The Ace Monster Cards of a Decade

So Yu-Gi-Oh! has been around for just over a decade now, and it is amazing how popular the franchise has become. Most of the success is because of the TV shows that have kept people of many ages excited to buy new cards, trade, and duel with their friends. Because the game changed with the introduction of new card types and archetypes that utilized different mechanics of gameplay, the creators of Yu-Gi-Oh! produced different TV shows to introduce new cards and new styles of dueling. To date there are four Yu-Gi-Oh! TV shows: Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Monsters (or the First Generation Yu-Gi-Oh! That many people are familiar with), Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.  Because each show has its own story, each show also has its own protagonist with their own card that they consider their best Monster Card. Since each protagonist is meant to be a spiritual successor to the original hero, Yugi, their best cards all share two similarities: They each have 2500 ATK Points and they each need (at least) 2 monsters to be summoned by their intended method of summoning.

So let’s take a look at the four monster cards that have aided our heroes in their duels!

Generation 1

The Dark Magician, held by Yugi in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. I already reviewed this card before, but what I would like to note about it is that its DEF is 2100. For some reason, the other Monster Cards that follow all have 2000 DEF. Yugi's main reason for using this card is simply that it is his favorite. Later in the series, it is implied that this Monster Card is an incarnation of one of the Pharaoh's loyal servants from his past life.

Generation 2

Elemental Hero Neos, held by Jaden Yuki from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Although Jaden did not receive or duel with this card until around the second season it is still considered his best Monster Card. This is a Monster designed by Jaden when he was a child; it was entered in a contest to create a deck of Duel Monsters cards and for some reason the cards were launched into "Neo Space". By being launched into space, the cards were infused with the power of Duel Spirits that Jaden can see. Neos' main ability is to be able to "Contact Fuse" with other Neo Spacians, as the card's flavor text would suggest. (This is an actual mechanic to the Neo Spacian Archetype.) Like Dark Magician, it is a Level 7 Normal Monster. Unlike Dark Magician, it is a, Light Attributed, Warrior-Type Monster Card.

Generation 3

Stardust Dragon, held by Yusei Fudo from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's

Here is a card that might have single hand-idly changed the way of dueling forever. For the first time ever, not only was a Dragon-Type Monster Card the best Card of the Protagonits, but it was also an Effect Monster and it also came from the Extra Deck! (Prior to 5D's, The Extra Deck was called the Fusion Deck. The era of 5D's also introduced the Synchro Monster, which changed how people dueled. Most of the show focuses on the importance of Synchro Monsters in society.) At the beginning of the the show Yusei does not use this card because it was stolen from him by his former friend and rival Jack Atlas. Stardust Dragon is said to serve a powerful creature known as The Crimson Dragon. The Crimson Dragon chose 5 signers and entrusted them with a portion of their powers to those signers destined to restore balance to the world. Stardust Dragon, along with the other "Signer Dragons" played a huge role in the 5D's anime. Throughout the series, Stardust Dragon obtained more power evolved forms.

Generation 4

Number 39: Utopia, held by Yuma Tsukumo. Currently, this card is the whole reason anyone is buying the Starter Deck for 2011. (This, and maybe the other two Xyz Monsters that are included.) The Number Cards are said to come from another dimension or another word in Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal; and according to Konami's official Yu-Gi-Oh! website, Xyz Monsters travel from across the galaxy! Number 39: Utopia (In Japan he is known as Aspiring Emperor Hope) is the first Xyz Monster that came into Yuma's possession, granted by Astral's Power. (Astral is an Duelist Spirit from another world. He is a parallel of the Pharaoh from the original series.) Like Ash, Yuma's goal is to "Catch 'em all!". The Number Cards are powerful cards that amplify the emotions (and darkness) within people's hearts. Yuma must duel and defeat those with Number Cards in order to obtain them. Number Cards are also the pieces of Astral's memories. Why does a powerful spirit with amnesia sound like such a familiar premise for a story?... What is interesting about Number 39: Utopia is that his effect is very defensive, just like Stardust Dragon's effect, which is also defensive but in a different manner.

These cards may receive a review on their own sometime in the future for a more in depth analysis. For now, this is just a preview and overview of all of these cards.

Card Review: Dark Magician

Alright, another card review. Just as a heads up, I might continue with a trend of reviewing the iconic ace cards first just to get them out of the way.

Last time I reviewed Seto Kaiba's ace card, Blue-Eyes White Dragon. This time I will review Yugi's favorite card, the Dark Magician. For most people, the Dark Magician is mostly a card used as a favorite. Sure the story is the same for Blue-Eyes White Dragon, that both of these cards look cool and are used by the main characters of the TV show, however, Dark Magician requires more dedication to be actually be used for its offensive power than the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

So lets examine this famous master of dark magic. Dark Magician is a, Dark Attributed, Level 7 Spellcaster-Type Normal Monster with 2500ATK and 2100DEF. Already the card is very inferior to Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Because Dark Magician is a Level 7 monster, he still requires 2 Tributes to be Tribute Summoned and his is 500ATK points weaker than the Blue-Eyes; on a side note, there are other monsters that require less effort to summon that can inherently match Dark Magician's attack strength or even surpass it. Like Blue-Eyes White Dragon, however, Dark Magician has received alternative artwork and a number of support cards that specifically make using the Dark Magician more effective or even easier. The problem still remains: Dark Magician requires sure dedication to be completely utilized. (well, more so than the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that can easily be abused simply by being a dragon.) Cards like Dark Magic Curtain have high costs, paying half of your Life Points and restricting yourself from summoning any other monsters, to special summon 1 Dark Magician straight from the deck. Other cards like Dark Magic Attack, based off of the Dark Magician's signature move, has it's advantages, but still requires for Dark Magician to be present. Aside from this complication, Spellcaster-Type monsters alone are often difficult to use, and building a good Spellcaster based deck must be carefully crafted. (Using a Spellcaster Archetype is simpler than choosing Spellcasters that don't belong in an official archetype.) Even if a duelist manages to summon the Dark Magician, he or she must still brave the many challenges that varying opponents present.

As much as I'd hate to admit it, Dark Magician alone isn't such a great card... However, it can still be useful in some decks, but as I have mentioned, those decks must be carefully crafted. (1 Magician alone may not be enough.) Still, despite its shortcomings, Dark Magician is still a pretty cool card, especially as a collectible. When I first dueled I have never owned my own Dark Magician, but I eventually obtained one about a year ago from a friend. Even if I did not have the proper cards to build a deck based around the Dark Magician, it still felt pretty awesome to actually have one of the original editions; and to be able to show it to my older brother again who no longer has his felt pretty good too.