First introduced in Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Pendulum Summoning in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel and the overall Yu-Gi-Oh! meta allows players to summon a lot of Monsters simultaneously provided they first set their Pendulum Scales to match an appropriate range of levels. With Pendulum Monsters also having Pendulum Scales, they serve as the best way of facilitating Pendulum Summoning in Yu-Gi-Oh!, albeit with a few reservations.
With Pendulum Monsters boasting both a potential Monster Effect and an equivalent Pendulum Zone effect, they make for some of the most flexible cards in the game. At first glance, this does make Pendulum Monsters a bit confusing to use. However, at the hands of the right player, some underappreciated Pendulum Monster Cards may be able to turn the tide in a rather losing Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel match, giving players the leverage they need to win the match.
10 Chronograph Sorcerer
- Rarity: Super Rare
- Card Pack: Counterswing Mages
An integral strategy in the Yu-Gi-Oh! meta is allowing some cards to be able to facilitate a boss-summoning combo, and the Chronograph Sorcerer is such a card. At its core, Chronograph Sorcerer in the Pendulum Zone may be tributed to replace it with a Timegazer Magician, either in the Pendulum Zone or Special Summoned on the field.
However, where the Chronograph Sorcerer shines is when it acts as a Pendulum Monster, which easily makes it a rather potent Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster to deal with. From the hand, players can Special Summon this card and another Monster when a player’s Monster is destroyed by any means. Not only that, players can banish Chronograph Sorcerer alongside any four (4) Monsters from the hand, field, or GY (one each of “Pendulum-,” “Xyz-,” “Synchro-,” and “Fusion Dragon”) to summon Supreme King Z-ARC, arguably one of the most ridiculously-powerful Extra Deck Monsters in the game.
9 Dark Doriado
- Rarity: Rare
- Card Pack: Spiritual Mastery
Built specifically for multi-Attribute decks in Yu-Gi-Oh! meta, Dark Doriado is a decent Pendulum Monster to have, especially for vastly customized toolkits. Aside from boasting a decent 1800 ATK and 1400 DEF that is strong for a 4-star Monster, its effects are built precisely to complement experimental decks with strange Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.
Regardless of Dark Doriado’s summoning nature, players using Dark Doriado as a regular Monster can choose four (4) Monsters from the deck that are of the EARTH, FIRE, WATER, and WIND Attributes and put them on top of the deck in any order. When used in the Pendulum Scale, Monsters of the aforementioned Attributes get +200 ATK/DEF for every different-Attribute Monster players control - potentially giving all Monsters up to +800 ATK/DEF. While arguably eccentric, casual decks and experimental builds may appreciate a Doriado in their arsenal.
8 Archfiend Eccentrick
- Rarity: Super Rare
- Card Pack: Master Pack
Considering how a lot of powerful Pendulum Summons are often reaching Level 7 in the Pendulum Scale, a card like Archfiend Eccentrick is a nifty Pendulum Monster to have for its dual effects. At its core, Archfiend Eccentrick used both in the Pendulum Scale and as a Pendulum Monster acts as a decent negator - a much-needed effect in Yu-Gi-Oh! meta.
Depending on its position, Archfiend Eccentrick can be tributed to achieve any one effect, once per turn. When tributed as a Monster, it can destroy any one (1) Monster on the field as well. Likewise, tributing this from the Pendulum Scale will allow this to destroy any one Spell Card or Trap Card. Considering how there are a lot of GY-based Special Summons, players can very well spam Archfiend Eccentrick’s destructive capabilities. Moreover, players can easily Pendulum Summon decent Level 7 Monsters before tributing Eccentrick to achieve the same effect.
7 Vector Pendulum, The Dracoverlord
- Rarity: Super Rare
- Card Pack: Legacy Pack
One of the largest impacts of Pendulum Summoning in Yu-Gi-Oh! is how Pendulum Monsters may be used as regular Monsters or placed in Pendulum Zones, with some Monsters having effects exclusive to each Zone. It’s thanks to Vector Pendulum, the Dracoverlord that players have a fighting chance against such an occurrence.
When put in the Pendulum Zone, Vector Pendulum is a Scale 3 on the Pendulum Scale on both sides. Not only that, its Pendulum Effect will negate all effects of cards in the player’s Pendulum Zone, potentially debilitating their strategy. Granted, Vector Pendulum works specifically against Pendulum decks, but considering the ease of access Pendulum decks have, it’s likely that players may face off against Pendulum Monsters after some matches.
6 Performapal Silver Claw
- Rarity: Rare
- Card Pack: Captivating Curtain Call
Serving as the primary deck archetype of Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V protagonist Yuya Sakaki, the “Performapal” archetype is reminiscent of performers on top of being an accessible entry point into Pendulum Summoning. In turn, a lot of its Pendulum Monsters are extremely easy to use, making Performapal Silver Claw one of the more straightforward attackers of the bunch.
Not only that, but instead of having a different effect as a Pendulum Monster and as a card in the Pendulum Zone, Silver Claw has the same impact in the game. At its core, all “Performapal” Monsters in the player’s control now get 300 ATK. It’s just that, when Silver Claw stays as a Pendulum Monster, the ATK boost only happens during the Battle Phase when it declares an attack. Meanwhile, the effect stays on as long as the Silver Claw remains a Pendulum Zone card.
5 Performapal Trump Witch
- Rarity: Common
- Card Pack: Captivating Curtain Call
One of the best impacts of the Pendulum Summon mechanic in Yu-Gi-Oh! is its flexibility, and this is precisely what the “Performapal” archetype does. This time around, Performapal Trump Witch focuses on facilitating Fusions, practically capable of replacing Polymerization as long as it’s on the field - perfect for Fusion-reliant decks like Jaden Yuki’s HERO deck or Kaiba’s Dragon-type Fusion deck.
When used as a Pendulum Monster, Trump Witch can be tributed to add Polymerization from the GY or the deck to the hand. However, where it shines is when it’s used as a Pendulum Zone creature, as this transforms Trump Witch into a perpetual Polymerization, with players only needing to control Fusion Materials to summon from the Extra Deck once per turn.
4 Performapal Five-Rainbow Magician
- Rarity: Super Rare
- Card Pack: Legacy Pack
Sometimes, one of the best strategies to fight an opponent in Yu-Gi-Oh! matches is through halting their advance. And aside from having negates and strong defensive monsters, Performapal Five-Rainbow Magician proves that restrictions might be the key to ruining an opponent’s approach. At its core, having Five-Rainbow Magician in the GY while a player sets a Spell or Trap outside the Damage Step will allow players to put this in the Pendulum Zone.
This is where Five-Rainbow Magician unleashes its full wrath. Now, its user cannot Pendulum Summon except from the Extra Deck, with this effect not being negatable. Meanwhile, players are now subjected to two (2) effects depending on how many Set cards are in their Spell & Trap Zones. If they have three (3) or fewer, Monsters cannot attack nor activate effects. Meanwhile, four (4) or above will have all Monsters get double their original ATK. This forces enemies to not use their Spells or else risk not being able to attack or use card effects anyway.
3 Black Fang Magician
- Rarity: Super Rare
- Card Pack: Counterswing Mages
There are rare opportunities where a card effect can target its original caster, and it’s often to facilitate a nifty rotation to unleash an annoying effect. Such is the case of Black Fang Magician, a strictly Scale 8 Pendulum Monster that is easily Normal Summoned via its 4-star nature. When treated as a Pendulum Monster, Black Fang Magician triggers its effect once destroyed by any means necessary, wherein players can target any one (1) DARK Spellcaster-type in their GY and Special Summon it.
If players are thinking that the wording doesn’t exclude Black Fang Magician, they’re correct. That’s because Black Fang Magician has a rather nifty Pendulum Zone effect too, wherein tributing this card allows it to halve the ATK of an opponent’s Monster for that turn. Just imagine being able to sacrifice Black Fang Magician to lower the ATK of the opponent’s ace, only to have Black Fang Magician return yet again to do the same thing to another Monster.
2 Abyss Actor - Curtain Raiser
- Rarity: Rare
- Card Pack: The Darkness Amuses
One of the most dangerous situations a Yu-Gi-Oh! player might face in a match is having no Monsters on the field, leaving them extremely vulnerable unless they have a balanced Yu-Gi-Oh! deck. Thankfully, Abyss Actor - Curtain Raiser can help with exactly that. When placed in the Pendulum Zone, Curtain Raiser can be Special Summoned into the Monster Zone when players control no monsters.
If done this way, Curtain Raiser gets +1100 ATK, giving it a total of 1100 ATK. Not only that, once per turn, players can send an “Abyss Script” Spell from their deck to the GY to add a face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum Monster from the Extra Deck to the hand. This allows Curtain Raiser to even the odds on the player’s side by giving them more options for summonable creatures.
1 Guiding Ariadne
- Rarity: Rare
- Card Pack: Guardians Of The Sacred Sky
Counter Trap Cards remain a staple card type in the Yu-Gi-Oh! meta for their ridiculous speed and potential to debilitate an opponent’s strategy, which is why they almost always cost Life Points or some cards to be used. It’s thanks to cards like Guiding Ariadne that such a cost might be circumvented, but with a few caveats.
For instance, Guiding Ariadne as a Pendulum Zone Spell will now have players ignore discard costs or LP costs of activating Counter Traps. Meanwhile, destroying this card while it’s in the Pendulum Monster Zone can have players look for three (3) Counter Traps from the deck, have the opponent choose one (1) to send to the player’s hand, and shuffle the rest into the deck. For a card type as deadly as a Counter Trap, Guiding Ariadne practically giving players a guaranteed Counter Trap may be worth the cost of the enemy knowing that the player has one ready to be used.
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