Borreload Dragon ββββββββββββββββ 3+ Effect Monsters Neither player can target this card with monster effects. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can target 1 face-up monster on the field; it loses 500 ATK/DEF. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this effect's activation. At the start of the Damage Step, if this card attacks an opponent's monster: You can place that opponent's monster in a zone this card points to and take control of it, but send it to the GY during the End Phase of the next turn. ββββββββββββββββ Can Be Found In: Circuit Break (CIBR-EN042)
Due their reliance to unrestrict the use of our Extra Deck, Link Monsters are probably the cheapest monsters to bring out for virtually any Deck. Their summoning conditions won't go far beyond requesting monsters of a certain Type or theme, allowing players to work with a variety of materials that will fit their strategy effortlesly. Not only that, but Link Monsters themselves can further cheapen the summon of others by using their Link Rating. The Link Rating will be treated as that same number of materials required for a new Link Summon (But only one Link Monster at a time can use this), letting us summon some of the most expensive creatures out there in an instant by just taking a few extra steps arround cheaper alternatives.
"Borreload Dragon" is one of the most expensive Link Monsters available as for now, but also one of the most powerful of its kind with an array of effects to dominate the board. While on the board "Borreload Dragon" cannot be targetted any Monster effects whatsoever, making it invincible against many recurrent threats in many Decks nowadays. During any turn "Borreload" can target a monster to weaken its stats by 500, and this effect cannot be chained against so is an assured outcome. Finally, when this monster attacks another we can steal it to our side of the field at the start of the Damage Step, but must be placed near one of "Borreload Dragon" arrows and will only stay with us until the turn ends. So in resume, with two abilities that assures its dominance against any effects and potentially stronger enemies and an ability to take away creatures for any purpose we can give them, "Borreload Dragon" makes its heavy Link Summon quite worth it due the limited options the opponent will have to deal against its dominant effects.
Requiring atleast three Effect Monsters, "Borreload Dragon" might be a bit tough to bring out but not impossible. Many Decks nowadays are more than capable to swarm the board with several monsters ready to Link Summon a monster like this one, ranging from archetypes like Six Samurai or Frogs swarming the board right from early game to cards like "Rekindling" and "Hysteric Party" bringing back several monsters from our Graveyard. "Borreload Dragon" actually belongs to the Rokket archetype, a series of monsters that replaces each other upon defeat and in combination with cards like "Revolve Boot Sector" and "Quick Launch" they'll have plenty of materials in no time. But if you still struggle to Link Summon this monster with ease, the alternative is to work arround its Link Rating by using other Link Monsters instead. Many other Link Monsters will have unrestricted conditions for their arrival, therefore allowing us to summon them with many other options such as "Scapegoat" or "Rescue Rabbit" to then use them as a big shortcut to summon "Borreload Dragon" by using their Link Rating. Mainly going for a Link-2 or Link-3 Monster, we'll only need one or two other materials to complete the arrival of "Borreload Dragon".
"Borreload Dragon" is a very tough monster to take down with a high ATK and a variety of effects, but more importantly its weakening effect. Although might not seem much compared to its other abilities, the fact that can be used during any turn gives us the upper hand against all kinds of scenarios besides weakening opponent monsters. "Borreload Dragon" can use it during a battle so the opponent loses timing to answer against its attacks, assuring not only the defeat of its target but potentially bringing it to our side of the field. If we keep it along its main archetype, "Borreload" can use its effect on our Rokket monsters so will trigger their abilities and further improve our position on the board with disruptive abilities from "Magnarokket Dragon" and "Shellrokket Dragon" among others. Obviously with protection against targetting Effect Monsters makes it invulnerable against many popular monsters nowadays, but with basic coverage against Spell and Traps will make it virtually unbeatable against almost any dangers the opponent can play against us. Last but not least important the ability to steal opponent monsters will give us an additional attack during that Battle Phase to potentially defeat the opponent, and otherwise we can use is as material for other effects and summons before is sent to the Graveyard by the effect of "Borreload Dragon".
Pretty much available in any Deck by either its main requeriments or using its Link Rating, "Borreload Dragon" makes it quite worth it to invest on its Link Summon thanks to its several abilities. Its protection along basic coverage makes it an extremely difficult monster to take down, a weakening effect that not only give us the lead in battles and against some effects but also assists the Rokket archetype, and its stealing effect if is not finishing the opponent on the spot will give us a temporal material for any purpose at the moment. If anything its heavy summon might become its biggest problem, but as stated there are many ways to provide plenty of materials including other Link Monsters with cheaper requeriments so we can take advantage of their Link Rating to summon this monster. However, while the latter will often become the recommended route it will require a big investment of our Extra Deck space to provide plenty of Link Monsters to bring out "Borreload Dragon". However, with all the benefits this monster alone will bring ot its user, "Borreload Dragon" easily leads the game no matter if is along its Rokket allies or on its very own.
Personal Rating: A+
+ Cannot be targetted by Monster effects + Chainable weakening effect that cannot be responded against + Temporalily steals opponent monsters that battles + Weakening effect provides support to the Rokket archetype + Several ways to cheapen its summon including other Link Monsters
- Expensive summon - Might require a big investment of our Extra Deck if we want to use Link Monsters as materials
