Summary
- Atem and Yugi have weaker decks compared to other protagonists due to lack of synergy and mechanics.
- Yuga's Rush Duel deck focuses on discarding and graveyard effects for powerful plays with Seven Roads Magician.
- Yusei Fudo's deck stands out with strong synergy, Synchro Summons, and banned ace monster Stardust Dragon.
The protagonists of Yu-Gi-Oh! are some of the most skilled players in their own series. These characters usually have powerful ace monsters, some sort of hidden ability, and all the luck you can get when it comes to drawing the right card. You can call it top deck magic, or you can just admit that the heroes cheat sometimes.
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PostsThese character’s decks always seem unstoppable. Once you learn to play the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, things become a little different. Unstoppable monsters suddenly become bricks that die immediately to a removal Spell or a deck that has no cohesive game plan. So which Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonist has the most competent deck?
9 Atem - Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
Hitting That Brick Wall
CloseIt’s safe to say that out of each protagonist, Yugi Muto and Atem have the weakest decks due to a lack of mechanics and overall synergy. Taking a closer look, Atem has cards like the Tricky, all three Egyptian Gods, and his Dark Magicians.
Despite having main character energy fueling his plays, Atem’s deck is a complete brickfest. So, while he can spam out Tricky Tokens to turbo out his Egyptian Gods, if he doesn’t have ways to tribute right away, he ends up with a bunch of monsters that he can’t even use.
8 Yugi Muto - Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
Built For The Playground
CloseYugi’s deck gets immediate points for including the Gear Gadget archetype. These colorful machines are great for adding each other to the hand and were one of the best archetypes in the Duel Monsters era.
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PostsYugi’s deck may not be the most powerful, but he has plenty of good cards in the deck, such as Swords of Revealing Light, Gold Sarcophagus, and Monster Reborn. It’s a bit more playful and in tune with his love for games, even if it wouldn’t stand a chance against the other protagonists.
7 Yuga Ohdo - Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens
A Simple Deck That Works
CloseYuga Ohdo’s deck can’t be evaluated in the same way as other protagonists. This is because the rules of Rush Duels are quite different. Despite this, Yuga’s deck has a clear goal in what it wants to accomplish as a win condition. This is the Summoning of Seven Roads Magician.
Since Rush Duels have you drawing multiple cards each turn, Yuga’s deck consists of monsters that can be discarded or sent to the graveyard for an effect. Some can even return to the hand by paying life points. The more cards in the grave, the more powerful Seven Roads Magician can get for that final push.
6 Yudias Velgear - Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush
His Deck Keeps Coming Back
CloseYudias Velgear also has the same parameters as Yuga Ohdo in terms of deck building. Yudias focuses on the Galaxy-type monsters that are exclusive to Rush Duels. Yudias utilizes Normal monsters in combination with Spells and effects that help boost their strength while weakening his opponent’s.
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PostsHe also has plenty of cards that can recycle resources from the graveyard back into the deck. This is important because Rush Duels draw more cards each turn and use smaller decks. So this keeps his resources coming back for more.
5 Jaden Yuki - Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
A Fusion Focused Deck
CloseJaden Yuki’s deck is a step up from Yugi’s in every way. This time, Jaden uses an actual archetype in his deck build and has cards that specifically synergize with his Elemental Hero strategies. His ace monster also has an ability which can win duels in a single attack.
Even if it is implied that Jaden loses against Yugi at the end of the series, his deck is more than just cobbled together. Many of the Elemental Hero monsters can fuse together, making Fusion Summons an easy way for Jaden to get powerful monsters on the field.
4 Yuma Tsukumo - Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
A Toolbox Of XYZ Monsters
CloseYuma is the protagonist of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, even with XYZ Monsters in his extra deck, there are still places where it can be done better. As far as ace monsters go, Yuma’s Utopia is decent for the time, and he even has an OTK method in the form of Double or Nothing.
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Posts 1Yuma’s deck consists of a Number Monster toolbox and the GaGaGa archetype. With multiple versions of Utopia in his deck, the one thing he lacks is a way to search out Double or Nothing.
3 Yusei Fudo - Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds
Cards That Stand The Test Of Time
CloseYusei Fudo is another example of a deck getting better with each series. While Yusei has the skill to win with any deck he uses, Yusei’s in particular has some pretty good synergy. Everything revolves around Synchro Summons, and he’s got the legendary Stardust Dragon.
What makes Yusei’s deck better than Yuma’s is that his ace monster is good enough to be banned in the past. He also has cards in his deck like Effect Veiler to use as a hand trap. He even has a line to get Shooting Quasar Dragon out, which is still considered a top-tier monster.
2 Yuya Sakaki - Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V
The Multiverse Of Yu-Gi-Oh!
CloseYuya’s deck is good enough to take on the multiverse as well as some of the best duelists from other shows. His deck utilizes Pendulum Summons which can take a while to kick off. Luckily, he has one of the best Pendulum archetypes at his disposal, the Performapals.
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PostsWhile Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon may not be as accessible as something like Number 39: Utopia or even Stardust Dragon, the rest of the deck is solid enough to overwhelm the opponent. Yuya’s deck has a direct goal and ways to get the cards he needs without always relying on top deck magic.
1 Yusako Fujiki - Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains
A Modern Deck
CloseYusako Fujiki’s deck revolves around the Cyberse archetype. These AI-inspired cards include the Decoder monsters, Link Kuriboh, and his ace, Firewall Dragon. Out of every protagonist’s deck, Yusako’s feels the most modern.
Every card not only synergizes with each other, but he also goes beyond his series Summoning mechanics. He utilizes Synchros, Fusions, and XYZs in his strategies, which makes his deck flexible like no other before it. It just goes to show how important an extra deck can be when it isn’t used for jank plays.
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Like Follow FollowedYu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game
Franchise Yu-Gi-Oh! Original Release Date February 4, 1999 Player Count Two-player (1 vs. 1) Age Recommendation 8 and up Length per Game 20 minutes See at Official Site Expand Collapse
