It’s arguably never been a more exciting or eventful time to be a card gamer.
In 2023 alone, we saw Magic: The Gathering celebrate its 30th anniversary, Pokemon launching the incredibly nostalgic 151 set, Disney launching Lorcana, their first ever trading card game and (back to Magic again!) the sale of a single card to none other than Post Malone for an incredible $2 million!
Unbelievably, that’s only a few of the seismic events that sent card games into the stratosphere last year.
And now it’s the turn of Yu-Gi-Oh to celebrate a significant milestone, with 2024 marking its 25th anniversary!
That’s right, the manga and anime derived game of duelling monsters and devious traps has been in existence for a quarter of a century.
So what does 2024 have in store for Yu-Gi-Oh?
Do Konami have big plans for the game’s 25th anniversary?
Let’s find out!
1. Maze of Millennia Booster Set (January 19th)
The first booster set release of 2024 is already here, bringing some very exciting cards to Yu-Gi-Oh for the first time.
Perhaps the most exciting element of Maze of Millennia are the anime-inspired cards; these bring spells such as Eye of Illusion, a card first seen in the second ever episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime series, into physical form.
An extremely powerful card, Eye of Illusion was used in the series by the dastardly Maximillion Pegasus to drag the hero, Yugi, into a television; keeping him busy as he stole Yugi’s grandfather’s soul!
Naturally, the card in the actual game can’t do anything of that nature; I don’t think parents would be very happy if the souls of their children were drawn into inanimate objects during Yu-Gi-Oh games.
In any case, it’s still a powerful card in its real world form; for Yu-Gi-Oh fans who’ve been around since the beginning, it’s an incredibly exciting card to finally get their hands on too.
Naturally, there are other anime-inspired cards in Maze of Millennia, alongside plenty of highly sought after reprinted cards too.
You can check them all out in our Yu-Gi-Oh Maze of Millennia Card List, along with a more in-depth look at the incredible Eye of Illusion card.
2. Yu-Gi-Oh 2 Player Starter Set (January 26th)
Though Yu-Gi-Oh is not an overly complicated or difficult game to learn, it can still look and feel pretty overwhelming to newcomers.
Which makes the arrival of the Yu-Gi-Oh 2 Player Starter Set very welcome indeed.
One of the coolest things about the 2 Player Starter Set is that it contains a comic book which teaches you the game’s mechanics step by step.
The two, 44 card decks are intended to be used in a ‘scripted’ way; that is, not to be shuffled immediately, as the comic leads two players by the hand and describes each turn in detail, adding in mechanics and concepts as they proceed.
There’s even a small selection of extra cards to add into the deck, featuring Synchro and Xyz Monster cards, which allow players to learn some of the more complex strategies in the game at their own pace.
There’s never been a better way to get into Yu-Gi-Oh, so if the game has previously piqued your interest but looked too overwhelming for you, this is without a doubt your ticket to discovering why it’s still going strong after 25 years!
3. Phantom Nightmare Booster Set (February 9th)
Once you’ve got yourself up to speed with the 2 Player Starter Set and perhaps even a selection of Maze of Millennia cards too, you won’t have long to wait for the next Yu-Gi-Oh booster set to arrive.
Once again drawing on Yu-Gi-Oh’s rich history, Phantom Nightmare is set to bring back the popular nightmare dragon, Yubel.
Originally the archvillain in the Yu-Gi-Oh GX anime in 2008, Yubel has been modernised somewhat to bring it up to date with the 16 years of progression that Yu-Gi-Oh has seen since the monster’s first appearance.
We also know that Yubel will be appearing in three forms: Yubel, then Yubel, Terror Incarnate and finally, Yubel, The Ultimate Nightmare.
A debuting Trap Card will also give you the ability to Fusion Summon a new version of Yubel too!
It’s not all about Yubel in Phantom Nightmare, however; we also know that Majespecter Pendulum Monster card will be returning to Yu-Gi-Oh, as well as support for Raidraptor cards.
There may even be a new archetype making its debut in Phantom Nightmare as well, which we’ll be sure to take a look at once we have the full list of cards for the set!
4. Battles of Legend: Chapter 1 (February 23rd)
Yu-Gi-Oh’s Battles of Legend sets are always worth a look; it seems that the latest, Battles of Legend: Chapter 1, will be no exception.
Within the Battles of Legend: Chapter 1 box will be three packs of 18 cards and a collectable die, with the cards being reprints from prior Battles of Legend collections, along with related cards from other sets too.
Though not many details have yet been released on what cards will be included, we do know that cards such as Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord and Chaos Emperor, the Dragon of Armageddon will be featured.
5. Legendary Decks II (March 15th)
Yu-Gi-Oh’s beautiful gold box set range sees a re-release of one of its most popular sets, with the arrival of the reprinted Legendary Decks II box on March 15th, 2024.
In Ancient Egyptian style packaging, paying tribute to the manga and anime’s roots, the Legendary Decks II set was originally released back in 2016.
Containing three pre-constructed decks, Legendary Decks II features Kaiba’s Blue-Eyes White Dragon deck, Joey’s Red-Eyes Black Dragon deck and finally, Yugi’s Dark Magician/Exodia, The Forbidden One deck.
All three are iconic decks from the series that fans will instantly recognise; given that this set also includes three tournament legal Egyptian God cards, it’s sure to be one that many fans will be desperate to get their hands on.
Though no pricing details have yet been revealed, these sets tend to retail in the $20-$30 range, making them incredible value for money.
6. Speed Duel GX: Midterm Destruction (March 29th)
The first 2024 release for the fast paced, Speed Duel GX format, Midterm Destruction is due to launch at the end of March 2024.
Including four pre-constructed Speed Duel GX decks inspired by those used by characters Jaden, Tyranno, Jim, and Sartorius, both the box set and format of the game is a way to play Yu-Gi-Oh quickly and without any fuss.
Fan favourite GX monsters, such as Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin, Dandylion, and Card Trooper, are making their first appearances in Midterm Destruction, Speed Duel Secret Rares.
Each of the Midterm Destruction sets will include 100 common cards, 12 Skill cards, 4 Secret Rare cards (from a selection of 20) and a two player, deluxe play mat featuring Jaden and Sartorius.
Interestingly, Speed Duel GX cards (aside from Skill cards) can be used in the standard Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game, but the reverse is not true of cards which aren’t marked as Speed Duel specific Yu-Gi-Oh cards.
So if you enjoy Speed Duel GX and find useful cards and combos you’d like to take into your standard Yu-Gi-Oh decks, that’s something you’re able to do and which makes these cards useful even beyond the format they’re designed for.
7. Legacy of Destruction Booster Set (April 26th)
The original Yu-Gi-Oh series climaxed with a duel between Yugi and Atem, so in keeping with the game’s 25th anniversary theme, Legacy of Destruction will be hearkening back to that classic battle.
Launching on April 26th, the Legacy of Destruction booster set will include updated versions of iconic cards such as Silent Swordsman and Silent Magician, along with new FIRE Dragons and much more besides.
Proving that it’s not just about nostalgia, Legacy of Destruction is also bringing Melodius, a brand new archetype, to Yu-Gi-Oh.
24 of the cards in the set can be found in both standard versions and the highly sought after Quarter Century Secret Rare variants; there’s also one, special card that can only be found as a Quarter Century Secret Rare.
Though we don’t yet have details on that special Quarter Century Secret Rare card, we’ll be getting a full card list together as soon as that information is released; watch this space!
8. Stainless Steel Egyptian God Cards (TBC 2024)
Though no release date has yet been revealed, we know that Konami are due to release a set of three Egyptian God Cards in 2024.
Given its price, with it likely to cost around $400, this is going to be a release that only true collectors will be able to justify.
So for that amount of money, what do you actually get?
Well, as you may have gathered from the name, it’s a set that includes the three iconic Egyptian God cards (Slifer the Sky Dragon, Obelisk the Tormentor and The Winged Dragon of Ra), in polished, stainless steel form, framed and mounted in a 25th Anniversary commemorative display.
As of yet, there are no clear images of this product; we will, however, be sure to update you once more details come to light.
Konami tend to keep their cards pretty close to their chest when it comes to their Yu-Gi-Oh releases, only detailing upcoming products a few months in advance.
So the Stainless Steel Egyptian God Cards release is the last product we currently have any information on for 2024; however, we’ll continue to update this article throughout the year.
Given that it is Yu-Gi-Oh’s 25th anniversary, you can be sure that there’s more exciting products on the way, tapping into both nostalgia and exciting new card and features for the future!
