Yu-Gi-Oh: 10 XYZ Monster Staples Worth Using

XYZ monsters are some of the easiest Extra deck monsters to summon.

With two monsters of the same level on the field you can suddenly access a whole range of powerful Extra deck threats.

This list will break down some of the best XYZ staples that can slot perfectly into pretty much any deck.

10. Evilswarm Nightmare

If you’re playing a deck with Dark monsters, Evilswarm Nightmare is an absolute must-have.

When your opponent special summons a monster or monsters, you can detach one XYZ material from this card to immediately flip that monster face-down.

This is amazing against decks that like to Synchro or XYZ summon.

You can’t do either of these with face-down monsters, making Evilswarm Nightmare an amazing way of depriving your opponent of important resources for their Extra deck summons.

9. Number S39: Utopia the Lightning

Sometimes all you need in Yu-Gi-Oh! is a big beatstick – and this guy does exactly that.

You can XYZ summon S39 easily by using a Number 39: Utopia as the entire XYZ material.

Not only does this guy prevent your opponent from activating cards or effects while it’s attacking, but during damage calculation you can detach 2 XYZ materials from this card to make its attack 5000.

There are few cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! that can stand up to an attack stat this high. And if your opponent has any monsters with low attacks on the field, this can easily cause enough damage to win you the game.

8. Evilswarm Exciton Knight

This card is fantastic for making an epic comeback.

Evilswarm Exciton Knight is a generic rank 4 monster that allows you to detach 1 material from itself to blow up every other card on the field – providing you have fewer total cards in your hand & on the field than your opponent.

This effect is great for going second – let your opponent set up a massive board full of monsters, then blow them all up at once with a simple rank 4 monster.

7. Leviair the Sea Dragon

Banished cards are usually an absolute pain to get back into rotation.

Leviair the Sea Dragon is one of the best ways of retrieving these cards, as you can detach a material from this card to special summon any of your level 4 or lower banished monsters.

If your deck involves a lot of banishing (e.g. Phantom Knights) then this card is a must-have for your extra deck.

6. Number 101: Silent Honour ARK

Sometimes monster destruction just isn’t enough.

As Yu-Gi-Oh! sees newer & more powerful monsters with each passing set, we’re starting to see more cards that just can’t be destroyed by card effects.

If you’re looking for a way to easily deal with these threats then you need this card in your deck.

By detaching 2 materials from this card, you can target 1 special summoned monster your opponent controls and attach it to this card as XYZ material.

On top of that, you can then detach that monster to protect this card from being destroyed by battle or card effect, providing you with a little bit of extra protection as well.

5. Number 60: Dugares the Timeless

This guy is an amazing extender in any deck that can make Rank 4 XYZ monsters.

You can detach 2 materials from this card to either:

• Draw 2 cards and discard 1 card at the cost of your next Draw Phase
• Special summon a monster from your graveyard at the cost of your next Main Phase 1
• Or to double the attack of a monster you control at the cost of your next Battle Phase

Yu-Gi-Oh is a game that can easily end in a turn or less. So getting these bonuses really isn’t that costly when there isn’t a next Main Phase or Draw Phase to skip.

4. Tornado Dragon

Spells and traps are getting way more powerful – and you’ll need a way to deal with them if you want to win.

Tornado Dragon allows you to pop any spell/trap on the field at quick effect speed by detaching 1 material.

This is great for dealing with powerful field spells – these cards need to be face-up on the field to resolve their effects, so you can negate these effects by simply chaining Tornado Dragon to their activation.

3. Number 41: Bagooska, the Terribly Tired Tapir

It’s crazy that a floodgate this powerful is on a generic rank 4 monster.

When this card is in defense position, all face-up monsters on the field are changed to defense position, and the effects of all monsters in defense position are negated.

This pretty much puts a blanket ban on all of your opponent’s monster effects, which is incredibly difficult to out.

2. Abyss Dweller

The graveyard is one of the most important resources in Yu-Gi-Oh!

Practically every deck utilizes the graveyard in one way or another, especially with the huge range of powerful GY effects out there.

Abyss Dweller completely locks your opponent out of graveyard effects at quick effect speed, while also leaving your graveyard effects completely free to pop off. Against the right decks, this can completely kill entire strategies in an instant.

This is an amazing floodgate to slow down your opponent, and easy to make in any deck that uses level 4 monsters.

1. Divine Arsenal AA-Zeus – Sky Thunder

OK, this card’s destruction effect is truly unrivalled in its power.

You can XYZ summon Zeus with literally any XYZ monster that battled this turn, making it ludicrously easy to get out on the field.

But there’s more:

By detaching 2 materials from this card, you can send every other card on the field to the graveyard.

This send effect means that it doesn’t destroy any cards, meaning that it gets around monsters that can’t be destroyed by card effect, as well as preventing any effects that trigger on destruction from activating.

Zeus is without a doubt one of the best pieces of removal Yu-Gi-Oh has to offer – and it’s easily worthy of a spot in any Extra deck with XYZ monsters.