January 18, 2021 Tracy Transcend

Yu-Gi-Oh: 10 Spell Cards That Were Banned For Being Too Overpowered

As useful as these spell cards were, they absolutely broke the game. They've long since been banished to the shadow realm.

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Yu-Gi-Oh! is simple: both players start with a set amount of Life Points, and the first player to reach 0 loses. Both players are able to summon monsters to do damage to one another, but they can also play or set Spell and Trap Cards. Some of these Spell Cards are far more powerful than others though, which is why some of them have been, or are currently banned in tournament play.

10. Graceful Charity

The card game has changed quite a bit since 1999, and one of the biggest changes is the fact that players are now incentivized to draw and dispose of as many cards as possible. This is the reason why Graceful Charity is banned, because it allows a player to draw 3 cards and then discard 2 of them.

This effect is over-powered because there are now too many monsters who gain ATK and DEF bonuses from the discard pile, but there are also a lot of other powerful monster effects that are solely dependent on the discard pile as well.

9. Cold Wave

Cold Feet is one of the card game's strangest cards because players are free to use it, despite the fact that its effect is more or less identical to Cold Wave, which is banned. When Cold Wave is activated, neither player is allowed to play or set any Spell or Trap Cards.

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This may not sound like an overpowered effect, but it puts the opposing player at a huge disadvantage because they can now be attacked freely without consequence, and if any of their monsters survive, they cannot be buffed or protected by Spell Cards until their next turn.

8. Pot Of Greed

Of all the cards on this list, Pot of Greed appears to be the least threatening, as it simply allows a player to draw 2 cards from the top of their deck. Every deck must have a minimum of 40 cards in it, and each deck is allowed to have only three copies of the same card.

If Pot of Greed was not banned, every player would have three copies in their deck because it allows them to draw six cards in total. There are plenty of Spell Cards and Monster effects which allow players to add cards to their hands or to the top of their decks, which means that this card can easily be abused.

7. Card Destruction

Card Destruction is now classified as a limited card, which means that each deck is allowed to have just one copy of it. Prior to this reclassification, Card Destruction was banned for several years, and for good reason, because it can put one player at an extreme disadvantage.

When played, this card forces both players to discard as many cards as possible from their hands, and they must then draw the same number of cards they discarded. If timed correctly. a player can receive a new full hand for free, while their opponent gets one or two, and depending on their effect, it can give a monster a sudden power spike too.

6. Dimension Fusion

The original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime made a lot of mistakes, and it likely would have made a lot more if it implemented the idea of special summoning monsters that had already been removed from play. Now, there are entire decks revolved around removing monsters and bringing them back, and that is why Dimension Fusion finds itself on the banned list.

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When played, this card allows both players to special summon as many of their removed from play monsters as possible, but at a cost of 2000 Life Points. This card allows a player to summon an army instantly, which would be fine if players weren't able to remove their own cards from play.

5. Giant Trunade

Giant Trunade Sending All Spell & Trap Cards To The Hand

Spell Cards are important because they can buff and protect monsters, and because they allow players to draw specific cards or special summon certain monsters. Trap Cards on the other hand are deterrents, because an opposing player knows that they may be negatively affected by them.

Giant Trunade is banned because it returns every Spell and Trap Card on the field to their owner's hand. This gives a huge advantage to the player who uses this card, because they can immediately place their Spell and Trap Cards back onto the field, while their opponent losses the ability to properly defend themselves.

4. Change Of Heart

Depending on its condition, Change of Heart is one of the most expensive cards out there, and it's value is incredibly surprising seeing as it's been banned for awhile. Once used, a player is able to target one of their opponent's monsters and take control of for the rest of the turn.

The targeted monster can then attack another one of its owner's monsters, or attack them directly, and the player who used Change of Heart can also use that monster's effect if possible. The real issue with this card is the fact that its owner is given a free monster to use as a fusion material or tribute.

3. Heavy Storm

A Storm Stealing Every Spell & Trap Card

Giant Trunade may return Spell and Trap Cards to the hand, but Heavy Storm's effect is far more troublesome and annoying. When played, this card instantly destroys every single Spell and Trap Card on the field, regardless of who they belong to.

This card has been banned for many years, and for good reason, because when used at the right time, it can single-handedly win someone the game. Banning this card is one of the best moves Konami has ever made in regards to the card game, because it forced players to develop better skill sets instead of relying on drawing one all powerful card.

2. Mass Driver

Mass Driver is one of several cards that were banned for crazy reasons, but it was banned nonetheless. This continuous Spell Card allows a player to inflict 400 points of direct damage to their opponent's Life Points as long as they tribute one monster.

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Seeing as the player needs to sacrifice a monster in order to activate this effect, this card seems pretty balanced, but that's far from true. There are now a multitude of cards that allow players to fill their fields with low-level monsters or tokens that function as monsters, which means that a player could potentially take off more than 1000 Life Points every turn without ever attacking.

1. Raigeki

Raigeiki Destroying Every Monster on The Field

After spending years on the banned list, Raigeki is now allowed to be used in a limited capacity, and much like Heavy Storm, this card can win someone the game if played at the right moment. When played, this card destroys every single monster on the opponent's side of the field.

Players need monsters for offense, but they also need them for defense, as they normally prevent opponent's from attacking their Life Points directly. Thanks to Raigeki, a player can clear the field and attack their opponent directly with all of their monsters. It can also destroy all of an opponent's strongest monsters, which is incredibly infuriating seeing as the user loses absolutely nothing.

Source: gamerant.com

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