“You’ve activated my Trap card!” is a phrase every fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime has uttered at least once. One of the three major types of cards in the game, Trap cards are meant to protect a player’s Monsters (and/or their Life Points) during their opponent’s turn, allowing the game to have a bit of interaction during both player’s rounds.
RELATED: Yu-Gi-Oh!: The 10 Most Powerful God Cards, Ranked
For various reasons, Trap cards aren’t quite as useful to competitive Yu-Gi-Oh! as they once were, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some scary ones that existed at one point or another. For this list, we’re going to be looking at the most powerful Trap cards ever created.
Updated October 13th, 2020 by Johnny Garcia:Yu-Gi-Oh!has been picking up steam as of late, with Remote Dueling really taking off and getting more official support. This allows players to Duel through the use of webcams from anywhere in the world. There has been more to do with the game than ever before, with not just Remote Dueling butDuel Linksgaining tons of steam. Multiple sets featuring incredibly powerful cards have been released, such as Duel Overload, Rise of the Duelist, and multiple Structure Decks.
THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY
15 There Can Be Only One
"There Can Be Only One" is a Trap card so powerful, it alone can win the game entirely if it's used correctly. "There Can Be Only One" makes it so both players can only control one card of each Monster Type. Most Decks in the game share the same Type, preventing more than one Monster from being Summoned.
It also prevents the attempted Summons of Monsters of the same Type, meaning Monsters on the Field can't be used for Extra Deck Materials if it would Summon a Monster of the same Type.
14 Summon Limit
When it comes to Trap cards, Floodgates are generally among the best. "Summon Limit" is a Continous Trap card that's one of the best Floodgates in all ofYu-Gi-Oh! What "Summon Limit" does is prevent each player from being able to Summon more than two times per turn.
This limit also includes negated Summons, which is enough to completely shut down an opponent's turn. While it affects its user as well, as with all Floodgates, "Summon Limit" is activated after its user has already set up their Field so it truly only affects the opponent.
13 Ice Dragon's Prison
One of the most recent Trap cards released in the Rise of the Duelist Set, "Ice Dragon's Prison" is one of the strongest forms of removal on a Trap card. It Targets a Monster in the opponent's Graveyard and Special Summons it to its user Field with negated effects.
RELATED:Yu-Gi-Oh: Every Mirror Force Card, Ranked
While this can be used to get a Monster with high stats on the Field, it can also be used as removal. If the opponent controls a Monster with the same Type as the one Summoned, then the user of "Ice Dragon's Prison" can choose to Banish both those cards. This effect doesn't Target or Destroy, which is what makes it so good.
12 Evenly Matched
"Evenly Matched," if it resolves, is the strongest form of removal in the entirety ofYu-Gi-Oh!It's generally the first thing used in a turn, as if its user controls no cards, it can be activated from the Hand. "Evenly Matched" forces the opponent to Banish cards from their side of the Field face-down, until they control the same number of cards.
In most cases, "Evenly Matched" is the only card on its user's Field, leaving the opponent with just one card. Banishing face-down is the best removal in the game, as cards in that position are generally considered to be gone for the rest of the Duel.
11 Infinite Impermanence
"Infinite Imerpanence" is perhaps the most played Trap card in the current meta. It's incredibly powerful, and as soon as it was released it joined the ranks of the best Trap cards the game has ever seen.
While Trap cards have fallen out of favor, "Infinite Impermanence" is in many instances the only Trap card in a player's deck. The ability to negate a Monster effect is great, especially since if its user controls no cards, they can activate it from the Hand. In addition, if it was Set when it was activated, all Spell and Trap cards in the same column are negated for the rest of the turn.
10 Vanity's Emptiness
"Vanity’s Emptiness" was meant to be a card to help slow the game down. The idea is that once a player flipped something like this they could stop all the Special Summoning until something went to the Graveyard. Unfortunately, what’s impossible to account for are the Decks that are already good at incorporating something like this.
Like all Floodgate cards, what eventually happens is the faster, better Deck Special Summons all the Monsters they want, Set this card, then passes to their opponent. After their opponent draws, they flip this up, leaving them stuck against a full field of Monsters. It’s good they banned this.
9 Soul Drain
"Soul Drain" was a card that was considered so powerful, it was Limited on the banlist for years, having only recently gone back to three copies per Deck. Many Decks heavily rely on effects that activate in the Graveyard, which is what gave "Soul Drain" so much power.
RELATED:Yu-Gi-Oh: 10 Best Instant Win Cards, Ranked
1000 Life Points is a small cost to pay in order to completely shut down the opponent's strategy and while being able to negate Banished Monster's effects isn't as useful it is a solid bonus to an already powerful effect. "Soul Drain" is a card that only gets better as time goes on, as more cards with Graveyard effects enter into the meta.
8 Royal Oppression
"Royal Oppression" is one of the most deceptive cards on this list. After all, it does say that both sides of the Field can use it whenever they like. Plus it comes with a hefty 800 life point cost to activate. But it inherently benefits the person with the most life points at the time of activation.
That in itself is bad enough, but there are plenty of Decks that can rely entirely on their Normal Summon. When that happens, since most decks run Monsters that are meant to be Special Summoned, it places the opponent’s back against the wall automatically.It isasking a lot to somehow have enough resources to force an opponent to not use this card.
7 Last Turn
"Last Turn" was a part of a unique OTK that turned it into a real pain for anyone trying to play competitively. The trick to it was to flip the card while having a Monster like "Jowgen the Spiritualist" already on the Field. Every card is sent to the field on the opponent's side of the Field, so there’s nothing they can do.
RELATED:Yu-Gi-Oh: 10 Most Powerful Red-Eyes Cards In The Game, Ranked
Once "Jowgen the Spiritualist" is on the field, the opponent can’t Special Summon Monsters due to its effect, making the opponent the automatic winner of the game. It leaves a terrible taste in the mouth of most players, but a win’s a win. Which is why this banned card is not coming back without a serious change.
6 Skill Drain
There are a lot of cards on this list that restrict players from doing something incredibly basic. For instance, "Royal Oppression" prevents special Summoning. They’re all great cards, but "Skill Drain" is both the best and most easily abused among them. Whereas most Decks are still somewhat limited themselves by trying to play around their Floodgate cards, Skill Drain doesn’t require any such thing.
A player can simply play a Deck designed to only Summon giant Beatstick Monsters that don’t do much else, while leaving their opponent stuck with smaller Monsters which have good effects, and suddenly the path to an easy win is there.
5 Imperial Order
This card is the fault of Konami not realizing how the game was going to evolve down the line. It seems simple enough, negating all Spell cards on the Field, even having a cost of 700 Life Points to keep the card up or see it destroyed. The trouble is players using the card can build their Deck around it. It doesn’t take much to reduce the number of Spells in a Deck to get the maximum usage out of it.
RELATED:
It’s been brought back since it’s initial banning, but that’s only because now there are so many Monsters and Traps that can destroy cards. At the time, the best bet was another Spell card, which players were shut off from.
4 Macro Cosmos
"Macro Cosmos" has been limited (meaning players can only have one copy in their Deck) for several years now. The card has a simple sounding effect: Any card played while it remains on the field is sent to the Banish Zone instead. This seems more annoying than anything else, but the game eventually evolvedso the Graveyard is more like a superhero’s death; in other words, completely temporary.
"Macro Cosmos" being activated could obliterate a player’s turn, as Banished cardsare impossible to retrieve from the Graveyard for most Decks. Its ability as an anti-meta card is what caused Konami to whack it.
3 Trap Dustshoot
This is a card that was particularly dangerous during eras when players tended to have more cards in their Hand rather than on the field, meaning its the nightmare of slower formats. "Trap Dustshoot" seems simple enough, as it’s only asking the player to put back one card out of a Hand of four.
RELATED:Yu-Gi-Oh! The 10 Best “Blue-Eyes” Cards In The Game, Ranked
However, the fact that it specifies Monster cards means it could force the player to put back their only monster. Plus, it allows the opponent to see the player’s Hand, meaning they can strategize for what they can and can’t do.
2 Exchange Of The Spirit
Though "Exchange of the Spirit" has more recently made a return to the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, when it first became meta it was one of the most terrifying experiences a player could have. It was part of an FTK that involved using "Makyura the Destructor" to activate a Trap on their own turn without needing to Set it first.
The player would shove their entire Deck into their graveyard, then activate "Exchange of the Spirit" which caused them to swap it back and force the opponent to switch their empty Graveyard with their Deck. Since attempting to draw when you have no cards in the deck is an auto-loss, the player would then lose before they ever got to play the game.
1 Solemn Judgement
Until recently, this card could only be used as a single copy in any player’s legal Deck. It’s not hard to see why. "Solemn Judgment" is probably the most powerful Trap Konami has ever produced in the game. Often referred to as “God Says No” by players, "Solemn Judgment" is a Trap that stops any player from doing...well, literally anything.
It can stop a single Summon, Spellor Trap card activation - a player can literally negate whatever they want from you. Best part? The card says “pay half your Life Points”, which is something you can do as long as you have at least two Life Points.
NEXT: Top 10 Best Online CCGs, Ranked
FAQs
What cards can respond to counter traps? ›
...
These counter trap cards will help you on the way.
- 10 Blackbird Close.
- 11 Solemn Strike. ...
- 12 Chaos Trap Hole. ...
- 13 Ultimate Providence. ...
- 14 Grand Horn Of Heaven. ...
- 15 Golden Land Forever! ...
Blue-Eyes White Dragon
Beyond this, however, Blue-Eyes White Dragon can boast its status as one of the most valuable Yu-Gi-Oh! cards released to date. As the rarest card to pull in the original Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon booster pack, a first-edition copy can sell at auction for thousands of dollars.
Treacherous Trap Hole has consistently been the best Trap Card in Duel Links since its introduction, and likely won't ever stop being relevant. Treacherous Trap Hole lets you destroy two Monsters on the Field so long as there are no Trap Cards in your Graveyard.
What is the strongest trap card? ›1 Solemn Judgement
"Solemn Judgment" is probably the most powerful Trap Konami has ever produced in the game. Often referred to as “God Says No” by players, "Solemn Judgment" is a Trap that stops any player from doing...well, literally anything.
- Dark Magician Girl.
- Red-Eyes B. Dragon.
- Doomcaliber Knight.
- Cyber-Stein.
- Card Crush Virus.
- Dark Magician.
- Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
- Tyler, the Great Warrior.
Counter Trap Cards are Spell Speed 3. Normally, they're the final word on Chaining, but not even a Counter Trap can be Chained to Super Polymerization! Since Super Polymerization can't be responded to, every time you activate it, you can be confident that it will work.
Can you use trap cards on Obelisk? ›Obelisk's Normal Summon can't be negated, which prevents Solemn Judgment from being used against it. Obelisk also can't be targeted by Spells, Traps and card effects, which protects it from Offerings to the Doomed, Ring of Destruction, Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter and more.
Can you play trap cards face up? ›Just like Continuous Spell Cards, Continuous Trap Cards remain on the field once they are activated and their effects continue while they are face-up on the field.
Does Yugi get all the God cards? ›By the end of the following season, all three god cards, including Slifer the Sky Dragon and The Winged Dragon of Ra, would eventually come to be owned by Yugi Mutou. At the end of the original anime series, the god cards are returned to Ancient Egypt, but their legacy lives on in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.
Who is the strongest Egyptian god Yu-Gi-Oh? ›The Winged Dragon Of Ra
Considered to be the most powerful of all of the Egyptian God cards, The Winged Dragon Of Ra being summoned makes for some epic moments in the anime. The attack and defense points for it are made up of the total of the three cards you tribute for it.
Does jinzo negate all Trap cards? ›
He's a DARK Machine-Type monster with 2400 ATK. And he hates Trap Cards. In the classic series, he disintegrates Trap Cards with his laser beam eyes. In real life, he cripples any opponent that relies on Traps by making it impossible to activate Traps and negating all Traps that have already been activated.
What is Yugi Muto best card? ›...
- 1 Summoned Skull.
- 2 Monster Reborn. ...
- 3 Brain Control. ...
- 4 Magic Cylinder. ...
- 5 Card Of Sanctity. ...
- 6 Exodia, The Forbidden One. ...
- 7 Slifer The Sky Dragon. ...
- 8 Dark Paladin. ...
Trap Cards, and their effects on the field, cannot be activated. Negate all Trap effects on the field.
What is the strongest card? ›The Ace of Spades (also known as the Spadille and Death Card) is traditionally the highest and most valued card in the deck of playing cards in English-speaking countries.
How many trap cards should you have? ›Trap cards are useful for disrupting your opponent's plays. Most decks use around 5-10 traps, though some use as low as 3.
How many trap cards in a Yu-Gi-Oh deck? ›This also means that your Deck has about 20 Spell or Trap Cards, and you can play as many of them as you want per turn to protect your monsters.
What YuGiOh card sold for $2 million? ›Tournament Black Luster Soldier: $2 Million
The Tournament Black Luster Soldier is one of the rarest cards in the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game, and it's definitely the most expensive. The original owner of the card put a $10 million price tag on it, but it reportedly sold for around $2 million.
These are the world's most rare YuGiOh cards:
Blue-Eyes White Dragon LOB 1st Edition. Dark Magician LOB 1st Edition. Crush Card Virus Shonen Jump Championship 2007. Cyber-Stein Shonen Jump Championship 2004.
Konami has never given an official number, but the Yu-Gi-Oh! Fandom Wiki states that there are 12,456 in the Official Card Game and 11,145 in the Trading Card Game.
Can Super Poly use unaffected monsters? ›Monsters that are unaffected by other card effects can not be used as fusion material for Super Polymerization.
Why can't I activate Super Polymerization? ›
If "Evilswarm Ophion" is applying its effect that prevents Level 5 or higher monsters from being Special Summoned and you only have "Elemental HERO Escuridao" in your Extra Deck, you cannot activate "Super Polymerization".
Can anything stop Super Polymerization? ›The only way to stop [Super Polymerization] is to take pre-emptive measures to stop it from being used (e.g. [Prohibition], [Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell], [Imperial Order] that has been already activated, etc.).
What trap cards can destroy Jinzo? ›There is always the Spell card specifically made to counter Jinzo, Double Snare.
Who is the best Egyptian god card? ›Obelisk is a good, reliable card, with fixed stats that are easier to build a deck around than its other Egyptian God counterparts. If you have at least two monsters to Tribute, your opponent can kiss their monsters goodbye too, all the while Obelisk stands impenetrable to Spells, Traps, and other card effects.
Can Winged Dragon of Ra be destroyed by traps? ›Compared to both it's anime version and Obelisk, Ra has no protection from spells, traps, or other effects. Anything can stop it. Even a flip-up effect from a dinky monster like Penguin Soldier can send Ra back to your hand, forcing you to tribute three more monsters to get it back on the field!
Can you flip a monster face down? ›Face-up Monster Cards can be flipped to face-down Defense Position with cards like "Book of Moon". It is not possible to flip Link Monsters to face-down Defense Position.
Do trap cards affect God cards? ›Only the Spell and Trap cards tha target a monster cannot affect the Egyptian God cards. (e.g. Equip spell cards) All the other types of spell and traps affect them normally. If you use Dark Hole you can remove the Egyptian God cards as well.
Can you flip a card face down? ›You cannot flip a face down card back up with a regular flip action. You can only do that if a card specifically allows you to.
Is Obelisk a God? ›Obelisk is one of the three Egyptian Gods, along with Slifer the Sky Dragon and The Winged Dragon of Ra. These monsters were only capable of being summoned by the Pharaoh.
Which God is Obelisk based on? ›In Egyptian mythology, the obelisk symbolized the sun god Ra, and during the religious reformation of Akhenaten it was said to have been a petrified ray of the Aten, the sundisk.
Who is God in Yu-Gi-Oh? ›
G.O.D. ( Ｇ・Ｏ・Ｄ ゴッド Goddo), also known as simply the God cards, is a series of Level 10 Pendulum Monsters in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V manga. They are cards created from the power of Genesis Omega Dragon, also known as "G.O.D.", including "Genesis Omega Dragon" itself, who is held by Eve. The other two G.O.D.
Which Egyptian god card is Yugi? ›The Winged Dragon of Ra
The card was later given to Yugi after he won the Battle City Tournament, giving him control of all three Egyptian god cards.
In Yu-Gi-Oh, are the Egyptian God cards stronger than Exodia? Let's look at this way. If Exodia is summoned in the real game, it's an instant win condition. This means even if the opponent summons all 3 Egyptian God cards, they would lose to a player who has all 5 pieces of Exodia.
Who is the strongest gods in god of War? ›- 1 Ragnarok.
- 2 Kratos. ...
- 3 Thor. ...
- 4 Freya. ...
- 5 Odin. ...
- 6 Garm. ...
- 7 Heimdall. ...
- 8 Atreus. As the son of a Greek god and a Jotun, Atreus already has a gifted set of parents to ensure his genetics would make him strong. ...
The Suship Normal monster Gunkan Suship Shari holds the record for the longest text of any Normal monster in the game. It has more than double the words of the second place Normal Monster Clavkiys, the Magikey Skyblaster.
What is the max card limit in YuGiOh? ›Assemble your favorite cards into a Deck that follows these rules: ●The Deck must be 40 to 60 cards. You can only have up to 3 copies of the same card in your Deck, Extra Deck and Side Deck combined. Also, some cards are Forbidden, Limited or Semi-Limited in official tournaments. (See page 45 for details.)
Does Yugi beat Pegasus? ›When Pegasus tries to read Yugi's mind, the card he drew is blocked because of Téa, Tristan and Joey spiritually bonding together to support Yami Yugi. Yami Yugi wins the duel with the help of "Magician of Black Chaos". Pegasus is left completely shocked at his loss.
Can you Skill Drain Jinzo? ›Same rule applies to Jinzo, Jinzo effect will activate before Skill Drain so Skill Drain's effect will be negated, HURRAY!
Does trap stun negate? ›“Trap Stun” is a Trap Card with a very simple effect. When it's used, all other Trap Cards are negated for the rest of the turn. You can Chain it to a Normal or Continuous Trap Card that your opponent activates and it'll negate it straight away.
Can Call of the Haunted bring back Jinzo? ›You can use "Call of the Haunted" to Special Summon "Jinzo" from your Graveyard. After "Jinzo" is Special Summoned, the effect of "Call of the Haunted" is negated and "Call of the Haunted" remains on the field meaninglessly.
What is Yugi's favorite monster? ›
1 Dark Magician
The Dark Magician has been a part of Yugi's deck since the very first episode of the series, and has solidified itself as the true ace card of Yugi's deck. It has won him countless fights and duels, and always had a trick up its sleeve to defeat its opponents.
9 Rafael. Rafael holds the rare distinction of having defeated Yugi Muto, something that very few duelists have managed to do. This was due largely in part to Yugi playing the Seal of Orichalcos, but nevertheless, Rafael was able to rely on his dueling skills to take on the Pharaoh.
Who is the best Yugioh character? ›- 8 Yami Bakura.
- 6 Mai Valentine.
- 5 Téa Gardner.
- 4 Joey Wheeler.
- 3 Seto Kaiba.
- 2 Yami Yugi.
- 1 Yugi Muto.
A: If Traptrix Rafflesia is Xyz Summoned while the effect of Skill Drain is applying, the effect that makes it unaffected by Trap effects while it has Xyz Material is negated, the effect that prevents your “Traptrix” monsters from being destroyed or targeted by your opponent's cards is negated, and the effect that ...
Does Skill Drain negate unaffected? ›The effect of "Skill Drain" negates the effects of Effect Monsters; it does NOT prevent Effect Monsters from activating their effects.
Can you counter a trap card? ›A Counter Trap is a Trap Card that can only be responded to with other Counter Trap Cards. This is referred to as being "Spell Speed 3." With how powerful Spell Speed 3 is, there are plenty of incredibly powerful Counter Trap Cards in the game.
What is the strongest card in Yu-Gi-Oh history? ›1. Apoqliphort Towers. This card is so powerful that it was actually banned from Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments.
When should you play trap cards? ›A Trap Card must first be Set and can only be activated after the current turn has finished. After that, it may be activated during either player's turn. Trap Cards are Spell Speed 2, with the exception of Counter Trap Cards, which are Spell Speed 3.
What is the strongest card in a deck? ›The Ace of Spades (also known as the Spadille and Death Card) is traditionally the highest and most valued card in the deck of playing cards in English-speaking countries.
What is Yami Yugi strongest card? ›An incredibly powerful God Card, Slifer the Sky Dragon becomes Yugi's go-to card after he wins it in his duel against Strings. Its attack and defense points aren't listed, and that's because Slifer gains 1000 attack and defense points for every card in its owner's hand.
What is Yugi's signature card? ›
| Character | Signature card(s) |
|---|---|
| Yami Yugi | Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl Kuriboh Summoned Skull Magician of Black Chaos Black Luster Soldier Egyptian Gods Eye of Timaeus (Waking the Dragons) |
| Yugi Muto | Dark Magician Kuriboh Gandora the Dragon of Destruction Silent Swordsman LV0 Silent Magician LV0 |
So long as you control no Monsters in your Main Monster Zones, you can target and destroy a Set Spell or Trap card on the field.
What was the first hand trap? ›One of the first hand traps released was "Kuriboh", which could be discarded to nullify the battle damage from an attack. Hand traps first became popular during the Yu-Gi-Oh!
What is the longest card effect in Yu-Gi-Oh? ›Did you know? Endymion is the card with the most text. Its english version beats out every other card in that regard.
What is the best rare in Yu-Gi-Oh? ›Crush Card Virus' Prize Card version is by far the rarest and most valuable Trap Card, and it's not even close. Thanks to its iconic status in both the anime and the actual TCG, the Shonen Jump version will fetch you a pretty $115,033 penny.
What is the max card limit in Yu-Gi-Oh? ›Assemble your favorite cards into a Deck that follows these rules: ●The Deck must be 40 to 60 cards. You can only have up to 3 copies of the same card in your Deck, Extra Deck and Side Deck combined. Also, some cards are Forbidden, Limited or Semi-Limited in official tournaments. (See page 45 for details.)
Can you play a trap card face-up? ›Just like Continuous Spell Cards, Continuous Trap Cards remain on the field once they are activated and their effects continue while they are face-up on the field.