Exchange of the Spirit (series)
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| It has been suggested that this article be renamed to Ishizu (series). (discuss) The reason given was: Series/theme is referred to as Ishizu in the various yugiohblog.konami.com articles covering YCS Pasadena 2022 (e.g. https://yugiohblog.konami.com/2022/11/ycs-pasadena-top-32-pairings-with-deck-types/). |
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Exchange of the Spirit, known as Reversal of the Present World and Underworld (
Contents
Members
The cards considered to be in this series are either the cards that were used by Ishizu Ishtar in the anime, or their retrained versions.
Monsters
Ishizu's monsters are EARTH Fairy monsters. They were Normal Monsters in the anime, but became Effect Monsters when released in the card game.
| Monster | Retrained |
|---|---|
| Agido | Agido the Ancient Sentinel |
| Kelbek | Kelbek the Ancient Vanguard |
| Keldo | Keldo the Sacred Protector |
| Mudora | Mudora the Sword Oracle |
| Zolga | Zolga the Prophet |
Traps
Two Trap Cards were key to Ishizu's strategy in the anime: "Exchange of the Spirit" and "Blast Held by a Tribute".
| Trap | Retrained |
|---|---|
| Exchange of the Spirit | Exchange of Despair and Hope |
| Blast Held by a Tribute | Blast Held by Destiny |
"Gravekeeper's Trap" is a card game original card introduced in Duelist Pack: Duelists of Pyroxene, inspired by Ishizu's card "Muko". Its "Gravekeeper's" connections associate Ishizu's cards with the "Gravekeeper's" archetype. Ishizu commonly uses "Gravekeeper's" cards in video games.
Playing style
"Exchange of the Spirit" and its associated EARTH Fairy monsters form a mill-focused strategy, with the primary game plan of resolving "Exchange of the Spirit" to reduce the opponent's Deck size down to around 15 cards, and using the GY effects of the EARTH Fairy monsters to mill out these last cards. Almost all cards in this series gain additional effects if "Exchange of the Spirit" is present on the field or in the GY.
Ishizu's EARTH Fairy monster retrains have effects revolving around discarding other EARTH Fairy monsters, in order to Special Summon themselves from hand and search cards ("Keldo the Sacred Protector" and "Mudora the Sword Oracle"), or having effects that trigger when cards are sent from the opponent's hand/Deck to the GY, in order to set up the player's field or disrupt the opponent's field ("Agido the Ancient Sentinel" and "Kelbek the Ancient Vanguard").
"Agido the Ancient Sentinel" and "Kelbek the Ancient Vanguard" mills both players' Decks if they are sent from the hand or Deck to the GY. This GY effect serves to set up the activation requirements of "Exchange of the Spirit", and also rapidly mills the opponent's Deck to support the Deck out win condition.
"Keldo the Sacred Protector" and "Mudora the Sword Oracle" have Quick Effects in the GY to shuffle up to 5 cards in either player's GY back into the Deck. This GY effect serves to recover the player's resources, prevent the opponent from utilizing their GY resources, and, if they are chained to "Exchange of the Spirit", mill out more cards at the resolution of "Exchange of the Spirit".
"Gravekeeper's Trap" serves as the Deck's main "engine" card, by being able to search for EARTH Fairy monsters and discard cards from the player's hand, triggering the GY effects of "Agido" and "Kelbek" to mill both players' Decks. It also provides a floodgate effect to lock down the oppponent's GY, preventing the mill strategy from inadvertently benefitting the opponent.
