There are over 10,000 cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, and with the variety of meta strategies and deck archetypes in the game, it can be difficult to decide which cards to craft first. Master Duel’s card crafting system allows players to craft any card they need for their deck using Craft Points of the same rarity as the card they want. By dismantling three cards of the same rarity, players can earn enough Craft Points to craft one new card, which makes Craft Points one of the game’s most valuable resources. Crafting staple cards early on will allow players to build a variety of decks that can compete in the game’s current meta and counter common strategies.
Staple cards work well in any deck and have essential effects that players can rely on in any duel, like allowing the player to draw cards or destroy an opponent’s Monster. Most deck staples require Ultra Rare Craft Points in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, so players should prioritize crafting them since UR Craft Points are the hardest to get. However, there are some great staple cards available that are only Normal or Rare rarity, making them much cheaper to craft for budget players than some of the expensive Ultra Rare cards.
Fortunately, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel also offers some of its best staples without requiring players to craft them, and players should be sure to pick these cards up as early on in the game as possible. Cards like Raigeki and Monster Reborn can be obtained by completing the introductory Duel Strategy Solo Mission. Additionally, one of the best cards in the current meta, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, is available in the Shop as part of a Bundle, and its ability to interrupt the opponent’s combo makes it worth picking up. Players who chose the Synchro of Unity Structure Deck after clearing Master Duel’s tutorial also get three copies of Mystical Space Typhoon, which is a classic staple Spell Card that destroys one of the opponent’s Spells or Traps. However, since most other staple cards have to be crafted or pulled from packs, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel players should be sure to craft these staple cards first.
Why Maxx “C” Is The Best Staple Card In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Maxx “C” is by far one of the best cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, and despite the fact that it’s limited in the TCG, players can add up to three copies of it to any deck. Maxx C is a hand trap that allows players to discard it and draw a card every time their opponent Special Summons a Monster for the rest of the turn, which can add a ton of cards to the hand very quickly. There are a ton of Yu-Gi-Oh! deck archetypes that revolve around performing multiple Special Summons per turn, so players are often able to draw a hand full of cards the turn they play Maxx "C." Maxx “C” is Ultra Rare, but Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel players should craft it as soon as early in the game as possible
Craft Called By The Grave First In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Hand traps like Maxx "C" are one of the most commonly used types of cards in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel meta game, and Called by the Grave is an essential hand trap counter to include in any deck. This Quick Play Spell Card can banish a Monster in the opponent’s graveyard and negate its effects until the end of the turn, which stops cards like Maxx “C” and Ash Blossom in their tracks. Called by the Grave is an Ultra Rare card limited to two copies in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, and players can craft them early on to counter their opponent’s strategies as they climb the competitive Ranks to Platinum.
Harpie’s Feather Duster Is Still A Staple In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Harpie’s Feather Duster has been around since the earliest days of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, and fans of the classic Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series may even recognize it from Mai Valentine's deck. This board wipe spell allows the player to destroy all Spell and Trap Cards the opponent controls without having to tribute or discard anything, making it an essential card to add to any deck. Harpie’s Feather Duster is limited to one per deck in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel and requires UR Craft Points to craft it, but it’s absolutely worth crafting in the beginning stages of the game.
Craft Torrential Tribute First In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Torrential Tribute is another classic Yu-Gi-Oh! staple card that returning players are likely familiar with, and this board wipe Trap Card can destroy all Monsters on the field when a Monster is Normal or Special Summoned, including Special Summons like XYZ or Synchro Summons. Unlike most of the other essential staple cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, Torrential Tribute is only a Rare, making it much easier to craft than the more expensive Ultra Rare cards. Torrential Tribute is incredibly useful and can reset the battlefield when the opponent’s Monsters are threatening to overwhelm the player.
Infinite Impermanence Is A Staple In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
One of the more versatile staple Trap Cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is Infinite Impermanence, which can be played from the hand if players don’t have any Monsters on the field. Infinite Impermanence negates the effect of an opponent’s Monster until the end of the turn, which can put a stop to deadly combos and counters. However, if players do set it on the field before playing it, they can also negate the effect of one of Yu-Gi-Oh!'s Spell or Trap Cards in the same column. This flexible effect makes Infinite Impermanence beneficial in a ton of different situations, and players can use it to their advantage to get out of a variety of difficult positions or interrupt their opponent’s deadly combos. It costs UR Craft Points to craft this powerful Trap Card, but it’s worth crafting early in the game.
Ghost Belle Is A Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Must-Play
Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion has a similar effect to Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, except it allows players to easily interrupt their opponent’s combos that play from the graveyard rather than the deck. This makes it crucial for countering many decks and strategies that are played throughout the competitive ranks. Unfortunately, Ghost Belle is not available in any of Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel's Secret Packs, so players should prioritize crafting it early since it's unlikely they'll pull it from a Master Pack. By discarding this hand trap, players can negate a card effect that adds a card from the graveyard to the deck, hand, or Extra Deck, Special Summons a Monster from the graveyard, or banishes a card from the graveyard. Ghost Belle is able to throw a wrench into many opponent’s most powerful combos, which makes it one of the best cards to craft first in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox X|S Series, and Nintendo Switch.