Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer ———————————————— Once per turn, if you have a card in your other Pendulum Zone: You can destroy that card, and if you do, add 1 card from your Deck to your hand, with the same name as that card. ———————————————— Cannot Special Summon Fusion, Synchro or Xyz Monsters using this card as a Material, except "Dracoslayer" monsters. ———————————————— Can Be Found In: Clash of Rebellions (CORE-EN025), Premium Gold: Infinite Gold (PGL3-EN055)
Dracoslayers are a small group of monsters than mainly work as support involving Pendulum setups. Convering most Extra Deck summons on their own, they sinergize with other Pendulum Monsters to work arround their setups with ease. From default archetype that can work along with like Dinomist and Igknight to other builds that even work with a minimum number of Pendulum Monsters, even with the debut of Link Monsters slowing down Pendulum Summons Dracoslayers still work perfectly assisting other monsters as well the few of their own.
"Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer" is the member that moves the entire archetype and other Pendulum Monsters forward with a simple yet reliable ability. While as a monster and a Tuner restricts its purpose as material only towards Dracoslayers (Unless for a Link Summon), "Luster Pendulum" main function will come from residing a Pendulum Zone. If there's another card in our Pendulum Zone while "Luster Pendulum" is on his own, we can destroy the former to look for another copy of that same card to add in our hand. At first might seem that replacing a card with a copy of itself doesn't provide much benefits beyond thinning our Deck, but the possibilities arround this ability along the mechanics involving Pendulum Monsters makes "Luster Pendulum" a powerful combo card that got added in the banlist (Limited in OCG and Semi-Limited in TCG) to restrict its many functions depending of the Deck he's fitted in.
No matter the banlist you're playing with, "Luster Pendulum" obtains great support from several sources to become available as fast as possible. Dracoslayers can start a Duel with "Draco Face-Off", giving us the opportunity to obtain "Luster Pendulum" or a Dracoverlord on the board (As a monster or in a Pendulum Zone) while the other is sent to the Extra Deck for a later summon. Otherwise some of the Dracoslayers' strongest members will bring him out under certain conditions, like by the defeat of "Master Peace, the True Dracoslayer" or "Ingnister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer" summoning him from the Deck by restricting our Synchro Summons in return. If not by his own archetype, "Duelist Alliance" will easily search for "Luster Pendulum" as soon we have a card occupying a Pendulum Zone to work along with. Finally, while we can always summon "Luster Pendulum" from the Extra Deck later on, due his main use comes from being in the Pendulum Zone might be preferable to use effects like "Heavymetalfoes Electrum" or "Pendulum Paradox" to bring it back in our hand from our Extra Deck.
While as a monster has powerful Dracoslayers and Link Monsters to work as material for, "Luster Pendulum" main function comes from its searching ability. Obtaining a new copy of the card that destroys goes far beyond from deck thinning, and the outcomes will heavily vary of the targets we will provide "Luster Pendulum" with. By default, the mere fact that we dispose a Pendulum Monster to the Extra Deck while keeping Scales on our Zones assures a Pendulum Summon right from the start of a Duel, and combined with other summons even if is Normal Summon we are more than ready for some big setups by this outcome. Some of them will even interact with their own copies, like "Archfiend Eccentrick" bringing her own copies to destroy a monster while the one in the Pendulum Zone will deal with a Spell or Trap. In some other cases we will be able to trigger effects by simply Pendulum Summon them, like the Majespecter archetype obtaining benefits from their arrival even if they summon their own copies by the outcome of "Luster Pendulum". But if is not preparing Extra Deck interactions with the copies of the target card it will reset effects to be used atleast twice in a turn, like Metalfoes monster replacing our cards with their own or "Master Pendulum, the Dracoslayer" destroying atleast two Pendulum Zone cards even if is himself to clear a spot. Remember that the card we obtain by "Luster Pendulum" will stay in our hand as long as we want to, so we can prioritize other Pendulum Monsters instead of aiming for the mentioned interactions.
"Luster Pendulum" covers several Extra Deck summons as a Pendulum and Tuner Monster despite his limitations to only work towards other Dracoslayers. But what made this card stand out even outside his archetype is the several benefits that provides to Pendulum Monsters, almost making him a staple choice for any Deck that works arround those monsters. Many potential targets will work with the new copy that we obtain by this ability, ranging from a simple Pendulum Summon to stacking their effects together. Some archetypes like Metalfoes and Majespecter will speed up their gameplay as they fuel the Extra Deck. And the mere fact that we can reset some effects to use them several times in a turn will give us a big lead in several aspects. This clearly makes "Luster Pendulum" a card that is limited to work in the Pendulum Zone for his searching effect, as due the limitations in a material role and a Scale that will solely benefit (mostly) Level 4 monsters reduces his uses to a searcher and combo enabler. But as long we have a Pendulum Zone free to place him on and several Pendulum Monsters to work along with "Luster Pendulum" is a powerful choice even with the Extra Monster Zone severely affecting his own kind.
Personal Rating: A
+ Replaces a card in the other Pendulum Zone with another copy to add in our hand + Well supported despite his limitations as material + Several benefits and interactions arround certain themes and the copies of the Pendulum Monsters will work with
- Can only work as Extra Deck material of Dracoslayers and Link Monsters - Will be reduced to using his searching effect and nothing else - His Scale is only helpful to very specific Levels