Kuriboh is a classic Yu-Gi-Oh! monster that many players will recognize from the earliest days of the TCG and anime, and players can now summon these fuzzy fiends in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, the new online dueling simulator Konami released earlier this year. As one of the many cards Yugi Moto played in the original anime series, Kuriboh has become a beloved monster as well as a mascot for the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. Newer and better versions of this unassuming monster have been introduced throughout the game’s 23-year history, and there’s now a good variety of Kuriboh cards in the game that players can choose from when building their Master Duel deck.
Kuriboh cards aren’t seen often in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel’s competitive play and certainly aren’t listed among the best cards for winning duels in the current meta, but players can add these cute companions to their deck to benefit from their defensive effects. Players can even build an entire deck around the Kuriboh archetype to have some fun with their interesting gimmick effects. Most Kuriboh cards are inexpensive to craft, making this a cheap deck archetype for players looking to build a deck on a budget. While some Kuriboh cards work best when used in specific deck types, like Dark Magician’s Magikuriboh or the Ritual-Summoning Sphere Kuriboh, there are plenty of Kuribohs that players can incorporate into any deck in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel.
Hand traps are also extremely popular in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel’s current Ranked and casual games, and as the original hand trap, Kuriboh and many of its pesky pals have a chance to join the fun with their useful quick-play effects. Kuribohs also rarely get stuck on the Yu-Gi-Oh! Banlist, which means players will have no trouble running them in Ranked Mode. Kuriboh cards are great for preventing and negating battle damage, and they often have multiple effects that make them useful once they’re in the Graveyard as well. However, some Kuribohs’ effects are more useful on the field than off, and there are even offensive Kuriboh cards that can be powered up to dish out surprising amounts of damage. Of all the Kuribohs available in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, these stand out from the others of their archetype as some of the best Kuriboh cards duelists can add to their deck.
Linkuriboh Is Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel’s Only Extra Deck Kuriboh
Linkuriboh is a Link Monster, making it the only Extra Deck Kuriboh card in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. This special little Kuriboh is one of the few Kuriboh cards that players may actually see in the competitive meta, and it can be summoned with only one Level 1 monster, which makes it great to play in decks that support tokens or Level 1 monsters with useful Graveyard effects. When an opponent’s monster declares an attack, players can tribute Linkuriboh to change that monster’s attack to 0 until the end of the turn, protecting themselves from taking damage or losing one of their monsters. If Linkuriboh is in the Graveyard, players can tribute a Level 1 monster to Special Summon it, which allows players to use its effects over and over to avoid battle damage.
Junkuriboh Takes Another Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Monster Down With It
Like other Kuriboh cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, Junkuriboh can be played as a hand trap to negate the activation of a card or effect that would inflict damage to the player. Junkuriboh also allows players to activate its effect while it’s on the field, though it’s much safer in the player’s hand since Junkuriboh’s weak attack and defense make it easy to destroy in battle. However, unlike other Kuriboh cards that only prevent a monster from dealing damage for one turn, Junkuriboh also destroys the monster after negating its activation, removing it from the field so it can’t attack again unless the opponent can revive it from their Graveyard.
Relinkuriboh’s Tribute Effect Is Powerful In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Relinkuriboh isn’t a hand trap like most of its fellow fuzzballs in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. However, its effect allows players to draw 1 card when it’s tributed. Card draw is one of the best effects any Yu-Gi-Oh! card can offer, allowing players to get the cards they need in their hand.
However, plenty of Master Duel's deck staples offer similar effects. Relinkuriboh not only rewards players for tributing it to summon a more powerful monster, but its Graveyard effect also allows players to banish it to prevent one of their monsters from being destroyed in battle. This makes the benefits of tributing it even better.
Performapal Kuribohble Is More Than A Wall In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
While all Kuriboh cards can be frustrating for opponents to face in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, Performapal Kuribohble is perhaps one of the most vexing. When an opponent’s monster declares an attack, Performapal Kuribohble can be Special Summoned from the hand and forces the attacking monster to target it instead. If the player would take any damage from that battle, they gain Life Points equal to the damage they would have taken instead. Not only is Performapal Kuribohble the only Kuriboh card that can increase the player’s Life Points, but its card effect allows players to transform potentially devastating attacks into a major advantage depending on how powerful the opponent’s attacking Yu-Gi-Oh! monsters are.
Rainbow Kuriboh Locks Down A Monster In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
While most Kuriboh cards excel at preventing Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel players from taking damage for one turn or battle, Rainbow Kuriboh’s effect offers a more permanent kind of protection. When an opponent’s monster declares an attack, duelists can equip Rainbow Kuriboh to that attacking monster from their hand. As long as Rainbow Kuriboh remains equipped, that monster will not be able to attack, and this effect can permanently lock down some of the opponent’s strongest monsters. Once Rainbow Kuriboh is in the Graveyard, players can activate its second effect, which allows them to Special Summon it when an opponent’s monster declares a direct attack, blocking the damage before it hits the player’s precious Life Points. However, Rainbow Kuriboh will be banished once it leaves the field after activating this effect.
Winged Kuriboh LV9 Packs A Punch In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Unlike most other Kuriboh cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel decks, Winged Kuriboh LV9 comes out swinging with the potential to deal some major damage thanks to its unique card effect. Players can only activate this effect as a Chain Link 3 or higher, so it can only be played after at least two other card effects have been activated in a chain. However, once it’s on the field, Winged Kuriboh LV9’s attack and defense become equal to the number of Spell Cards in the opponent’s Graveyard x500.
This effect only becomes more powerful as the duel goes on and the opponent uses more Spells, and this puny puffball can even tackle a Blue-Eyes White Dragon if the opponent has 6 or more Spells in their Graveyard. Players are limited to only controlling one Winged Kuriboh LV9 at a time, but its potential attack power can make it one of the heaviest hitters on the field in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel.