Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links boasts one of the most engaging and rewarding competitive experiences I have had in a card game, aside from the real-life Trading Card Game (TCG) of the same name. I say this outright because I want to recommend this game from the very start, for it is such an enjoyable experience. So much so that the rest of the review will be devoted to discussing the various aspects of competitive play of Duel Links (DL), and we have a lot to cover.

First of all, the variety of decks and play-styles that one can encounter on ranked is excellent. This is thanks to the immense pool of roughly 2000 to 3000 cards and the frequent releases of new sets about every three to four weeks, which encourages players to experiment with new cards and consistently keeps the game fresh. On top of that, there is no set rotation, instead, DL uses a forbidden and limited list. What this means is that old cards will always be usable and not be suddenly obsolete due to arbitrary time restrictions, yet at the same time, the meta is still constantly shifting every one or two seasons with the developer actively banning (there are currently no banned cards, though) and limiting cards to curb the most powerful decks. It’s worth noting that with such a system, cards are not nerfed, but merely limited in the number of copies available to use in deck, and cards that are limited could be released from the list if they are no longer as powerful as before.

Even though it’s true that there are always certain meta deck archetypes that can be popular, there are so many other viable “rogue” strategies to play or play against, as well as decks specifically designed to counter the meta decks by using gimmicky “tech” cards, such as stall decks or burn decks. In addition, the flexibility for players to tailor their decks to their preference, like having the choice of using anywhere from 20 to 30 cards in their deck, and the amount of different skills available, which is around 200, make it so that every match feels different, or at the very least, different enough when it comes to the highest level of competition, where there are only a few decks competing with each other. In contrast to the ranked mode of Hearthstone, where sets rotate out of standard mode every two years, where expansions happen only every three to four months, where balancing is often done poorly (all bad nerfs and no buffs), if at all, and where the meta can often feel stale, DL feels superior in every way.

But variety isn’t the only thing that makes ranked duels so much fun. There are quite a few mechanics that allow you to interact with your opponent on his turn, most notably “trap cards,” giving you incredible agency in the game state beyond your turn. Trap cards are cards that need to be “set” on the field on your turn and can then be activated in subsequent turns, regardless of whose turn it is. For instance, you can set cards that can destroy your opponent’s monsters, lower their attack points, or straight up disrupt their attacks on his turn, so that he can’t One Turn Kill (OTK) you without resistance, unless he manages to destroy your set cards first. The same applies to you too, creating a back-and-forth dynamic where board control can easily be outplayed by smart timing of these “quick effects.” Such amazing interactivity ensures that outcomes of games feel in control of the player all the time, which keeps the games fun, unlike in Hearthstone, where the only way to interact with your opponent on his turn are secrets, of which there aren’t many and you don’t have real control of as it only activates automatically.

Another thing I like about DL is the lack of game-breaking random effects in-game. There are, of course, a small number of cards and skills that contain these effects, but about 85 to 90 percent of them are just fun cards that hold no competitive merit. The best cards typically encountered on ranked will have consistent, predictable effects, thereby once again putting control of the game state in the hands of you, the player, instead of some random number generator. And the more power the player has over game outcomes, the more skillful the game is. The more skillful the game is, the more satisfying and fun it is to win those games. That’s DL.

But you might be wondering how to be competitive and enjoy ranked duels as a new/free-to-play player, for card games are, by virtue, noob-unfriendly and pay-to-play. No worries; the game really tries its absolute best to help players to collect useful cards and become familiar with the meta. There are a ton of ways to get gems, the in-game currency for buying packs or pre-made decks, through completing quests and duel quizzes, leveling up characters (there are currently 39 unlockable characters, each with a max level of 45) playing and winning in ranked modes, participating in events, or simply logging in. You even get 500 free gems every time a new set is released, which amounts to 10 free packs, which is 30 cards, and you don’t even need gems to get new cards. Through normal playing, you can acquire a significant amount of tickets that allows you to directly redeem the cards you want, even ones of the highest rarity. You can also farm Nonplayer Characters (NPCs) and events to get more cards. Alternatively, you can convert cards you don’t need into various jewels, which can then be used at the card trader to get those you do.

In regards to providing players knowledge of the best decks and most popular cards, the game features a global decklist tab, a most popular cards ranking on the ranked duel interface as well as the filter of the deck editor, and the KaibaCorp (KC) Report in the card studio. The decklist tab showcases all sorts of decks from beginner to the most advanced, meta decks used in KC cups, the highest mode of competitive play in which players compete to win and accumulate the most points. The most popular cards ranking shows what cards people are using the most on ladder, from top 1 to 50, and is a useful reference for knowing which cards to redeem or pull for. The KC Report is like a combination of these two functions. It shows various stats about the last KC cup that took place: list of frequently used cards, frequently used skills and samples of decks used by high-ranking players. These are all helpful tools that greatly assist any player looking to become competitive.

There are still so many things I haven’t covered, like the staggering amount of single-player content present in game, the incredible voice works, the well-designed, easy-to-use User Interface (UI) and some minor flaws to the game like having no chatting function with friends or gold being basically useless. But by just looking at the competitive experience of DL, that is diverse, interactive and easy to get into, I think it is perfectly safe to say that this game is a solid 10 out of 10. It has my glowing recommendation. Go and play it!