Batteryman Atom

[a1joryj 0]

Thunder/Effect

ATK: 1000

Link: 1

1 "Batteryman" monster

When this monster is Special Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Batteryman" monster from your Deck. That monster cannot attack for the rest of this turn.

Author's Note: Playing Batterymen myself, I've noticed they can struggle a little bit to make a move going first considering 9-Volt self-destructs after the turn it's summoned and have a hard time setting up a consistent board. This monster helps to relegate that issue.

 

Also I have no idea how to upload a picture onto this thing, can someone help me?

[Summer Darj 292]

You are missing the Link marker. It's relevant now, but won't be so much after the upcoming Master Rule changes.

Still, this is too good and needs nerfs, IMO. Batterymen as a deck may need support, and I'm not even sure because IDK them well, but when you tech them in decks that already are good... then it breaks and there is a problem. The most modern example is Batteryman Solar, which is played in Thunder Dragons, a top tier deck. With this card they would get an extra body on board and possibly trigger the effect of whatever Batteryman they Summon, for example 9-Volt, for even more card advantage, when Solar's mill already translates into a plus. Alternatively, turn a Batteryman into this to Summon Solar and get the card mill. 

Not saying to scrap it, but a nerf would do. For example, you can start my limiting it to both requiring Level 3 or lower Batterymen. That way you need to run the worse Batterymen to benefit from this. Another idea is requiring Level 5+ instead and bump its ATK, so if rewards you for setting up Fuel Cell, Industrial Strength, etc.

 

That aside, it's lazy design. A Link 1 that Summons from Deck, huh. It's bland, straightforward. Not to mention it's a cheap card. "I will just turn any Batteryman into a searcher and a plus out of nowhere, yeah". From a balance standpoint it's unfair, and even if konami does it with Marincess, Sky Strikers and whatnot, doesn't mean card makers should do them too. You could spice it up with an additional minor or secondary effect, preferably a reference to the kind of battery it is. Are atom batteries even a thing?

Edited January 14, 2020 by Darj

[a1joryj 0]

@Darj So a couple of things, first of all I didn't get this reply until just now, lol. Signing up for new websites often has that effect on me.

I'm sure you're aware Colossus just got slammed, I'm not sure if that plays into anything about this card's fairness but, yeah.

Third thing, and here's the most important one: I play Batterymen IRL, and if they don't open with Solar and a revival card, or 9-Volt/Charger with Monarch Stormforth, they literally have no viable first turn options. If 9-Volt kept the 2000 ATK and didn't self destruct on search they wouldn't be helpless, but since it does, it's kind of dead in the water. Sure this card is generic, but considering this is a Tier 3 deck, I think they need this kind of boost. The first turn potential is really good here: summon 9-Volt, search out a Batteryman Charger, link up for this thing, get a Solar, (or use 9-volt previously to get a Batteryman AAA and then use Solar to dump another AAA from deck for later Xyz/Link plays), link up for Some Summon Summoner, opponent's turn rolls around, SSS dump, get a Charger, Charger gets 9-Volt, and then you can search really anything depending on the deck you face: Industrial Strength for set-up, Fuel Cell for OTK, Solar for more AAA dumping, AAA itself to summon more from hand or deck: it just really helps the deck with not getting completely screwed on first turn, which it really, REALLY needs. And it's not like Atom is unnegatable or unstoppable when it goes off, you can Ash Blossom, Ghost Ogre, Effect Veiler, etc. 

Also, yes. Atomic Batteries are a thing. 

[Summer Darj 292]

Yeah, my comment was previous to the Colossus ban. Still, it remains true that any splashable Batteryman will be able to turn into this and the search it comes with. That's a least a +1, and more if you Summon 9-Volt or the mill from a Solar generates a plus as well. At best it would generate a +3 if you Summon 9-Volt/Solar/Charger, turn it into this and then Summon 9-Volt/Solar.
Of course a card like this would be really good for Batterymen, but it's also too potent and cheap. You could make something like this for Tellarknights or any other deck with monsters with on-Summon or floating effects, and it would have a similar impact. Not to mention the simplicity of the card and effect comes off as lazy design. If it was less splashable or more specific for Batterymen (like the example of requiring A Level 5 or higher Batteryman), then it could be more acceptable. Also, a card being counter-able is an argument that doesn't hold, so the existence Veiler, Ash, etc. doesn't make a card any more fair.
By the way, Stormforth in turn 1 is no good because rarely the opponent will have something on board to be used as Tribute, besides a 1st turn Phantazmay or similar monsters.

[a1joryj 0]

@Darj Yes, but the reason why Tellarknights or some other high tier deck is because they don't need it. Batterymen do. A lot of great cards are lazily designed, for one thing, but tbh the card fits into the theme of the deck and helps it not be screwed on turn 1, which is the entire point of the card and what the deck struggles with to begin with. 

Also, how does a card being counterable not hold? It absolutely has an impact on if the card is viable or not. If I made it so it only could search out level 3s or lower, that would really screw the deck because the cards that make the big plays are all level 4-6 that can be summoned from the deck--they have literally nothing that would help them on turn one thats level 3 or below. And if it had to use a level 5 or higher to be summoned, again, that kills the purpose of the card. Even if it was stronger, the fact is, if you could get a level 5 or higher monster on the field turn 1 that easily with this deck, I wouldn't even need to make this card, but here we are.

Also, Stormforth in turn 1 is fine, you can set it, opponents turn comes around, they summon a big thing you don't want there, boom, Stormforth into Charger, do your thing.

Also can you tell me how to add pictures to posts? I literally have no idea how to. 

[Summer Darj 292]

Huh, Tellarknights aren't doing anything in the meta, and they would greatly appreciate something like this. But even they don't deserve it. 

My issue with the card is how cheap it is. It's too straightforward card advantage that needs no setup beyond getting a Batteryman on board and it's prone to abuse by splashing Batterymen in better decks. It's even missing flavor. You say it goes with the theme but... how? It's a Link1 that Summons an archetype member from the Deck. That's as generic as it can get. The only Batteryman that Summons from deck is Charger, the rest are GY-reliant. There are other more creative and less abusable ways to support Batterymen. I believe you can do better than this.

The argument of a card being counterable doesn't hold because then you could, let's say, make a monster with a broken effect like searching 3 or more cards or whatever and then say it's fair because Veiler, Ash, Impermanence, the Solemns, etc. exist, but I hope I don't have to elaborate on how that's not fair. 

To add pictures to a post... personally I upload the card image to an image host site such imgur and then copy and paste the link it generates for forum sharing.

Edited January 20, 2020 by Darj

[a1joryj 0]

Thank you for the tip on picture posting. The reason I say Stellars don't need it isn't because they're rampant in the meta game, I know they aren't. The reason I say that is because they already have means to make plays on turn 1, whereas Batterymen really don't. It goes with the theme due to the swarming nature of the deck. They're mean't to summon a lot of monsters really fast and flood the board. That's what this card helps does. 

And I figured you would use that argument, but my point is that getting a summon for a very specific archetype monster in the deck is NOT as busted as searching 3 or more cards with one card alone. 

[Summer Darj 292]

Tellars have poor opening turns, actually. You would have to open with Vega and Deneb to get 2 monsters om board, Deneb's search, then keep them on board to make a hard-drawn Tellar Counter Trap live, or go for Batlamyus and ladder into Triverr or something like Isolde or disruptive Rank4 like Dweller, Tornado Dragon, Bagooska.

Batterymen are about swarming, but besides Charger they are all GY-based. It would be more flavorful and even more fair if this Link1 involved the GY as well, or Summoned from the GY. That way at least it would need more set-up, and make it harder to splash in other decks. Although you could very well Summon the monster you used as material, if it has a hard OPT clause then you won't generate extra pluses as easily.

If Batterymen didn't have effects that make pluses on Summon, then summoning them directly from the Deck wouldn't be as busted  but the fact is that they do. In a vacuum the card would be acceptable, but factoring in those effects, I find it concerning. 

If you want to help their opening plays, then you can consider something like an extra Normal Summon instead. That would assist with swarming and making Charger more live, without going too overboard. Something like 9-Volt, search,go into this and extra NS whatever you searched sounds more fair and reasonable to me.

[a1joryj 0]

@Darj Actually yeah, that sounds more feasible to me. Thanks for the advice.