Zombyra the Dark
Dark, Level 4, [Warrior/Effect]
ATK: 2100, DEF: 500
SYE-022, Common

"This card cannot attack a player directly. Each time this card destroys 1 monster as a result of battle, decrease the ATK of this card by 200 points."

Today continues the deck cards review madness with a special event -- Warrior Day! Today I've reviewed not one but three cards, which represent all of the beatstick monsters from my deck that I want to review. They also happen to be Warriors, hence the name for today's event.

First on the list is Zombyra the Dark. This card fits into that group of elite Level 4 monsters who break the 1900 ATK barrier by sacrificing a bit of brokenness in the form of limiting effects. Zombyra, despite having two limitations placed upon him, is still quite playable and can be a powerful field presence.

Zombyra cannot declare a direct attack on your opponent's Life Points himself (he can be forced to do so by other cards like Dark Spirit of the Silent, of course). This limitation is nothing to be concerned about most of the time. You want to use Zombyra to hold the field, so if you've obtained a direct shot at your opponent, you should have other monsters ready to take advantage of that. Otherwise, you can attack your opponent's monster with Zombyra and clear the way. His second effect makes him lose 200 ATK points immediately after destroying an opponent's monster in battle. After 1 successful attack, this puts him at 1900, which is still excellent. After 2 attacks, he reduces to 1700, which is pushing it in terms of weakness. At that point, it is best to Tribute him, give him an equip card, or otherwise strengthen or remove him. Note that if he gets flipped face-down, you reset his attack to the normal base of 2100. This could be exploited using Book of Moon. Equipping Zombyra with the Axe of Despair makes him very powerful and much longer lived. I have done this many times and it has usually paid off.

Zombyra gets a Good classification from me. He is versatile enough to be employed as a beatstick in any deck where he is needed, and he can readily specialize with his Warrior Type and Dark Attribute. Defending with high attack can be very strategic.