Jul 28, 2010
One of the most talked-about Decks of early 2010 was “Flamvell Cat”, a Deck that combinedFlamvell Firedog, Flamvell Magician, and Rekindling with Rescue Cat to make fast Synchro Summons. Even with Firedog and the Magician as the only cards it could Special Summon,Rekindling was worth playing; if Firedog destroyed a monster in battle it could Special Summon Magician from the Deck, and both monsters could be Tuned together for a Level 8 Synchro Summon. From there, Rekindling meant at least 1 more Synchro Summon – sometimes more. Just 2 Flamvell monsters were enough to make a big impact.
Duelist Revolution and Hidden Arsenal 2 up the ante, giving us more powerful Flamvell monsters! It all starts with your new favorite monkey, Flamvell Poun.
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Flamvell Poun’s furry little paws get you the right monster from your Deck! |
Flamvell Poun is a Level 1 Pyro-Type monster, and when it’s destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard you get to search your Deck for another monster with 200 DEF and add it to your hand. In a Flamvell Deck you can get Firedog, Magician, or almost any other Flamvell – even another Poun. But its effect isn’t limited just to Flamvell monsters: one popular strategy is to mix Flamvells with Lightsworn, using Lightsworn effects to fill your Graveyard with monsters for Rekindling and Judgment Dragon. In that Deck, Poun will also search outCelestia, Lightsworn Angel and Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress – both have 200 DEF.
Poun is a Level 1 monster, so you can throw it into the classic “Firedog + Magician” combo to turn a Level 8 Synchro Summon into a Level 9. One Rekindling can mean Mist Wurm and more.
Since Poun replaces itself with another monster when it’s destroyed, it makes another powerful Flamvell card easier to play, too: Flamvell Counter. This powerful Counter Trap negates the activation of a Spell or Trap Card. Unlike Solemn Judgment, it won’t cost you half your Life Points – all you have to do is remove a 200 DEF FIRE monster like Poun from your Graveyard.
Flamvell Archer brings more Synchro Summons and more ATK to the Flamvell strategy.
Flamvell Archer is a Level 3 Tuner, and since you can Special Summon it with Firedog’s effect, it lets you make plays with Firedog that you couldn’t do otherwise. If you can destroy just one of your opponent’s monsters with Firedog, you can clear the rest of thefield with Black Rose Dragon! Pair it with a Spellcaster like Gravekeeper’s Spy or Summoner Monk instead, and you can Summon Arcanite Magician.
Archer’s also got an effect that lets you Tribute one of your Pyro-Type monsters to boost all your Flamvells by 800 ATK for the turn. If you Special Summon a field full of Flamvells withRekindling, Archer lets you Tribute 1 of them to add up to 3200 ATK to your field. Even 800 ATK extra is enough to let Flamvell Firedog attack over Stardust Dragon, and you can putFlamvell Poun back in the Graveyard and turn its 200 ATK into way more damage by Tributing it.
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Flamvell Baby is the Flamvell Deck’s first low-level Tuner. |
Clocking in at Level 1, Flamvell Baby is like a miniature Blackwing – Kalut the Moon Shadow: you can send it from your hand to the Graveyard during your Main Phase to give one of your FIRE monsters a permanent 400 ATK boost. That helps Flamvell Firedog destroy bigger monsters in battle, and since its effect lands it in the Graveyard, you can bring Baby back immediately with Rekindling, or use it for Flamvell Counter.
As a Level 1 Tuner, you can Special Summon Flamvell Baby from your Deck with Flamvell Firedog’s effect and immediately Synchro Summon Ally of Justice Catastor. Or, if you have 2 Firedogs in your Graveyard, you can Summon them with Rekindling and tune them to Baby to Synchro Summon Mist Wurm. Add Flamvell Poun, and you can unleash Level 6 Synchro Monsters like Goyo Guardian and Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier.
While Flamvell Decks had problems standing on their own before, these 3 new combustible contributions bring the strategy into its own! Flamvells now have more Synchro Summon options, more ways to fill their Graveyard, and can make deadly use of Rekindling andFlamvell Counter. Business is heating up!
