Fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series would probably know that Ace Monsters are just as pivotal in determining a Yu-Gi-Oh! Protagonist’s personality as the actual plot of the series, and this is primarily due to how the main character’s fighting style also reflects their character. In the original Yu-Gi-Oh! series, Yugi Muto and the Dark Magician’s slow but steady tactical approach is the perfect foil to the brutally-aggressive Seto Kaiba and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. This may also explain why much of Yu-Gi-Oh! gameplay relies on players building specialized decks around specific types of Monsters, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel makes Ace Monsters a pivotal part of its deathmatch mechanics.
At its core, Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel shines apart from its contemporaries as it takes on a more straightforward experience versus the complete conversion that is Master Duel and the faster Duel Links. In fact, Cross Duel emphasizes the need for Ace Monsters, with these beasts taking the forefront in dictating any deck’s playstyle. With players getting a free Ace Monster among 14 presented to them, just which are worth getting?
Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon
With Yuya Sakaki introducing Pendulum Summons in Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, fans are treated to the spectacle of multiple summons in a turn. Key to Yuya’s own deck is Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, essentially the poster-child of the mechanic. In the TCG, Odd-Eyes doubles the battle damage this card inflicts to the opponent’s LP, making this a deadly asset in the right combo.
Its variant in Cross Duel generally has a similar effect, this time boosting the potential of all Monsters in the field. When Pendulum Summoned in the Yu-Gi-Oh! game, not only do all monsters gain 800 ATK/DEF, they also become immune to destruction effects. While this technically transforms Odd-Eyes into a force to reckon with, the limited number of Pendulum Monsters that exist in the game leave much to be desired. Until the game gets more numbers of Pendulum Monster at lower rarities, building a deck around Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon can be tough for newcomers.
Firewall Dragon
Playmaker’s Ace Monster Firewall Dragon serves as the main Monster associated with the Link Summon mechanic, where this time creatures bearing particular Link Arrows can affect one another based on special effects. In the case of Firewall Dragon in the TCG, the card practically lets players get cards from the field or GY back into their hand, or Special Summon Monsters whenever Monsters linked to Firewall Dragon are destroyed.
Meanwhile, the Cross Duel variant grants Firewall Dragon with various buffs based on the number of Link Monsters or those with Link Arrow in the field and GY. With potential effects such as position change immunity, Superspeed (faster movement in the board), or card-return effects, Firewall Dragon can become a game-changer. The thing is, Link Monsters are rather expensive to acquire in the early game, making this not-so-ideal for newcomers.
Elemental HERO Neos
Serving as the Ace Monster of Jaden Yuki in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Elemental HERO Neos is the epitome of the Elemental HERO deck, where Jaden can combine it with almost any other Elemental HERO to summon a Fusion Monster with abilities fit for any situation. The functionality of Neos in Cross Duel is similar to its original counterpart, albeit more straightforward.
At its core, a destroyed Neos trigger its Master Skill to return to the hand and be Summoned with less tribute at the cost of 1000 ATK/DEF (Speedy Summon), ensuring players aren’t left defenseless. With more Skill Slots open, this Neos can gain buffs that allow it to bypass enemy defenses much faster, transforming it into a juggernaut. Thing is, players need much practice synergizing Neos with their deck builds for it to be optimal.
Bloom Diva The Melodious Choir
Similar to its owner, Zuzu Boyle of Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir seems rather soft at first until one mistake will have everyone see its potential for raging aggression. In the TCG, Bloom Diva is not only practically indestructible, players also don’t get battle damage involving this card. Not to mention, battling any Special Summoned Monster will destroy that Monster and inflict LP Damage equal to the ATK difference between these two (2) cards.
That savageness gets extended towards Cross Duel, where this Yu-Gi-Oh! card now plays a defensive role. When summoned, any effect that helps players gain LP will also grant this same number as additional DEF to all Monsters. Bloom Diva’s user also gets an additional 100 LP in the process. This allows Bloom Diva to be at the core of defensive decks. Sadly, the steep requirements of using Fairy-Type Monsters can discourage this as an Ace Monster for beginners, especially since four (4) Fairy-Types in the game are immediately Super Rare and therefore tougher to acquire.
Stardust Dragon
Yusei Fudo, the protagonist of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, can always count on Stardust Dragon to turn the tide whenever he faces a difficult situation. And in tandem with Stardust Dragon’s original TCG effect of a GY-Summon mechanic is a Cross Duel version that secures safety in numbers. Stardust Dragon’s main gimmick in the mobile game involves granting all Level 3 or lower Monsters with immunity to destruction effects as well as Reincarnation, practically allowing them to respawn in the field as soon as they get destroyed.
This is where it gets tricky, as these perks for Level 3 Monsters only work when Stardust is on the field. To accomplish this, players first need to tribute two (2) Monsters with Levels that add up to Level 8. While this ensures players can find the convenience of absolute defense in spammable Level 3 Monsters, securing the Level 8 requirement can be a tough puzzle to crack in terms of deck optimization.
Ojama King
It can come as a shock for players for a prideful individual like Chazz Princeton to have an Ace Monster in the form of the rather odd-looking Ojama King. But just like how Chazz’s outward pride hides an intensely-passionate duelist, the worth of Ojama King as a Yu-Gi-Oh! card is within its effect. When Summoned, Ojama King’s Master Skill locks a chosen opponent out of Summoning in any of their Monster Zones until the end of the next turn.
Theoretically, this single move can wipe out an opponent when used at the opportune moment. However, the steep requirement of having to tribute three (3) Level 3 or lower Monsters to summon Ojama King with this effect can be absolutely daunting for a newcomer.
Number 17: Leviathan Dragon
Contrary to the energetic Yuma Tsukumo is the calm Reginald Kastille, who always waits at the opportune moment to strike. Such is also the case of his Number 17: Leviathan Dragon, which in the original TCG can gain 500 ATK whenever players detach a Material. This offense-leaning focus is reflected in the Leviathan Dragon’s Cross Duel equivalent, which in this case now grants Focus to all Monsters on the field.
While in effect, Focus constantly buffs affected Monsters with 200 ATK/DEF every Battle Phase, with Leviathan Dragon enjoying an additional 100 ATK/DEF. Although this makes Leviathan Dragon quite the daunting foe, its requirement of two (2) Level 3 Monsters can lead to players making a rather weaker-than-usual deck.
Trickstar Holly Angel
Skye Zaizen’s reliance on the Trickstar Archetype isn’t just for thematic purposes, as the Archetype can become extremely debilitating to opponents when properly used, especially with Trickstar Holly Angel. In the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, this card deals 200 LP Damage to opponents whenever Trickstar Monsters get Summoned to specific locations, and these Monsters can’t be destroyed. If a Trickstar Monster’s effect damages the opponent’s LP, Holly Angel gets an ATK buff equal to that damage, and a lot of Trickstar cards do just that.
To simplify these mechanics, the Cross Duel version of Trickstar Holly Angel works around the Snipe mechanic that also deals direct damage to foes. When Holly Angel accompanies Monsters with Snipe on the field, they deal 100 LP more damage to opponents. This is an extremely potent buff, seeing as Snipe already deals 200 LP damage on the get-go. While there are more straightforward strategies than Sniping, newcomers willing to grind may be able to find just enough Snipe Monsters to build a deck around Holly Angel.
Sevens Road Magician
It’s around 2020 that Yu-Gi-Oh! came up with the Rush Duels format to make the game more accessible to newcomers, and Yuga Ohdo and his Sevens Road Magician became representatives of that new mechanic in Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS. In the TCG, Sevens Road Magician gains 300 ATK for each Monster of different Attributes in the GY, making it a rather deadly foe to face with the right components, but can be lackluster with not enough cards.
Its Cross Duel variant applies this same randomization mechanic with the Inventor Skill, which gives the Sevens Road Magician different Skills whenever activated. In the mobile game, Sevens Road Magician gets 400 ATK/DEF whenever its fellow Monsters activate the Inventor Skill. And if this effects is activated for more than three (3) times, Sevens Road Magician also gains two (2) new Immunity Skills. Players who like a late-game performer can rely on Sevens Road Magician to give them more exciting plays, but this isn’t worth the risk for players who hate gambling on ATK performance.
Dark Magician
Yami Yugi’s Ace Monster is all about gaining the tactical advantage in combat through careful spellcasting, and this is exactly the playstyle Dark Magician follows in the Yu-Gi-Oh! game. Key to its strategy is its Master Skill that deals 300 damage to each opponent whenever its user casts a Spell Card, as well as Skills like ATK-buffing Wizardry.
Thing is, the rather fast-paced nature of the game can easily transform a Dark Magician-centric deck into a challenging one. Players need to synergize Dark Magician with efficient Spells but still have just enough Monsters to ensure they’re not vulnerable. Given how lower-tier a lot of the free Spell Cards are, a Dark Magician deck isn’t a good starting choice for most players.
Number 39: Utopia
In the core Yu-Gi-Oh! card game, Number 39: Utopia is unique in that it can quite literally stop Monsters from attacking, so long as it can remove a Summoning Material to negate said attacks. The version of Number 39: Utopia in Cross Duel is rather similar, in that it’s also built to counter foes that love going on the offensive. After defeating an opponent’s Monster in battle, Utopia gains stacks of ATK Debuff and ATK Supplement, essentially boosting his ATK while weakening the ATK of Attack Position Monsters he is attacking.
This in itself transforms Utopia into an offensive-leaning Yu-Gi-Oh! dragon deck that can stomp other Monsters despite its Level 4 status. Not only that, using Trap Cards like Battle Mania to force Defense Position Monsters into Attack Position during combat ensures Utopia penetrates through any defense. And while his requirements need players to tribute two (2) Level 4 Monsters, being a Level 4 Monster himself means Number 39: Utopia could be built into a deck of Level 4 Monsters extremely easily.
Red Dragon Archfiend
Adopting the straightforward combat style of Seto Kaiba would be Jack Atlas, Yusei Fudo’s rival in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds. Whereas Seto relies on absolute power, Jack relies on absolute destruction - something his Red Dragon Archfiend exemplifies. Its main effect in the TCG is something shared by its Cross Duel counterpart, one where all Defense Position Monsters are destroyed after the Battle Phase.
This transforms Red Dragon Archfiend into quite a deadly force to reckon with, as not only does it have a remarkable slate of ATK/DEF but an effect that even discourages enemies from defending. While it shares a Level 8 sum requirement for its tribute, Red Dragon Archfiend is a far more useful starting Ace Monster considering players can pursue a deck filled with Level 4 Monsters to accommodate the requirements.
Multistrike Dragon Dragias
With an aim to become the King of Duels in Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS, determined Lucidien Kallister becomes the perfect friendly rival to protagonist Yuga Ohda. And unlike Yuga’s strategic Sevens Road Magician, Lucidien’s Multistrike Dragon Dragias is an unrelenting juggernaut when it gains momentum. At its core, TCG mechanics allow Dragias to make a second attack provided it destroyed a Monster in the Battle phase, and the player sent the deck’s top card to the graveyard.
Multistrike Dragon Dragias has a similar function in Cross Duel, where all Monsters on the player’s side gain an Extra Attack. Not only that, Monsters that have two (2) or more Extra Attack get Pierce, allowing them to damage foes directly even when they’ve attacked a Defense Position Monster. This extremely aggressive playstyle works with most players, and the Extra Attack option is especially appealing to players who want fast and loose gameplay.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon
Seto Kaiba never settles for mediocrity, and he always makes his intentions known. It’s this straightforwardness that makes him the perfect rival for Yugi in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series, and what makes Blue-Eyes White Dragon the most ideal Ace Monster for starters. At its core, its Master Skill can let the Blue-Eyes destroy any Monster on the field as long as it doesn’t have anti-destructive effects.
This rather straightforward ability is something that players can synergize with almost any other card. It’s this freedom in player choice and experimentation without costing too much in terms of card effects transforms the Blue-Eyes into the best beginner Ace Monster. Of course, players do need to anticipate Blue-Eyes as an Ace Monster other opponents would use, so customizing one’s deck is paramount to secure the advantage.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel was released last September 6, 2022 for iOS and Android.