Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Review: Dark Magician

[Spellcaster/Normal]

ATK/2,500 DEF/2,100

The ultimate wizard in terms of attack and defense.

Dark Magician is Yugi’s ace monster, and is one of the most recognizable cards from Yu-Gi-Oh!. He is a normal monster with 2,500 attack points and 2,100 defense points. This spellcaster depends on his support. The support for this card enhances his capabilities. The archetype of the Dark Magician uses powerful spells to control the field. This card serves as fusion material for powerful fusion monsters.

Furthermore, players may experience nostalgia when they make successful combos with the Dark Magician and his support. Despite being a normal monster, this card has powerful support. You may activate Thousand Knives with Dark Magician on the field and destroy an opponent’s monster. The activation of The Eye of Timaeus may fusion summon Dark Paladin.

Sets:

Release Date:	Set Number:	Set:	Rarity:
03/01/2004	SYE-001	Starter Deck: Yugi Evolution	Super Rare
10/12/2004	DB1-EN102	Dark Beginning 1	Ultra Rare
12/01/2004	LOB-EN005	Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon	Ultra Rare

Normal Monster:

Dark Magician is a normal monster. He does not have any effects. He requires two tributes for a normal summon. His best features are his 2,500 attack points and 2,100 defense points.

Therefore, Dark Magician depends on additional support. The support from his archetype adds consistency to this card. This card requires support for protection, searchers, and special summons.

Fusion Material:

Dark Magician is fusion material for many monsters. The archetype has many options in the extra deck. You can choose the best fusion monster against the opponent’s deck.

Furthermore, many spells perform fusion summons for the Dark Magician. Secrets of Dark Magic, The Eye of Timaeus, and The Gaze of Timaeus activate fusion summons with Dark Magician as material. Their effects provide additional utilities in comparison to Polymerization. The Eye of Timaeus and The Gaze of Timaeus only require Dark Magician as fusion material, and save resources because these spells do not require the second material.

For instance, you may activate The Eye of Timaeus to fusion summon Dark Magician the Dragon Knight. The spell only requires Dark Magician as the fusion material, and you must control Dark Magician for this effect. Your field now has the powerful Dark Magician the Dragon Knight with the effect to prevent your opponent from targeting and destroying your spells and traps on the field.

Use Dark Magician as fusion material for these fusion monsters!

Support:

Dark Magician is the ultimate spellcaster in the lore. The support from spellcasters, spells, and traps fit his theme. His support adds consistency. These cards can special summon him. Some cards provide protection.

Dark Magician Girl is one of the most popular cards alongside Dark Magician. She provides support for this spellcaster. Dark Magician Girl is more important for fusion material than her effect. She is fusion material with Dark Magician for The Dark Magicians. In addition, Dark Magician Girl gains 300 attack points for each copy of Dark Magician in both players’ graveyards.

Play these cards with Dark Magician!

• Dark Magician Girl
• Secrets of Dark Magic
• The Eye of Timaeus
• The Gaze of Timaeus

Support: Control

Control of the field enhances the strategy for Dark Magician. The archetype has many cards with effects to destroy or banish cards. Dark Magician can perform a direct attack if you can clear the opponent’s field. Dark Burning Magic, Dark Magical Circle, and Thousand Knives control the field.

For instance, Dark Magical Circle is one of the strongest continuous spells for Dark Magician. This continuous spell banishes an opponent’s card from the field when you normal or special summon Dark Magician. The archetype has many options to special summon this card such as Eternal Soul. The continuous spell can banish monsters, spells, and traps. It counters the opponent’s strategy and the opponent loses access to an important card for his or her strategy.

Furthermore, Dark Burning Magic can be a great card in decks with Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. This quick-play spell card destroys all of the opponent’s cards. It can lead to a direct attack from both monsters. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl inflict 4,500 points of damage from direct attacks by both monsters. However, Dark Burning Magic requires Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl on the field, and an opponent may interrupt this strategy.

Play these cards with Dark Magician!

• Dark Burning Magic
• Dark Magic Attack
• Dark Magical Circle
• Thousand Knives

Support: Searchers

The archetype of Dark Magician has many cards to search for this spellcaster. Apprentice Illusion Magician, Illusion of Chaos, and Dark Magical Circle may add the Dark Magician from the deck to your hand. These cards add consistency to this spellcaster. He is now in your hand for combos to lead into fusion summons.

For instance, Illusion of Chaos is a great option in decks with ritual monsters. You may reveal Illusion of Chaos from the hand, and add Dark Magician from the deck to the hand. You must place one card from your hand on top of the deck to resolve the effect of this ritual monster. This strategy gives access to Dark Magician. The effect’s resolution is a trade to get the Dark Magician for your strategy, and you will draw the card on top of your deck during the next turn.

Furthermore, Apprentice Illusion Magician is an effective card to add Dark Magician to your hand. This effect monster adds Dark Magician from the deck to your hand when you normal or special summon her. Apprentice Illusion Magician can also special summon herself by discarding one card from your hand. An effective strategy is special summoning Apprentice Illusion Magician with her effect, and then her second effect adds Dark Magician from the deck to your hand. Therefore, this combination of effects makes her to be an efficient searcher and extender.

Play these cards to add the Dark Magician from the deck to your hand!

• Apprentice Illusion Magician
• Illusion of Chaos
• Dark Magical Circle

Support: Special Summons

Dark Magician is a more effective card when you can special summon him. The cost of two tributes for his normal summon is a heavy cost. The archetype effectively uses resources to special summon this card from the deck, hand, or graveyard.

Furthermore, the archetype for the Dark Magician has many cards to special summon this spellcaster. Eternal Soul and Magician Navigation are traps with effects to special summon the Dark Magician. Palladium Oracle Mahad and Skilled Dark Magician are effect monsters with effects to special summon Dark Magician.

Eternal Soul is a trap and creates an engine for the Dark Magician. Eternal Soul may special summon Dark Magician from the hand or graveyard. You have consistent access to this spellcaster and you can extend plays with his other support. However, Eternal Soul has a fatal weakness. Eternal Soul destroys all of your monsters when it leaves the field.

Play these cards to special summon Dark Magician!

• Eternal Soul
• Magician Navigation
• Palladium Oracle Mahad
• Skilled Dark Magician

Support: Spellbooks

Spellbooks and Prophecy are unique archetypes. Many cards from these archetypes provide generic support for spellcasters. You can build a unique deck of Spellbooks and Prophecy with the Dark Magician.

Spellbooks have powerful spells for Dark Magician. Spellbook of Wisdom can prevent spells or traps from affecting Dark Magician for a turn. This quick-play spell provides protection to this normal monster.

Furthermore, Temperance of Prophecy may special summon Dark Magician from the deck. Temperance of Prophecy only requires you to activate a Spellbook spell card for her effect. For example, you may activate Spellbook of Secrets to add a Spellbook from the deck to the hand. Then, you may tribute Temperance of Prophecy with its effect to special summon Dark Magician from the deck.

Play these cards with Dark Magician.

• Spellbook of Wisdom
• Temperance of Prophecy

Anime

Yugi’s signature card in the original anime is Dark Magician. This normal monster makes his first appearance in the first episode. Yugi plays this card during his duel against Seto Kaiba. Yugi normal summons Dark Magician, and this spellcaster destroys Judge Man in battle.

Yugi’s faithful Dark Magician remains in his deck for the entire series. Konami continues creating support for this card. New cards are inspired by the anime and manga.

Matchups: Advantages

Dark Magician has advantages against particular decks. The fusion monsters from his archetype are strong cards against some archetypes. They counter the opponent’s strategy.

For instance, Dark Paladin is a stellar fusion monster against decks with dragons such as Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes. Dark Paladin gains 500 ATK for each dragon in the graveyard. You will want to use Dark Magician with The Eye of Timaeus to fusion summon Dark Paladin against opponents with dragons. For example, Dark Paladin gains 2,500 ATK if the opponent’s graveyard has five dragons, and his total ATK becomes 5,400.

Matchups: Weaknesses

Dark Magician has a strong dependence on his support. The archetype relies on the graveyard for resources. Many cards can interrupt combos for this archetype. Some cards prevent this card’s support to recycle resources from the graveyard.

For instance, many popular cards Solemn Judgment and Solemn Warning interrupt combos for Dark Magician. Both of these traps negate and destroy cards such as Eternal Soul, Magician Navigation, and Secrets of Dark Magic. These traps can prevent you from special summoning Dark Magician.

Call by the Grave and D.D. Crow are great counters against Dark Magician. Call by the Grave and D.D. Crow can banish a copy of Dark Magician from the graveyard. This tactic counters cards like Eternal Soul. Eternal Soul needs Dark Magician in your hand or graveyard. These cards remove access to this card from the graveyard.

Card Rating:

Overall, the Dark Magician is one of the best normal monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh!. Dark Magician becomes an effective normal monster with his strong support. These supportive cards have powerful effects and increase the consistency of this card. The support masks some of the weakness of normal monsters. This card has powerful cards such as Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon and Secrets of Dark Magic. Successful combos with Dark Magician can create an amazing experience during a duel. Therefore, I recommend building a deck with Dark Magician.

Card Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0 stars3.5