Card Trivia:Slifer the Sky Dragon (Effect Monster)

History

 * Osiris (Greek language, also Usiris; the Egyptian language name is variously transliterated Asar, Aser, Ausar, Ausir, Wesir, or Ausare) is the Egyptian god of life, death, and fertility. He is one of the oldest gods for whom records have been found and first appears in the Pyramid Texts around 2400 BCE, when his cult is already well established. He was widely worshiped until the forcible suppression of paganism in the Christian era. Osiris was not only the redeemer and merciful judge of the dead in the afterlife, but also the underworld agency that granted all life, including sprouting vegetation and the fertile flooding of the Nile River. The Kings of Egypt were associated with Osiris in death such that as Osiris rose from the dead so would they, in union with him, inherit eternal life through a process of imitative magic. By the New Kingdom all people, not just pharaohs, were believed to be associated with Osiris at death if they incurred the costs of the assimilation rituals.


 * Osiris is the oldest son of the Earth god, Geb, and the sky goddess, Nut as well as being brother and husband of Isis, with Horus being considered his posthumously begotten son. He is usually depicted as a green-skinned pharaoh wearing the Atef crown, a form of the white crown of upper Egypt with a plume of feathers to either side. Typically he is also depicted holding the crook and flail which signify divine authority in Egyptian kings, but which were originally unique to Osiris and his own origin-gods (see below), and his feet and lower body are wrapped, as though already partly mummified. The information we have on the myths of Osiris is derived from allusions contained in the pyramid texts, and, much later, in narrative style from the writings of Plutarch and Diodorus Siculus.

Effects
One of the three Egyptian God Cards, Slifer the Sky Dragon is unusual in that it's flavor text is printed as it's "effect". Despite this obstacle, however, effects have been given to it in its videogame appearances. Slifer was also released in the 7th Japanese Booster of Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Monsters.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters IV: Battle of Great Duelist, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards and Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction: Slifer the Sky Dragon DIVINE/Dragon/12/4000/4000 A dragon that can power up based on the cards in the hand. For every card in the player's hand, power is upped 3 levels (1500 points). (Requires three tributes. The power increase was of 1 levels ~500 points~ only in Battle of the Great Duelist, and it can only add 1000 points max.)

Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Spirit Caller: Slifer the Sky Dragon DIVINE/Divine Beast/10/?/? You must offer 3 Tributes to Tribute Summon this card. The ATK and DEF of this card becomes the number of cards in your hand × 1000. When this card is Special Summoned, it is sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase. While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be targeted by Spells, Traps, or Monster effects. Additionally, when your opponent successfully Summons or Flip Summons a monster with 2000 DEF or less, it destroys that monster.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 2 and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 3: Slifer the Sky Dragon DIVINE/Divine Beast/10/?/? You must offer 3 Tributes to Tribute Summon this card. The ATK and DEF of this card becomes the number of cards in your hand × 1000. When this card is Special Summoned, it is sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase. While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be targeted by Spells, Traps, or Monsters that designate a target. Additionally, when your opponent successfully Summons or Flip Summons a monster with 2000 DEF or less, it destroys that monster.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator: Slifer the Sky Dragon DIVINE/Divine Beast/10/?/? You must Tribute 3 monsters you control to Normal Summon this card. The Normal Summon of this card cannot be negated. When this card is Normal Summoned, a Spell, Trap, or Effect Monster Card cannot be activated. This card cannot be targeted by the effects of a Spell, Trap or Effect Monster. If this card is Special Summoned, it is sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase. The ATK and DEF of this card becomes the number of cards in your Hand × 1000. When your opponent Normal Summons or Flip Summons a monster with 2000 DEF or less, it destroys that monster.

In addition to the effects above, the "Thousand Rules Bible" book (Japan only) offered the following:

Saint Dragon - God of Osiris GOD/Illusionary God Animal/10/X000/X000 Requires you to sacrifice 3 monsters to Summon (this is treated as a Special Summon). This Monster's attack and defense strength are each equal to 1000 times the number of cards in your hand. Whenever your opponent Normal Summons or Reverse Summons a Monster with a defense strength of 2000 or less, destroy it. This monster cannot be the target of monster, Spell or Trap effects.

Note that Slifer was also released in the 7th Japanese Booster of Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Monsters.

Misc.

 * The English name of this card was named after Roger Slifer, a 4kids Entertainment employee. Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series references this by calling this card "Slifer the Executive Producer".


 * Uria, Lord of Searing Flames is the "legal incarnation" of this card.


 * This card has an evil Version called The Wicked Eraser.


 * "Slifer the Sky Dragon" appears in the artwork of "Quiz Panel Slifer: 10", "20" and "30".


 * Since the Egyptian God Cards were color-coded according to their skin colors, "Slifer the Sky Dragon" is the first (and currently only) card to be color-coded red.