Video Game promo cards were quite popular back in the day, as Yu-Gi-Oh had a bunch of VG releases over the years. Even the most recent release of Link Evolution had some promo cards in them. Today we'll be looking over the best of what these games had to offer, starting with the DM era! This article will only cover cards that debuted exclusively in the games, so reprints are out of the question.
Credit to Yugipedia for some of the scans shown in this article!
The Aroma of Death
Video Game Promo: Power of Chaos: Yugi the Destiny - 2003
Anti-Spell Fragrance is an infamous trap in modern times due to its ability to completely shut down key plays all on its own. If you see it going first, it's a death sentence for Spell-heavy opponents. However, things weren't always so smooth for ASF. It saw no play for the first decade of its release, as the game was a lot slower back then. This meant it was only a minor setback at best.
And so the card remained dormant for years on end, even after seeing a reprint in Champion Pack Game Five. Somewhere around the Pendulum era, Anti-Spell started picking up a lot of traction. Pendulum cards cannot be scaled while this floodgate is face-up on the field. In addition, the game sped up to the point where not being able to play Spells until your next turn became a real threat. It's quite likely that the game would be over before you could reach that point.
This change in dynamic proved to be fruitful for ASF and thus its usage shot up in the latter half of the game's history. A classic example would be in the format of Blue-Eyes/BA/Metalfoes, where this card racked up a lot of hype and success. Metalfoes is a Pendulum-based deck and can't play at all under the floodgate. Blue-Eyes ran a lot of Spell cards that allowed them to unbrick. A recent example would also be blanking the likes of Invoked Shaddoll, Endymion, or Sky Striker.
Not only that, but ASF's ease of use lets it fit in a variety of decks. Combo decks side it now and then to prevent haymakers such as Dark Ruler No More or Forbidden Droplets. Control decks can leverage it to guard against backrow cleaners like Lightning Storm. It's also seen some success when paired with Heavy Storm Duster!
No card is without flaws though, as ASF can fall short when the opponent has chainable removal such as Cosmic Cyclone. Despite this, it has proven itself to be one of the best Video Game Promo cards. Not many of them can boast an impressive track record that's still going to this day.
Taking By Force
Video Game Promo: 7 Trials to Glory: World Championship 05 - 2005
Mind Control is another card that performed poorly within its early years but became a household name as the game progressed. Now it's one of the more commonly played Limited power cards, popping in and out of the metagame!
Funnily enough, MC was overlooked and outclassed in the early days of the game. Change of Heart, Snatch Steal, and Brain Control were all better at the time. All three of them had fewer restrictions and you could freely attack or get rid of the monster for a Tribute.
And so, Mind Control slipped under the radar for a lengthy period of time. It wasn't until the 5Ds era where it really started to make some waves. One benefit that it did have is that its restrictions allowed it to slip under the ban hammer, whereas the former cards got banned from the game one way or another. The synchro era was a boon for this Normal Spell, as you now have a way to get rid of the monster via Synchro Summoning.
Because of this, MC has also been rocking it back and forth in the Forbidden and Limited List. Its most recent stint is another re-limitation after its success in the Link era. The ability to now Link off monsters makes this a powerful removal spell that also advances your plays. It also forces an unfavorable decision onto your opponent. Either they negate Mind Control and allow you to go with your other plays, or you get to have their monster.
While it may not win you the game on its own, it's a pretty consistent performer in actual duels. Quite the solid promo card overall.
Devourer of Backrow
Video Game Promo: Stairway to the Destined Duel - 2003
World Championship 04 (Europe) - 2004
And thus we reach the strongest promo card, the one that trumps all of them by far. Even modern promos don't stand a chance against this one, the cream of the crop being none other than Harpie's Feather Duster! This card was banned for 16 years! It only recently escaped and has been shredding ever since.
HFD was unbanned in the September 2020 banlist, to the rejoice of many players. However, it presented another hurdle for backrow players as they now have another auto-win button to fear. HFD immediately spiked in price and saw play in almost every deck from here on out. While not every matchup may have Spell / Trap cards to get rid of, having such a powerful option in your grasp is nothing to scoff at. It's also aged quite well, as it only has sidegrades, not direct upgrades within its competition.
Evenly Matched is definitely a strong contender, but can be tricky to work with. Lightning Storm also requires you to control no cards as well and is a lot more expensive to grip. Twin Twister is a solid card that has its upsides over Duster thanks to being Quick-Play but only wipes 2. Lastly, Red Reboot is great at stopping Trap threats, but not ones that are already face-up.
It's important to understand that the backrow removal options all have their specific upsides depending on the matchup or situation. But it would also be foolish to dismiss the power and game-ending potential that a well-timed Harpie's Feather Duster can bring upon to your opponent.
The best video game promo card, no questions asked.
The Gambit
The Eternal Duelist Soul - 2002
Exchange had quite the wild ride all things considered. The card is the epitome of high risk and high reward, as you also -1 yourself upon using it. Still, it has seen some legitimate success all over the years. There's nothing quite like it, and it has also aged beautifully.
In the Spellbook / Dragon Ruler format, Spellbook decks were able to make use of it to snipe the Spellbook of Judgment out of the opponent's grip and use it for their own purposes. Seeing as that card is integral to how Books would win, getting to it while denying the opponent's chances are pretty big. Other use cases involve getting rid of Hand Traps (such as Droll) or Board breakers from ruining your day. Certain decks like Full power Adamancipator, SPYRAL, and Orcust piles with Mermaid were able to use it to good effect. The hand knowledge also goes a long way for mapping out your plays.
The most recent use is allowing Infernoble Knight to pilot an impressive 2nd Place finish in LCS XV! Exchange was put in the side as a going first option to really ensure your plays go as planned and allow you to combo off without worry.
It's not the most consistent choice, but for the enterprising duelist, it may prove to be the ace in the hole.
Honorable Mentions
We won't have time to cover all of them in-depth, so here are some of the other stars of the DM era. Note that unlike the ones listed above, most of these never lasted for more than their initial run.
Stairway to the Destined Duel - 2003
Sinister Serpent was one of the best discard outlets and got locked up for a long time too, but suffered a crippling errata. Still, it makes a name for itself as a household staple in GOAT format.
Destiny Board Traveler - 2004
D.D. Assailant was one of the core pieces of Warrior Toolbox and certainly caused some frustration back in the day. The removal it offered was fairly strong and hard to stop.
The Dawn of Destiny - 2004
Widespread Ruin was an interesting sidegrade to Sakuretsu Armor that saw some decent level of play as it could hit certain things Sak couldn't in fringe scenarios.
World Championship 04 - 2004 (NA)
Both Slate Warrior and Cipher Soldier (Kinetic Soldier) saw decent play for their mix of utility and stats.
Capsule Monster Coliseum - 2004
Abyss Soldier actually had some moderate success in Mermail in the 2013-2014 era! Being able to trigger Mermail effects while getting rid of problematic cards or recycling your own cards was decent all around.
Conclusion
And that concludes my write-up for Part 1 of the Video Game Promo series! Which one of these cards is your favorite of the bunch? Also, make sure to join us for Part 2 as we uncover the heavy hitters of the GX era promos.
