Apr 21, 2010
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Today is the official release date for Duelist Pack – Kaiba. That means you can finally get your hands on Ultimate Rare versions of 5 of the most powerful cards in the game. None of these cards are currently legal in the Advanced Format, but I remember a time when they were. I’ve played the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME since it was first released and some of my fondest memories Dueling involve activating these incredible Spells, Traps, and Monster Effects.
Pot of Greed was released in the first ever Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME set, Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon, back in 2002. When I was just 12 years old, I pulled it in one of the first packs I ever opened and threw it right into my Deck. There was never a downside to drawingPot of Greed. The card was simple to use and always an awesome card to draw. Pot of Greedtaught me to never give up in a Duel. Even when there wasn’t a single card I could think of that would turn the Duel around, I could draw Pot of Greed to pick up 2 more cards. Combined, those 2 cards could win me the game. After Magician of Faith was released inMetal Raiders, I was able to use her effect to recycle Pot of Greed and speed through my Deck’s best cards.
Cyber Jar was first released in Spell Ruler and has one of the most powerful Flip-Effects ever created. When it’s flipped face-up, it destroys every monster on the field. Then, both players pick up 5 cards from the top of their Decks and Special Summon all level 4 or lower monsters in face-up Attack Position or face-down Defense Position. With 5 new cards in each player’s possession, the Duel looked like a whole different game. But Cyber Jar was a dangerous card to play, too. I remember one of the great Duels I had with my friend, where I attacked a Cyber Jar and revealed 5 monsters from the top of my Deck. My unlucky friend revealed none! I special Summoned all of my monsters in Attack Position and finished off my opponent by attacking with them, since I was still in my Battle Phase.
It was usually best to flip Cyber Jar on your own turn, if you could. I remember hiding behindSwords of Revealing Light so I could use the effect of Cyber Jar in my first Main Phase, by flipping it face-up. Then, if I picked up a powerful Spell Card like Raigeki, I could use it to wipe out my opponent’s monsters. I could also use other strong Spell Cards I pick up, like Monster Reborn, or Monster Cards that can’t be Special Summoned by Cyber Jar, like Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning and Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End, to finish the Duel.
I will always think of Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End as the king of Dragons in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME. Dark Armed Dragon and Judgment Dragon pale in comparison to Chaos Emperor Dragon. When it was first released in Invasion of Chaos in 2004, it completely revolutionized the way the game was played. Duelists started packing their Decks with DARK and LIGHT monsters with the hope of Summoning this incredible Dragon. By removing just 1 DARK monster and 1 LIGHT monster from your Graveyard, you can Special Summon this mighty 3000 ATK Dragon, just like Kaiba did in his Duel against Zigfried. You can also pay 1000 Life Points to send all cards on the field and in both players’ hands to the Graveyard. This is an incredible way to turn any Duel around, since it leaves both players with no hand or cards on the field, forced to rely solely on the 1 card they draw each turn.
That is, of course, assuming your opponent even survives the damage Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End deals to him. For each card Chaos Emperor Dragon sends to the Graveyard with its effect, your opponent will lose 300 Life Points. That damage adds up fast. If each player has 3 cards on the field and 3 cards in his hand, Chaos Emperor Dragon can deal 3600 damage with its effect. It’s even able to attack before activating its effect! Plus, it can be revived from the Graveyard with cards like Call of the Haunted and Monster Reborn if it was properly Summoned once. I can remember countless Duels where it looked like my opponent was about to win, but I drew Chaos Emperor Dragon next turn and robbed the victory.
Chaos Emperor Dragon was more than just an awesome stand-alone card. There were also great combos that could be made with it. If you activate its effect while you have Sangan orWitch of the Black Forest on the field, you can search your Deck for a monster to add to your hand after all other cards are sent to the Graveyard. Taking Yata-Garasu from your Deck and attacking with it on that same turn could prevent your opponent from ever drawing another card. One of the most powerful combos with Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the Endinvolves another Forbidden Card in Duelist Pack – Kaiba, Ring of Destruction.
Ring of Destruction can quickly end a Duel. By using it on your own Chaos Emperor Dragon after activating its effect, your opponent will lose 3000 Life Points before taking all of the damage Chaos Emperor Dragon dishes out. Most of the time, this combo will finish off your opponent.
Seto Kaiba liked to use Ring of Defense to prevent the damage done to him by his own Ring of Destruction, but many Duelists used Barrel Behind the Door instead, when it was released with Ring of Destruction in Pharaonic Guardian. This combo doubled the damage an opponent took from Ring of Destruction. When a monster as powerful as Chaos Emperor Dragon is hit with Ring of Destruction, this translates to 6000 points of direct damage inflicted by the Ring of Destruction/Barrel Behind the Door combo.
Even without a combo, Ring of Destruction is an awesome card on its own. I remember several Duels when my opponent and I were both low on Life Points. He attacked me directly with a monster to try to win and I flipped Ring of Destruction to destroy the monster and take down my opponent with me. This happened a lot, and I remember playing at least 5 Duels in some Matches, due to the number of draws we had. Each Duel was more exciting than the one before it. I fondly remember drawing Ring of Destruction in several Matches, just when I was about to lose, and using it to destroy a monster and take down the rest of my opponent’s Life Points.
The final Ultimate Rare card in Duelist Pack – Kaiba is Crush Card Virus. Crush Card Virus is the most recently Forbidden card of the bunch. It was first released as a SHONEN JUMP Championship Prize Card and was later reprinted in Gold Series 1. It was added to the Forbidden List less than a year ago, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t as powerful as the other 4 Ultimate Rare Cards in the set.
Kaiba used Crush Card Virus against the Pharaoh to tear apart his Deck in the original Yu-Gi-Oh! animated series. In the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, Crush Card Virus destroys every monster in your opponent’s hand with 1500 or more ATK, as well as every powerful monster your opponent draws for 3 turns. I sometimes activated Crush Card Virus immediately after ending my first turn of a Duel. Not only did this usually demolish my opponent’s hand, it also showed me all of my opponent’s cards so I could play around them. I remember one time, in a SHONEN JUMP Championship, I drew Crush Card Virus and wiped out my opponent’s field consisting of Dark Magician of Chaos, a 1900 ATK Card Trooper, and a Jinzo that I flipped face-down with Book of Moon. I turned the Duel around right when I was about to lose and I ended up winning the Match.
The Ultimate Rare cards in Duelist Pack – Kaiba are all powerful enough to give you control in a Duel, just by drawing them. I frequently reminisce about these cards with my friends. They’re a common bond between us all. We’ve played all of them over the past 8 years of our lives and remember using them against each other in tournaments. Now even new Duelists have a chance to play around with new Ultimate Rare versions of these cards!
