History of Duel Links - The DM Era

A deep look into the History of the releases of Duel Links, their impact on the game, and the overall meta over the course of the original DM Era.
Come catch me live on Twitch! / the_law_ttv
Thank you all for watching, this has been a labor of love over the past few months and I'm just so happy that it came together in the end.
Playlist of Music in Order Played: • History of Duel Links ...
Resources Used for Research:
dlmold.weebly.com/
www.duellinksmeta.com/
roadoftheking.com/
duellinks.gamea.co/
yugioh.fandom.com/wiki/Yu-Gi-...
yugipedia.com/wiki/Yugipedia
A special thanks to all of my friends who helped me with all the different stages of development, it truly means the world.
Video Chapters
Intro: 0:00
Game Launch: 1:06
The Ultimate Rising: 3:08
Age of Discovery: 5:45
Welcome to Toon World: 7:47
Neo-Impact: 9:26
Flame of the Tyrant: 12:11
Valkyrie's Rage: 14:39
The First KC Cup: 17:02
Wonders of the Sky: 19:59
Destiny Board of Doom: 21:52
Chaotic Compliance: 23:17
Land of the Titans: 25:11
The First Balance Update: 26:35
Guardians of the Gate: 27:14
World Championship Qualifier 2017: 28:19
Crimson Kingdom: 30:47
Dawn of Destiny: 32:51
July 2017 Balance Update: 34:50
Attack of the Rare Hunters: 37:23
Electric Overload: 38:11
Duel Links World Championship 2017: 39:55
Set Sail for the Kingdom: 42:14
Echoes of Silence: 44:21

[@TheLawYGO]

Thank you guys for such a big response to this, I’m glad that so many enjoyed it. I am currently working on the next part covering the GX era, which is progressing smoothly. I can’t wait to share it with you all once it’s completed.

[@Diego-vt3kv]

This is a multiple part documentary that it's quite enjoyable. Great work. What a way to start off this channel.

[@BanishforCost]

Now pls 🥺

[@kkurrocas6494]

A small request if you want to, Could you show us a deck profile of some of the decks that were around during those times during the video.

[@grangerous7]

Yo bro this is such a good series. I can't believe I watched the full length without being bored once. Looking forward to part 2! Been a DL player since it's release in singapore👌

[@JordanX27]

Oh god, Sylvans, Sea Stealth, Masked Heroes, Spellbooks, Bamboo FTK/OTK, Amazoness and Cyber Angels. So many incredibly oppressive and powerful decks to cover. Those were just the ones of the top of my head

[@Seperaklance]

So what I'm getting from this is that Jerry beans man was meta at some point. That's amazing.

[@SuperiorGothBun]

Yep, banner of courage along with metal morph was considered a decent combo

[@bijuutamer729]

That was honestly probably my favorite thing about Duel Links. It made an obscure card into a legend in the meme community.

[@bodkimalone]

@@SuperiorGothBun I remember thinking that was amazing,no lie I thought it was peak combo

[@tobito3100]

Yeah man. With things like attack of the cornered rat, sword of the soul eater, etc.

[@tolis19]

Personally i still remember when everytime you attacked you would get stopped by sphere kuriboh

[@unitofmeasurementlover]

This is so well made.

[@Emet.V]

Indeed

[@janaasplund7340]

I totally agree! Can't wait for the next episode!

[@LightFykki]

A very well made and nostalgic video. To me, Duel Links was the most interesting and fun in these early days, for up to I would say first two years. I do not play it anymore for a few reasons, but this video reminded me what made the game appealing in the first place, and that was having a dream of a real and well flashed-out online Yu Gi Oh game.

[@kryzethx]

But... there's been plenty of those :o Though they've mostly been relegated to consoles and handhelds, Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution is available on PC with online play, and contains almost the entirety of Yugioh up to about mid 2020

[@LightFykki]

@@kryzethx Not quite. Intention of the Legacy of the Duelist was good, but to me it always seemed like it was poor quality. What I meant was more of an MMO style of a game. Duel Link in the end did not end being that, restricting really any kind of interaction between the players, but it felt like it is for a time being. And opening packs and gradually progressing is what also contributed to that in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I also think that Duel Links is not up to today's standard. Constant game issues to the point of loosing duels due to the game breaking, and some other features like not having a good card organisation interface is just some of them.

[@kryzethx]

@@LightFykki I'm not sure what you mean by "restricting any kind of interaction between the players". Do you mean... like emoticons and chat or something like that? I'm not sure how Yugioh would work in an MMO setting, they're just completely incompatible genres of gaming. There's no PVE or Tag dueling or events in Legacy of the Duelist, compared to Duel Links, but in terms of actual gameplay... it's probably the best "official" Yugioh simulator?

[@bijuutamer729]

I feel that. DL imo still evolved into a very interesting meta, but the idea that our strongest monsters were like 1650 and that we were running some of the jankiest types of spells and traps like that trap card that’s a worse econ or golden apple was amazing for encouraging players to make optimal builds with the least optimal cards. I remember one of my favorite decks was a pyro one where you float into a monster that treats itself as a two tribute monster.

[@bocodamondo]

yo! this is great! i only started playing the game when the 5d's world and synchros were added, so its nice to see a history of the meta the game had before then

[@lvl5charmander]

it was horrible

[@dominicjefferson3229]

@@lvl5charmander Nah it was fun asf lmao Synchros and XYZ bs is what killed YuGiOh

[@ControlShifty]

I started playing on 5D's as well. Although Synchro's were so weak on release. Only good deck was X-Sabers. But man, seeing these old decks STILL seeing play at that time like weevil burn and stall gave me some bad memories. Im glad at the state the game is now with Xys being good but not broken like apparently it was in the TCG

[@shreknskrubgaming7248]

I started playing right around the time where furries (Fur Hire) was THE deck to beat. I had a deck that I built without spending any money whatsoever and got to KoG with it super easily. Then they nerfed them and I didn't feel like grinding to get a new deck that would also end up getting nerfed, so I quit playing. I liked the game, but I poured so many gems into getting that deck and I wasn't about to go through all of that work again and again.

[@adaurysantos]

@@dominicjefferson3229 No it's not.

[@ryanvw5]

This guy probably made INSANE slideshow presentations

[@ChaoticMeatballTV]

I've never played Duel Links much more than a few hours, but this is a great history video that plays into that Roobindale style, which kept me interested the entire time, despite my lack of knowledge. Can't wait to hear about the GX and 5D's portions specifically!

[@JordanX27]

Some of GX decks included Sylvans, Spellbooks, Bamboo FTK/OTK, and Amazoness to name a few, so definitely a lot of variety.

[@edwardromero2703]

Crazy to think this game came out when I just started college

[@mayayamato7351]

saw this on the subreddit just a couple hours ago, excited to see the series pick up with GX. I didn't start playing until Yuma/zexal was put in so i know i missed quite a lot..

[@bijuutamer729]

Oh man you missed out. Players back than had a way different mindset than now. The game is still interesting tho. So welcome.

[@schauss9897]

I played the game for the first couple of months in the game's infancy and quit since, only to hop on again a month ago. The game CHANGED considerably, though I do miss the aspect of the community back then where no one knew what decks to run, so each online game felt distinct as a result, whereas now it's quite stale with people running popular decks, so the gameplay becomes repetitive as a result. However, at the same times, the newer additions of the game allowed the game to stay fresh as it increased the different ways you can play, so its a mixed bag.

[@TheSliferSlacker]

This is pretty cool. As somebody who's far more familiar and comfortable with TCG Yugioh, I really ever only played DL as casually as possible during busrides home from college. I've always been entirely clueless as to how this game's competitive scene worked because of that, so it's nice to have a clear and concise video like this covering how that game progressed.

[@rubenrodriguez3252]

This brings me back to 2016 when I first got into duel links. Without this game I would've never gotten into Yu-Gi-Oh so this really makes me nostalgic

[@apostleianlovelette]

I got into Duel Links as soon as it came out, and mostly for the nostalgia. Now it feels like a totally different game and has been overshadowed by Master Duel.

[@Bicorn711]

Always nice to see the next generation play the game

[@noahmoon9623]

I didn’t realize I had been playing this game for so long… wow it’s crazy to think it’s been 4 years lmao

[@r4nd0mguy99]

Same. I've started around the Daedalus-box and that was my first good deck, but I haven't even heard of some of the apparently good competetive decks.

[@lvl5charmander]

i keep leaving and coming back lol

[@seirbells9546]

Same bro, there was only four boxes when i started

[@NuriTheSecond]

@@lvl5charmander same lol

[@angelgomez9549]

Mind Scan used to activate on the first turn actually

[@eleonarcrimson858]

this video is actually so pog wtf...i am linking this video everywhere.

[@AngeloGene]

Same! YuGiOh Duel Links Amino has to know about this video.

[@daviddaniell87]

I’m obsessed now

[@roobindale]

Hey that's pretty good. Nice job man

[@TheLawYGO]

Thank you, your video over the first year of the TCG was a huge inspiration for this

[@JadenYukifan28]

@@TheLawYGO I have the game on my Tablet and I love it, also, is it me or does most of the music in the game remind anyone of the Dragon Ball Z games?

[@jessesteijn9908]

PLEASE, I BEG YOU, make a sequel. This series is so good, and nostalgic to watch, especially for someone like me who joined really early (about a month after its release)

[@IrrelevantOaf]

I remember back then when every degenerate ran Wonder Balloons and it was the most op shit.

[@bornstar481]

Don’t come at me like that

[@dDeckon]

I started Duel Links During the Pegasus Event, Good Times! 8:08 (Actually)~The First ver. of "Mind Scan" Allowed let you See sets right from the Start of the Duel! Meaning, Walling up against a Pegasus Player Turn 1, only gave them knowledge on what your Playing. The Skill was Changed to add "At the Start of the 3rd Turn Onward" to Remove that First turn Knowledge, making Turn 2 Pegasus Players Question attacking now at the Risk of Backrow or a 4Star/Yomi Ship Destroying their monster; or Waiting until their skill came online and plan from there

[@dDeckon]

39:04 For Anyone Wondering about how Ice Barrier was a Viable Deck: ~The Skill "Balance" used to Function based on How your Deck was set up, instead of its Current Restriction of {6 monster, 6 Spells, 6 Traps min}. So, Ice Barrier Decks Ran 17 Monsters and 3 Magic Triangle to Almost Always Have 3 IBs and 1 Triangle in your Opening Hand; making it always live, Popping BR, and Swarming with Big Monsters for Game... & yea, it worked

[@Crenga]

i encountered this deck a few times and never understood how duelists were pulling it off, thank you!

[@Jojo-vh2wc]

trip down memory lane, keep it up law

[@DuellinksAce]

hey, this is GREAT documentary quality mate, such a nostalgic history, i'd love to watch more of this series. LOVE IT

[@adriannaranjo4397]

I'll still never forget getting to Legend & almost KOG (back when you had to have *no* losses to rank up) with my own custom dragon deck It was such a different time to what we have now

[@OutOfCharacters]

Very well done! I wrote the duel links meta article on handless balance beatdown. The 2017 WCQ tournament was definitely one of the most exciting times to play the game. It was super enjoyable to play in KoG against other people and climb up and down for the top spots, adjusting your deck to prepare for meta shifts. The wide range of matchups during the period made the format exciting and crazy, with numerous options. Red Eyes Zombie kicked off an era that the game never returned from, I don't think any other formats saw the same variety that the 2017 WCQ really had.

[@dudesk099]

Surprised to not see Wonder Balloons mentioned in the first set section, that card was absolutely everywhere

[@noahyoung6524]

that card and the princess pumpkin one was cancer.

[@15jalatua95]

Yes, wonder balloons was more meta than sphere kuriboh

[@emilburatovic409]

I love that you added the Yugioh: Capsule Monster Coliseum soundtracks, brings back the memories :D

[@lukemacinnes5124]

It's funny how something initialy designed to be simpler and easier to get into may at this point be even more volatile than the main game

[@joshi1295]

Also in the early meta, there was a “karate man” kinda troll deck that could win turn one

[@shamirstan9706]

Amazing video. Missed out on much of this era so it was nice to see it all in one place. Can’t wait for the next one!

[@talalalnajm3826]

A great video and hopefully a start of a series, can't wait for the next one

[@HexManiac-nf1yg]

You know what, it'd be kinda cool if they had a casual pvp duel mode that went through rotations of what boxes could be used. Like hey this month you can only use cards from the first 4 boxes in this mode

[@warlocksarchives8669]

They actually did that recently, there was a new mode that was called legacy of the duelist. It basically a mode where u used the DM characters and only use cards from the first few boxes. It was pretty fun and simple to understand the meta for that mode. Unfortunately they removed it but it was still in the beta stages so maybe Konami is testing it to see if people are interested in older formats which I would enjoy

[@vegatic5788]

Now I need The GX Era, really good video. Bring me back some memories

[@IYIono]

This video gives me a Summoning Salt vibes. Can’t wait for part 2

[@AngeloGene]

Man of culture.

[@gamalieltorres7842]

niche circumstance on the ECON take for game is an understatement XD

[@artist-gj]

This was such a well put together video, hope to see you cover more of Duel Links history, I haven't seen anyone else do anything like this

[@CharmCityGamer]

This is so well done. Been playing the game since it came out on the PC and it's a huge part of my channel. Thanks dude!

[@fallintheabyss4758]

You did a great job! I hope you gain more popularity as you go along, I’m definitely looking forward to the next era

[@luisangel8147]

Great video man I hope you continue with this documentation of the meta.

[@Iyoh101]

I'm ten minutes in and I'm already waiting for the next installment. Well done.

[@josephwodarczyk977]

I'm so glad you've kept going with this series, and I'm gonna have it playing all day in the background at work.

[@urke5895]

Bro, this was such a good video. You talk so fluently and passionately about DLM, the editing is clean and simple plus the amount of information you dissplay is incredible, considering that it has been 4 years since the game launched. Amazing video and i really hope you make another one and many more, as when GX released thats about the time is started playing DL, so im hyped to relive the past!!!

[@BizarreSummer]

This time for duel links was so magical, you had to be there for it. So many unique decks and ideas that would make you quadruple think your moves were so prevalent for a while until the meta solidified. I loved every second of it and wish we could visit that again

[@PaRaNiki_]

Awesome Video, I'm really glad KZbin put you into my Recommendations. This is really well made and I hope this turns out to be a successful series. Definitely gonna recommend you.

[@Hexie094]

I was here for all this and this was a nice walk down memory lane, and info for competitive stuff I never interacted with at the time. Great vid, have my like and comment.

[@mars99]

I was hesitant to watch, but this is a really well done documented video, with timestamps, also the visual design is appealing enough, and the audio is satisfactory, so good job!

[@akshayyadav3963]

very well made, video didn't knew I missed some events, will be waiting for future installments including gx, 5ds, zexal keep it up

[@darkness9704]

As someone who is relatively new to Duel Links, this video was awesome. Thanks, can't wait to see more related content!

[@oronteslopez2071]

Honestly, this is soo interested and well done, congratulations, an amazing thing to watch

[@Redoer]

this was something I didnt think i needed but very impressed with how you laid everything out in the vid. subbed

[@doqa5505]

Damn man, what a nice content! Keep up your good work! Looking forward for the next series!

[@bebos3001]

Great video my guy. This was a wave of nostalgia. It's crazy how much the game has changed over the years.

[@Neo-wc4zg]

the editing the pacing the whole video is a chefs kiss, well done would love to see more!

[@NtStratos]

Awesome video! This brings some good memories since I’ve been playing since launch.

[@zetaflaremax1708]

This video is LIT! Thanks for the explanation and the meta overlook of what brought us here.

[@alexbeck6960]

This is really well done man, keep it up.

[@darken0id306]

Just checked out your channel and was surprised that this is your first video. Great Job! Im looking forward to more content of this quality from you :)

[@maximilianomorganti7639]

I got this in my recommended. You do one more of these and i'll sub the second i see the thumbnail. 10/10 work m8. I started at playing somewhere around Sartorius (DIO?) event, so it's nice to see how things changed and so. Good job brother, cheers from Argentina!

[@vongolajames]

Amazing vid! I played at the time but never played again myself since. The vid is extremely well made and I really enjoy this content, thanks a bunch! Stoked for your future work 😊😊😊

[@colestevens2224]

Was just wondering about early duel links. Super cool and well made. Really enjoyed this thanks!

[@Dawkinsdude20]

This was so well done. Work like this deserves many more subs

[@pyroflan1029]

that was awsome, hope your planing a part 2 and so on :D

[@EduardoWeidmanBarijan]

Awesome video! I like to know about the history of games and I appreciate the ammount of research and editing you put into this. Looking forward to next installments for sure! I was expecting an ending credits sequence haha. The format does remind me of regular tv documentaries.

[@noneforhere229]

OMG, finally a History of Duel Links PERFECTLY MADE. Like, the memories come back with this and it's so amazing. Thanks! Here waiting for the GX era video!

[@Lolo.mp3]

This video is very well made, great job man! It brings back the memories I had of playing it nonstop in 2017, good times. It was also pretty informative about the different transitions in the meta at the time. I think I’m gonna get back into Duel Links again when I have more time, I still haven’t reached King of Games yet

[@sagacious03]

Excellent analysis! Thanks for uploading!

[@jourcontre-jour1286]

Love the video, eagerly awaiting for the next part!

[@brainiac-cd2vh]

the use of duelist of the roses music makes me nostalgic as hell. cant wait to see the series continue!

[@michaeldeeping2452]

Awesome video, cannot wait for part 2

[@NoName-cz3wn]

This is my first time subbing to a CC who only has one video. You earned it. Can't wait for the rest!

[@christianbaker3564]

Liked and subscribed my man damn good vid. If there's a sequel I will be watching

[@MrBreast_69]

amazing video, keep up the good work man!

[@Spooggy1999]

Great video! Really hope you try and make this a series.

[@metheguy1232]

"power creeped jerry beans man" is not a phrase id thought id hear ever

[@oussamalasfer4860]

nice vid !! very exited for future similar videos

[@ucuucu3111]

bro I want more of this, this is gold. you earn yourself a new subscriber.

[@mrxyz]

4:01 op must be nerf

[@diim8763]

This was a super cool video looking forward to the other era analysis vids

[@TheWarhammerplayer]

Dude this video goes so HARD! Good job!

[@Rahhelthethird]

Great vid! Looking forward to more!

[@MrRiceboi10]

I NEED the GX era vid already! Such a good vid for someone like me who played on launch but left not too long after. Back to playing now, and learning the history of the game I love to play is fantastic.

[@TheManiacc45]

Thanks for bringing me back down memory lane 😌. I don’t play duel links anymore but I started it weeks after it came out and it was SO addicting

[@residentgrey]

This was a rather curious retrospective. I came across this hoping that I would learn of some of the cards I have not looked into much, along with forgotten strategies and key cards I can work into my decks and was not disappointed. DL is the only way I can play so getting better in any way I am all for! Please do keep these up because the changes in the meta are fascinating. I have a lot of cards from middle part of the box list and some of the earlier and later, and now Rush Duel, to still try with and many more to gem-hunt for, so any more is definitely appreciated.

[@D_Winds]

Fantastic video! I look forward to seeing more like them.

[@ld7207]

Great video bro I started duel links about 6 months ago and been hella curious what it was like back in the day

[@mazsquared6676]

This is so cool! Please keep doing these.

[@cesar1592v2]

What a cool video, I remember I started playing on the first Bakura event for a few months, then I stoped playing for 2 years so I was not aware of a lot of this!

[@stefbtw355]

I haven't played even 1 second of DL, but I still ended up watching the entire 46 minutes of the video. Well made, and very interesting.

[@OfficialSmech]

Great video dude, can see this would take a very long time to make 👍

[@3rdAgeSoap]

Amazing. I really hope you'll cover the other worlds, this was so nice to watch. I love videos like this.

[@acicon]

Incredible work. Would love to see more from this series.

[@FemboyLamb]

41:50 Lets go Timmy! It’s always cool to hear New Zealand in something but now knowing Timmy won the first ever Duel Links World Champion from New Zealand makes me even more proud

[@joeshearman2341]

This made me so nostalgic for early duel links! Love it! Still playing years later but the DM era was the best!

[@Arcticfox030]

This was a great video looking forward to more

[@AdskyLR]

This is a very nostalgic video to me, i remember comparing duel links to duel generation by a lot when i first discovered this game lol. Really great video

[@JuLiAnRoDz352]

You killed this. Watched it from start to finish. You have too keep going!

[@Trappin.the.bush.]

Amazing video ! Subscribed for the next video of GX ✌

[@dennimms5572]

this video is amazing, love the editing as well

[@gstellar96]

Fantastic video, can definitely feel this is gonna blow up

[@lordzevallos]

Great video G. Pulling off a 45 minute video with good pacing is not easy at all but you did it. Can’t wait for the next one!

[@RomeDrori]

As an ocg/tcg player this is super interesting, and has so many parallels to the tcg/ocg's progression