Monarch



The Monarchs are a series of the seven Monster Cards with "Monarch" in their card names, each of which possess a different Attribute reflective of the element they control, with the exception of Zaborg the Thunder Monarch and Kuraz the Light Monarch, which are the only two Monarchs with the same attribute, which is Light.

These cards may be a reference to the seven kings of Rome.

The Monarchs have their own Structure Deck in the OCG, Advent of the Emperor.

Each has a unique ability that activates upon their Tribute Summoning, dealing with the removal of cards. Another similarity that these cards share is that they all have 2400 ATK and 1000 DEF and are Level 6, with the exception of "Zaborg", who is Level 5.

Play Style
Monarch decks are highly aggressive and tend to be very powerful, simply because Monarchs destroy the opponent's assets just by appearing, and are high enough in ATK to be able to press their advantage and destroy nearly any lower-level monster the opponent may happen to use in response. Monarchs have no real weaknesses other than their insatiable need to generate tribute fodder for more Monarchs to be summoned and the fact that they cannot use their effects when Special Summoned (except for Kuraz).

Tribute Fodder
Generally good ways to generate tributes for Monarchs are as follows:
 * Tokens: Many tokens have restrictions on if or when they can be used as tributes, but some can be used quite easily.  Some of the better token generators for Monarchs include Fiend's Sanctuary, Dandylion and Stray Lambs, Fiend's Sanctuary being the best of these because the token can be used immediately.
 * Special Summon From The Hand: Monsters that Special Summon themselves from the hand for Tribute fodder.  The better ones include Cyber Dragon (itself a powerful monster), Evil Hero Infernal Prodigy, The Tricky, Spell Striker and Gilasaurus. "Ultimate Offering" can also work to generate more normal summons per turn.
 * Trap Monsters: These provide both Tribute Fodder as well as a line of defense if your opponent summons a strong monster.  Be wary of opponents who use destructive card effects, though, since they can be destroyed by effects that target either monsters or Traps.
 * D.D. Survivor and D.D. Scout Plane: When these cards are removed from play, they automatically return themselves to the field.  Use Dimensional Fissure or Macro Cosmos with these cards for endlessly reusable Tribute fodder.
 * Treeborn Frog: Endlessly revives itself as long as you control no Spells or Traps.  Difficult to use in conjunction with Trap Monsters but very handy if your opponent wipes out everything you control at once with cards like Judgment Dragon.
 * Soul Exchange or Brain Control: Lets you tribute an opponent's monster for the summoning of your Monarch, further increasing your field advantage. Tends to work best when used by Mobius the Frost Monarch.

Counter-Strategies
Monarchs can be difficult to overcome due to the fact that they destroy cards simply by appearing, but there are still some good strategies against them. These include:


 * Forced Back, Solemn Judgment or Polynosis: These cards can negate the summoning of a Monarch, destroying it or sending it back to the owner's hand.  Monarch users are at a great disadvantage when these are used, as they just used up one of their Tributes and may be left wide open upon losing it.
 * Mask of Restrict and Fog King: Prevent monsters from being Tributed, making Monarch cards completely unusable. These cards can be a double-edged sword, so make sure you don't need to Tribute any of your own monsters to win.
 * By Order of the Emperor, Destiny Hero - Plasma and Skill Drain: Negates the effects of monsters on the Field. Your opponent will still be able to summon their Monarchs, but they won't be able to destroy cards upon their summoning.
 * Intercept: Lets you take control of a Monarch right when it gets summoned--a nasty surprise for most Monarch users.
 * Blast Held by a Tribute: Even more destructive than a "Mirror Force" since it also inflicts damage, but not as reliable as other methods of getting the better of Monarchs, since there is a chance that they will destroy this card before they attack.