Great Maju Garzett
Dark, Level 6, [Fiend/Effect]
ATK: 0, DEF: 0
DR1-EN225, Common

"The ATK of this card becomes twice the original ATK of 1 monster that you Tributed for the Tribute Summon of this card."

Once you've read my newest deck review, you'll notice something unusual for me. My long-time deck centerpiece, Summoned Skull, didn't appear in the deck list for the first time. Now you're going to come face-to-face with the one monster that managed to completely unseat it, Great Maju Garzett.

Great Maju Garzett is an incredibly powerful Level 6 Tribute monster. Dark attribute, completely searchable by both stats, and a Fiend to boot. Because it adopts twice the original ATK of whatever monster it is Tributed with, this card begs to be added to any beatdown-oriented deck, like my own. By tributing even a mere 1900 ATK normal beatstick, you have acquired a monster with 3800 ATK. Tribute something larger, like a Dark Ruler who has been hit by Spellbinding Circle, and now you're nearing the magic 5000 mark. Very few monsters offer such high ATK in exchange for so little.

Of course, with great power comes great danger, as well. You don't want a 4800 ATK Garzett to run into a Magic Cylinder or Ring of Destruction (especially chained with Barrel Behind the Door). And of course, by having such a great ATK-boosting effect, this card sacrifices any other type of effect that might protect it or make it dangerous in other ways besides loss of LP. It is, in effect, a beatstick, but a superb one indeed. This card could be an excellent choice for Tribute in any beatdown deck, but it of course fits seamlessly into a Fiend beatdown, where it gains the extra effect and protection it needs from Dark Ruler Ha Des, and where it can serve as food to Dark Necrofear once it has fallen.

The one big negative aspect this card has is that it is useless to Special Summon. It only gains ATK by being Tribute Summoned with one monster as Tribute, so if you use Premature Burial or Call of the Haunted, it will return with its real original ATK of 0. Monster Reincarnation would help soften this blow a bit, allowing you to return it to your hand. Since it is an easy summon, this will usually be worth it (provided Dark Necrofear's arrival is not imminent).

In short, I was extremely lucky to pull this common from Dark Revelation Volume 1 the day before the latest play session. I immediately revised my deck to remove Summoned Skull, leaving 2 Dark Rulers, Jinzo, and Great Maju Garzett as my tributes. However, Summoned Skull is still my favorite icon monster, and in fact, I took my Summoned Skulls with me to the play session as a sort of mini side deck, just in case Dark Necrofear failed me. They may not have joined in the battle this time, but they were still the symbolic leaders ;)

This card definitely fits into the Great catagory for a broad range of decks, and I especially recommend it for Beatdown with Tributes and for Fiends. An excellent way to wrest control of the field from any offense-minded opponent. The look of shock they get when you summon a Level 6 monster with 4900 ATK is well worth it on its own.