Sea's solution(s) to tribute summons

The way I see it, there are three options to making tribute monsters useful without changing the rules:

1. Swarm tribute fodder
2. Protect tribute fodder
3. Put summon clauses on all the tribute monsters

Here are three cards that would embody these solutions


1. Swarm

Bloated Bacterium
Aqua | WATER | Level 2
When this card is summoned, Special Summon "Bacterium" Tokens (Aqua/Water/Level 1/0/0) to your side of the field, up to the number of monsters your opponent controls. Once per turn, you can negate 1 attack on this card.
[ 100 / 100 ]

With a teensy bit of protection, Bloated Bacterium gives you plenty of fodder to turn around with a Tribute Summon (maybe the next turn). It solves the problem of not being able to tribute summon when you're behind on field advantage, by mirroring your opponent's field.

2. Protection

Orbital Debris
Machine | LIGHT | Level 3
When this card is summoned, you can target 1 other monster you control. If this card, or that monster is attacked: You can make it a direct attack. If you do: Halve the battle damage you take.
[ 500 / 900 ]

Orbital Debris is kind of like Krebons, except can protect one other monster of your choosing, for tribute fodder.

3. Summon Clauses

Moon Fox
Beast | DARK | Level 7
You can Normal Summon this card without tributing. This card is unaffected by monster effects which do not target. If this card is Tribute Summoned: Double its ATK and DEF, and it gains the following effect:
* Once per turn, when your opponent activates a Spell or Trap card: Draw 1 card, then shuffle 1 card from your Hand or Field into your deck.
[ 1250 / 1100 ]

This allows monsters to do something instead of sit in the hand like dead weight. Might consider switching the clause (halve the ATK/DEF as opposed to double, making original ATK 2500)

I disagree with the concept of putting summon effects on every tribute monster, even though I do think they are a good fix to the whole thing of tribute monsters not functioning well in many decks. I think we can have both, really: it's just that tribute monsters that are dependent on their tribute material need to have decks built around them. I don't think that's a bad thing, it just means we shouldn't make too many of them.
As for tribute material... I again think swarm and protection material should both be possible, though you have to be careful to make sure protection material doesn't get too stally. As for your cards in particular...

Bloated Bacterium: I like it, though maybe it's effect should only activate if you have less monsters than your opponent, to ensure you can only use it when behind on board presence.

Orbital Debris: I'm not entirely certain if it can still turn things into direct attacks if you didn't have another monster to target. If no, then it seems a little inconsistent to use as tribute fodder for my tastes, though it does also provide protection which is interesting... I reckon it's okay.

Moon Fox: I can't think of too many monster effects that don't target, but I like it anyway, because I just think the whole Normal Summon without tributing thing is cool. Still don't think it should be applied on a wide scale though, especially not on all of them.

EDIT: Just remembered, one other way to make tribute monsters not be dead cards is by having cards that discard in your deck.

@ Aqua-

I agree we shouldn't make too many tribute monsters.

Bloated Bacterium - I think it already covers that; because 1. You wouldn't be summoning many tokens, they're 0/0 anyway and 2. Most people would want to summon something more offensive. I like it flexible like that.

Orbital Debris - Yay! I didn't know how it would turn out >o<

Moon Fox - that effect was just kind of a filler semi-immunity to monsters, to try and encourage them activating spells/traps without making it op.