Yu-Gi-Oh! continues to evolve through the years. The game is constantly changing for better or worse. Retrained monsters are stronger versions of their predecessors. Most predecessors were ineffective in the game. Most of the original cards do not have an effect to give them an advantage. Take a look at Black Luster Soldier. He was a generic Ritual Monster with a high attack. He was not very useful besides his strong attack points. Retrained monsters are better cards for players to improve their decks.
Dark Magician of Chaos
Magician of Black Chaos was retrained into the powerful Dark Magician of Chaos. He was on the ban list for many years. Dark Magician of Chaos was finally removed from the ban list in 2016. He is a great card to play in a Spellcaster deck. He can draw a card from the graveyard and banish monsters in battle. Banishing monsters is a huge advantage against many decks.
Black Luster Soldier Envoy of The Beginning
Black Luster Soldier Envoy of The Beginning is also one of the first retrained monsters. He was once a Ritual Monster as Black Luster Soldier. Now he is an effect monster with one of the strongest effects of his era. He can either banish a card or attack twice per turn. Both effects are still effective in today’s game. He is a monster with a lot of attack points and can defeat most monsters in battle. His ability to banish monsters is also great against decks that rely on their graveyards and Pendulum monsters.
Kaiser Vorse Raider
The original Vorse Raider is a level 4 monster. Kaiser Vorse Raider is a level 5 monster with an effect. His effect special summons him to the field if you do not control a monster. He gains 500 attack points after destroying a monster. He can quickly become a decent monster in the early game. You may also use him as a sacrifice to tribute summon a stronger monster.
Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon
Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is one of the most iconic cards in the game. It was Seto Kaiba’s ace monster. The legendary white dragon has been enhanced to Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. This fierce Dragon has a special ability unlike its predecessor. Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon can attack up to three times in a single turn.
Arisen Gaia the Fierce Knight
Gaia The Fierce Knight has many retrained versions of his original card. Most versions have new effects. I am only going to list one of Gaia’s versions. Arisen Gaia the Fierce Knight provides support to Black Luster Soldier’s archetype. He is the first Gaia to support an archetype outside his original archetype.
Who Should Be Retrained Next?
There are many cards that I would like to see retrained into better cards. The first card to come mind is Dark Magician Girl. She would be awesome as Dark Magician Girl of Chaos. The name would follow the Dark Magician’s transition to Chaos. Elemental Hero Neos is also another card that deserves to be retrained into a stronger monster. Share which cards that you want to be retrained in the comment section!
The Final Word
Retrained cards are some of the best cards in the game’s history. They are some of my favorite cards to play in my decks. Their new effects can make a huge impact in duels. Black Luster Soldier Envoy of The Beginning and Dark Magician of Chaos are two of the most dynamic cards in the game’s early history. The future holds many more retrained monsters to reshape Yu-Gi-Oh! I am sure the next wave of retrained monsters will be stronger than the last group.
