Attribute Spirit
The Attribute Spirits are a group of monsters with "Spirit" 「精霊」 in their name; however, they are not Spirit monsters. They each belong to one of the four elemental Attributes: EARTH, FIRE, WATER, and WIND. Being Special Summon-only monsters, their conditions for being Special Summoned are that you must banish one of your monsters in your Graveyard with the same Attribute. There is another set of monsters with similar effects and conditions, but these do not include "Spirit" in their name, and some require you to remove two monsters of the proper Attribute instead of one. In the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime, these cards were part of Lyman Banner's/Amnael's Alchemy Deck, used as cost for "Elemental Absorber". The Attribute Spirits (and Silpheed instead of Garuda) are related to this science, as they resemble the representation of the elements in alchemical symbology: The Rock Spirit resembles a dwarf, representative of the earth; Spirit of Flames resembles a salamander, representative of the fire; Silpheed resembles a sylphid, representative of the air; and Aqua Spirit resembles a nymph, representative of the water.
Their Japanese names share a naming pattern (Element "Spirit", Name) as follows:
- The Rock Spirit = Rock Spirit, Titan (岩の精霊 タイタン)
- Spirit of Flames = Flame Spirit, Ifrit (炎の精霊 イフリート)
- Garuda the Wind Spirit = Wind Spirit, Garuda (風の精霊 ガルーダ)
- Aqua Spirit = Water Spirit, Aquaria (水の精霊 アクエリア)
Effects and Stats
"The Rock Spirit" and "Spirit of Flames" have the same ATK and DEF and they have similar effects:
- "The Rock Spirit's" ATK increases by 300 during its opponent's Battle Phase.
- "Spirit of Flames's" ATK increases by 300 during its controller's Battle Phase.
"Garuda the Wind Spirit" and "Aqua Spirit" have the same ATK and DEF and have similar effects too:
- "Garuda the Wind Spirit" can change the Battle Position of 1 face-up opponent's Monster Card monster during the opponent's End Phase.
- "Aqua Spirit" can change the Battle Position of 1 face-up opponent's monster during the opponent's Standby Phase.
Monsters with opposite Attributes have effects with opposite purposes too:
- "Garuda the Wind Spirit's" effect has a defensive purpose and "The Rock Spirit's" effect has an offensive purpose.
- "Aqua Spirit's" effect has a defensive purpose and "Spirit of Flames's" effect has an offensive purpose.
Utility
These monsters are good for swarming and Synchro Material because they can be easily Special Summoned from your hand.
- You can use them as Tribute Fodder for the Tribute Summon of monsters of Level 5 or higher such as Monarchs. Furthermore, these monsters make it easier to activate effects that require multiple monsters as Tribute, such as the effects of "Gilford the Lightning", "Moisture Creature", and "Beast King Barbaros".
- Tribute Summoning is not the only way to get strong monsters. Since these Monsters are Special Summoned you can Normal Summon any Tuner monster to Synchro Summon a Synchro Monster and get a strong monster in a single turn.
They have different Attributes, so you can use them in an Element Deck or a Charmer Deck. These monsters make the activation of "Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan" easier.
"The Rock Spirit", "Gigantes", and the related "Gigastone Omega" can be used to raise the DEF of "Lost Guardian" or for their momentum-killing effects. They are also highly compatible with "Release from Stone."
- You can Special Summon 2 of these (or 1 Attribute Spirit + 1 Level 4 Monster) to Xyz Summon a powerful Level 4 Xyz Monster like Steelswarm Roach or Number 39: Utopia, or Special Summon 1 Attribute Spirit and Feedback Warrior to Xyz Summon a Level 3 Xyz Monster like Number 17: Leviathan Dragon, Leviair the Sea Dragon or Wind-Up Zenmaines.
