Sun Shadow [AGM, WRITTEN]

[Tinkerer]

Hello, fine peoples!

I'd decided to use this prompt for my next AGM Archetype.
 

Sun Shadow

Archetype of DARK Pyro-Type monsters. They focus on destroying/banishing Spell and Trap cards. However, it doesn't take too much effort to Summon them. Their Extra Deck monsters are Xyz Monsters of varying Ranks (Rank 4 being their most feeble). Their Spell/Trap cards each contain an effect that triggers when a Spell/Trap Card leaves the field.

A loose enough prompt for me to have a bit of fun. Aside from Sun Shadows though, the set has a couple Helios cards in relation to the AGM Helios support/series.

[spoiler Monsters]
Helios' Shadow
DARK *
Pyro/Effect
This card is always treated as a "Sun Shadow" monster. (Quick Effect): you can banish this card you control; banish all cards in both players' GY. Once per turn, during your End Phase, while this card is in the Banished Zone: you can draw 1 card then banish 1 card in your hand or that you control. If you activated this effect previously this turn: take 800 damage.
0/0

Sun Shadow Ember
DARK **
1<>1
Pyro/Pendulum/Effect
PE: If a Spell/Trap on your side of the field is removed from the field: you can Special Summon this card, but banish it when it leaves the field.
ME: If this card is Special Summoned, you can target other Pyro monster you control: this card's level becomes the same as that target until the End Phase. If this card is detached from an Xyz monster: banish it. While this card is in the Banished Zone, all Pyro monsters you control gain 300 ATK and DEF.
500/0

Sun Shadow Sparks
DARK **
7<>7
Pyro/Pendulum/Effect
PE: Once per turn, you can banish 1 Spell/Trap you control; draw 1 card.
ME: You can banish this card; Set 1 "Sun Shadow" Spell/Trap from your Deck, but banish it when it leaves the field. If this card is detached from an Xyz monster: banish it. While this card is in the Banished Zone: inflict 200 damage to your opponent when a monster is Xyz Summoned.
500/0

Sun Shadow Umbra
DARK ***
1<>1
Pyro/Pendulum/Effect
PE: Once per turn, if there are no monsters in your GY: you can target up to 3 monsters you control; increase or decrease their levels by up to 2, then, banish this card.
ME: You can banish 1 Spell/Trap card you control to Special Summon this monster from your hand. If this card is detached from an Xyz monster: banish it. Once while this card is in the Banished Zone: you can shuffle up to 3 Spell/Trap cards from your Banished Zone into your Deck.
1000/0

Sun Shadow Shade
DARK ***
7<>7
Pyro/Pendulum/Effect
PE: Once per turn: you can banish 1 Pyro monster from your Deck; make the levels of all monsters you control equal to the banished monster's until the End Phase.
ME: If this card is face-up in your Extra Deck and you have no monsters in your GY, you can target 1 banished Pendulum monster; banish this card, and if you do, add that target to your Extra Deck face-up. You can only activate this effect of this card's name once per turn. If this card is detached from an Xyz monster: banish it. Once while this card is banished, you can target 1 banished Pyro monster, except "Sun Shadow Shade" then pay 800 LP; Special Summon that target.
1000/0

Sun Shadow Glow
DARK ****
1<>7
Pyro/Pendulum/Effect
PE: You can banish this card and 1 DARK monster from your Deck.
ME: When this card is Normal Summoned: you can banish any number of Spell/Trap cards you control; draw cards equal to the number banished. If this card is detached from an Xyz monster: banish it. During each Standby Phase, while this card is in the Banished Zone: you can target 1 monster in your Banished Zone (except Sun Shadow Glow); this card gains that target's effects while banished until the End Phase.
1500/0

Sun Shadow Eclipse
DARK *****
1<>1
Pyro/Pendulum/Effect
PE: If you have no monsters in your GY, you can target 1 monster on the field: banish this card and that target.
ME: If this card is Tribute Summoned, you can pay 500 LP and banish all monsters from your GY (if any); add 1 "Sun Shadow" card from your Deck to your hand. If this card is detached from an Xyz monster: banish it. If a Pyro monster(s) you control would be destroyed by a card effect: you can shuffle this card and 1 other banished card into your Deck instead.
2000/0

Sun Shadow Blacklight
DARK *****
7<>7
Pyro/Pendulum/Effect
PE: If you have no monsters in your GY, you can target 1 Spell/Trap on the field: banish this card and that target.
ME: If this card is Special Summoned, you can activate this effect: declare a level between 1-6. Until the End Phase, all monsters with a level Summoned have their levels changed to the declared level. If this card is detached from an Xyz monster: banish it. While this card is in the Banished Zone, Once per turn, if a Pyro monster you control is destroyed: you can add 1 face-up Pyro Pendulum monster from your Extra Deck to your hand.
2000/0

Sun Shadow Veil
DARK 6*
1<>1
Pyro/Pendulum/Effect
PE: If you have no monsters in your GY, you can target 1 banished Pyro monster; banish this card, and if you do, Special Summon that target.
ME: If this card is Special Summoned, you can target 1 Spell/Trap card on the field: banish it. If this card is detached from an Xyz monster: banish it. Once per turn, while this card is banished, you can target 1 monster you control: increase its level by 1.
2500/0

Sun Shadow Mystique
DARK 6*
7<>7
Pyro/Pendulum/Effect
PE: You can perform a Pendulum Summon with monsters in your Banished Zone, but banish them when they leave the field.
ME: If this card is face-up in your Extra Deck and you have no monsters in your GY, you can target 1 banished Pendulum monster; banish this card, and if you do, add that target to your hand. If this card is detached from an Xyz monster: banish it. Once per turn, while this card is banished, you can target 1 monster you control: decrease its level by 1.
2500/0

[spoiler Spells/Traps]
Sun Shadow - Crimson Heat
Quick-play Spell
Activate when a Spell/Trap you control is banished. Target 1 card on the field: banish 1 monster from your Deck and that target. Banish this card instead of sending it to the GY.

Sun Shadow - Azure Reflection
Continuous Spell
When a Pyro Xyz monster battles a monster your opponent controls; you can return the opponent's monster to the hand instead of conducting damage calculations. Once per turn, when a Spell/Trap you control is banished: draw 1 card. You can only control 1 "Sun Shadow - Azure Reflection".

Sun Shadow - Golden Ray
Continuous Trap
Once per turn: you can target 1 Pyro Xyz you control; Special Summon 1 Pyro Xyz monster from your Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 higher or lower than that target, by using it as the Xyz Material (This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.) Any materials detached from Xyz monsters are banished instead. You can only control 1 "Sun Shadow - Golden Ray".

Sun Shadow - Vermilion Horizon
Continuous Trap
You can banish 2 cards in your hand; Shuffle all cards from both players' GY into the Deck. When a Spell/Trap you control is banished: you can destroy 1 card your opponent controls, and if you do, banish it. You can only use each effect of "Sun Shadow - Vermilion Horizon" once per turn.

[spoiler Extra Deck]
Sun Shadow of Helios
DARK R*
Pyro/Xyz/Effect
2 level 1 "Helios" monsters
You can also Special Summon this card by banishing all monsters you control (min. 2) while you have no cards in your GY (this summon is treated as an Xyz Summon). When this monster is Special Summoned: attach up to 2 Pyro monsters from your hand to this card. This card's ATK equals the number of cards in both players' Banished Zone x the number of Xyz materials under this card x 100. At the end of the Battle Phase: detach 1 Xyz Material and banish it or destroy this card. If this card is sent to the GY; banish all cards in your GY. Once per turn, if this card is in your Banished Zone: you can shuffle 10 other banished cards into your Deck; Special Summon this card.
?/0

Sun Shadow of Ngai
DARK R**
Pyro/Xyz/Effect
2 level 2 monsters
You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and banish it; banish the top 3 cards from both player's Decks, and if you do, this card gains 200 ATK and DEF for each monster banished by this effect. If you have 10 or more banished monsters (Quick Effect): banish 1 card you control and up to 3 cards from your opponent's GY. You can only use each effect of this card's name once per turn.
1600/0

Sun Shadow of Xihe
DARK R***
Pyro/Xyz/Effect
2 level 3 DARK monsters
This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. Once per turn: you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and banish it; shuffle up to 3 of your banished cards into your Deck, and if you shuffled 3 cards into your Deck this way, draw 1 card. If this face-up card would be sent from your field to the GY, place it face-up in your Spell/Trap Zone as a Continuous Trap with this effect:
- You can banish this card, and if you do, add 1 "Sun Shadow" card from your Deck to your hand.
1900/0

Sun Shadow of Sulis
DARK R****
1<>7
Pyro/Pendulum/Xyz/Effect
2 level 4 "Sun Shadow" monsters
PE: During your Standby Phase: banish 1 Xyz Material from a monster you control or 1 Spell/Trap you control. "Sun Shadow" cards are unaffected by opponent's monster effects.
ME: If you can Pendulum Summon Level 4, you can Pendulum Summon this face-up card in your Extra Deck. You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and banish it; all monsters your opponent controls lose 100 ATK and DEF for each of your banished cards. You can only activate this effect of this card's name once per turn. If this card in the Monster Zone is destroyed by battle or card effect: You can banish up to 2 cards in your Pendulum Zones, and if you do, place this card in your Pendulum Zone.
2200/0

Sun Shadow of Wi
DARK R*****
Pyro/Xyz/Effect
2 level 5 Pyro monsters
You can also Xyz Summon this card by banishing all materials (min. 1) from a Pyro Xyz monster you control, then using that monster as the Xyz Material. You can only Special Summon "Sun Shadow of Wi" once per turn this way. Once per turn: you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and banish it; banish 1 card you control, and if you do, your opponent banishes 1 card in their hand. If you have 10 or more banished monsters: all cards sent to the GY are banished instead.
2500/0

Sun Shadow of Amaterasu
DARK R6*
Pyro/Xyz/Effect
2 level 6 Pendulum monsters
You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and banish it; inflict 100 damage to your opponent for each banished card. You can only activate this effect of this card's name once per turn, also, you cannot attack during the turn this effect resolves. During either player's End Phase, if you control no monsters and this card is in the Banished Zone: target 1 monster your opponent controls or is in the GY; Special Summon this card, and if you do, attach that target to this monster as Xyz Material. During either player's Standby Phase: if this card is in the GY: banish it and all monsters in your GY, then, you can banish 1 Spell/Trap card on the field.
2800/0

Sun Shadow of Ra
DARK R7*
Pyro/Xyz/Effect
3 level 7 monsters
If you have no monsters in your GY, this card is unaffected by your opponent's card effects. You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and banish it, then declare 1 card name; banish all copies of that card from both player's Decks, hands, sides of the field, GY, and Extra Deck. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activate this effect. If you banished more cards than your opponent by this effect: inflict damage to your opponent equal to the number of cards banished by this effect x 300. You can only activate this effect of this card's name once per turn unless you have 20 or more banished monsters.
3100/0

There really isn't much to say regarding their playstyle. It's all about summoning, banishing, and plussing off your banishing. They'd probably play like if Magicians substituted a bit of consistency and their ability to make decently powerful boards for a bit more active removal and longevity. Ultimately, you try to hold off and keep generating advantage until you can deliver a finishing blow with one of the Xyz bosses.

Anyways, yeah, this is... something. As always, CnC would be much appreciated.

[spoiler AGM Helios cards]True Primal Helios
LIGHT - Level 1 - Pyro/Effect - ?/?
All "Helios" monsters you control gain 100 ATK and DEF for each of your opponent's banished cards. This monster gains ATK and DEF equal to the ATK and DEF of all "Helios" monsters you control, except "True Primal Helios". The effects of "Helios" monsters that activate in the Graveyard can also activate in the Banished Zone.

Collapsed Helios, Harbinger of the End
DARK - Level 1 - Pyro/Effect - ?/?
Cannot be Special Summoned from the Deck. If a face-up "Helios" monster you control leaves the field, you can Special Summon this monster from your hand, and if you do, this card's original ATK becomes equal to the ATK that monster had when it left the field. This Special Summoned monster is unaffected by, and cannot be targeted by, your opponent's cards and effects. Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can banish a number of cards from your opponent's Graveyard equal to the number of "Helios" monsters you control. "Helios" monsters you control gain 300 ATK and DEF for each of your opponent's banished cards, and 200 ATK and DEF for each of your banished cards. This monster gains 500 ATK for each card that is banished face-down.

 

[Tinkerer]

Bump~

[Dova]

Helios' Shadow worries me, because since its banish effect from the GY has no HOPT, your opponent can't really negate it through traditional means. Simply negating it does nothing, and negating and destroying it leaves it in the GY. It's not a bad card, and fits the theme of the Deck, but I feel that once it's in the GY, it's basically a ticking time bomb for your opponent that they can do little about. As for rest of the MD monsters, they fit together really well in theme and effect. Glow is a key card in the archetype, netting you any banished monster you want, and duplicating their effect as well. I like the generic support for Pyro monsters, and the Level modulation is a neat way of getting out of the general fixed level limitation on the monsters of an archetype. There is a slight worry that you are eating way too many resources with your cards self-banishing, even with Veil, but it's really hard to construct plays with these in my mind. 

 

The Spells/Traps provide a lot of draws, and I feel they're the more interesting and effective portion of the archetype, especially as it works on your opponent as well. I wish Golden Ray provided more Freedom with what you could Summon, as it is a Trap, but only grants you access to 4 monsters. But, exploitation, so that can be left as is. Shame this archetype focuses a lot on drawing more than searching, but I do prefer it that way, even it has a tendency to work less of the time.

 

Sun Shadow of Helios looks scary at first, but the 100 ATK makes it almost...weak. Well, at least it fits with your intended theming/matchup with the rest of the monsters. I really like how Xihe nets you not on a search but a triggering of your monster's other abilities. Another interesting point is the battling theme, which again ties into your ATK gain scattered across the archetype. Unfortunately, thanks to a lack of support for these battles means you're rarely going to be able to completely beat down your opponent. However, apart from that weakness, the rest of the archetype seems to complement each other via filling holes; be it hand destruction from Wi, or basic removal from Amaterasu. Ra is a little more dangerous, considering it being a nice beater to go into for Level 7 decks, but the banishing of its materials combined with its Summoning conditions make it still safe to not be a major splash.

 

Nothing struck me in my review, which really worries me. Either I'm more tired than I thought and I rushed through this too quickly, or they are almost all completely fine. Unfortunately, considering the size of the archetype, its difficult for me to talk more about potential interactions (due to laziness). Hopefully, this will end up just being a preliminary review, and I can talk more about the specifics in the future.

[Tinkerer]

Oops, thanks for pointing out Helios' Shadow's effect.  It's actually supposed to banish itself from the field and then everything from the grave (making it really susceptible if it actually winds up in the grave itself).  Fixed the wording on it to reflect that.  Boosted it a bit though by making the banish a cost so even if it got negated, it wouldn't completely shut your effectiveness down.

 

Ultimately, you're right. I tried being a bit open with this allowing them to be unique in mechanics and purpose, but not to the point of ineffectiveness.  That said, I wasn't too confident that I'd straddled that line all that well.  Thanks for letting me know how I did!