"Ghostrick" (ゴーストリック Gōsutorikku) ("Ghost" and "trick") is an archetype of DARK Fiend, Spellcaster and Zombie-Type monsters that debuted in "Shadow Specters". They are based on various Halloween monsters.
| Ghostrick | |||||
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| "Ghostrick House" | |||||
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Playing Style
All of the non-Xyz Monsters introduced thus far have had a common effect: "Cannot be Normal Summoned unless you control a "Ghostrick" monster (but can be Normal Set). Once per turn: You can change this card to face-down Defense Position".
Their effects seem to revolve around flipping monsters face-down and protecting themselves as long as they are face-down. In this way, they act like pranksters or mischievous spirits: popping out and scaring people, then running away and hiding as understood by the name "Ghostrick" which is derived from the words "Ghost" and "Trick", being ghosts that trick.
So far, Level 1 "Ghostrick" monsters are ghostly Fiend-Types focused on Special Summoning themselves from the hand, Level 2 "Ghostrick" monsters are female Spellcaster-Types focusing on changing the opponent's monsters into face-down Defense Position and Level and Rank 3 "Ghostrick" monsters are males of the Zombie-Type with the tactic of adding additional "Ghostrick" cards to the hand.
Weaknesses
Despite this archetype's unorthodox "bait and switch"-like tactics, "Ghostrick"s have a lot of weaknesses. First, cards like "Dark Simorgh", "Searchlightman", "Light of Intervention" prevent "Ghostrick" monsters from being Set or flipped face-down in the first place. Combined with anti-Special Summoning staples like "Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo" and "Archlord Kristya", "Ghostrick" Decks can be dead in the water, from the very start. Even if they do make the Field, they are easily picked off (if face-down) by cards like "Dark World Lightning", "Nobleman of Crossout", "White Night Queen", "Photon Wyvern" and even "Acid Trap Hole" (all "Ghostrick" monsters so far have < 2000 ATK.) and (if face-up,) cards like "Skull Lair", "Armed Dragon LV7" and "Nanobreaker".
Secondly, "Ghostrick"s alone are not competent enough to handle faster Deck archetypes and strategies as their "bait and switch" methods can often be sluggish with the wrong cards in hand. Aggrevating this are their mostly feeble ATK and DEF, whose less than mediocrity can be hastened with "Hoshiningen".