Clash of the Titans: Dragoon versus Phoenix Enforcer

A little more than a year ago, hit the TCG after being printed in the 2020 Mega Tin. It proved to be the go-to boss monster that most decks included for additional protection and for getting rid of problematic cards. Fast forward to the release of Burst of Destiny this year. Dragoon's throne as the undisputed king of the extra deck has come under immense threat from a new rival, . Both cards are quite similar yet vastly different. Which is the better card, and why? Let's explore both cards from every angle to find out which one suits your deck more.

Round One: Fusion Spells

Both monsters can be fusion summoned via a single semi-generic spell card with materials resting in hand or deck. is the first of the two cards. It can summon any Red-Eyes fusion monster as long as you have the correct materials in your hand, deck, or field. Its drawback is that you cannot normal or special summon any other monsters afterward.

Its counterpart, is a generic fusion card for Destiny HERO monsters. It cannot fusion summon from field, relying only on the presence of materials in the deck and/or hand. Similar to Red-Eyes Fusion, it has a couple of drawbacks. The first is that the summoned monster is destroyed at the end of the opponent's next turn, while the second drawback is that you can only summon Dark HERO monsters afterward.

In terms of flexibility, both are on par as generally the materials won't be on the field anyway. In terms of restriction, generally they will be activated to perform your turn's final summon, which doesn't hinder your plays at all. Although Fusion Destiny forces you to destroy the monster it summoned eventually, Enforcer can play around this due its own effect. Therefore, the score is a tie for this round.

Round Two: The Anaconda

Just like the first round, this one will end in a tie as well. is a powerful extra monster that can "imitate" any fusion spell for the mere cost of 2,000 life points. Both Red-Eyes Fusion and Fusion Destiny are legal targets for its effect. Other than that, Verte makes it easier for you to access the aforementioned fusion cards as it sends them from deck to graveyard. You can even get away with playing a single copy if your deck space is too tight. Verte's drawback is that you cannot special summon monsters for the rest of this turn. However, it is usually going to be your last summon anyway, therefore it doesn't really make a difference here.

Accordingly, we have another tie for round two!

Round Three: Materials

This is where things get a bit interesting. In general, you want to make using and . The Red-Eyes Black Dragon can be substituted with any other dragon monster. However, this will end up limiting Dragoon's burn effect to once per turn only—assuming the other dragon used for the fusion summon is not a normal monster. The problem with using Dark Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon is that they are cards that do not advance your game state in any way, and you would be very happy if you never drew them as you can't even play them from your hand without tributing two monsters. You hope that the materials will remain in your deck until you successfully send them to the graveyard to use them for the intended fusion summon.

On the other hand, the required materials for are one level six or higher HERO monster plus one Destiny HERO monster. Just look at the pool of HERO monsters we have available! However, more often than not, the materials will end up being and . If forced to summon it, Celestial can destroy an opponent's face-up spell card on attack before inflicting 500 points of burn damage. Though it sees play for its second effect. Except the turn it was sent to the graveyard, you can banish it along with any other Destiny HERO monster to draw two cards if you have no cards in your hand. Everyone likes free draws and Fusion Destiny simply sets you up for it.

Moving on to Dasher, its graveyard effect helps you extend your plays. When you draw a monster card during your draw phase, you can reveal it and special summon it. Dasher can even be substituted for something like to help you extend your plays.

As we see from the above, the materials of Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer can make a huge impact as opposed to those of Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon. The difference in utility and versatility is just huge. Therefore, the winner in this case is—by a landslide— the Phoenix Enforcer.

Round Four: Clash of Titans

Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the main event, the clash of the titans! Let us break down the differences in the two cards themselves now and leave breaking boards for later. The first difference is that out of the two, only Dragoon cannot be destroyed or targeted with card effects. Enforcer loses this round instantly as it doesn't have any kind of on-field protection effect. Combine that with Dragoon's higher attack and Dragoon instantly seems like the perfect package. It is true that Enforcer causes your opponent's monsters to lose 200 attack for each HERO monster in the graveyard, but at 2,500 attack, it is still not comparable to Dragoon's 3,000 attack points. Dragoon can also boost its attack, making this comparison as well unfair for the Enforcer.

Moving on, both monsters can destroy cards on the field, though they do things differently. Dragoon can only destroy monsters—via an ignition effect that is coupled with 1,000 points of burn damage, usable up to twice per turn, depending on the materials employed to summon it. Enforcer on the other hand can destroy one card from either side of the field—emphasis on card, not monster—as a quick effect. Therefore, except for its quick-effect negation (which requires a discard) Dragoon is actually worse the Enforcer during the opponent's turn. Enforcer can destroy itself and return during the next standby phase or it can pop something else such as for example. Popping Scythe would actually accomplish more than a single negate as it deprives the opponent of using the extra deck for an entire turn. Scythe is just an example as there are many other cards that benefit from being destroyed.

To summarize, as stand-alone monsters, Dragoon is much better than Enforcer and, in my opinion, deserves to win this final round. In the end this leaves both monsters at a tie. It really all depends. Dragoon is stronger, but Enforcer is probably more versatile as a total package. Whichever you feel helps your deck better should be the right choice. You need a negate and feel like you can afford the discard? Then Dragoon is the one for you. Do you need to pop your cards or feel like the Destiny HERO monsters in your graveyard will help your deck? Then Enforcer is the right pick for you.

Which do you think is the better of the two, both looking at the monster by itself and the full package? Is there a certain one that benefits your deck more than the other? Share your thoughts with everyone in the comment section below!

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