With strong opening moves and a long-lasting grind game, Burning Abyss quickly became one of the most popular Decks of the year despite only offering 3 total Main Deck monsters. They were fast and consistent, and thanks to their Graveyard Trigger Effects they could play high-powered Trap Cards like Phoenix Wing Wind Blast and Karma Cut. The only thing they were missing was damage – they needed a boss monster that could really get at your opponent’s Life Points. While Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss was awesome at keeping you in cards, securing the field and triggering abilities, you’d often struggle to deal damage with him.

Improvisations like Rank-Up-Magic Astral Force were played – Astral Force could turn Dante into Constellar Pleiades to get monsters off the field so you could make direct attacks – which was extremely powerful, but not a move you could make at will. What Burning Abyss fans really needed was a monster that could, say… bash a fire-scythe-guitar over something’s head, anytime, anyplace.



And when The New Challengers comes out in November, we’ll have it! Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss is here to trash your opponent’s hotel room and crowdsurf to victory. A Level 6 Synchro Monster, Virgil packs 2500 ATK and you can’t control more than one copy – there’s only room on this stage for one star, thanks. Once per turn, you can discard a “Burning Abyss” card to target one of your opponent’s cards on the field or in the Graveyard, and when Virgil’s effect resolves you shuffle that card away into your opponent’s Deck, where it won’t offend Virgil’s stylish sensibilities.

That’s awesome, because you can use Virgil’s effect and THE POWER OF ROCK! to blast any monster you want clear off the field – even audience members that would normally protect themselves from destruction, like Number 101: Silent Honor ARK or El Shaddoll Winda. You can also blow away bothersome backrow cards that would put a damper on your backstage afterparty too, or cut the power to your opponent’s show by ripping away cards they need in their Graveyard. Satellarknight Altair? Not such a bigshot without Deneb touring with him. Letting your opponent add Shaddoll Fusion back to their hand would be a major bummer, but Virgil can have security remove it from the venue before it can disrupt his performance.

But that’s not all! When the show’s over and the lights go down on Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss, the SPIRIT OF ROCK! lives on. If he’s destroyed by battle or card effect and hits the Graveyard you get to draw a card – one last encore to keep the party going.

That’s awesome for two reasons: first, every time you pitch a “Burning Abyss” monster for Virgil’s crowd-clearing ability, you can trigger the effect of his collaborator: search a card with Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, or make Special Summons with Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss. You’ll give up one card to eliminate another, but you’ll get a free card in the process. Rock stars don’t pay for stuff.

And if that didn’t intoxicate you with the dizzying heights of card economy superstardom, keep in mind that you can book a show with Virgil at practically any time thanks to the new “Burning Abyss” Tuner monster! Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss is a new Level 3 Tuner Monster, and it’s the perfect way to make sure everything’s playing in key for Virgil’s arrival.

Rubic doesn’t have a Graveyard Trigger effect like the rest of your Burning Abyss monsters – that would break the 3 effect rule of the Malebranche – but it does have the familiar Special Summon trick: you can play it to the field from your hand as long as you control no Spell or Trap Cards, just like Graff, Scarm, and Cir. It doesn’t have a second activated special ability like the rest of the Burning Abyss monsters, but since you can only use one of their effects per turn that hardly matters – Normal Summon the Burning Abyss monster with the effect you want, Special Summon Rubic, and you’ll score the first Burning Abyss monster’s ability when you make your Synchro Summon.

With Rubic, your standard Tour Guide From the Underworld play on turn one to get Scarm from your Deck now creates new, distinct possibilities for your following turn. As always, you can Normal Summon Tour Guide and Special Summon Scarm on Turn 1 to Xyz Summon Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss, detach Scarm for Dante’s effect, and search for a Level 3 DARK Fiend during your End Phase. Now that Rubic is a search option, if you have any other Burning Abyss monster available to you, either in your hand or by card effect, then next turn you can bring out the real star of the show and start cracking heads as Virgil pounds away with his effect, and the 2500 ATK of his righteous axe.

Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss was an awesome opening act, but Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss is the real star! Get ready to belt out your victory anthem and shred like never before, because with Virgil’s help, the Burning Abyss are going to dominate the charts this winter.

The New Challengers Sneak Peek is taking place all over the world on November 1st and 2nd. The New Challengers launches on November 7th.