Top 10 Monsters in Yugi Muto's Deck

Kicking off this list is the spellcaster that helped Yugi defeat Pegasus once and for all – the Magician of Black Chaos –a darker, sleeker, and unquestionably chaotic incarnation of the original Dark Magician. In addition to being a ritual monster –which was still a new concept at the time, this sorcerer packs a wallop with 2800 points and its unstoppable Chaos Scepter Blast attack –more than enough to put an end to Pegasus’ shadow duel and win the Duelist Kingdom tournament. While not used as often afterward, it still served as a small sample of the firepower lying in the King of Games’ deck.

This dragon was a latecomer to Yugi’s deck –having debuted in the final season, but when Gandora made its epic debut, it did NOT disappoint. Along with being fierce to look at, Gandora has the destructive ability to destroy and banish any other monsters on the field in exchange for half of its owner’s life points; it then sends itself to the graveyard after finishing its grizzly task. Whether by clearing out the playing field of other monsters or destroying itself, Gandora definitely lives up to its title as Dragon of Destruction –and it earns extra points for triggering the event that helped Yugi defeat Yami Bakura once and for all.

Back in Season 1 when duelists could summon normal high-level monsters on a whim, Yugi could easily dish out this demonic heavy-hitter – the Summoned Skull. With its deadly lightning strike attack, it can fry anything in its path –as Weevil Underwood and the Paradox Brothers learned the hard way. When the stakes are even higher, it can fuse with Joey’s iconic Red-Eyes Black Dragon to form the unstoppable Black Skull Dragon –the perfect symbol of the two best friends working as one. Sadly, Summoned Skull wasn’t used as frequently as it used to be, but it was always in Yugi’s deck whenever he needed an electrifying ace up his sleeve.

Among Yugi’s new monster cards during Battle City were the three Magnet Warriors – Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. They pack a punch on their own, but when Yugi tributes all three, they come together to form a combatant with three times the power – Valkyrion the Magna Warrior. With over 3000 attack and defense points, this warrior is an unbeatable fighting machine; however, should the need arise, Yugi can always tribute Valkyrion to bring his Magnet Warriors back. That doesn’t sound like a helpful ability at first, but with the right card combination, this technique could be the key to bringing down three of the mightiest monsters in Duel Monsters history.

As if Yugi wasn’t called a cheater enough without possessing an instant-win strategy. In the series, during his very first duel with Kaiba, Yugi miraculously managed to assemble all five pieces of the legendary Exodia the Forbidden One. If anyone were to possess all five Exodia cards in their hand –a feat that so few have successfully pulled off, victory is instantly claimed. Realizing the danger these cards possess, the sneaky Weevil Underwood tosses them overboard, rendering Yugi unable to wield Exodia’s power anymore. While he can’t one-hit KO opponents with the Forbidden One anymore, Yugi can still use all that he’s learned to exploit its weaknesses on OTHER Exodia duelists.

Another contender of Yugi’s during the Battle City arc was the mighty Buster Blader – basically the ultimate dragon slayer. This mighty swordsman gains 500 attack points for every dragon on the opponent’s side of the field and graveyard –so naturally, this card would be Seto Kaiba’s worst nightmare considering his Blue-Eyes fetish. While Buster Blader’s a heavy-hitter on its own, its power only grows when it fuses with its partner -Yugi’s Dark Magician- to form Dark Paladin, the Ultimate Magical Swordsman – which ultimately helped Yugi land a spot in the Battle City Finals by wiping out Kaiba’s Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

While Yugi’s little Kuriboh is not a powerhouse in terms of attack or defense, it has a few handy tricks up its sleeve. If it’s in Yugi’s hand when his opponent attacks, he can discard Kuriboh to stop the attack; add to it, with the Multiply magic card, Yugi can summon a whole WALL of Kuribohs to protect his life points. The anime also gave Kuriboh one last sneaky little trick – if it comes in contact with a monster, it explodes –taking its enemy with it. In a way, Kuriboh is almost like an extension of little Yugi himself – small and gentle in personality, but always ready for a fight even with the odds against him.

Unquestionably one of the game’s most iconic monsters is the alluring apprentice of the OG Dark Magician - the Dark Magician Girl. She may be a cutie, but she packs a nasty punch –whether by gaining 300 attack points for every Dark Magician in the graveyard, or by fighting ALONGSIDE her master to add twice the magical firepower. It’s been shown that her connection to Yugi is deeper than a mere monster card – it was her dueling spirit that helped guide him during the Waking the Dragons arc, and it also helps that she is pretty much the reincarnation of Atem’s childhood friend, Mana –who vowed to become a great sorcerer… needless to say that she got her wish.

Behold, three of the most powerful monsters in Duel Monsters history, and the plot elements of the whole Battle City arc – Slifer the Sky Dragon, Obelisk the Tormentor, and the Winged Dragon of Ra. Modeled after ancient Egyptian beasts, when these three were created, they were too powerful to mass produce so only one of each card was made, and only certain duelists can harness their incredible power –of course, by the end of the tournament, Yugi ended up with all three. Thanks to their divine special abilities, each Egyptian God is nearly impossible to defeat on their own without some creative strategy. But once they’re united, it’d take a miracle to smite all three.

Before we unveil Yugi’s number one beast, here are a few honorable mentions.

Dark Paladin

Black Luster Soldier

Silent Magician

Celtic Guardian

Gaia the Fierce Knight

No matter how many monsters he switches in and out of his deck, Yugi always makes room for his favorite monster of all – the Dark Magician. This mighty spellcaster has come in many shapes and sizes –from the mighty Dark Magician Knight to the wise Dark Sage and so on, but it consistently remains the mighty sorcerer that COMMANDS respect. It’s safe to say that this wizard’s loyalty to Yugi is unmatched – he served the Pharaoh in ancient Egypt as Mahad, and he continues to serve the modern day King of Games as one of the iconic magicians and monster cards in all of Duel Monsters and “Yu-Gi-Oh!” –both inside and outside of the anime.