How Good of a Duelist Would Yugi Have Been if He Played the Real Yu-Gi-Oh Card Game

Yugi Muto, the protagonist of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime, as well as the world-famous King of Games, is by far one of the best duelists in the franchise. His strategies and determination are legendary, with his most iconic duels still being reminisced about by fans all over the world. His deck was unique and powerful, capable of defeating even the most talented players in his universe.

Yet, when thinking about Yugi’s deck in the real-life card game that was inspired by the series, his strategies, deck building, and choice of cards are far from optimal. Despite being an incredibly smart and creative player, Yugi’s deck would have a hard time facing modern strategies. Nonetheless, with a few changes to his decklist, Yugi could once again rise to the top and reclaim his title of King of Games.

The Heart Of The Cards Cannot Help Yugi

Yugi’s deck would not be viable for competitive play

The cards chosen by Yugi to create his deck are without a doubt beloved and iconic, still being a major part of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s success as a franchise. Nevertheless, this does not mean that they are tools that would help Yugi win in a competitive setting. Strategies like Exodia are agonizingly slow and can be interrupted by the opponent at any time. The Egyptian God cards, while imposing in the anime, are never used in the real game, due to their high summoning requirements and mediocre effects. None of these cards would be reliable in a competitive duel.

Besides Yugi’s questionable choice of cards, how he constructed his deck would make it exceedingly inconsistent. The King of Games has proven several times that he never plays more than one copy of a card in his deck. This would make it almost impossible for the young duelist to acquire the cards needed for his famous combos. In the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game, most players tend to play 3 copies of their best cards, as this is the maximum number permitted by the rules. This helps them consistently draw the cards needed for their strategies to work.

No Ancient Egyptian Magic

Yugi’s ability to alter probability in his favor would not exist in real life

Many fans of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! series are not aware of one of Yugi’s most powerful abilities. Thanks to the powerful Millennium Item on his neck, his Puzle, when Yugi encountered issues during a duel, the magic of his ancient artifact would help him obtain the card he needed. This is why, in most duels, Yugi would always draw exactly what he needed to defeat his opponents. In real life, the King of Games would not have access to this ability. While Yugi would still be a talented duelist without this skill, this would hinder him considerably.

His most popular strategies in the anime tend to rely on a specific combination of cards, most of which would be useless in any other situation. Yugi would most likely end up with a hand filled with cards he cannot use, at least until he could obtain the missing piece for his combo. This would never work in a competitive duel, as most modern decks have been designed to end the game in one or two turns. Yugi would have no life points left before he could even begin to play his most iconic cards.

How Could Yugi Fix His Deck?

Yugi would have to say goodbye to many iconic cards

The biggest mistakes Yugi made with his original deck are how inconsistent it is and how old his cards are. Despite how memorable Yugi’s classic monsters, spells, and traps are, they have been overpowered by the thousands of new cards Konami has released over the years. The first thing Yugi would need to do is replace the cards that would not work in a competitive setting. Most of his normal monsters would be taken off of the deck, as well as his spells and traps that only work in specific circumstances.

He would later have to think about the ratio of copies of each card he would include. Cards that are vital for his strategies would have to be played at 3, as this would improve his chances of drawing them when the duel begins. The number of copies played of non-essential cards would depend on how useful Yugi thinks they would be. By not including weak or irrelevant cards in his deck, Yugi’s chances of becoming King of Games in the real world would increase drastically.

What Deck Could Yugi Use?

Yugi could still rely on his trusted friend, the Dark Magician

Given how popular the Dark Magician is, seeing as he is considered Yugi’s symbolic monster, Konami has created several cards that support this creature. Yugi would not have to change his partner monster, as he could use one of the moderately successful Dark Magician decks that have been created in recent years. These decks focus on summoning the Dark Magician from the deck without having to tribute any monsters. To accomplish this, they use modern cards created with Yugi’s deck in mind, like Magician’s Robe and Dark Magic Circle. Thanks to these tools, Yugi’s signature monster would be much more effective.

New Dark Magician support has also centered around giving protection and new abilities to the monster, which does not have any kind of effect on its own. This is mostly done via powerful Spells and Monsters with fantastic effects. Cards like The Dark Magicians, Illusion of Chaos, and Magicians Soul have been created to compensate for the deficiencies of the original Dark Magician. It is important to note that this deck has not been among the most successful in the competitive scene for many years. Be that as it may, Yugi’s outstanding skills could help him rise to the top.

As with many other card games, Yu-Gi-Oh! is constantly evolving. Cards and strategies from the past, despite how popular they might be with audiences, will not be as powerful or useful as newer additions. Yugi’s original deck may not be enough for him to shine as a competitive player, but with a few adjustments, it becomes a weapon worthy of the King of Games.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters is available for streaming on Crunchyroll in the U.S.

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