The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG went through a massive overhaul during the 5Ds era. This was a time when Synchros were fresh on the field and, for the first time ever, the extra deck did more than just house your Fusion Monsters. While players still can’t play card games on motorcycles like the anime predicted, the 5Ds era sped up the game in a way that hadn’t been seen before.
Related
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The 10 Most Valuable Cards In Rage Of The Abyss
These are the most expensive cards you can find in the Rage Of The Abyss set of YGO!
With sets containing Synchro Monsters, deadly hand traps, and new ways to get more monsters on the field in one turn, the 5Ds sets changed the game forever. The only question that remains is which set went above and beyond to give players the best experience?
8
The Shining Darkness
Boss Monsters And Exploitable Cards
The Shining Darkness set is often debated because it does have some memorable cards in it that weren’t necessarily good but pretty to look at. Black-Winged Dragon is the featured card of the set, but besides looking cool, it wasn’t always viable.
However, cards like Chaos Trap Hole and Ronintoadin were not only amazing but were also common cards. So, in this case, you just have to take the good with the bad and the set did enough to strengthen the ever-popular Blackwing archetype as well as any plant deck. This at least earns it a place due to the cards being playable.
7
Storm Of Ragnarok
One Card To Change The World
Storm of Ragnarok didn’t necessarily have the best leading archetype, with the Norse cards being interesting but not always worth bringing out. If anything, the Six Samurai is where the set shined. However, all it takes for a set to be good is one broken card.
Related
This just so happened to be the set where Maxx “C” entered the chat. This one card made the set a must-have at the time, with every player needing a full playset of the bug to make their decks competitively viable. Once Maxx “C” was banned, the Six Samurai carried this set as the archetype would continue to grow years later.
6
Duelist Revolution
Kicking 5Ds Into Overdrive
Duelist Revolution was a revolution indeed with cards that let you stop your opponent’s plays as well as some that let you choose cards to add to your hand. Effect Veiler is a classic card that still sees play, while Solemn Warning is an excellent resource for Trap decks.
This set also introduced a new Pot card in the form of Pot of Duality which let players dig through their decks for cards. The Scrap archetype also added new ways to play while also setting up future Dinosaur decks. This set also included a broken card in the form of Cursed Armaments, which could be continuously spammed out to make your opponent lose the game. This set had it all.
5
Starstrike Blast
A Mix Of Everything Good
Some Yu-Gi-Oh! sets are good at boosting one archetype, while others have a few cards that become staples down the line. Starstrike Blast has a little bit of everything. It gave upgrades to existing Synchro Dragons in the form of Red Nova Dragon and Shooting Star Dragon.
Related
Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG: 8 Classic Monsters That Got Glow Ups
Here are the best classic monsters that got glow-ups in Yu-Gi-Oh!
The set also introduced Droll and Lock Bird, which is one of the best hand traps in the game, and Formula Synchron which in hindsight, is very much a prototype of what I:P Masquerena could do. Even cards that seemed like they were bad, such as Heat Wave, would later find homes in going second decks. It is safe to say that Starstrike Blast is peak Yu-Gi-Oh!
4
Raging Battle
Sleeping Giants And Kings Of The Format
A good Yu-Gi-Oh! set is not just memorable for the way it impacts the formula at the time of release, but how it helps shape it years down the road. Raging Battle accomplished both of these things. During the format it was released in, Blackwings were one of the fastest archetypes that could swarm your opponent.
While cards like Forbidden Chalice and One For One were immediately helpful, one notable card that would eventually come back in full force is Trident Dragon. This goes to show that some cards will remain dormant until the perfect format arises. That makes this a fantastic set to open.
3
Crimson Crisis
Blackwings And Aliens
The Crimson Crisis set has some pretty mediocre cards and some really good ones. While the main gimmick of the set is to give Synchro Monsters an Assault Mode, you also had some of the best Blackwing monsters in this set, such as Gale the Whirlwind.
What makes this set unique is that it contains an entire archetype of Alien Monsters such as the mighty Cosmic Fortress Gol’gar and Alien Kid. Alien Ammonite was also a fairly decent way to get out an easy Synchro Monster. However, many of these cards never got a reprint, making this the only set where you can find them.
2
Duelist Genesis
Unleashing The Synchros
Duelist Genesis completely warped the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG with the introduction of Synchro Monsters. There are too many names to count, but some include Stardust Dragon, Red Dragon Archfiend, and Goyo Guardian. These cards can negate effects, destroy monsters, and even steal them too.
This single set made the whole game so much faster with new ways to get out more monsters per turn. Other fantastic cards include Emergency Teleport and Book of Eclipse, which remain fantastic Spell cards. If any set deserves to be near the top, it’s Duelist Genesis for doing so much to modernize the card game. It also helps that so many of the iconic monsters had their time to shine in the anime.
1
Crossroads Of Chaos
All The Things That Grow From The Earth
Crossroads of Chaos is an undeniably influential set from the 5Ds era. With cards like Black Rose Dragon being an easy-to-set-up board wipe, and Black Garden being a historically confusing card, you can say that the set is iconic for multiple memorable reasons.
However, the set’s contributions go further than just plants. Zombies also became increasingly meta with the help of Plaguespreader Zombie. Two iconic floodgates were also introduced in this set, in the form of Secret Village of the Spellcasters and Gozen Match. Ultimately, Crossroads of Chaos left its mark on Yu-Gi-Oh! history by having excellent card diversity that boosted weaker archetypes and took advantage of Synchro mechanics.
Next
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The 10 Most Valuable Quarter Century Secret Rare Cards
Yu-Gi-Oh!’s Quarter Century secret rares are expensive, but maybe not as much as you might think.