Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG: 10 Banned Cards From The Duel Monsters Era

The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG has evolved from the early days of the Duel Monsters era. What makes the game so unique compared to others is that cards from the past are still viable in the modern game. All it takes is the right support and suddenly, a card that wasn’t great becomes a necessity. The same changes can occur with the ban list as cards that once wreaked havoc become acceptable as the game evolved.

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The Duel Monsters era was a slower time. Special Summons only came once in a while and Trap Cards could remain on the field for more than one turn. While the game would only limit or semi-limit cards during these days, other cards forced Yu-Gi-Oh! to adopt a ban list.

10 Chaos Emperor Dragon Envoy Of The End

The Card That Began The List

If any card is considered the first to be banned, it’s Chaos Emperor Dragon Envoy of the End. Of course, other cards joined it at the same time, but this is the one that sparked a need for a ban list.

Not only is this card easy to Summon, but paying 1000 Life Points could rip every card out of your opponent’s hand and on the field. This card was so powerful during the Duel Monsters era, that multiple cards needed an errata to stop it from instantly winning players the game.

9 Yata-Garasu

The Dreaded Yata Lock

Yata-Garasu may not be so scary now, but during the Duel Monsters era, it could hold you in what the players referred to as a Yata lock. This is when your opponent had no cards in their hand to perform a follow-up while Yata-Garasu prevented them from getting any new cards.

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This card was banned during the Duel Monsters era due to this interaction but has since become less powerful due to the abundance of effects that can be activated in the graveyard. Being reliant on a Normal Summon also keeps it from continuing its reign of terror as more cards rely on being Special Summoned.

8 Butterfly Dagger Elma

An Exploit To Draw Your Entire Deck

On its own, Butterfly Dagger Elma doesn’t do much besides give 300 attack and return to the hand when it is destroyed. However, this enabled it to be the perfect tool when combined with Royal Magical Library and Gearfried the Iron Knight.

Gearfried destroys any Equip Spells attached to it, while Royal Magical Library lets you draw a card for every three Spells you use. With Butterfly Dagger’s ability to return to the hand when destroyed, this created a loop where players could draw through their entire deck. Thus, this card was banned.

7 Delinquent Duo

A Double Hand Rip

Delinquent Duo once held a grip on the Yu-Gi-Oh! community because it allows you to rip two cards out of your opponent’s hand. This is not as deadly in the modern game with many cards that want to go to the graveyard, but during the Duel Monsters era, it was banned for giving players too much advantage.

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With not many Monsters having graveyard effects, there was no real danger in sending one or two cards to the graveyard. Even if your opponent got to choose one, it could only benefit you by constricting their options during their next turn.

6 Imperial Order

Shut Down All Spells

Every Card type has its importance in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. Spells might even be more important than Monster cards, since many Spells act as a starter without having to commit to your Normal Summon. Imperial Order could shut down all Spell usage at the cheap cost of 700 Life Points per turn.

Considering Spells had some of the best effects during the Duel Monsters era, a well-timed Imperial Order meant no more drawing with Pot of Greed or clearing the board with Raigeki. Imperial Order essentially made it, so players were forced to simply rely on big numbers on their monsters.

5 Fiber Jar

Reset The Game

Fiber Jar has a notorious history. Flip Monsters are often considered too slow to be viable in the modern game. However, Fiber Jar managed to stall out an entire tournament due to its ability to reset the game.

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Flipping it means both players must put all of their graveyard cards back into the deck and shuffle. Then both players draw five cards. You could even use this effect to be able to swarm the field with monsters on your next turn since your opponent’s board would most likely be empty as a result.

4 Monster Reborn

When Special Summoning Was Uncommon

Monster Reborn is another card that got moved out of the banlist with time but needed to be curved during the Duel Monsters era. Not only does this card revive a monster, but it does so from either graveyard.

So, if your opponent Tribute Summoned a powerful monster, you could destroy it, then Special Summon it for free on your side of the field in addition to your Normal Summon for the turn. With very few cards that could counter it in the Duel Monsters era, it made sense to ban it.

3 Magical Scientist

Fill Your Field With Resources

Life Points don’t mean much as long as you don’t hit zero. Magical Scientist could bring out one of your Level six or lower Fusion Monsters to the field for the low cost of 1000 Life Points. As long as you have Life Points to pay the cost, you could keep doing this over and over again.

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With very few restrictions, Magical Scientist was a menace that could swarm your opponent even if you couldn’t attack directly. You could also use the bodies Summoned this way as Tribute fodder. If allowed to remain in the metagame, this card would wreak havoc in whatever era.

2 Pot Of Greed

Never Coming Off The Banlist

One of the most well-known cards from the Duel Monsters era to still be on the banlist with no hope of ever returning is Pot of Greed. While other cards can be restricted by new mechanics and the overall speed of the game, Pot of Greed is all beneficial at no cost.

Pot of Greed lets you draw two cards. If you keep drawing pots, you’re essentially playing with a 34-card deck and a costless hand advantage. Pot of Greed found itself banned in the Duel Monsters era.

1 Mirror Force

When Battle Traps Ruled The World

Battle Traps have, for the most part, gone the way of the dodo since many of them can be easily destroyed before the Battle Phase even begins. However, Mirror Force was used to make it so that any time your opponent saw a face-down card on your side of the field, they would treat it with caution.

If they attack, then Mirror Force can destroy all of their face-up attack position monsters. If they don’t attack, then they’re basically allowing you to build your field. The best way to go about it was to attack and accept that your entire field was about to blow up.

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