#heroic challenger

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Heroic Challenger - Assault Halberd
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If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent. When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent: You can add 1 “Heroic” card from your Deck to your hand.
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Can Be Found In: World Superstars (WSUP-EN016)

Heroic is a combination of two archetypes into one to aim for a perfect Battle Phase arround stat boosts and Xyz Summon. The Main Deck involves the Heroic Challengers, working as support and materials for the Heroic Champions we can summon from our Extra Deck. With a strong early game and excellent support thanks to their Warrior-Type, Heroics can aim for an OTK even with a single Heroic Champion on our field.

“Heroic Challenger - Assault Halberd” is one of the most prevalent members inside and outside the archetype thanks to two excellent supporting abilities assisting us in any of our setups. If the opponent controls one or more monsters and we don’t, “Assault Halberd” can be Special Summoned from our hand. In battles “Assault Halberd” is able to deal piercing damage against defensive monsters, and by doing damage after any battle will let us obtain a Heroic card from our Deck in return. While the latter effect gives us access to the entire archetype, “Assault Halberd” is able to achieve strong results with its Special Summon and other monsters we can accompany its arrival with.

Combining Heroic and Warrior support, “Assault Halberd” is almost always available to be on the field when needed. The staple “Reinforcement of the Army” searches for any Level 4 and lower Warrior residing our Deck, letting “Assault Halberd” to show up in other Decks not so centric arround the archetype. Arround the Heroic cards we can work with, “Heroic Challenger - Thousand Blades” is another recurring member as is able to summon “Assault Halberd” from inside our Deck if we have to. “Assault Halberd” itself is also another option to search its copies with, providing some backup in our hand in case our field is sweeped. Lastly, along with common revival effects “The Warrior Returning Alive” can obtain “Assault Halberd” from our Graveyard to use its summon effect afterwards and quickly setup any goals even in the worst situations.

Despite piercing damage and a searching effect that can look for important archetype cards like “Heroic Chance” and other copies of “Assault Halberd”, is its Special Summon that makes this monster one of the most important members Heroics can offer. Virtually assured from our the start of a Duel if the opponent went first, “Assault Halberd” will be summoned by its effect to then be followed by other monsters afterwards. The majority of Heroic Challengers are Level 4, therefore arriving along “Assault Halberd” for their Xyz Summons. From the high OTK potential of “Heroic Champion - Excalibur” to aiming towards the several effects of “Number 86: Heroic Champion - Rhongomyniad”, under the perfect opening hand the summon of “Assault Halberd” will follow with the archetype’s lead monsters or even Link Monsters to obtain additional Extra Deck summons. Heroic Challengers’ main condition for their Xyz Summon is Warrior-Type materials, but that won’t stop us from swarming the board with “Assault Halberd” and others. From “Heroic Challenger - Thousand Blades” and “Goblindbergh” summoning other monsters, to “Blue Mountain Butterspy” and “Doggy Diver” answering our summons with their own, “Assault Halberd” will be our starting move to quickly prepare our Extra Deck summons with no difficulties.

While its assured damage along support from cards like “Heroic Chance” can make “Assault Halberd” a solid offense to search Heroic cards in return, is its simple Special Summon condition that makes its archetype gain incredible speed from our very first turn. With solid support along several other monsters with their own summoning abilities, “Assault Halberd” can follow the opponent’s turn with a solid number of monsters towards our Xyz or Link Summons. Obviously “Assault Halberd” shines the most the sooner becomes available during a Duel, as once we start running out of options it won’t become that much of a material and rely more on its attacks to slowly gather Heroic cards with. Yet, given the high OTK potential of lead monsters like “Heroic Champion - Excalibur” and the several Level 4 monsters it can work along with, “Assault Halberd” is an important choice for players aiming towards a quick victory.

Personal Rating: A

+ Special Summons itself if we don’t control monsters and the opponent does
+ Deals piercing damage
+Each time deals damage in battle will search a Heroic card in our Deck
+Strong early game support as material