The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG had a fascinating era during the GX period. The story of Yugi Muto was over, as well as the mystery behind the Millennium Items. This is when cards began to feel less like they came from the ancient past and started to get more modern.
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!
The sets also updated the meta of the game with cards that would eventually become staples and archetypes that would get support for years to come. Some would consider the GX era the calm before the storm, but with the extra deck becoming more enticing with each set and staples running rampant, some sets shook the game better than others, but which ones?
8
Enemy Of Justice
A Zero Or A Hero?
One set that isn’t as good as some of the other GX sets but does have its merits for existing is Enemy of Justice. This set offered more Hero support with E – Emergency Call being a searcher for the archetype.
This set would also introduce ways to Banish your opponent’s cards instead of letting them touch the graveyard in the form of Macro Cosmos and Dimension Fissure. On top of all that, the card Destiny Hero Diamond Dude would inspire players to create new strategies around activating the effects of Spells without paying the cost. So not only did it help the meta of the time, but it also set up some devastating cards for the future.
7
Tactical Evolution
What A Few Good Cards Can Do
What exactly makes a set good? Is it that the whole set is full of bangers or does it take just a few cards? Tactical Evolution contained a few stand-outs that changed the meta during the time. Zombie Master could swarm the field with Zombie-type Monsters from the graveyard. Meanwhile, Necro Gardna gave players one of the first quick effects from the grave.
Related
While Rainbow Dragon may not be considered playable, this is also an iconic card from the anime that finds itself getting reprinted over and over again. So for nostalgia’s sake, the set gave just a bit more than it let on and scores some points.
6
Flaming Eternity
Board Wipes And Bounce Backs
One set that helped get rid of your opponent’s cards is Flaming Eternity. Many of the cards included in this set had effects that could devastate your opponent’s strategy. Lightning Vortex was a more balanced version of Raigeki, while Deck Devastation Virus was so powerful it needed to get an errata.
There were also ways to burn your opponent to death with the help of D.D. Dynamite and Meteor of Destruction. If you wanted to be toxic, Pole Position could lock the game entirely with an exploit so no one could win. This makes Flaming Eternity one of the most interesting sets from the GX era.
5
Lost Millennium
Full Blown Nostalgia
While there are some sets with better meta-breaking cards, Lost Millennium deserves a place near the top simply for nostalgia. This was the first set of the GX era, and it contained so many memorable cards that became staples in the anime.
Related
Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, Winged Kuriboh, and Ancient Gear Golem are just a few of the cards that immediately make you think of the era. However, there were a few cards like Brain Control that became powerful tools and King of the Skull Servants that would later turn into a one-turn kill method. So this set does have a little more than just nostalgia.
4
Force Of The Breaker
More Than Just Crystal Beasts
While this set is mostly known for being filled to the brim with Crystal Beast cards, there are also too many good cards to count. Eradicator Epidemic Virus is a monster at the YCS, Meanwhile, the Volcanics could burn your opponent to death in a single turn if you exploit them correctly.
Raiza the Storm Monarch was also just a great card worth tributing just to bounce back a card. While many cards in this set would get future reprints, you were bound to get something good just from opening a pack. Force of the Breaker earns its place because of the sheer number of cards and strategies it introduced to the game.
3
Cybernetic Revolution
The Reign Of Machines
Cybernetic Revolution is one of the greatest sets of the GX era simply for introducing the world to the Cyber Dragon Archetype. Cyber Dragon, Cyber Twin Dragon, and Cyber End Dragon were all absolute menaces with high attack power.
Related
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The 10 Best Formats
Yu-Gi-Oh has grown significantly over the decades, and communities have come together to create different formats to enjoy playing!
Machines reigned supreme in this set and Fusing Machine-type monsters became an easy way to end games in a single turn with the help of Power Bond. This set really hit the ball out of the park by providing many new ways to utilize powerful extra deck monsters easily.
2
Light Of Destruction
The Lightsworn Strike Back
It’s always a fight between light and darkness and, for some, Light of Destruction would be the number one set. Why shouldn’t it be? This set contained one of the best archetypes of the era and is even formidable when combined with modern-day cards.
While all eyes were on the Lightsworn cards, the set also contained a few unrelated cards that would become dangerous later on. These cards include the iconic Substitoad, Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, Summon Limit, and Deck Lockdown. These cards made the set top tier with the booster box getting an entire reprint for nostalgia’s sake and to help interested players break into the Edison Format with both feet running.
1
Phantom Darkness
An Everlasting Darkness
Phantom Darkness is a set that aged like fine wine. It introduced the Yubel archetype and flooded the game with cards that made the Dark attribute stronger than ever before. This includes useful monsters such as Goblin Zombie, Armageddon Knight, and the dreaded Dark Armed Dragon.
This set also marked the first appearance of Super Polymerization, which continues to be an efficient board breaker. Because the Dark attribute was already one of the most used attributes in the history of the game, this set only added more options that could really diversify a deck. This set was so good it even spawned a successor in the form of Phantom Nightmare.
