Card Review: Envoy of Hades - Gors

Review done by Zheng Yang

Starting from today, I will do a card review per day,with the occasional multiples if I have the free time for it. Today's card review is one of the most format defining card in today's OCG metagame: Mesanger of Underworld Gorz.
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Messanger of Underworld Gorz / Envoy of Hades Gorz
Dark/Fiend/7/2700/2500
When there are no cards on your side of the field and you recieve damage from a card controlled by your opponent, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. When this card is Special Summoned in this way, it gains the following effects according to the type of damage you recieved:-Battle Damage:
- Special Summon 1 "Envoy of Hades Kaien"-Token(light/Fairy/7/?/?).The "envoy of Hades Kaien"-Token's ATK and DEF are equal to the Battle Damage you received.
-Effect Damage: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the Effect Damage you received.
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This is one cool high level monster. This is one of the cards Atem used in the comics. As an OCG promo, its gotten from the YugiOh R volume 3 Comic. It one the best looking monsters printed to date. Lets take a closer look at how this card works.

Firstly, it turns an unfavourable situation (an empty field against opponent's field) into a tremendous advantage. By using its effect, you will always get as least 1 monster on the field (2 if you took combat damage). This sets you up for tribute galore next turn or some serious rush. This gives you a oppotunity to comeback at the cost of your lifepoints. It may also save you from getting OTKed by an opposing rush.

Secondly, the very possibility of this card existing in your deck (or hand) will make your opponent play very carefully when you are close to an empty field. This is especially so if he is currently unable to deal with it at that moment. And even if he has ways to deal with it, he might not part with it in fear of bigger threats to come. Gorz is a great card to play mindgames with people who fear its comeback powers. No wonder its restricted to 1!

Thirdly, its a Dark Fiend that is level 7. It allows it to be used for metamorphasis for alot of toolbox fusions (Lord Dragoon, Last warrior, just to name afew) and can be used as fodder for the 3 Sky Scourges. It also benifits from Hades's negation effect, and stares down on the field with its monsterous 2700 ATK. Kaien Token is also no slouch, being possibly as big as the opponent's most dangerous threats.

Atlas, it does have its drawbacks. Firstly, other than its effect, you probably wouldn't want to tribute summon it unless you really need to (or if you are winning). secondly, as stated in the comic, the closer you get to hades (as in using Gorz), the closer you are at dying, and as such if the attack is fatal, Gorz can't do anything to save your bacon. And finally, there will be cases where you will have redundent Spells/Traps on your field tht prevents it from activating or it gets discarded before usage. This however can be overcomed through proper deck building and playing.

As an ending note, Gorz had been in my deck ever since I got it, mostly in decks that need monsters fast and can afford to have an empty field for a moment. Whats not attractive about hitting your opponent out of nowhere and make a grand comeback. I'll leave it to your imagination to how much uses Gorz is. ZY signing out.
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Done on June 8th 2007 12:55am