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Monster Type: Spellcaster
Attribute: Dark
Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, you can add 1 Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand. A monster that is destroyed by this monster as a result of battle is removed from play instead of going to the Graveyard. If this face-up card is destroyed or removed from the field, it is removed from play.
Rulings
- Missing the Timing: If "Dark Magician of Chaos" is Special Summoned in the middle of a chain (if it is not the last effect in the chain to resolve), the timing will not be correct for its Optional Trigger Effect, so you do NOT return a Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand.
- "Dark Magician of Chaos" is NOT removed from play if it is destroyed in your hand or Deck.
- You can Special Summon "Dark Magician of Chaos" with "Monster Reborn", and then return the "Monster Reborn" to your hand with "Dark Magician of Chaos"' effect.
- If you Special Summon "Dark Magician of Chaos" face-down with "The Shallow Grave", its effect does not activate.
When "Dark Magician of Chaos" is Special Summoned with "Reasoning", his effect activates.
- When multiple "Dark Magicians of Chaos" are Special Summoned simultaneously, all of their effects activate; the controller starts putting their effects on a chain.
- When you Tribute Summon "Dark Magician of Chaos" with "Sangan" or "Burning Algae", those cards effects are Step 1 of the chain, and "Dark Magician of Chaos"' effect is Step 2.
- When you Special Summon "Dark Magician of Chaos" with "Last Turn", you can activate "Dark Magician of Chaos"' effect.
"Dark Magician of Chaos"' effect targets 1 Spell Card in the Graveyard, so it will be negated by "Necrovalley" or "The End of Anubis".
- The Spell Card is chosen at activation of "Dark Magician of Chaos"'s effect, so your opponent could chain "Disappear" or "Graverobber" to deny you that Spell Card.
- If "Dark Magician of Chaos" attacks a face-down "Fiber Jar" or "Cyber Jar", the Jar is removed from play but its effect is activated.
- If "Dark Magician of Chaos" attacks a monster with equal ATK, both monsters are removed from play.
- When "Dark Magician of Chaos" is sent to your hand by "Penguin Soldier", it is removed from play instead.
- When "Fiber Jar" resolves, a "Dark Magician of Chaos" on the field is removed from play instead of returning to the Deck.
- When "Dark Magician of Chaos" is removed from play by "Interdimensional Matter Transporter", it is removed from play but will return to play as normal due to "Interdimensional Matter Transporter"'s effect.
- When a face-down "Dark Magician of Chaos" is destroyed, it is NOT removed from play.
- If "Dark Magician of Chaos" is equipped to "Relinquished", and is destroyed, then "Dark Magician of Chaos" is removed from play. While "Dark Magician of Chaos" is equipped to "Relinquished", you cannot select "Dark Magician of Chaos" as a card to send to the Graveyard for the effect of "Emergency Provisions".
- While "Skill Drain" is active, the first and second effects of "Dark Magician of Chaos" are negated, but the 3rd effect is not negated.
- [Re: Burning Algae] When you Tribute "Burning Algae" to Tribute Summon "Dark Magician of Chaos", "Burning Algae"'s effect is Step 1 of a chain and "Dark Magician of Chaos"' effect is Step 2.
- [Re: Dedication through Light and Darkness] You select the "Dark Magician of Chaos" you wish to Special Summon when you resolve "Dedication through Light and Darkness", not when you activate it.
- [Re: Divine Wrath] You can activate "Divine Wrath" in a chain to a Trigger Effect that activates when the Effect Monster is Summoned such as "Breaker the Magical Warrior", "Dark Magician of Chaos", or "Marauding Captain". The opponent must declare the activation of "Marauding Captain"'s effect before "Divine Wrath" can be activated. In this case, the monster that would have been Special Summoned remains in the opponent's hand.
- [Re: Enemy Controller] If "Dark Magician of Chaos" is Summoned, and you chain "Enemy Controller" to the activation of his effect, even if you take control of "Dark Magician of Chaos", you cannot take control of his effect, so the Summoner (the activator of the effect) gets to retrieve 1 Spell Card from the Graveyard.
- [Re: Grave Protector] A monster destroyed by "Dark Magician of Chaos" or "Lesser Fiend" is returned to the Deck instead of being removed from play.
- [Re: Last Turn] If your opponent activates "Last Turn" and you Special Summon "Dark Magician of Chaos" from your Deck, you can activate his effect to add a Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand.
- [Re: Last Turn] You CAN Special Summon a high-level monster that has no Special Summoning restrictions for "Last Turn", such as "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" or "Dark Magician of Chaos".
- [Re: Magical Dimension] If you Special Summon "Dark Magician of Chaos" with "Magical Dimension", then decide to destroy 1 monster on the field, then you will NOT get the effect of "Dark Magician of Chaos" because it misses the timing. If you choose not to destroy a monster, however, then his effect will activate. (See rulings for "Dark Magician of Chaos").
- [Re: Monster Gate] If you Special Summon "Dark Magician of Chaos" with "Monster Gate", the effect of "Dark Magician of Chaos" activates, but it activates after "Monster Gate" has fully resolved and sent other picked up cards to the Graveyard, so you can use "Dark Magician of Chaos"' effect to retrieve a Spell Card that was picked up and sent to the Graveyard by "Monster Gate" in the process of searching for the "Dark Magician of Chaos".
- [Re: Ryu Kokki] If "Ryu Kokki" battles with "Dark Magician of Chaos", "Ryu Kokki" is destroyed and removed from play by "Dark Magician of Chaos"' effect, and "Dark Magician of Chaos" is removed from play because it is destroyed by "Ryu Kokki"'s effect and removed by its own effect.
- [Re: Samsara] If "Dark Magician of Chaos" is used as a Tribute for a Ritual Summon while "Samsara" is on the field it will be shuffled back into the Deck.
- [Re: The End of Anubis] "The End of Anubis" WILL negate the effects of "Night Assailant" (its second effect), "Aswan Apparition", "Nubian Guard", "Sangan", "Witch of the Black Forest" (even if Tributed to Tribute Summon "The End of Anubis"), "Mystic Tomato"/"Giant Rat"/etc., "Sinister Serpent", "Magician of Faith", "Dark Magician of Chaos"' spell retrieval effect, "Vampire Lord"'s ability to return from the Graveyard, "Dark Necrofear"'s ability to return from the Graveyard, and activation of "Call of the Haunted" or "Premature Burial".
So, today let's look at what makes DMoC one of the two best two-tribute monsters in the TCG (Sacred Phoenix being the other one).
Statistics and Type
2800 ATK is enormous. There's practically nothing in the current metagame that can destroy it in battle save the rare Lily.
2600 DEF essentially means that a Book of Moon or Tsukuyomi will be entirely ineffective against DMoC unless they have a NoC, MS LV2, or Drillroid.
Spellcaster is a type with nice support. The largest contribution that DMoC gets from that genre is Magical Dimension, in which DMoC is able to negate the card advantage loss that is gained through getting a Spell back from the Graveyard. Also, it is that deck's primary powerhouse, and fits in with all the Spell recycling that is going to be occuring with 2 Magician of Faith and 2 Apprentice Magician.
Dark has tremendous support. DMoC can be Chaos food, Ninja food, used with Deck Devastation Virus, and more.
Now, DMoC is a two-tribute monster. Normally, two-tribute monsters are highly discouraged, as they heavily decrease your field presence due to the sacrifices are needed to bring them out. Usually, they require a tutor (Sacred Phoenix), or some alternate way of hitting the field. DMoC compensates for this with its effect, but even that doesn't fully cushion the blow that you're going to suffer (it's still -1 in field presence).
Effect
And we come to the reason that DMoC is one of the two best two-tribute monsters in the TCG.
Its first ability gives you a Spell back. That's a free MoF. That's a free +1.
Need Graceful? Back.
Need Snatch to take that monster? Back.
Need NoC for that F/D? Back.
It's an incredibly powerful ability.
And then we see the removal ability.
Tomato? No effect.
Sangan? No effect.
Sand Moth? No effect.
It shuts down all the elemental searchers, Sangan, and basically anything whose effect requires it to hit the Graveyard. The only time this is going to be a disadvantage is against the elusive D.D. Survivor and D.D. Scout Planes, which aren't seen now, but will be dominant when EOJ comes out. The fact that they don't even need Macrocosmos or Dimensional Fissure on the field hurts.
And it's removed from play upon leaving the field. Now, this prevents it from being revived, but sets it up for a combination with RftDD, which DMoC complements quite well, as it returns a Spell as well as being a 2800 beatstick that can go for the kill.
How to Use it
DMoC has been used in several decks, of which a few I will discuss here. They are Strike Ninja, Spellcaster, and Monster Gate/Reasoning decks.
In Strike Ninja, DMoC is merely another nice Dark. It can't provide Strike Ninja fodder since it's removed from play, but nevertheless, its use is to get a Spell back, do some damage, and then be brought back with RftDD when Ninja has removed enough for the kill.
In Spellcaster, DMoC is primarily used for synergy with Magical Dimension as well as being another Spell recycler alongside Magician of Faith (which is reusable with Tsukuyomi and searchable via Apprentice Magician).
In Monster Gate/Reasoning, DMoC offers major advantage when it hits the field from either of those cards, as you just got a +1 from that, and your opponent is likely freaking out.
As seen, DMoC best belongs in a deck that can fully utilize its abilities, as the addition of a two-tribute monster is a harsh price for a deck to pay in order to utilize it, even a card like DMoC.
Effect on the Metagame
DMoC claims the distinction of being one of the last two-tribute monsters still used in competitive tournaments.
Face it. No other card save Sacred Phoenix can provide the advantage or power that DMoC can.
I'm not going to go into a Sacred Phoenix vs. DMoC debate, as they both have their pros and cons, and it is not my place to say which one is better.
The place you're going to see it most often? Strike Ninja is arguably the most competitive of the former three decks, so expect a DMoC played in there. You might see a Sacred Crane deck (which might become more popular due to the last SJC) utilizing a DMoC, but that's about it.
As versus other decks, you can be assured that DMoC can outpower virtually everything. Monarchs, CyDras, and even Ha Des all fall before it. The ONLY things that are going to kill DMoC in battle are Lily, something pumped up with a Rush Recklessly, or something killing DMoC after it's been weakened by Shrink. In all cases though, they require 2000 LP or -1 card advantage.
Look into the Future
DMoC faces a tough future ahead against Macrocosmos.
Like I said before, Survivor and Scout Plane laugh at DMoC's attempts to destroy them, even WITHOUT Macrocosmos or Dimensional Fissure on the field. With Macro, there will be few Spells left to retrieve.
Conclusion
It rightfully holds the position of one of the two best two-tribute monsters in the game, due to practically unrivalved power and abilities (again, save Sacred Phoenix). In terms of statistics, there is no single commonly played monster in the Advanced format that can rival it. Besides Magician of Faith, it gives the only method of bringing back Spells from the Graveyard. It shuts down Sangan, all the elemental searchers, and more. And finally it works insanely well with RftDD.
However, it STILL is a two-tribute monster, hence the inherent disadvantage there.
Rating: 3.9/5 - An excellent card by any standards, but the fact it's a two-tribute monster brings down the score.
This post has been edited by Sephiroth_BCR: 12 May 2006 - 03:06 AM
