Cards on the Forbidden and Limited List typically earn their spot based on how dramatically they influence the game. Sometimes this is through the sheer, overwhelming power a single card embodies, but for others, it’s because of the ways they work in tandem with other cards. Mind Master belongs in the latter camp.

 

Unassuming on its surface, Mind Master was once one of the most feared cards in the entire game for its ability to set up some (for the time) nearly unbreakable boards. That was well over a decade ago, however, and Yu-Gi-Oh! has evolved quite a lot since those days. Does Mind Master still carry the same threat level as before, or could it come off the list without making much of a splash?

 

Effect

Mind Master has a fairly simple but dangerous effect. “You can pay 800 Life Points and Tribute 1 Psychic-Type monster, except "Mind Master", to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Psychic-Type monster from your Deck in face-up Attack Position.” Even to a novice, the lack of real restrictions and potential for looping should already be setting off some alarm bells.

 

It’s also worth noting that, when first released in the OCG, Mind Master lacked the requirement of Tributing a different Psychic monster for its effect. While the effect was given an errata soon after to bring it into its current (and for the TCG, only) form, it’s interesting to think that there was a point when this card was even better than it was back when it was considered one of the best cards in the game.

 

History

Mind Master was one of the first Tuners released in September 2008’s The Duelist Genesis. This set introduced Synchro Monsters to the game and massively raised the potential skill ceiling for decks as a result.

 

Cards like Mind Master and the similar Fishborg Blaster from 2009's Ancient Prophecy were integral to this. Because of a handful of its strong effect and the eventual looping combo that developed around it, this card received a ban in September 2011, almost exactly three years after its release. Consequently, this made it the first Psychic-Type monster to be banned. It is currently still forbidden as of 2023.

 

Viability Today

While the game has further evolved since the heyday of Mind Master, this doesn’t change how strong it would still be if it came back into play. The end board for the most famous Mind Master combo typically consisted of Naturia Barkion, Naturia Beast, and a Level 8 Synchro Monster, as well as whatever else could be created or Set with the three or so additional cards left in the player’s hand after that. Though decks today can certainly create even stronger boards, this setup is nothing to scoff at.

 

With the proper adaptions and a few changes, Mind Master could definitely become a threat in the current game. With the introduction of Xyz, Pendulum, and Link Monsters since its banning, even more options have been added to a player’s toolbox with regards to how best to exploit this monster’s effect.

 

Why Can It Come Back?

Unfortunately for fans of Mind Master, it’s difficult to make a strong argument for why the card in its current form could be allowed back into play. It’s simply too strong. While the 800 LP cost is a demerit on paper, this is a rather short-sighted idea in the modern game when Life Points are far less important than being able to effectively use your resources.

 

The best defense for Mind Master would be pointing out that other cards currently in play now are technically stronger than it. While Special Summoning monsters straight from the deck was nearly unheard of back in 2008, it’s not that uncommon in 2023. Additionally, the fact Mind Master can only be used to play Level 4 or lower Psychics does limit its overall potential.

 

It’s also true that, unlike in 2008, players will have a means of responding to Mind Master on turn 1. Rather than sit and watch their opponent combo off, they could potentially stop the loop before it begins with a well-timed Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. However, a card that relies on an opponent to keep it from being overpowered is probably still overpowered, hand traps or no hand traps.

 

Why Could It Not?

Simply put, Mind Master is still incredibly strong. As touched on before, the original Mind Master combo is fairly powerful even today, if a bit fragile. While the most common Level 8 option to end on was Stardust Dragon back in the day, this could easily be changed to something like Borreload Savage Dragon for a more relevant option in a modernized meta. This is to say nothing about what potential Level 7 or 6 Synchro Monsters might be good substitutes for someone who doesn’t wish to use the Naturia pair.

 

Additionally, the existence of Link Monsters makes Mind Master an even more dangerous threat divorced from its original combo. Mind Master easily enables flooding the field with four additional monsters, all at the cost of only two cards (Mind Master itself and any Psychic). The fact that there is no limit to how many times this effect can be used means that players could easily cycle through most of their deck, continually building up bigger and bigger Synchro and Link Monsters.

 

This all assumes a player would only be using Mind Master as their singular combo, too. The fact is that Mind Master can easily be slotted into a variety of strong Psychic decks, such as Virtual World, P.U.N.K., and possibly even Kashtira, to allow them to play any number of desirable monsters straight from their deck. Even something as simple as facilitating a Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit from deck could potentially be useful depending on the strategy.

 

2, 1, Or None?

Unsurprisingly, Mind Master is probably still too strong to come off the list. Though similarly strong monsters do exist now, the reputation Mind Master earned and the ease with which its effect can be abused make it a dangerous option to let run free. Even a single copy is a bit dicey, as options for cheating it out of the deck like Emergency Teleport and One for One are also available.

 

That said, there is an equally unsurprising option for how it could be unbanned – another errata. Simply changing Mind Master to only be usable once per turn would limit its looping potential significantly. A “soft” once per turn would still allow this to happen, but a “hard” once per turn that only allows a single copy of Mind Master to use its effect a single time would all but eliminate its usefulness. Were either option to happen, Mind Master would be able to be completely unlimited, as it would see almost no play whatsoever.