If you’ve watched the show then you’d immediately recognize this monster. But if you want to make a Summoned Skull deck? I wouldn’t recommend it. The game has evolved to a point where monsters like Summoned Skull simply can’t keep up. But fear not, as Fiends are better than ever! And I’ll be showing you just how powerful they can be with this ranking of some truly fearsome fiend-type cards.
15. Kuribandit
Kuribandit isn’t just here because it’s Kuriboh with a bandana (although that’s a good bonus!) Kuribandit offers great utility to Spell/Trap heavy decks, allowing you to get to your key cards faster. You can tribute Kuribandit to excavate the top 5 cards of your deck. If you excavated a Spell/Trap then you can add it to your hand, and the rest of the cards go to the Graveyard. Many decks have incredible Graveyard effects. So although it’s not 100% reliable, you can end up with some useful cards right where you want them for later.
14. Tragoedia
Aside from looking absolutely terrifying, Tragoedia’s effect can be pretty terrifying too. When you take battle damage, you can special summon this Level 10 fiend from your hand. Tragoedia also gains 600 ATK/DEF for every card in your hand, so can pack a real punch. Or you can also discard a monster, and if its level matches one of your opponent’s monsters, you can take control of it. I did say it was a terrifying effect! For as powerful as Trageodia is, it sits lower on this list because you need to get hit to use it. And with a lot of competitive decks, that one hit is all they need.
13. Danger! Chupacabra!
Any card that lets you put a monster on the field for free (or lets you draw more cards) is incredibly strong. Danger! Chupacabra! lets you do both! To use this card’s effect, you reveal it to your opponent and they get to choose a random card in your hand. If they miss Danger! Chupacabra! you get to special summon it, and you get to draw another card. While not as intimidating as some other monsters on this list, Danger! Chupacabra! can be a vital stepping stone to bringing out your boss monster. And a free draw is always a bonus!
12. Tour Guide From The Underworld
One great thing about Yu-Gi-Oh! is even though strong cards are always being brought into the game, older cards still see play. At almost a decade old, Tour Guide From The Underworld is proof of that. When Tour Guide From The Underworld is normal summoned, you can special summon a LVL 3 Fiend monster from either your hand or deck – but its effects are negated and it cannot be used as Synchro material. Fortunately, the card doesn’t say anything about XYZ or Link material. Meaning you just gave yourself an easy couple of monsters to use as building blocks for your boss monsters.
11. Evilswarm Exciton Knight
Monsters with destruction effects are great, as they offer ways to disrupt your opponent outside of the battle phase. But sometimes, destroying one card just isn’t enough. And that’s where this monster comes in. If your opponent has more cards on the field and in their hand than you, Evilswarm Exciton Knight can wipe the field completely! Every card gets destroyed, with only this one remaining. Your opponent can’t take any more damage the turn you activate the effect. But that’s a small price to pay for forcing them to start from scratch.
10. Number 41: Bagooska The Terribly Tired Tapir
Don’t let this cute little fiend fool you. Bagooska is a menace! Number 41: Bagooska The Terribly Tired Tapir (yes, that’s really what it’s called) is easy to summon. And is great if you need to buy some time. If Bagooska is in face-up defense position, every other card on the field has to do the same. And that’s not all. This card also cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects, meaning if you declare an attack, it’s going to hit! There is one drawback, though. Every turn you have to remove one material from this card, and when there’s no material left, Bagooska gets destroyed.
9. Battle Fader
Card effects that you can activate from your hand on your opponent’s turn are so strong that they can be borderline unfair. These effects give your opponent zero counterplay. So with that in mind, make sure you use them every chance you get! During your opponent’s battle phase, you can special summon Battle Fader. And in doing so, you end the battle phase immediately. Ending a battle phase that’s about to go the wrong way is strong on its own. But now you have a free monster you can use as material. Not bad, considering you just robbed your opponent of their attack.
8. Dark Necrofear
Few things in Yu-Gi-Oh! are more satisfying than having your opponent summon their boss monster, only for you to take it and use it against them. Dark Necrofear does exactly that…. but in the most, dare I say, ‘fiendish’ way possible! Dark Necrofear is easy to summon. And it’s got respectable ATK/DEF. But the real kicker is if this card gets destroyed, you can equip it to one of your opponent’s monsters – which you then take control of. Just summoning this card can put your opponent in a really bad situation. Because eventually, they’ll have to deal with it. If your opponent has a big monster on the field you can even crash Dark Necrofear into it, destroying itself, and taking your opponent’s monster that way.
7. Radian, The Multidimensional Kaiju
Some of the scariest monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh! are immune to targeting, card effects, and sometimes can’t even be destroyed by battle. There can’t possibly be a one-stop solution to all these problems… can there? You can use one of your opponent’s monsters to tribute summon Radian, The Multidimensional Kaiju to their side of the field. The key is in the wording, because ‘tributing’ is not targeting or destroying. Seriously, Radian can get over almost any monster in the game! The only downside is now your opponent has a monster with 2800ATK. So you’ll need some follow up to take it out.
6. Lava Golem
If you liked Radian’s effect, how would you like to see a monster that can do that twice? Lava Golem is an incredibly dangerous card. You can tribute 2 of your opponent’s monsters away with this thing, and if your opponent doesn’t get rid of it, they take 1000 damage per turn. Lava Golem is a card you need to respect, though. Since you’ve just given your opponent a monster with 3000ATK. And you cannot normal summon on the same turn either. But what fun is a duel without a little risk?
5. Knightmare Unicorn
We all know that monsters you can’t destroy by battle/card effects are strong. But if your opponent summons one, you can fight back with a fiend card that has been in multiple competitive decks since its release. Knightmare Unicorn has a powerful effect that lets you return a card to the deck. The wording is important here, as “returning” a card to the deck is not the same as destroying it. Many competitive decks have effects that activate when a card ends up in the graveyard. But Knightmare Unicorn avoids those too! As if that wasn’t enough already, there’s even more. If this card is co-linked, you can draw a card! So for your opponent, Knightmare is a pretty appropriate name, don’t you think?
4. Vanity’s Fiend
In Yu-Gi-Oh! it’s often cards with the least amount of text that are the strongest. This nasty monster here is a perfect example of that. When Vanity’s Fiend is on the field, neither player can special summon. It’s that simple. Many of the strongest decks rely on multiple special summons. So taking that away can just stop your opponent from being able to play, full stop. Vanity’s Fiend is no slouch in battle either, with a respectable 2400ATK.
3. Invoked Purgatrio
‘Invoked’ cards see play in a ton of competitive decks, usually using their opponent’s monsters and Super Polymerization to bring out powerful fusion monsters. Invoked Purgatrio is one of those, and is a threat that anyone with a fire deck should be wary of. Invoked Purgatrio gains 200 ATK for every card your opponent controls. And on top of its base 2300ATK it’s no slouch, to say the least! We’re just getting started though. This card can also attack as many monsters in the same turn as you want, and its piercing damage means even defense position monsters can’t protect your opponent’s life points. Just beware that as you’re destroying monsters, Invoked Purgatrio loses attack points. So make sure you pick your targets carefully.
2. Unchained Abomination
There are some monsters with effects so strong that you need to read the card more than once just to make sure you got it right. This brutal Link 4 Fiend monster is one of those cards. Unchained Abomination is an absolute powerhouse with 3000ATK. But its incredible destruction effects are the real stars of the show. If any card is destroyed, you can destroy another card. If a monster is destroyed in battle, destroy another card. Oh, it’s your end phase? Go on, destroy one more! You get 3 flavors of targeted destruction per turn. And if your opponent can’t retaliate fast, they aren’t going to have any cards left to hide behind.
1. Gren Maju Da Eiza
In competitive Yu-Gi-Oh, decks are named by their Type/Archetype. For example, Dragon Link or Salamangreat decks. But this card is so strong that its deck is simply called Gren Maju. This humble 3-star monster gains ATK/DEF for each of your banished cards. This may not sound like much. But when cards like Pot Of Desires banish 10 cards in one go, all of a sudden Gren Maju Da Eiza is sitting pretty with 4000+ ATK/DEF. A lot of decks crumble if their key cards get banished. But this card uses the banished zone like few others can. So this card gets the number one spot on this list because if it’s supported by the appropriate deck, Gren Maju can easily have over 8000 ATK/DEF in a single turn. And in many cases (with some luck) it can even win a duel on your first turn!
