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What are the best meta decks in YuGiOh Master Duel?

Looking to upgrade your deck to one able to climb the ranked ladder? We've got you covered.

Inevitably, after spending a time with a great intro deck in YuGiOh Master Duel, you’ll get bored of being stomped on by other players in ranked with a bit more know-how than you. At this point, you’re going to want to start working towards building some of the best YuGiOh Master Duel meta decks if you want to start piling up those wins.

That's why we've listed out three fantastic meta decks we’ve seen highlighted in the YuGiOh community. that you can build and play right now. All three are distinct in playstyles but are all able to carry you up the ranked ladder if played correctly. We've listed what cards each deck uses, as well as what each deck does so you can get right into duels with a solid game plan.

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If you’re like many of us at VG247, you may be a tad overwhelmed at the sheer number of new cards and decks with their own unique play styles. Even for someone experience with card games, it can be daunting to create a powerful deck.

While the game is still fresh, a hard meta is yet to form, but some experienced and ingenious players have used their prior knowledge of previous formats and the physical card game to bring some powerful strategies to Master Duel right from the beginning.

If you’re right at the beginning of your journey though, check out our page on the best starter deck in YuGiOh Master Duel.

What are the best meta decks in YuGiOh Master Duel?

Virtual World + True King of All Calamities - High cost ramp meta deck

True King of All Calamities card with the text "Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card and declare 1 Attribute; this turn, all face-up monsters on the field become that Attribute, also all monsters in your opponent's possession with that Attribute cannot activate their effects or attack. Monsters that 'True Draco' and 'True King' monsters in your hand would destroy with their effects can be chosen from your opponent's field."

Monsters

  • 3x Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring
  • 2x Nibiru, the Primal Being
  • 2x PSY-Frame Driver
  • 2x PSY-Framegear Gamma
  • 3x Virtual World Hime - Nyannyan
  • 3x Virtual World Kirin - Lili
  • 3x Virtual World Mai-Hime - Lulu
  • 3x Virtual World Roshi - Laolao
  • 3x Virtual World Xiezhi - Jiji

Spells

  • 1x Emergency Teleport
  • 3x Foolish Burial Goods x
  • 3x Pot of Desires
  • 3x Virtual World City - Kauwloon
  • 3x Virtual World Gate - Qinglong

Traps

  • 3x Virtual World Gate - Chuche

Extra Deck

  • 1x Chaofeng, Phantom of the Yang Zing
  • 2x Cloudcastle
  • 1x Constellar Ptolemy M7
  • 1x Coral Dragon
  • 1x Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder
  • 1x Number 49: Fortune Tune
  • 1x Number 75: Bamboozling Gossip Shadow
  • 1x Ravenous Crocodragon Archethys
  • 1x Stardust Charge Warrior
  • 1x True King of All Calamities
  • 1x Vermillion Dragon Mech
  • 1x Virtual World Beast - Jiujiu
  • 1x Virtual World Kyubi - Shenshen

This deck focuses on getting a single, incredibly powerful card, called True King of All Calamities out on the board and causing trouble. This XYZ card is absolutely wild, due to its ability to shut down anything your opponent is able to do with ease.

To help you achieve this, Virtual World cards make up the vast majority of the deck. Put simply, this card type allows you to easily special summon nine star cards through cycling through and reviving virtual world cards.

Here’s how it works - the early game consists of you playing three star Virtual World monsters that get the ball rolling. Once you have a Virtual World card on the board, other virtual world cards in your hand can be special summoned through sending other Virtual World cards to the graveyard (which can later be summoned to the field). This makes it easy to fill the board, and summon nine star monsters.

At the cost of two nine star monsters you’ve rather easily summoned, you can then play True King of All Calamities. This card has an incredibly strong ability which allows you to declare an attribute (fire, wind, water etc…).

Immediately afterwards, all face up cards become that attribute, and any enemy cards with that attribute cannot attack or activate any effects. Since your opponent can’t do anything, they’re unable to deal with this 3000 ATK monster you’ve dropped on the board, essentially ending the game.

Prank-Kids - easy and cheap fusion monster meta deck

Prank-Kids Battle Butler card with the text "'Prank-Kids Lampsies' + 'Prank-Kids Dropsies' + 'Prank-Kids Fansies' Must be Fusion Summoned. (Quick Effect): You can Tribute this card; destroy all monsters your opponent controls. If this card in your possession is sent to your GY by your opponent's card: You can target 1 non-Fusion Monster in your GY; Special Summon it. You can only use this effect of 'Prank-Kids Battle Butler' once per turn."

Monsters

  • 3x Prank-Kids Fansies
  • 3x Prank-Kids Dropsies
  • 3x Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring
  • 3x Prank-Kids Lampsies
  • 3x Prank-Kids Rocksies
  • 3x Thunder Dragon

Spells

  • 1x Raigeki
  • 3x Polymerization
  • 1x Monster Reborn
  • 3x Prank-Kids Place
  • 2x Prank-Kids Pranks
  • 2x Twin Twisters
  • 3x Prank-Kids Pandemonium

Traps

  • 3x Infinite Impermanence
  • 3x Skill Drain
  • 1x Prank-Kids Plan

Extra Deck

  • 2x Prank-Kids Rocket Ride
  • 2x Prank-Kids Weather Washer
  • 1x Thunder Dragon Colossus
  • 1x Prank-Kids Battle Butler
  • 1x Toadally Awesome
  • 2x Prank-Kids Meow-Meow-Mu
  • 3x Prank-Kids Dodo-Doodle-Doo
  • 1x Prank-Kids Bow-Wow-Bark
  • 1x Prank-Kids Rip-Roarin-Roaster
  • 1x Accesscode Talker

This deck focuses around easy and consistent combos, where you make use of the powerful Prank-Kids abilities to bring out powerful fusion monsters. Through flooding the board with Prank-Kids cards, which provides you with more than enough materials to create the fusion monsters you want, this deck is borderline relaxing to play.

This deck is also peppered with additional cards meant to counter any answers your opponent has to your Prank-Kids combos. This includes Raigeki, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, and Twin Sisters.

Here’s how the deck works. You start by rushing to fusion and link summon Prank-Kids monsters which then activate a myriad of abilities built into the Prank-Kids archetype. This can be done the classic way through Polymerization, or through Prank-Kids spells such as Prank-Kids Pandemonium or Prank-Kids Place.

Then you essentially do this on repeat to consistently make us of your Prank-Kids abilities. If you see an opportunity, you can discard Thunder Dragon and use Prank-Kids Fanses to fusion summon Thunder Dragon Colossus. This is likely the most powerful card in the deck, with 2600 ATK and an ability making it hard to remove from the field.

Tri-Brigade - Link Summon centric meta deck

Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen card with the text "If this card is Special Summoned, or if another Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast monster(s) is Special Summoned to your field: You can banish 1 card on the field. If this card is sent to the GY: You can add 1 Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast monster from your Deck to your hand, whose Level is less than or equal to the number of your banished Beast, Beast-Warrior, and Winged Beast monsters. You can only use each effect of 'Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen' once per turn."

Monsters

  • 1x PSY-Frame Driver
  • 3x Effect Veiler
  • 3x Tri-Brigade Nervall
  • 2x Psy-Framegear Gamma
  • 2x Tri-Brigade Kerass
  • 3x Tri-Brigade Kitt
  • 3x Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring
  • 2x Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion
  • 3x Rescue Cat
  • 3x Tri-Brigade Fraktall

Spells

  • 3x Pot of Desires
  • 1x Lightning Storm
  • 3x Fire Formation - Tenki
  • 2x Called by the Grave

Traps

  • 3x Infinite Impermanence
  • 2x Tri-Brigade Revolt
  • 1x Imperial Order

Extra Deck

  • 1x PSY-Framelord Omega
  • 1x Sky Cavalry Centaurea
  • 1x Downerd Magician
  • 1x Divine Arsenal AA-Zeus - Sky Thunder
  • 1x Salamangreat Almiraj
  • 1x Ancient Warriors Oath - Double Dragon Lords
  • 2x Tri-Brigade Ferrijit the Barren Blossom
  • 1x Tri-Brigade Bearbrumm the Rampant Rampager
  • 1x Hraesvelgr, the Desperate Doom Angel
  • 1x Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller
  • 1x Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess
  • 1x Accesscode Talker
  • 2x Tri-Brigade Shuriag the Ominous Omen

This deck is all about setting up massive combos, sending cards to your graveyard where they can activate their abilities, and summoning powerful link monsters that can take over the game. A lot of the strength of this deck is owed to the Tri-brigade card type, which allows you to pick out specific cards from your deck, sacrifice them, and easily set up link summons.

This deck also contains numerous universally powerful negate cards, such as Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess, and Infinite Impermanence. This allows you to essentially cancel out a vast amount of your opponent’s moves, and occasionally making the duel basically single-player.

At the start of a duel, you’ll want to use cards like Tri-Brigade Fraktall or Rescue Cat to special summon other Tri-Brigade monsters. Then, use these to link summon cards like Tri-Brigade Ferrijit the Barren Blossom and Tri-Brigade Bearbrumm the Rampant Rampager. With a lot of cards in your graveyard, you’ll then use abilities on hand to summon Tri-Brigade Fraktall to banish cards for a powerful link summon like Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess or Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller.

Your win condition is with link monsters like Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen and Accesscode Talker. These incredibly powerful cards are strong enough to totally overwhelm opponents - and getting them on the board is your main goal in duels.


That wraps up our guide for the best meta decks to play in YuGiOh Master Duel! To get your hands on all the cards needed for these decks, you will have to get to grips with how to craft cards in YuGiOh Master Duel. And if your looking more YuGiOh help, we've got a how to syncro summon guide, and an up-to-date Master Duel's Banlist.

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