Steelswarm Mantis

Steelswarm Mantis was released in the 2012 expansion Hidden Arsenal 5: Steelswarm Invasion, a North American set that collected cards originally printed in Japanese Duel Terminal sets. The Steelswarm archetype was designed to represent an ancient, subterranean force of insectoid and demonic machines that consume life energy to sustain their growth, fitting into a larger narrative context of the Duel Terminal world's ongoing mythological conflicts.

The card features the signature aesthetic of the Duel Terminal era, utilizing a distinctive Secret Rare foil pattern that was highly prized by collectors of the time. While the Steelswarm archetype struggled to gain a significant foothold in the competitive meta due to the high cost of its tribute-heavy playstyle, the design remains a notable example of the dark, industrial fantasy themes that characterized Konami’s card illustrations during this period.