Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG: Top 10 Great Cards From the Anime That Were Bad in the TCG

The Yu-Gi-Oh! anime franchise is full of incredible, nostalgic cards that many times seemed unbeatable in the hands of the main characters. However, not all cards that were popular in the anime had the same impact on the TCG, either because their effects were changed or even because their designs were irrelevant in the real game.

Today, we gathered the most iconic cards from the anime that weren't as powerful in the TCG.

Check out below the top 10 great cards from the anime that were bad in the TCG!

10 - Mirror Force

Mirror Force is probably the most famous trap in Yu-Gi-Oh!, and, despite being incredibly strong in the anime franchise, we can't say it was just as powerful in the real-life TCG. This is because, in modern Yu-Gi-Oh!TCG, the battle phase isn't as relevant as it was in the Yu-Gi-Oh! played in the anime. Even though the match ends when a player's HP go to 0, most duels are "won" when someone runs out of resources.

9 - Kuriboh

Kuriboh's case is incredibly similar to Mirror Force in the sense that it is also a handtrap for the battle phase. Despite being "faster", as it is an effect monster so you don't need to play it before you activate it, Kuriboh is worse than Mirror Force because it only deals with 1 enemy monster. Meanwhile, Mirror Force deals with all ATK position monsters.

8 - Swords of Revealing Light

Swords of Revealing Light also interacts with the battle phase; it prevents your opponent from declaring attacks. Furthermore, its effect, which sets face-down monsters face-up, was quite interesting in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters because this series included many Flip monsters, which are extremely rare in the current Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG format. In real life, this effect is basically useless.

7 - Berserker Soul

Berserker Soul is an iconic spell that originated the meme "DORO?! MONSTA KADO?!". To sum up, with this card, you'll deal 500 damage to your opponent's LP whenever you draw a monster card with its effect (which you can do up to 7 times). In the anime, this effect lets you attack with a target monster with 1500 or less HP whenever you drew a monster a card with this card's effect.

The difference between these two effects was definitely what made this card bad in the actual TCG, simply because burn damage is not enough to finish a duel. Meanwhile, attacking several times in a row enables OTK combos centered around Berserker Soul and other monsters that attack your opponent's LP directly.

6 - Card of Sanctity

Card of Sanctity's effect is also quite different in the actual TCG compared to the anime series. In the anime series, its effect makes both players draw cards until they have 6 cards in their hand for no cost at all, which would make it the best card in the game. Its TCG version, in turn, draws you two cards, but you'll have to banish all the cards you control and in your hand. This is such a high cost that, instead of being the best card in the game, it is one of the worst.

5 - Time Wizard

Time Wizard's two versions (real life and the anime version) are also quite different. We can't deny its anime effect is a lot better than its real life effect, but, even if their effects were the same, the real life version would still be terrible. That's because its effect in the anime "ages up" other monsters in play, and makes your monsters better at the same time it makes your opponent's monsters worse. This only works in a scripted duel.

Furthermore, what makes Time Wizard such a bad card is the fact it relies on luck, as you need to toss a coin when you use it.

4 - Sabatiel - The Philosopher's Stone

Sabatiel - The Philosopher's Stone is definitely a custom card in the anime, considering the only way you can get it is to move it from your deck and add it to your hand when a Winged Kuriboh is destroyed. Furthermore, when you activate it, it lets you swap it for any card in your graveyard or deck. This means it can turn into any card in your deck.

In the TCG, its effect only gives you 1 "Polymerization" or "Fusion" spell for half your LP, which is very "expensive".

3 - Labyrinth Wall

Labyrinth Wall is a level 5 monster without any effects, so you need to tribute 1 card to summon it. This would already be enough to make it bad, but its anime version takes its text, "These walls form a labyrinth with no exit for your enemies", too literally. In the anime series, this gives your monsters an advantage, and your opponent's monsters get "confused".

2 - Blue-Eyes White Dragon/Dark Magician/Red-Eyes Black Dragon

Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Dark Magician, and Red-Eyes Black Dragon are the most important monsters played by Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters protagonists, and are considered rare. However, despite how nostalgic they are, they're not great cards because they don't have any effects (so they're practically obsolete nowadays) and you need to tribute 2 cards to summon it, which is very hard to do.

1 - Exodia the Forbidden One

Exodia the Forbidden One has the same effect in the anime series and in the real life TCG: if you get this card and all its parts, you'll win the game on the spot. However, despite having the best effect in the game, Exodia the Forbidden One is considered quite terrible.

That's because there is no consistent way to get all his parts and use him as a win condition. So, if you decide to use him to win, you'll have to rely on low odds to do it. In practically every match, this card is actually a true garnet.

Do you agree with our picks? Would you add different cards? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

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