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Pojo's Yu-Gi-Oh! Reader's Top Ten Lists

Top Ten Anime Cards That Should Exist, But Don’t - Adam Culp



If I had a nickel for every time the anime played a card that doesn’t exist in real life, I’d be rich. Now it’s not the fault of the game distributors that they can’t reproduce every card: some, namely Dark Sanctuary and the Seals of the Orichalcos, would need the space of two cards to write the rulings properly. And others (Ragnarok and Revenge Sacrifice come to mind) are too situational to be practical, and other cards do what they do better. Others can exist, should exist, but don’t. This is a list of the anime-exclusive cards we need.



Note: the effects dictated here may or may not be the actual effects. They are just what I’ve seen on the anime.



Number 10



Hand Control



Seen: Original Series, Episode #158



Spell Card

Effect: Name a card. If that card is in your opponent’s hand, your opponent must play that card.



This is excellent for control decks. Did you just peep that Graceful Charity? Force them to use it. Smart players who fall victim to “Virus” traps will wait to use their drawing cards until after the virus wears off to use them. Not with this. Activate their Pots and Charities and get those variables out of the equation. It can ruin a strategy just like that. Of course, it would require extensive rulings, but so did Vampire Lord, Last Turn, and Spirit Reaper.



Number 9



Miracle Draw



Seen: GX, Episodes 17, 90.



Continuous Trap

Effect: During your draw phase, name a card. If you draw that card, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent’s Life Points. If you do not draw that card, you take 1000 damage.



This card screams for abuse with “Convulsion of Nature”. Throw both down and start racking up the damage. Convulsion itself isn’t dangerous, but combined with this it can become a threat. Combo it with Conscription, Back to Square One, and Archfiend’s Oath, and you have yourself a new decktype.



Number 8



Dark Arena



Seen: GX, Episode 41



Field Spell

Effect: Your opponent must attack with all their monsters each turn. You may choose the target of those attacks. Destroy this card when you do not control an Archfiend card.



This is dangerous. Not only do you force your opponent to attack, you choose what they attack. Summon, say, a Skull Archfiend (2500 ATK), and activate Ojama Trio. Can we say “OTK”? Or better yet, punish them for using Scapegoat. With the Archfiend powerhouses, this card is nasty.



Number 7



Dark Renewal



Seen: Original Series, Episode 51, 118, 145, GX, Episode 18.



Trap

Effect: Activate when your opponent Normal Summons a monster. Offer that monster and a monster on your side of the field as Tribute to Special Summon 1 “Dark Magician” from your Graveyard.



DM decks border on tier 2. They have mass removal with Dark Magic Attack and Thousand Knives, not to mention that they can side deck cards like Dark Sage, Dark Eradicator Warlock and Sorceror of Dark Magic. Skilled Dark Magician pulls them from the deck, Magical Dimension pulls them from the hand. Now we have something that vapes an opponent’s monster AND pulls DM from the Grave. And it makes the classic “dump and revive” combo that has been around forever more viable.



Number 6



Cyber Repairer



Seen: GX, Episode 95



Trap

Effect: Your opponent draws 1 card. Machine-type monsters are your side of the field cannot be destroyed this turn.



Yup, a -2. Why would you MAKE your opponent draw? Because you get immunity to destruction. Play it defensively and save yourself, or better yet, play it before activating Overload Fusion to make sure Chimeratech is going to get through. Immunity to destruction is a good thing, and if Cyber Phoenix isn’t enough insurance, this should be.



Number 5



Spirit Shield



Seen: Original Series, Episode 200



Continuous Trap

Effect: Remove 1 monster in your Graveyard from play to negate an attack. Destroy this card when there are no monsters in your Graveyard.



Skull Lair meets its match. It lets you protect yourself while filling up the RFG pile for a swarm. It doesn’t get much better. A continuous source of protection late-game can’t be beat, as you’ll probably have several monsters in there. If your opponent is overwhelming you, put your fallen monsters to use and halt the barrage.



Number 4



Despised Treaty



Seen: GX, Episode 65.



Trap

Effect: Your opponent can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from their deck. If they do so, draw 2 cards. If they do not, you take 1000 damage.



Now this card relies on the activation timing. If you play if when you have the upper hand, your opponent will be inclined to summon and defend themselves, then they’ll realize they just let you draw 2 cards. It’s either a +1 or a -1, depending on how smart your opponent is. Pot of Greed, meet your little cousin, twice removed. And if your opponent doesn’t play a monster, they technically gain advantage, but you have the upper hand anyway, so it probably won’t matter. It’s balanced but not broken, just what the game needs.



Number 3



Trap Booster



Seen: GX, Episode 57, 85



Quickplay Spell

Discard 1 card. Activate a Spell or Trap card from your hand.



Makyura, your agent called, they found your replacement! They’re easier to hire but a have a bigger cost. Yes, a -2, but the combo and OTK potential this creates is madness! The main weakness of traps is must be set first, leaving them vulnerable to removal. Not with this. If this, like Makyura, worked for all Traps, not just one, it would be a godsen. As it is, it is still a good card.



Number 2



Spider Web



Seen: Original Series, Episode 176, GX, Episode 19



Spell

Effect: Select 1 Spell card in your opponent’s Graveyard they activated last turn, and add it to your hand.



Graverobber’s bigger, better brother. Everyone is probably going to play at least 1 Spell each turn. This is especially good for swiping Spells your opponent wants to snag back with MoF. Plus, it can swipe Graceful Charity, Smashing Ground, etc. It’s excellent, and the minor condition of the Spell’s activation is easy to get around.



And now, the Number 1 card that we need from the anime…



Number 1



Ties of the Brethren



Seen: Original Series, Episode 221



Spell

Effect: Pay 1000 Life Points. Special Summon 2 Level 4 monsters from your deck.



Simple, clean. Dangerous. You thin your deck and swarm the field. This card is very nasty indeed. 1000 points for two summons? Who wouldn’t want to play two monsters for such a reasonable cost? Play two of them and you have yourself the makings on an OTK. However, the restriction of it being ONLY Level 4 makes it so it can’t just be splashed in any deck and be abused. It’s simple, manageable, and useful while not being broken. Two of these is lethal. The combo potential is nearly infinite.



Email me your comments at aculp_2@hotmail.com