THE STARTER BOX - BENTO BOX

(This is the 3rd and Final part of the Starter Box series. There will also be a tl;dr below.)

ADVERTISED CARDS: Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Flame Swordsman, Forest, Polymerization, Two-Pronged Attack

    The long-awaited Starter Box would be released to the public on March 18, 1999. Releasing 50 new cards to Japan for ¥3780, the Starter Box expanded what was possible for players. "Version 2" would later see release to update the rulebook but was otherwise the same. It was also the first set to release new products to Japanese players that weren't cards since Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. In order of listing from the silver box:

50 Official Cards

A Duelist Card Case

A Duelist File

6 Star Chips (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze)

50 Duelist Score Sheets

A Duel Calculator

A Duel Field

The Official Rulebook (2nd Edition in Version 2)

    The majority of these items would later be sold separately on store shelves.

DECKLIST

    For those of you who remember, this isn't the first time we've covered the Starter Box's composition. The majority of these cards are familiar if you remember the Theatrical Release from two posts prior. But paying attention to the image, it's clear to see that there are different cards on the tail end of both Decks. This is the main difference between the Limited Edition and Retail, Here is a closer look at the cards:

LIMITED EDITION:

Aqua Madoor

Trial of Nightmare (地（じ）獄（ごく）の裁（さい）判（ばん Jigoku no Saiban "Trial of Hell")

The 13th Grave (１３人（にん）目（め）の埋（まい）葬（そう）者（しゃ Jūsan-ninme no Maisōsha "The 13th Buried")

Dark King of the Abyss (深（しん）淵（えん）の冥（めい）王（おう Shin'en no Meiō "Underworld King of the Abyss")

Turtle Tiger (タートル・タイガー Tātoru Taigā)

RETAIL

Genin (ジャグラー Jagurā "Juggler")

Kageningen (シャドウ・ファイター Shadou Faitā "Shadow Fighter")

Rock Ogre Grotto #2 (ウォー・アース Wō Āsu "War Earth")

King Fog (キング・スモーク Kingu Sumōku "King Smoke")

Spiked Snail (デビルツムリ Debiru-Tsumuri "Devil Snail")

     Looking at the cards, you see that the Theatrical Release exclusives are superior to the Retail versions. While Rock Ogre Grotto #2 and Spiked Snail are competent defenders, the remainder are no longer viable with this Starter Deck's release.

   This Super Rare Celtic Guardian (エルフの剣（けん）士（し Erufu no Kenshi "Elf Swordsman") also came with pre-ordered Starter Boxes. Like Kanan the Swordmistress, Celtic Guardian's 1400 Attack Power made it one of the game's strongest monsters. Also like Kanan, its status as a promotional card meant that it wouldn't take over from potential playsets of the Tier 2 stalwarts. Anyone with both though had a potent Attack combination.

MONSTERS

    Once again, a Series 1 product released a deluge of monsters to play with. But it's with the Starter Box that we've reached a point of diminishing returns. Monsters with stronger Attack and Defense Power quickly displaced many of the weaker cards. However, we also began to see monsters begin to specialize. Instead of strong utility monsters that could be both aggressive and defensive, cards would become useful for either their strong Attack or Defense Power. 

 

    Monsters like Green Phantom King (緑（りょく）樹（じゅ）の霊（れい）王（おう Ryokuju no Reiō "Spirit King of Greenery") and Ancient Tree of Enlightenment (悟（さと）りの老（ろう）樹（じゅ Satori no Rōju) with their strong Defense Power are strong walls that are difficult for most monsters to destroy by battle. It's important to note though that there's an addendum to my previous statement: Attack Power is more useful than Defense Power. You can't shift these cards to Attack Position due to how weak they are. Their low Attack Power also makes them vulnerable to Fissure, removing them from the field that way. 

    That's what makes utility monsters valuable during this format. While Fiend Reflection #2 (ミラージュ Mirāju  "Mirage") is an inferior defender, it's important to remember that you don't need superior Defense Power to protect your Life Points. This monster is as good as Green Phantom King or Ancient Tree of Enlightment at repelling the 1400 Attack Power and below monsters while also being a competent attacker. Kanan, Aqua Madoor and Turtle Tiger perform the same role with the same competence. 

However, there's one more utility monster that surpasses the others. The monster that everyone wants in their Deck no matter the cost:

BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON

    Without peer, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon (青眼の白龍（ブルーアイズ・ホワイト・ドラゴン Burūaizu Howaito Doragon) is THE best monster in the game up to this point. It is a legendary dragon that boasts the highest Attack Power in the game. Very little can match its might in a 1v1 situation. But what isn't as well-known is that it's also the monster with the strongest Defense Power. This makes Blue-Eyes almost impossible to kill by battle. Removal is the only reliable method to be rid of it. But if either Duelist is capable of establishing its presence on the field, they have an undeniable advantage.

                ATTACK POWER

1. Blue-Eyes White Dragon 3000
   
2. Dark Magician 2500 
3. Gaia the Fierce Knight 2300
4. Kanan the Swordmistress 1400 
5. Celtic Guardian
6. Trial of Nightmare 1300
7. Aqua Madoor 1200
8. Silver Fang
9. The 13th Grave
10. Hitotsu-Me Giant/Mammoth Graveyard/Dark King of the Abyss

              DEFENSE POWER

1. Blue-Eyes White Dragon 2500
2. Dark Magician 2100
3. Gaia the Fierce Knight
4. Aqua Madoor 2000
5. Green Phantom King 1600
6. Turtle Tiger 1500
7. Ancient Tree of Enlightenment
8. Kanan the Swordmistress 1400
9. Fiend Reflection #2
10. Rock Ogre Grotto #2

     As had been the case with Kanan Format, maths is a major part of the game. Blue-Eyes White Dragon's statline is near unassailable. 

MAGIC & TRAP

    In comparison to the monsters, the majority of Spells & Traps are poor. The previous post spoke of  the Fusion mechanic and Field Cards, so there's little need to tread old ground. All that needs to be said is that Darkfire Dragon and Fusionist isn't summonable if you play with the Starter Box. 

 

 

 

Firegrass, Petit Dragon and Petit Angel were released in Vol.1 and weren't reprinted for the Starter Box. Also a reminder that Blue-Eyes White Dragon was the cover card for Vol.1.

Now that might not mean anything, but it is food for thought...

 

With that, we will focus on the introduced Magic and Trap Cards that were important to the format. But before we do...

      Our set's healing and burn card in Mooyan Curry and Hinotama. Don't play these unless you're forced to.

   

     As mentioned in the previous post, Dragon Capture Jar is considered the first Continuous Trap in the game. Now did it have a use? The answer is yes: it was the best check to Blue-Eyes White Dragon outside of removing it through effect destruction. As Pegasus did to Kaiba in Duelist Kingdom, Dragon Capture Jar transformed Blue-Eyes from a terrifying juggernaut to a near-impenetrable paperweight in permanent Defense Position. You wouldn't be able to break through easily, but neither could your opponent attack with it. That helped force a stalemate if nothing else.

 

 

 

 

 

    With monster removal existing, it's strange that we haven't talked about backrow removal as well. That's because it didn't exist on game release. It's only with the Starter Box that we receive our first Magic/Trap removal in Remove Trap (罠（わな）はずし Wana Hazushi). As the name states, this is only capable of destroying a single Trap Card. Equip Cards remain powerful and anchored to the monster until it's destroyed. 

    But in a twist, Remove Trap is only capable of destroying Dragon Capture Jar. Since cards Set in the Magic & Trap Zone are unknown, you can't select them with a card specifically designed to destroy Trap Cards. Trap Hole remains untouchable due to this fact. 

    That doesn't make this card useless though. Since it can destroy any Trap Card on the field, you can destroy your own Dragon Capture Jar as well as your opponent's to set the Blue-Eyes free.

 

    Speaking of removal, Two-Pronged Attack (はさみ撃（う）ち Hasami Uchi "Pincer Attack") is the Starter Box's spot removal. To TCG players, this was a trash card that isn't even worth mentioning. This posts says, "Hold it!". Let's remember that this is a format where removal can be considered scarce. Dark Hole/Fissure are both Super Rares in a Vol. pack. Now your parents buy you this Starter Deck, and you see that you received this card that can destroy a monster: are you going to be picky?

    Now imagine that you are in a Duel and your opponent Summons a Blue-Eyes while you control two monsters with this Set. Are you going to say, "This is a bad card, and I don't want it in my Deck"? Or are you going to activate it and remove that Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the game?  

Removal is removal in this era. You aren't taking this out unless there are better cards.

    These cards found use in the early period. With the narrow card pool, you have to work with what you can use to make the best Deck you can. That doesn't mean the Starter Box released with a mediocre Magic/Trap Card lineup. There was one Magic Card that was just as impactful as Blue-Eyes White Dragon on release. One card that continued to impact the Meta long after Blue-Eyes White Dragon was laid to rest.

RAIGEKI

    Raigeki (サンダー・ボルト Sandā Boruto "Thunder Bolt") warped the game in a more impactful way than the rest of its monster removal brothers did. While Dark Hole can destroy the board, it does so with the entire board. All monsters are destroyed regardless of who controls them. Raigeki instead reads as thus: Destroy all of the opponent's monsters.

相（あい）手（て）モンスターをすべて破（は）壊（かい）する。

Aite monsutā o subete hakai suru.

Destroy all of the opponent's monsters.

    Such a simple effect. Such an explosive result. All without Dark Hole's cost to even attempt to balance. Without destroying your own monsters, you can keep an established board and have the ability to deal free battle damage to the opponent. Combined with Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Raigeki allows you the opportunity to deal at least 3000 direct damage. And it was easy to get if you paid for the Starter Box.

CONCLUSION

    The Starter Box could be considered Konami's true release for the Official Card Game. While Vol.1 and Booster 1 had been released beforehand, there was very little support for the actual game beyond rulecards. With the Starter Box, Japanese players finally received the tools needed to play the game during this time. But the seeds for problems arose through the cards Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Raigeki. These seeds, while disruptive, would truly flower and bear their malevolent fruit in the next set.

TL;DR

• Japanese players who either spent or got their parents to spend ¥3780 received a lot of useful things.
• They also got a free and strong Celtic Guardian. Too bad you need to pre-order three times to get three copies!
• Retail players were cheated out of good cards. Konami is terrible!
• Oh! New cards with strong defense! Too bad you can't put them to Defense!!!!
• Wait... Fiend Reflection #2 is solid. Worth using.
• BLUE-EYES!!!!! OMG!!!!! KAIBA!!!!!!!!
  
• Most of these Spells are Trash!
• These Traps su-- *Opponent Summons Blue-Eyes* ACTIVATE! ACTIVATE! OH DEAR GOD ACTIVATE!!!!!
• RAIGEKI!!!!

 (No people or animals were harmed in the making of this tl;dr)