5 Beginner Yu-Gi-Oh Decks for New Players in 2024!

[@DualSwordBesken]

I'd consider Voiceless Voice a decent option for new players. At this point, the only in archetype card that is pricey is Lo and that is at $20, the extra deck is fairly flexible and in some games just ignorable, the basic combo lines are relatively short and simple and can set up an acceptable board in as few as 2 summons, and the deck has a good amount of room for non-engine. I honestly think once Lo gets reprinted or just in general drops more in price, VV would make for one of the best "intro to Yu-Gi-Oh" decks.

[@BirdCaramel]

These videos are so helpful and a great intro to newer decks. I’ve been playing since 2004 and I still enjoy the mini-breakdowns and reminders of what’s out there. Great job Paul !

[@bird5805]

Fire king upgrade path is also really cheap, the most expensive card on your deck will probably be Promethean princess if you're planning to get her, even the tri brigade stuff are really cheap, it's a really cool deck and interactive, really fun to play if you know what you're doing.

[@u.a.perfectace7786]

This is a good suggestion. Fire-Brigade is a budget deck that isn't too hard to understand and master. Very consistent too. Shuriag is a hell of a Link 4 with a non target banish with 3k attack and the Fire King resource loop is solid.

[@jvdach4652]

Promethean princess is literally 1 dollar or even less 😅

[@bird5805]

@@jvdach4652 no bro, sadly she's still 15 usdh 😞

[@jvdach4652]

@bird5805 whoa I just bought an shiny one off cardmarket for less than 2 dollars a few days ago and got her yesterday... Guess USA is quite different

[@bird5805]

@@jvdach4652 you're in ocg? Cuz ocg prices are dirt cheap apparently

[@alexandersavage305]

As a new/returning player as of 2022, Kash (without arise-heart) is one of my favorite decks. Super simple game plan, somewhat competitive without needing 15 minutes to make your first turn plays, cool lore, etc. My main deck in MD is scareclaw/Kashtira. I took a break about a year ago and returned to the game last month and the deck still feels great until Diamond rank.

[@Novakun]

Gotta admit these are great choices, None of my friends have much experience with card games so i like to test stuff to see if its beginner friendly. I ended up liking shining sarcophagus enough to play it myself.

[@ItzMajinTCG]

If I could make a few recommendations; Red Dragon Archfiend, Flame Swordsman, Marincess, Spright, Floowandereeze.

[@zagger999]

I would have to disagree with Kashtira. The deck, at least in paper, is not beginner-friendly just due to the price of some of the cards. Fenrir at its cheapest is almost 12 bucks, Riseheart and Unicorn are hanging around 5 bucks and Tearlaments is around 8 to 10. Scareclaw and Ogre are cheap, sure, but when a quarter of your deck (not even getting into your extra deck) just took 90 to 100 dollars to buy, yeah, it isn't a beginner deck despite being easier to play.

[@humanyoutubeuser]

Centur Ion is really expensive I don't recommend picking it up

[@apsamplifier]

Yeah I hope they're reprinted in the tins

[@skyzip4k171]

it is expensive, but easy to play

[@jacobwoodard818]

Fire King is awesome and its got lines where you can make other rank 8s like Photon Lord though you do need another fire monster to destroy on your opponents turn to trigger Garunix after detaching it from Photon Lord. Being able to set up 2 monster negates and a Dark Hole in the form of Garunix Eternity that can be activated as a interruption with Sanctuary is stronger than people give it credit for. You can upgrade the deck further with 2 Kashtira Fenrir and Fire King Consort when its available in the TCG.

[@livefiction]

Voiceless now that its gotten cheaper especially is a super solid rec imo for new players

[@shinox7892]

It's cause already it got powercrept sadly

[@DualSwordBesken]

​@@shinox7892As opposed to the "recommended in video" deck Shining Sarc, that was never up to the power of the meta to begin with? It's a deck recommendation video for new players, and even now I'd say VV is more powerful (and easier to play) than Chimera, pure Fire King, and Centur-Ion without the King Calamity lock.

[@PapaShekels]

I always wonder why kashtira doesn't get brought up more with these kinds of discussions. It feels like the perfect deck made for a new or returning player learning the game. It has big monsters that can hit over most threats, it plays well into longer grind games, it has anti-meta synergy for almost every format it has existed in, and it doesn't have any long combos. The extra deck is almost an afterthought for the deck, you'd definitely want to use arise-heart at least and many of the others like big eye will come up, but the deck works even without them. The most complicated ruling I can think of that comes up with them is that you can't banish a nibiru token face-down

[@randomdudeguy5587]

My guess is cause Kash is easy to learn but at it’s prime it was one of the most toxic decks in the game cause it could 9 lock someone’s field. Even post nerf it’s still consistent enough to be oppressive to rogue decks when going first. No beginner would like to be locked out of playing the game so it’s best not to encourage that type of play unless they want to be competitive.

[@pieoverlord]

Because they're trying to teach Yugioh, not war crimes.

[@newbassva8673]

Also they're a bit pricey still

[@apsamplifier]

That's why I included it!

[@zagger999]

Maybe it is fine on Master Duel (which, if you got the Dust, play the deck) but otherwise it's a pricey deck for someone looking to start and get into the game. Just to get a quarter of your deck (playing cards like Fenrir, Riseheart, Unicorn, and maybe Tearlaments) costs around a $100. That's still nearly 30 other cards and an extra deck to fill out.

[@sanketower]

I wouldn't recommend Centur-Ion to new players because the deck actually has some hidden restrictions that can make extending non-trivial. It also requires a lot of optimization; since it's a "Main Phase" deck, doing things in the wrong order can make you lose instantly to any single interruption on your opponent turn before you Synchro. Swordsoul is deffo the go-to to newbies. Baronne's ban is harsh but Qixing Longyuan control can be pretty obnoxious.

[@dumon4264]

Also the deck is still pretty expensive. Primera is like $30 a copy and Trudea is like $20. Both necessary 3 ofs. Not very friendly for someone just getting into the game

[@cbgg1585]

For newer players, I would also honestly recommend they also look into trying out some real meta decks on one of the simulation platforms (I.e Ritual Beast physically is both complex and cheap enough comparatively) to see what the multiple layers of power levels are, as it is a good learning experience for deckbuilding for casual decks or newer players who are coming into the game. This is how a mate got into the game. He was basically self learning which adds to the overall experience with the game. No better experience than getting thrown in the deep end.

[@refkiriswansyah2830]

Ah, the RE 4 intro experience.... No better immersion than throw yourself to the dog pit try to survive by fighting a bunch of pitbull (or spanish zombie) with almost nothing but bare hands (and a pistol)! Catch these hands

[@Daytona_Dad]

As a dad who played Yugioh back in the day and now has a son who is all about the game and wants to get into tournament play. I really appreciate this video

[@aldorr_music]

I’m an old player getting back in and relearning (more like learning) the game and I Love the suggestions.

[@justshitman6562]

I got my hands on the chimera deck nowadays and I need to say yes, you are right about it. The deck is easy to learn, almost all the cards are cent worthy and can be played on local tournament as well. I love the deck :3

[@mikehawk8984]

My first thought was Memento or Fluffals just because of how much I love the decks and they're pretty unique, but then I remembered how rediculous the combos are and realized it probably isn't the place to start 😅

[@Lucario1121]

I hate when I see like Fluffal cards, thinking I'm facing one, only to see that no, it's just a chimera deck

[@mikehawk8984]

@@Lucario1121 I agree. It's always a disappointment jumpscare lol

[@DeadlestSpartanGroup]

I'd Recommend Raidraptors as it's a cheap deck that is very straightforward gameplay that evolves further as you spot the combos. Next would probably be Mikanko as it just let's you dorce your opponent to punch themselves and add Kaijus and Lava to remove problematic monsters also helps.

[@rafuruuchiha]

Red Dragon Archfiend decks are also fun and great for beginners

[@easiestcc6451]

BASED deck choice.

[@hidesitemg]

I love my shining sarc and Chimera decks. Shining sarc cards have skyrocketed in price since I picked em up and it’ll cost you a pretty penny. Some of the chimera cards as well (nightmare apprentice)

[@orlandorivera3452]

Gotta love that forbidden memories ost! 🔥

[@EthanKironus8067]

My semi-joke answer: Phantom Knights or really anything that easily makes Raider's Night. It makes Arc Rebellion a OHKO in a box, and you can even use your own monsters to help with that. My more serious answer is Lyrilusc. At its core the deck is serviceable pure, plays relatively simply but has multiple options including relatively fair interruptions, I doubt it's very expensive, and it's interactive without needing to worry about beating over big monsters. The different approaches you can take to the win con are also prime opportunities for deck modification due to being so clearly definable-- do you want to focus on Assembled Nightingale, Independent Nightingale, the interruptions Xyzes, Recital Starling damage reversal, and then there's the Equip Spells. I've seen people get pretty creative with those. Though I also just have a soft spot for it from winning several games off the back of Cobalt Sparrow because my opponents didn't know it provides targeting protection. P.S. I can't think of any monsters besides Assembled Nightingale (with Cobalt Sparrow's protection) and Independent Nightingale which are that easy to protect while being equally easy to summon, let alone that that assauges people who are discouraged by the thought of how easily big boss monsters get outed.

[@annoyinprophet2229]

I recently got back into Yugioh after I stopped around Raging Battle back in the day. The game with its long combos and bloated cardtexts really scared me off. What got me to play again were the Tactical Try decks on Master Duel especially the Evil Twin deck. The tutorial showed me one easy combo how to summon my link monsters and get to the big link four Evil Twin. What I really love about this deck, is that it enables this combo fairly consistently and after getting familiar with the deck allows some degree of variation for diffent effects to trigger. I made it all the way to gold. I really wish they would sell these decks in physical form.

[@romhill1178]

i mean you can pick them up irl but it's true that making actualy good begginer products irl (not like the 2 player starter pack which is trash and belong in the deepest bin money counld ever buy), starting from gold is where it gets a bit harder so gl on your ranked grind

[@Elshaddoll]

I really do think price point should be a huge consideration for new players. I think it is a tall ask for a new player to dump a huge amount of money on Centur-ion when Primera is over $25 a pop. A deck that is reasonably priced and easy to learn is ideal for a newcomer. The new player should not have to invest a large sum of money to just try out the game at a competent level.

[@robertmahiques6218]

Perfect. I just decided to try yugioh in paper for the first time since middle school to stay in touch with some friends who are into the game. Would you be able to link some deck lists for each of them? Most of the lists I'm finding for them are $300+

[@larsgossel4986]

thank you for the new video. im a fan of the fire kings. more unique archetypes please!!!

[@Oliver1917th]

I couldnt believe the mat that comes w/ fire king sd. Ponix puts the 'smol' in 'smoldering' [sic]

[@EnforcerNr.XBleublanc]

forbidden Memories music instant like - also thank you for you great content :)

[@loudimes5502]

I just got back in the game a month ago and have been running a blue eyes deck because I just love the card lol. I was getting my ass whooped on master duel, but since Ive been learning the new format, ive made a lot of tweaks and am able to have fun and win a fair amount of

[@Mt.Berry-o7]

I like that this list is kinda and xyz deck (FK and kash mentioned later), a fusion deck, a synchro deck and deck with main deck bosses (guess it's kinda a link deck by default for that). I wish the 2-player starter set had had cohesive and strong (yet rather simple) themes like these instead of the hotpot mess that it was.

[@watcher9237]

Need to include budget decks, new players do not want to pay 20+ dollars for each key card in a playset. This is the mentality we are having in yugioh, trying to lure new players in with expensive cards to play in a meta where they'll get absolutely rolled.

[@justshitman6562]

Chimera is a deck with only cent worthy cards because of the Guardian chimera reprint, etc.

[@PsychoKern]

@@justshitman6562 What about Nightmare Apprentice which is 25 euros and more per copy and you need 3? That's not budget my man

[@jakespencer2018]

As someone who hasn't played for the best part of 15 years, what would be the best one to pick up and learn with? Just playing friends and family nothing to competive Thanks :)

[@pinkfrappe_]

Either you really liked my suggestion or I just called your video idea while you were making it 🤣 These are all really great! I’m a Master Duel player with no real time outside of work to play in paper at my LGS. I’ve been loving the Swordsoul structure deck they gave out as a new/returning player event reward, and after this I’m definitely gonna be looking into Centur-Ion and Kashtira!

[@apsamplifier]

it was your suggestion!

[@Hic_Sunt_Leones-o7v]

My recommendation is jump into the deep end. Going simple will only make things harder for yourself in the long run. You're going to be forced to learn more difficult decks as you get deeper into the game anyways. I started with Endymion(you know the card from all the memes because yugioh hard lol) and its because of that deck that I'm now someone who owns 22 decks either close to or fully built. The fact that I had to learn a totally different way of playing Yugioh first I think helped me ALOT. And if I started with something simple I wouldn't have been with this game as long because I would have been more overwhelmed by other decks than I would have been interested in trying out.

[@diamondcarreon8377]

Do you recommend Yu-Gi-Oh madolche as a beginners deck for returning Yu-Gi-Oh players? Or what do you recommend

[@TheMetallingOne]

i used to hate kashtira. but ever since i slpashed fenrir in my superquant deck ive slowly tried to fuse both decks together xD

[@MattyEyes]

I haven’t played this is awhile but did i hear that right, 3 fire king decks is needed to play it?

[@Hambla28]

When all else fails just Power Bond Cyber End and smack Limiter Removal on that GG

[@Shadowbot074]

It’s funny I was thinking about kash right before you talked about them. Once you get good at the deck it’s fun to play

[@nicholassarikas7904]

Can we get a chimera decklist? I cant find a budget deck for it

[@Racer5351]

I've been wanting to give centurion pure and fire king a try it's just hard to find pure centurion lists with the new support without them diving into other engines

[@animeknight99]

I like Fire Kings. It's a fun deck

[@DavidEllner]

I feel like drytron can put in work and be easy to use. Tribrigsde n sprights maybe a bit harder but I still think learning curve not too far off.

[@buffthepuff5299]

the main deck I always recommend is floo it’s cheap rly easy to play and you can win against better players so it feels fun to play. Eventually once they get comfortable with the game the branch out into other decks and are way more likely to actually get into the game in my experience

[@drjaybee8615]

That is what I did for my buddy. He now wants to learn Branded 🙂

[@emissaryofcharybdis105]

Dude Floo is nuts. I play Lair of Darkness, and I would kill for a Lair card that lets me tribute the enemy's BACKROW. Holy hell.

[@shinox7892]

I think Floo won't be a good option in the long-term cause the moment Shifter gets banned it just kills the decks viability plus the Mulcharmy's & new Dominus card in ROTA hard counters the deck.

[@EMBLER]

I WILL TOP WITH SHINING SARC 😂😂 low key one of the better board breaking decks out there rn

[@TheMetallingOne]

i really wanted to try centurion on masterduel but all the lists i saw were very ED UR heavy 💀

[@rubygamer8921]

How would you rate the new Yubel support? I've always liked the Yubel archetype, but there wasn't enough support for it when I was younger.

[@moni5620]

Thank you i am seriously considering playing.

[@MurdocIsASaint]

Really enjoy the Illusion Deck!

[@wherewolves7741]

the centurion core is like 300 bones i dont know if id recommend

[@gtafan110010]

I recently built my libromancer deck. I really enjoy that it is simple and the art is great since it tells a story. Great beginner deck. Shame it's weak by todays standards. Then again, all decks are compared to snake eyes

[@777CrimsonChaos]

Shining Sarc looks like a lot of fun, tbh

[@phoenix5029]

So what are the chances of making a similar video for Master Duel? Specifically with the idea of potentially getting something that can at least stand its ground for a new account... Cause some of the archetypes you mentioned here, like Fire King (pure) and Kashtira have many more URs in their core assortment and likely might not be as easy to get than IRL, even with all the gems a fresh account might provide...

[@janieraltreche1989]

I think tenpai actually is a good deck for beginners.

[@gokubadgoku]

shining sarc is great (posting before watching)

[@takadotayioyuki1054]

I am so tired of playing Yugioh that I made my own card game. I have tried to have fun with the new stuff. Fusion, Synchro, XYZ, Pendulum, Link. I have played probably around 50 different decks over the years, and I did have a lot of fun playing. I don't know what it is about Yugioh now that does not make it as fun. Maybe the power creep is just to much for me now. I made a draft cube of classic yugioh sets, and have a few Edison format decks if I do feel like playing again, but for now I don't think I am going to keep buying a new deck for it to become irrelevant in less than a year. My last and most recent deck was Labrynth. It felt weird to me that I was able to activate 5 or more effects from just activating any trap card. Is this to much advantage for doing almost nothing for it?

[@JuniperVT]

I know this isn't really the point but I feel like saying a good beginner deck is a structure deck is sort of a cop-out >.< Like yeah of course they are thats the purpose.

[@CronoEpsilon]

I probably wouldn't recommend a deck to a new player if any of its archetype cards are currently on the banlist.

[@phichau90]

Im old skool yugioh.

[@POKEGAMERZ-uy5lv]

Honestly one that should've been mentioned was Tenpai. It's not only easily affordable, but also it's not too complicated to play. Not to mention Trident Dragion is getting reprinted in the tins next month for people looking to play that card.

[@justshitman6562]

The damage step rules are nightmares for new players.

[@SirSeabass]

The answer is Floowandereeze

[@emmanuelnwankwo5521]

Where’s Sevens magician?

[@jacobritter9627]

Decklists?

[@Ps.lySaber]

Let's see Paul Allen's card(s). Main Deck: 1x Dark Magician 1x Nibiru, the Primal Being 2x Dogmatika Maximus 1x Diabellstar the Black Witch 2x Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous 2x Magician's Rod 1x Effect Veiler 3x Magicians' Souls 2x Illusion of Chaos 3x Nadir Servant 2x Soul Servant 2x Duality 1x Secrets of Dark Magic 3x WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils 1x Dark Magical Circle 1x Magician's Salvation 2x Infinite Impermanence 3x Evenly Matched 1x Sinful Spoils of Betrayal - Silvera 1x Shaddoll Schism 1x Eternal Soul 3x Solemn Strike 1x Solemn Judgment --------- Extra Deck: 1x Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon 1x Master of Chaos 1x The Dark Magicians 1x Granguignol the Dusk Dragon 1x El Shaddoll Apkallone 1x Garura, Wings of Resonant Life 1x El Shaddoll Winda 1x Elder Entity N'tss 1x Despian Luluwalilith 1x Chaos Angel 1x Herald of the Arc Light 1x Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy 1x S:P Little Knight 1x Imduk the World Chalice Dragon 1x Artemis, the Magistus Moon Maiden --------- Side Deck: 1x Spellbook of Knowledge 2x Solemn Judgment 001dmg on dueling nexus

[@TomasPerkins]

What about dinosaurs?

[@enigmaoftheechidna6279]

Why the reupload?

[@panblu]

Swordsoul/centurión is a pretty good deck to start with, those two mix well

[@martincool9221]

Dude i played in the past was super simple. Its super stupid now links, xyz, etc. Is stupid now in one to two phase you can win. Past you had wait for the card to arrive to your hand. Now its just stupid special summon.

[@ChaosDarkLight]

Blue-Eyes?

[@NoblesseOblige137]

Play Edison instead!

[@connor7867]

Tenpai is a good one too very cheap

[@DemonFox369]

Beginners don’t understand so many effects

[@WCD_Media]

Most Yu-Gi-Oh meta decks play themselves. That's why my group and I call them Helmet Decks. Because they are basically Safety Helmets for Meta Sheep.

[@f5673-t1h]

Completely agree with this. The only meta deck I know that doesn't play like that is Branded, given how the limits and 60-card piles make every hand unique and every turn non-linear.

[@oneofthekindscarf8612]

​@@f5673-t1hThat's why I love branded. It's so strong without having to rely on the same board every time or bunch of negates. Also hard to run handtraps in it because you need as much room for gas as you can get for it

[@PapaShekels]

In your attempt to prove how unique and intelligent you are, it appears you have completely missed the point of the video, congratulations

[@frostysparrow7993]

9/10 people who say meta decks are easy/ call people who play them meta sheep would be loosing to rouge decks if they were to pilot them lol like sure they have planed out routes but you sure as hell still need to be smart. idk I feels extremely egotistical to imply this decks essentially are somehow yugioh on training wheels.

[@freddief8253]

Unlike T-set pass of course which does not play itself and requires immense forethought and problem solving skills

[@dustinvance243]

Only ones i agree with are chimera and the yugi deck. Rest are meta garbo and meta garbo needs to die.

[@dumon4264]

Get good

[@dustinvance243]

@@dumon4264 i can say the same to you. Learn to actually use your brain and figure out how to play without meta bs handing you everything.

[@kyonblack7901]

Since when are Fire Kings "meta garbo"? Even when Snake-Eye Fire King was played, it was Snake-Eye that was meta, not Fire Kings.

[@greenale6145]

Centur-ions are not meta

[@dustinvance243]

@@greenale6145 so everyone is freaking out over them abusing crimson dragon and calamity locking for nothing? Yes the deck is frickin meta.

[@goldbroadcast7186]

These are really lame / typical suggestions Paul

[@hidesitemg]

I love my shining sarc and Chimera decks. Shining sarc cards have skyrocketed in price since I picked em up and it’ll cost you a pretty penny. Some of the chimera cards as well (nightmare apprentice)