The current format for the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game (TCG) is starting to recognize how Dracotail has access to a particular degenerate extra deck tool. Dracotail deck lists have been making consistent top representation in recent tournaments, and part of their success is reinforced by a card that hasn’t seen much play since its original debut back in 2017.
Invoked Caliga
Beast/Fusion/Effect
"Aleister the Invoker" + 1 DARK monster
If a player's monster effect attempts to activate, none of that player's monsters can activate their effects for the rest of this turn while this card is face-up on the field. Each player can attack with only 1 monster during each Battle Phase.
Copies of Invoked Caligula ended August at a $2 price average, which was slowly ticking up at a steady pace. Prices had reached a $3.50 average halfway through the month before merchants began suddenly selling copies for around $5. The current price for copies of Invoked Caliga is now at $7, but some copies are already exchanging hands north of $10.
If there’s no sudden shift in the format with Doom of Dimensions, then Invoked Caliga could potentially reach a $20 average. The original debut of Invoked Caliga was back in 2017, with only a single reprint later in 2020. Thankfully, most decks run a single copy of Invoked Caliga. Due to this, a rise in price may not necessarily hurt the budget in the long term.
Invoked/Magistus Support Package
The potential of the Dracotail decks is actively tied to their fusion capabilities. Players began including Invoked Caliga in their extra decks when they realized that a single copy of Crowley, the Gifted Magistus was all that was needed to access the fusion monster.
Invoked Caliga is one of the best capstones to an already established board when going first. An opponent would have very few options outside of a spell or trap board breaker to get rid of Invoked Caliga first before the rest of their combo can be played. That’s also assuming that Invoked Caliga’s controlling player doesn’t have a negate on the field to blunt the first attempt.
The Invoked, and subsequently the Magistus, archetype has more to offer than just the pseudo floodgate that Invoked Caliga brings to the table. Zoroa, the Magistus Verethragna is the obligatory monster negate and card destruction combo rolled into one. Aiwass, the Magistus Spell Spirit is Snatch Steal in all but name. Some players even bring in a copy of Magistus Chorozo as a battle trick to force the opponent to waste another interaction, battle phase, or otherwise. These tech option,s paired with the highly reactive and swarm-like nature of Dracotails, mean that the controlling player has a flexible toolbox for almost any match-up.