#expressroid

Expressroid

Expressroid ———————————————— When this card is Summoned: You can target 2 "roid" monsters in your Graveyard, except "Expressroid"; add those targets to your hand. ———————————————— Can Be Found In: Starter Deck: Syrus Truesdale (YSDS-EN000), Gladiator's Assault (GLAS-EN016), High-Speed Riders (HSRD-EN045)

The Graveyard has become the main source of all sorts of revival effects, becoming a primary goal for many Decks no matter if is their main goal or a late game strategy. However, Special Summoning monsters is not the only valuable option to obtain advantages from the Graveyard. Some cards and effects will use them to activate certain cards and effects, while others instead of summoning from there will instead retrieve them back to our hand or Deck. While the latter might not provide immediate results as Special Summons, is still a valuable method many Decks can easily rely on.

"Expressroid" is a staple member not only for any monster suitable for its ability no matter if they officialy belong to the Vehicroid archetype or not. When Summoned by any method, "Expressroid" will allow us to recover back to our hand two Roid monsters from our Graveyards excluding any copies of itself. While not carrying the best stats to stand a fight, "Expressroid" is a valuable monster to keep a steady hand ready for all kinds of setups and circumstances.

The Vehicroid is a powerful candidate for all sorts of options making it immediately available, specialy since its effect will trigger regardless of how is brought to the field. Cards like "Geargiauger", "Gear Gigant X", and both "Fusion Conscription" and "Fusion Reserve" thanks to taking part as Fusion material allow us to obtain "Expressroid" in our hand to be avaible right from early game. Try to summoning it from the hand with an effect like “Tin Goldfish” or along other monsters by Pendulum Summon, not only obtaining its effect in the process but immediately working together as materials to summon stronger monsters. If we have a big number of Roids to retrieve from the Graveyard, we can summon all copies of "Expressroid" at once with effects like "Machine Duplication" and "Inferno Reckless Summon" to gather them all together in our hand. The low stats of "Expressroid" makes it an easy monster to constantly revive later on with cards like "Call of the Haunted" and "Limit Reverse", and although other options like "Iron Call" and "Debris Dragon" will negate its effect are still reliable tools for material purposes.

While might not stand out in battles, "Expressroid" is one of the most valuable Vehicroids the archetype offers. With many summoning options including cards like "Machine Duplication" summoning all copies available, we might be able to constantly recycle Roids in the Graveyard for all purposes needed. This is not only limited to Vehicroids, as we can also recover Speedroids and bringing back to the Extra Deck monsters such as "Magical Android" and those belonging to the archetype like "Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill". Since the archetype has a focus on Fusion Summons and most of them are quite expensive, "Expressroid" can constantly reload our hand with the spent materials in addition of being a material itself for "Super Vehicroid - Stealth Union". Finally, we can work along certain effects which "Expressroid" can cheapen with its arrival, like "Card Trooper" milling our Deck to obtain certain Roids in the process or the Special Summon of "Machina Fortress" from our hand or Graveyard.

Could be said that "Expressroid" is what moves the archetype with its simple yet dependable ability. Easily available and with many options to be summoned, "Expressroid" and its copies will keep recovering roids back to our hand. And while this effect might only be truly effective in late game, with the archetype focusing on Fusion Summons as well assisting other themes like Machina and Speedroids it won't be long enough until "Expressroid" enters into action. "Expressroid" might not stand a fight on its own, but with all the effects assisting it easily becomes a core card to make Vehicroids and its allies work perfectly along their resources.

Personal Rating: A

+ Recovers two Roid monsters from the Graveyard to our hand when summoned + Highly supported including many summoning options + Sinergy with many effects and other themes outside the archetype

Super Vehicroid - Stealth Union ———————————————— "Truckroid" + "Expressroid" + "Drillroid" + "Stealthroid" When this card attacks, its original ATK is halved until the end of the Damage Step. During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent. Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can select 1 face-up monster on the field, except a Machine-Type monster, and equip it to this card. While equipped by this effect, this card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. ———————————————— Can Be Found In: Gladiator's Assault (GLAS-EN041), Duelist League 3 (DL12-EN011)

While Fusion Monsters often won't require their materials on the field compared to other Extra Deck monsters, they can be tougher to make a build arround them due requiring specific monsters for their summon. Many Fusion Monsters might have an incredible pressence on the field with their stats and/or abilities, but some of their materials can be quite subpar to play along until we can Fusion Summon. Fortunately, with many monsters taking their place as well the various resources to ease Fusion Summons, some of the most expensive monsters won't be that tough to create a Deck just for their arrival.

"Super Vehicroid - Stealth Union" is the costiest Fusion Monster the Vehicroid archetype can offer, and although with a severe flaw can become quite dominant in battles. "Stealth Union" original ATK will become half each time it attacks, becoming 1800 during our turn and thus its 3600 ATK will have a more defensive purpose. Although this is a big negative for such expensive summon, "Stealth Union" compensates with other abilities to still have a strong pressence. The attacks of "Stealth Union" will deal piercing damage, each turn is able to equip on itself any face-up monster on the field (The Machine limitation is an errata in the TCG), and while with equipment by said effect it will be able to attack all monsters once per Battle Phase. In short, although "Stealth Union" might not take advantage of its base stats to its fullest, still can become a powerhouse as either equips strong enemies on itself as well wiping out whole fields afterwards.

"Stealth Union" is one of the most expensive Fusion Monsters by requiring four specific Vehicroids for its arrival. Fortunately, we can skip most of the process with a combination of "Chain Material" using the materials from our Deck or Graveyard, and "Vehicroid Connection Zone" protecting the Fusion for the Trap's negative effect. Not only that, but "Vehicroid Connection Zone" will be the main option to Fusion Summon with as makes "Stealth Union" much tougher to take down by granting invulnerability against destructive effects. There are many reliable methods to gather the four materials, going from "Gear Gigant X" and "Fusion Conscription" searching them in our Deck, to "Expressroid" and "Iron Call" retrieving them from the Graveyard. A cheaper alternative is by the use of "Future Fusion", a Spell which in two turns after its activation will Fusion Summon "Stealth Union" using the needed materials inside our Deck.

Might be a bit tricky to play along "Stealth Union" due its ATK being halved when attacks, but there are still methods to make it efficient. Although might not be able to defeat strong enemies due such flaw, the ability to equip monsters on the field allows it to easily take care of them as well easily counter menacing monsters such as "Stardust Dragon" or "Starving Venom Fusion Dragon" by going arround their abilities. Once with an equipped monster "Stealth Union" will easily deal tons of damage with the combination of piercing damage and multiple attacks, easily punishing fields with several small monsters to attack all at once. If we bring this monster by "Vehicroid Connection Zone" it will become even more effective as not only gains protection against opponent's destructive effects, but also from our own effects going from ignoring "Limiter Removal" negatives while doubling its ATK to surviving cards like "Torrential Tribute" to clear the field with. Don't forget that "Stealth Union" only halves its original ATK, so gaining stat boosts can easily solve its biggest problem as they won't be affected by such negative.

"Super Vehicroid - Stealth Union" can easily be underrated due its expensive Fusion Summon along losing half its ATK during our battles, yet can become a highly effective monster with its other abilities. Stealing monsters to be equipped with easily solves its main flaw so can take care of the opponent's monsters, and the combination of piercing damage and multiple attacks can deal devastating results despite only going with 1800 ATK. Not only that, but if we are able to bring it out by "Vehicroid Connection Zone" it becomes even tougher to confront besides its high stats walling against the opponent's turn. Together with most of its materials having a steady purpose during the Duel, "Stealth Union" might be easily overtaken by other Vehicroid options but has a potential purpose if managed properly.

Personal Rating: B+

+ Deals piercing damage against defensive monsters + Equips monsters on the field granting it multiple attacks + Gains protection against destructive effects if brought by "Vehicroid Connection Zone"