The Best Link-1 Monsters In The YGO TCG

Summary

• Every deck benefits from a Link-1 for consistency and combo potential.
• Non-archetype Link-1s like Linkuriboh offer creative solutions.
• Link-1s like Relinquished Anima and Striker Dragon enhance gameplay.

Every deck in Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG is made better with a Link-1. Link Summoning is often considered one of the most versatile ways to get an extra deck monster on the field. All you need is monsters on the board and the Summon itself counts as a Special Summon, so you can do it as often as you like. While most Link Monsters need two or more materials, Link-1s only require one.

This makes it incredibly easy to start Link climbing or take advantage of the monster’s effects to get your combos going. This is why any deck that gets a Link-1 extra deck monster immediately becomes more consistent. Not every one of these cards is tied to an archetype either, so which Link-1 cards are the best?

10

Linkuriboh

A Generic Link Monster

Decks getting a Link-1 can be a big deal. However, most archetypes don’t get this kind of privilege. Instead, they need to get creative. For a while, Linkuriboh was the answer to many decks that could get out a Level one monster that they needed in the graveyard.

Link Kuriboh on its own doesn’t do much other than protect you from an attack. However, being able to use Link Summoning as a way to send a monster to the graveyard could be a way to get specific names or effects to go off.

9

Spirit With Eyes Of Blue

Blue-Eyes Gets Easier To Use

Blue-Eyes White Dragon received a Link-1 monster in the Blue-Eyes White Destiny structure deck. This is great for the archetype since it allows you to send Maiden With Eyes of Blue to the graveyard during the Link Summon.

This card lets you fetch a Mausoleum in White or lets you dump it from the deck to the graveyard. It can also let you deal with any Blue-Eyes White Dragon that you draw into by turning those bricks into Summonable monsters by tributing itself in exchange.

8

Relinquished Anima

Sucking Your Opponent’s Monsters

Card placement doesn’t usually come up unless you’re trying to dodge Infinite Impermanence. However, if your opponent places a monster in the Zone behind the Extra Monster Zone, Relinquished Anima can suck it up easily.

Relinquished Anima can steal a monster when it enters the field. The only downside is, if you miss your shot, you have a zero-attack monster on the field. Luckily, this is still a decent way of sending something to the graveyard or even forcing your opponent to use a negate.

7

Link Spider

An Early Link Monster

When Link Monsters first appeared in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, Link Spider was one of the first to be introduced to players. Link Spider’s Summoning required only one Normal Monster. It can also let you Special Summon another Normal Monster from your hand to the Monster Zone it points to.

Aside from being a good beginner card to teach players how Link Arrows work, Link Spider could also use Tokens for its Summon. This essentially lets you get an Effect Monster on the board if you’ve got a Token to spare, allowing you to start Link climbing into stronger monsters.

6

Sky Striker Ace Kagari

Reusing Your Best Spells

The Sky Strikers revolve mostly around reusing Spells, and floating into other monsters for continuous attacks. Sky Striker Ace – Kagari might just be the last card you see. This Link-1 monster gets stronger the more Spells you have in the graveyard but its main effect is even better.

Kagari could also let you recycle other Sky Striker Spells, such as Sky Striker – Engage!, which would only benefit the draw power of the Sky Striker archetype. This is an essential Link-1 that helps the deck achieve victory across events.

5

Prank-Kids Meow-Meow-Mu

From Zero To Hero

There are times when a deck is just one update away from reaching new levels of consistency. The Prank-Kids archetype went from decent to incredible with the introduction of Prank-Kids Mew-Meow-Mu.

This Link-1 changed the game for Prank-Kids since it gave them a way to trigger their Special Summoning effects whenever they get used as material for an extra deck Summon. This card can also be used as a substitute for a Prank-Kid that needs to tribute itself for an effect. So, even in the graveyard, this Link-1 found plenty of use.

4

Striker Dragon

The Start Of Multiple Dragon Link Combos

Dragon Link loves using Striker Dragon to facilitate plays. As always, the Link-1 gives you the chance to send a Dragon to the graveyard during its Summon. In addition to this, it also acts as a searcher for Boot Sector Launch, which makes Special Summoning even more Dragons easier.

Striker Dragon can also destroy a monster on your own side of the field to get a Rokket monster back to your hand from the graveyard. This one Link Monster may not be generic, but it does wonders for its deck.

3

Traptrix Sera

Searching Out Trap Holes

Traptrix Sera made plenty of Trap Hole cards useable again by making them searchable from the deck. You can go into this card using any Traptrix monster as material as long as it’s not a Link Monster. When a Normal Trap is activated, you can bring out a Traptrix from the deck.

If another Traptrix monster activates their effect, you have a whole menu of cards to choose to set. This includes Trap Hole, Bottomless Trap Hole, Time-Space Trap Hole, or even the Traptrix favorite, Gravedigger’s Trap Hole.

2

Linkross

Tokens Everywhere

Cards like Scapegoat and Number 42: Galaxy Tomahawk are known for their ability to spit out tokens. Linkross is a Link-1 monster that has the same type of ability. This card may be a Link-1, but it requires at least one Link-2 as material to summon.

This card would then spit out tokens based on the Link rating of the card used to Summon it. While they couldn’t be used for Link Summons, they could be used for Synchro plays, which give players way too many materials to work with.

1

Knightmare Mermaid

One Of The Most Powerful Link Monsters

The Knightmare archetype has found a place in the meta as generic extra deck monsters to go into. However, one Knightmare in particular could go above and beyond. This is Knightmare Mermaid, which could use any Knightmare monster as material, including Link Monsters with a higher rating.

Get this on the field, and you can discard a card to Special Summon a Knightmare from the deck. Many Orcust monsters have graveyard effects, so this cost only fueled the archetype’s game plan. Knightmare Mermaid allowed many decks to gain access to its engine easily.