Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG 2-Player Starter Set: A Great Way for New Players to Learn an Old Game

Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG’s first starter deck in a while is here and while it doesn’t offer a ton of value for those knee deep in the joyous spring, it is a great introduction to the game for brand-spanking-new players or players that haven’t played the card game since Gemini Elf and Vorse Raider beatdown everyone on the playground. 

For those unfamiliar with the set, it is pitched by Konami itself as “the perfect way for any new Duelist to learn the ropes” of the game. And this is mostly true. It’s not the perfect way, but it’s a certainly a very good way to achieve this. The premise of the product is that it provides two unique decks to walk you through a scripted duel, aka a battle for those not familiar with the Yu-Gi-Oh-specific lingo. In this duel, you follow a 64-page comic book with specific instructions, and in the process learn the basics of the game to more complex mechanics like the Extra Deck’s synchros and Xyz monsters. 

Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG in its current form is a very complicated game — far more complicated than when it first arrived on the scene 25 years ago — and so the scripted duel throws a lot at you. That said, you’re not going to leave an expert or even with a very firm grasp on the card game’s complexities. It is very much an introduction that requires follow-up lessons and practice. In other words, you are not going to leave the scripted duel ready to compete in tournaments. 

While the 2-Player Starter Set doesn’t introduce you to the true, combo-heavy modern game, it gives you a taste and as a learning deck it is much better than previous and current alternatives. If this interests you, you can read more about the product below. 

What’s Inside Each 2-Player Starter Set:

• 2 different 44-card decks comprised of a 40-card main deck and 4-card extra deck. 
• 80 Common cards and 8 Ultra Rare cards
• 1 64-page teaching comic book
  

As for the cards themselves, they are a mix of old-school and newer cards. In other words, there are nostalgic cards from the Duel Monsters and GX eras like Dark Magician Girl and Gil Garth, but there are also newer cards designed to teach you newer mechanics. As for the value of the cards, there’s not much. The set — which has been available since January 26, 2024 — is only $19.99, so most of the cards within have little to no value either because the card is undesirable or the printing of that card is undesirable. However, there a couple of cards of consequence Most notably the set contains an Ultra Rare Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS – Sky Thunder worth roughly $10 to $15. This makes the $19.99 price point even more consumer friendly.