At long last, the appointed time of eventually™ is upon us. The BPEV archetypes are (for now) complete and ready to get their guides. Where else to start than the heroes of the story?
And that’s a thing now too I guess, in case you want the key points in one nicely portable image. For more detail on every single card involved here, simply proceed right on.
Energized Protodermis
Energized Protodermis Chamber
Effect MonsterLevel 2 | LIGHT Aqua | ATK 0 / DEF 0If only your opponent controls a monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is Normal or Special Summoned (except during the Damage Step): You can Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck using this card and 1 monster in your hand as material. If this card is used as material for a Fusion Summon, except by its own effect: Target 1 Special Summoned monster on the field; send it to the GY. You can only use this effect of “Energized Protodermis Chamber” once per turn.
Just mentioned here for the sake of completeness and for reference; the stuff that fuses with the Toa Mata to turn them into the Toa Nuva. They have their own Theme Guide, so no need to say much more than that here.
The Toa Nuva
In essence, they are upgraded forms of the Toa Mata, made by fusing each of the six with an Energized Protodermis monster. This grants them +400 on both ATK and DEF, as well as replacing the thematic trigger effects representing their elemental powers with more freely available (and somewhat adjusted) Quick Effects.
Toa Nuva Tahu
Fusion Effect MonsterLevel 8 | FIRE Warrior | ATK 2900 / DEF 1900“Toa Mata Tahu” + 1 “Energized Protodermis” monster
If this card is Fusion Summoned: You can add 1 “Nuva” Spell/Trap from your Deck or GY to your hand, then discard 1 card. If your opponent controls a monster (Quick Effect): You can target 1 other face-up Attack Position monster on the field; its ATK becomes 0, and if it does, this card gains ATK equal to that monster’s original ATK, until the end of this turn. You can only use this effect of “Toa Nuva Tahu” once per turn.
Tahu retains his role as a battle-focused source of big damage by burning away another monster’s ATK to boost his own. Notably, this can also target your own monsters for added utility against e.g. untargetable bosses, but won’t work if your opponent’s field is empty to keep the potential damage output in check. Look, what can I say, this was designed way before Tenpai was a thing.
Toa Nuva Gali
Fusion Effect MonsterLevel 8 | WATER Warrior | ATK 2700 / DEF 2200“Toa Mata Gali” + 1 “Energized Protodermis” monster
If this card is Fusion Summoned: You can add 1 “Nuva” Spell/Trap from your Deck or GY to your hand, then discard 1 card. (Quick Effect): You can target 1 other face-up monster on the field; negate its effects until the end of this turn. You can only use this effect of “Toa Nuva Gali” once per turn.
Gali’s targeted monster negate has been vastly increased in usefulness by not needing to chain to specific other effects, making her one of the Toa Nuva most suitable for a traditional endboard setup.
Toa Nuva Onua
Fusion Effect MonsterLevel 8 | EARTH Warrior | ATK 2500 / DEF 2500“Toa Mata Onua” + 1 “Energized Protodermis” monster
If this card is Fusion Summoned: You can add 1 “Nuva” Spell/Trap from your Deck or GY to your hand, then discard 1 card. During the Main Phase (Quick Effect): You can target 1 card in either GY; place it on the top or bottom of the Deck, then gain 1000 LP. You can only use this effect of “Toa Nuva Onua” once per turn.
Onua is still the guy you need to control the GY, but now he can do it every turn without waiting for stuff to get sent there, and offers a stable LP gain instead of needing to aim for low-ATK monsters specifically. From disruption to recycling to locking the opponent’s draws in very simplified game states, the Toa of Earth can do a whole lot despite not interacting with the field at all.
Toa Nuva Pohatu
Fusion Effect MonsterLevel 8 | EARTH Warrior | ATK 2800 / DEF 2100“Toa Mata Pohatu” + 1 “Energized Protodermis” monster
If this card is Fusion Summoned: You can add 1 “Nuva” Spell/Trap from your Deck or GY to your hand, then discard 1 card. (Quick Effect): You can destroy Spells/Traps your opponent controls, up to the number of Rock monsters you control +1. You can only use this effect of “Toa Nuva Pohatu” once per turn.
Pohatu benefits a lot from losing the trigger condition that tied him to Extra Deck monsters, because now he’s also reliable backrow removal against the likes of stun decks. Instead of a non-targeting bonus pop for controlling a Rock, this effect now scales for every single Rock you control … which doesn’t make much of a difference in regular Nuva builds, but could come up in some esoteric brew I guess.
Toa Nuva Kopaka
Fusion Effect MonsterLevel 8 | WATER Warrior | ATK 2400 / DEF 2900“Toa Mata Kopaka” + 1 “Energized Protodermis” monster
If this card is Fusion Summoned: You can add 1 “Nuva” Spell/Trap from your Deck or GY to your hand, then discard 1 card. Once per turn, during the Main Phase, if you control no other monsters (Quick Effect): You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; banish it. While this card is in face-up Defense Position, your opponent’s monsters cannot target other monsters for attacks, also your opponent cannot target other cards you control with card effects.
Kopaka continues to dual-wield effects, with an offensive banish and a defensive continuous protection that covers your whole field. The former, as usual, has been upgraded to a full Quick Effect, but needed to be balanced to only working when he’s alone, as he prefers. The latter now also protects all of your other cards from targeting by effects – can be somewhat funny paired with floodgates if you’re evil.
Toa Nuva Lewa
Fusion Effect MonsterLevel 8 | WIND Warrior | ATK 2600 / DEF 2300“Toa Mata Lewa” + 1 “Energized Protodermis” monster
If this card is Fusion Summoned: You can add 1 “Nuva” Spell/Trap from your Deck or GY to your hand, then discard 1 card. During the Main Phase (Quick Effect): You can target 1 monster on the field; return it to the hand, then, if it was a monster you controlled, you can return 1 additional monster on the field to the hand. You can only use this effect of “Toa Nuva Lewa” once per turn.
Lewa is another very traditionally viable form of Quick Effect interaction, a targeting bounce that can be upgraded to be non-targeting in much the same way you could for his Mata form.
All of them also share an additional effect to search a “Nuva” Spell/Trap when Fusion Summoned, ensuring you have the ability to make full use of their various other powers listed below.
Nuva Symbols
As the Toa ascended to their new forms, the elemental powers they each wield also manifested physically into the six Nuva Symbols. Both a source of power and a critical weakness, these Continuous Spell Cards operate on a clear-cut pattern of three effects: A consistency helper that trades the Symbol for the matching Toa Mata, or a Energized Protodermis card if you already have that; a benefit that enhances the capabilities of the Toa Nuva in some way; and a mandatory punish that robs them of their power and deals the player harmful backlash should the Symbol ever be removed from the field.
Nuva Symbol of Burning Courage
Continuous SpellYou can shuffle this card you control into the Deck; add 1 “Toa Mata Tahu” from your Deck to your hand, or reveal it in your hand and add 1 “Energized Protodermis” card instead. You can only use this effect of “Nuva Symbol of Burning Courage” once per turn. If your “Toa Nuva” monster battles, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step. If this card leaves the field: Target 1 “Toa Nuva” monster you control; negate its effects, and if you do, skip the Battle Phase of your next turn.
A simple effect to ensure your Toa Nuva cannot be stopped in battle, but if lost, you will find yourself unable to battle at all. Probably one of the more low-risk, low-reward Nuva Symbols.
Nuva Symbol of Flowing Harmony
Continuous SpellYou can shuffle this card you control into the Deck; add 1 “Toa Mata Gali” from your Deck to your hand, or reveal it in your hand and add 1 “Energized Protodermis” card instead. When a card or effect activated by your opponent in response to your “Toa Nuva” monster’s effect activation resolves, you can negate that effect, and if you do, destroy that card. You can only use each of the preceding effects of “Nuva Symbol of Flowing Harmony” once per turn. If this card leaves the field: Target 1 “Toa Nuva” monster you control; negate its effects. You cannot activate monster effects in response to this effect’s activation.
Counters any responses your opponent may have to your Toa Nuva’s effects, but also limits your responses to its own punish (mainly so you can’t activate the targeted Toa’s Quick Effect one last time before it’s lost). Because this negates continuously, as Spell Cards are wont to do, it even shuts down Counter Trap Cards.
Nuva Symbol of Deep Wisdom
Continuous SpellYou can shuffle this card you control into the Deck; add 1 “Toa Mata Onua” from your Deck to your hand, or reveal it in your hand and add 1 “Energized Protodermis” card instead. If a “Toa Nuva” monster you control activates its effect: You can pay 1000 LP; draw 1 card. You can only use each of the preceding effects of “Nuva Symbol of Deep Wisdom” once per turn. If this card leaves the field: Target 1 “Toa Nuva” monster you control; negate its effects, and if you do, banish 1 card from your hand face-down.
Replenishes your hand whenever you use a Toa Nuva’s effect (at the small cost of your LP), but rips something out of it if removed. Combines especially well with Onua Nuva, who not only gives you the LP to spend on this, but can also stack any card from your GY to be the draw you get.
Nuva Symbol of Granite Tenacity
Continuous SpellYou can shuffle this card you control into the Deck; add 1 “Toa Mata Pohatu” from your Deck to your hand, or reveal it in your hand and add 1 “Energized Protodermis” card instead. If a monster(s) is Special Summoned, and you control a “Toa Nuva” monster (except during the Damage Step): You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your hand or GY. You can only use each of the preceding effects of “Nuva Symbol of Granite Tenacity” once per turn. If this card leaves the field: Target 1 “Toa Nuva” monster you control; negate its effects, then Tribute 1 other monster.
Lets you call forth all kinds of allies to aid your Toa Nuva, but forces you to sacrifice one of them if removed. One neat trick with this, for example, would be bringing back Energized Protodermis Chamber to make an additional Toa Nuva.
Nuva Symbol of Frigid Serenity
Continuous SpellYou can shuffle this card you control into the Deck; add 1 “Toa Mata Kopaka” from your Deck to your hand, or reveal it in your hand and add 1 “Energized Protodermis” card instead. If a “Toa Nuva” monster you control leaves the field because of an opponent’s card: You can banish 1 card from your opponent’s hand (at random) or their field. You can only use each of the preceding effects of “Nuva Symbol of Frigid Serenity” once per turn. If this card leaves the field: Target 1 “Toa Nuva” monster you control; negate its effects, and if you do, your opponent can add 1 of their banished cards to their hand.
Strikes back at the opponent’s field or even their hand if they take out your Toa Nuva (such as a Kopaka protecting everything else), but also gives them an opportunity to recover lost resources if removed.
Nuva Symbol of Soaring Vitality
Continuous SpellYou can shuffle this card you control into the Deck; add 1 “Toa Mata Lewa” from your Deck to your hand, or reveal it in your hand and add 1 “Energized Protodermis” card instead. If a face-up “Toa Nuva” monster you control leaves the field by card effect (except during the Damage Step): You can target 1 Level 8 or lower monster in your GY; Special Summon it. You can only use each of the preceding effects of “Nuva Symbol of Soaring Vitality” once per turn. If this card leaves the field: Target 1 “Toa Nuva” monster you control; negate its effects, and if you do, you cannot Special Summon for the rest of this turn.
Recovers your own field presence if a Toa Nuva leaves – including by your own effects, e.g. Lewa Nuva – but locks you out of Special Summons if removed. In addition to bringing back a lost Toa Nuva itself, you’re also free to get the Toa Mata that was material, the Chamber that can make you another Fusion, or anything generic so long as it’s Level 8 or lower.
Beyond the six symbols, there is something that gathers it. An artifact of such might and significance that … it’s completely forgotten by the lore and never mentioned after its introduction even in the scene where the act it was meant to be used for happens. Hello, Nuva Cube.
Nuva Cube
Continuous TrapWhile you control a “Nuva” Continuous Spell, your opponent cannot target this card with card effects. Once per turn: You can target up to 6 “Nuva” Continuous Spells with different names on your field and/or in any GY(s); shuffle them into the Deck, then you can apply any of these effect(s), in sequence, based on the number shuffled.
●1+: Place 1 “Nuva” Continuous Spell from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone.
●3+: Negate the effects of 1 other face-up Spell/Trap on the field until the end of this turn.
●6: Special Summon up to 2 of your banished monsters.
Odd as its existence may be, this thing’s connection to the Symbols and role in the 2003 storyline are clear enough to construct some fitting effects. Basically, it uses the different Nuva Continuous Spells – the Symbols – as fodder (in such a way that you can dodge removal, and thus, punishes) to achieve a stacking lineup of benefits. Shuffle back 1, and you get to replace it. Shuffle back 3, and it’s also a Spell/Trap negate (none of the Toa do this!). Shuffle back all 6 … and “awaken the Bahrag”. That last one is purely for flavour, you’re not expected to ever do this. Also it has targeting protection in the presence of Nuva Symbols, because you can’t get to it if those are covering it, right?
Kanohi Nuva
With new forms came new masks, holding more or less the same powers as before. Except now, those powers can be shared with others, and gameplay-wise that ability ended up being tied into a series of effects that aid the overall Nuva ecosystem.
Great Kanohi Hau Nuva
Equip SpellIf another “Kanohi” Equip Spell becomes equipped to the equipped monster, destroy this card. If the equipped monster is a “Toa Nuva” monster, it cannot be destroyed by battle, also you take no battle damage from battles involving it. If this card is sent to the GY, and you have not activated any “Kanohi” Equip Spell effects in the GY this turn: You can banish 1 monster from your GY; place 1 “Nuva” Continuous Spell from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone, also if you control a “Toa Nuva” Monster, the face-up monsters you currently control cannot be destroyed by battle this turn.
Great Kanohi Kaukau Nuva
Equip SpellIf another “Kanohi” Equip Spell becomes equipped to the equipped monster, destroy this card. If the equipped monster is a “Toa Nuva” monster, it is unaffected by your opponent’s card effects, unless they target it. If this card is sent to the GY, and you have not activated any “Kanohi” Equip Spell effects in the GY this turn: You can banish 1 monster from your GY; place 1 “Nuva” Continuous Spell from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone, also if you control a “Toa Nuva” monster, the face-up monsters you currently control cannot be destroyed by card effects this turn.
Great Kanohi Pakari Nuva
Equip SpellIf another “Kanohi” Equip Spell becomes equipped to the equipped monster, destroy this card. If the equipped monster is a “Toa Nuva” monster, it gains 1000 ATK, also if it attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage. If this card is sent to the GY, and you have not activated any “Kanohi” Equip Spell effects in the GY this turn: You can banish 1 monster from your GY; place 1 “Nuva” Continuous Spell from your Deck face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone, also if you control a “Toa Nuva” monster, all monsters you currently control gain 600 ATK until the end of your opponent’s turn.
Great Kanohi Kakama Nuva
Equip SpellIf another “Kanohi” Equip Spell becomes equipped to the equipped monster, destroy this card. If the equipped monster is a “Toa Nuva” monster, it can attack all monsters your opponent controls, once each. it. If this card is sent to the GY, and you have not activated any “Kanohi” Equip Spell effects in the GY this turn: You can banish 1 monster from your GY; Set 1 “Nuva” Trap directly from your Deck, also if you control a “Toa Nuva” monster, the monsters you currently control can attack directly this turn, but if they do so using this effect, their ATK is halved during damage calculation only.
The “sharing” effect on this one is notably different from the one it grants while equipped, because the Kakama Nuva includes an additional power that needed to be represented: The ability to phase through solid objects while moving at high speed. This manifests as direct attacks, though with reduced ATK because your monsters aren’t quite touching the opponent either.
Great Kanohi Akaku Nuva
Equip SpellIf another “Kanohi” Equip Spell becomes equipped to the equipped monster, destroy this card. While equipped to a “Toa Nuva” monster you control, your opponent must keep their hand revealed. If this card is sent to the GY, and you have not activated any “Kanohi” Equip Spell effects in the GY this turn: You can banish 1 monster from your GY; Set 1 “Nuva” Trap directly from your Deck, also if you control a “Toa Nuva” monster, look at your opponent’s hand.
The hand-sniping effect from the base form was dropped here, simply for space reasons. But just taking a look is good on its own anyway, so maybe that was never truly needed.
Great Kanohi Miru Nuva
Equip SpellIf another “Kanohi” Equip Spell becomes equipped to the equipped monster, destroy this card. If the equipped monster is a “Toa Nuva” monster, negate any effect activated by your opponent that targeted it. If this card is sent to the GY, and you have not activated any “Kanohi” Equip Spell effects in the GY this turn: You can banish 1 monster from your GY; Set 1 “Nuva” Trap directly from your Deck, also if you control a “Toa Nuva” monster, your opponent cannot target the monsters you currently control with card effects this turn.
If sent to the GY, half of these get you a free Continuous Spell and the other half prepare a Trap, all while applying a communal version of their respective abilities to your field at the time – provided you have a Toa Nuva around to access that power. Optimally, you’re adding these with a Toa Nuva and then discarding them to essentially get a different Spell/Trap for free, but they can also serve as setup tools. Be aware of the strange activation condition, however – it essentially means all of the Kanohi Nuva share a single hard once per turn, and you have to activate them before any other Kanohi you may be using!
So, other than the Nuva Symbols and the Cube they go on, anything else we can get out of these? Oh yes.
Other Nuva Spells/Traps
Tales of the Nuva
Continuous SpellWhen this card is activated: You can add 1 “Energized Protodermis” card from your Deck to your hand. If a “Nuva” Spell/Trap(s) is sent from the hand and/or Deck to your GY: You can target 1 of them; Set it to your field. If your opponent activates a monster effect: You can send this card to the GY, then target 1 “Toa Nuva” monster you control or in your GY; shuffle it into the Deck, and if you do, you can Special Summon 1 “Toa Nuva” Fusion Monster with a different name from your Extra Deck. You can only use each effect of “Tales of the Nuva” once per turn.
On the Continuous Spell side, we have a more low-investment option to consider if you don’t want the risk and Toa Mata attachment the proper Symbols bring with them. With Tales of the Nuva, you can basically just play some Energized Protodermis stuff – which it searches if properly activated – and make the Fusions using something like a King of the Swamp. Its other abilities include an additional way to offset the discard from the Nuva searches and a one-time swap from one Toa Nuva into another, letting you branch into different types of interaction as the game unfolds. While this is a card tuned to be more practical than the lore-focused Nuva Symbols, the benefits it offers are somewhat more subtle and its search effect, notably, is not available if placed with a Kanohi Nuva, so there are legitimate reasons to be playing the proper Symbols instead of, or more likely alongside, it.
Nuva Emergence
TrapFusion Summon 1 “Toa Nuva” Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, by shuffling the Fusion Materials listed on it into the Deck, from among your hand, GY and/or face-up banished cards. If your opponent controls a monster, you can also banish 1 monster from your Deck as Fusion Material. During the Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: You can banish this card from your GY; add 1 “Nuva” Spell/Trap from your Deck or GY to your hand, except “Nuva Emergence”, then discard 1 card. You can only use each effect of “Nuva Emergence” once per turn.
When it comes to Traps, one that’s crucial is the Normal Trap Nuva Emergence, granting you the ability to Fusion Summon on your opponent’s turn and thus make the most of your strictly limited efficient Kanohi Nuva searches. Furthermore, if your opponent has already put a monster on the field, this doesn’t just shuffle back materials, but also banishes one straight out of the Deck, which lets it act as an additional disruption or as removal by triggering the mandatory “drawback” of Energized Protodermis Chamber. In the GY, it does the Toa Nuva’s on-summon search, but without needing to go into a Fusion first, so that’s good to have when you need to rebuild from a position of low resources.
Nuva Overcharge
Counter TrapIf your opponent activates a monster effect on the field while you control a “Toa Nuva” monster, and there is a “Nuva” Continuous Spell/Trap on your field or in your GY: That effect becomes “banish this card”. During the End Phase, if this card is in your GY and you control a “Toa Nuva” monster: You can Set this card, but banish it when it leaves the field. You can only use each effect of “Nuva Overcharge” once per turn.
And somewhat more optional, there’s also the Counter Trap Nuva Overcharge. Depicted on it is the final move the Toa Nuva used to stop the Bohrok-Kal at the last second: Channeling their elemental energies through the stolen Nuva Symbols, overcharging the Kal who were holding them and causing their own powers to destroy them. Hence the gimmick of rewriting a monster effect into self-removal (thus bypassing even the “unaffected by other cards” kind of protection!), on the condition that both Toa Nuva and Nuva Symbol (or Tales, let’s call that artistic license) are in place. And to approximate the fact that this move took out all the Kal rather than a single one, it resets itself in the End Phase to be used again next turn – which also means you can discard it with a Nuva search going first and still get it.
Toa Nuva Kaita
And to go even further beyond, the mighty Toa Nuva retain the Mata’s ability to combine into even more powerful forms. Now, when the base components are already Extra Deck boss monsters that are meant to be the payoff of the strategy, it’s kind of though to add another level of upgrades that contribute anything meaningful. So to some extent, these are just entirely optional fluff. But I believe I’ve also managed to devise a way for them to be reasonably useful anyway, if you build your deck a certain way.
Akamai, Toa Nuva Kaita of Valor
Xyz Effect MonsterRank 8 | FIRE Warrior | ATK 3400 / DEF 24003 Level 8 monsters
After this card was Xyz Summoned during your turn using a “Toa” monster as material, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects for the rest of that turn, except during the Main Phase 2 and End Phase. You can detach 1 material from this card; add 1 “Nuva” Spell/Trap from your Deck or GY to your hand. You can only use this effect of “Akamai, Toa Nuva Kaita of Valor” once per turn.
Great Kanohi Aki Nuva
Equip SpellIf another “Kanohi” Equip Spell becomes equipped to the equipped monster, destroy this card. If the equipped monster is a “Toa Nuva” Xyz Monster, it cannot be destroyed by battle, gains 1000 ATK, and can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each, also if it attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage. While this card is equipped to a monster: You can reveal 1 “Toa” monster in your Deck or Extra Deck, then target 1 monster you control with a Level; its Level and name become the same as the revealed monster (until the end of this turn), then destroy this card.
Wairuha, Toa Nuva Kaita of Wisdom
Xyz Effect MonsterRank 8 | WIND Warrior | ATK 3000 / DEF 30003 Level 8 monsters
When your opponent activates a card or effect while this card has a “Toa” monster as material (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card; negate the activation, and if you do, you can banish both that card and the top card of either player’s Deck. Then, if you banished 2 different card types (Monster, Spell, Trap), draw 1 card. You can detach 1 material from this card; add 1 “Nuva” Spell/Trap from your Deck or GY to your hand. You can only use 1 “Wairuha, Toa Nuva Kaita of Wisdom” effect per turn, and only once that turn.
Great Kanohi Rua Nuva
Equip SpellIf another “Kanohi” Equip Spell becomes equipped to the equipped monster, destroy this card. If the equipped monster is a “Toa Nuva” Xyz Monster, it is unaffected by your opponent’s card effects, also your opponent must keep their hand revealed. While this card is equipped to a monster: You can add 1 “Nuva” Normal or Quick-Play Spell from your Deck to your hand, then destroy this card. You can only use this effect of “Great Kanohi Rua Nuva” once per turn.
The core abilities of the Kaita and their Kanohi are basically carried over from their Mata counterparts, but with slight adjustments. Akamai is still the unga bunga guy who just unstoppably charges into battle to clear the field with his massive buffs from the Aki Nuva, but now he also locks your opponent down before you even enter the Battle Phase. This is largely the result of me getting obsessed with doing a version of Azathot “without the really broken parts” – decide for yourself if I was successful with that. Anyway, Wairuha is also still a negate that is protected from all effects (and looks at the hand) thanks to the Rua Nuva, but the little “wisdom game” where you have to match up card types has been rolled into the negation effect itself (mainly to save space) and given a more consistent payoff.
Now, careful readers may notice that those effects are generally reliant on having a “Toa” monster as material, but the monsters themselves can be made generically. This is the little trick that actually makes them playable as more than winmore superbosses, because using some generic R8 engine like Horus to go into these actually lets them start Toa Nuva plays, by adding any of the Spells or Traps to your hand – without the usual discard! Okay, “start” may be a strong word since this doesn’t search any one-card starters, but it can get you a missing piece at least; also ensures you have access to the Aki Nuva/Rua Nuva if you make the Kaita in their full superbossly glory.
Speaking of which, those two Kanohi have some bonus effects tacked on, because it’d would be hard to justify playing them if all they offered were boosts for Kaita exclusively. The Aki Nuva lets you adjust names and Levels to enable Xyz and Fusion Summons (also for the Mata Xyz), while the Rua Nuva searches some types of “Nuva” Spells not covered by the other Kanohi Nuva.
Wait, what Spells would those be? Exactly the following one: Our very own Nuva Rank-Up Magic Protodermic Evolution.
Nuva Rank-Up-Magic Protodermic Evolution
Quick-Play SpellDuring the Main Phase: Target 1 Warrior monster you control with “Toa” in its original name; Special Summon, from your Extra Deck, 1 Warrior Xyz Monster whose Rank is 2 higher than that target’s Rank or 2 lower than that target’s Level, by using it as material, and if you do, you can attach 1 other card from your hand or face-up field to the Summoned monster as material, except this card. (This is treated as an Xyz Summon. Transfer its materials to the Summoned monster.)
The gimmick on this one is that you get to swap one of your Toa into a Warrior Xyz along one of the following routes:
- Level 6 Toa (= Toa Mata) -> Rank 4 Xyz
- Rank 6 Toa ( = Mata Xyz) -> Rank 8 Xyz ( = Nuva Kaita)
- Level 8 Toa (= Toa Nuva) -> Rank 6 Xyz ( = Mata Xyz)
- Rank 8 Toa (= Nuva Kaita) -> Rank 10 Xyz (?)
Feel free to consult the database to find out what generic Warrior options this actually enables, but before you get too excited let it be known that I already did that and there weren’t any super broken ones. Standouts include Dempsey for the Battlin’ Boxer pivot, Photon Strike Bounzer for a negate, or Giantrainer for lots of draws. In a deck that’s already playing Toa in some capacity, the in-archetype options are probably the best thing you can be doing – but feel very, very invited to prove me wrong on that!
Sample Decks
Over the 2-and-some years of development and testing, I ran a few different deck types centered on the Toa Nuva, evolving along with both custom and official card releases and ban list movements. Due to that, some decks here are no longer playable, but historically interesting nonetheless – scroll down a bit more if you’re only interested in up-to-date builds.
Above is the last version of the standard Toa Nuva deck empowered by both Isolde and Spright Elf. The combo line here was basically making Isolde with either Neo Space Connector or the C.C. Matoran , adding a Toa Mata of your choice, and sending some number of Kanohi Nuva to get another Warrior to the field. With those sent Kanohi Nuva, you could then get the Nuva Symbol matching the Toa Mata in your hand and trade that out for Energized Protodermis Destiny . Next step would be linking Isolde and your random Warrior into Spright Elf, using it to revive a C.C. Matoran, and then targeting that monster with Destiny to trade for Energized Protodermis Chamber and finally make a Toa Nuva. Because Chamber is itself Level 2, Elf could further bring it back during the opponent’s Main Phase to make another Toa Nuva … and repeat that every single turn as long as it survives and you keep getting Toa Mata into your hand. Was pretty neat, but of course Elf getting banned in the TCG took away that essential piece.
To cope with that, I tried out a few different alternatives, with probably the most normal of them being one that just locked in on the 4 Toa Nuva grouped in the WATER and EARTH Attributes while supplementing the lost Elf capabilities with the then-newly introduced Nuva Emergence.
This was obviously quite a bit weaker, but still worked, and then Isolde got banned. I did not try to salvage it after that, instead opting to consider some completely new approaches.
One question I asked myself was if there wasn’t a way to use the Toa Nuva without the Toa Mata as Main Deck bricks, perhaps by leveraging a substitute material like King of the Swamp. As it so happens, that card has also seen play in the banlist-ravaged remains of Tearlament decks, so I picked that as a shell and got to work. Ideally, this build tries to do the standard Kashtira -> Dracossack -> Cherubini line to get the King into rotation, most of the time bringing out Rulkallos since you can usually also go into Spright Sprind and send Merrli to finish setting that up. But many combinations of cards will also let you make a Toa Nuva, and once that engine is running, Emergence and Tales pretty reliably ensure continued access to various end board pieces that really add to the solid Tearlament base. Since this was probably the most straightforward and functional version as of the latest release, it also got Nuva Overcharge added in there as a Counter Trap option that conveniently Sets itself from the GY once you get to a Toa Nuva.
Next, a build that was created in conjunction with the Toa Nuva Kaita, taking advantage of the fact that their existence provides a Rank 8 route into Nuva plays. Horus monsters are probably the easiest way to get the 3 materials for that together, which lines up decently with both Tales and the Kanohi Nuva being able to exploit mills and discards. One particular thing I appreciate about this list is that it does also find room for the Toa Mata and Nuva Symbols, so we can use our Rank-Up or the modulation effect of the Aki Nuva to access the OG Akamai and Wairuha , or Mata Combination Storm for some fun.
And finally, the most recent cute combo I cooked up to Fusion Summon Toa Nuva, by using Power Tool Braver Dragon to trigger multiple Kanohi. Of course, what’s pictured above is a somewhat more deranged pile which also uses that move to smoothly acquire a Kanohi Vahi , has a novel way to get a “Toa” on the field by activating Naming Day on Gen or Ken for Prisma, and tops it all off by including the Exo-Toa engine enabled by Exo Autonomy . Simply put, it plays as many of the new things from the final batch of BPEV cards as possible, making it very efficient for testing. Sometimes it even works.
Best of Test
Featuring some representative and/or interesting duels out of the many, many that were had over two years of gradual development and testing.
Conclusion
As upgraded forms of the Toa Mata, the Nuva retain the general outline of effects found in the original team, but with several significant upgrades: They live in the Extra Deck, they can do their disruption as true Quick Effects, and they also give you access to an array of “Nuva” Spell/Trap Cards. Those include the Nuva Symbols for risky bonus effects, Traps to fuse on the opponent’s turn or counter their effects, and the Kanohi Nuva that give buffs and put the other cards directly on the field.
While one approach is to add Toa Nuva to an existing deck of the Toa Mata and their support cards, it is just as possible to leave out the Mata entirely and instead have the Nuva lend their services to other powerful Fusion strategies by means of substitute materials. The Toa Nuva Kaita open up yet another avenue of using Rank 8 engines to establish Nuva access, and so on. When it comes to possibilities in deckbuilding, it seems clear that the Toa are now truly “more than they were”.
