Gargoyle
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Artist's Comment
"The Gargoyle was a piece based very heavily on a rock texture technique I was trying out at that time. Considering the nature of the creature, I thought it'd be quite fitting - and I feel it turned out quite alright. To emphasise the rocky part, his pose is a bit helpless; it's not a very mobile pose, and I feel it suits him quite well." -vrt
Card Usages
Quick Facts:
- For 1
, Gargoyle can use Stone Form, an ability that boosts its HP by 20. It can only be used once. - Its ability, if unused, can be lobotomized.
Use This Card Together With:
Decks Using This Card:
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* Daywalker (Vampiric Gargoyles)
* PvP Rainbow Rush
* Mono-Darkness Rush
Gargoyle is darkness' midrange attacker. At 5 
to summon, it has a fairly decent ATK stat (5 unupped and 7 upped). However, it can be more than just a "vanilla" attacker, thanks to its unique ability, Stone Form.
Because of its special ability, Gargoyle is one of the best creatures to use Liquid Shadow on. With a +20 HP boost from Stone Form, a vampiric Gargoyle with one poison counter can last for most of a match, barring multiple uses of creature control (it can even survive a Holy Flash). With an ability that costs just 1 to use, Gargoyle's Stone Form can be powered off an Earth Mark alone. Even better, Devourers/Pests can use 1 to burrow, making use of the remaining Earth quanta. Alongside Nightfall/Eclipse, a Gargoyle can attack an opponent and heal one's HP for an incredible amount. An important note about the Liquid Shadow + Gargoyle combo is to make sure to use Liquid Shadow after Stone Form, else Gargoyle will lose its ability to gain HP (as Liquid Shadow will have a lobotomizing effect and replace Stone Form with Vampire).
Gargoyles are also a good choice for creature rush decks, especially in an upped-card environment. In a mono-darkness rush, Gargoyles are the main damage-doers (besides Dragons, which take more quanta and are therefore slower to come out; and Vampires, which have a lower ATK stat). In a rainbow rush, a Gargoyle's 7 ATK makes it a reliable attacker (and again, with Stone Form, a very durable one, too).
As with any high-HP creatures, Gargoyles can have a powerful synergy with Rage Potion. This strategy, however, is often overlooked when compared to another Darkness creature: Voodoo Doll. The advantages Voodoo Dolls have over Gargoyles is that they damage the opponent as soon as they are Rage Potion-ed (damage to the doll = damage to the opponent), and only require two elements to pull off said strategy (only Darkness and Fire; as opposed to Darkness, Fire, and Earth for Gargoyles). Still, Gargoyles have more built-in attack to begin with, so Rage Potion is not too far-off a strategy.
A few things to look out for are Antimatter and Gravity Shield. Antimatter, when used on a vampiric creature, will cause the creature to simultaneously heal the opponent and damage its owner. If your opponent is using an Entropy quanta-heavy deck, think twice before using Liquid Shadow on your Gargoyle. Before using Stone Skin on a Gargoyle, Gravity Shield should be taken into account, as the HP boost will prevent a Gargoyle's attack from hitting. However, besides these counters, Gargoyles can be a great, sturdy attacker for darkness and rainbow decks.
