Oct 23, 2010
One of the biggest cards debuting in Starstrike Blast is actually pretty tiny – the Level 2 Synchro Monster, Formula Synchron! Yusei’s newest Synchro is a ground-breaking card that goes where no monster has gone before: not only do you get to draw a card when it’s Synchro Summoned, but it’s the first Synchro Monster that’s also a Tuner. Even bigger news? You can use it to Synchro Summon during your opponent’s Main Phase. That leaves your opponent in a tough situation. Unless they get rid of Formula Synchron, you can see your opponent’s moves and unleash the perfect Synchro Monster, but if they try to get rid of it you can just Synchro Summon anyways. It’s the ultimate counter-attack, and all you need to play it are a few Level 1 monsters you might already have in your Deck.
The first thing you’ll need is a Level 1 Tuner. Effect Veiler is a really popular card right now, because you can discard it from your hand to negate an opposing monster effect on your opponent’s turn. Every member of the Top 4 in YCS Philadelphia played at least 1, with both Finalists using 2 copies. But Effect Veiler is more than just a great way to negate effects: it’s also a Level 1 Tuner, making it super-easy to Synchro Summon Formula Synchron.
Spore is a really popular Level 1 Tuner in any Deck that plays Lonefire Blossom: you can Special Summon it from your Deck as a Level 1 Tuner to make Formula Synchron. Then, you can use Spore’s effect to Special Summon it from your Graveyard by removing LonefireBlossom from play, turning Spore into a Level 4 Tuner for another Synchro Summon. The newGlow-Up Bulb from Starstrike Blast is another Plant-Type Tuner, but you won’t need to run more Plants to play it. When Glow-Up Bulb is in your Graveyard, you can send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard and Special Summon the Bulb. If you Normal Summon it for your first Formula Synchron, you can Special Summon it back for a second Formula Synchron later.
With the right Tuners, all you need is a Level 1 non-Tuner to complete your Synchro Summon. Lots of Decks have Level 1 non-Tuners – we’ll look at some of those in a bit. But any Deck can use Level 1 Token Monsters as Synchro Materials: Dandylion, Scapegoat, and Fires ofDoomsday all Special Summon at least 2 Level 1 Token Monsters, perfect for Synchro Summoning Formula Synchron. Of course, once you Summon Formula Synchron and draw with its effect, the real fun is just beginning – when the Duel moves to your opponent’s turn, you’ll get to decide what Synchro Monster to Summon.
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Synchro Summon 1 of these monsters on your opponent's turn to use their effects. |
Sometimes, the best monster to Synchro Summon with Formula Synchron will be a big wall with high ATK, like the Level 5 Magical Android; Level 6 Goyo Guardian; Level 7 ScrapArchfiend; or Level 8 Colossal Fighter. Each of those monsters is tough to destroy in battle. But some Synchro Monsters have unique effects that make them especially good when you Summon them on your opponent’s turn.
-If you have 3 Levels of non-Tuners, you can Synchro Summon Ally of Justice Catastor. Catastor can’t be beaten in battle unless it’s bested by a DARK monster.
-With 5 Levels of non-Tuners, you can clear your opponent’s field with Black Rose Dragon. They’ll have to eliminate your Synchro Materials before playing any more cards to the field, or you’ll destroy them all.
-If you’ve got 7 Levels of non-Tuner monsters, you can even Synchro Summon Mist Wurm. The Wurm’s effect will send 3 cards of your choice back to your opponent’s hand, sending Tribute Monsters and Synchro Monsters packing.
All those easy-to-use Level 1 monsters let you run Formula Synchron in almost any strategy, but a lot of Decks already run the cards they need for powerful Formula combos. Here are some tricks you can use:
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WATER and X-Saber Duelists can use monsters from their Graveyard to Summon Formula Synchron. |
You can Special Summon Treeborn Frog from your Graveyard, and as long as you control a Level 3 WATER Monster, you can also Special Summon the Level 1 Tuner Fishborg Blaster by discarding a card. Since Treeborn Frog is a Level 1 WATER monster, you can Special Summon it, discard for Fishborg, and Tune them together for Formula Synchron. The card you draw with Synchron’s effect replaces the card you discarded for Fishborg, so it’s like SummoningFormula Synchron for free.
X-Saber Duelists have their own version of that combo. First, Special Summon X-Saber Palomuro from the Graveyard by paying 500 Life Points. X-Saber Ragigura lets you return an X-Saber card from your Graveyard to your Hand when it’s Summoned, so you can use its effect, Tune it with Palomuro, and Synchro Summon Formula Synchron to draw an extra card.
A Beast Duelist can Normal Summon Kinka-byo, use its effect to Special Summon Snyffus, and Tune them together to Synchro Summon Formula Synchron. Again, you give up just 1 card from your hand (Kinka-byo) to draw a card and Summon the Synchron. You can do the same trick in an Alien Deck, by using the Level 1 Tuner Alien Ammonite to Special Summon AlienPsychic from your Graveyard. Formula Synchron isn’t just a great Tuner that lets you throw a monkey wrench into your opponent’s turn: it’s also a powerful way to draw more cards, getting you to your most important cards faster.
Decks built around Quickdraw Synchron might get the most out of Formula Synchron: check out this Volcanic Quickdraw Deck from the Top 4 of YCS San Jose, or the 2nd Place Deck from YCS Philadelphia for some inspiration. Both Decks ran Lonefire Blossom, making it easy to Summon Spore, Glow-Up Bulb, and Dandylion. They both ran Effect Veiler, too, another Level 1 Tuner. The Volcanic Quickdraw Deck even played Volcanic Shell, a Level 1 non-Tuner that can give you 3 more Synchro Materials for Formula Synchron. It’s really easy for these Decks to Synchro Summon the Synchron again and again, drawing cards and using their Synchro support to make the right Synchro Summon at the right time.
Formula Synchron is going to change the way we look at Synchro Summoning: it’s easy to play, easy to make big combos with, and it’s easy to get, too –it’s a normal Rare. Expect it to be 1 of the hottest cards at your Starstrike Blast Sneak Preview on November 6th or 7th. Join us again tomorrow, because we’re going to talk about a new Synchro Monster you can (currently) only Summon with Formula Synchron – the mighty Shooting Star Dragon!
