Gnurrgard

Card Specific

Vermillion Dragon Mech - lvl 9, can pop and recycle. Problem: it only recycles when destroyed by effect. In this meta it will just be run over. Nonetheless, the first effect provides nice utility for decks that have an easy time going into a lvl 9 synchro play (Blue-Eyes)

Black Rose Dragon - Finally we get Black Rose. Any deck that can reliably make this just improved its matchup vs stall significantly. This card can punish people for overextending

Magical Android - We should have gotten this card at the 5Ds launch, it’s just been powercrept too much to sacrifice an extra deck slot for it

Cloudcastle - We have to expend too many resources for a monster that does nothing on its own. Maybe when we get Xyz

Synchron-Specific

Cockadoodledoo - Going first this can enable any lvl 6 Synchro without taking up a normal summon. Going second we can use this and a lvl 3 to Black Rose Dragon the board. Coupled with Gilasaurus or another Cockadoodledoo you have a follow up that can OTK. Great addition to Synchrons

Chevalier de Fleur - Can be summoned with Quickdraw synchron + any lvl 3. The negation is nice for traps, but since it only works on our turn, you cannot disrupt plays with it.

Nix

Card Specific

Red-Eyes Support - unneeded when Red-Eyes Insight is strictly better in all ways. The Black Stone of Legend might see play in Buster Blader variants because it can work with Light and Dark skill to get 6 Buster Whelp of the Destruction Swordsman in deck but screw that deck.

The 2 chase cards will be Black Rose Dragon because it’s a board nuke and Vermillion Dragon Mech. This thing is a lv9 that seems right at home in blue eyes to give them a free pop by banishing a tuner.

Decktypes

Krawlers - Flip effects in 2019. Enough said.

Subterror - No Subterror Guru no deck it’s simple. The trap is great but I just see the deck being random flip mons with various Behemoths and praying you open the trap. Again flip effects in 2019.

Metaphys - Lack of a good turn 1 play. Can see play but has the Darklord syndrome and will suffer to bricking unless the give us Metaphys Ragnarok.

All in all I see this as a hyped up box because of Black Rose Dragon but the archtypes they gave us are unfinished. Until Subterrors and Metaphys get their starters they will not be good.

Aankara

Card Specific

Black Rose Dragon: Just one of, if not the best synchro monster we have in Duel Links. It destroys the whole field or at least gives opportunity for OTKs with its second effect. Also this card doesn’t require any specific tuner / non-tuner monster to be summoned so it is going to be a staple in every single synchro deck

Black Metal Dragon: great card in combo with Red-Eyes Slash Dragon since you give it an equip just after you summon it. Though there is still a window for a good player to get rid of your Slash. So the card ain’t godlike.

The Black Stone of Legend / Red-Eyes Baby Dragon: Combos well with Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning. Also important to note that The Black Stone of Legend and Black Metal Dragon work with Buster Whelp of the Destruction Swordsman and the Light & Dark skill, giving a huge boost to potential Red-Eyes Buster decks

Vermillion Dragon Mech is simply better than Giganticastle as you can deal with big threats and facedowns without having to attack first

Liberty at Last: really good trap card that plays around stuff like Neos Fusion in grave, and deals easily with big threats. Moreover putting a card back in the deck in this meta is way more impactful than sending it to the grave

Cloudcastle: this card is going to be toxic as hell if someone finds a good spot for it in a deck. His second effect is so good at delaying your opponent

World Legacy Clash: so this is card can decrease the stats of a monster to 0/0 easily during Damage Step with no real cost (since the monster you banish comes back in End Phase). But it is also an Interdimensional Matter Transporter on steroids since you can activate it in Damage Step (making your opponent lose an attack since you can’t change target after entering Damage Step)

Decktype

Krawlers: Pretty cool effects but I am afraid it will be too easy to play around Krawler’s second effect (that special summon from deck) and FLIP effects are just too slow. Still Deus-X Krawler is an amazing card, I just do not see a fast/easy way to summon him

Subterrors: Though they are also FLIP effects, the fact that they can put themselves facedown allow you to trigger their FLIP effect more often. Also Subterror Final Battle is broken as you literally have an effect for every single situation (board control / playing around negation / attacking for game). Problems are: can you have a consistent great opener without Subterror Guru? If Final Battle is dealt with (Cosmic Cyclone, etc.) do you still have enough resources to win?

Metaphys: Though they are also lacking the cards that are usually used as openers within their archetypes, Aloof Lupine and Gold Sarcophagus are good enough as Turn 1/2 plays. Once this archetype gets rolling it is incredibly powerful. Though losing Metaphys Dimension to backrow-hate card clearly slows the deck down…

But still Metaphys effects are powerful on their own. Plus they have banishing effects which play around so many destruction protections

Mismag

Card Specific

Black Rose Dragon: Definitely the highlight of this box and one of the best generic synchros in the game. Get at least 1.

Vermillion Dragon Mech: Gonna be a Giganticastle sub in many decks, and gives BEWD in particular a fair bit of extra power in board control.

Tytannial, Princess of Camellias: Easily one of my favorite plant cards in YGO. Gonna be a great boss monster possibly alongside ol’ Gigaplant.

Liberty at Last: Definitely think this will be that card to mess up your ladder runs, but not maindecked in tournament play due to its specific activation condition.

Chevalier De Fleur: Synchron decks getting a big boost thanks to this version of Shi En lite. Might even be Tier 3 someday.

World Legacy Clash: Remember Anki Chalice OTK? This card reminds me of that, but better. Grab 3.

Cloudcastle: Vengeful Bog Spirit lite - I feel like MPB will have fun with this card.

Decktype

Red-Eyes: The new support I feel is better off in the Buster/Toon variants, due to the versatility offered by both the Light & Dark skill, and the general recycling/thinning of the deck (for other Red-Eyes cards not named REBD).

Metaphys: Banish removal hasn’t been a big thing since Amazoness Onslaught was back at 3. Metaphys said: hold my beer. They have very strong effects that control by banish, and while they didn’t get their starter cards, we have Gold Sarcophagus/Aloof Lupine to aid the deck in getting started. Once it does tho, you might find yourself in exile.

Subterrors: Subterror Final Battle is one of the most versatile cards to ever see DL - answers for everything you could think of. Setting up a solid board will be the challenge. Nobleman of Crossout will be a solid side against this.

Krawlers: Suffers from the same weaknesses as Subterrors, but without versatility. Candidate for future box support.