Dark NecrofearDark, Level 8, [Fiend/Effect]
ATK: 2200, DEF: 2800
MC1-EN005, Secret Rare (Master Collection Vol. 1 Promo)
"This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by removing 3 Fiend-Type monsters in your Graveyard from play. When this card is destroyed as a result of battle or by your opponent's card effect, it is treated as an Equip Spell Card at the end of the turn. Equip 1 of your opponent's monsters with this card. As long as it is equipped with this card, you control the equipped monster."
Dark Necrofear is the second Fiend-Type promo to be featured in the Master Collection set, which makes it a very good buy for anyone interested in running a Fiend deck. She is a very interesting monster with eccentric qualities who serves mostly as tech.
2200 ATK seems lackluster for a Level 8 monster, but the fact that Dark Necrofear is a Special Summon monster and not a Tribute makes this less important. 2800 DEF is very good, and begs for her to be placed in Defense Position. Her effect is the main reason for use of Dark Necrofear, however. In addition to the normal tools for taking away an opponent's monster, Fiend decks have this potentially recursive powerhouse. As long as Dark Necrofear is destroyed by an opponent's card effect, it will continue to return and equip itself to another of the opponent's monsters. This doesn't include the monster it is equipped to being destroyed in battle. This does include such actions as the use of Heavy Storm, Dust Tornado, Breaker the Magical Warrior, and a dozen other cards, however, and gives the opponent a good reason to NOT use their Spell/Trap destruction. Note it's important to realize that Dark Necrofear is a "normal" Special Summon monster who CAN be resurrected once she hits the Graveyard, either during the first turn before her effect activates, or in a subsequent turn once her status as an Equip Spell Card has been destroyed, provided that she has been Special Summoned by the proper method at least once.
Dark Necrofear's summoning method makes her very versatile. As long as your deck has a high proportion of Fiend types, the only time she will be a bad topdeck is in the early game or if your Graveyard has been cleared out (the latter being relatively rare) -- and even in the early game, she's not necessarily a bad draw. It's sometimes better to have her in hand ready to go than to pull her out later unexpectedly. As I mentioned in my deck review, Dark Necrofear's summoning method is highly reminiscent of monsters who belong to another powerful and oft-hated Deck archetype, Chaos. As such, she works well with cards that deliberately discard cards from your hand, allowing Graveyard rush strategies involving cards like Painful Choice and Graceful Charity. I found it easy to get her on the field even with my deck, which is by no means made 100% of Fiends.
In a pinch, you can always sacrifice Dark Necrofear for Great Maju Garzett and bring him onto the field with 4400 ATK. Then you can resurrect Dark Necrofear later so that her effect has a chance to find use. I considered using this strategy once myself at the last play session, but it turned out to be unnecessary when I was able to bring out Maju another way.
I give Dark Necrofear a Great rating for Fiend decks, and a Good rating for some other decks where she might be able to find use. It's a bit shaky using her in other decks since she needs a lot of Fiend food, but it has been and continues to be done to varying degrees, including in my own metagame, especially since so many other Fiends can find use in any deck, including the powerful Slate Warrior and the devious Wall of Illusion. If you don't have Dark Ruler Ha Des and Dark Necrofear, go get the Master Collection now. It's a good deal for all you get and you won't regret it.