Top 10 Favourite Trap Cards

Top 10 Favourite Trap Cards

Welcome to the last part of my favourite cards. You can read my favourite Monsters by clicking here and read my favourite Spells by clicking here.

Like always, be aware that the list may contain cards that are banned as this list is made from a selection of Trap Cards that I’m aware of.

So, to finish off this series…

10. Just Desserts

Fun fact: This card has only been printed once as a Common in Starter Deck: Kaiba Evolution, meaning that the card hasn’t been printed in 14 years. The effect of the card is simple- inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent for each monster they control. Pendulum 5, lose 2500 Life Points. It’s a very cheap card (about 70 cents US) and I’ve sided it into a few Decks to counter Pendulums because it does turn their greatest strength against them. I’ll admit though, it is a pretty trollsy way to win.

9. Storming Mirror Force

Originally printed as a Secret Rare in Clash of Rebellions, it’s also getting a reprint as what looks like a Gold Rare (though not confirmed as of writing) in Premium Gold: Infinite Gold. Effect is very simple: opponent attacks, you bounce all their monsters back to the hand. The card is highly effective against Extra Deck Monsters as decks don’t usually have a way to get resources back easily to remake those Monsters (unless they’re Pendulums). Overall, it’s an ok card but in my opinion there a better Mirror Forces you can use, but I like it mainly because of its ability to counter decks like Monarchs and Majespecters.

8. Starlight Road

Printed as a Secret Rare in Duelist Pack Collection Tin 2010, it has been reprinted 5 times since, twice in Gold Rare. I have seen some Pendulum Decks use this to protect their scales, though I would argue there are better cards to use to protect your scales. I like it because of Stardust Dragon. I never watched 5D’s but I’ve always liked Stardust Dragon and its ability to protect anything. Starlight Road is just an easy way to get it out, though in Destruction Swordsman, you can bust out Level 8 Synchro Monsters without much effort.

7. Mirror Force

I always found it weird that this card wasn’t printed in the original Yugi Starter Deck. Its first print was in Metal Raiders as an Ultra Rare and has been reprinted 18 times. The reason I like this card over Storming Mirror Force is because I’m the kind of players who likes to dictate my opponent’s plays. Sometimes, I might not want them to have certain Monsters in hand, so I’d rather destroy those monsters and have a degree of control over if and when they come back. You don’t have that with Storming because unless you have things to negate summons, your opponent can reset their field, with some difficulty if they had Extra Deck monsters on the field. Simply destroying the Monsters prevents that to an extent.

6. Torrential Tribute

Printed in Dark Beginning 1 as an Ultra Rare this cards mass monster removal has made it a staple in many decks. My decks are no different. When I build a Deck, I almost always have 1 copy in it. It’s essentially a faster Dark Hole. “But, Big Dub! It’s a Trap Card. Trap Cards aren’t fast!”. I know that usually Trap Cards aren’t considered fast, but like at Dark Hole and Torrential together. Torrential is clearly faster as it can be activated on your opponent’s turn and stun Pendulums a bit. Oh, you Pendulum 5? Send them back to the Extra Deck.

5. Return from the Different Dimension

Printed in Exclusive Pack as a Common, Return was banned in 2010 (I think) and for good reason: it’s a card that can always be activated and flood the field for an OTK. I mainly used it in my Horakhty deck (Banish Slifer and Obelisk + 3 monsters. Activate Return, tribute for Ra. Tribute all three for Horakhty) and I would like to see this card come back for just one format, just to give Pendulum players a taste of their own medicine. So they can actually feel the pain and frustration that we feel when they Pendulum out five monsters. Most Pendulum players hear the complaints of non-Pendulum players and say “Pendulum Summoning isn’t broken. It can be easily stopped”. I think Return being legal for a format would force them to change their tune a bit.

4. Quaking Mirror Force

Released in Breakers of Shadow as an Ultra Rare, Quaking Mirror Force is considered to be one of the “meh” Mirror Forces. I actually think it’s one of the better ones. It doesn’t hurt Monarchs too much because they rely on tribute summoning, but everything else it causes headaches for because it clogs up their field reducing the number of options available to them. If a Pendulum player has Quaking used against them and say they’ve Pendulum Summoned 5 monsters all in attack position. Those monsters are then forced to be permanently set. Outside of a Dark Hole, their only option is to tribute those monsters, which takes up their Normal Summon so they can’t go into their Joker play or Xyz or Synchro as freely as they would like to so it significantly slows them down. Again, if you’re playing against Monarchs, you’re basically giving them free tributes so you’re probably better off destroying or banishing their monsters.

3. Bottomless Trap Hole

Released in Legacy of Darkness (2004) as a Rare, Bottomless has been a staple in most decks pretty much since that time, but it’s power has only fully been realised with the introduction of the Pendulum mechanic and Traptrix Rafflesia. The ability to banish problem monsters straight from the field (provided they have 1500 ATK) became a highly important ability to have. It was also extremely powerful, hence why it’s limited here in the TCG (but at three in the OCG). But the limit didn’t deter us from playing it as we entered the Pendulum era. Why? For two reasons. 1- depleting Pendulums resources was (and still is) one of the most effective ways to combat them. And 2- Traptrix Rafflesia allowed us to spring it on decks without needing to set it, making not only this card, but all the “Trap Hole” cards much faster and safer to play.

2. Skill Drain

This Dark Crisis Rare card is infamous among Yugioh veterans and negating any and all effects before they can do damage is very useful. The problem is that it negates your effects as well which is why most players elect to run either Breakthrough Skill or Effect Veiler, but certain decks and situations can use this to its full and devastating potential.

1. Relay Soul

This will surprise a few of you. Relay Soul is a Super Rare that was printed in Dragons of Legend. Probably not going to see it again. People knock Relay Soul saying that if the Monster leaves the field, you automatically lose the Duel. There are ways around that. You can Xyz with the monster. Because Xyz materials are not considered to have left the field, you bypass the lose condition. The other way to use it to finish off your opponent. I’ve used it exclusively in my God Card deck because it allows you to Special Summon Obelisk and Slifer. Throw in Skill Drain to prevent them leaving the field and you get a 4000 beater and after equipping Slifer with Moon Mirror Shield, you also get a monster that is impossible to destroy by battle. Some cards are trash. Some, you just need to know how to use properly.

So what do you think? Agree with my list? Think I missed something? Leave your own list in the comment section and maybe we can discuss it.