E-Ava's Guide to [Trap] Monsters - Part II

Decided to play Trap Monsters after reading Part I? Interested to know more about this obscure Deck type? If yes, then good! It's time for the members of the Trap Monsters Force to be introduced!

As a note, Trap Monsters are quite diverse, some of them are meant to be used in their own Deck(s), and there are some that generally suck. That's why the recommended numbers will be omitted, and only the more notable ones would be deeply explored. Experiment and see what and how many works for your Deck!

Without further adieu, welcome the Pink - Err... Purpl - Wait. There's a Purple Faction already... Umm...
...
Welcome the Amethyst Faction!

The Main Trap Monsters:
These are, in my opinion, the better Trap Monsters in a sense that they're the most versatile ones and can be used in almost any build. I highly advise you to use them. You can still build a Trap Monster deck without them if you feel like not using them if you can make it work, it's all are up to you.


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Metal Reflect Slime
Trap | Continuous  <=>  WATER / Aqua / Effect
Level 10 / ATK 0 / DEF 3000

Effect: 
This card cannot attack.

Usage:
This Trap Monster can be a great wall in your Duels, having a solid 3000 DEF to boot. It can be almost invincible with Mound of the Bound Creator face-up. Also, this monster has the blessing of being a Level 10, thus can be overlaid into a mighty Rank 10 Xyz Monster. Its effect is not too important, since it only has 0 ATK anyway. Great card overall, I highly recommend you to use it.
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Zoma the Spirit

Trap / Continuous <=> DARK / Zombie / Effect
Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 500

Effect:
If this card is destroyed by battle: Your opponent takes damage by the amount of ATK of the monster that destroyed it.

Usage:
Quite powerful, and one of my favorite Trap Monster thanks to its effect and of course, Bakura. This guy can win you games if you use its effect right. Due to its position upon summon being restricted, the best way to summon and still keep this card to utilize is by Summoning it on opponent's End Phase. This way, you can switch its position next turn and use it as a beater or ram it into your opponent's stronger monster to harshly burn your opponent... Or you can just use this card as a dynamite shield against your opponent! It's also Level 4, which means it can be overlaid to Xyz from the diverse Rank 4 pool.

Just Trivia:
"Zoma" might be a pun on the word "Soma" which means "Body" in biological terminologies. This means that this card's name can also be called "Body the Spirit" or if you call it by the manga name (Ghost of Zoma), it'd become "Ghost of Body", ringing an ectoplasm vibe. Very fitting, as this is Bakura's card.
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Tiki Curse

Trap / Continuous <=> DARK / Rock / Effect
Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1000

Effect:
If a Trap Monster you control (Except this one) battles an opponent's monster: Destroy that opponent's monster after damage calculation.

Usage:
The first explicit Trap Monster support, and one of the better ones currently. This monster essentially turns other Trap Monsters you control into action bombs. It has a decent 1800 ATK to beat things with its stick, is a Level 4, and can create a scary chain reaction if you control 2 of them and an Imperial Custom. Oh, and this hazard works well with Zoma, enabling OTKs in some cases. Recommended in all builds, except Skill Drain.
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Tiki Soul
Trap / Continuous <=> LIGHT / Rock / Effect
Level 4 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1800

Effect:
If a Trap Monster you control (Except this one) would be destroyed: You can Set that card instead.

Usage:
Another one we received in Storm of Ragnarok alongside Tiki Curse, this card was meant to be paired with it. Its protection effect is nice, although we might very rarely see it happening, because your opponent might just attack this card first. Cosmetically, this card's ATK is too low for something with a stone sword. Also because this card relies on field effect like Curse, it's not good in Drain builds. Still a neat card for general builds, though...
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Statue of Anguish Pattern

Trap / Continuous <=> EARTH / Rock / Effect
Level 7 / ATK 0 / DEF 2500

Effect:
Cannot be targeted by a card effect. Each time a Trap Monster is summoned, you can target and destroy 1 card.

Usage:
Even Trap Monsters have to keep up with the meta, huh? This little critter here came from Crossed Souls and while it might not make us meta, it does become a glorious support! It enables Trap Monsters to be even more hazardous by turning them into advantage generators upon summon. Its 2500 DEF is also nothing to be scoffed at, as 2500 is a sacred number in the game that can make a difference between a Jinzo, a Utopia and a Virgil. Level 7 also means potential Synchro plays, which is great if you tech low-Level Tuners.
Use it. Abuse it. It doesn't even have an OPT clause.
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Abyssal Stungray
Trap / Continuous <=> LIGHT / Thunder / Effect
Level 5 / ATK 1900 / DEF 0

Effect:
Cannot be destroyed by battle.

Usage:
Just like in Storm of Ragnarok, Trap Monsters get a duo of direct support in Crossed Souls. One that is pretty awesome, and one that is ok-ish. This is the ok-ish one. Being resistant to battle is nice in that it can last a bit longer even without Custom, but still pretty underwhelming seeing we also got the 3000 DEF wall in Reflect Slime. Also, 1900 ATK for a Level 5 is pretty low, so this card can't do much on its own. However, it is not without a plus. Level 5 LIGHT monster means Pleiades or even just Volcasaurus Xyz-wise, and Synchro-wise, Level 5 is great to use with Level 1-3 Tuners. With Shapesister, we can make Level 7s, which means Black Rose and Clear Wing are right at our fingertips! Not as great as Curse or Anguish, but still a better one than the many gimmicky Trap Monsters.
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Shapesister
Trap / Continuous <=> EARTH / Fiend / Tuner
Level 2 / ATK: 0 / DEF: 0

Usage:
A Tuner? Great! Now we can make Synchros besides our usual plays! It also helps that she's Level 2, which means we gain access to some awesome Level 6 Synchros like Vulcan the Divine with our Level 4s or Level 7s like Moonlight Rose Dragon with our Level 5. You can also summon 2 of her, then overlay into stuff like Shining Elf or Gachi-Gachi Gantetsu. It all depends on your strategy and will.

Just Trivia:

This card is the first, and currently only Trap Tuner Monster. In TCG, this card had a misprinted text that states that this card can only be Special Summoned in Defense Position. This card's name is a pun on shape shifter and sister.
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Cyber Shadow Gardna
Trap / Continuous
Level 4 / ATK 0 / DEF 0

Effect: 
During your opponent's Main Phase 1, you can special summon this card. When this card is attacked, this card's ATK becomes equal to the attacking monster's. At the end of the Battle Phase, re-Set this card.

Usage:
Another quirky one, like Shadow Veil. This special cookie used to be subpar since can be good if you can summon it in response to an attack, but sadly, no. However, the time has changed with the release of Statue of Anguish Pattern. The two performs a nasty combo with Gardna turning into a wall and Anguish getting a minimal of once per turn destruction. Also, this card works wonder with Imperial Custom.
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The Vanilla Trap Monsters:
These are the Normal Monsters in Trap from. They don't have any monster effect, but that can be either a minus, or a plus. Just like normal Normal Monsters, they shine in their own builds, and two of them are great in a certain build concerning emperors.


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Embodiment of Aphophis
Trap / Continuous
EARTH / Reptile
Level 4 / ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1800
Effect: N/A

Usage:
The first Trap Monster, ever. Despite its cool name however, this card is sub-par compared to its brethren. If only it has 300 more ATK, even with 600 less DEF as an expense, maybe it would fare better as a beater. Too bad though despite its kinda cool lore, this card is not a match even for the TCG/OCG Ra. Run it if you want, but I don't really recommend it except in a Vanilla or Drain builds, where effect doesn't really matter.
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Swamp Mirrorer 
Trap / Continuous
? /  ?
Level 4 / ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1000

Usage:
True to its name, Swamp Mirrorer has a Type and Attribute that can be assigned upon its summon. Besides being a decent beater, this card can be very helpful in Monarch builds to Summon the Mega Monarch. This can is also very, very handy in Masked HERO builds to be transformed into a Masked HERO using Mask Change II's effect.

Just Trivia:
This card, alongside Quantum Cat, are the first Trap Monster to have assignable Type and Attribute. This card's effect may refer to the various depictions of "Swamp monsters", from vine people depicted in the artwork (WATER / Warrior) to the mythical Jersey Devil (FIRE / Fiend) kinds.
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Quantum Cat
Trap / Continuous
? / ?
Level 4 / ATK: 0 / DEF: 2200

Effect:
N/A

Lore/Trivia:
This card's effect is based on the concept of Schrodinger's Cat; you don't know its Attribute, Type, etc. before you actually Summon it.

Usage:
Just like the previous card, Quantum Cat has assignable Type and Attribute. However, this card is a decent wall with 2200 DEF, in contrast to the previous card's decent beating capability. This card has the same utility as Swamp Mirrorer mentioned previously, use one or both depending on your tastes.
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The Gimmicky Trap Monsters:
These are Trap Monsters that are meant to work in their own builds or decks, or just too situational. It is not recommended to mesh them all together, although you can make a gimmick Deck centered around their strategy with support from the better Trap Monsters which have been described above.


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The First Monarch

Copy Knight
Machine King - 3000 B.C.
Stronghold the Moving Fortress
The Door of Destiny
Shaddoll Core
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Special Mention:
Card(s) that work rather differently than the usual Trap Monsters. It's up to you to use them or not, each of them has their own perks and quirks.



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The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil
Trap / Normal <=> DARK / Warrior
Level 4 / ATK 0 / DEF 300

Usage:
This one is pretty interesting. Upon activation, it serves as a stat booster for our monster. However, when it's in the Graveyard and your opponent is attacking you directly, you can Special Summon it to become a temporary wall, and if it leaves the field after that, it is banished. This card can create surprisingly nasty combo with Imperial Iron Wall, as it lets you have a virtually infinite amount of walls to protect your LP.

Just Trivia:
This card is the first, and currently only Trap Monster released that's not a Continuous Trap. In the anime, this card is originally a Spell Monster- this fact also makes this card the first Spell Monster to be released in the TCG/OCG, albeit as a Trap Monster. Despite this card's full-armed appearance, it has 0 ATK points.
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Well, I think that's all for the members of the Trap Monsters! Sorry for updating too late, the next part would be about the supports and builds! Stay tuned to the guide and have fun~

Until next time,

Neoxys