Trap Stun

It's really good, and stuff. It's practically a staple in non-Stun decks, which is why it may begin to change the way the game is played. Wasn't there a card that did that until August 31st? I think it was called Heavy Storm...

So, unless you're playing against Stun, you should expect to see Trap Stun(s). There's no set number yet, but it's usually one or two, though some people may play three (it's like having four Cold Waves...okay, not really).

Now, what does this mean? First of all, it means that Book of Moon, and maybe even Enemy Controller, will be more important than ever. You can disrupt big plays with Quick-Plays under Trap Stun, preventing your opponent from Synchro Summoning XX-Saber Hyunlei or Black Rose Dragon.

It also means that you can't Set all of your Traps to your back row so quickly. Trap Stun could easily wreck your plans, so it might be better to save some of your Traps in your hand, unless of course you have a way to stop Trap Stun from hurting you. Wasn't a similar idea used up until August 31st? It had something to do with not overextending your back row without protection...

There are also two different ways that people will play Trap Stun. The first way is to Chain it to a non-Counter Trap. That's a little bit more expected than the second way, and is usually used when making a small push, like attacking over a Monster with a Shura or Flamvell Firedog.

The other way is to play it like Cold Wave, before doing anything. This prevents Counter Traps, like the prevalent Solemn Warning, from stopping your big plays. And, if you play it like Cold Wave, and your opponent negates it with something like Solemn Judgment, Dark Bribe, or Seven Tools of the Bandit, then you aren't forced to commit to your big play. You can wait until you have another opening.

Unfortunately, there's no surefire way to punish your opponent for playing Trap Stun. It normally only lasts during their turn, so you can't push back with immunity as you could have if they had played Cold Wave. Moreover, there's no super-anti-Trap Stun-card, like Starlight Road was to Heavy Storm. You basically have to settle on either using Solemn Judgment to negate it, playing more Quick-Play Spells, or using specific Trap-hate cards like Seven Tools of the Bandit, which isn't a bad idea.

Trap Stun is an all around good card that was just overshadowed by Heavy Storm and Cold Wave in the past. It did see some play before September 1st, but with Heavy Storm now gone, it's the next best thing to Cold Wave.