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YamiBakuraFan's Little Shop of Horrors
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Academy Duel Disk!
December 6, 2005

            I was recently strolling through my local Target doing some Christmas shopping. After passing by the unimpressive display of Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG cards packed in hard plastic with two randomly included McDonalds promo cards from the Dark Ages of the game, I came across an incredible discovery! Yes, the new Duel Academy Duel Disk is out! After a few moments of browsing at the box art, which is far superior to that of the original two Disk models with a picture of our new hero, Judai Yuki (Jadan Yuki) in an intense duel pose, I was relieved that the weird spiky haired 11 year old was removed from the box, well I was wrong, he’s there and more intense than ever (just moved to the back, that’s all.)  

            Well, I purchased the Disk for a hefty $30 dollars, so much for “the season of giving”, and needless to say my Christmas shopping for the day was over. After getting home I opened the disk up and after some short and easy assembly placed it on my arm. I was instantly amazed that the disk fit my arm at all, which surprised me judging I’m a bit off of the target audience for the product. The second thing that amazed me was the articulation.  They spared no expense on getting the design right, it mirrors the Duel Disks used in the GX series almost 100%, minus the hologram monster summoning features.  

            This Disk model is very good, although my big clunky card cases would not fit into it at all. However, cards taking residence in the smaller official Yu-Gi-Oh! brand card sleeves can be easily slipped into the slots of the disk and removed with great ease. If your cards aren’t sleeved they may still go through wear and tear eventually but it shouldn’t chop your cards up too bad if you are careful. Some of the greatest improvements from the last models would be the new design, which has a better stand-by mode that it can be easily pulled in and out of and a much smoother, sleeker design to it.  

            The main problems I find with this disk are some problems that have been occurring for the last 2 incarnations of it as well. The graveyard although comfortably housing your cards will not hold a great amount of cards in it. The maximum amount of unsleeved cards your graveyard will hold would be about 20, and with sleeves about half of that amount. There’s still no place to hold your fusion cards or a removed from game zone, which may have been expected seeing RFG is becoming an ever important part of the game. The life point counter is there, but it’s faulted. It only lights up when you lower your life points so if you easily forget your score it won’t be easy to keep track of. 

            But we have to remember one thing, this disk is for entertainment purposes only, not for a serious competitive player of the OCG or TCG. I would recommend it to all fans of the anime series, young and old. I may actually take my disk to an anime con., maybe for a Manjyome (Chazz) cosplay costume. Also, it can be a good accessory for Halloween or any other Yu-Gi-Oh! themed occasions.  If you’re looking for a new way to play its just downright fun to have a good old fashioned anime style throw down! I wouldn’t recommend wearing your disk around in public because it’s a magnet for harassment, but who cares what the public thinks?! We’re duelists to the very end! 

Pros: 

-         Smooth, sleek design 

-         Holds Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG and TCG cards and snuggly fits smaller “Official” Yu-Gi-Oh! brand sleeves. 

-         Standby mode is compact and transportable; the disk is easily moved from mode to mode. 

-         Light up life point counter to keep track of your game play 

-         Straps to the arm with ease and is not too heavy 

-         A great simulation of the Duel Disk seen in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime series! 

Cons: 

-         Small Graveyard 

-         No room for Fusion cards or a removed from game pile 

-         Faulty life point counter design 

-         May induce ridicule from friends and family 

Thanks for reading my newest article!  

I hope to see you next time.

-YamiBakuraFan