Axe of Despair

Name	Axe of Despair
Rarity	Ultra Rare
Effect	Increase the ATK of a monster equipped with this card by 1000 points. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, if you Tribute 1 monster on your side of the field, this card returns to the top of your Deck.
Type	Spell Card
Card Number	DB1-EN002
Card Rating	Advanced: 2.75
Date Reviewed	10.21.06

Wow.... Axe of despair..... what an interesting card, a card I have a lot of history with. It is one of the best equip magic cards out there, giving a 1000 attack boost to any monster.

When mrl first came out, my biggest rival had 3 axes, he was quite well off and had no problems paying the 40-50 dollars they cost. This put me at an extreme disadvantage, he also had multiple mech chasers (1850 4 star monsters outclasses my 7 colored fish and la jinn's...). However, we ran our decks very differently. His was built on brute force beatdown, and mine was built on removal. To counter his 3 axes, I ran 3 fissures, he ran none. Ultimately, I managed to beat him in the finals every week for 10 straight weeks, even though his deck was worth a lot more $$. So, let me first give you an analysis of fissure vs Axe, the same analysis as then is true now.

Now, keep in mind, this analysis is based mostly on card advanatage and field control, not on life points.

you have a weaker monster then your opponenet. You equip axe and attack, you kill there monster and keep your monster at a 1000 point boost, + 1 to axe

you and your opponenet are topdecking, your opponenet summons a monster, its your draw, you are much better off drawing a fissure and killing their monster, then drawing a useless axe you can't use, +1 to fissure

your opponenet has an equiped monster with a lot of attack, fissure is better here as you nab a 2 for 1 with it, and gain a direct attack with your monster, +1 to fissure.

Your opponenet has no monsters on the field, and a f/d s/t card. You summon a monster, equip it with axe, and attack. You opponenet uses sak armor, and he just got a 2 for 1. Had you had a fissure instead, it would have been a 1 for 1, and you would still have the removal option in hand, +1 to fissure

Both cards make good bluff f/d cards, no points awarded

Anyway, the point I am ultimately trying to make here, is that removal is better in the current meta then powering up a single monster with a lot of attack. Magic clyinder is being played less and less, and the more removal being run, the less effective equip cards are. I would run fissure (or any spell removal) any day over axe of despair (or other equips) in most meta tear 1 decks. This does not mean it does not have its uses. When equiped to Matazza or to Maho Vailo, those 2 monsters become beastly. If you are running either of them, then you should be running axe with them side by side. It is definatly not a bad card, it's just not a good choice in the current meta. It might cycle back into being useful down the road, only time will tell.

It's second effect is horrible, and should hardly ever be used. Maybe if you tribute a goat, and have good monsters in your hand, but other then that, losing a draw and a monster, not good.

Advanced : 2/5
Equip decks : 5/5

Ah yes, an old favorite of mine (very old)

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Axe of Despair's big bonus comes from the 1000 attack point bonus it gives to any monster that it equips. Not many equip cards are used nowadays. The ones most often, if at all, would probably be Mage Power and/or United We Stand. An additional 1000 attack to any monster (that can be equipped) is quite a substantial gain. With Jinzo, Monarchs, etc roaming around, bring out a D.D. Warrior Lady, equip with Axe, and say bye-bye Jinzo/Monarch. A card like this works well with a couple monsters (not necessarily used that often, but eh):

Armed Samurai - Ben Kei: This card gains an additional attack for each equip card on it. Originally 500atk, attack Axe.....1500atk that can attack twice in same battle phase. Not all that big of a deal, but could be with an open opponent's field.
Maha Vailo: This card seems to have vanished from the majority of players' decks. 1550atk and gains 500atk for every equip card on it (in addition to the equip effect). Let's do some math>> 1550 + 1000 + 500 = 3050atk.

Axe also has another ability. If it is sent to the graveyard, you can tribute one monster on your field to put it back on top of the deck. This effect can easily be both good or bad depending on the circumstances. If you're dominating the field, it may be a positive choice to sac a low monster to return it. However, in today's metagame, there usually aren't many monsters on the field at any one given time, so this effect would become obsolete.

Pros:

+1000 attack to any monster that it equips
Can be returned to top of deck if circumstances are right

Cons:

2nd effect results in a -1 (lose a monster on field, and is seen as not drawing a new card) (so could be -2 if you look at it that way).
If destroyed with no monsters on field, 2nd effect is obsolete.

Advanced: 3.5/5

This is a pretty interesting card. It can prove to be quite useful. Just equip it to a monster for a 1000 ATK boost. It can also be returned to the top of the deck when destroyed, this is optional. Not too many people use its second effect due to its cost of a ingle moonster on the field and it temporarily stops you from drawing a new card if done.

But, a free extra 1000 ATK is actually pretty good. But, people would probably rather use other equips like Mage Power or United We Stand. Personally, I still run a copy of Axe of Despair and it's come in handy from time-to-time. Bottom line: if you plan on running it, run only one copy. Now for the pros and cons.

That's about it for now. All in all, run only one copy if any.

ADV: 3/5
TRAD: 2.5/5

Axe of Despair...once one of the most overused cards of all time... now you will rarely see it in a deck...why is this? Let's see.

Axe of Despair gives a 1,000 ATK bonus to the equipped monster. That's alot of points. Perfect for destroying that Monarch, Dark World monster, Jinzo, Cyber Dragon, or anything with a high ATK. So at first glance this card seems pretty powerful...but wait, there's more! You can offer a monster on your side of the field to place this card on top of your deck. Most people would think this is a bad second effect...but it could be just the thing you need if the time is right. You could always offer a Treeborn Frog and revive it next turn - there's a cool combo!

Now, why does nobody run this card anymore? United We Stand and Mage Power give high ATK boosts if the field is right - they also give DEF boosts for desperate times. Another reason is that with no monsters, it's a dead draw. The recent importance placed on topdecks destroys this, and nearly every other Equip Spell card (minus Premature Burial and Snatch Steal). Also, a simple Sakuretsu Armor could destroy both the equip and the monster, making the card somewhat situational. Finally, sometimes 1,000 ATK just isn't enough to destroy that monster. A reason to run Smashing Ground over Axe of Despair.

Basically, Axe of Despair is a great card, but because of the way the game has evolved, it is now obsolete...unless you're running an Equip Spell deck. Just because some duelists frown upon this card doesn't mean that Maha Vailo and Armed Samurai - Ben Kei won't be delighted to see it every now and then!

Advanced - 2/5
Traditional - 2/5
Equip Spell Deck - 4/5

Last Updated: October 22, 2006