One of the best types of monster removal isn’t exactly removal. Getting your opponent’s monster off the field is good, but stealing them is even better. Crackdown, from Dark Neostorm, does exactly that!

Crackdown is a Continuous Trap with a very straight-forward effect: take control of an opponent’s monster. You won’t be able to attack with it or activate any of its effects, but everything else is free game. Crackdown is similar to Compulsory Evacuation Device because it’s very flexible, offering you options both offensively and defensively. It’s good going first and solid going second, which is speaks volumes as most Trap Cards face the issue of being much worse when going second. It’s a versatile disruption effect, halting your opponent’s Link climb in its tracks by either taking a combo starter or leaving them without a key monster mid combo that they poured a lot of material into. Or, you can just steal their monster during your turn and use it for a material, all while clearing away a piece of your opponent’s defenses. However, the best thing you can do with Crackdown is all of the above!

Whenever you break up your opponent’s combo with Crackdown, they’re going to either have to deal with the monster you stole or Crackdown itself. If they can’t do either, then you get all of the benefits of disrupting your opponent on top of the offensive boost. Getting another material for free is always nice, but if you can manage to take a stronger monster or something with a high Link Rating, then you’re really in the money.

In competitive play, Crackdown lines up very well against some of the strategies Duelists are taking to Regional Qualifiers and YCS Events. Against Sky Striker, you can steal their Sky Striker Link Monster to keep them from advancing their plays. Even if they later destroy Crackdown, their monster will return to the Main Monster Zone. If this happens on your turn, all of their Sky Striker Spells that require the Main Monster Zone to be clear can’t be activated and you can proceed with your turn without having to worry about cards like Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor and Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon. Against Thunder Dragon, taking control of Thunder Dragon Colossus turns the tables on your opponent, preventing them from searching the Deck with Thunder Dragondark or Thunder Dragonmatrix. If you’re up against Salamangreat, taking their Link Monster before they can Reincarnation Link Summon another copy of it with Salamangreat Sanctuary can stop their sequence and force them into sub-optimal fields. Or, if they’re out of resources, you can stop their line of play entirely by taking control of the first monster that would kick off a string of Link Summons, forcing them to pass their turn. However, all of this gets even better if you’re playing the mirror match!

Sky Striker is known transforming their single Ace into another Ace for an additional effect, so stealing your opponent’s Sky Striker Link Monster and using it to Summon your own Sky Striker Link Monster is a huge shift in tempo if you can pull it off through their protection. In Salamangreat, stealing an opponent’s Link Monster so that you can Reincarnation Link Summon your own copy is big game. Not only have you disrupted your opponent and deprived them of an essential resource in a grindy matchup, but you get to completely turn the Duel on its head by pushing your own agenda afterwards.

The first chance to get your copies of Crackdown is at your local Official Tournament Store during the Dark Neostorm Sneak Peek on April 27th and 28th!