Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel review: 25 years of card-based shenagans

Throughout history, there have always been ways of entertaining one another. For many, we enjoy the strategic skills of card games. But as humanity progressed, we found ways to craft more cards than the 52-suited ones, as we branched out towards pocket monsters, gathering magics, and dueling bests. and one of the most iconic Trading Card Games (TCG) is Yu-Gi-Oh. While Yu-Gi-Oh may have started off as a one-off card game inside a Shonen Jump manga, it soon elevated its way to the top as one of the most iconic card games ever made. 

 

Over the course of its 25+ year history, the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG has experienced ups and downs through many different play styles (mostly to pair itself up with the manga/anime) that made the game more fun and a mess at the same time. Through fusions and rituals showcased with Yugi and Judai’s era, to the Syncro summoning of Yusei’s era, and beyond that of understanding, like Pendulums, XYZ’s, and Link summoning of the protagonists yet to come. And they've all reflected themselves from the pages of manga and the animated television screens into our very own hands as they translated pretty well (roughly 90% of the time) to our own decks.

But not all heart of the cards makes these decks so intimidating. Sometimes… there are certain meta decks that become so harmonious, it becomes an absolute chore to play against. Sometimes, they can wipe you out within a single turn, and you can't help but watch as you get obliterated in the process.

Despite these issues with balancing, there are some fun encounters that would restore your faith in the game. You can rebuild iconic decks from the anime to use in the game, and when certain combos of yours hit, they HIT! And some people can’t rebound due to them only playing for the meta and not playing for fun or even seeing the anime, so it’s fun to watch them scramble and at times, forfeit the game, knowing their meta decks get destroyed by a simple crystal beast deck which still needs work.