Summary
A massive update to theYu-Gi-OhTCG’s banlist is banning four cards and limiting six more, with sixteen different cards affected by the changes. The massively popular trading card game from Konami has been known for implementing sweeping updates to its banlist in an effort to change up the game’s meta. As opposed toYu-Gi-Oh Master Duel’s monthly banlist updates, the TCG’s updates typically come far less frequently with banlist changes coming a few months apart. Now, with a “Tier 0” meta running rampant in the TCG, Konami is making several major changes.
Since the release of the Phantom Nightmare set earlier this year, theYu-Gi-OhTCG has largely been dominated by a single deck, ushering in the game’s newest “Tier 0” meta. The popular “Snake-Eye” strategy has seen overwhelming success at tournaments, often occupying a large chunk of the highest-placing decks. Alongside the pure variant of the deck, the powerful Snake-Eye cards have also seen play alongside other popular FIRE-Attribute archetypes, like “Rescue-ACE” and “Fire King.” Now, the newest banlist update is looking to make several indirect hits, along with bringing back a plethora of cards.
Konami officially revealed the newest update toYu-Gi-Oh’s “Forbidden and Limited List” on Saturday with sixteen different cards affected. The new banlist update sees four cards removed from the game entirely, withpowerful staples like “Baronne de Fleur"and “Linkuriboh” set to Forbidden status. The “Limited” section sees the largest changes with six new cards, with several cards like “Archnemeses Protos,” “Thunder Dragon Colossus,” and “Chicken Game” unbanned. Powerful floodgate card “Anti-Spell Fragrance” is the only previously Unlimited card to be newly set to 1 copy.
Semi-Limited
Unlimited
Alongside the major hits,Yu-Gi-Oh’s newest update also sees several popular strategies receiving cards back from the banlist.Yu-Gi-Oh’sHERO archetype, used by Jaden Yuki and Aster Phoenix in theYu-Gi-Oh GXanime, would see a small change with “Destiny HERO - Malicious” set to Unlimited status. Fan-favorite decks like “Orcust” and “Sky Striker” would also see positive changes from the banlist, with both “Orcust Harp Horror” and “Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage!” returning to three copies. The banlist update is set to go into effect on April 15 in North and Latin America and April 22 in other regions.
While the newest banlist update does not directly hitYu-Gi-Oh’s newest Tier 0 archetype, the changes do address several cards used by Snake-Eye decks. “Linkuriboh” was a popular choice for Snake-Eye players, using it to easily trigger the powerful Graveyard effect of “Snake-Eye Poplar.” The deck could also make use of cards like “Baronne de Fleur” and “Borreload Savage Dragon” to provide protection for its combos. The newest banlist update should look to significantly shake up deckbuilding asYu-Gi-Oh’s playerbase experiments with newly returning cards.
Yu-Gi-Oh!
The Yu-Gi-Oh! series is a massive franchise that stretches across a wide array of mediums including Manga, animated series, trading cards, and video games. The original release followed the story of protagonist Yugi Moto as he used powerful cards to battle against his foes. Yu-Gi-Oh! has since been through multiple series and spinoffs that introduce new characters and monsters to the franchise.
