If you’re a veteran Duelist, there’s a good chance you remember Pot of Greed. That card has been on the Forbidden list for a long time, but with the official release of Photon Shockwavejust days away, you’ll be able to get a card replicates its legendary effect, and Shard of Greedis its name!

Each time you draw a card(s) for your normal draw in your Draw Phase, place 1 Greed Counter on this card. You can send this card with 2 or more Greed Counters to the Graveyard; draw 2 cards.

Shard of Greed is a simple card with a simple effect. Each time you draw a card for your normal draw in the Draw Phase, it gains a Greed Counter. Then when it has 2 or more Greed Counters, you can send it to the Graveyard to draw 2 cards. Shard of Greed lets you draw cards after 2 turns, but it also forces your opponent to think twice before they make certain moves.

There are heaps of ways to destroy Spell and Trap cards. Since Mystical Space Typhoon is Unlimited as of September 2011 and Heavy Storm is back, Spell and Trap destruction happens a lot. Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress and Breaker the Magical Warrior can both destroy Spells and Traps too. But all of this destruction lets you use Shard of Greed in ways other than just drawing cards. With Shard on your field, your opponent will have to make a choice between giving you free cards or destroying it to prevent future plays.

Shard is good because it becomes a distraction for your opponent. Let’s say you have Shard of Greed and a really good card face-down, like Mirror Force. If your opponent has Mystical Space Typhoon, they have 3 choices:

1.      They could destroy your face-down which could just end up being a bluff.

2.      They could hit the Shard of Greed instead to stop you from drawing cards later.

3.      They can wait to act until your Shard gets its second Counter, giving you free turns.

If they choose to destroy Shard, it’s not all bad: they lose a destruction card, and your Mirror Force is safe. Both you and your opponent lose a card, and you used Shard to protect your other cards. You might be thinking, “What about if they choose to destroy my face-down?” Well, then of course you get the actual bonus of Shard of Greed! You can draw 2 cards and get ahead of your opponent. Whatever happens, it’s a win-win situation for you.

And if they choose to do nothing, they risk getting burned by your face-down and risk you drawing another powerful card to put them back in the same situation by the time your Shard is ready to pay dividends. It’s pretty much all upside, and that’s assuming they have the Typhoon. If they don’t, enjoy your free cards.

Shard of Greed is a card that you can put into any Deck you want. There are some cards which are similar to Shard, such as Six Samurai United and Karakuri Anatomy, which only work in Samurai and Karakuri Decks respectively. But unlike those cards, Shard of Greed can be used in any Deck as long as you’re willing to wait for your 2 cards. Slower Decks with lots of monster destruction cards will benefit greatly from this card, as these Decks sometimes can’t maintain a healthy hand size. Plus, Shard will distract the opponent from your main strategy, as sometimes you need certain Spells and Traps to set up your combos.

Shard of Greed is a great card, not just for its drawing power, but also for its ability to control the Duel. Placing Shard on the field gives you a great deal of power, forcing your opponent to waste resources to keep up, or let you gain more cards to put them at a further disadvantage.Expect Shard of Greed to make a big impact on Dueling. Once people realize everything it can do for them, its popularity is likely to skyrocket.