So i had been thinking about making this post for a while, and after doing a lot of research and testing, i came down to a list of the 10 best cards in Duel Masters TCG. Im sure the top ten list in OCG would be completely different, but as i have never played OCG before, im going to be talking about TCG for now. Yes some of these picks are quite obvious, while others might not be. This is entirely my opinion, although one of the cards in particular is kinda destined to be in the spot it is in. On this list i am focusing on how good the cards are themselves, and not how good a deck around them would be, or how well they function in a specific deck. Certains hinders like hard summoning conditions, high mana costs and support requirements will all be taking into consideration. But in general im talking about how good the card functions itself. So here is the list:

Number 10:



Aqua Surfer
- Aqua Surfer is one of those cards that just makes any deck running Blue a better deck. It is arguably one of the best shield triggers in the game, and also functions very well outside of being a trigger. The card serves a dual purpose, providing you removal, as well as giving you a body. The card works in any type of deck, weather it is a control deck, aggro or defensive deck. The cards cost is high, but i feel like it is always worth it. Aqua Surfer is great, and as a shield trigger it is a true killer against Rush and Aggro, and even surpasses Terror Pit as a shield trigger in my opinion!


Number 9:



Tajimal Vizier of Aqua
- Easely the best blocker in the game, without any competition in my opinion. Tajimal is just one of those cards that just surpasses its counterparts and equivalents in every way. There are other 3 mana 4000 power blockers that can attack creatures, but Tajimal not only provides that, but also two (yes two, not one) amazing races. These races are both evo baits for two of the best evolutions in the game, being Craze Valkyrie the Drastic and Crystal Lancer. It doesn't stop there either, it also has an insanely good effect. Sure this effect only applies against decks running Fire, but it provides a safety that any deck would appreciate, which is the safety against Bombazar. Although Tajimal doesn't provide complete safety against a Bombazar assault, it is together with Cranium Clamp the best anti Bombazar cards in the game. In a game so highly influenced by the Bombazar threat, a card like this is just too useful. It is great without its effect, but amazing with the effect. The effect also lets it beat cards like Bolmeteus Steel Dragon, Twin Cannon Skyterror etc. It is so good, that i honestly wanted to put it higher on this list.

Number 8



Holy Awe
- Holy Awe is one of the best game enders in the game, and definitely the best game ending spellcard. Being able to completely nullify an entire field for one turn, is more useful than it sounds. Yes it a rather situational card, but the reward is so great when you get to use it, that it overshadows that completely. It can end a stall war, it can help you clean your opponents field, and last but not least it can save your life regardless of how many creatures your opponent has on the field. It is also the only card that can completely stop a Bombazar assault, and makes Bombazar decks have to think twice before going for the kill against decks running light.

Number 7



Energy Stream
- Energy Stream is one of those cards that seems good, but just good. The reason Energy Stream is on this list, is because it is the most stable and consistent draw power in the game. It has a low cost, has no requirements, and simply provides you with a +1. Running 3-4 of this card in any deck, will simply make the deck better and more consistent. Draw power is very efficient in any card game, and duel masters is no exception. Great card to run in any deck that runs blue.

Number 6



Aqua Hulcus
- Hulcus is here for the same reason as Energy Stream. It is a +1 card, that simply makes any deck better, and makes it more consistent. The reason i put it over Energy Stream, is because it provides a body, as well as letting you draw a card. Bodies are very important, as bodies is essentially what wins you games. I just think a body + a free random card, is better and more consistent than just 2 random cards, since you never know how useful those random cards you draw will be in the situation you are in at that time. Great card!

Number 5




Wise Starnoid Avatar of Hope
- The next entry on the list, is a card many people probably didn't expect to see on this list. Wise Starnoid is one of 5 Vortex Evolutions in TCG, and by far the best of them. The card has rather hard summoning conditions, but holy crap are they worth it. The summoning conditions really aren't that bad, as all of its bait are good cards. The Cyber Lord baits are very very good cards like Corile and Emeral, which are both cards that you would use regardless of Starnoid. The most common Light Bringer baits are not nearly as good as the Cyber Lords, but still offer some usable cards like Kolon the Oracle, Pharzi the Oracle and Vess the Oracle. All vortex evolutions are essentially -2 in card advantage (as 3 creatures become 1), and they require so much bait, that they need to be very very good to not be a waste. Starnoid is by all means worth it, and is extremely good in a deck dedicated to it. It is not one of those cards that you can just tech into some random deck, and make it work. But Starnoid gets to be on this list, as it is extremely OP when entering the battle zone. The fact that you get a free shield EVERY time it attacks, is just bananas. And getting another free shield whenever it leaves the field is also bananas. This means you are pretty much guaranteed 2 free shields, as well as getting a 5 mana 9000 power double breaker (which is even good by itself). This means that you can easely come back and win a duel, even if you were behind. All this stuff is what you get from 1 Starnoid, and you can often summon 2-3 or even 4 Starnoids in a duel. Once they start swinging, if they get to stay on the field, the game is quickly rendered unwinnable for your opponent. A card this good, that has bait like Corile, Emeral and Kolon, was just too good to not put on this list. I honestly wanted this card to be number 2 or 3 on the list, but i ended as number 5, as there exists other very OP cards, that are more generic, more easely played and can fit in any decks.

Number 4



Soulswap
- This card got banned from the japanese game, and for good reason. It is often forgotten, that Soulswap is a card that can actually summon a creature to the field, even if you dont have enough mana to summon that creature normally. If you sit on 6 mana, and you have a Bombazar in your mana zone (that costs 7 mana), you can Soulswap out a creature from your field, put it into your mana zone, and THEN Soulswaps secondary effect activates. This lets you summon Bombazar from your mana zone, as long as you have at least 7 mana, AFTER the creature from your field enters the mana zone. You can then summon Bombazar, and go back down to 6 mana. In combination with Bombazar, this card is extremely good, and a true gamewinner. It is also very good in combination with other creature with good summon-effects, like Corile, Wind Axe, Rumbling Terahorn etc. And also the fact that you can summon something from your mana zone, gives you access to major parts of your deck, that you otherwise wouldn't have access to. Soulswap is also a shield trigger, and can be used both offensively and defensively. It is also worth mentioning that you can switch out a creature from your opponents side of the field, with a creature in their mana zone, which is very useful either to get rid of a threat, or just to give summoning sickness to a creature. Soulswap is a very flexible and good card, that can be devastating for your opponent when used correctly.

Number 3



Corile
- Corile is a very simple card, that is extremely effective in almost any situation. It is the only card in tcg that lets you bounce a creature from the field back to the top of your opponents deck. This sounds great and all, but it is extremely good actually. It not only provides you with a body, but also completely nullifies 1 turn of draw for your opponent. If they are in a top decking situation, it basicly cancels your opponents turn, while giving you a free body. It also works as a removal, and can remove any card. Since it bounces the card(s) to the top of the deck rather than the hand, it es extra good against evolution creatures. Corile is essentially a +2 card (kind of), as it provides a body, removes a creature from the field, and also stops you opponent from drawing a new card the next turn (since they have to draw the card that was bounced). Corile is amazing, requires no support, and can be used in any deck that runs blue and be great.

Number 2



Cranium Clamp
- Clamp is one of those cards that you just wish didn't exist. This card was a pretty clear number 2 to me. Very simple, a +1 card that discards 2 cards from your opponents hand. Discard is already too prominent in duel masters, and this is the true king of the discard cards. it doesnt help you on the field, but it completely cancels your opponents gameplans if used early on, and just provides such a huuuuge instant advantage for you. It destroys the gameplan of decks that rely on support, finishers, build-up etc. You always have to expect your opponent to have Clamp at all times when playing against black, so that you are prepared for the worst when choosing your plays. Cranium Clamp is just immensly broken, and kind of has a negative influence on the game. Very unbalanced and OP card.

Number 1



Bombazar Dragon of Destiny
- Yep..... just stating the obvious here. Never have i ever seen one card that has such an astronomical influence and grip on a card game. The card banned in OCG, and would have been banned in TCG as well if the game kept going. The card explains itself really. Very easy to use, very strong and provides the most unfair advantage of all duel masters cards. Soooo much can be done in two turns, and in the right deck you will pull the win most of the time when you play this guy. And the best thing is, there is nothing your opponent can do about it other than hoping to get lucky with shield triggers. Not gonna spend more time on this card now. Bombazar is extremely overpowered, has an enormous influence on the game, and makes every other deck that doesnt run it just simply fall short. Every deck you build, needs to have some sort of plan against a potential Bombazar Nuke, if you want the deck to be any sort of decent. The game would be way more balanced without this cards existence, but it exists and it will always be the by far best card in Duel Masters.

So that was the list! Remember the list is entirely my opinion, but i would really like to hear what you people think about it. Feel free to discuss, ask questions, or even post your own lists! If you disagree with something, let me know

1-2 Corile & Clamp

3-4 Sapian Tark & Mist Rias

5 Gonta

6 Jagila

7 Fort Megacluster

8 Soulswap

9 Techno Totem

10 Plague

Thanks god we all have different opinions

@Jynkkymasiina69 interesting list. Could you explain why you rate Mist Rias and Sapian Tark over cards like Bombazar, Soulswap, Holy Awe, Hulcus, Aqua Surfer? And Fort Megacluster?? I remember trying Megacluster out a few years ago, but i never found any good use for it. Very interested in hearing your arguments for these choices.
Sapian Tark and Jagila are good cards when they have their effects, but they also require you to use a dedicated Wave Striker deck. I have a Wave Striker deck, but despite being complete, it works well as a gimmick-deck at best. Sure some of the Wave Strikers are amazing when they get their effects, but their effects have pretty large requirements to even be effects, as well as forcing you to use a decktype that isn't in the higher tiers. That kinda limits the efficiency of the cards as a whole. But lets hear what you have to say!

Let me translate you the effect of bolbalzak:

When you put this creature in the battle zone, you lose all your dueling friends and change to get along with other duelists.

I'd rather cut my wiener off than praise this bad card.

Time to play lottery. Order package from Japan and you get this razorblade or Bolbalzak...

@Jynkkymasiina69 fair enough, forget Bombazar. But about those others things i asked about?

There are so many different judgement criterias and I think 10 spots isn't enough lol. The list is very good (I personally would shuffle some options around), I have some others that I think are quite good too, they are:

Miraculous Meltdown
Twin-cannon Skyterror
Bolmeteus Steel Dragon
Apocalypse vise
Locomotiver
Terror Pit
Pyrofighter Magnus
Cloned Nightmare
Hide and Seek
Petrova
Blizzard of Spears
Cryptic totem
Techno totem
Magmadragon Jagalzor
Wind Axe
Crystal Memory
Thrash Crawler
Crystal palain
Spiral Gate
Gonta
Tornado Flame
Bronze arm tribe
Searing Wave
Kooc Pollon
Rikabu's Screwdriver
Rikabu the dismantler

I think those are most of them, I left some out because I think they are more situational and less playable than the ones listed abvoe and on your list.

Your threads are always a joy to read.

I agree with you up to a point.

Wise Starnoid, Avatar of Hope: I do belive that this card is as good as it is only because of its supporters like Holy Awe, Emeral, Corile, Hulcus, Surfer... etc. Combined with them, it can be a really promising finisher, but while the other cards are played in many other different typed decks, this card is only really good in its own one. The same reason why Bolmeteus and Hydrooze wouldn't cut it for this list, either.

Tajimal, Vizier of Aqua: This is also a strong card that makes your light/water decks much more resistent against rush and some controll based fire dragons, but it's not the reason why you play those decks. The light/water cards are generally good and even without this card, they would still be good.
Notice that my reasoning is based on the fact that Bombazar is already banned.

And at last, here is my top 10 list:

10. Petrova
9. Soulswap
8. Rikabu's Screwdriver/Deadly Fighter Braid Claw (supreme rush tools)
7. Energy Stream
6. Corile
5. Holy Awe
4. Aqua Hulcus
3. Aqua Surfer
2. Terror Pit
1. Cranium Clamp
(0. Bombazar)



Of course, ranking these cards perfectly is nearly impossible

(0. Bombazar)
1. Corile
2. Soulswap
3. Aqua Hulcus
4. Cranium Clamp
5. Energy Stream
6. Terror Pit
7. Holy Awe
8. Aqua Surfer
9. Lost Soul
10. Apocalypse Vise

Most of these give either:
- instant card advantage without drawbacks; or
- a huge tempo swing that changes games (usually by virtue of being a trigger); or
- both (coughcorilecough).

Honorable mentions:

- Locomotiver: instant +1 and it's a trigger. Plus it discards at random instead of letting the opponent choose.

- Craze Valkyrie: this card does pretty much everything - defence/removal, offence, etc. Plus it can come out on turn 6 and has one of (if not the best) races in TCG.

- Terradragon Arque Delacerna: the only reason why Clamp isn't higher on my list. When every other Tier 1 deck in your meta runs 1 or 2 Arque, clamping early without an answer in hand is an instant GG barring triggers. This card is the main reason why my local metagame is no longer Clamp Masters and is reasonably diverse. In control matchups, it also mitigates "who hits Lost Soul first wins" to some extent.

- Bazagazeal: reusable kill, versatile enough to attack or defend, 8k is huge and kills Craze

- Bolmeteus: self-explanatory. But in a meta where Craze and tempo decks are rampant, the power of this card is somewhat reduced.

- Magris: one of the reasons why Craze is good, it floats, 3k power is hard to kill, etc. Hulcus is only ranked higher than this because it finds a place in more decks, and has less competition from other cards with the same cost (Locomotiver etc).




EDIT 06/06/2019: this list is extremely outdated and I'd probably have a very different top 10 now.

I would like to hear more about Singaporean meta game without Clamping around.

@ Zach Hartigan http://www.duelmasters.org/t200-tcg-meta-tier-list-singapore#1360

@diffindo i really like your list and your arguments. I agree with all the stuff you said, which would explain why our lists are so similiar. When it comes to Clamp i see your point, i just rated it higher as my meta is full of clamps, making it a pain in the ass for me
I should probably start teching Arque Delacerna in my decks as well.

@omswizard yeah like you said, all ratings like this will always be opinions rather than facts. It also depends on the meta you play in. I do actually agree with you about what you said about Starnoid. Very much like Hydrooze, it is fueled by the fact that it has awesome bait-cards to evolve upon, making the impact of the card a lot greater than the card in itself would do. Being able to evolve off cards like for example Corile is amazing. Hydrooze is actually a rather mediocre card in itself if you think about it (rather low power for an evo, no double breaker etc), but as it is a decent evo with such amazing bait cards, it just makes good decks. I never really thought of Starnoid that way, so you kind of opened my mind there
It is still a very very good card though, that will severely impact the game in almost any situation.

When it comes to Tajimal, i really cant describe how useful i find this card. You usually want a few blockers in most decks, and this card is cheap, very simple and straght forward to use, and can provide an insane advantage against some of the games biggest threats. There are also no risks at all about playing this card. I may be slightly blinded by my own meta, but i just cant get over how useful i find this card. To me it really is the definition of the "risk vs reward" quote

Zach Hartigan wrote:I would like to hear more about Singaporean meta game without Clamping around.

Promised. wrote:@ Zach Hartigan http://www.duelmasters.org/t200-tcg-meta-tier-list-singapore#1360

Yeah, this tier list pretty much sums it up, though personally I'd rank some of the decks slightly differently.

Basically most players in our meta run higher Locomotiver counts because (a) it's a trigger, which is good against aggro, and (b) it discards randomly, so it won't necessarily hit Arque.

Most control decks still run some copies of clamp though, because there are still decks that don't run Arque (eg rush). Against decks that do run Arque, however, players usually choose not to cast clamp on T4, because there are few early-game answers to it.

LordSommerhill wrote:@diffindo i really like your list and your arguments. I agree with all the stuff you said, which would explain why our lists are so similiar. When it comes to Clamp i see your point, i just rated it higher as my meta is full of clamps, making it a pain in the ass for me
I should probably start teching Arque Delacerna in my decks as well.

Yep, Arque should influence your meta quite a bit once you start running it!

My top 10 strongest cards list would be:

10. Aqua Surfer
9. Slash charger
8. Gonta
7. Bazagazeal Dragon
6. Craze Valkyrie
5. Wise Starnoid
4. Corile
3. Apocalypse Vise
2. Terror Pit
1. Cranium Clamp
(0. Bombazar )

I think its hard to make a top 10 list, because there are Cards like Wise Starnoid and Hydrooze with you can build strong decks, but the evo's themself arent that strong (still nice). On the other hand there are Cards with great effects for example Death Phoenix, which effect is sooooo strong, but the decks with him aren't that strong because the most baits are .....

@Halfar yeah i agree with you about cards like Starnoid and Hydrooze. They are very dependant on how you build the deck around them, and they do shine partly because of their awesome bait cards. I just put Starnoid on my list, cause i just feel like the card has sooooo much impact on a game when it comes out. It is even guaranteed to give you atleast 2 shields. I may be exaggerating, but it just impacts every game so greatly, and is actually very easy to spam, despite having a very specific summoning condition.

I very much agree with your list btw, but Slash Charger? What is the reason you rate this card that high? It sure is a good card, but im just curious to see your reasoning for giving it a place on your top 10 list.

LordSommerhill wrote:@Halfar yeah i agree with you about cards like Starnoid and Hydrooze. They are very dependant on how you build the deck around them, and they do shine partly because of their awesome bait cards. I just put Starnoid on my list, cause i just feel like the card has sooooo much impact on a game when it comes out. It is even guaranteed to give you atleast 2 shields. I may be exaggerating, but it just impacts every game so greatly, and is actually very easy to spam, despite having a very specific summoning condition.

I very much agree with your list btw, but Slash Charger? What is the reason you rate this card that high? It sure is a good card, but im just curious to see your reasoning for giving it a place on your top 10 list.

I think that Slash Charger can destroy the opponent before the game really starts, or at least make him struggle. For example Wise Starnoid or LW Aggro with Craze or Lancer. Its a Charger for 3 mana (!) + it can mill out a strong card + you can look at your opponents deck which can give you a lot of informations.

@Halfar Yeah its a Fairy Life with a good effect. My only problem with it, is that is doesnt impact the board in any way. Its effect can help you later on, but if you are up against an aggresive deck, or you are in a tough situation, it just wont do anything. This is just the impression i have though, and i havent really used it that much. Another issue is that there is a lot of competition from other 3-drops (Hulcus, Stream, Bronze Arm Tribe, blockers etc).

LordSommerhill wrote:@Halfar Yeah its a Fairy Life with a good effect. My only problem with it, is that is doesnt impact the board in any way. Its effect can help you later on, but if you are up against an aggresive deck, or you are in a tough situation, it just wont do anything. This is just the impression i have though, and i havent really used it that much. Another issue is that there is a lot of competition from other 3-drops (Hulcus, Stream, Bronze Arm Tribe, blockers etc).

Against aggresive decks okay you might not be playing slash (at least not so early) but against other control / avatar deck it is just sooo good. I would personally choose slash over BAT.

I find slash is strong enough on turn 5-6 or besides other cards on turn 7-8

Here's my list:
0. Bombazar
1. Cranium Clamp
2. Corile
3. Slash Charger
4. Soulswap
5. Plague
6. Mist Rias
7. Bazagazeal Dragon
8. Apocalypse Vise
9. Petrova
10. Gonta

Could you explain why slash charger made it on 3rd place on your list? Sure its good and in my top10 too but sooo good ?

It's great in controls (naturally) since it lets you see your opponents whole deck and thus all his possibilities. It also helps determine your opponent's shields since the deck is the biggest non-public section in the game. Plus it gives a certain untapped darkness mana.

Blockers + Discarding + Slash and you are set to disturb your opponents game the hard way. It's just not a very fun card and takes away the element of surprise for your opponent. This is most likely the reason why in OCG, only one card has this ability (Gigazanda) and it's an accelerator.

Surely its a great card and almost too strong for 3 mana spell but i think it isnt as good as for example baza or apoc (okay it depends on match up a bit).

@Halfar
Slash Charger is a very insidious card since the opponent might not even realize how big of an effect it had to the game. One can use it to eliminate Bazagazeal, Clamp etc. before your opponent is even able to use them. It really gives Transmogrify, Rebirth and Live and Breathe hard times of doing what they are meant to be doing.

Of course, against rush decks Slash Charger is pretty useless (although you still get 1 mana), but not very many great cards are.