![]() The release of Legacy of Darkness in June 2003 was a tentpole set that transformed the direction of Yu-Gi-Oh! forever, with its introduction of powerful effect monsters like Injection Fairy Lily starting a shift that would eventually usurp the power and relevance of Normal monsters from all but a few decks. While Yu-Gi-Oh! had some limitations on the card pool in place at the time, to put the brakes on some of the most powerful cards like Raigeki, Dark Hole and Fiber Jar, no card was banned from competitive play. While the game had steadily evolved beyond these simplistic origins as monsters like Mystic Tomato reshaped the game as we knew it, many of these effects were still slow-acting and retrospectively appear weak in the context of modern Yu-Gi-Oh! Yet 20 were the edge of a precipice for the TCG cards like Sangan and the aforementioned creatures were just the start of a transformation of the game into the fast-paced spectacle we’re familiar with today. There were other counters like equip cards and other paths to victory beyond this, but this was the general strategy.Ģ0 were the edge of a precipice for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. With far fewer effect monsters and even fewer options to bring out additional monsters via special summons, beyond revival cards like Monster Reborn and the occasional exception, duels often revolved around preventing your opponent from overcoming your own field so you could eventually tribute-summon boss monsters like Summoned Skull or Blue-Eyes White Dragon that would most likely win you the game. To first consider what the competitive scene looked like at the time that the Yata-Lock strategy first burst onto the scene, Yu-Gi-Oh! was a far simpler game to play and win than it is today. ![]() Watch on YouTube A Yu-Gi-Oh! beginner plays Master Duel This is the Yata-Lock: the deck that broke Yu-Gi-Oh! and ushered in the very first banlist in Yu-Gi-Oh!’s history. Until one deck - or more precisely, one bird - changed all of that. Even as new sets released and an initial limited list released in May 2002 prevented some of the most overpowered cards being run at numbers of three per deck, the idea of completely excluding a card from competitive play was unheard of. Even if some stores stepped in to decree their own rules if players objected, it was far from a standardised affair like we see today. Yet in the earliest days of this game, the idea of a regularly-updated centralised banlist which all official tournaments followed was simply not a thing. ![]() After all, players want to have fun - and the same cards for all eternity because they overpower or obstruct what comes before is no fun for anyone. The idea of a banlist in Yu-Gi-Oh! feels standard by now, a necessary tool used to balance the card game and prevent a shift from variety and enjoyment for all players to single-deck dominance or the game-ruining destruction possible with overpowered cards. ![]()
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