Giant Orc
Dark, Level 4, [Fiend/Effect]
ATK: 2200, DEF: 0
MFC-012, Common

"When this card attacks, it is changed to Defense Position at the end of the Battle Phase. This position cannot be changed until the end of your next turn."

Giant Orc is a card that, after its appearance en masse at two consecutive play sessions, I had grown to despise. Its ATK, for a Level 4 monster, is in the catagory of ridiculous, it laughs at effects like Wall of Illusion and Legendary Jujitsu Master, and despite its limiting effect, it can do serious damage to a player's field presence. However, now that my deck has morphed into an aggressive Fiend Beatdown build, I've called upon the Giant Orc to serve my own purposes.

Giant Orc is a "poor man's version" of Goblin Attack Force, the legendary beatstick with 2300 ATK which also changes into Defense Position after attacking. Goblin Attack Force is notoriously difficult to find and extremely expensive both in trades and to buy. Giant Orc, on the other hand, is a common that can be found in droves. Arguably, the 100 extra attack means very little, since 2300 is an ATK stat held by almost no other card. 2400 is much more common for Tribute monsters on the other hand, and the latter will destroy GAF as much as they will destroy Giant Orc. The only advantage GAF would have is beating Giant Orc, more or less.

Giant Orc's primary trade-off for its broken statistic is field presence. Since it shifts to Defense, it will typically only live for one turn. This means for extended life, it needs generous protection from cards like Waboku, or sometimes simply the deterrence of another Giant Orc still in Attack Position. For an aggressive beatdown deck, this trade-off should be tolerable, since monsters will keep coming with similar ATK. It can also be made up for by using cards which swarm the field or have recursion.

Today's bonus card review will reveal another method for aiding Giant Orc in overcoming its limitation.

All in all, for an Aggro Fiend Beatdown, Giant Orc is a perfect card. For this type of deck it must receive a Great rating. For average beatdowns, it ranks somewhere between Fair and Good. For any other deck, it probably won't fit the strategy. Note that this card is an excellent tribute for the activation of Deck Devastation Virus, however, and it is also useful for dispatching the ever more common Zombyra the Dark (whom I also employ in my current deck).