Monarchs have been a steady force in Dueling since 2004. They’re a series of primarily Level 6, 2400 ATK/1000 DEF monsters with immediately useful effects that activate when you Tribute Summon them. Shadow Specters is taking the Monarchs to a whole new level, with a new way to upgrade your monsters and a Continuous Spell that’ll give you the right cards for the job at any time!

Mega Monarchs are a new step above the original Monarchs, taking their old effects and ATK to new heights. They come with a whopping 2800 ATK and 1000 DEF and with effects that go above and beyond their predecessors. Although they are Level 8, Mega Monarchs can be Tribute Summoned using a single monster that had been Tribute Summoned. Tribute one of your existing Monarchs, and you can Summon Granmarg the Mega Monarch! If you Tribute Summon him, Mega Granmarg will destroy two Set cards on the field, taking the original Granmarg’s effect and doubling it! And if you Tributed an EARTH monster, like the original Granmarg, you also get to draw a card!

So just how easy is it to always have the right Monarchs on hand? Really easy, thanks to the new Continuous Spell Return of the Monarchs! Return of the Monarchs lets you grab a new Monarch from your Deck every time you Tribute Summon one. The new Monarch can’t be the exact same card as the one you just Summoned, but you can get any of the other ones including their Mega versions! Because Return of the Monarchs doesn’t actually specifically look for Monarchs (it looks for 2400 ATK/1000 DEF or 2800 ATK/1000 DEF monster), you can even use it to get powerful non-Monarch monsters like Dark Armed Dragon.

Try pairing Return of the Monarchs with March of the Monarchs from Cosmo Blazer. March makes all of your Tribute Summoned monsters nearly invulnerable to all card effects, meaning they can’t be targeted or destroyed by them. Your Monarchs will be safe from Dark Hole, Fiendish Chain, Effect Veiler, and Bottomless Trap Hole!

The original kings of Dueling are looking to take back their thrones at the top of the Dueling world! You’ll find Granmarg the Mega Monarch and Return of the Monarchs in Shadow Specters, and keep an eye out for even more Mega Monarchs in the future!