#1 Monsters
#2 Spells
#3 Extra Deck
#4 Other Good Cards
#5 Important Information

KONAMI wrote:If this is the only card in your hand, you can Special Summon it (from your hand). When this card is Summoned: You can draw 2 cards. You must control no other cards and have no cards in your hand to activate and to resolve this effect.

One of the best cards that you will find for HERO decks, Elemental HERO Bubbleman is the first monster on our list. Now, at first glance, Bubbleman doesn't look quite like a fantastic card. Most other HERO monsters carry higher ATK points than Bubbleman does, and their effects certainly seem more useful. Plus, Elemental HERO Bubbleman looks pretty ridiculous. So, before we continue, let's all take a minute to laugh at how stupid Bubbleman looks.

::

Done laughing yet? Good, because despite the lame costume, Bubbleman is one of the most amazing HEROs you'll ever have the privilege of using. As a Level 4 Warrior-Type monster, Elemental HERO Bubbleman is searchable by the Spell card, Reinforcement of the Army, which is used by HEROs in order to increase their searching and deck thinning capabilities. Also, because of his Level, Bubbleman is able to allow HEROs access to some of the best Xyz Monsters out there, such as Blade Armor Ninja and Heroic Champion - Excalibur.

To further add to Bubbleman's greatness, he is a WATER Attributed monster, allowing players access to Elemental HERO Absolute Zero and Masked HERO Acid, both of which are phenomenal cards for HERO decks. In addition to this, Bubbleman's effect is easily activated, as HERO decks don't run a ton of monsters in the Main Deck. This means that most of their hands consist of Spells and Traps, allowing the players to set these hands and bring out Bubbleman fairly quickly. As hands usually also had another Monster in them, this grants HERO players a free Xyz Summon, which is a great advantage early on.

KONAMI wrote:If this card is Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Change" Quick-Play Spell Card from your Deck to your hand. If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "HERO" monster from your Deck to your hand, except "Elemental HERO Shadow Mist". You can only use 1 "Elemental HERO Shadow Mist" effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Moving along, our next fabulous HERO monster is the fabulous Elemental HERO Shadow Mist. This fantastic HERO is a new addition to the HERO family, and was recently put up on Dueling Network for play. This HERO is absolutely amazing for the deck, for quite a few reasons. First, Shadow Mist is searchable via E - Emergency Call and Reinforcement of the Army, which Elemental HEROs absolutely LOVE. In addition, Shadow Mist is a DARK monster, making him a gateway for HEROs to access the Omni-HERO, Elemental HERO Escuridao, as well as the fantastic new Masked HERO, Masked HERO Dark Law.

To further add to Shadow Mist's greatness in HERO decks, he has a set of absolutely AMAZING effects. The first of his effects allows Shadow Mist to search out any HERO monster from the Deck and add it to the Hand when he's sent to the Graveyard. What's great about this effect is that Shadow Mist doesn't have to have been on the Field for it to activate. You can discard him during your End Phase, send him via Foolish Burial, even detach him from an Xyz Monster. It's very easily accessed, and provides great support to HEROs. The second of Shadow Mist's fantastic effects allows Shadow Mist to grab a "Change" Quick-Play Spell from the Deck and move it to the Hand when he's Special Summoned. While this effect won't be activated as often as one may like, it's still incredibly useful, as there are still plenty of opportunities to quickly grab out Shadow Mist. HERO decks often make use of Call of the Haunted, Soul Charge, A Hero Lives, and Summoner Monk, all of which Special Summon monsters, and which can easily grab Shadow Mist if one wishes, thus opening the path to grabbing out most of the Masked HEROs required.

KONAMI wrote:You can only use 1 "Elemental HERO Blazeman" effect per turn, and only once that turn. If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Polymerization" from your Deck to your hand. You can send 1 "Elemental HERO" monster from your Deck to the Graveyard, except "Elemental HERO Blazeman", and if you do, this card's Attribute, ATK, and DEF becomes the same as that sent card's in the Graveyard, until the end of this turn. If you activate this effect, you cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except Fusion Monsters.

Next on our list is the newly released HERO, Elemental HERO Blazeman. This guy is absolutely incredible, despite his first effect being pretty useless for Elemental HEROs. Blazeman is fantastic due to his second effect, which allows the player to take a HERO monster, and send it to the Graveyard. In return, Blazeman then inherits that monster's ATK, DEF, and attribute until the End Phase. This effect has great combo potential, such as allowing for quick Xyz Set-up when paired with Shadow Mist. It also means that Blazeman can give a player access to the Masked HEROs Acid and Dark Law, as his attribute changes.

To further add to Blazeman's greatness, Blazeman is the Level 4 FIRE Elemental HERO that is Warrior-Type, meaning that he is easily grabbed via Reinforcement of the Army OR E - Emergency Call. Blazeman's only real downside is that after you activate his effect, you cannot Special Summon anything other than Fusion Monsters for the rest of the turn, limiting the speed at which HERO decks can combo.

KONAMI wrote:This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it become an Effect Monster with this effect.
● This face-up card's name becomes "Elemental HERO Neos".

Many new HERO players of this day and age still don't seem to appreciate the greatness of this fantastic HERO card. As many people play Elemental HEROs due to the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime, they aren't usually very familiar with Neos Alius, and usually pass it up for more well-known HEROs, such as Sparkman. Having critiqued many a HERO deck, the question "Why Neos Alius?" is often asked. This question is not unfounded either. I mean, why Neos Alius? Sparkman is a Normal Monster and gives you access to a ton of Fusions. Voltic brings back banished HEROs. Prisma can even be treated as a different monster for Fusions, so why Neos Alius? The answer is quite simple. Neos Alius can survive. As with the other HEROs, Neos Alius is searchable by Reinforcement of the Army and E - Emergency Call. Being a LIGHT monster grants HEROs access to Elemental HERO The Shining and Masked HERO Koga. But the best attribute for Neos Alius by far is that 1900 ATK. If you can't make a move with Neos Alius (Which, sometimes you can't), 1900 ATK points increases his chances of survival, as most Level 4 monsters don't have 1900 ATK. Most Level 4 monsters also don't have over 1900 ATK, so even if Neos Alius doesn't survive, you were saved from damage. Below is a list of some common Level 4 monsters in the game that Neos Alius matches or beats in terms of ATK:

Traptrix Myrmeleo: 1600 ATK
Traptrix Dionaea: 1700 ATK
Bujin Yamato: 1900 ATK (W/ Tenki boost)
Madolche Magiliene: 1900 ATK (W/ Chateau boost)
Ice Hand: 1400 ATK
Fire Hand: 1600 ATK
Mermail Abysspike: 1600 ATK
Fire King Avatar Yaksha: 1900 ATK (W/ Tenki boost)
Fire King Avatar Barong: 1900 ATK (W/ Tenki boost)

Other than that, 1900 ATK will also allow for some decent damage against the opponent when you need to dish it out, and gives Koga a nice target to banish when you need it.

KONAMI wrote:When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can activate 1 of these effects.
● You can destroy Spell/Trap Cards on the field, up to the number of "HERO" monsters you control, except this card.
● Add 1 "HERO" monster from your Deck to your hand.

Probably the favourite card of every HERO player out there, Elemental HERO Stratos cannot be passed up for any reason. Unless you're playing in the TCG, in which case, he's banned. (DX WHY KONAMI!? WHY!?) Elemental HERO Stratos has a special place in the heart of every HERO player, as he's one of their absolute BEST search cards HEROs have available. But, I'll cover that later.

I'm starting with the boring effects first. Stratos is clearly a Warrior-Type Elemental HERO, which, like every other HERO card you need to be playing in this deck, is searchable via E - Emergency Call or Reinforcement of the Army. Stratos has a nice, solid 1800 ATK points, which allows him to strike down a lot of Level 4 monsters in this format. In addition, Stratos is a WIND monster, giving HERO players access to Elemental HERO Great Tornado, and Masked HERO Kamikazee, both of which are positively fantastic, and will be looked at later.

Now, the above isn't the only reason Stratos is played. Remember how I said he had great effects? Well, he does. Stratos has access to two superb effects, which are activated when Stratos is either Normal Summoned, or Special Summoned. The first of these effects allows for Stratos to search out a HERO monster and add it to the player's hand. With this, Stratos can combo quite easily with the infamous Elemental HERO Bubbleman for easy Xyz Summons into monsters such as Blade Armor Ninja and Heroic Champion - Excalibur. The next of Stratos' awesome effects has Stratos destroy Spells and Traps on the Field, up to the number of HEROs you have face-up, excluding Stratos himself. This effect is great because of the ability for Stratos to get rid of leftover backrow the opponent still has, waiting to get your HEROs when you attack. Obviously, this effect is not as useful as Stratos' search effect, but it's still fantastic when dueling, in case you want to grab a HERO back for a Mask Change/Xyz Summon, and don't need the Search ability.

So, basically, Stratos is the best of all the HERO cards. Do not pass him up while making your deck.

KONAMI wrote:While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be Tributed. If this card is Normal or Flip Summoned: Change this card to Defense Position. Once per turn: You can discard 1 Spell Card; Special Summon 1 Level 4 monster from your Deck, but that monster cannot attack this turn.

Last, but certainly not least is a rather unusual card for Elemental HEROs, Summoner Monk. While Summoner Monk has failed to appeal to the Elemental HERO archetype in the past, the new cards has brought around a new age for Summoner Monk, so let's explore why.

Summoner Monk's effect is well known. He discards a Spell in order to take a Level 4 or lower monster from the Main Deck, and Special Summon it to the Field. The card cannot attack that turn, and in the current day, will usually get used with Summoner Monk for an Xyz Summon. Now, in the past, Summoner Monk ultimately had no appeal to HEROs. Bubbleman was all they needed in terms of Level 4's that could Special Summon, as Bubbleman was easily searched and extracted, and gave access to the Xyz Monsters like Blade Armor, while Summoner Monk would restrict HEROs to cards such as Number 39: Utopia and Maestroke the Symphony Djinn. But, things changed when Shadow Mist was released.

Summoner Monk helps Elemental HERO Shadow Mist take advantage of his "Change" search effect by actually Special Summoning Shadow Mist to the Field. E-HEROs run tons of Spells, and will usually have enough discard fodder for Summoner Monk to use. Because of new Xyz Monsters being released, Summoner Monk is more useful to HEROs now, as cards such as Number 101: Silent Honor ARK and Evilswarm Exciton Knight are great Xyz Monsters that don't have any specifications on the types of monsters needed to Xyz Summon them, outside of the fact that they must be Level 4. Ultimately, this gave Summoner Monk a special place in HERO decks as they now seek to make a name for themselves in the new format.

KONAMI wrote:Target 1 face-up "HERO" monster you control; send it to the Graveyard, then Special Summon 1 "Masked HERO" monster from the Extra Deck with the same Attribute that the "HERO" monster had when it was on the field.

Mask Change is essentially a must have for ANY HERO deck played in the current format, and for a variety of good reasons too. First and foremost, Elemental HERO Shadow Mist will search out Quick-Play "Change" Spell Cards from the deck when he's Special Summoned. This means that Mask Change is easily grabbed out of the deck when you need it. This card also doesn't really have any sort of cost from being played, and can be used in combination with a Special Summoned Shadow Mist to activate Mist's HERO Search effect the next turn. This is great, as you can snatch up a free HERO for your next play, and, you can bring a powerful Extra Deck monster to the Field on your opponent's turn.

This brings me to the next point. Mask Change can access the Extra Deck, and can be used with virtually ANY HERO you'll be playing in your deck. Unlike last year, where the Masked HEROs were limited to Dian and Acid being the only good ones, the Masked HERO collection has expanded greatly, bringing Koga, Dark Law, and Kamikaze into existence, allowing HEROs to utilise all the HEROs in their deck for Mask Change. These monsters themselves have fantastic effects, all backed up by superb ATK points. In addition, since Mask Change is a Quick Play Spell Card, ALL of the Masked HEROs can be Special Summoned during your OPPONENT'S turn. How great is that!? There is virtually no reason to not run Mask Change, so don't wait. Add it to your HERO deck today!

KONAMI wrote:Banish, from your side of the field or your Graveyard, the Fusion Material Monsters that are listed on an "Elemental HERO" Fusion Monster Card, then Special Summon that Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.)

Don't think for a second that, since Mask Change is now a dominant card in HERO decks, that everyone's favourite Miracle Fusion is useless. It's far from it. While the classic method of Fusion Summoning Elemental HEROs isn't the central focus of HERO decks anymore, doesn't mean that Miracle Fusion is useless.

Like before, Miracle Fusion is a fantastic card for ANY HERO deck out there. Miracle Fusion sacrifices the ability to have Fusion Material in the Hand in order to gain the ability to target Monsters in the Graveyard for use instead. Now, instead of drawing into Polymerization as your last desperate draw, and cursing yourself out for not being able to use it, HERO players draw out Miracle Fusion, and can quickly bring out one of their HERO monsters from the Extra Deck. Playing Miracle Fusion also gives HEROs a larger pool of Extra Deck Fusions to pull from, in order to customise their deck to their liking, as well as being able to expand the options to hit multiple different threats in the format. In short, Miracle Fusion is still one of the most useful Spells you will EVER find for HEROs.

KONAMI wrote:Add 1 "Elemental HERO" monster from your Deck to your hand.

KONAMI wrote:Add 1 Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type monster from your Deck to your hand.

E - Emergency Call is still one of the best cards for Elemental HEROs of all time. This card gets HERO players a free search of ANY Elemental HERO monster in their deck to add to their hand. Now, with the addition of Elemental HERO Shadow Mist, many inexperienced HERO players wonder why we put E - Call in the deck anymore. I mean, Shadow Mist does E - Call's job for it, doesn't it? Why would we need ANOTHER card to search out monsters. The answer, is deck-thinning. This card is fantastic for the deck, because it's conveniently activated at almost any time, unlike Shadow Mist, which needs to be sent to the Graveyard first. In addition, more search-oriented Spells means that this deck thins itself out a hell of a lot faster. By reducing the amount of cards in your deck, you effectively make it easier to draw into the cards you need or want most, at specific moments. It keeps the deck's momentum high, and your incredibly cloggy hands low, something that replacing this card with Spells like Forbidden Lance, would not do.*

*Note: All of the above also applies to Reinforcement of the Army

KONAMI wrote:When you control no face-up monsters: Pay half your Life Points; Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Elemental HERO" monster from your Deck.

Most long-time veterans of this game probably recognise, and hate, this special card. A Hero Lives was popular several formats ago, as the card allowed Elemental HEROs to run an OTK variant of their deck which devastated several tournaments before KONAMI finally decided to hit A Hero Lives with a Limit. Now back a three, A Hero Lives has lost some good friends that went into the OTK Deck, but he can still be run, and boy, is he nasty.

A Hero Lives will Special Summon an Elemental HERO from your Main Deck at the cost of half of your current life points, if you have no monsters face-up on the Field. As a result, this card is AMAZING. Playing A Hero Lives on your first turn allows players to quickly pull out Elemental HERO Shadow Mist from their decks, and slap a Mask Change face-down for the next turn. The card can also be used to pull out a HERO if you have another in hand, allowing for a fast Xyz Summon into one of your deck's more deadly monsters. This card is also superb in allowing a HERO deck to recover from a crippling series of attacks. As long as you don't have any other cards on your Field or in your Hand, play A Hero Lives and bring out everyone's favourite HERO, Bubbleman! Even if you don't make use of A Hero Lives, this card is a Spell, meaning that you can still discard it with Summoner Monk for a nice combo. Overall, A Hero Lives is a fantastic card for any HERO Deck that needs it, or likes it.  

KONAMI wrote:Target 1 "HERO" monster, and 1 "Change" Quick-Play Spell Card, in your Graveyard; add those targets to your hand.

Next on our long list is Mask Charge, a wonderful card for any HERO player. This Spell Card has the spectacular effect of taking a "Change" Quick-Play and an Elemental HERO in the Graveyard, and adding them to your Hand. As a result, there's not a lot to say about this card. It's a quick, easy way to grab back one of the key cards of your deck, and it will be a great card for helping you recover and get out of a tight spot. You will have access to anything sitting in your Graveyard at the time, which usually means Elemental HERO Shadow Mist and Elemental HERO Blazeman, giving you access to pretty much any Masked HERO in the Extra Deck. Simply put, this card is great, and should be run in every HERO Deck.

KONAMI wrote:Discard 1 card; Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from either side of the field as Fusion Materials. Cards and effects cannot be activated in response to this card's activation.

Super Polymerization. Any old time HERO player should recognise and love this card instantly. Super Poly has been one of the core cards of every HERO deck since the Omni-HEROs were released. Super Polymerization is a fantastic Quick-Play Spell Card that can use the opponent's monsters as the Fusion Materials you want for your HERO Fusions. This is great, as the Omni-HERO Fusions require different attributes of Monsters, easily obtained via Super Polymerization. In addition, Super Poly cannot be negated or chained to, making it the ultimate obstacle remover for HEROs. However, as time passed, Super Poly is no longer the wall destroyer it once was, and has become much more risky to Main. But, the card still makes thunder in HEROs as their ultimate Side Deck card that they bring out to deal with any threat they feel needs it. Super Poly should never be passed up, as there are no better options for the perfect Side Deck card.

KONAMI wrote:1 "HERO" monster + 1 WATER monster
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card gains 500 ATK for each face-up WATER monster on the field, except "Elemental HERO Absolute Zero". When this card leaves the field: Destroy all monsters your opponent controls.

First on the rather long list of Extra Deck monsters we must cover is everyone's favourite, Elemental HERO Absolute Zero, the WATER Omni-HERO. This monster is a beast, carrying 2500 ATK points and a killer effect to boot. And when I say "killer effect" I literally mean a "killer effect". When removed from the Field in any shape or form, whether it be via banishing, destruction, or bouncing from you OR your opponent, Elemental HERO Absolute Zero will destroy every single monster on your opponent's side of the Field. This card is the legal reincarnation of Rageki, and its awesomeness doesn't stop there. In addition to being able to nuke the Field, Absolute Zero will also gain 500 ATK points for every single WATER monster that is present on the Field (except for himself). Is that not incredible? If you simply have a Bubbleman or Acid on the Field at the same time as you have Absolute Zero, you're already at 3000 ATK points, which is insanely hard for decks to survive. Now, take Absolute Zero and pit him against Mermails. The ATK boost is insane! To top this all off, Absolute Zero only needs one HERO and one WATER monster as Fusion materials, making him super easy to Special Summon. Take out a Miracle Fusion with your Bubbleman and Blazeman in the Graveyard. Or you can use Super Polymerization against your opponent. "Oh, that's a nice Number 101 you got there. Be a shame if something were to... Fuse, with it~"

KONAMI wrote:1 "Elemental HERO" monster + 1 DARK monster
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card gains 100 ATK for each "Elemental HERO" monster in your Graveyard.

Next on our list is Elemental HERO Escuridao. This is the DARK edition to the Omni HERO collection, and is a pretty nifty monster. Carrying 2500 ATK originally, he'll gain 100 ATK for every Elemental HERO sitting in your Graveyard. This effect was formally not that great, and Escuridao was really only used as a Super Poly target so HEROs could get rid of cards such as Inzektors, Dark Worlds, and Dark Armed Dragon easily, but as the HEROs have gotten new support, Escuridao finds his effect being more useful than before. With the addition of Masked HEROs to the E-HERO deck structure, Escuridao has begun to obtain a lot more ATK, and can now take on threats that it formally couldn't take down, such as Mermail Abysleed and Thought Ruler Archfiend. So, while not the best Escuridao is still a neat HERO, and should still be played.

KONAMI wrote:1 "Elemental HERO" monster + 1 EARTH Monster
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. When this card is Fusion Summoned: Target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; until the End Phase, its ATK is halved and this card gains the same amount of ATK.

The picture above you depicts one of the most badass HEROs of all time, in terms of both appearance and effect. This beast is non-other than Elemental HERO Gaia, the EARTH Omni-HERO. In the days of old, Gaia was one of the absolute BEST Elemental HEROs of all time, and though time has taken its toll, Gaia is still just as much of a badass as before. When touching down on the Field for the first time, Gaia will target one of your opponent's monsters and cut its ATK points in half, and then gain the half that the monster just lost. This effect is FANTASTIC for getting rid of annoying, high ATK powered threats on the Field, as Gaia will touch down, and plow right on through. Sadly though, Gaia's ATK gain will only last until the End Phase. And as if KONAMI wanted to cause this great beast more pain, they set his original ATK at a measly 2200, which is not nearly enough to get over other common threats, once Gaia has returned to normal. In addition to this, Elemental HERO Wildheart is now a rare sight in HERO decks, which in turn, has made Gaia incredibly scarce. To top this all off, there aren't even that many decks that run EARTH monsters anymore, which means that Super Poly has not supported this giant in any form. However, Gaia has discovered a new source of hope as, alongside the ever popular Madolche cards, a new threat has arisen to the Meta, in the shape of the Qliphort monsters, a new set of Pendulum Monsters that are all EARTH. While down right now, Gaia is not nearly out of the game yet, so make sure to leave this guy some room to fit into your Extra Deck. Trust me, you'll need him, and you'll love him.

KONAMI wrote:1 "Elemental HERO" monster + 1 FIRE monster
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: Draw 1 card.

As we're covering the Omni-HEROs, who else should be next on our list but the master of fire himself, the FIRE Omni-HERO, Elemental HERO Nova Master! Carrying 2600 ATK points, this guy is one tough monster. He is incredibly hard to run over for most decks, and as a result, many resort to using cards such as Number 101 to remove him from the game. In addition, Nova Master poses a rather large threat to decks that let him attack and destroy their monsters, as Nova Master will let his player draw a card for every monster he combats and kills. This is fantastic for Nova Master, as, with the addition of Elemental HERO Blazeman and the threat of Fire Hand in the current Meta game, he now contains a purpose in every HERO deck. The reason this has been said is because, back in the good ol' days, the only good FIRE HERO was Elemental HERO Heat, who was not that great. Fire Fists and Fire Kings had yet to begin to rain terror upon the Meta of Yu-Gi-Oh!, and so the only purpose of Nova Master in the deck was to let HERO decks use Super Poly against the Evolzar Xyz Monsters, an opponent that was relatively easy to overcome without the use of Super Polymerization. The high ATK of Elemental HERO The Shining and Elemental HERO Great Tornado really subdued Nova Master, but now with the rise of FIRE monsters, Nova Master is ready to take on the world, and crush it under his flaming feet of justice.

KONAMI wrote:1 "Elemental HERO" monster + 1 LIGHT monster
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card gains 300 ATK for each of your banished "Elemental HERO" monsters. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: You can target up to 2 of your banished "Elemental HERO" monsters; add those targets to your hand.

No one has the right to call themselves a HERO veteran, unless they played HEROs during the time when Fusion Gate was run in every HERO deck, and Elemental HERO The Shining was the most played Fusion of all. If you can't remember that, you're not a HERO veteran. Next to cover is probably the most well-known of the Omni-HEROs, Elemental HERO The Shining, the Omni HERO of LIGHT. This guy has always been the main attack force driving every HERO deck up until now. With 2600 ATK originally, The Shining was easily boosted to over 3000 ATK by simply using Miracle Fusion to Summon him, as he gains 300 ATK for every banished Elemental HERO. In addition, when The Shining was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, he would take two banished HEROs and return them to the hand, allowing the deck to grab back a Neos Alius and Bubbleman to either fuse with again, or to overlay for Blade Armor Ninja. Unfortunately, The Shining's time to shine is over (no pun intended) and he is now one of the HEROs sitting in the back of the Extra Deck, taking the place of Escuridao and Nova Master before him. Because of changes, Neos Alius is no longer as prominent of a card as he once was, and neither Photon Thrasher nor Noble Knight Gawayn are played in HEROs anymore, leaving The Shining with very few options. The only reason The Shining is kept around anymore is because Super Polymerization lets players make the most of him by fusing the opponent's Lightsworn monsters into him, giving them a way to quickly strike at their life points, or block attacks. Satellarknights, which have also posed a threat, are stopped by Super Polymerization, so not all is bad for The Shining. He can still be played, and will work wonders when he steps into the light, but don't expect to be relying on him as much as in the past.

KONAMI wrote:1 "Elemental HERO" monster + 1 WIND monster
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. When this card is Fusion Summoned: Halve the ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters your opponent controls.

Last on the list of Omni-HEROs is another classic, the WIND Omni-HERO, Elemental HERO Great Tornado. Looking at this guy makes my heart ache, as, being a TCG player, I cannot make use of Great Tornado anymore, due to the TCG's banning of Stratos (WHY KONAMI!? WHY!?). Great Tornado is a fantastic card for ANY HERO deck to play, as he is easily accessed by fusing Stratos with any other HERO in the deck. Not only that, but Tornado carries 2800 ATK, the highest base ATK of any of the Omni-HEROs, and will cut the ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters the opponent controls as soon as he touches the Field. How great is that!? Great Tornado is basically a Gale the Whirlwind that affects everything the opponent controls at once! Sadly, Great Tornado's time for Super Polymerization support has passed, as Harpies and Gustos are no longer the prominent threats they once were, leaving Great Tornado only accessible via Miracle Fusion. Due to this total lack of Super Polymerization support, many players cut Great Tornado in favour of another copy of a different Omni-HERO, or another Masked HERO instead. While this is totally understandable, do not forget that Great Tornado is still a fantastic card, and there is truly no replacement for his greatness.

KONAMI wrote:3 "Elemental HERO" monsters
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. Once per turn, when this card is targeted for an attack: You can double this card's ATK until the end of the Damage Step. At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card attacked or was attacked: You can target 1 monster on the field; destroy that monster. When this card is destroyed (either by battle or by card effect): You can target 1 Level 8 or lower "Elemental HERO" Fusion Monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that monster, ignoring its Summoning conditions.

The true last Elemental HERO for the Extra Deck is a rather fearsome new addition to the Elemental HERO family, Elemental HERO Core. This guy is the one Elemental HERO that isn't part of the Omni-HERO family that can actually be played, and is nasty addition to the HERO Extra Deck. Simply needing three HERO monsters as materials, Core is a killer that will hit the Field with 2700 ATK and an effect that will double it if the opponent decides that it's a good idea to charge at Core. To further add to the disaster that Core brings, if Core was attacked or attacked something, he gets to freely destroy a monster on the Field at the end of the Battle Phase. But wait, there's more! When Core dies, he gets to target a Level 8 or lower Elemental HERO Fusion Monster in the Graveyard and Special Summon it, ignoring the card's Summoning Conditions. Yes, that's right. IGNORING ITS SUMMONING CONDITIONS! I cannot think of a single situation where that would not be fantastic! Honestly, Core is probably the best HERO Fusion yet, and that's saying something.

KONAMI wrote:Must be Special Summoned with "Mask Change" and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. When this card is Special Summoned: Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls, and if you do, all monsters they control lose 300 ATK.

So, I know what you're thinking, and no, this guy is not tripping on Acid, despite the way he dresses. Bad puns aside, Masked HERO Acid is one the best Masked HEROs you will ever have the pleasure of meeting, and the effect above says why. When Acid touches down on the Field, he blows up the ENTIRETY of the opponent's backrow. Face-downs, face-ups, Field Spells, EVERYTHING. Like a closing sale, Acid determines that EVERYTHING must go, and gets rid of it. Though, it seems he creates more death out of the event than he makes money. Aside from that, Acid is a WATER Masked HERO, meaning that you have every right to bring out Absolute Zero, then Mask Change into Acid to completely nuke the opponent's Field. There is practically nothing that's going to stop you, and when you get that combo off, boy, will the opponent be pissed. Many decks hate facing the AZ -> Acid combo that HEROs can pull, and who could blame them?. I mean, I'd be pretty pissed if a couple of weirdoes in tights made all my stuff explode too.

KONAMI wrote:Must be Special Summoned by "Mask Change", and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. Any card sent to your opponent's Graveyard is banished instead. Once per turn, if your opponent adds a card(s) from their Main Deck to their hand, except during the Draw Phase or Damage Step: You can banish 1 random card from your opponent's hand.

And now to quote a great man who once screamed this at me over Skype.

Ezekeil wrote:THERE'S MORE!?

Yes, we're not done yet, which you should be glad about. If there was only one Masked HERO worth using, HEROs wouldn't be that great right now, now would they? Next on our list is the devil of all HERO monsters, Masked HERO Dark Law. This card contains a devilish set of effects that will have your opponent literally screaming and ripping their hair out (Trust me, it's happened before). Masked HERO Dark Law can easily be brought out by playing a Mask Change on Elemental HERO Shadow Mist, which, like you would expect, activates Shadow Mist's effect. So already you're getting a free search, as well as bringing a 2400 ATK point beater to the Field. Next off, Dark Law will banish ANYTHING your opponent sends to the Graveyard. Literally, ANYTHING. Lightsworns hate Dark Law, as all their milling suddenly stops being effective, and the players begin to cry their eyes out, watching as their Wulfs, Judgment Dragons, and Dragon Rulers are all suddenly banished, gone from the duel forever. Now what could be better than this, you ask? Well, Dark Law will also banish a random card from the opponent's hand if they bring an additional card to their Hand outside of the Draw Phase. Now, imagine what this does against all those annoying little Exodia players who believe they're so tough with the Forbidden One lurking inside their deck. : D

KONAMI wrote:Must be Special Summoned by "Mask Change", and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card gains 500 ATK for each monster your opponent controls. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can banish 1 "HERO" monster from your Graveyard, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; it loses ATK equal to the banished monster's ATK, until the end of this turn.

Don't worry, we're almost done. We just have to cover this guy and Kamikaze, and then you're free to stop reading. 'Kay? 'Kay, let's get rolling. Masked HERO Koga is a nifty little addition to the HERO family, seeing as he's a LIGHT Masked HERO that was released just as Neos Alius becomes kinda useless. It doesn't matter too much though, as there are still those that love Neos Alius and will play him until the end of time, and so Koga is still very useful. Carrying 2500 ATK, Koga will gain an additional 500 ATK points for every monster on the opponent's side of the Field, which quickly turns this guy into a sword brandishing beast. Not only that, but Koga can also banish a HERO from the Graveyard during either player's turn in order to reduce the ATK points of a monster the opponent controls by the ATK points of the banished HERO until the End Phase. This makes Koga a great wall breaker, should you choose to neglect both Elemental HERO Gaia and Elemental HERO Great Tornado. Even if you don't neglect the two Omni-HEROs, Koga is still a great wall breaking beast that is quickly pulled from the Extra Deck to wreak havoc upon the opponent's Field. But, in the end Koga is still kinda optional. Super Poly doesn't support him in any way, shape, or form, and both the WIND and EARTH Omni-HEROs are still better choices. But don't worry Koga, you'll get your chance in the TCG, where Stratos is banned, and Great Tornado can't be played ( WHY KONAMI!? WHY!? )

KONAMI wrote:Must be Special Summoned by "Mask Change", and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. Cannot be destroyed by battle. Your opponent can only attack with 1 monster during each Battle Phase. When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can draw 1 card.

Before anyone asks, no, I don't know why the Japanese would name a super hero Kamikaze, so don't ask. Last on our Fusion list is the great and almighty Masked HERO Kamikaze, which is the most fantastic Masked HERO ever, after Dark Law. Why, you may ask? Well, because he's a better Nova Master, that's why! Now, I know what you're thinking. "Didn't you say earlier in this article that Nova Master kinda sucked compared to everyone else?". And before I can even answer this, you've probably gone back, checked, and confirmed for a fact, that I pretty much implied that, compared to everyone else, Nova Master kinda sucks. So how is a better version of Nova Master good for the deck? Well, I'll tell you. FIRST, Kamikaze is easy to pull out in comparison to Nova Master, as Nova Master takes a Miracle Fusion and Kamikaze takes a Mask Change, the latter of which is searchable. SECOND, Kamikaze carries 2700 ATK, which is better than Nova Master's 2600 ATK. And THIRD, Kamikaze prevents the opponent from attacking with more than one monster per turn. Now, to make sure I carve this into your memory, let me repeat the previous statement, with incredible emphasis. KAMIKAZE PREVENTS the OPPONENT from ATTACKING with more than ONE MONSTER PER TURN!!! Yeah, I know. Sick right? This is also combined with the fact that Kamikaze gives you a free card for every monster he kills. Honestly, what could be better?

KONAMI wrote:2 Level 4 Warrior-Type monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 "Ninja" monster you control; it can make a second attack during each Battle Phase this turn.

KONAMI wrote:2 Level 4 Warrior-Type monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 2 Xyz Materials from this card; this card's ATK becomes double its original ATK until your opponent's next End Phase.

So, before I completely forget, there's these two. Both of these monsters are great additions to any HERO deck because they rack up insane amounts of damage quickly, and they're easily accessible. Blade Armor can be used in the Fusion Summons of Great Tornado, and Excalibur can be used to bring out The Shining. Since they're not HEROs, they don't get a big long explanation, so yeah. : 3

- Thunder King Rai-Oh
- Effect Veiler
- Unknown Synchron
- Elemental HERO WildHeart
- Fire Hand
- Ice Hand
- Mask Change Second
- Soul Charge
- Book of Moon
- Form Change
- Monster Reborn
- Fifth Hope
- Black Horn of Heaven
- Solemn Warning
- Bottomless Trap Hole
- Compulsory Evacuation Device
- Torrential Tribute
- Mirror Force
- Dimensional Prison
- Call of the Haunted
- Number 101: Silent Honor ARK
- Evilswarm Exciton Knight
- Abyss Dweller
- Gagaga Cowboy
- Vision HERO Adoration
- Vision HERO Trinity
- Contrast HERO Chaos
- Elder God Noden
- Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

Student 1 wrote:So, can I use the classic HEROs in this deck?

First, to clarify. Whenever someone is talking about the "classic" HEROs, they usually mean the Elemental HEROs used in the anime, namely the normal HEROs that are seen on the art of the Fifth Hope spell card. Now, these also expand to include the Elemental HEROs of Wildheart, Bladedge, Necroshade and Neos.

My answer to this question in short? No. No you cannot.

Outside of Elemental HERO Bubbleman and Elemental HERO Wildheart, these HEROs are totally outclassed by the other HERO cards that have been talked about. Most of the "classic" HEROs are Normal Monsters that are complete and utter shit in the deck. (I mean, there's a reason that Rabbit HEROs didn't become popular.) Other HEROs that have effects are above Level 4, which means that you'd have to Tribute Summon them, something that HEROs are not designed to do. Overall, you really can't play a HERO that doesn't have an effect in this deck, which the exception of Neos Alius, whose use is very limited.

Student 2 wrote:Why can't I use Polymerization? It does the same thing as Miracle Fusion!

I'm sorry, but there is not a nice way to put this. Anyone who thinks that Polymerization does the same thing as Miracle Fusion isn't the brightest person. Miracle Fusion and Polymerization contain differences in where their targets have to be in order to fuse them into the Fusion Monster the player is trying to Summon. In addition, Miracle Fusion banishes the Fusion Materials, rather than Polymerization which simply sends them to the Graveyard.

Now, to address why you can't use Polymerization. It doesn't target the Graveyard. While using cards in your hand is pretty nice, most players will find that their HEROs are constantly on the Field, either being Mask Changed or Overlayed. Because HEROs have shifted to needing to use Mask Change and needing Xyz Monsters in order to compete, being able to target stuff in the hand has lost the competitive edge that it used to hold. In addition, HEROs have never used the normal Polymerization Spell Card. In order to fuse monsters from the hand, HEROs have used Fusion Gate, a Field Spell that is no longer used because...?

That's right! We need Mask Change and Xyz Monsters now.

Student 3 wrote:Ocean is sooo much better than Bubbleman. Why don't we use him!?

I swore to myself that the next time someone asked me this question, I would throw myself out the closest window. Luckily for me, every place that I commonly visit right now only has a ground floor, so I'm probably not gonna die.

As for this question, no, no Ocean is not.

While it looks like Ocean is a much better choice than Bubbleman is, Ocean is not. Higher ATK points and retrieving HEROs from the Graveyard are not good reasons to play Ocean over Bubbleman. Both cards are Level 4, Warrior-Type monsters that carry the WATER Attribute, giving players access to the same Extra Deck monsters. But, Bubbleman can Special Summon himself to the Field and gain his player free draws if he's the only card they have. Ocean, on the other hand, will not last on the Field long enough to get back a HERO from the Graveyard, and even he does, those HEROs are usually either fueling the ATK points of Escuridao, OR, they're being banished by a Miracle Fusion. There are much more convenient ways to get back the HEROs you want for the deck than wasting the space that you need for Bubbleman.