ygoreviews: Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier———————&mdas
ygoreviews: Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier————————————————1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner WATER monstersOnce per turn: You can discard up to 2 cards to the Graveyard to target the same number of cards your opponent controls; destroy them.————————————————Can Be Found In: Hidden Arsenal 3 (HA03-EN030), Hidden Arsenal 5: Steelswarm Invasion: Special Edition (H5SE-EN002), Duel Terminal 3 (DT03-EN040)Not every archetype or theme will gain a solid position in the competitive scene, either due better options to play or lack of resources. However, while builds fully arround an archetype might not be the best option overall, some of their best cards will gain a staple position in other Decks and strategies. Their best monsters might gain an important role in all sorts of gamestyles, and if the archetype has plenty enough of cards to offer they can work together with other strategies and even archetypes. So while they might not have an efficient Deck of their own, they still have a good chance to stand out along other builds.“Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier” belongs to an archetype aiming for lockdowns but too slow compared to the competition, yet this creature and the rest of their Synchro Monsters gained prevalence in many other Decks to the point some of them being in the banlist for a while. “Gungnir” in comparison to its allies is the weakest but that doesn’t mean that is no threat, as allow us to discard up to two cards to destroy the same number of cards on the opposite field. Is a quite standard removal effect and will have its solid uses against powerful enemies and all sorts of setups, making “Gungnir” a solid choice for many Decks include some that can obtain additional benefits from its assistance.Although “Gungnir” is nothing out of the ordinary, its arrival is restricted by requiring WATER monsters among its materials. The Tuner has no conditions arround it, so we can aim for all kinds of materials ranging from any Level 3 coming along “Tin Goldfish”, to late game monsters like “Debris Dragon” and “Glow-Up Bulb” with their revival abilities. If we have some Extra Deck to spare any Deck outside WATER themes can play “Gungnir” thanks to "Instant Fusion", bringing a Fusion Monster such as “Rare Fish” or “Amphibious Bugroth” to follow with the proper Tuner. But Decks arround the Attribute offers plenty of tools to Synchro Summon with ease, as “Deep Sea Diva” alone can summon “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” to follow with an additional Normal Summon due the latter. Obviously we cannot forget Ice Barrier itself, as although a slow build to quickly Synchro Summon with, they’ll either slow down the game with their effects along support such as “Aquarium Stage” and “Ties of the Brethren”, or use effects like “Reasoning” and “Prior of the Ice Barrier” to fasten the arrival of “Gungnir”.On its own, “Gungnir” is a solid choice to deal with the opposite field. By discarding one or two cards, either we clear the opposite field of monsters to safely attack them, or quickly deal with setups such as Pendulum Monsters to ruin or delay their plans. Obviously discarding cast can become expensive on the long run, but if we work arround Graveyard options such as “Prior of the Ice Barrier” or “Salvage” the drawbacks won’t be that severe. This is specially the case if we play a Deck arround Mermails and/Or Atlanteans, as once discarded by an effect such as “Gungnir” they’ll trigger their abilities in return. That means that while we clear the opposite field with this Synchro Monster, we can aim for further removal by discarding “Atlantean Marksman” or “Atlantean Heavy Infantry”, or obtain additional summons by using “Mermail Abysshilde” and “Mermail Abyssgunde” for its effect.“Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier” might not have the reputation of other Extra Deck monsters the Ice Barrier archetype offers, but still offers great potential on its own or arround other cards. With proper hand management, “Gungnir” alone can clear the opposite field to solve any issues or simply prepare a direct attack. Although its Synchro Summon is restricted arround WATER monsters is far from a problem, as “Gungnir” gains sinergy arround its effect as well its own Synchro Summon to obtain results before and after its arrival. There might be stronger alternatives out there, but overall “Gungnir” is a great option for any Extra Deck that can fit it in and interact arround its possibilities.Personal Rating: A-+ Allow us to discard up to two cards to destroy the same number of cards in the opposite field+ Easy to summon despite its restrictions+ Sinergy arround its effect including Mermail and Atlantean monsters- Requires good hand management arround its effect- There are similar alternatives with less restrictions to play with -- source link