Playing Yu-Gi-Oh! on a budget is tough.  Konami is constantly releasing new cards that are crucial to being used for players who want to actually win, or provide answers to dangerous boss monsters that have been around for ages, or simply make a deck more consistent.  And those cards are often incredibly expensive, running upwards of $50 or more per copy.

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But not every card that would improve a deck has to be super-expensive.  There are plenty of cards players can incorporate into almost any deck right now for a decent price. These cards can boost your deck via boss monsters, consistency boosters, or slowing the opponent down. Offering an instant boost to an existing deck.

10. Pot Of Desires Is A Great Draw Card That's Only $5 For A Playset

Yugioh Pot Of Desires

This is how bad the game of Yu-Gi-Oh is in terms of necessity of draw power. When Pot of Desires first came out in Japan, there was a back and forth on whether or not it’d be a good idea to banish ten cards from one’s deck solely to draw two. Then everyone started maindecking it that could, and the card was worth $200 for years.

Now it’s been reprinted frequently enough that people can get a playset for $5, and there’s not a player around who will tell you not to run it if the engine that makes your deck work has multiples in it.

9. Artifact Lancea Is A Necessary Card To Slow Down Decks That Rely On Banishing To Gain Effects And Is Around $5 For A Playset

Yugioh artifact lancea

Artifact Lancea has been useful almost as long as it’s been printed. The ability to tribute it to stop both players from banishing cards is an important skill. There’s a handful of important decks that are stopped cold by a card like this played at the right time.

In particular, Dragon Link still relies on its chaos roots to try and banish monsters to summon others. Invoked decks rely on the Invoked spell card which is usually banishing monsters one way or another, and Artifact Lancea stops that too, all for $5 for a playset.

8. Harpie's Feather Duster Needs To Be Run By Every Duelist To Get Rid Of Backrow And Costs $13

Yugioh Harpie's Feather Duster

This card shouldn’t be legal in the first place. It’s been on the banlist for ages, but the TCG brought it back recently to match the OCG having brought it back ages ago.

Harpie’s Feather Duster is a card that literally everyone remembers—it’s a solid side deck staple, as it can clear the board of any spell and traps and shut down decks that rely heavily on spells.  If only the rest of the Harpie Lady cards were as good as this.

7. Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay Helps Fight Against Link Monsters And Costs $7 For Three Copies

Yugioh fantastical dragon phantazmay

Phantazmay was one of the most expensive cards during the Link era, and with good reason. It special summoned itself, replaced itself with a card, and had the ability to negate a monster effect.

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It literally did everything, which is why the card was in the $100 range before, especially in the Link era where opponents had to Link Summon monsters to actually use their extra deck. It fell out of favor for a while with the change to Link Rules, but with Dragon Link so prevalent this card is almost a necessity again. And it can be gotten for much cheaper now, only costing $7 for a playset.

6. Apollousa, Bow Of The Goddess Is A Great Boss Monster For $7

Yugioh Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess

For any player whose deck is capable of summoning a lot of monsters, this is absolutely a card that should be slipped into their extra deck. Apollousa is a Link 4 that can be made with two or more monsters with different names. It gains 800 ATK times the number of Link Materials used to summon it, which usually means it’s at 2400 ATK.

And it can negate a monster effect by losing 800 ATK, effectively giving it three effect negations. Apollousa can often shut down turns all by itself, though it’s usually backed by another monster. Originally $100+ dollars, these days it’s only $7.  Not bad for a card people wanted banned for a while.

5. Twin Twisters Is Great Backrow Removal For Only $1 Per Copy

Yugioh Twin Twisters

It took a while, but Mystical Space Typhoon finally got power-crept when Twin Twisters hit the game. A ton of different replacements were printed over the years, but no Spell Card hit the exact right spot that MST did.

But Twin Twisters’ ability to discard a card and destroy up to two spells and traps allowed players to clear an opponent’s backrow so they could properly attack directly. This card isn’t the only spell and trap removal necessary, but for $3 it’s worth buying a playset.

4. Borrelsword Dragon Should Be Run In Nearly Any Deck That Can Summon It And Costs $5

Yugioh  Borrelsword Dragon

Borrelsword Dragon is one of the most powerful Link monsters ever printed. When the card was made, it was another incredibly expensive extra deck monster. A Link 4 with 3000 ATK that can attack twice? Oh, and it gains attack equal to half an opponent’s monster’s attack and halves the other monster’s attack? Yeah, any deck that needs a generic boss monster can use Borrelsword Dragon. It’s $5 and players only need a single copy.

3. The Winged Dragon Of Ra – Sphere Mode Is Pricy At $6 A Copy But Can Be Used In The Side Or Main Deck

Yugioh Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode

One of the side deck cards that higher-level players are back and forth on using. But here’s the reality of the situation: modern Yu-Gi-Oh is usually about setting up the biggest board of monsters possible that can all negate monster effects, with maybe one odd spell or trap effect negator to really make the opponent’s turn impossible. Sphere Mode will tribute three monsters away on your opponent’s board and leave them with a 0/0 monster.

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While its summon can technically be negated, the cost to summon the monster is paid before the monster hits the field, and the entire board is already gone by the time it’s negated, and at least Sphere Mode can’t be attacked.

2. Droll & Lock Bird Is A Little High At $8 Per Copy But Stopping The Opponent's Searches Are Key

Yugioh droll and lock bird

This is skirting the edges of cheap here as a playset of Droll & Lock Bird will cost someone about $25. It’s a hand trap that can be tossed into the main deck or the side deck. Ultimately, the game of Yu-Gi-Oh now is as much about searching as it is about filling the board with monsters.

Droll & Lock Bird is one of the few cards that can stop an opponent’s turn cold then, as it shuts down every search after the initial one, leaving the opponent stuck making a board using cards in hand rather than in deck.

1. Dark Ruler No More Can Shut Down An Opponent's Board For $5 A Copy

Dark Ruler No More

Dark Ruler No More has gone in and out of the meta since it was introduced, with the other card introduced in the 2019 Gold Sarcophagus tin, Nibiru, being considered more important. But in reality, Dark Ruler No More might just be the superior card. Meta decks like Dragon Link can simply steamroll through hand traps. But Dark Ruler No More negates every card on field and can’t be negated itself, so it’s a matter of simply clearing the board afterwards.

Players can pick up a playset of these for less than $20, giving them an easy way to shut down the opponent’s giant board of effect negation.

Source: www.cbr.com