by in
The molten monstrosity known as Lava Golem (LG) in Yugioh! is among the most iconic villain monsters used in the manga and anime. A very memorable card with a very menacing effect. Many players have been brought to their knees by this magmatic monster. And even though this monster was released in 2002/2003, it still sees play in some builds. Let’s learn more about LG.
Removal Ability
Lava Golem have has a few nasty abilities that have earned it a considerable reputation. Firstly, this card features one of the best removal effects in the game: Tribute. You see, there are loads of monsters out there with effects that make them nearly impossible to remove. Towers cards like Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon or Lunalight Liger Dancer or battle impervious monsters like Egyptian God Slime are difficult bodies to overcome. These cards offer great protection, as they cannot be targeted by card effects, cannot be destroyed by card effects, and cannot be destroyed by battle. But, LG stops them in their tracks.
LG’s effect allows you to Special Summon it to your opponent’s side of the Field by Tributing two of their monsters. This means LG has a removal effect is neither targets nor destroys, which bypasses the protection of Towers. This ability was later passed onto the Kaiju monsters, which are also still played just for their removal ability. But, that’s not all LG can do.
TOrture Technique
The other effect that makes LG such a feared card is its burn damage effect. You see, you summon this big guy to your opponent’s Field, forcing your opponent to keep it. Its secondary effect inflicts 1000 points of damage to its controller during each of their Standby Phases. This slow burn torture eats away at your opponent’s LPs. And if they can’t get rid of the golem, it can quickly overwhelm them. That’s what make this card a perfect device for one of Yugioh!’s most sadistic villains, Marik Ishtar.
Marik’s Monster
Marik Ishtar, wielder of the Millennium Rod, was a twisted and tortured soul. He enjoyed making others suffer. And, lo! and behold, one of his most trusted monsters was Lava Golem! He used LG against Joey Wheeler in a gruesome duel. Marik trapped Joey inside LG’s steel cage, torturing him with the golem’s intense heat. And this duel directly influenced the all-new LG retrain: The Sun God’s Steelcage – Lava Golem! This new LG is part of a new archetype called “Sun God” which centers around cards that Marik used, like Gil Garth, Viser Des, and The Winged Dragon of Ra. In the artwork for the new LG Fusion Monster, you can see LG squeezing Jinzo and Baby Dragon in its fists, just like it did when Marik summoned it against Joey.
Give this mean, molten, magmatic monster a try in your next deck, and see just how malicious it can be!
