If you’re wondering what the best YuGiOh Master Duel starter deck is, then luckily for you we have some advice. The new YuGiOh digital duelling platform has hit the ground running, with card game veterans, anime fans, and new players alike diving in to try it out in their millions.
After downloading the free-to-play game and completing the basic tutorials, you receive 1,000 gems and the option to choose one of three starter decks. Each one belongs to a different playstyle and uses a specific type of summoning.
The answer to this question, of course, depends on your level of familiarity with the card game. If you’re new to YuGiOh, you may want to stick with a simple deck for a while as you learn. On the other hand if you’re a more experienced duelist, you may want to know which starter deck has the best cards for future use. Fortunately, your choice here doesn’t matter too much, as you can eventually unlock all three starter decks as you play through the missions. Here’s everything you need to help you choose your first YuGiOh Master Duel starter deck.
YuGiOh Master Duel starter decks
The three YuGiOh Master Duel starter decks are:
- Power of the Dragon
- Synchro of Unity
- Link Generation
Power of the Dragon
This is the simplest, most straightforward starter deck. If you ever watched the YuGiOh anime, or played the game back in the day, you’ll recognise the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon and probably a few other cards, too. The deck is all about fusion summoning, a basic mechanic lapsed players will already be familiar with.
Power of the Dragon is the best YuGiOh Master Duel starter deck for beginners and a safe bet no matter your experience level. It could also be a good fit for advanced players who simply want to get through the early game as quickly as possible, using strong offensive cards like Luster Dragon. It also comes with some decent advanced cards like Five-Headed Dragon, which will be difficult to craft quickly if you want to explore Dragon synergies early on.
Synchro of Unity
Now it’s starting to get interesting. Synchro decks are very popular among YuGiOh players, so if you’re a fan of this playstyle already or think you might want to explore it, this is the starter deck for you.
Synchro summoning is definitely more complex than fusion summoning. To synchro summon a monster you must use two or more face-up monsters with a combined level equal to the synchro monster, and one of these monsters must be a Tuner (sadly, they’re usually not fish).
It may be tricky for beginners to get to grips with, but Master Duel has a detailed tutorial to help teach you the basics. The Synchro of Unity deck contains a useful Tuner monster – Junk Synchron – and Mystical Space Typhoon, which is a great card to have for any deck as it allows you to destroy one spell or trap card on the field. These are cards you may find yourself continuing to use as you play through the game. So, if you’re at all interested in Synchro, or just want the best cards available in the YuGiOh Master Duel starter decks, pick Synchro of Unity.
Link Generation
This deck is all about Link summoning. Like Synchro summoning, it’s a relatively complex mechanic that isn’t recommended for beginners as your first few duels might not be a smooth experience.
With a Link summoning deck, you start off weak initially, but it can send monsters to the graveyard to summon stronger Link monsters that, in turn, become Link materials themselves so you become stronger over time.
Link Generation isn’t the strongest option, and it’s not easy to use either. It does have Link Spider and Decode Talker, which are good stepping stones for more advanced decks using this theme. Feel free to try it out if the playstyle interests you, but don’t pick it just because it sounds cool and then wish you’d gone with the massive dragon deck instead.
Now you’re ready to choose your Yugioh Master Duel starter deck – and once you’re ready to build your own deck, here’s how to get every Yugioh Master Duel secret pack.