Lesson 19: How to Get Around Herald of Perfection

There are 2 versions of the deadly Herald of Perfection Deck that you’re really likely to see in a tournament. The first uses Dawn of the Herald for its Ritual Summons, while the other plays Advanced Ritual Art.
The differences between the 2 Decks are vast, but they have 1 thing in
common; an iron-fisted grip that controls the Duel once Herald of Perfection hits the field. With 2800 DEF and an effect that lets its controller negate Spells, Traps, and monster effects, Herald of Perfection can be almost impossible to play around once it’s Summoned.

Here are some tactics you can use to battle back against this fearsome monster!


One way to play around Herald of Perfection is to keep it off the field.


Herald of Perfection is really tough once it’s
Summoned, but there are several cards that you can use to stop your
opponent from Summoning it in the first place. Your opponent’s Ritual
Spell can’t resolve unless they have their Ritual Monster in-hand. So
when your opponent activates Advanced Ritual Art or Dawn of the Herald, Chain Mind Crush and declare “Herald of Perfection”. Your opponent will have to discard every copy of the Herald from his hand, leaving nothing to Summon. Trap Dustshoot is a similar card that can send a single Herald back to your opponent’s Deck.

Cards that prevent Special Summoning will also keep Herald out of play, so Vanity’s Fiend and Vanity’s Ruler can shut down the Herald Duelist’s plans. Better yet, Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell
can shut out Ritual Summons permanently: it’s a Counter Trap that lets
you discard a Spell Card to negate an opposing Spell. Then, your
opponent can’t activate the same Spell Card for the rest of the Duel.
If you negate Advanced Ritual Art or Dawn of the Herald once, your opponent won’t be able to play them again.


Some Continuous Effects can negate Herald of Perfection’s effect.


Herald of Perfection has 2800 DEF, but without its negation effect,
it’s really not so tough. If you can shut down its ability you can
power through it with basic cards like Smashing Ground and Brain Control, or get rid of it with Synchro Monsters like Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier or Ally of Justice Catastor. Skill Drain and Light-Imprisoning Mirror will both negate Herald of Perfection’s effect, and you can play them in lots of different Decks. Or, if you’ve got the monsters to Tribute, you can Summon Angel O7. Its Continuous Effect stops monster effects from being activated, and its 2500 ATK can end a Duel in just a few turns.


Certain Counter Traps will negate Herald’s effect and destroy it!


Caption: Herald of Perfection’s ability is a Quick
Effect, meaning it works at Spell Speed 2. Counter Traps are faster –
they’re Spell Speed 3 – so Herald’s effect can’t negate them. Some
Decks, like Gladiator Beasts and Koa’ki Meiru, have exclusive Counter
Traps that can negate Herald’s effect for free. Other Decks can play Divine Wrath, a simple Counter Trap that lets you discard a card to negate a monster’s effect and destroy it. Just watch out forRoyal Decree – it negates Trap Cards, and it’s a popular choice for Herald Duelists.


Send Herald of Perfection to a fiery demise!


Most of the time when you Tribute a monster, that monster has to be
on your side of the field. But a couple actually let you Tribute
opposing monsters to Special Summon them to your opponent’s side of the
field, and Herald of Perfection can’t stop them! Though giving your opponent a high-ATK monster may not seem like a good idea, it’s way easier to destroy Volcanic Queen or Lava Golem than it is to destroy the Herald.

There are a lot of ways to stop Herald of Perfection,
and you won’t need them all. Try them out, and find which ones work
best for your strategy and personal Dueling style. With the right
tactics, you’ll be able to outplay one of the toughest cards in the
game!