The Code of the Duelist Special Edition is awesome if you’re looking to pick up cards from Code of the Duelist. Not only will you get three Booster Packs, but as a bonus you’ll also receive two of four possible Super Rare variant cards! One of the cards you can get from the Special Edition is Solemn Strike, one of the most powerful Counter Traps out right now. A mainstay in many slower strategies, Solemn Strike is a great tool that can take advantage of many strategies.

Solemn Strike is a Counter Trap that can shut down two of the most common actions you’ll face. When a monster would be Special Summoned or a monster effect is activated, you can pay 1500 Life Points to negate the Summon or activation and destroy it. The biggest and baddest monsters typically need to be Special Summoned, so having a Solemn Strike Set can cut your opponent off from Summoning their best monster. Similarly, you can stop your opponent’s best monster effect with Solemn Strike as well. Sometimes cutting off a key action can make an entire plan fall apart, and with Solemn Strike you get to choose what Special Summons and monster effects go through.

One of the best ways to use Solemn Strike is to back up a strong field. Forcing your opponent to jump through hurdles to deal with your field means your monsters are much more likely to survive. If you can pair Solemn Strike with a second disruptive effect, it becomes almost impossible to deal with a field by using monsters. Your opponent is forced to use a big impact Spell Card like Raigeki or Dark Hole, otherwise your monsters can go to work on their Life Points the following turn.

You can also use Solemn Strike aggressively to help push through your own plays. By negating a key monster effect that would have otherwise stopped your turn cold, you can protect a plan that they thought was foiled. If their only line of defense is that monster effect, you are now in the driver's seat to win the Duel. Solemn Strike can likely negate the most powerful play in your opponent’s turn, and at the cost of 1500 Life Points, that is an awesome trade.

You have a chance to get Solemn Strike and other powerful cards right now in the Code of the Duelist Special Edition!