The term "paw trap" is quite possibly one of the strangest to appear in the game over recent years. To a histrion that left subsequently the original series, or fifty-fifty in GX, it might non even brand sense. Information technology's not a proper term—information technology's an unofficial one referring to monsters that can activate effects in hand that can be used during the opponent's plough, ofttimes disrupting the opponent'south plays, sometimes to the indicate of ending their turns.

These cards have taken up popularity in the last four years considering players don't have to set them, meaning they can avoid all the spell/trap removal that'due south get and so prevalent as the game has grown. This list looks at the very best hand traps in Yu-Gi-Oh, talking virtually what they do and what makes them and then astonishing.

Updated December 23nd, 2020 by Johnny Garcia: Yu-Gi-Oh! is perhaps one of the nigh active card games out there. There are constantly new sets and cards being released on a almost-monthly basis, with hundreds of cards being released every year. Every format of the game changes the viability of hand traps, with some improving and others falling off. The recent ban list has nerfed decks that didn't care for hand traps, and have put them into the metagame one time again. Since Called By The Grave is limited as well, paw traps are every bit strong as they've e'er been. Hand traps take always been relevant since their introduction, and volition likely e'er be in the meta.

15 SKULL MEISTER

skull meister card art and text

Skull Meister is a menu that hasn't seen many printings, only appearing in a Special Edition and Structure Deck outside of its first appearance in theStarstrike Blastgear up. Skull Meister tin can discard itself from the paw to negate any card effect that'due south activated in the opponent'due south Graveyard.

This isn't limited to monsters either, pregnant it tin can negate spell and trap cards with Graveyard effects besides. Skull Meister is incredibly versatile and has been in and out of the meta for years, depending on how many Graveyard heavy decks are in information technology.

14 DIMENSION SHIFTER

dimension shifter card art and text

The Gold Sarcophagus Tin can was a game-changer when it was released, with three earth premiere cards coming into the game. Dimension Shifter was one of these, though overshadowed by Nibiru, The Primal Beingness and Dark Ruler No More.

Make no mistake though, Dimension Shifter is a fantastic carte du jour. If a role player has no cards in their Graveyard, then they can discard it and then that whatever carte sent to the Graveyard is banished instead. If the opponent's deck relies on cards to arrive the Graveyard, this can put a consummate halt on their turn. Decks like Thunder Dragon can even employ the effect to their own advantage besides.

13 RED REBOOT

red reboot card art and text

Red Reboot is a more literal paw trap, as it's a trap card that at the price of one-half its user's life points, can be activated from the hand. Non just that, but Red Reboot is a counter trap menu, meaning that only other counter trap cards can react to it.

Ruddy Reboot negates the activation of a trap card and sets it again, and allows the opponent to set another trap from their deck. The trade-off is that they tin't activate whatsoever trap cards for the rest of that turn. SinceYu-Gi-Oh!is then fast, this trap-less plough can lead to a victory.

12 FANTASTICAL DRAGON PHANTAZMAY

fantastical dragon phantazmay card art and text

Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay has been in and out of the metagame since its release in 2019'sBarbarous Strikeset. When the opponent Special Summons a Link Monster(s), Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay can be summoned. Then, it allows its user to depict cards equal to the number of Link Monsters the opponent controls (and an boosted card), then shuffles back cards equal to the Link Monster total on the opponent's field.

This allows a mulligan and can go its user to more pause to play on the opponent's plow. It also has a solid consequence to discard a card and negates whatever effect that targets a monster for extra protection.

11 GHOST BELLE & HAUNTED MANSION

ghsot belle and haunted mansion card art and text

Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion is a hand trap that is often forgotten, and one of the most underrated ones in the game. It's a menu that keeps things in the graveyard. When the opponent activates a carte du jour or effect that moves any card from the graveyard to anywhere else, Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion tin exist discarded to negate that effect.

It's a very solid effect, with the only downside beingness it negates the activation rather than the outcome itself. Yet, this can shut downwards plenty of strategies that rely on summoning monsters from out the Graveyard, something that's very mutual in the current game.

ten D.D. CROW

d.d. crow card art and text

One of the more straightforward hand traps, D.D. Crow has really been around for longer than all the Extra Deck shenanigans which turned it into such a prevalent bill of fare. Released in 2007'south Strike of Neos set up, D.D. Crow has a quick issue that can be activated during either player's turn, discarding itself to the graveyard to target a card in the opponent's graveyard and blackball information technology.

This card often plays a key part in stopping a player's strategy in its tracks, banishing a card they might otherwise need. Information technology's this which has led to the card becoming a office of then many side decks throughout the years.

ix EFFECT VEILER

effect veiler card art and text

One of the oldest hand traps in beingness. In certain formats starting with the Xyz Era, there was a time where this was an absolute must-take at three copies. And why not? It can shut downwards an opponent's turn entirely when played at the right moment.

It can be sent to the graveyard to target an result monster on the field and negate its effect during the opponent's main phase. What made it fall out of favor was being unusable at any signal other than the opponent's chief stage, meaning it couldn't finish effects that activated during the player's turn. Nonetheless, that nonetheless doesn't stop information technology from being a superb upkeep option.

eight NIBIRU, THE PRIMAL BEING

nibiru the primal being card art and text

Always go tired of watching a combo deck's play go on forever? Watching them summon through monster afterwards monster while they build upwardly some stupid lath that's impossible to go over? Enter, Nibiru, the Fundamental Being--the ultimate destruction.

When the opponent normal or special summons 5 or more monsters in a plow, the player can tribute all monsters on the field to special summon Nibiru from hand, then special summon a Central Being Token to the opponent'due south field. The downside of Nibiru is that the token it summons has the combined assault of all the monsters tributed to summon it, and then the player better have a way to get rid of that token in one case it comes out.

7 ARTIFACT LANCEA

artifact lancea card art and text

The easiest way to shut down opponents that rely on banishing to make their deck work, like Kozmos and Infernoids. Artifact Lancea is supposed to be an Artifact but feels more similar it existed to exist a side deck card.

After all, information technology doesn't need anyone to destroy it to actuate its consequence. It can simply be tributed from the hand (or face-up field) to stop both players from banishing cards for the turn.

half-dozen DROLL & LOCK BIRD

droll and lock bird card art and text

It took players a while to realize how great Droll & Lock Bird actually was. It came out as a rare in the 2010 prepare Starstrike Blast and people didn't pay attending to it...until information technology was used, then suddenly everyone realized Starstrike Blast cards rarely e'er got reprints, sending this unproblematic rare through the roof.

Droll & Lock Bird activates when the opponent adds a bill of fare from the main deck to the hand outside the depict stage. By sending it to the grave, the opponent has to stop adding cards to their hand for the remainder of the turn, locking them out of any neat combos they had planned.

5 PSY-FRAMEGEAR GAMMA

psyframe gamma card art and text

The Psy-Frames could have been a nightmare if they were remotely consistent. Their Psy-Framegears negated everything and Omega banished cards from the opponent'due south hand just for having them.

In any case, though it requires a player to have a Psy-Frame Commuter in their deck, Gamma could negate a monster upshot activated by the opponent while the player controlled no cards. Even better? It special summoned itself and Psy-Frame Driver for doing and then, giving the actor some instantaneous board presence and access to Psy-Framelord Omega.

4 GHOST REAPER & WINTER CHERRIES

ghost reaper and winter cherries card art and text

Fortunately, this card was released after all the not-Extra Deck reliant decks (Kozmo, Monarchs, Nekroz) had mostly started to exit the meta. The ultimate side deck card, Ghost Reaper and Wintertime Cherries punishes players who rely likewise heavily on their Actress Deck.

Past discarding this card, a player can reveal i monster in their Extra Deck, look at their opponent's Extra Deck and banish all cards with the same name as the one they revealed. This card unmarried-handedly shut down whatever deck that relied on a single boss monster, like the ABC-Dragon Buster released a few months after this card came out.

iii GHOST OGRE & Snowfall RABBIT

ghost ogre and snow rabbit card art and text

The first of the ghost girl cards to be released, Ghost Ogre became a staple alongside Effect Veiler rather quickly. However, there'due south a big difference between Ghost Ogre and Result Veiler. Ghost Ogre does not negate, but rather sends itself from the manus or the field to the grave to destroy a monster, spell, or trap card after information technology activates its upshot.

The effect still goes through….it's just that's the last time it gets to happen, considering afterward the menu is destroyed. An important distinction, though the card remains $3 despite six different reprints bated from the original version.

2 INFINITE IMPERMENANCE

infinite impermanence card art and text

Yes, this is supposed to be a "existent" trap, merely it can be activated from the hand so information technology absolutely still counts. Infinite Impermanence targets 1 monster on the field the opponent controls and negates its effect until the end of the turn.

It can be activated from the mitt if the player controls no cards, meaning it can exist activated by a player going second while the player going showtime is going off in their philharmonic. When set information technology also has a bonus effect of negating spell and trap furnishings of whatsoever spell/trap cards activated in the same column, substantially rendering that zone useless for the remainder of the turn. No wonder it'southward going for $l.

ane ASH BLOSSOM & JOYOUS SPRING

ash blossom and joyous spring card art and text

Our big-head queen remains on her throne. Ash Bloom activates under and then many circumstances, because it literally hits everything modern decks practise: adding cards from the deck to the hand, special summoning from the deck, and sending cards from the deck to the graveyard.

It's no wonder that no matter how many times they reprint her, her price still won't drop below half-dozen dollars a copy. She's been printed as a common in Structure Decks...and they just raised the cost of the structure deck. Information technology just feels like no thing when we encounter her, players can't seem to hoard enough copies, because a well-timed Ash Flower tin stop a thespian'south entire plough.

NEXT: Yu-Gi-Oh!: Well-nigh Powerful LINK Monsters

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