Lesson 21: About Wind-up Zenmaines

FuturisticBlowStuffUpTechnology“2 Level 3 monsters
If this face-up card on the field would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card instead. Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this effect was used this turn: Target 1 card on the field; destroy it.”

Wind-Up Zenmaines is a Rank 3 Xyz Monster made of any 2 Level 3 monsters, like Number 17: Leviathan Dragon and Leviair the Sea Dragon, but Zenmaines is more of a defensive powerhouse, like Gachi Gachi Gantetsu. With a hefty 2100 DEF, Zenmaines can stand up to a lot of monsters in battle, like Cyber Dragon and Gladiator Beast Laquari. Zenmaines is hard to destroy, and his effect makes it even harder!

Whenever Wind-Up Zenmaines would be destroyed, you can detach one Xyz Material instead, just like Gachi Gachi Gantetsu. So if your opponent can destroy Zenmaines, it can still protect itself. But unlike Gantetsu, this card has another ability that’ll make your opponent wonder if he should even try.

If Wind-Up Zenmaines’ protective ability is used, you can destroy any card on the field during the End Phase. Zenmaines is a walking landmine that punishes your opponent for provoking it. If your opponent tries to touch it they’ll have one of their cards blow up at the end of the turn! Your opponent will either leave it alone, or frantically launch a giant assault on it to try and destroy it before it can explode their cards (since its effect won’t activate if it leaves the field).

A cool combo is to use this card with Scrap Dragon. Select this card and one of your opponent’s cards to be destroyed by Scrap Dragon. Wind-Up Zenmaines won’t be destroyed, and then during the End Phase, Zenmaines will destroy another card! This way, you don’t even have to wait for your opponent to try to destroy it.

If you’re playing a Wind-Up Deck, then during the End Phase, when you destroy a card with Wind-Up Zenmaines’ effect, you’ll be able to search your Deck for a Wind-Up monster with Wind-Up Factory. Combo it with Call of the Haunted during the End Phase to Special Summon Wind-Up Magician, use Zenmaines’ ability, then Special Summon another monster with Magician! Then during your turn, you can Summon more Wind-Ups, activate their effects, and Xyz Summon some more!

Wind-Up Zenmaines isn’t just for Wind-Up Decks, though! A Deck running Tour Guide from the Underworld can Summon this card easily, by searching out another Tour Guide or Sangan. But even without Tour Guide, there are heaps of Level 3 Monsters you can use to Summon this card. The Agent of Creation – Venus, T.G. Warwolf, and Genex Ally Birdman are 3 commonly used Level 3 Monsters, and you can combine any 2 of them to bring out Zenmaines.

As more and more Xyz Monsters appear, Duelists will have to make tougher choices when building their Extra Deck. Wind-Up Zenmaines will surely be a top contender for Extra Deck space, and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of this card in the future