Yugioh is the epitome of the childhood of many adults today, there was something so special about the TV series, as well as opening packs in real life.
Chasing your favorite monsters was something of a life goal, as you’d open booster packs or trade with other players.
What made Yugioh so fun was mainly the TV series, as it showed us how to overcome challenges thrown our way.
As such, many of the monsters our protagonist faced, are still recognized even today.
These monsters seemed unbeatable at the time, and are still collectible items, especially the high rarities.
For your viewing pleasure, I’ll be going through the 10 most nostalgic cards in Yugioh.
No doubt you’ll remember them, and hopefully this article will bring up those childhood emotions for a short while!
10. Celtic Guardian
Although this card has never been viable in any way, shape, or form, it’s held close to the hearts of many Yugioh fans.
As one of Yugi’s flagship monsters, we’ve seen Celtic Guardian tackle foe after foe in the name of his Pharoah.
He was also a common card in the Yugi starter decks and original packs so most Yugioh players owned this card at the time.
Personally, this is still my favorite card of all time 🙂
9. The Legendary Fisherman
Made famous through the sea lover Mako Tsunami, The Legendary Fisherman was a force to be reckoned with during the Duelist Kingdom era.
At the time, high-level monsters didn’t need to be tribute summoned so this card was far more powerful than it is today.
8. Insect Queen
One of the main insects belonging to Weevil Underwood, this card screams intimidation and power.
You’d think the effect would be better but unlike today, big monsters used to have exploitable drawbacks.
With the right combination of spell/trap cards though, Insect Queen was so good that even Yugi struggled to defeat it.
7. Jinzo
Originally belonging to Espa Roba, Joey Wheeler acquired Jinzo after defeating Espa in Battle City.
This monster was forbidden for a long, long time.
Understandably so, its effect was out of this world, no other monster could compare to it.
Jinzo is still a powerhouse today, capable of turning a losing game into a glorious victory.
Recognized as one of the most feared monsters back in the day, Jinzo still weighs heavy on many a duellist’s minds.
6. Exodia the Forbidden One
One of the most famous Yugioh cards in existence, Exodia’s win condition is renowned in the entertainment world.
Other fandoms have named builds and compositions around it. In a strategy game, an unbeatable army build can be known as an Exodia build.
For millions of people across the world, simply seeing Exodia’s golden body is enough to trigger extreme nostalgia.
5. Flame Swordsman
Despite being absolutely pointless to summon, other than for Instant Fusion, Flame Swordsman is a classic.
This was Joey Wheeler’s main card for a long time, using it to become a great duelist in his own right.
You can get Flame Swordsman as a Super Rare foil in the Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon booster pack, the first pack to be released.
The Super Rare variant looked amazing and was highly sought after.
4. Relinquished
Easily the scariest monster you saw in the entirety of the Duelist Kingdom arc.
Maxmillion Pegasus has access to every card in the game, he chose the Toons and Relinquished to be his main strategies.
Relinquished was absurdly good for many years, being both easy to summon and almost unbeatable while out on the field.
Most players will never forget the first time they battled a Relinquished.
Kuriboh decks can still make use of Relinquished, with Kuriboh being a fairly nostalgic card too.
3. Red-Eyes Black Dragon
Rex Raptor was one of the greatest duelists of all time during the first season, that is until Yugi and his friends emerged.
Rex eventually lost this dragon to Joey Wheeler during Battle City, a tournament which stated a victor of a duel will receive their opponent’s best card.
Joey went on to make Red-Eyes Black Dragon one of his main cards, and would combine it with cards like Summoned Skull and Metalmorph to create an even stronger version.
Nowadays, a Red-Eyes deck is a fully viable casual deck to play.
2. Dark Magician
That original art is amazing and is full of nostalgia.
You’re looking at Yugi Moto’s crown jewel, the monster responsible for so many victories and epic times.
The fabled “DARK MAGICIAN” shout by Yugi is always hair-raising and holding the original card in your hand is glorious.
You can actually make use of Dark Magician now as well, it received countless support cards over the years and a deck based around him is now viable.
1. Blue-Eyes White Dragon
It had to be Blue-Eyes White Dragon, no other card in Yugioh compares to the sheer nostalgia and popularity of this legendary dragon.
Random people the world over will recognize this card and attribute it to Yugioh, players are still in love with it as the new Blue-Eyes support cards have bred thousands of new decks.
The original art is, in my opinion, the best but all art variants are still epic.
The number 1 spot is well deserved for such an awesome card!