Hey everyone, this is The_SynchroGuy, and I am here to bring up an interesting topic. Yu-Gi-Oh is a very special thing to many of us. Be it the characters from the show, the dueling, or just the cards in general. Some of us got into Yu-Gi-Oh either due to the anime (more precisely, the original or GX anime), or through the card game. For most people though, it’s the former. And that’s something I want to talk about.
When people come to play Yu-Gi-Oh due to the anime, they’re thinking about stuff that they saw in the anime. Thinking stuff like: Dark Magician, Blue-Eyes, Red-Eyes, or even Exodia to be the best decks in the game. And when they learn that this isn’t true, it shatters their reality a little bit. Maybe even more.
When that happens, some of them may try to play the game, using those decks that they know from the show. Others, though, may tend to lean towards doing a bit of roleplaying in order to fill out that fantasy. (Let me be clear, this is not me taking a shot at roleplayers. I have nothing against them, nor do I have anything against roleplaying. If that’s what you like, then go for it. I always say, do what makes you happy.) For the rest, they may end up losing complete interest in the game.
Now it’s not like I don’t get why people do this. I do. I used to be like that myself. I got into Yu-Gi-Oh because of the anime and thought how Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes were best of the best. But then I got hit with the same dose of reality. Yet, one thing that sometimes makes me wonder is, why is it after that happened to me that I am still playing this game the way that it really is and others don’t? Like, it makes me sad sometimes to see other people lose interest in the game because it’s not how they thought it would be.
For me, there are so many things about this game to enjoy. There’s all the new cards that you wouldn’t see in the anime, the awesome lore that’s told within the cards, and all the new ways you can play the game. Those are things that I’ve come to enjoy about Yu-Gi-Oh. Still though, many people don’t want that.
One reason I can probably say why this happens is because of nostalgia.
Nostalgia plays a really big part in the things we do. Konami even knows this. That’s why we will always see support for Dark Magician, Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes, despite not being the best support in the world. (Some of the time.)
Nostalgia is the thing that reminds us of the good times that we’ve experienced in the past. A time where we were just so happy. However, when reality comes knocking on our door, we may not always respond to it in the best way.
That’s why some people try to do things like: roleplay, custom formats, or even past formats. Heck, even players that have played this game tend to do that last thing. All in order to live out that sense of nostalgia they have. And it’s hard to do any of those things with the current game since it’s not like how it was originally.
However, for someone like me, I enjoy modern day Yu-Gi-Oh.
I like all of the summoning mechanics we have, the new archetypes, the support for older archetypes (whether they’re good or bad), and I love all of the deck ideas people come up with.
I think for me though, what I love about it the most is that it’s our version of Yu-Gi-Oh. Seriously, so many people always envision being in one of their favorite shows or games and being a part of the story that’s told in it. Again, I understand that because I’ve done it too. Now though, I rather live in the moment; in reality.
I’m not saying it’s wrong to imagine. It’s good and fun to be creative. But, there comes a point where you will have to deal with reality. Well, what if you could do that and live out your fantasy at the same time? To me, that’s what modern Yu-Gi-Oh is. It’s our version of the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yeah, we don’t have stuff like: holograms or solid vision, real life Duel Disks, magic, and anything else anime important that I may be forgetting. We don’t need those things though. I mean, I would still love to have dueling holograms, and I look forward to the day we get it, but we don’t need it.
More importantly, the one thing I see people do a lot is wanting to be one of the characters, or be a fan made character that’s related to the characters, instead of being themselves. Once again, I understand why they do this. For me though, why would I want to be someone other than myself? Wouldn’t it be more fun where instead of pretending to be the King of Games, you actually become the King of Games?
Not to mention, if you try out some of the archetypes we currently have, even the modern day version of some of the archetypes from the anime, you can find your own identity. Take a look at me for example. I love Yusei Fudo. He’s my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh character of all time. I also play his Synchron deck, naturally because of him. Thanks to it, I found my own voice within the Yu-Gi-Oh community; my own identity.
The way Synchron is played is nothing like how it was in the anime, and that’s okay. I much prefer this. Again, because the one from the show is always going to be a pipe dream. But the reality one is the reality that we currently live in.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you’re gonna make a Yu-Gi-Oh story, or roleplay one, why not do it with the way Yu-Gi-Oh currently is? As in, include stuff like Link Monsters, and some of the new archetypes. Heck, you can still use some of the older archetypes, but also include the new support they now have. (You don’t have to include the meta though. That one is a different story.)
Overall, this is just me trying to give some modern day Yu-Gi-Oh some love. I know a lot of people just want to focus on the nostalgia stuff, and that’s fine. However, I still want to give modern Yu-Gi-Oh some love. It may not be the best, but it is still amazing. It’s the closest thing I will probably ever have to live out those Yu-Gi-Oh fantasies I had as a kid.
The fact that I can do that in reality is perhaps the best thing about modern Yu-Gi-Oh. I want to become the King of Games someday. The process towards it may not be like how it was in the show, but it’s better than nothing, and I’m going to enjoy it every step of the way. It beats pretending that I did become one. I’m not gonna say you should give up on your Yu-Gi-Oh fantasy ideas, but do at least consider the idea of living them out in reality. It won’t be the same, but it will be your own, actual Yu-Gi-Oh story. No one can ever discredit it, nor can they ever take that away from you. And that’s why, in my opinion, reality beats fiction.
Thank you for reading this! I feel like I might be tripping the nerves with other players, but who cares? I just wanted something fun to talk about, and this was the result. Again, I seriously have nothing against people that roleplay or write their own Yu-Gi-Oh fan made stories. I’ve written a couple myself. (One that I am still planning to continue.) It’s just that I love how Yu-Gi-Oh currently is and would love to see it be included in these other things. Like, for example, the Yu-Gi-Oh OCG Structures manga.
Anyway, those are just my thoughts. Let me know in the comments what you think! Do you also want to see more stuff include how Yu-Gi-Oh currently is? Or, do you prefer the old school stuff? I would love to hear your thoughts! (I’m not gonna hate you if you prefer the old school stuff. I may have my little Seto Kaiba moments, but I’m not that mean.)
I’ll see you guys in the next one! Hope you have/had an awesome day today! 
