Ruduen's Random Anime CotD - 08/29/09 - Direct Border

Direct Border
[Continuous Trap Card]
Monsters with 1000 ATK or more cannot attack a player directly. When a player takes damage from a Direct Attack from a Monster with less than 1000 ATK, that player draws 1 card.

Direct Border is a nasty bit of stall. Players can't attack directly except with monsters of less than 1000 ATK, and if they DO get hit by it, then they get to draw a card for the bit of damage.

It's an interesting bit of stall, since if you flip it when you receive a direct attack, you either block the attack or get a draw. In addition, while it's still possible to do damage with direct attacks, the draw makes the damage that's dealt almost insignificant.

It's not QUITE as bad as some of the stall that's around, since it gives your opponent a good bit of room to move themselves. While you can't get attacked directly, all of your monsters are still fair game, and them getting targetted is still highly likely. In addition, you can't sneak monsters through, since you'd still be giving your opponent draws to use. The fact that it blocks direct attacks only also helps to maintain it.

But, it's still a good bit of stall, and a rather nasty one at that. It can still be used quite forcefully in order to buy time for combos, and still fits any other stall combinations, especially burn.

Art: 2/5. It's a flashy border, but it's still pretty much a line.
Effect: 3/5. Interesting bit of stall, and it can still be used to stop an attack, but it's still vulnerable.

Ruduen wrote:

Direct Border is a nasty bit of stall. Players can't attack directly except with monsters of less than 1000 ATK, and if they DO get hit by it, then they get to draw a card for the bit of damage.

Why do I get the feeling the small direct attackers want support like this?

Ruduen wrote:

Art: 2/5. It's a flashy border, but it's still pretty much a line.

It's similar to the borders of countries on a map so it's understandable that it's a line as an art for Direct Border.

Ruduen wrote:

Effect: 3/5. Interesting bit of stall, and it can still be used to stop an attack, but it's still vulnerable.

Same with all Stall tactics via Continuous Spell Cards and Continuous Trap Cards. Just need the right cards to keep them longer on the Field.

Also, btw, if you want, you can add a Wiki link to the card in question so that we know the card art.

This is one of those stall cards that Im actually OK with. Normally stall can be very boring, annoying, and dull. I mean, lets face it, nobody wants to wait 10 turns with Gravity Bind on the field until they can pull their MST or Dust Tornado.

This card is cooler then that due to the fact that your monsters are still free to attack. Well, so long as your attacking an opponents monster. While Gravity Bind, Level Limit Area B, and Messanger of Peace have level/attack restrictions, this one just stops you from attacking directly.

Might not seem like a big difference, so I'll break it down. Gravity Bind is on the field. That means none of your big baddies can attack. At all. You can summon a bunch of little guys, but odds are they've got at least a decent level 4 monster on the field that your level 3's and lower cant get through. You both sit and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait some more, until one of you either A. Gets all the cards needed to go for the win/for a combo or B. kills Gravity Bind so you can go to work.

While Direct Border will hold out for you, it does it in abit of a different way. While you cant do a direct hit for massive damage, monsters are still fair game. Your huge ace monster can still put the hurt on your opponent's guys, and if you manage to summon something to take their monster out, you don't have to sit around and wait to go in and smash it. At the same time your achieving the defense your looking for in that anything with more then 1000 attack wont be damaging you directly. And if they do, you get a draw out of it. More draws means more chances of pulling off a combo that makes it so that you dont have to stall anymore.

So yeah, great card. Guards your lifepoints just enough so that the duel doesnt have to be "draw, end. Draw, end. Draw, end. Draw, set, end. Draw, discard, end."

Art: 3/5 - Eh, its a border. But a cool looking border. I like the map-ishness of it
Effect: 4/5 An excellent twist to stalling

To be honest, I'm looking at these Card of the Days and trying to figure out what would be a good base for them, before I make ground rules for them.