect once per turn as opposing to 1 of the effects once per turn.

 

Shriek Mannequin: If this was OCG, I would have simply recommended that using this with Cupidity is pretty much a Bonus for you whenever you want to Summon this card. Aside from that, it does work pretty well with Springbox as their effects compliment each other. This card is okay, but having it on the first turn would just result in a brick in most cases. 1-2 copies at most in a Deck.

 

Hex Hand: This card can result in an OTK if you get the original Gimmick Xyz to their CXyz form. However, other than that, it doesn't really support the Summoning of the Rank 8 Gimmicks. Like Shriek Mannequin, only 1-2 copies at most for this card. It isn't bad, but it isn't that good either.

 

Nightmare Mechanism: Well... Didn't expect Xyz as well. Looking at this card, I feel that it's a more powerful version of Big Eye due to the flexibility. High DEF, a Snatch Steal effect that can occur during either player's turn as a quick effect (Which suggests that you can simply choose to bomb your opponent's monster during your Standby Phase, or steal it for an Xyz Material). This might be a little too much, even if it's restricted to an archetype. I'd suggest that you add a limitation of controlling only 1 copy, and that the stealing effect be a OPT ignition as opposed to Quick. It would make the card more balanced.

 

EDIT: I re-read it, did you happen to mean that the effect can only be used once while this card is face-up on the field? In that case, just add the limitation of only being able to control 1 copy to make it more fair.

 

Eldritch Mechanism: See, this is what makes the previous card too broken. When Xyz Summoned, giving all monsters a String Counter, and if you have the original on the field as well, it suggests that you can steal 2 monsters per copy of Nightmare Mechanism. However, because there are faster engines than this in other Decks, this card seems more fine than it's original form. Maybe just edit Nightmare.

 

String Spider: And this is where Yuuji remembers that Machine Duplication is still a thing. Ugh, I'm really considering the limitation of String Monkey to a hard OPT, but there's not enough valid targets within the Deck that you can target easily. However, if you do, consider the fact that Neo Galaxy Eyes can just pop out of nowhere with just 2 cards. String Spider itself is fine with the addition and String Counter, though.

 

Shadow Mangler: Seems a little too much if you can continuously put String Counters on everything each turn, because getting out Mechanism isn't even hard with the new support that you're making. I think that the first effect needs a little nerf. Maybe change it to you can place 1 String Counter per turn?

 

The whole support for the existing archetype is fine. However, a few cards are somewhat alarming considering their Snatch Steal nature and protection via Monkey. As a general rating, I'll give it 8/10 for being very flavourful and sticking with the Gimmick Puppet feeling. Not that the highest that I'd give for supporting an existing archetype is 8.5/10, which you'll probably receive after a few minor edits. However, any more support would make the archetype too overbearing as the massive number of different Gimmick cards make it a headache to play for newer players.

[~Faytl~]

Just gonna bump this as it's been a few days.

[~Faytl~]

Added a new Xyz monster.