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Speed Duel

What Else Is in Speed Duel GX: Duelists of Shadows?

April 14th, 2023

If you read this far to Part 5 of our reviews, you’ve seen all 16 Skill Cards for the 8 featured characters in Speed Duel GX: Duelists of Shadows, as well as their pre-built Duel Decks. But that’s not all you’ll find in the box!

There are more Skills, more support cards, and just generally fantastic cards that can help get you ready for competition, as well as those 24 Secret Rare variants! Today we’ll take you through everything else you’ll find in Duelists of Shadows, starting with the 4 remaining Skills.

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Helios Hype and A Cloudian Craze in Speed Duel Gx: Duelists of Shadows

April 13th, 2023

Yesterday, we showed you Shadow Rider Tania’s Amazoness Deck, and Shadow Rider Titan’s Archfiends, both playable out of the box in Speed Duel GX: Duelists of Shadows. Those were two old-school strategies that got a new lease on life in Speed Duel.

Well get ready, because it gets even crazier. There are two more characters with pre-built Decks in Duelists of Shadows, and they’re both repping strategies that never really saw play until now: Shadow Rider Amnael’s Alchemy Deck, featuring Helios – The Primordial Sun and Golden Homunculus; and Adrian Gecko’s Cloudians. Both Decks get a big makeover for their Speed Duel debut, and both use Skill Cards to do things that would be totally impossible otherwise!

Shadow Rider Amnael

The last of the Shadow Riders to get pre-built Decks in Duelists of Shadows, Amnael’s Deck is loaded with popular cards from the early days of Dueling, including some fantastic cards that have been revisited! You can almost cut the Deck in half, dividing it between cards that banish stuff and cards that get better when you banish stuff.

Example? Gren Maju Da Eiza, Golden Homunculus, and Helios – The Primordial Sun all gain ATK and DEF according to the number of cards banished. You can Special Summon D.D. Scout Plane in the End Phase of any turn it’s banished, D.D. Survivor comes back in the End Phase whenever it’s on the field and gets removed from the game, and D.D.M. – Different Dimension Master can Special Summon back your banished monsters.

How do you banish everything? Bazoo the Soul Eater lets you banish up to 3 monsters from your Graveyard, boosting its ATK by 300 Attack Points for each monster removed, until the end of your opponent’s next turn. This means Bazoo can go as high as 2500 ATK. You can banish a Normal Trap to boost Diskblade Rider from 1700 ATK to 2200 ATK, Tribe-Shocking Virus lets you banish a monster from your hand to destroy all face-up monsters on the field with the same Type, and Banisher of the Radiance just banishes everything that would normally go to the Graveyard.

Soul Release, Galaxy Cyclone, and Macro Cosmos all help banish even more cards. If you’re lucky you may even open a Secret Rare Macro Cosmos, the highest rarity it’s ever appeared in! Amnael’s main Skill Card, the one you should use with his pre-built Deck, also helps banish more cards.

Professor of Alchemy lets you banish a Level 4 or lower monster from your hand, or face-up from the field, to Special Summon an Alchemy Beast Token. The Token comes into play as a Level 3 with 500 ATK and 500 DEF, and the same Attribute as the monster you banished. You can’t Tribute it for anything but the Tribute Summon of Golden Homunculus, but all your Alchemy Beast Tokens can attack directly and the Skill combos well with D.D. Scout Plane.

Amnael’s secondary Skill is Setting Sun, and it’s made for a different kind of strategy: once per turn during your Main Phase, if you control a monster that has ? ATK when it’s in your Deck, you can banish a card from your hand and then search a different monster from your Deck with ? ATK. In addition, it stops your Helios monsters from being banished. Amnael’s ready-to-play build can’t do much with this Skill, but Duelists of Shadows includes additional cards for Amnael, including Helios Duo Magistus and Helios Trice Megistus. Tribute the Level 4 Helios to Special Summon the Level 6 Duo, then Tribute that to Special Summon Trice, and you’ll have a Level 8 attacker that gains 300 ATK and DEF for every banished monster. It attacks twice, and Special Summons itself back from the Graveyard if it’s ever destroyed in battle.

To recap: Amnael’s build marks the Speed Duel debut of cards like D.D. Scout Plane and D.D. Survivor, and offers D.D. Crow and Macro Cosmos as possible Secret Rares. It’s just so many good cards!

Adrian Gecko

While most of the characters in Duelists of Shadows are from Season 1 of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, a few aren’t, including Supreme King Jaden and our final fully-fledged featured Duelist, Adrian Gecko. While Adrian’s Cloudian Deck was always seen as a fun and casual strategy before, his Skills put him over the top in Speed Duel, and several of his cards are really good against some of the most popular Speed Duel Decks today.

The Cloudians are mostly low-Level monsters with mediocre ATK and literally zero DEF. The trick is that they gather Fog Counters through a variety of effects, and that lets them unleash powerful abilities, destroying cards and making Special Summons. The four basic Cloudians – Cloudian – Acid Cloud, Cloudian – Altus, Cloudian – Cirrostratus, and Cloudian – Turbulence all get a single Fog Counter when they’re Normal Summoned, and each one has an effect you can activate by removing Fog Counters from that specific card: Acid Cloud destroys a Spell or Trap on the field for 2 Fog Counters, Altus can remove 3 to discard a random card from your opponent’s hand, Cirrostratus destroys a monster for 2 Fog Counters and you can remove a Fog Counter from Turbulence to Special Summon a Level 1 Cloudian – Smoke Ball from your Deck or Graveyard.

The problem? Every one of those monsters needs multiple Fog Counters to work, but they only get one when they’re Normal Summoned. In the past, Cloudian fans had to struggle and use other cards to gather enough Fog Counters for their simple monster effects. Cloudian Squall’s a Continuous Spell that places a Fog Counter on each face-up monster…but it doesn’t work until your Standby Phase, which means you can’t just plonk down a Cloudian and immediately use its ability.

Fog Control’s a Quick-Play Spell that sticks 3 Fog Counters on any face-up monster you like, but using one of your in-hand cards just to get effects that should be free is kind of missing the point. Diamond-Dust Cyclone’s another Quick-Play that can destroy a monster with Fog Counters and draw you a card…but the monster needs to have 4 Fog Counters on it.

The good news? Adrian’s new Fog Warning Skill Card is amazing! Every time you place a Fog Counter on a monster, it just gets another one. That means Acid Cloud and Cirrostratus destroy cards the moment they hit the field, and one Turbulence can Special Summon two copies of Smoke Ball! Suddenly Cloudian Squall looks like a big threat, placing 2 Fog Counters on every monster in each of your Standby Phases.

Cloudy Skies of Grey is Adrian’s secondary Skill, and it’s a little more aggressive: each time a Cloudian with a Fog Counter’s destroyed, you can place its Fog Counters on another face-up monster. That makes it easier to wreck cards with Diamond-Dust Cyclone, and since Cloudian – Nimbusman gains 500 ATK for every Fog Counter on it, it’ll skyrocket from its starting 1000 ATK.

Adrian’s strategy actually has several heavy hitters that can shine in Speed Duels: Cloudian – Eye of the Typhoon has a whopping 3000 ATK, and it can change the Battle Positions of your opponent’s monsters. Fog King is a highlight too: as a Level 7 it has printed ATK and DEF of 0, but you can Normal Summon it by Tributing just one monster, or no monsters at all. Then its ATK becomes the combined original ATK of the monsters you Tributed, and neither player can Tribute cards as long as it’s on the field. That’s a big deal in Speed Duel: not only are Tribute Summons more common, but Cyber Angels are also one of the most popular Decks in tournaments – if your opponent can’t Tribute cards, they can’t Ritual Summon! Oh, and Fog King even comes as a Secret Rare in Duelists of Shadows.


You’ve now seen all 8 pre-built character Decks, but we’re not done just yet. There are still 4 more Skill Cards to talk about, plus nearly 40 additional cards to help you customize, and strengthen other strategies for different characters! Join us tomorrow in Part 5 to see everything else Duelists of Shadows has to offer!

April 2023 Speed Duel Events-only Limited List

April 12th, 2023

Attention Speed Duelists! On April 22nd, we will implement an updated events-only Limited List for all Speed Duel Public Events being held at the April North American Remote Duel Main Event.

The Limited List is legal on the weekend of April 22nd and at future Tier 3 events.
Duelists must comply with the list if they wish to participate in Speed Duel Public Events or the Speed Duel Main Event.

Official Tournament Stores may also use the list for their local Speed Duel tournaments.

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Amazons and Archfiends Arrive in Speed Duel GX: Duelists of Shadows

April 12th, 2023

In Part 2, we looked at our first pair of Shadow Rider characters making their debut in Speed Duel GX: Duelists of Shadows: Nightshroud and Camula. Here in part 3, we’ll look at two more: Shadow Rider Tania and Shadow Rider Titan. While our first pair get pre-built Decks in Duelists of Shadows that revolve around huge, old-school boss monsters, Tania and Titan’s strategies focus on more mid-range monsters with abilities that make them a nightmare to deal with.

One of the cool things about Duelists of Shadows is that it takes some fan-favorite strategies from the past and then gives them Skill Cards that make them more competitive. In this case we’re talking about Amazons and Archfiends, two throwback themes that earned a place in our hearts…even if they never did well in tournaments.

If you’ve ever dreamed of seriously smashing your opponent with either of these two strategies, Duelists of Shadows can make those dreams into reality. Here’s how they work.

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Bringing Some Structure to Speed Duel GX: Duelists of Shadows

April 11th, 2023

Yesterday we introduced you to the Speed Duel GX: Duelists of Shadows box, and we talked about the Decks and Skill Cards for two of the main characters: alter ego Supreme King Jaden and former Duel Academy chairman Kagemaru. Eight characters have pre-built Decks in Duelists of Shadows, and 5 of them are Shadow Riders. The remaining 2 Shadow Riders are also getting Skill Cards, with many of their cards appearing in the extra additional cards included in Duelists of Shadows.

Today we’re looking at two of the Shadow Riders with full Decks: Nightshroud and Camula. Old school Duel fans may remember that this duo played Decks that echoed a pair of real-world releases in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG: Nightshroud’s Dragon Deck featured cards from Structure Deck: Dragon’s Roar, while Camula’s Vampire Deck played picks from Structure Deck: Zombie Madness. That’s right: these two devious Duelists piloted Decks that looked a lot like the first two Structure Decks in Yu-Gi-Oh! history, dating all the way back to 2005!

Fast forward to today and the Duelists of Shadows box comes with two pre-built Decks that modernize those old Structure Decks, with new cards and new Skills that make them fiercer than ever. Those Structure Decks never really made an impact in competitive Dueling, but the Speed Duel updates are a big step up. Here’s why.

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Dueling Gets Darker with Speed Duel GX: Duelists of Shadows

April 10th, 2023

The Speed Duel: Battle City Box arrived a little over two years ago in December of 2020. Packed with more than 200 cards, it was loaded with new Skills and smash-hit Secret Rares and came with 8 Decks that were ready to play, right out of the box.  After a wait of a year and a half, we got the sequel, 2022’s Speed Duel GX: Duel Academy Box, the first Speed Duel release to introduce characters and cards from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. And the concept would evolve again just a few months later, with Speed Duel GX: Midterm Paradox bringing even more fan-favorite characters to Speed Duels.

And now, almost one year after the release of the Duel Academy Box, it’s time for another mega-sized Speed Duel release! Speed Duel GX: Duelists of Shadows hit the streets on March 30th, ready to take Speed Duels to the next level with crazy new Skills, amazing Secret Rares, and lots of competitive cards revisited. Whether you love Speed Duel or you’re new to the format, Duelists of Shadows is packed with so much value that you won’t want to miss it.

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January Speed Duel Events-only Limited List

January 4th, 2023

Welcome to the new year, Speed Duelists!

On January 21st we will implement an updated events-only Limited List for all Speed Duel events being held at the January Latin America Remote Duel YCS and the January North America Remote Duel Main Event.

The Limited List is legal on the weekend of January 21st and at future Tier-2 and higher events.
Duelists must comply with the list if they wish to participate in the January Latin America Remote Duel YCS Speed Duel Public Events or the January North America Speed Duel Main Event.  

After the events, Official Tournament Stores will be able to use the list for Time Wizard Speed Duel tournaments.

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More Surprises in Speed Duel GX: Midterm Paradox

October 7th, 2022

Welcome back to class, Duelists! The Speed Duel GX: Midterm Paradox Mini Box is just around the corner headed your way today October 7, and we’re giving you one more article that’s chock full of reveals! We already covered the main characters – Jaden Yuki, Syrus Truesdale, Bastion Misawa, and the Paradox Brothers – but there are a couple more familiar faces in Midterm Paradox. In addition to the 10 Skill Cards for those characters, you’ll also find two more: one for Chumley Huffington in his Speed Duel debut and one that pairs Jaden & Syrus together in a single Skill Card!

These two bonus Skills don’t have pre-built Decks in Midterm Paradox, but you will find extra cards both in this set, and the original Speed Duel GX: Duel Academy Box to build them yourself. There are also more Speed Duel cards that can help you customize your favorite Decks: some to flesh out the characters and give a few nods to key moments in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, and some that are going to make an impact on competitive Speed Dueling.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves: the first thing on today’s syllabus is a fan-favorite Duelist with a surprising strategy.

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Two More Characters from Speed Duel GX: Midterm Paradox

October 5th, 2022

The Speed Duel GX: Midterm Paradox Mini Box is coming out on October 7, packed with 100 Speed Duel cards and 12 new Skills; some for returning characters from the Speed Duel GX: Duel Academy Box, and some for Duelists making their Speed Duel debut! Each box even comes with 4 Secret Rares from a set of 12, all paying homage to these iconic heroes and rivals.

In Midterm Paradox 101 last week, we showed you the new Skill Cards for Jaden and Syrus. We talked about how their pre-built Decks work, and how you can build your own Decks for those two characters. But grab your notebook and get ready to study up, because today’s lesson will teach you all about the remaining featured Duelists in Midterm Paradox Bastion Misawa and the Paradox Brothers.

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It’s Time to Head Back to Duel Academy!

September 27th, 2022

The Speed Duel: Battle City Box and the Speed Duel GX: Duel Academy Box changed the landscape of Speed Dueling.  Two massive boxed sets, both with more than 200 Speed Duel cards, they each offered a ton of value, a great way to jump into Speed Duels, and a one-box experience to bring Yu-Gi-Oh! to your game night. Each one had great Secret Rares too – cards that were popular for historic Time Wizard formats, making them collectible and a blast to open.

Now, for the first time ever, the Speed Duel Box concept is getting a spinoff! The new Speed Duel GX: Midterm Paradox Mini Box arrives October 6*, loaded with new cards and new Skills for characters that made their Speed Duel debut in the Duel Academy Box. It also introduces new Yu-Gi-Oh! GX characters to Speed Duels, and sneaks in some awesome cards to shake up the competition.

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