Mystical Space Typhoon arrived on the scene over 10 years ago, and The Dark Illusion adds another option to that arsenal. Check out Cosmic Cyclone!

The effect is simple enough, pay 1000 LP, banish a Spell/Trap on the field. On its face, this doesn’t seem as potent as Twin Twisters which destroys 2 Spell/Traps, and it’s less elegant than the classic Mystical Space Typhoon which destroys a Spell/Trap without paying LP, so what’s the appeal here? There are 2 reasons why you should consider Cosmic Cyclone.

First, Cosmic Cyclone doesn’t destroy. This is especially important when you want to get rid of an opponent’s card without triggering a destruction effect. A card in a Pendulum Zone will normally go to the Extra Deck when it’s destroyed, but if you use Cosmic Cyclone, it’s banished and likely gone for the rest of the Duel. Normally, you’ll use something like Mystical Space Typhoon on your opponent’s Qliphort Scout to set them back a few turns until they can find their Qlimate Change to get their Scout back. But, if you use Cosmic Cyclone instead, Qliphort Scout will be banished and your opponent will have to continue without any way to access one of their most powerful cards.

Second, and more importantly, Cosmic Cyclone banishes the target. Many Decks want to see certain cards enter the Graveyard or stay in the Graveyard for later use. If your opponent has a Kozmotown, Mystical Space Typhoon isn’t effective since Kozmotown will just replace itself with another card. But, a Chained Cosmic Cyclone will banish it instead, leaving your opponent without a search effect and with all those monsters they wanted to shuffle back into the Deck. Against Phantom Knights, keeping their Trap Cards out of the Graveyard will prevent your opponent from Special Summoning a fallen Phantom Knight later on. Unlike Twin Twisters and Mystical Space Typhoon, hitting Phantom Knights’ Fog Blade with Cosmic Cyclone has no downside at all. And if you want to be especially tricky against Monarchs, you can chain Cosmic Cyclone to your opponent’s Pantheism of the Monarchs when they activate it to draw 2 cards. Cosmic Cyclone doesn’t negate, so your opponent will still draw 2 cards, but Pantheism of the Monarchs won’t hit the Graveyard which means they can’t banish it to add a Monarch Spell/Trap from their Deck to their hand.

You can also take advantage of Cosmic Cyclone’s non-destruction in certain other matchups. For instance, White Dragon Ninja prevents Spell/Traps from being destroyed. Since Cosmic Cyclone doesn’t destroy, you’ll be able to sneak past your opponent’s protection and hit a key Trap card, giving you the opening you need to turn the Duel around! If your opponent Summons a Stardust Dragon or a Stardust Spark Dragon, your Cosmic Cyclone can render either of their effects irrelevant, letting you banish whatever card is giving you trouble.

You can get Cosmic Cyclone in The Dark Illusion on August 5th or if you’re lucky you might be able to get your hands on it this weekend at a Sneak Peek near you!