The Dark Magicianis one ofYu-Gi-Oh!’s most popular monster cards, with its only competition being cards likeBlue Eyes White DragonandDark Magician Girl. The Dark Magician was made popular by being the ace boss monster of the originalYu-Gi-Oh!anime series protagonist Yami Yugi. Because of this,The Dark Magicianhas seen lots of popularity inYu-Gi-Oh!’s official trading card game andYu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel.
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As a result, Konami has providedDark Magicianfans with multiple waves of support over the years, some of it being more competitively viable than others. Unfortunately,Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Dueluses a different ban list from the TCG (trading card game) and is a bit behind on some of the support that has been released for the archetype in recent years. SoMaster Duelplayers have to work with what they’ve got.
9Magicians' Combination
Magicians' Combinationis a continuous trap card that allows the user to negate the activation of a card effect once per turn by trading aDark MagicianorDark Magician Girlon the field for aDark MagicianorDark MagicianGirlin the hand or graveyard.
It’s an effect that can be a bit tricky to set up and use but once the loop gets going it can be pretty oppressive to the opponent. This card also combos well with thearchetype’s continuous spell card,Dark Magic Circle.
8Magician Navigation
Magician Navigationis a normal trap card that allows the user to special summonDark Magicianfrom their hand, then they can special summon a dark spell caster monster from their deck that is level 7 or lower.
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Magician Navigationalso has a secondary effect that lets it negate a spell or trap card on the opponent’s side of the field by banishing the card from the graveyard while fans controlDark Magician. This card gives the user quick access to the other spell casters in the deck and combos well with cards likeThe Dark Magicians.
7The Dark Magicians
The Dark Magiciansis a fusion monster that listsDark MagicianorDark Magician Girlplus one spell caster as its fusion material. The card has an effect that allows its user to draw one card once per turn if a spell or trap card was activated whileThe Dark Magicianswas face-up on the field.
If the card the player drew from this effect was a spell or trap card, the user can set that spell or trap card to the field and activate it during that turn. This basically gives all the deck’s trap cards the potential to become quick-effect spell cards. This card also floats intoDark MagicianandDark Magician Girlwhen it’s destroyed.
6Eternal Soul
Eternal Soulis another continuous trap card, and it has a really powerful effect. WhileEternal Soulis face-up on the field,Dark Magicianis unaffected by all the opponent’s card effects. This meansDark Magiciancan only be removed from the field by battle or tribute.
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Eternal Soulalso has two other effects that allow the user to special summonDark Magicianfrom the hand or graveyard, or the user can add oneThousand KnivesorDark Magic Attackfrom their deck to their hand. The one downside to this powerful card is ifEternal Soulis removed from the field, all monsters the user controls are destroyed.
5Dark Magician The Dragon Knight
Dark Magicianthe Dragon Knightis a fusion monster that listsDark Magicianand a dragon-type monster as its fusion material. This card identifies asDark Magicianwhile face-up on the field and in the graveyard. This card also protects the user’s spell and trap cards from being targeted and destroyed by card effects.
It is pretty muchthe strongestDark Magicianboss monsteravailable inYu-Gi-Oh! Master Duelthanks to the protection it gains fromEternal Soul. The only thing holding this card back is how difficult it is to summon.
4Dark Magical Circle
Dark Magical Circleis a continuous spell card that has two effects. WhenDark Magical Circleis activated, the user can look at the top three cards of their deck, then if there is aDark Magicianspell/trap orDark Magicianhimself, the user can reveal that card and add it to their hand. Then, they can place the remaining cards back ontop of the deck in any order.
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The second effect ofDark Magical Circletriggers whenDark Magicianis summoned to the user’s field, the user can then target and banish one card their opponent controls.
3Magician’s Rod
Magician’s Rodis a level three dark spell caster effect monster that has the effect to add aDark Magicianspell/trap from the deck to the hand when it is normally summoned.Magician’s Rodalso has an effect in the graveyard that allows its user to tribute one spell caster on their side of the field in order to addMagician’s Rodfrom the graveyard to the hand.
This card is effectively the deck’s main searcher. When paired with the link oneArtemis, theMagistus Moon Maiden,Rodcan recycle itself for follow-up plays.
2Soul Servant
Soul Servantis a quick-play spell card that allows its user to place oneDark Magicianspell, trap, or monster on the top of the deck.Soul Servant’s second effect can be activated while it is in the graveyard and the user hasDark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, or anyPalladiummonster on the field or in the graveyard.
The user can banishSoul Servantfrom the graveyard to draw cards equal to the number ofDark Magician,Dark Magician Girl, or anyPalladiummonsters in the graveyard with different names. This card functions as both the deck’s draw engine and searcher, making it crazy-powerful.
1Magicians' Souls
Magicians' Soulsis a level-one dark spell caster monster and it’s hands down the best card inThe Dark Magicianarchetype.Magicians' Soulssends on level 6 or higher dark spell caster monster from the deck to the graveyard, then it can either special summon itself, or aDark MagicianorDark Magician Girlfrom the graveyard.
But that’s not the card’s best effect, that would be its ability to send up to two spell/trap cards from the user’s hand or field to the graveyard in order to draw cards equal to the number of cards sent to the graveyard.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duelis currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and Mobile.
