Yu-Gi-Oh!
These two cards return to Yu-Gi-Oh! after being banned for almost 20 years
Change of Heart and Yata-Garasu cards have become playable again after the last Yu-Gi-Oh! banlist. We tell you why they were banned for so long.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG banlist for May 17, 2022 has brought back two cards that have been banned for almost twenty years: none other than Yata-Garasu and Change of Heart. We'll tell you all the details just below:
Yata-Garasu and Change of Heart are no longer banned in Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yata-Garasu was banned since it appeared on the March 1, 2004 banlist, and for a good reason: it allowed a blocking strategy known as Yata-Garasu Lockdown that basically made us win the game by preventing our opponent from taking any action.
The strategy was relatively simple:
- We need to have Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End in hand, and Sangan or Witch of the Black Forest in the Field. We must also have a copy of Yata-Garasu in the Deck and at least one LIGHT and one DARK Monster in the Graveyard.
- With these requirements, we special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End. We activate its effect by paying 1,000 Life Points to send to the Graveyard all the cards in the Field and in the hands of both players; by the effect of Sangan or Witch of the Black Forest we can add to our hand a copy of Yata-Garasu.
- We summon Yata-Garasu normally, and move on to the Battle Phase. We attack with Yata-Garasu. Because of its effect, our opponent will not be able to draw cards in his next Draw Phase, and as he has none in his hand or in the Field, this leaves him practically defenseless. In successive turns, as Yata-Garasu returns to our hand, we summon it normally and in the Battle Phase we attack the opponent directly again. This completes the loop.
This devastating strategy was the reason why Yata-Garasu was banned from the game more than 18 years ago. On the other hand, Change of Heart, also banned on March 1, 2004, has a simpler but equally devastating effect during the first stage of the card game: it allowed us to select a Monster from the opponent and take control of it until the end of the turn.
Fidelity Shift was used in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime by Bakura, who considers it to be his favorite card. He first showed it in episode 12, "Trial by Red-Eyes."
As time has gone on, new strategies and ways of playing Yu-Gi-Oh! have made cards and stratagems that were previously too powerful obsolete. Every few months, the Yu-Gi-Oh! banned and allowed card lists are updated, and the metagame changes.
Yu-Gi-Oh! May 2022 Yu-Gi-Oh! Banlist
This is the complete Yu-Gi-Oh! banlist for the May 17, 2022 TCG:
Forbidden
- Mecha Phantom Beast Auroradon
- Prank-Kids Meow-Meow-Mu
- Predaplant Verte Anaconda
Limited
- Jet Synchron
- Red Rose Dragon
- Shooting Riser Dragon
- Yata-Garasu
- Change of Heart
- Crystron Halqifibrax
- Time Seal
- Performapal Monkeyboard
Semi-limited
- Pot of Desires
- Cyber Angel Benten
- Fire Formation - Tenki
- Dinomight Knight, the True Dracofighter
- Trickstar Light Stage
- Wall of Revealing Light
No Limit
- Night Assailant
- Salamangreat Miragestallio
- Salamangreat Circle
- Scapegoat
- A Hero Lives
- Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
Sources: Yu-Gi-Oh! official website, Yu-Gi-Oh! in Fandom [1] [2]