Call of the Haunted

It's too famous, image of the Italian copy just for the post to have an image.

It's one of the few cards in YGO that has been under all Forbidden, Limited and Semi-Limited list (along with Chaos Sorcerer, Rescue Cat and some more I don't remember,,,)

So... What do you guys think about this card?

It's simply a 1 for 1 revival like Monster Reborn, but it requires a turn to be set and it dies easily to a chained Mystical Space Typhoon. However, if you are running 2 to 3 copies of Call in your deck, and all of them get MST'd, you should be feeling good because you've baited all your opponent's MSTs and your other traps are safe (if you have Starlight Road then it's quite perfect, but still Heavy Storm can come out of nowhere).

Aside from those 2 drawbacks, Call is quite good IMO. Special any monster back from the graveyard is quite annoying, especially when you have baited a power trap from your opponent. Scenario: Opponent sets Sangan and Warning; you summon Rai-Oh, baiting out Warning, then simply Call it back to put your opponent in serious trouble. It's just a bad example but I can't really think of anything else. In fact, the deck that abuse Call of the Haunted the most is Inzektor, whose Dragonfly alone can lead to everything. You ever use Warning/Torrential on Dragonfly just to see your opponent Calling it back? That's when the game is almost over.

Today Inzektor is not dead, but not like before anymore. Still, people make good use of Call by combining it with Card Trooper and Sangan. If you have a Trooper/Sangan (or Goblin Zombie, Dandylion, or whatever monster with the same condition that cannot miss the timing), just set Call. If you opponent MSTs it, you get +1 by chaining it targeting one of those card. That's the most common way of using Calls nowadays, apparently.

Because it's a pseudo-Monster Reborn (that only get monsters back from your graveyard, sigh), there're too many ways to use it, and I'm not going to mention them all here. However, in some situations, Call is much better than Monster Reborn.

The fact that it's a trap is very important. It can be chained, can be activated in your opponent's turn or in your battle phase. Opponent Duality's? Chain Call targeting Raioh, put your trollface on. Your on field monsters cannot deal enough damage to finish the duel? Chain Call in battle phase for the extra needed damage, you've just stolen the game. And sometimes things do not need to be that complicated: Call on Stratos is 4000-4400 damage, Call of REDMD is often 5300, Call on BLS is... Yeah.

Recently Alistar Albans topped YCS Indy with an Agent deck that make use of 2 Card Troopers and 3 Call of the Haunteds. Because Calling back Master Hyperion is a +1 (and 2700 damage) and Calling back Kristya is a devastating play against Wind-Up, Geargia,..., it was, in most people's opinions, a good call, LOL

Mmm...

Where to use Call?

In decks that need 1-2 cards to run properly. Hyperion is a big boss, REDMD is a big boss, and the High Priestess of Prophecy too. Inzektor Dragonfly is a small boss, but you know... Any deck that has a semi-nomi or unrestricted boss can make use of this card (Judgment Dragon seems to be the only exception). I don't recommend you to run Call in Wind-Ups: They have no bosses. Salvage could be even better as you can recycle Shark and Zenmaity...

And in decks that can put 6000-7000 damage on the board quickly (that have big monsters). Hieratic, Alive HERO, Inzektor, Fabled... Call is kind of a surprise element that can finish the game when your opponent does not expect some more damage.

And (one more time only), in decks that rely on 1900-2000 beatstick and have a lot of traps (anti decks, to be simple). Calling back Rai-Oh, Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, Beast King Barbaros baiting MST to protect other traps... Just main 1-2 copies of it, you'll see the different.

That's for today, thanks for reading xD