General description:
Non-Spellcasting Area....in the current metagame with cards like Cyber Dragon and D.D. Assailant running rampant, this card doesn't get to see too much play time. However, if you run any kind of Normal or Non-Effect monster, this is a definate staple in your deck.
Uses:
What kind of non-effect monster could this card be helpful with? Some of the biggest monsters with the most support like Dark Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon. But the monster this card goes great with would be one of my personal favorites: Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
Strategies and game play:
There's not a whole lot of strategy involved in using Non-Spellcasting Area, just make sure you protect it against spell destroyers like MST, Heavy Storm, and Dust Tornado. Magic Reflector comes to mind, although it's somewhat situational. The biggest way to protect this card though might probably be with the double-duty Judgement of Anubis, but that doesn't protect it against cards like Breaker or Dust Tornado.
Combos with other cards:
This card best combos well with Blue-Eyes White Dragon, more specifically with Burst Stream of Destruction! Usually the Burst Stream would disable a BEWD from attacking that turn, but if you have Non-Spellcasting Area on the field when you activate Burst Stream you've just cleared the way for a 3000atk power smasher! Unfortunately this card doesn't let REBD attack the same turn Inferno Fire Blast is played however due to the wording on IFB.
Also, Non-Spellcasting Area works against stall decks as well. With more and more stall decks using Level Limit - Area B, Messenger of Peace, and Swords of Revealing Light, your Normal monsters act like those spells aren't even on the field! This fact about Stumbling let's it combo very well with Non-Spellcasting Area in your own deck, and even better in a normal Dragon deck with Dragon's Rage.
Another good combo with this card would have to be Dark Hole. With Non-Spellcasting Area active, Dark Hole acts like a Raigeki....who doesn't like that?
Ways to counteract it:
With the rise of Horus and Silent Swordsman, there are definately ways to counteract a continuous spell card (not necessarily destroy, just counter). Also, if you run this card in a deck full of normal monsters, this won't save you against traps and monster effects like Torrential Tribute or Cyber Jar.
Strengths/Pros:
Whether you run a non-effect fusion monster like Black Skull Dragon or a non-effect ritual monster like The Masked Beast, Non-Spellcasting Area makes ANY non-effect monster a power house with the right support considering most decks use more spells to destroy monsters than trap or monster effects.
Weaknesses/Cons:
Being a continuous spell card, it's prone to cards like Breaker, MST, Heavy Storm, Dust Tornado, and Giant Trunade.
Variations:
There's only one variation of this card but it has been released in two different sets. The Dark Crisis release and the Dark Revelation 1 release. In both sets, this was a common card which makes it very easy to pull 3 out of about 6 boosters! (on the average, depending on the set of the booster)
Artwork and aesthetics:
I'd say the artwork is pretty symbolic....a Gemini Elf in the middle of a Dark Hole safe and sound while the bunch of goblins from the Goblin Attack Force card are at the mercy of the Hole....that's pretty cool
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Overall rating:
Considering the unbanning of Dark Hole and the many useful and crippling combos with this card, I'd have to give it a 8/10