Spellbook of Knowledge: New YuGiOh Cards

Spellbooks has always been one of my favorite competitive archetypes in Yu-Gi-Oh! since their initial release in 2012. They have the ability to play many different cards that let you search your deck for the ideal pieces needed in order to overcome your opponent’s board and control the game. With cards such as “Spellbook of Fate,” “High Priestess of Prophecy” and tech cards like “Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer” and “Jowgen the Spiritualist,” the deck is versatile and was once a major powerhouse.

With the release of the newest set, Code of the Duelist, coming out in late July, many cards that I have been waiting to be released are finally coming to the TCG. On the top of the list is the new spell card, “Spellbook of Knowledge”. If you do not know what “Spellbook of Knowledge” does, here is the effect:

Send to the GY either 1 Spellcaster monster you control, or 1 other “Spellbook” card from your hand or face-up from your field, except “Spellbook of Knowledge”, and if you do, draw 2 cards. You can only activate 1 “Spellbook of Knowledge” per turn.

With the release of “Spellbook of Knowledge”, the deck receives additional draw power outside of “The Grand Spellbook Tower”. It also allows for players to go back to playing “Spellbook Library of the Crescent,” as drawing multiples will make for easy discard fodder for Knowledge while also putting enough Spellbooks in your graveyard to fully use “Spellbook of Fate,” being able to discard any Spellbook card or to easily send “Spellbook Magician of Prophecy” to the graveyard to draw two new cards. This essentially makes a “Spellbook of Secrets” a “Pot of Greed” every turn.

One little trick that can be done with “Spellbook of Knowledge” is copying its effect in the graveyard with “Spellbook of the Master.” You are then able to send the same “Spellbook of the Master” to the graveyard to draw two more cards. “Spellbook of the Master” does not copy the name of the card, only the effect.  So, with a simple “Spellbook Magician of Prophecy” and any copy of “Spellbook of Secrets,” “Spellbook of the Master” or “Spellbook of Knowledge,” you can draw up to four new cards. This, in turn, would fill your hand to fulfill the summoning requirement for “High Priestess of Prophecy.”

While drawing cards is one of the most powerful effects in any card game, it does not solve the biggest issue with this deck: going second. With many cards in the meta right now that can make going second a pain (“Solemn Strike,“ “Solemn Warning,“ “Zoodiac Drident,“ “Master Peace,” “The True Dracoslaying King,“ etc.), playing a pure Spellbook variant may not be ideal in competitive play. A popular secondary engine that can be used in the deck is the Windwitch archetype.

While I love that Spellbooks received “Spellbook of Knowledge,” I do not see them being competitive in the upcoming format with the amount of counter cards in the current meta, even with the new Link Summoning rules slowing many decks down. Expect Spellbooks to be used as more of a small draw engine in many decks rather than seeing pure Spellbook decks run around in tournaments.

Until next time, Michael Klasel