Yu-Gi-Oh’s merry band of high-adventuring mercenaries is getting some new support in Burst Protocol. While the OCG will be enjoying these cards in October of this year, the new Fur Hire cards won't come to the TCG until the 23rd of January next year.
Rex, Gale Fur Hire
Level 5, Wind
Dinosaur/Effect Monster
You can only use the (1)st effect of this card's name once per turn.
(1) You can reveal this card in your hand; Special Summon 1 monster “Fur Hire” from your hand, except “Rex, Gale Fur Hire”, then Special Summon this card.
(2) If a card(s) is added from the Deck to your opponent’s hand by a non-“Fur Hire” card’s effect and you control another monster “Fur Hire”: You can draw 1 card.
Rex, Gale Fur Hire enters the fray with probably one of the best starters the archetype can hope to have. Not only is this card a two-for-one special, by summoning a differently named monster Fur Hire, and then itself, it also punishes the opponent trying to take advantage of hand traps that generate card advantage, such as the Mulcharmys. This is still on top of preserving the controlling player’s normal summon for the turn for other members of the Fur Hire archetype.
Interestingly enough, Rex, Gale Fur Hire is a Level 5 monster, solidifying a bridge between the Fur Hires and the K9 archetype due to the latter’s favoritism for Level and Rank 5 monsters.
Keel, Shipwright Fur Hire
Link-2, Water
Link Arrows: Left, Bottom
Sea Serpent/Link/Effect Monster
2 monsters with different Types
You can only use the (1)st and (2)nd effect of this card’s name each once per turn.
(1) If this card is Link Summoned: You can Set 1 Spell/Trap “Fur Hire” or 1 “Fandora, the Flying Furtress” from your Deck, also you cannot Special Summon for the rest of this turn, except monsters “Fur Hire”.
(2) During your opponent’s turn (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your GY, and if you do, Special Summon 1 monster “Fur Hire” from your hand, then, if your opponent controls a monster with the highest original ATK on the field (even if tied), you can Special Summon a second such monster.
As a Link-2, Keel, Shipwright Fur Hire can easily be brought out onto the field. Not only that, but Keel’s material requirements are pretty generic. This allows other engines that field multiple monster types (e.g. Tri-Brigade) a bridge into the Fur Hire engine through Keel and one of the Fur Hire spell cards.
As for the overall ability package, Keel, Shipwright Fur Hire is a very solid combo extender. Whether played in a pure Fur Hire deck or splashed with another engine, Keel allows the player to reach into their deck for any named Fur Hire spell or trap card. This is especially useful for bringing into rotation any one-of tools in particular. And this Link monster even pulls double-duty.
A controlling player can use Keel for Link climbing for whatever purposes their particular combo requires. Once sleeping in the graveyard, Keel can be banished on the opponent’s turn to help bring out another 1-2 Fur Hire monster cards onto the field; particularly useful for an archetype that likes to swarm the field with bodies.
Fandora, the Fearsome Flying Furtress
Field Spell Card
This card is always treated as a card “Fur Hire”. You can only use the (2)nd and (3)rd effect of this card’s name each once per turn.
(1) Monsters “Fur Hire” you control gain 300 ATK for each monster “Fur Hire” you control with different names.
(2) During your Main Phase: You can add 1 monster “Fur Hire” from your Deck to your hand, then discard 1 card.
(3) If a face-up monster(s) “Fur Hire” you control is destroyed by an opponent’s card effect: You can Special Summon 1 monster “Fur Hire” from your Deck.
As a retrain for the original Fandora, the Flying Furtress, this version of the Field Spell is the kind of design package the archetype always wanted.
For a swarming archetype, the extra 300 damage per differently named Fur Hire monster card can potentially scale into a +1,800. Realistically, though, with hand traps and points of interruptions from the opponent, a controlling player will most likely scale into a +900 to a +1,200. This is still a lot, all things considered, and could let some of the stronger Fur Hire Monsters beat over most board staples.
As for the more utilitarian effects, this retrain’s draw isn’t as powerful as the original’s RotA-like effect, but it does have its upside. For one, it can allow a player a chance to draw into any non-engine tool. It can also seed the graveyard with any resources for Filo, Messenger Fur Hire to bring back.
While its third effect can only be used once per turn, floating any Fur Hire monster destroyed by card effect helps the archetype have some follow-through while the opponent tries to interrupt or break through their board.
Storm Fur Hire
Quick-Play Spell Card
You can only use the (1)st and (2)nd effect of this card’s name each once per turn.
(1) If you control no monsters: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster “Fur Hire” from your Deck, then, if your opponent controls 2 or more monsters, you can Special Summon 1 monster “Fur Hire” from your Deck, also you cannot Special Summon for the rest of this turn, except monsters “Fur Hire”.
(2) If your monster “Fur Hire” would discard a card(s) to activate its effect, you can banish this card from your GY instead of discarding 1 of those cards.
Regardless of whether you’re going first or second, Storm Fur Hire is almost guaranteed to get the controlling player a body onto the field. Best of all, this spell card can bring out a body straight from the deck, two bodies if going second, or if the opponent does some cheeky turn zero interactions.
Storm Fur Hire even plays well with Fandora, the Fearsome Flying Furtress. Storm Fur Hire can prevent the discard from the field spell if it looks like the controlling player doesn’t want to give up a card to the graveyard just yet.
Storm Fur Hire is definitely going to be a card with a strong argument for running maximum copies, even with that special summon lock, just because it can be played on almost every occasion.
Secret Technique Fur Hire
Normal Trap Card
You can only use 1 of the (1)st and (2)nd effect of this card’s name per turn, and only once that turn.
(1) Target face-up cards on the field up to the number of monsters “Fur Hire” you control with different names; destroy them, or, if you control a Level 8 or higher and a Link-3 or higher monsters “Fur Hire”, you can banish them instead.
(2) If a Level 8 or higher, and/or Link-3 or higher, monster(s) “Fur Hire” is Special Summoned to your field while this card is in your GY: You can add this card to your hand.
For an archetype that already has a tool for almost every situation, a full-scale board wipe is a potential capstone to what the Fur Hires can do. There’s even some form of flexibility on the method of board removal depending on your match-up. It’s not like the conditions for activating the banishment or its self-recursion are actually difficult to accomplish.
Rafale, Champion Fur Hire and Folgo, Justice Fur Hire are so integrated into Fur Hire decks that they might as well be the team mascots.
If this card were anything other than a trap card, it would definitely be in the crosshairs for an emergency ban.
For using this card, a player could technically bring it out through Keel, Shipwright Fur Hire. Or if you happen to start with this card in hand, you could use it as discard fodder for Fandora, the Fearsome Flying Furtress. As long as the play lines eventually summon either Rafale or Folgo onto the field, the controlling player can easily set this card as a follow-up for the next turn’s resolution.