[Dragon/Ritual/Effect]
ATK/1,900 DEF/1,200
You can Ritual Summon this card with “Dark Dragon Ritual”. At the start of the Damage Step, if this card attacks a Defense Position monster: Destroy that monster. You can Tribute this card; Special Summon 1 “Red-Eyes” monster from your hand or Deck. You can only use this effect of “Paladin of Dark Dragon” once per turn.
Paladin of Dark Dragon is a ritual monster from Yu-Gi-Oh!. It is a dragon type monster with 1,900 ATK and 1,200 DEF. This card provides support for Red-Eyes. It requires the ritual spell card of Dark Dragon Ritual for its ritual summon. This ritual monster has two effects to provide quick access to a monster with Red-Eyes in its name.
Ritual Summon:
Paladin of Dark Dragon requires the ritual spell card of Dark Dragon Ritual and a total number of monsters with a combined total of four levels. These requirements have simple conditions. You only need at least one monster of level four and Dark Dragon Ritual. The cost of the ritual summon is two cards at minimum.
In addition, Red-Eyes have a few level four monsters. These monsters are Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight and Red-Eyes Retro Dragon. You may use one of these cards as a tribute for the ritual summon.
However, you must draw Paladin of Dark Dragon and Dark Dragon Ritual in a deck with Red-Eyes. The archetype does not have many cards to search for this particular card. This ritual monster does not have Red-Eyes in its name and most searchers in the archetype only add monsters with Red-Eyes in names to your hand.
Play these cards to ritual summon Paladin of Dark Dragon!
- Dark Dragon Ritual
First Effect:
Paladin of Dark Dragon destroys a monster in defense position during the damage step if this ritual monster attacks the opposing monster in defense position. This effect counters an opponent’s defense. They cannot avoid this ritual monster’s effect.
Therefore, Paladin of Dark Dragon can destroy any monster with a higher DEF than his ATK. You remove the opponent’s defense from the field. Your other monsters have an opportunity to inflict damage if the opponent does not have any other monsters on the field.
Second Effect:
You may tribute Paladin of Dark Dragon to special summon any monster with Red-Eyes from your hand or deck. The best option is your deck because you can save a card in the hand. This effect provides access to many monsters with Red-Eyes from the deck. You have instant access to a key card for your strategy.
In addition, this effect has many options of monsters with Red-Eyes in their names. This effect may special summon monsters such as Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon. You should choose the best monster for the current situation during a duel.
For example, Paladin of Dark Dragon may special summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from the deck. Then, you may use the effect of Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon to special summon Paladin of Dark Dragon from the graveyard. You essentially regain this ritual monster and gain a powerful effect monster with this combo.
Special summon these monsters with Paladin of Dark Dragon!
- Red-Eyes Black Dragon
- Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon
Support:
Paladin of Dark Dragon supports Red-Eyes and gets most of its support from generic cards. This ritual monster does not have Red-Eyes in its name. You need generic cards to search for this ritual monster.
Many generic cards may add this ritual monster from the deck to your hand. Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and Prediction Princess Crystaldine may add Paladin of Dark Dragon from the deck to your hand. These cards provide consistency for this ritual monster. This ritual monster is in the hand for Dark Dragon Ritual.
Play these cards with Paladin of Dark Dragon!
- Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands
- Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon
Better Options:
Red-Eyes has better options than Paladin of Dark Dragon. The archetype has better options to special summon a monster with Red-Eyes in its name from the deck such as Red-Eyes Baby Dragon and The Black Stone of Legend. Both cards are effect monsters and you only need to normal summon them. On the other hand, Paladin of Dark Dragon requires a ritual spell card and at least one monster.
Therefore, competitive and casual decks do not have a lot of incentives to play Paladin of Dark Dragon. You are spending multiple resources with the effect to special summon a monster with Red-Eyes from the deck. You can save space in your deck with three better cards than this ritual monster.
Card Rating:
Overall, Paladin of Dark Dragon is a mediocre card for Red-Eyes. It has the ability to special summon a monster with Red-Eyes in its name from the hand or deck. However, the archetype has much better options. This ritual monster requires resources to play it and other options for the archetype require less resources. Therefore, I only recommend Paladin of Dark Dragon in a casual deck.
Card Rating: 2.0 out of 5.0 stars
