Yu-Gi-Oh! The TCG has countless memorable monsters that debuted in the anime or quickly became staples in the early days of the game. While these cards may be a thing of the past, there are times when they get major shines that give them new abilities or refresh their designs.
Perhaps these cards were powerful only to become even more powerful with their glow. At the same time, other cards never made much of an impact until they came back as important meta cards again. Here are ten classic monsters that shine in Yu-Gi-Oh! — from the main boss monsters to the less powerful ones you remember from the anime. TCG.
8 Time is the Wizard of Tomorrow
Your opponent may die this time
The original Time Wizard is iconic, to say the least. In the anime, Joey used this card to spin a wheel on its staff to destroy monsters and increase his Dragon's age by 1000 years. In the real game, there is no roulette, but a coin toss. Time Wizard of Tomorrow updates the original version of the card, making it a Fusion Monster.
While the effects remain largely the same, it adds one important quality of life to the results of a coin flip. While misnaming always results in you taking damage, this retraining makes it so that if you name it right, the Monster destroys everything on the field, but also deals damage to your opponent.
7 Apprentice of the magician of illusions
Illusions take you back in time
The Illusion type is a fairly recent addition to the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. To do this, it takes many old Monster designs and archetypes and unites them all under one banner. One of the most iconic cards introduced in the Battle City arc is Dark Magician Girl.
While this card isn't the most meta-magician to come out of the Illusion set, Apprentice Illusion Magician gives Dark Magician Girl a whole new look. This time, she looks more like the original Dark Wizard with her purple outfit, but retains her stats. This card is best suited for a Dark Mage deck as it helps you search cards and deal power-ups.
6 Imitation of a man-eating beetle
There is an error on the field
When Flip Monsters were a viable strategy in the metagame, one of the best monster destroyers was the Cannibal Beetle. This sneaky bug can be played face down, and if your opponent flips it over, you can destroy the monster on the field.
Simulated Man-eating Beetle is a version that first appeared in Burst of Destiny, and while this version of the card can select a target, it has received a few upgrades. This time, it cannot be destroyed in battle, and if it manages to pop a monster onto the field, it copies its attack and types. It also cannot be destroyed by card effects from monsters of the same type.
5 Master of Dragon Magic
Return of the Dragon Master Knight
Dragon Master Knight combined two of the toughest cards in the game into the ultimate Monster. Even though 5000 attack points is a huge amount, it took too much effort to get them out just to get a big bat stick. On the other hand, Dragon Master Magia improves the card in every way.
Retraining gives Dragon Master Magia three omni-negates that can be used once per spell, trap, or monster. The only downside to this awesome retool is that it's only available in one set and it's very rare. This made Dragon Master Magia one of the most expensive cards in Battles of Legends: Terminal Revenge and the entire game.
4 Gate guards together
Gate Guardian is finally getting real effects
The biggest problem with the original Guardian of the Gate is that the effect is more of a summon condition than an actual benefit to summoning it. Gate Guardians Combined is a Fusion Monster introduced in Maze of Memories that no longer requires setting three seventh levels on the field.
Instead, Gate Guardians Combined simply requires you to have at least one copy of Kazejin, Suijin, and Sanga. This can mean on the field, in your hand or face in the grave. Gate Guardian protects your field from all targeted effects. It has three negates that also destroy cards on the field. Also, if it is removed from the field, it will scatter into smaller pieces from your extra deck.
3 Wizard of Loyalty
New costume change
The original Magician of Faith was a popular Flip Monster due to its ability to draw a spell from your graveyard when flipped. This made it easy to bring back important cards like Raigeki, Monster Reborn, or Change of Heart back in the days of old school Yu-Gi-Oh!
Magician of Faithfulness does the same thing, but has a stylish new look and a few extra effects. This time, when it is flipped face up, not only will you get the Spell from your grave, but you can replace it on the field with another Faith Mage or Loyalty Mage. This makes it easier to return even more spells.
2 Memento Angwich
A forgotten card turned into a meta
The best surges happen when a card that was considered completely forgettable comes back with a vengeance. The Valiant Smashers set introduced Mememento cards, which are reimagined versions of classic monsters. One of the most expensive parts of the Memento engine is the Memento Angwich.
Translated, this card was originally called Fairywitch or Angel Witch. If this sounds unfamiliar, that's because Monster was never released in America and was exclusive to Japan. Regardless, it was a vanilla monster with no effects. As a Memento Monster, Angwich can search for others from its archetype so you can add them to your hand. It can also bring back Memento Monsters from the Graveyard.
1 Black Luster Soldier Envoy Of The Beginning
Lord of the Age of Chaos
One of the most significant retoolings of the classic Monster happened not recently, but in the era of Duel Monsters Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. The Black Glimmer Soldier was originally a ritual monster that matched the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in strength. However, his retraining in Invasion of Chaos defined the meta.
The Soldier of Black Glimmer, the Messenger of the Beginning, was too powerful for the time. All it took to Special Summon it onto the field was banishing Light and Darkness. In addition to having 3000 attack points, it can also banish your opponent's monsters in an era where there were very few deniers.
