Monster-Cat! A Newbie's Guide to Kinka-byo

Monster-Cat: A Guide to Kinka-byo

Greetings, fellow Duelists! Ceteruler2 here, with my first ever Yu-Gi-Oh! guide! In this article, I’ll be discussing one of my favorite cards and its many uses. Keep in mind, though, that since this is my first guide, I’ll probably make a few mistakes (no matter how much I proof-read). So…dun flame me…plz? Anyway, enjoy!


CONTENTS (Click to jump to each section):
<a href="#down">A. INTRODUCTION TO KINKA</a>
<a href="#down2">B. CARD ANALYSIS/BREAKDOWN</a>)
<a href="#down3">C. HOW TO USE KINKA</a>
<a href="#down4">D. USEFUL CARDS</a>

<a name="down">A. INTRODUCTION TO KINKA</a> (ITK)

Kinka-byo
DARK
Level 1
Beast/Spirit
This card cannot be Special Summoned. This card returns to its owner's hand during the End Phase of the turn it is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up. When this card is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up, you can Special Summon 1 Level 1 monster from your Graveyard. When this card is removed from the field, remove from play that monster.
ATK/ 400 DEF/200

Ok, at first glance, this little kitty seems anything but dangerous; he’s a Level 1 Beast-Type Spirit monster that cannot be Special Summoned, and he returns to your hand during the End Phase of his Normal/Flip Summon. Not very exciting.


But a closer look reveals something else about this tyke: Power. Similar to Moja (another Level 1 terror that I’ll touch on later), there is great power locked away within that tiny frame, a power that is often underestimated and misunderstood.


Let’s start by analyzing his entire body, piece by piece.

<a name="down2">B. CARD ANALYSIS/BREAKDOWN</a>
1. Kinka-byo: This is not an actual Japanese word or name; instead, it is derived from the word “Bakeneko”, meaning "Monster-Cat”. In Japanese folklore, a bakeneko is a cat endowed with supernatural powers that haunts the household it is kept in. According to the legends, it creates ghostly fireballs, menaces sleepers, and is not above eating its own mistress and taking her form through shapeshifting or mimicry. They are even supposed to be able to revive a fresh corpse simply by jumping over it! O_o Creepy…


2. DARK: Ahhh DARK…One of the two most supported Attributes in the game (if you don’t know what the other one is, we may have a problem…), sporting monsters like the mighty Dark Armed Dragon, the mysterious Armageddon Knight, and the aged-but-ever-useful Mystic Tomato, as well as Spells/Traps like Dark Eruption, Escape from the Dark Dimension, and the much-feared Crush Card Virus. Yes, this little kitty has some big friends…

3. Card art: This image seems to depict a demon sealed away inside an innocent-looking form…Hmm, sounds kinda like a certain anime/manga I know…Nah, probably doesn’t matter. Forget I said anything. *Hypnotizes with Sharingan*

4. Level 1: Aww, our Kinka’s only Level 1?! That means he’s useless...Or does it? There are plenty of powerful cards that sport this minute badge: Battle Fader, Cyber Valley, D.D. Crow, Destiny Hero - Disk Commander, Effect Veiler, Fishborg Blaster, Glow-Up Bulb, Infernity Avenger, Kuriboh, Moja, and Spore are only a few of them. Let’s not count him out based on Level alone…


5½. Beast: Unlike his DARK Attribute, having a Beast-Type is not the best thing that could have happened to our little bakenko, as Beast-Types do not have the best support cards out there. There are, however, some good ones, with monsters such as Chain Dog, Egotistical Ape, Key Mouse, Lock Cat, Rescue Cat (banned ), and Super-Nimble Mega Hamster, and Spells/Traps like Beast Soul Swap, Closed Forest, Horn of the Phantom Beast, and Wild Nature’s Release. Having a Beast-Type also means that Kinka will not fit into every Deck, but that’s true about all but a few cards anyway.

5½. Spirit: Now while it’s true that Spirits have VERY little support…Kinka doesn’t need it! Much like the way the Spirit Monsters Asura Priest (quick multi-monster beater), Gundari (Spirit brother of Neo-Spacian Grand Mole that only returns Synchro Monsters), Inaba White Rabbit (quick poke for direct damage), Otohime (summonable Zero Gravity that affects only your opponent), Tsukuyomi (summonable Book of Moon that was banned for obvious reasons) and Yata-Garasu (summonable nightmare that locks
away your opponent’s next Draw Phase when it inflicts damage; also banned) were/are used, we will use Kinka in a pop-in-pop-out way that doesn’t require him to stay on the field; in fact, we want him to return to our hand! Why? To use him again of course!

6. This card cannot be Special Summoned. This card returns to its owner's hand during the End Phase of the turn it is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up. When this card is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up, you can Special Summon 1 Level 1 monster from your Graveyard. When this card is removed from the field, remove from play that monster: Ok, like every Spirit monster, Kinka’s effect is quite a mouthful. Let’s break it down:

• This card cannot be Special Summoned:
Unfortunately, like with (almost) every Spirit monster, our little bakeneko MUST be Normal Summoned or Set; he can’t be Special Summoned from the Deck, hand, Graveyard, or RFG (Removed from Game) through any means. Not Call of the Haunted, not Monster Reborn, not Super-Nimble Mega Hamster, not Escape from the Dark Dimension. Not even Junk Synchron (another small fry with an eye for the little guys) can help him out here, as this is a Summon Condition and not an effect, and as such, cannot be negated by Junk Synchron’s effect.

• This card returns to its owner’s hand during the End Phase of the turn it is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Ahh, the trademark of the Spirit monsters: during the End Phase of their Summon or flip, they return to your hand (from the field ONLY; I’ve played some ignorant folks in my time…). Unlike their Summon Condition, this is an EFFECT and can be negated or circumvented with cards like Dimensionhole, Forbidden Chalice, Future Visions, and Skill Drain, to name a few. Pretty standard; nothing to see here. Or is there? Looking more closely, we see that the monster returns to the owner’s hand…this means that if your Spirit monster somehow ended up under your opponent’s control, you would get it back during the End Phase (as long as they didn’t tribute it or use it for a Synchro Summon). This is an important clue as to the use of Kinka; remember it.

• When this card is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up,
you can Special Summon 1 Level 1 monster from your Graveyard. When this card is removed from the field, remove from play that monster: This. This is
what makes Kinka so special. While his effect is similar to those of the Tuners Alien Ammonite, Blackwing – Blizzard of the Far North, Black Salvo, Debris Dragon, and Junk Synchron, each of which Special Summons a monster from your Graveyard at their Normal Summoning, there are some differences.
o Kinka can only summon a Level 1 monster.
o Unlike Alien Ammonite, the monster is not destroyed during the End Phase; instead, it is removed from play when Kinka leaves the field.
o Unlike Blackwing – Blizzard of the Far North, the monster can be summoned in Attack OR Defense Position, leaving it free to attack your opponent. Why would you want to attack with a Level 1 monster? You’ll see…
o Unlike Black Salvo, Debris Dragon, and Junk Synchron, the monster Special Summoned by Kinka does not have its effect(s) negated. This can be very useful, for reasons I’ll explain later.

• 7. ATK/ 400 DEF/ 200: Really nothing to say here. He's immune to Trap Hole and Bottomless Trap Hole...

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s move on to the fun stuff: how to use our little demon!

<a name="down3">C. HOW TO USE KINKA<a/>
Now that we’ve learned about Kinka’s body, let’s talk about how to use his abilities. There are a multitude of Level 1 monsters that can be combined with our bakeneko for some major profit. I’ll list some below:

• Kinka + any Level 1 Tuner: Using Kinka to revive a Level 1 Tuner can lead to some quick Synchro Summon combos, especially because of Kinka’s effect ruling. You see, Kinka’s effect that removes the Special Summoned monster from play only activates if Kinka leaves the field with the summoned monster still on the field. So if they both leave the field at the same time (due to a Synchro or Tribute Summon), both are sent to the graveyard as normal! Understanding this reveals numerous combos that can be used: Majestic Star Dragon, which requires 1 Majestic Dragon, 1 non-Tuner, and 1 Stardust Dragon, can now be easily summoned by reviving a Majestic Dragon while you have a Stardust Dragon on your field, and using Kinka as the non-Tuner Material! The same combo applies to Majestic Red Dragon too!

• Kinka + Copycat: Ahh Copycat! Where have you been? Anyway, reviving Copycat successfully will allow you to copy the ATK/DEF of 1 of your opponent’s monsters. You can then use Copycat in a ram/kamikaze attack against that monster to remove a potential threat, as well as place it back in the grave for another go next turn! Just be careful of Magical Cylinder…

• Kinka + Cyber Valley: By reviving Cyber Valley and removing it and Kinka from play, you get to draw 2 cards. This combo is usually not advised except as a last-ditch move, because it removes Kinka from play (a place from where he is very hard to retrieve) but in certain Decks it can be used more often…I guess.

• Kinka + Destiny Hero - Disk Commander: This combo was very successful in its time, and probably contributed to Disk Commander’s being Banned in the Advanced Format. Bring it back, draw 2 cards…it was great…and broken.

• Kinka + Effect Veiler: This card is not used exclusively with Kinka, but it might as well be. A Level 1 Tuner that can send ITSELF to the Graveyard to be revived later is too good to pass up…

• Kinka + Fortune Lady Light: This is the combo where Kinka is most often used. When Fortune Lady Light is revived, then removed from play during the End Phase by Kinka’s effect, her own effect goes off, allowing you to bring out another Fortune Lady from your Deck (like Fortune Lady Fire to punish your opponent andremove a threat) as well as set up for a Fortune’s Favor play on your next turn. This is one of the few combos (maybe the only one) where you actually WANT the summoned monster to be removed from play.

• Kinka + Jurrac Aeolo: This is another combo that’s been on the rise for a while. By reviving Aeolo and then Tributing it for its effect, you can bring out a better Jurrac from your Graveyard (like Jurrac Dino for a potential 2 cards during the End Phase, or Jurrac Guaiba to bring out another Jurrac from your Deck once it destroys an opponent’s monster), then get back your Kinka for another combo next turn!

• Kinka + Key Mouse: Key Mouse is a very good choice to use with Kinka, for not only can it sniff out a Kinka from your Deck upon its destruction (by battle), it’s a Level 1 Tuner that can be revived by the same Kinka it just searched for! This combo can lead to a quick Synchro Summon as early as 1 turn after Kinka was added to your hand!

• Kinka + Moja: Moja is another tiny terror that I mentioned earlier; when it is destroyed by battle, it can bring a Level 4 Beast-type monster back from
your graveyard to your hand. Combining it with Kinka lets its other effect (which lets you Tribute its Level 1, 100 ATK body from your field to Special Summon a Level 7, 2500 ATK monster from your hand or Graveyard) go off…again and again.

• Kinka + Mystic Piper: This is a fantastic combo that can be reused many times as a draw engine in the right Decks. By reviving Piper, then Tributing it
for its effect, you can avoid its removal, get it back into the Graveyard, get a free card, AND get your Kinka back! In the right Decks, this combo can have a Pot-of-Greed-esque effect, allowing you to draw up to 2 cards each turn (unlike the common misconception, you CANNOT keep drawing after the second card, even if you drew another Level 1 monster).

• Kinka + Red-Eyes Black Chick: An interesting combo, if not that useful considering the fact that you’d only be able to use it 3 times (not counting Pot of Avarice or some other recycling card). In my opinion, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon makes this combo somewhat obsolete.

• Kinka + Substitoad: Another combo that was often considered broken, and then really was broken (broken up, that is) when Substitoad was Banned in the Advanced Format. By reviving Substitoad, then tributing it, one could bring out Frogs from the Deck each turn with ease, not even needing the Normal Summon taken up by Kinka…shudder…

There are more combos with Kinka that I have not listed here (I’ll list a few more in my next section) There’s probably some I haven’t even thought of, so let me know, and I might put them in this Guide!

Now for our last section!

<a name="down4">D. USEFUL CARDS<a/>
You’d probably laugh at me if I told you how long it took me to realize that the section code above said UFC, so I’ll leave it alone…

Anyway, this section is for useful cards that can be used to create combos with Kinka and make using him easier. As with the previous section, if you guys come up with some clever cards that are just too good to pass up, let me know and I’ll stick ‘em in!

And now to the actual cards:

• Imperial Iron Wall: Just about every Kinka user should at least Side this card, as it prevents your revived monsters from being removed from play when Kinka leaves the field. The only downside is that it leaves the revived monster high and dry on your field…weak…and alone…so be careful using it.

• Formula Synchron: Another card that most Kinka users should use. It’s easily summoned with Kinka and any Level 1 Tuner and nets you a free draw, as well as setting up for another potential Synchro Summon. While it is useful, its Summon should be used strategically, as it places our Kinka in the Graveyard where he is virtually useless to us (notice I said “virtually” and not “completely”. See the next point to see what I’m talking about…)

• Chaos Sorcerer: A frequently used card nowadays, it can be easily summoned by removing 1 LIGHT monster and 1 Kinka from your Graveyard. While some may balk at removing the precious bakenko, Kinka shouldn’t really be in the Graveyard in the first place, so go ahead and use him (wisely) to get closer to your victory. Used at the right time (such as
after a Formula Synchron summon with Effect Veiler, Sunny Pixie , Buten, or some of the Fabled Tuners, or when you’re swinging for game and just don’t need that Mystic Piper anymore) this card can be devastating to your opponent. Besides, you ARE using two Kinkas…aren’t you??

• Creature Swap: This card may very well be Kinka’s bestest friend in the whole wide world! By summoning Kinka (you don’t HAVE to use its effect) and playing Creature Swap, you’ve just given your opponent a useless monster (that may return to you in the End Phase if you used Kinka), and taken one of theirs! Imagine using this on your opponent’s Great Shogun Shien, a Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En that has already negated one of your cards, or a Scrap Dragon! Wipe that drool from your lips…

• Grave Squirmer: A great card, though slightly situational. When it’s destroyed by battle, it destroys 1 card on the field, so you can set this, watch your opponent destroy it and lose a card, then bring it back next turn, Creature Swap it, and destroy it to pop another card!

• Scrap Dragon: Even though it’s slower than using say Level Eater, reviving a monster to destroy with this card’s effect can be quite useful.

• Foolish Burial: The Graveyard nowadays is sometimes nothing more than another Deck that you can’t draw from. This one is a no-brainer, and should be in your Deck already.

• The Transmigration Prophecy: On the off chance that Kinka ends up in the Graveyard and you can’t be ars- er, bothered to wait for a Chaos Sorcerer, use this return Kinka and 1 other card from either Graveyard to the Deck(s).

Well, that’s all I have for now, folks! If you think of another section you think I should add onto this guide, or you come up with a great combo or an extremely useful card that I haven’t listed, please let me know and I might add it into the guide and credit you!

Ceteruler2, signing out!

(Image credit: yugioh.wikia.com)