A Quasi-Vanilla is a slang term used for creatures whose one or more effect(s) are easily understandable effects/effects that can't bring direct advantage.
Details
A Quasi-vanilla creature usually has one or more of the following effects and no other significantly advantageous effects:
- A "Breaker" ability such as Double breaker or Triple breaker.
- A simple or single ability such as Blocker, Power Attacker, Shield Trigger, Hunting and Life Gate.
- Any form of power boost (including effects such as the effect of Super Terradragon Bramgreil), or demerits; such as Necrodragon Giland's Reverse Slayer.
- Drawbacks such as "this creature can't attack/players/creatures" and other effects which can't be taken advantage of.
| 7 Deathliger, Lion of Chaos |
|---|
| / Creature Demon Command 9000 |
| Double breaker (This creature breaks 2 shields.) |
| The world is deafened by the roar of the deathliger. |
While larger Quasi-vanilla fatties are popular among kids, they are shunned by most players due to their effects not being significantly advantageous.
In the dawn of Duel Masters, most Super Rares tend to be quasi-vanilla fatties. while advertising makes these creatures popular among kids, they are unpopular in competitive play since a creature's power does not directly equal what it can possibly do, and due to Summoning Sickness, these creatures often end up getting removed by a spell or creature such as Terror Pit or Corile. Therefore, despite most of them being the strongest creatures at that time, the metagame is dominated by lighter creatures. However, as the game's Power Creep started, stronger creatures started to have effects that can affect the metagame to a significant level and these quasi-vanilla fatty creatures are dropped out of favor.
Weaker Quasi-Vanilla creatures with abilities such as Shield Trigger are often shunned by players, and some of them were even considered the worst creatures in the entire game due to their heavily imbalanced cost to power ratio (e.g. 6 to 4000).
In DMR-07, support for Vanilla creatures began after 11 years of Duel Masters. However, a quasi-vanilla is still a creature with an ability and is thus not affected by any of the cards that support Vanilla Creatures.
The only usage of Quasi-Vanilla creatures in the metagame is Ida, the Great Enigma, which is basically a non-evolution creature that costs 5, has 7000 power, and has no Summoning Sickness or demerits.