JoenenDespite being a series icon, Yugi's favorite monster and most loyal servant has been waiting quite some time to finally have a deck to call home. Thanks to the recent release of Legendary Duelists: Magical Hero however, that wait is over! In this guide, I'll be breaking down new and old Dark Magician support to hopefully give you a good idea of how to play with theUltimate Wizardand hislovely assistant.
I'll be blunt though. If I haven't mentioned an older support/boss card by the end of this article, it's generally because there's not much reward in using it. When you've been around for 20 years, you're bound to have trouble staying relevant. The deck can still support most of your old favorites if you really want to, but manage your expectations. Also, to address theDragunin the room, I'll wait for his debut in the TCG before writing much about him. That said, you should be able to picture for yourself how well he fits in here by the end of this article. Without further ado, let's get into it!
[caption id="attachment_52161" align="aligncenter" width="354"]Dark Magician - The Ultimate Wizard in terms of attack and defense.
First, let's recap our main combos that we'll be building off of.Eternal SoulandDark Magical Circleare the main core of the deck. You summonDark Magicianrepeatedly, and banish cards as you do so.Magician's Rodis our Normal Summon that fishes for any Spell/Trap that includes the name "Dark Magician" in its text, and it has a recursion effect you can use every time you activate the Soul-Circle combo, (or any Spell/Trap) by offering a Spellcaster you control in exchange.Apprentice Illusion Magician
It may seem excessive but most cards in the deck can't be played without a Dark Magician within reach, so don't sleep on these. Likewise withEternal Soul
[caption id="attachment_52164" align="aligncenter" width="361"]"Pharaoh, my soul shall be your eternal servant."[/caption]
Alternatively, you can useThe Eye of Timaeus
Another boss monster that could be called a "win condition" isMagician of Chaos.Magician of Chaosessentially brings his ownDark Magical Circleto the fight, while also being aDark Magicianon the field and in the grave. Once you Ritual Summon him, yourEternal Soulplays suddenly become a lot more threatening, cause you aren't just bringing back a normal monster every time anymore. Unlike Circle, he exchanges the ability to banish for the ability to directly chain to any Spell/Trap effect and destroy a card. If your Circle is taken out or you just haven't seen it yet, a
[caption id="attachment_52167" align="aligncenter" width="349"]"Believe in the Heart of the Cards"[/caption]
Finally, that brings us to the latest wave of support from Magical Hero, and I can't express how happy I am that it's here. I'm sure everyone is well acquainted withMagicians' Soulsby now, but its hard to overstate how useful it is to have a card that can summonDark Magician, on your own turn, which you can now search for. The searchable cards we had to summonDark Magicianwith, were Trap Cards, or cards likeMagician's RobeandDark Magic Curtain, which slowed the speed of the deck by quite a bit. Now you can actually useMagicians' Soulsto playDark Magician
It doesn't stop there though. An arguably more important new support card isSoul Servant. In addition to being the first card to seek anyDark Magician
[caption id="attachment_52166" align="aligncenter" width="347"]"Here I go, Marik! Dark Magicians' Joint Attack! Dark Burning Magic!"[/caption]
This is where our new fusion,The Dark Magicians
You can summonThe Dark Magicianswith our new hybrid Fusion-Ritual (Quick-Play) Spell,Secrets of Dark Magic, fusing aDark Magicianwith any Spellcaster.
[caption id="attachment_52168" align="aligncenter" width="350"]
Finally, this brings us toMagician Combination, and the thing I appreciate most about this latest wave of support, and I hope you will as well. It all gets back to the core appeal of usingDark MagicianwithDark Magician Girlto control an opponent's plays. You aren't really penalized if you don't useDark Magician Girl, but there's sufficient reward if you do. IncludingDark Magician Girlin your deck, means thatThe Dark Magicians
I encourage you to try using her at least once for some nice nostalgia, especially now thatBond Between Teacher and Studentexists, letting you more actively summonDark Magician Girlfor some unexpectedburst damageand/orfield clearing. One new trick you can do is stackDark Burning Magicwhen your opponent targets
Here's a sample decklist you can use to start with. I've added a few "flex and/or fun" options for you to consider, but feel free to adjust to your tastes (...or what you're prepared to pay for).
[caption id="attachment_52169" align="alignright" width="150"]"From the darkest depths of chaos, show yourself!"[/caption]
15 Monsters
3x
3xMagicians' Souls
3xMagician's Rod
1-3xApprentice Illusion Magician
1xMagician of Dark Illusion 1xDark Magician Girl
0-1xPalladium Oracle Mahad
18-19 Spells
[caption id="attachment_52172" align="alignright" width="150"]"My honorable sacrifice, become the wind of this ritual!"[/caption]
3x
3xSoul Servant 2xSecrets of Dark Magic 2xDark Magic Veil 2xThe Eye of Timaeus 1xDark Magic Inheritance 1xIllusion Magic 1x
1xDark Burning Magic
1xUpstart Goblin 0-1x Chaos Form
6-7 Traps
3xEternal Soul
2-3xMagician Navigation
1xMagician Combination
[caption id="attachment_52120" align="alignright" width="150"]Arise, Timaeus! Now I combine my dragon with my Dark Magician![/caption]
2The Dark Magicians
1Dark Magician the Dragon Knight
1Dark Paladin
1Dark Cavalry
1Black Luster Soldier - Soldier of Chaos
1Knightmare Unicorn
1Knightmare Phoenix
1Barricadeborg Blocker 1
1Linkuriboh
1Imduk, the World Chalice Dragon
1Link Spider
Many of these 1-of cards might be difficult to use if you open with them, but they're here if you want to live a little and enjoy life. They're also convenient placeholders for more "normal and/or meta" tech choices, like whatever "hand trap(s)" you prefer. I do at least recommend aDark Magic Attackin your back pocket since
[caption id="attachment_52177" align="aligncenter" width="348"]"My ancient name has been revealed...I am King Atem!"[/caption]
For more "normal" inclusions, we have
For more cards not listed here, and if you're feeling extra adventurous, you can try increasing the amount of cards you can draw withSoul Servantby fitting in aPalladium Oracle Mahad
[caption id="attachment_52176" align="aligncenter" width="350"]"The souls of light and darkness intertwine, opening the gateway to chaos!"[/caption]
Lastly we have the Extra Deck. You will mostly being reaching in here forDark Magician the Dragon KnightandThe Dark Magicians, but you'll also want to link summon here and there, especially if you need to get yourDark Magicianback into the graveyard to keep up the pressure of your Soul-Circle combo.Link Spideris perfect for this, but
Since Dark Magician has a wide variety of monsters he can fuse with,Super Polymerizationcan put in some serious work in dismantling your opponent's field. The Dragon Knights take any Dragon,Dark Cavalrytakes a Warrior,The Dark Magiciansof course with a Spellcaster, and everyone's favoriteStarving Venom Fusion Dragonis an option too.The Eye of Timaeuscan bring out more than just Dragon Knights!Dark Paladinremains a solid defense against decks that rely on spells, and you could opt for summoning it if you don't have your Soul-Knight combo ready.First of the Dragons
[caption id="attachment_52180" align="aligncenter" width="400"]The Dark Horizon[/caption]
I hope you all enjoyed the article. The Dark Magician has a special place in many a Yu-Gi-Oh! players' hearts, and I hope this piece does him justice. As you might be able to tell, the deck relies heavily on decent opening hands, which can be a challenge for a deck focused around a high level normal monster. That said, the new support is truly excellent, and for the first time since the game's inception, it feels like a Dark Magician deck can actually hold its own in the modern era.
Thank you for reading! Feel free to follow and comment on our Twitter/Facebook pages about what you think about this Dark Magician guide, and tell us what your favorite Dark Magic Tricks are! Until next time, happy dueling!
I'll be blunt though. If I haven't mentioned an older support/boss card by the end of this article, it's generally because there's not much reward in using it. When you've been around for 20 years, you're bound to have trouble staying relevant. The deck can still support most of your old favorites if you really want to, but manage your expectations. Also, to address theDragunin the room, I'll wait for his debut in the TCG before writing much about him. That said, you should be able to picture for yourself how well he fits in here by the end of this article. Without further ado, let's get into it!
[caption id="attachment_52161" align="aligncenter" width="354"]Dark Magician - The Ultimate Wizard in terms of attack and defense.
Dark Magician Girl - The beloved and only pupil of "Dark Magician", and successor to all his power.[/caption]
First, let's recap our main combos that we'll be building off of.Eternal SoulandDark Magical Circleare the main core of the deck. You summonDark Magicianrepeatedly, and banish cards as you do so.Magician's Rodis our Normal Summon that fishes for any Spell/Trap that includes the name "Dark Magician" in its text, and it has a recursion effect you can use every time you activate the Soul-Circle combo, (or any Spell/Trap) by offering a Spellcaster you control in exchange.Apprentice Illusion Magician
andMagician of Dark Illusionare give you extra copies ofDark Magician, while also offering some extra utility on the side. SimilarlyIllusion Magicexists so that you can search (2)Dark MagicianthroughMagician's Rod.
It may seem excessive but most cards in the deck can't be played without a Dark Magician within reach, so don't sleep on these. Likewise withEternal Soul
, you can only use 3 of it, and you have a 40 card deck to fill out, so runningMagician Navigationlets you have an additional card to summonDark Magicianwith just in case. It also has a handy negation effect, and if you can send it to the grave with Apprentice (etc) asap, it'll be ready to negate a Spell/Trap in future turns. Many players will hone in onEternal Soul's weakness (to destroy your monsters when it leaves the field), so a Navigation in the grave can help keep your board safe.
[caption id="attachment_52164" align="aligncenter" width="361"]"Pharaoh, my soul shall be your eternal servant."[/caption]
Alternatively, you can useThe Eye of Timaeus
to summon what could be called the theme's "win condition",Dark Magician the Dragon Knight. Since Knight protectsEternal Souland Soul protects and revives Knight, the "Soul-Knight" combo can be near unbreakable, especially while triggeringDark Magical Circle. Even with the newest support taken into account, this is still your most ideal setup. Don't forget it. Just beware ofDingirsuandEvenly Matched, which can bypass this setup entirely. Also be aware thatThe Eye of Timaeuscannot be searched for by Magician's Rod (etc) because it does not refer to the monsterDark Magicianor
Dark Magician Girlspecifically.
Another boss monster that could be called a "win condition" isMagician of Chaos.Magician of Chaosessentially brings his ownDark Magical Circleto the fight, while also being aDark Magicianon the field and in the grave. Once you Ritual Summon him, yourEternal Soulplays suddenly become a lot more threatening, cause you aren't just bringing back a normal monster every time anymore. Unlike Circle, he exchanges the ability to banish for the ability to directly chain to any Spell/Trap effect and destroy a card. If your Circle is taken out or you just haven't seen it yet, a
Magician of Chaoscan handle that role just fine between himself andEternal Soul. However, if you have both Circle, Soul, and Chaos in play, you can remove 2 cards from your opponent's board every turn. The downside is that Ritual Summoning, even with the new support, is overall less flexible than other summon methods, and can result in awkward opening hands.Magician of Chaosis also heavily reliant onEternal Soulstaying up, whereas Dragon Knight is just more reliable overall. Still, it's possible to use both in your deck, andMagician of Chaosis incredibly strong regardless, so do consider taking him for a spin.
[caption id="attachment_52167" align="aligncenter" width="349"]"Believe in the Heart of the Cards"[/caption]
Finally, that brings us to the latest wave of support from Magical Hero, and I can't express how happy I am that it's here. I'm sure everyone is well acquainted withMagicians' Soulsby now, but its hard to overstate how useful it is to have a card that can summonDark Magician, on your own turn, which you can now search for. The searchable cards we had to summonDark Magicianwith, were Trap Cards, or cards likeMagician's RobeandDark Magic Curtain, which slowed the speed of the deck by quite a bit. Now you can actually useMagicians' Soulsto playDark Magician
on your first turn, letting you banish a card withDark Magical Circle, activateThe Eye of Timaeus, or just play Yu-Gi-Oh! in general. Souls can also help fix your hand, dropping off duplicate or otherwise not immediately useful combo pieces for up to 2 new cards. Note that you do not have to summon the monster it sends to the graveyard, meaning you can even reviveDark Magician the Dragon KnightorMagician of Chaoswith it if you need to.
It doesn't stop there though. An arguably more important new support card isSoul Servant. In addition to being the first card to seek anyDark Magician
-listing "card" in the theme (including monsters), its also the first to take cards from your graveyard and put them back onto your deck, so that your 1-of themed tech cards can still see more than one use per duel. More importantly though, you can useSoul Servantto guarantee that your Circle will be able to add a card to your hand, while also using Circle to stack a card forSoul Servant(etc) to draw for you. Combined withMagicians' Souls, its never been easier to set up your Soul-Circle combo, while also enabling it like never before.
[caption id="attachment_52166" align="aligncenter" width="347"]"Here I go, Marik! Dark Magicians' Joint Attack! Dark Burning Magic!"[/caption]
This is where our new fusion,The Dark Magicians
, enters the picture, with a simple yet powerful way to interact with the theme's "Destiny Draw" (stacking) mechanic. TriggeringThe Dark Magicianslets you draw, set, then play any Quick-Play Spell or Trap card from the top of your deck. That is, instead of having to wait a turn to play yourEternal SoulorMagician Navigation, you can activate them right away by stacking them withDark Magical CircleorSoul Servant, and triggeringThe Dark Magicians. You can then flood the field for attacks during the Battle Phase or make Link, Xyz, and/or Timaeus plays that you just couldn't do before without passing a turn to your opponent. This works for any Trap/Quick-Play Spell, meaning a drawnSuper Polymerizationor
Solemn Judgmentis fair game. Things will get even better when Master Rule 2020 kicks in, allowing you to control bothDark Magician the Dragon KnightandThe Dark Magicianstogether at once without jumping through hoops. Your opponent will be trying to tear through your Soul-Circle combination during their turn, and so the speed and floating this card gives you can really help you stay in the game.
You can summonThe Dark Magicianswith our new hybrid Fusion-Ritual (Quick-Play) Spell,Secrets of Dark Magic, fusing aDark Magicianwith any Spellcaster.
Magician's Rodcan search it too, so it's fairly easy to summon early game. While the Soul-Knight or the Soul-Chaos combos are on the extremes of defense and offense,The Dark Magiciansstrikes a nice middle ground while being the easiest of our bosses to summon. Do note however thatDark Magician the Dragon KnightandMagician of Chaoscan be treated as aDark Magicianfor this Fusion summon while they're in play, to then be revived later withEternal Soul, etc.
[caption id="attachment_52168" align="aligncenter" width="350"]
"Not so Fast! You've activated my Trap card!"[/caption]
Finally, this brings us toMagician Combination, and the thing I appreciate most about this latest wave of support, and I hope you will as well. It all gets back to the core appeal of usingDark MagicianwithDark Magician Girlto control an opponent's plays. You aren't really penalized if you don't useDark Magician Girl, but there's sufficient reward if you do. IncludingDark Magician Girlin your deck, means thatThe Dark Magicians
can use its floating effect if it's destroyed (byEternal Soul, etc.). This also sets upSoul Servantto be able to draw an extra card each time you use its effect from the grave. It also lets you runMagician Combination, which lets Girl and Magician tag in and out, dodging and negating your opponent's card effects (while triggering yourDark Magical Circleto banish cards). Note that our Fusion plays also let you useDark Magician Girlin the place ofDark Magicianas material too. These are all really fun ways to makeDark Magician Girl"work" in a
Dark Magiciandeck.
I encourage you to try using her at least once for some nice nostalgia, especially now thatBond Between Teacher and Studentexists, letting you more actively summonDark Magician Girlfor some unexpectedburst damageand/orfield clearing. One new trick you can do is stackDark Burning Magicwhen your opponent targets
Eternal Soulwith removal. The chain resolves, destroyingEternal Soul, but you useThe Dark Magiciansto draw and setDark Burning Magic. Eternal Souldestroys the fusion monster, triggering its ability to summon bothDark MagicianandDark Magician Girlat once, fulfillingDark Burning Magic's requirements and allowing you to obliterate your opponent's entire field whenever you wish! Next turn, you'll also be able to draw 2 cards with
Soul Servant's effect from the graveyard to continue your counter attack!
Here's a sample decklist you can use to start with. I've added a few "flex and/or fun" options for you to consider, but feel free to adjust to your tastes (...or what you're prepared to pay for).
[caption id="attachment_52169" align="alignright" width="150"]"From the darkest depths of chaos, show yourself!"[/caption]
15 Monsters
3x
Dark Magician
3xMagicians' Souls
3xMagician's Rod
1-3xApprentice Illusion Magician
1xMagician of Dark Illusion 1xDark Magician Girl
0-2xMagician of Chaos
0-1xPalladium Oracle Mahad
18-19 Spells
[caption id="attachment_52172" align="alignright" width="150"]"My honorable sacrifice, become the wind of this ritual!"[/caption]
3x
Dark Magical Circle
3xSoul Servant 2xSecrets of Dark Magic 2xDark Magic Veil 2xThe Eye of Timaeus 1xDark Magic Inheritance 1xIllusion Magic 1x
Bond Between Teacher and Student
1xDark Magic Attack
1xDark Burning Magic
1xUpstart Goblin 0-1x Chaos Form
6-7 Traps
3xEternal Soul
2-3xMagician Navigation
1xMagician Combination
[caption id="attachment_52120" align="alignright" width="150"]Arise, Timaeus! Now I combine my dragon with my Dark Magician![/caption]
Extra Deck
2The Dark Magicians
1Dark Magician the Dragon Knight
1Dark Paladin
1Dark Cavalry
1Ebon Illusion Magician
1Black Luster Soldier - Soldier of Chaos
1Knightmare Unicorn
1Knightmare Phoenix
1Barricadeborg Blocker 1
Wee Witch's Apprentice
1Linkuriboh
1Imduk, the World Chalice Dragon
1Link Spider
Many of these 1-of cards might be difficult to use if you open with them, but they're here if you want to live a little and enjoy life. They're also convenient placeholders for more "normal and/or meta" tech choices, like whatever "hand trap(s)" you prefer. I do at least recommend aDark Magic Attackin your back pocket since
Eternal Soulcan grab it at any time with its other effect (and note that searching it shuffles the deck if you don't like what Circle stacked there). In defense of using a lot of these 1-of "flex/fun" options, the more cardsDark Magical Circlecan hit, the better, generally speaking.Magicians' Soulsalso helps replace cards you can't play with cards you can, while also improving your ability to playDark Magic Inheritance.
[caption id="attachment_52177" align="aligncenter" width="348"]"My ancient name has been revealed...I am King Atem!"[/caption]
For more "normal" inclusions, we have
Dark Magic Veil as a weaker substitute forMagicians' Soulsearly on, that you can use it to reviveThe Dark Magicians(etc) in the mid-to-late game to get back into it. A reminder thatThe Dark Magiciansdoesn't have name-based restrictions, so you can use the effect of a newly revived copy again in the same turn.Upstart Goblinis honestly a staple with all the stacking the deck does, but if you wanted to get some Millennium World-style fun in the mix, you could useThe True Nameand an Egyptian God Card of your choice (Sphere Mode, etc.) to really go ham with the stacking strategy. Alternatively, if you're comfortable enough with the ratios in your main or extra deck, you can includePot of Desires
orPot of Extravaganceto further improve your draw power.Foolish Burial Goodsis an interesting card to consider because it can sendSoul Servantfor a draw(s) or sendMagician Navigationfor its negation ability.
For more cards not listed here, and if you're feeling extra adventurous, you can try increasing the amount of cards you can draw withSoul Servantby fitting in aPalladium Oracle Mahad
. He summons himself when drawn, so you can stack him withSoul servant, draw him withThe Dark Magicians, and play him immediately for more attacks in the Battle Phase. You could draw as many as 4 cards from yourSoul Servantif you includePalladium Oracle Manaas well!Dark Magic Expandedis an interesting card I can't help but mention. It's arguably easier to use thanThe Eye of Timaeus, and has effect similar to Dark Magician the Dragon Knight, but you might sooner consider cards that help you get to Dragon Knight than this temporary (if more nuanced) protection effect. When in doubt though, you can always rely on traps likeSolemn Judgmentto keep you safe.
[caption id="attachment_52176" align="aligncenter" width="350"]"The souls of light and darkness intertwine, opening the gateway to chaos!"[/caption]
Lastly we have the Extra Deck. You will mostly being reaching in here forDark Magician the Dragon KnightandThe Dark Magicians, but you'll also want to link summon here and there, especially if you need to get yourDark Magicianback into the graveyard to keep up the pressure of your Soul-Circle combo.Link Spideris perfect for this, but
Imduk the World Chalice Dragoncan be handy as Fusion material for a Dragon Knight.Barricadeborg Blockeris also notable, since it can protect yourDark Magical Circle, or recover one that's destroyed. You can also make use of powerful Link 4s if you're able to swarm the field withMagician NavigationandMagician of Dark Illusion, but since most of the time you'll be working in-theme with this deck, you can afford to work with whatever's available to you. Rank 7 Xyz likeEbon Illusion Magician andNumber 11: Big Eyeare solid board-breakers in their own right.
Since Dark Magician has a wide variety of monsters he can fuse with,Super Polymerizationcan put in some serious work in dismantling your opponent's field. The Dragon Knights take any Dragon,Dark Cavalrytakes a Warrior,The Dark Magiciansof course with a Spellcaster, and everyone's favoriteStarving Venom Fusion Dragonis an option too.The Eye of Timaeuscan bring out more than just Dragon Knights!Dark Paladinremains a solid defense against decks that rely on spells, and you could opt for summoning it if you don't have your Soul-Knight combo ready.First of the Dragons
can be summoned by fusing 2Dark Magician, and can be a useful wall whenEternal Soulis inactive. Meanwhile,Quintet Magiciancan turn the tides withMagicalized Fusionin your deck (or even withSuper Polyagainst an unsuspecting Altergeist player). If all else fails, you can go for retrains of iconic monsters, likeBlack Luster Soldier - Soldier of Chaos,Day-Breaker, the Shining Magical Warrior, and
Linkuriboh.
[caption id="attachment_52180" align="aligncenter" width="400"]The Dark Horizon[/caption]
I hope you all enjoyed the article. The Dark Magician has a special place in many a Yu-Gi-Oh! players' hearts, and I hope this piece does him justice. As you might be able to tell, the deck relies heavily on decent opening hands, which can be a challenge for a deck focused around a high level normal monster. That said, the new support is truly excellent, and for the first time since the game's inception, it feels like a Dark Magician deck can actually hold its own in the modern era.
Thank you for reading! Feel free to follow and comment on our Twitter/Facebook pages about what you think about this Dark Magician guide, and tell us what your favorite Dark Magic Tricks are! Until next time, happy dueling!
