If you’re new to Yu-Gi-Oh! you may have never heard of the term “Hand Trap” before.
A Hand Trap is essentially a monster card which has an effect that can be activated while the monster is in your hand.
These effects are activated in response to the actions of the other player. It is not an official term, and the cards aren’t actually Trap cards.
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10. Effect Veiler
Effect Veiler is a wonderful Tuner monster card to keep in your deck. Though this winged monster may seem weak, with no attack or defense points and just a single star level, its effect is undoubtedly something useful.
During your opponent’s Main Phase, you can activate Effect Veiler’s Quick Effect.
With this monster card, you can send Effect Veiler from your hand to your Graveyard, and then target one Effect Monster your opponent controls. The monster that you choose has all of its effects negated until the end of this turn.
9. Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit
Another well-loved Tuner card, Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit is a Light attribute card with zero attack points and 1800 defense points.
This cute-looking Psychic Type can help you rid yourself of monsters on your opponent’s side of the field that are proving difficult to battle.
When a monster on the field activates its effect, or when a Spell or Trap card that is already face-up on the field activates its effect, you can use Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit’s quick effect to send itself to the Graveyard and destroy the card that your opponent is trying to activate.
8. Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring
Another adorable card, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring is a Tuner card that has a hard-hitting effect, but no attack points.
Tuner cards require a bit more strategy than regular monster cards, because you need to get used to the numerous effects that the card carries in its description box.
As for Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, its quick effect comes to life when a card or an effect is activated that includes any of these effects: Add a card from the deck to the hand, Special Summon from the deck, or send a card from the deck to the Graveyard.
Once any of these three actions come to be, you can discard Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring to negate the coming effect of your opponent’s card.
7. Honest
Our first card to actually have attack points on this list! Honest is a Light attribute monster that is ready to defend you.
His attack points are on the low end of average, sitting at 1100, but his defense points are a respectable 1900.
During the Main Phase of your turn, you can return Honest from the field to your hand. Following this, during the Damage Step, when another Light monster you control battles, you can send Honest from your hand to the Graveyard.
Then, the monster that you’re controlling gains attack points equal to the attack points of the monster it’s battling, until the end of this turn.
6. Red-eyes Retro Dragon
One of two well-known dragon monsters that you’ll see in this list, Red-Eyes Retro Dragon is a little different to other dragons you’ll play against or with in Yu-Gi-Oh!
First of all, Red-Eyes Retro Dragon is a level four dragon with 1700 attack points and 1600 defense points. From that, you would expect that it’d be a pretty run-of-the-mill card but…
If a level seven or lower “Red-Eyes” monster that you control is destroyed by your opponent’s attack or card effect and sent to your Graveyard, while this card is in your hand, you can Special Summon this card in defense mode.
5. Deep-eyes White Dragon
Like Red-Eyes Retro Dragon, Deep-Eyes White Dragon has a huge effect that can change the flow of the game in moments.
Look past the lack of attack and defense points and pay close attention to the paragraph of text in its effect box.
When a face-up “Blue-Eyes” monster that you control is destroyed by battle or by an opponent’s card effect, and you have a Dragon Type monster in your Graveyard,you can Special Summon Deep-Eyes White Dragon from your hand.
If you complete this action, inflict 600 points of damage to your opponent for each Dragon in your Graveyard (as long as they don’t have the same name, no duplicates here!).
4. Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness, could be considered an overpowered monster card.
When you take damage from a card that your opponent controls, you can Special Summon Gorz the Emissary of Darkness from your hand.
You must not control any other cards to be able to activate and use this effect. You may only use one of the two following effects, depending on whether your opponent is battling you/your monster directly or using a special effect to damage you:
For battle damage, Special Summon one “Emissary of Darkness Token,” its attack and defense points are each equal to the amount of battle damage you took from your opponent’s monster.
For effect damage, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the amount of damage you took from them.
3. Chronograph Sorcerer
Our first Pendulum card in this list! Chronograph Sorcerer is a text-filled card that puts off a lot of new duelists, but that needn’t be the case.
Here’s the low down on this monster: 2000 attack points, 1700 defense points, level six, Dark attribute, and a Spellcaster. There are two effects on this card: Pendulum and standard monster effect.
Pendulum Effect: During the Main Phase of your turn: Destroy this card, take one “Timegazer Magician” from your hand or deck, and place it in your Pendulum Zone or Special Summon it.
Monster Effect: If a card you control is destroyed by battle or card effect,you can Special Summon this card from your hand, then you can Special Summon another monster from your hand.
2. Battle Fader
Surely a tiny level one monster can’t do much damage, especially when it has no attack or defense points? Well, if there’s one thing Yu-Gi-Oh! will teach you, it’s not to underestimate a card.
When an opponent’s monster declares an attack, you can Special Summon Battle Fader from your hand, and then immediately end the Battle Phase. It’s the type of card that will save you when you’re about to lose.
1. Tragoedia
Considered to be the first “Hand Trap” card in Yu-Gi-Oh! When you take battle damage, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. Tragoedia gains 600 attack and defense points for each card still in your hand.
Once per turn, you can send one monster from your hand to the Graveyard, then target one monster your opponent controls and take control of that monster; it must be the same level as the monster you discarded.
Other guides you might be interested in…
- Best Cyberse Type Monsters in Yugioh
- Best Water Monsters in Yugioh
- Best Psychic Type Monsters in Yugioh
- Best Fairy Type Monsters in Yugioh
- Best Synchro Monsters in Yugioh
- Best Dinosaur Type Monsters in Yugioh
- Best Dragon Type Monsters in Yugioh
- Best Link Monsters in Yugioh
- Best Zombie Type Monsters in Yugioh
- Best Trap Hole Cards in Yugioh