If you’ve been following the competitive Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME scene, you’ve probably noticed the prevalence of Sky Striker cards in the most popular Decks. Sky Strikers are able to dominate tournaments because of the variety of monsters and effects they’re able to utilize. The Sky Striker theme has Spell Cards that can destroy monsters, Special Summon monsters, destroy Spell and Trap Cards, draw cards, and more. It also has monsters that can retrieve those Sky Striker Spell Cards and dominate the field if there are Spell Cards in the Graveyard. Cybernetic Horizon will introduce a new Sky Striker Link Monster to the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, adding a powerful new tool to the Sky Striker arsenal and making the Sky Striker theme more formidable than ever before!

Sky Striker Ace – Hayate is a Link-1 WIND monster that can be Link Summoned by using any non-WIND “Sky Striker Ace” monster as a Link Material. That means you can trade in Sky Striker Ace – Raye, a Sky Striker Ace Token Special Summoned by Sky Striker Mecha – Hornet Drones, or either of the other 2 Sky Striker Ace Link Monsters in order to Summon Hayate. Hayate has 1500 ATK and can attack directly. After damage calculation, if it battled, it can send a Sky Striker card from your Deck to your Graveyard.

Hayate is a strong addition to the Sky Striker Extra Deck because of it how well it interacts with the other Sky Striker Link Monsters. Up until now, most Duelists used Sky Striker Ace – Raye or a Sky Striker Ace Token to Summon Sky Striker Ace – Kagari. They used Kagari’s effect to return a Sky Striker Spell Card from their Graveyard to their hand, and then used Kagari to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku. Then, Shizuku’s effect would add a Sky Striker Spell Card from the Deck to the Graveyard, and remain on the field to weaken an opponent’s monsters during the opponent’s turn.

With Hayate added to the mix, a single Raye or Hornet Drones can create an even more powerful play! First, you can Link Summon Hayate to attack directly for 1500 points of damage and send a Sky Striker Spell Card from the Deck to the Graveyard with its effect. Then, you can use Hayate to Link Summon Kagari, using its effect to retrieve the Spell Card that you sent to your Graveyard with Hayate’s effect. Finally, you can use Kagari as a Link Material to Summon Shizuku, using its effect to add a Sky Striker Spell from your Deck to the hand in the End Phase.

In addition to its powerful interactions with the other Sky Striker Link Monsters, Sky Striker Ace – Hayate has other useful applications. First, since it can attack directly with its 1500 ATK, if an opponent is low on Life Points, Hayate can end the Duel regardless of how many monsters are on an opponent’s field. Second, Hayate’s effect doesn’t just send Sky Striker Spell Cards to the Graveyard – it can also send a Sky Striker monster to the Graveyard! Use Hayate’s effect to send Sky Striker Ace – Raye to the Graveyard after Hayate attacks, and then you’ll be able to use Raye’s effect to Special Summon it from the Graveyard when Hayate (or another Sky Striker Link Monster) is destroyed by battle or leaves the field. Finally, unlike the Link Arrows on Sky Striker Ace – Kagari and Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku, Sky Striker Ace – Hayate’s Link Arrow will point to one of your own Main Monster Zones while it’s in an Extra Monster Zone. That means you can link other monsters to your own Hayate. This will help you expand your field.

Sky Striker Ace – Hayate is a welcome addition to the Sky Striker team that will make Decks containing Sky Striker cards even more powerful than before! Get your Sneak Peek of Cybernetic Horizon at your local Official Tournament Store this weekend, and then add Sky Striker Ace – Hayate to your Extra Deck when Cybernetic Horizon releases on July 27th!