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Once per turn, if a Fusion Monster is Fusion Summoned: You can target 1 “Metalfoes” monster in your Graveyard with a lower Level than that Fusion Monster; Special Summon it. If this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: You can add 1 “Metalfoes” monster from your Deck to your hand.
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Currently Found In: The Dark Illusion (TDIL-EN073), 2017 Mega-Tin Mega Pack (MP17-EN112)
Metalfoes is an archetype mainly consisting of Normal Pendulum Monsters, compensating their lack of effects with their backrow support and Scales. Their goal is towards the summon of their Fusion Monsters, which along some popular cards to do so Metalfoes can destroy each other to search through their Spells and Traps. This creates a very particular playstyle where not only Metalfoes can easily gather all the resources needed for their Fusion Summons, but combine the options arround Normal and Pendulum Monsters to keep gathering materials in one way or another.
“Metalfoes Combination” is a Trap Card that grants the archetype a way to retrieve cards between their plays. After any player performs a succesful Fusion Sumon, “Combination” allows us to revive a Metalfoes with a lower Level than the Fusion Monster summoned. The second ability of “Combination” comes from its destruction, where it will let us search for any Metalfoes monster in our Deck to add to the hand. Given that this belongs to a Pendulum Deck “Combination” has some very obvious flaws on its performance, but on the other hand is a Trap Card that can become quite helpful to not only recover certain monsters but also obtain them from the Deck.
Given the premise of Metalfoes is to use their Pendulum effects to obtain cards towards their Fusion Summons, not only “Combination” can be obtained by such mechanics but also any tools required to bring out their Fusion Monsters. As the Pendulum Monsters in the backrow destroy cards to obtain “Combination” and others, both “Metalfoes Fusion” and “Fullmetalfoes Fusion” will start bringing Fusion Monsters to follow with this Trap Card’s revival effect right after. “Metalfoes Fusion” in particular has the ability to return itself from the Graveyard, creating the archetype’s entire engine where they trade cards to obtain the card and keep summonining Fusion Monsters as well those by “Combination”. If we center arround Low Level monsters, “Instant Fusion” not only becomes a major shortcut towards Fusion Monsters but by being treated as a Fusion Summon it will activate the effect of “Combination” in the process. “Combination” not only is able to summon any Main Deck monsters from the Graveyard, but also other Fusion Monsters which ended there in one way or another. To make things even better “Combination” has no clauses affecting all copies, so we can have as many of them active in our backrow to revive Metalfoes members in groups. But probably the most noticeable trait of this card is that its effect will trigger in response of opponent’s Fusion Summons, giving us a golden opportunity to obtain either some defenses or bring back a powerful Metalfoes to the field. All that is left is the second effect of “Combination” which might seem at first taking the role of coverage against opponent’s removal effects, but it can become the card’s main use given Metalfoes can destroy it to trigger its searching effect along the ones coming from our monsters.
There’s no doubt that “Metalfoes Combination” can provide incredible value by playing with the archetype it belongs to. Metalfoes won’t take long to bring their Fusion Monsters, leading to reviving any member from the Graveyard for further plays and summons, as well the possibility of bringing a creature in response of the opponent’s Fusion Summons. On the other hand its second effect might potentially become more prominent in some circumstances, as Metalfoes can destroy it to pile searching effects with each other and obtain a strong hand at any turn. Unfortunately “Combination” is that kind of card that offers a strong premise but falls short in part due the slow nature of Trap Cards, specially at a time where many Decks can pull out several lead monsters from the first turn. This is combined with the nature of Pendulum Monsters of sending themselves to the Extra Deck rather the Graveyard, as unless they’re disposed from the hand/Deck or as Xyz materials “Combination” will have an incredibly small Graveyard to interact with. This is why “Combination” might have more uses as a disposable card to search monsters with, and even so is overshadowed by faster alternatives. “Combination” is in a rough situation where offers strong results but with several gaps to do so with consistency, so at most might be worth one copy if we have a slot to spare in the Deck.
Personal Rating: B+
+ If there’s a Fusion Summon we can revive a Metalfoes with lower level than the brought Fusion Monster
+ If destroyed we can search for a Metalfoes monster
+ Very effective to extend plays arround the archetype’s mechanics arround both effects
+ Able to respond against the opponent’s Fusion Summons
– Due being part of a Pendulum archetype will often have very few Graveyard targets
– Searching effect might be prioritized
– Overshadowed by faster alternatives
Judgment of the Pharaoh 