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Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel has just been released onto every platform. Like the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG, Master Duel has its own banlist ready to determine the metagame.
Forbidden and Limited
The current TCG and OCG have different lists telling players what they cannot play, which means America and Japan have different formats with different cards being allowed to be played. As Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel was first being announced people speculated what the ban list would be. Now we know, Master Duel has its own ban list. Let’s take a look. You can find all the cards here, forbidden, limited and semi-limited.
The Bans
As expected all of the game-breaking cards are banned. Cards such as Last turn, Substitode and Pot Of Greed all remain locked away. A thing to point out is that Red-Eye Dark Dragoon is banned, a card that is banned in the OCG but not in the West, showing some slight leaning toward the OCG banlist.
The Wind-up monsters are cards that have some presence on the F&L list, with Wind-up Carrier Zenmiety banned in the TCG, on this list it is at 1. As a result of a mean combo that removes 4 cards from your opponent’s hand turn 1, Wind up Hunter is banned in Master duel.
Set rotation, a card at 1 in both TCG and OCG is banned in Master Duel, chances are this is due to it being hard to program. Setting a field spell to your opponent’s field could be an issue and it wouldn’t surprise me if other cards with difficult-to-program effects are also banned.
The Limited and the Semi-Limited
Now things get interesting. Thunder Dragon Colossus, Heavy MetalPhos Electrumite, and True King of all Calamities are banned in the TCG. Not in Master Duels, these insane boss monsters are all at 1. Sadly so is the greatest card of all time Toadally awesome. Some of these seem like Limits from a previous TCG list, ABC Dragon Buster for example is at 1 despite not being of any current meta relevance feels strange.
Nothing interesting in the semi-limited besides Sky Stricker mobilize engage, a previously banned card that just came back to one. Its at two on this list, potentially making Sky Striker one of the more powerful decks in the current Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Meta Game
The Ugly
So, here we are, the moment everyone is waiting for. Maxx “C”, is unlimited. A card as reviled as much as it is loved and the bane to all combo decks. Chicken Game is also entirely unbanned, both of these cards give insane consistency to decks with small engines and powerful resource loops.
Will this be changing?
This seems like a very strange list to keep, it’s reminiscent of the April 2021 OCG list with some minor changes. Unlike previous Yu-Gi-Oh games however Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel seems like it is a long-term project like Duel links and will be constantly getting updated, and with a TCG banlist just around the corner, it may be a matter that the lists sync up with an update that could come out very soon or Master Duel will be a portal back to early 2021.
