#damage mage

Damage Mage

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9905782/1/Fade-Out-Fade-Into

Damage Mage ———————————————— When you take damage from a card effect: You can Special Summon this card from your hand, and if you do, gain Life Points equal to the amount of damage you took. ———————————————— Can Be Found In: Return of the Duelist (REDU-EN002)

Effect damage can take all sorts of shapes and strategies, providing high chances to defeat the opponent. Either taking a slow approach or trying to pull an OTK, Burn strategies are still quite recurrent thanks to the low budget they usually require compared to more metagame defining options. However, Burn Decks are quite frail as they can't take second chances on their setups, and with many countermeasures out there to deal with them are usually avoided by veteran players that prefer more assured results.

"Damage Mage" is one of the many methods available to deal with effect damage, becoming a situational yet reliable tool to deal with those sources. When we take damage by an effect, "Damage Mage" can be summoned from our hand to then give us back the Life Points we lost. A solid choice thanks to being an unpredictable countermeasure by resting in our hand, and although might not have a prevalent use when facing more common Decks still offers some other options to work with thanks to her stats and some liberties arround her effect.

When comes to early game, while "Damage Mage" can be easily brought by cards like "Ties of the Brethren" and "Magician Navigation" is highly preferable to have her in our hand ready to use her effect. Unfortunately there's almost no assured method to do so unless by slow options like "Golden Sarcophagus", so in most scenarios we will rely on luck and any drawing power we might be working with. On the bright side "Damage Mage" becomes greatly assisted in late game with all kinds of Graveyard options, ranging from "Crane Crane" bringing her back to work together as materials to "Limit Reverse" and "Call of the Haunted" constantly summoning her for any purpose needed.

Obviously the main objective of "Damage Mage" is to respond against effect damage, and that's actually more flexible than might look. We must try aiming against the opponent's strongest effects, ranging from massive damage by "Bad Luck Blast" or "Chain Strike" to the effects coming from highly aggresive monsters like "Topologic Bomber Dragon" and "Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend" among many others. However, one thing to point out about "Damage Mage" is that her effect is not restricted against the opponent, therefore cna be used as a countermeasure for some of our own effects. Big drawbacks from effects like "Power Bond" can be undone before the opponent takes advantage of the situation, we can respond towards the removal effects of cards like "Aegis of Gaia" and "Destructive Draw" to not end in a tough position, while cards like "Ring of Destruction" and "Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord" can damage the opponent while "Damage Mage" keep us safe from their double-edged abilities.

"Damage Mage" is obviously a card to reside Side Decks so can wait to deal against powerful Burn sources, but actually has much more to offer than just countering very specific Decks. Although lacks in options in early turns is easily balanced out in late game with solid revival options to work with, and the option to respond our own self-damage effects give us a quick way to solve any setups that might backfire. However, "Damage Mage" is easily overshadowed by many other countermeasures by the fact that her effect is a bit late to answer against lethal damage, so if the opponent or our own cards can finish us off with a single effect "Damage Mage" can't do nothing about it while alternatives like "Performage Flame Eater" and "Hanewata" will do so before is too late.While "Damage Mage" is far from being the perfect counter against effect damage, some of her liberties as well the simple fact that Special Summons herself gives her some decent results to depend on.

Personal Rating: C

+ Special Summons herself in response of effect damage and recover the Life Points lost + Well supported in later turns + Able to respond against damage coming from our own cards and effects

EXPORT IDs:

Damage Mage: PUHREVLR8

These are four of my most favorite monsters in the series, so I like to call them the Top Four.

EXPORT IDs FOR IMPORTING IF YOU WANT THEM:

Gagaga Magician: DR1WJHZT

Chachaka Archer: IIP1J1EJK

Flelf: SOSCFA11U