If you’re anything like me, you’ll have spent countless hours enjoying the newest achievements in gaming (mostly from Call of Duty: WWII). But, did you know that there are also some really amazing pieces of art? This week we’ll take a look at 20 of the best images (in my opinion) in the game that aren’t achievements.
It’s been a long, storied history of art in the video game world. From the days of the 8-bit Nintendo consoles to the last generation of consoles and PC games, art has always been a vital part of the gaming experience.
In this blog I collect and rank the best art in different card games. I do not choose the artwork, but the cards themselves. I will put a link here whenever I find a cool card that deserves more attention. In this 10th edition I go over the best art in the game as of March 2014.
Yu-Gi-Oh features some of the best artwork of any TCG presently available, in my view.
Magic the Gathering has really beautiful realism, and Pokémon has charming cutesy artwork, but Yu-Gi-Oh has the perfect mix of cartoony humor, grandiose fantasy, and fantastic sci-fi.
There’s nothing else like it!
This article will go through some of the greatest card artwork from the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG as a whole.
Please keep in mind that this list is completely subjective, and there are certain to be some great works of art that I’ve overlooked! This is mainly about the famous pieces of art that have appeared throughout Yu-Gi-history, Oh’s as well as a few lesser-known cards.
So, let’s have a look at some photos!
20. Reload your weapon
It’s easy to forget that Yu-Gi-Oh was initially centered on ancient Egypt, with decks based on Star Wars (Kozmo), Circus Animals (Performapals), and Dante’s Inferno (Burning Abyss).
Reload is one of those cards with creative artwork that reminds you of that topic.
It depicts the reloading of a rifle in the manner of Ancient Egyptian Monoliths.
Personally, I like the amount of individuality in this card’s artwork. And that brings me right back to my Yu-Gi-Oh! school days!
Aslla Piscu, the Earthbound Immortal
This one is more of a general representation of the archetype.
Earthbound Immortals are one of the best archetype themes I’ve ever seen for an archetype.
The Nazca lines in Peru inspired them all, with Aslla Piscu symbolizing the famous hummingbird, Earthbound Immortal Uru portraying the spider, and so on.
It’s fantastic to have cultures from all over the globe represented in my favorite card game, particularly when they’re in the shape of semi-evil God cards that look badass!
Seriously, these creatures seem to be terrifying.
And it’s because of this that these card artworks are so fantastic.
Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon (#18)
The Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon is a perfect fusion of the Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and the Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon.
It has characteristics from both that scream this card is a hybrid of two monsters, and it looks amazing.
When Yuya and Yuto joined together as one in the anime, they unleashed their rage on the people who were destroying their planet.
The Rebellion of the Odd-Eyed Dragon resembles a dragon with strength and rage, perfectly reflecting the card’s overall concept.
Polymerization is number seventeen (Original Art)
Polymerization is a well-known card.
Even if you’re not a Yu-Gi-Oh fan, you’ll undoubtedly remember this card from your youth!
In its simplicity, the card art is lovely.
It depicts two generic monster-like entities merging into one, just as it appears in the anime.
I believe it’s also cool to see your cards in the presentation as they are. Polymerization is so iconic to me because it makes the cards you have seem magical in a sense.
16. Pixie Dragon of Antiquity
This whole re-doing of the Signer dragons is fantastic.
In the manga, this card was Luna’s signer dragon, and it had a somewhat different function and artwork from the cards in the anime.
This card’s artwork is extremely similar to the original Ancient Fairy Dragon, but the color palette is considerably darker.
Personally, I believe this monster looks a much more scary and strong in this darker scheme, particularly in its original gold hidden rare printing.
Although the original artwork is beautiful, I like the deeper tone that this card image exudes.
Necroface is number fifteen.
What I like about Necroface is how unusual it is from most other Yu-Gi-Oh cards.
Yu-Gi- Oh cards aren’t known for having “creepy to the point of nightmare causing” artwork.
Seriously, as a child, this card gave me the creeps…
It’s a doll head encrusted in tentacles!
However, it’s very cool to see artwork in Yu-Gi-Oh that isn’t popular, and Necroface is a great example of that.
It successfully conveyed the card’s intended horror movie atmosphere. And it’s the ideal zombie artwork in my opinion.
Mysterious Space Typhoon (No. 14)
MST is another card that, owing to its simplicity, is absolutely amazing.
Mystical Space Typhoon has the appearance of a storm. It’s as simple as that!
The way the brush strokes swirl around the storm, with the single crack of lightning running along the center, reminds me of early Magic the Gathering.
This card is also a lot of fun to expand the art on, and I have a few of decks with hand-made extended art versions!
13. The Evil World
I sincerely hope Konami decides to reissue all of the Malefic cards at some time, because they’re much too beautiful to be kept in the hands of collectors who purchased them years ago.
Malefics were published as movie promotion cards for Yu-Gi-Oh: Bonds Beyond Time.
Throughout Yu-Gi-history, Oh’s they’ve been an archetype of monsters that have been basically “taken.”
Malefic world is essentially a sequence from the film in which the main villain depicts what a Malefic world might look like.
Our heroes Yugi, Jaden, and Yusei defeat the primary enemy in this Malefic universe, which is what makes this card so amazing.
It makes you feel like you’re a real-life Yu-Gi-Oh character.
Sparkman, the Elemental Hero
For me, the Elemental HEROs were one of the greatest parts of Yu-Gi-Oh GX, thanks to Jaden Yuki.
They were a group of superheroes that combined their abilities to harness the forces of the elements, resulting in a slew of formidable fusion monsters!
Elemental HERO Sparkman would have to be the finest artwork among all if I had to choose one.
He bears the appearance of a power ranger, with an emphasis on the word “power.”
The artwork on this card truly captures the superhero feel that this deck is going for, particularly with his armor’s great blue and yellow color scheme.
Gallatin, No. 11 Noble Arms
Look no farther than the Noble Knights for a complete archetype with each card as beautiful as the last.
These are a deck of cards based on the legends of the Knights of the Round Table from the Middle Ages.
It was incredible to witness tales I’d heard as a child in one of my favorite games as someone who really lives in England!
Gallatin’s Noble Arms depicts the legend of King Arthur, who ascended to the throne by removing a blade that had gotten hopelessly lodged in stone.
The remainder of the Noble Knights series cards, as well as this type of artwork, play to the traditional fairy tale concept of the Knights of the Round Table.
These artworks are particularly stunning in the platinum rarity reserved for the Noble Knight decks.
This rarity gives all of the cards a lovely black tone and highlights the silvery colors in their swords like crazy!
Exodia Necross is number ten.
As a Yu-Gi-Oh player, it goes without saying that Exodia looks fantastic.
He’s a locked away God, after all, and he’s much too powerful to be confined on a single card.
Exodia Necross is a single card that encapsulates all of everything.
The shattered shackles around his wrists suggest that a vast and dreadful power has been released, while the blazing red eyes and murky green aura suggest that Exodia is an undead monster.
Overall, I like how this card steered Exodia in a new path.
I’m nearly tempted to claim it’s even better than the original!
9. Pendulum of the Soul
One of my all-time favorite animes was Yu-Gi-Oh Arc V. With the exception of the finale, it was fantastic!
And one of the greatest moments in the series is captured in Soul Pendulum:
When Yuya summons Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with his two signature pendulum monsters, Timegazer Magician and Stargazer Magician, with his two signature pendulum monsters Timegazer Magician and Stargazer Magician.
This card’s image is nearly a carbon copy of that show’s art, and it looks great.
It depicts the two pendulum scales high in their pendulum zones, together with the magical-looking gateway that summons the pendulum monsters.
It makes you feel as though summoning your own pendulum is a mystical event – and that’s how you know a card’s artwork is top-notch.
Dragon Ravine No. 8
The original intent of field spells was to alter the location of the battle.
This transformed the battle field into an ocean, a mountain, or even the shadow world in the anime.
Dragon Ravine seems to be a location where you’d like to fight.
These dragons may be seen soaring far above and circling, all as the sunset burns a fiery orange down the ravine’s center. It seems to be something out of a fantasy novel.
This card is an incredible landscape piece, and I for one hope that Kaiba Corp would create duel disks in real life so that I may battle there.
Graff, the Burning Abyss’ Malebranche
The Burning Abyss archetype is based on Dante’s Inferno, an epic poem describing Dante’s trip through hell itself (and I don’t mean epic in the “cool” sense).
It’s only inevitable that cards based on this archetype will include some fantastically designed demons, and Graff is no exception!
Graff and the rest of the Burning Abyss demons’ artworks are so lifelike and terrifying that these cards seem more like Magic the Gathering-style artworks than Yu-Gi-Oh! cards!
All of these cards have a dark red and black color scheme that truly captures the feeling of a monster straight from Hell.
6. Black Dragon with Red Eyes (Original Art, LOB)
Red Eyes hasn’t seen nearly as many alternative image reprints as other famous cards like Dark Magician and Blue Eyes White Dragon.
There have been a few remasters of this artwork, but I believe that if something isn’t broken, it shouldn’t be fixed.
The original artwork is by far the finest, since it portrays Red Eyes Black Dragon as a formidable opponent.
The backdrop is very lovely and basic, focusing all emphasis on the magnificent dragon in front of you.
Joey Wheeler’s artwork in the anime is based on this. As a result, I believe that for many of us, this card is simply the greatest artwork for sentimental reasons.
5. Dragon of Stardust (Original Art)
This is a controversial viewpoint, but this is the only major character card whose artwork I really like.
The other major characters only received mediocre-looking cards (sorry, Dark Magician), but Stardust Dragon looks like a magical beast.
The green and blue stars sparkling behind it seems mystical, giving this dragon the appearance of a hybrid of an epic fantasy dragon and a space monster.
This appears much better in the 2008 card tins’ secret rare printing, as the gleaming secret rare effect amps up the star effect.
4. The Destroyer of Prophecies
Now here is a card that seems like it belongs in a whole other game!
It’s a completely different aesthetic from the rest of the Spellbook cards, and it’s beautiful.
The amount of detail in this card’s artwork is crazy — a lot of Yu-Gi-Oh art is defined by thick outlines and simpler appearances, while this card is crammed with tiny details.
The spikes on his wings, the clouds of mist and dust surrounding his feet, and the twists in his wicked horns, whomever created this artwork went above and beyond the Yu-Gi-Oh standard.
3. White Dragon with Blue Eyes (Original Art, LOB)
Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a card that is more well-known than Yu-Gi-Oh.
It’s one of the most recognizable cards in the history of trading cards.
As a result, it’s no surprise that the original artwork is among the finest!
The simple blue swirls in the background contrast well with the softer-looking Blue Eyes White Dragon in the foreground.
This is also the artwork that Seto Kaiba used in the anime when he spoke about how this card is the “rarest and most powerful card in the world,” thus it has a strong sense of strength and rarity to it.
There are many more alternative artworks for this card than I care to mention.
This unique painting, however, is without a doubt the finest of them all.
This is the image I look for whenever I’m putting up a Blue Eyes deck.
2. Friendship between Yu and Jo
It’s unusual for a trading card game to bring up the subject of anime or manga. However, here we are.
This was a Shonen-Jump promotional card that was issued with two other cards: Unity and Pharoah’s Judgement.
After a battle, Yami Yugi and Joey Wheeler shake hands on the Yu-Jo Friendship card in particular.
Because Yugi and Joey had one of the greatest friendships in anime in general, let alone in Yu-Gi-Oh, this artwork exudes a wonderful feeling of warmth and affection.
It reminds me of (to be corny for a moment) the strength of friendship and what we can do when we all work together to achieve our objectives.
More importantly, it reminds me that I need to revisit the Yu-Gi-Oh! original series.
Slifer the Sky Dragon is number one (TN19 Art)
Slifer the Sky Dragon was created by none other than the one and only Kazuki Takahashi!
Check the bottom of your Yu-Gi-Oh cards if that name doesn’t strike any bells for you.
The original manga artist and creator of the Yu-Gi-Oh series, Kazuki Takahashi, is the guy responsible for Yu-Gi-Oh itself.
Takahashi designed a handful of the original Yu-Gi-Oh cards, including all of the Egyptian God cards.
These cards have the most gorgeous artwork in the whole game, and if I could, I’d award all three the #1 position!
The artwork on the God cards makes them seem like, well, Gods!
In these illustrations, they seem to be so strong and old that they don’t appear to be a force to be reckoned with.
The dark and ominous hues of this Slifer piece create the sense that you’ve awoken an old and legendary power.
I’m not sure what will make you feel like a Yu-Gi-Oh protagonist if that doesn’t do it.
The word “art” gets thrown around a lot in the world of gaming. While there is certainly a lot of great art in the world of games, it’s often hard to pinpoint exactly what makes art art. For example, I like the concept art style of the Mass Effect games, and it’s completely different from the photo-realistic art of a game like The Witcher 3, which has its own style. In fact, it could be said that the sketches and character designs of Mass Effect are more art than the photo-realistic artwork found in The Witcher. Yet, when you talk about art, we’re mostly talking about the finished, polished, and polished again.. Read more about best cash back credit cards and let us know what you think.
Related Tags
This article broadly covered the following related topics:
- coolest yugioh card art
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- coolest yugioh card names
- yugioh censored cards
- alternate art pokémon cards
