Unfortunately, Yu-Gi-Oh! has a very steep learning curve. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of best decks for beginners that are competitive in the current metagame, and hundreds of cards new players need to be aware of.
Even those who are just starting out with Yu-Gi-Oh! will want to win games more than anything else.
Thank goodness, there are still many decks available for exploration by newcomers. These Yu-Gi-Oh! decks don’t feature overly complicated combos that would require a lot of practice to master.
Even without that depth, newcomers will have the tools to win by using powerful boss monsters or by customizing the game’s pace to their preferences.
There are always new archetypes and decks being created for Yu-Gi-Oh!, some more complicated than others.
However, there are also simple strategies that can help new players get started. New and interesting strategies, or even just new cards to incorporate into classic decks, may be discovered by veteran players.
18. Mathmech
When you’re just starting out, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with Mathmechs because they’re an extremely dependable and flexible combo deck.
In 2022, combo decks are the backbone of Yu-Gi-Oh, so it’s crucial that you have access to at least one.
In a Mathmech deck, you can use XYZ, Synchro, and Link monsters in the same duel. You’ll also need an arsenal of tricks and techniques, most of which you’ll have to figure out on your own through practise and experimentation.
Once you get the hang of them, Mathmechs can be a very effective (and inexpensive) deck against many of the most popular archetypes in play right now.
17. Cubics
The Cubics are a strange hybrid deck that seems to have an answer for everything, and they do so at a dirt cheap price with insane OTK power.
The objective of the game is to field Crimson Nova as soon as possible. As long as you support it with spells, traps, and monsters, it will win the battle.
It’s crazy how often you can one-turn-kill opponents with this deck, but it’s fantastic. Cubics is a fantastic starter set for any player, as the majority of cards are inexpensive despite their high rarity.
16. Blue-Eyes
The Blue-Eyes archetype has access to fusions, rituals, and synchro monsters.
I would advise beginners to focus on either fusions or rituals for their first few plays. Then gradually shift to the synchronised mode.
Search for and add Blue-Eyes White Dragons from the graveyard to your hand with cards of the appropriate archetype. To summon a powerful Blue-Eyes boss monster, use the White Dragons you have in your hand in conjunction with a ritual or fusion card. In a nutshell!
Both playing with and against them is the most enjoyable experience in all of Yu-Gi-Oh, as they are the best Dragon archetype.
15. Dragunity
As one of Yu-Gi-Ohlongest !’s running archetypes, Dragunity can trace its roots all the way back to 2011.
After a rule change severely weakened one of its best cards, the deck wasn’t quite playable at the time.
In modern times, however, the deck has received substantial reinforcement via booster packs and structure decks.
The sheer volume of people who have downloaded and run Dragunity in its unadulterated form is impressive.
Combining “Dragon Link” strategies with Dragunity boss monsters, it becomes even more impressive when Dragon Link monsters like Guardian Elpy and Pisty are added.
14. Dinosaurs
For a long time, Yu-Gi-Oh! players have been able to rely on dinosaurs to form one of the most reliable deck types.
Evolzar Laggia and Evolzar Dolkka, two of the most potent XYZ monsters, are playable in this deck. These two monsters can counter any move your opponent makes.
Ultimate Conductor Tyranno, the Dinos’ boss monster, has 3500 ATK and can be summoned by sending two dinosaurs back to the afterlife.
Its best effect is to flip all monsters your opponent controls face down, rendering them all but useless.
13. Cyber Dragons
Cyber Dragon’s gameplay features a wide variety of options. To begin with, it’s strong enough to take on the game’s best decks.
The Chimeratech Megafleet Dragon and Chimeratech Fortress Dragon are two powerful but space-intensive cards that find a home in the Cyber Dragons deck.
These can be used to fusion summon any machine monster, such as Invoked Mechaba, or Link monster, such as Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres.
Additionally, the deck is easier to use. Choose Cyber Dragon Infinity.
12. Zombie World
One of the best field spells is the Zombies’ Zombie World, which transforms all monsters on the field and in the graveyard into Zombies. This prevents the use of abilities dependent on a monster’s original type.
Doomking Balerdroch, the zombies’ boss monster, is also pretty great. With 2800 ATK, he can cancel out monster effects and even banish monsters from the field and the graveyard.
Normal zombie-typed and tuner cards, such as Ash Blossom & Joyful Spring or Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion, also work well with the deck.
11. Magical Musketeers
Another back-row-heavy list is the Magical Musketeers. With the Magical Musketeer monsters in play, the player can use the Magical Musketeer spell and trap cards in their hand.
When used, these monsters’ passive abilities unlock special effects that can be used to the player’s advantage.
The Magical Musketeers deck has the potential to win the game with its ability to draw cards, disrupt the opponent’s play, and cast game-ending monsters like Borrelsword and Topologic Bomber Dragon.
Although the archetype has slipped a bit in popularity, it is still powerful and simple to learn.
10. Subterrors
The primary objective of Subterrors is to take cover behind as many obstacles as possible, making them suitable for newcomers because there is no need to memorise a large number of combos.
The deck is built around field spell The Hidden City and other tools for flip summoning and protecting monsters.
Players who value efficiency over the ability to memorise complex combos will benefit from this deck.
The objective, rather, is to make the opponent match the player’s pace and force them to figure out a way to get around the back line.
9. Dragonmaids
The cute and helpful Dragonmaids have a dark side: they can turn into powerful dragons during the battle phase, or they can join forces to summon boss monsters that can flood the field and nullify your opponent’s plays.
Dragonmaids are also a great way to ease into playing with decks that rely heavily on the graveyard.
Just because you send a card to the graveyard doesn’t mean you have to lose that card forever; Dragonmaid monsters can easily bring back their dead allies.
Even more potent graveyard effects that shield monsters come from support cards for dragons, like Dragonmaid Changeover, Dragonmaid Welcome, and the ubiquitous Return of the Dragon Lords.
8. Unchained
The Unchained deck is excellent for those who enjoy giving their opponent fits. The deck relies on self-destruct effects and a plethora of effects to steal the opponent’s monsters.
Both Unchained Soul of Rage and Unchained Soul of Anguish have the ability to use themselves and an opponent’s monster to link summon into the deck’s Link 4 monsters.
Cards like that are nearly impossible to counter, and when combined with kaiju, you have a deck that is both terrifying and impossible to beat.
7. Plunder Patrol
Plunder Patrolls are a fun extra-deck archetype whose main goal is to get their ships into play by matching the attributes of the ships their opponent has in play.
It’s a lot less of a hassle when you have access to useful cards like Plunder Patroll Booty.
The Patroll’s ships already have solid base stats, and with Plunder Patroll Shipyarrrd in play, they gain 500 attack for each card in their deck.
Most of them, when equipped, also have better effects: Plunder Patrollship They can search the deck whenever they want with Lys, and Moerk can use its effect whenever it wants.
6. Thunder Dragon
Considering the loss of Thunder Dragon Colossus, the Thunder Dragon card is significantly stronger than it should be.
Resilience is due in large part to playing with a mix of Chaos cards and the flexible Red-Eyes archetype.
Although the archetype’s origin can be traced back to a card from 2002, it has since expanded significantly.
Players won’t have to put in a lot of time to figure out combos to get powerful boards stacked with dragons and huge link monsters.
In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, where Colossus can still be used, Thunder Dragons stand out as an uncommon but powerful monster.
5. Eldlich
Eldlich, a simple-yet-powerful deck inspired by the El Dorado myth, can both dominate the game and consistently unleash devastating threats.
The Eldlich is the backbone of this deck, and there are numerous ways to find him and bring him back for more.
Eldlich may be the headliner, but the various Golden Land and Eldlixer cards provide ample support for other zombie-based strategies.
Particularly beneficial are vampires, who can make excellent use of the monsters that each Golden Land trap generates.
4. Altergeist
Even though there is a slight learning curve associated with using an Altergeist deck, the strategy behind it—which centres on gaining the upper hand—is straightforward to grasp.
To stymie its opponent and make it nearly impossible for them to win, Altergeist plays more than a dozen trap cards.
Once a player seizes command, they can dictate the pace of the game. Infinite Impermanence and Evenly Matched are two examples of floodgates that can be used to stop opposing combos in their tracks and benefit the player’s own monsters.
3. Floowandereeze
Floowandereeze is a normal summon that can be used by players who have always wished they had a second option.
This deck, based on a story about three birds who make friends as they fly around the world, lets you bring back exiled cards while flooding the field with massive chains of normal and tribute summons.
Since both Floowandereeze and Eglen and Floowandereeze and Snowl deal piercing damage, they can effectively shut down any special summoning-based strategy.
The deck can also bring out its own monsters by sacrificing an opponent’s monsters thanks to Floowandereeze and the Uncharted Winds.
2. Heroes
There are dozens of different HERO cards, but due to their complexity, Masked HEROs are the best option for newcomers. You can improve your HERO abilities with time and practise.
Two of the best Masked Heroes are Dark Law and Acid (shown), and both of them can be purchased for very reasonable prices. Easily one of the easiest summons ever, and capable of completely shifting the momentum of a fight.
While not yet viable in the competitive scene, they are highly recommended for beginners to collect and use due to the constant stream of support updates and the wide variety of possible builds.
1. An Evil Twin
While an Evil Twin deck’s power may be understated at first glance, it soon becomes clear once they begin their combos.
With just one Ki-sikil or Lil-la monster on the board, they can begin their plays and gain significant card advantage and removal.
Because of their superior consistency, Twins decks are often able to shrug off multiple negates before being forced to retreat, allowing them to freely Link Climb and summon their boss monsters.
There is no shortage of strength in this archetype, with options ranging from EvilTwin’s Trouble Sunny to the massive stats and board-clearing potential of EvilTwins Kisikil & Lilla.
