In case you didn't know, one of the most popular card games of all time, Yu-Gi-Oh! is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and there's no better time to get back into duelling.
As a kid, I dabbled in the occasional Yu-Gi-Oh! game. I didn't fully understand it, and I certainly wasn't very good at it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Check out the latest game mode for Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links, Rush Duels
I also tuned into the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, following Yugi and Yami's adventures and developing an obsession to collect as many cards as possible, including some of the big names from the anime like Dark Magician, Blue Eyes White Dragon and the legendary Exodia.
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Unfortunately, I didn't have the money to buy endless amounts of booster packs, nor the foresight to know that eventually throwing/giving away the 1st edition cards I did own was an absolutely awful idea. Honestly, if I could go back in time I'd chastise my younger self for getting rid of loads of stuff that's worth a lot of money nowadays.
Recently though, after revisiting the old Yu-Gi-Oh! anime I thought I'd give the card game another go, as an older, wiser, more financially sound duelist. I can honestly say it was perfect timing, as for a fan as out of practice as I am, it's the best time to get back into the game.
The first step was to get back into the gameplay, which has gone through a lot of changes thanks to several new ways to summon monsters. I'm not ashamed to admit anything more recent than Synchro Summons goes straight over my head, so I thought I'd start easy with Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links, a beginner-friendly app for mobile and PC devices that's perfect for a newcomer. It's even got a new mode called Rush Duels, a simplified version of the game that makes it even easier to pick up and play, regardless of skill level.
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I actually got to preview the new game mode during a trip to see Konami, and absolutely loved how easy it was to pick up and play, while still feeling like a challenge.
If you’re like me, the latest reprinted cards might have also caught your eye, with some of the latest booster packs being the same ones released so many years ago, featuring all the classic and beloved cards that made the game famous in the first place. Konami even hooked me up with one of the latest Speed Duel boxes, Streets Of Battle City, which contained eight decks that could be played straight out of the box.
I even opened an Age Of Overlord Booster Box, also courtesy of Konami and dared to have a look at some of the newer cards I’d never seen before, and while it’ll probably take me some time to figure out how to use them, I’m a big fan of the new monster designs. I even pulled one of the Quarter Century Secret Rares which took me back to my childhood memories of opening some of the original packs hoping for Blue Eyes White Dragon or a piece of Exodia.
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Overall, the 25th anniversary has been just what I needed to get me back into the game, and I feel like the same can be said for a lot of players. This is wonderful news for casuals too as there are a lot of newbies all starting off on the same footing, so there’s less chance of feeling overwhelmed learning all the new gameplay mechanics.