Summary
TheYu-Gi-Oh! TCGgives players access to thousands of cards that all interact with each other in different ways. While some can be used to boost the ceiling of compatible decks, others have been too efficient at enabling some legal but frustrating plays.
These are strategies that can kill you in one turn, commonly referred to as OTK. Of course, with every OTK strategy, there is always one card that helps enable it. Some are balanced and intentional, while others allow some combos to be too deadly, not even allowing your opponent to make any plays before the duel is over. So prepare to play some solitaire.
10Ryoku Guardian
A Duel Monsters Themed OTK
If you love Gate Guardians, then Ryoku Guardian is a must-have in your deck. This is because it is easily searchable through the archetype and is your ticket to a one-hit kill.
If you have a Gate Guardian Monster on your side of the field, you can use this to halve your opponent’s life points, then add it as attack for one of your Gate Guardians. If that monster could already beat over another one of your opponent’s monsters, then an attack results in a game over for them.
9Primal Seed
An OTK From Chaos Format
Primal Seed is an important element in a one-turn burn strategy, since it can be used more than once per turn and can fetch another copy of itself. With Black Luster Soldier or Chaos Emperor Dragon on the field, you may use Primal Seed to get two cards from your banish pile and add them to your hand.
With the right setup, you play Primal Seed to get another Primal Seed and a burn card from your banish pile. Use the burn card to hit your opponent’s life points, while you have another card that banishes cards instead of sending them to the grave. Doing this, you can infinitely loop the same cards over and over again until your opponent has no life points left.
8Cyber Stein
Proved That Life Points Don’t Matter
Paying half or more of your life points to activate an effect once seemed like a massive price to pay. However, cards like Cyber-Stein proved that it could be worth it just to secure victory. Cyber-Stein lets you pay 5000 tobring out a Fusion Monster with very few restrictions.
This is when you combo it with Megamorph to double that monster’s attack now that your life points are lower than your opponent’s. This can net you a one-turn kill, but it wasn’t the only useful strategy. Cyber Dragon Fusions could also be brought out and powered up using Limiter Removal.
7Armed Samurai Ben Kei
Equip Cards Galore
Armed Samurai - Ben Kei’s ability to attack multiple times for each Equip Spell attached to it makes it the perfect monster to dump these kinds of spells on. While Equip Spells have never been the most powerful, attaching it with multiple attack-boosting Spells can let you win the game in a clean hit.
Essentially, Armed Samurai - Ben Kei just increases in power and gets an additional attack. Then it’s a matter of bashing your opponent over and over until you win.
6Butterfly Dagger Elma
A Broken Dagger Equals A Broken OTK Method
There are many cards in an Exodia one turn kill, or even a first turn kill, deck. However, none pose as much of a threat as Butterfly Dagger Elma. When this card is destroyed, it comes back to the hand. With no once per turn clause, this means it can repeatedly do this in a single turn.
With Gearfried the Iron Knight and Magical Library on the field, Butterfly Dagger Elma could abuse the combination’s ability to keep drawing cards. If your opponent can’t stop you, it usually guarantees thatyou can get all the Exodia pieces. Of course, this also got it banned.
5Evigishki Mind Augus
Winning With Ritual Monsters
If you came face to face with Evigishki Mind Augus and have no way to interrupt the combo that follows, then you might as well forfeit and move on to game two. This is because the OTK combo would take more than 40 minutes to perform.
Evigishki Mind Magus would be able to recycle cards back into the deck when Summoned. With no once per turn clause, you could get cards into your hand that force your opponents to deck out or burn. Your choice. Of course, this recycling also allowed it to be Summoned multiple times per turn.
4Magical Explosion
Make Use Of Every Spell In The Graveyard
At 200 damage for each Spell Card in your graveyard, it would take dumping 40 cards for this Trap to wipe out your opponent’s life points in one go. However, since you’re able to have up to 60 cards in a deck, all it really takes to see this work is enough draw power.
With cards that can let you dig deep into your deck and others that can search out other copies of themselves, you could eventually get to Magical Explosion. If this was your first turn, then the game is pretty much over once this card is set.
3Morphing Jar
Dump Your Hand, Draw, Repeat
Morphing Jar could potentially cause your opponent to deck out, since it forces players to discard their hand and draw a new set. Combined with any other card that could help you flip it over and over again, you could make sure your opponent has nothing left to draw.
This strategy, however, got worse over time, since graveyard effects have become more common and hand traps could potentially stop you from performing the game-winning combo. Regardless, it serves as a nice piece of Yu-Gi-Oh! history.
2Substitoad
The Power Of Frogs
Substitoad could potentially allow you to cycle through your whole deck by tributing a frog to get a frog. As long as you have one other monster to start the chain, Substitoad could tribute it and get a frog from the deck. Then tribute that frog to get another frog.
To make this lethal, you would need a copy of Ronintoadin in the graveyard and a copy of Mass Driver on the field. This is like Catapult Turtle where Ronintoadin can keep coming back by banishing one of the frogs in the grave. Then Mass Driver just keeps tributing Ronintoadin and inflicting damage until your opponent is no more.
1Magical Scientist
Taking Advantage Of Free Summons
Magical Scientist isbusted in a variety of different ways. It can get bodies on the board as long as you can pay life points to do so. This card is the most problematic piece of the Catapult Turtle method of wiping out your opponent in one turn.
All you need to do is get Magical Scientist to spam monsters while Catapult Turtle essentially launches them at your opponent to deal burn damage. Eventually, you’re dealing more damage to your opponent’s life points than you’re paying and you win.
