Staples are cards which are played by multiple different decks. You can’t just include any of these in any deck, but they are cards you should at least consider.
Some of these cards are much better than others. This list is put together by going through data on YGOPRODECK. To be included on this list, the card must have been in a deck which “topped” an event with 200 or more players in the past 6 months. It must also have been in multiple different “topping” decks.
This is a list I have been trying to keep updated for a few years now on this subreddit. Please comment, or message me, if there’s a card you think should be added or removed.
Link 1 Monsters #
- Gravity Controller
- Linguriboh
- Link Spider
- Relinquished Anima
- Salamangreat Almiraj
- Secure Gardna
Link 2 Monsters #
- Barricadeborg Blocker
- Cross-Sheep
- Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy
- Donner, Dagger Fur Hire
- Hiita the Fire Charmer, Ablaze
- I:P Masquerena
- Knightmare Cerberus
- Knightmare Phoenix
- Lyna the Light Charmer, Lustrous
- Muckraker From the Underworld
- Pitknight Earlie
- Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf
- Splash Mage
- S:P Little Knight
- Unchained Soul Lord of Yama
Link 3 Monsters #
- Black Luster Soldier – Soldier of Chaos
- Decode Talker Heatsoul
- Hraesvelgr, the Desperate Doom Eagle
- Knightmare Unicorn
- Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames
- Selene, Queen of the Master Magicians
- Topologic Trisbaena
- Unchained Soul of Anguish
Link 4 Monsters #
- Accesscode Talker
- Amphibious Swarmship Amblowhale
- Borrelsword Dragon
- Borreload Dragon
- Knightmare Gryphon
- Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax
- Salamangreat Raging Phoenix
- Saryuja Skull Dread
- Topologic Bomber Dragon
- Topologic Zeroboros
- Unchained Abomination
- Worldsea Dragon Zealantis
Link 5 Monsters #
- Underworld Goddess of the Closed World
Xyz Monsters #
Flexible:
- Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS – Sky Thunder
- Dark Armed, the Dragon of Annihilation
- Downerd Magician
- Number F0: Utopic Future
- Number F0: Utopic Draco Future
- Super Starslayer TY-PHON – Sky Crisis
Rank 1:
- Kikinagashi Fucho
- Lyrilusc – Assembled Nightingale
Rank 2:
- Number 29: Mannequin Cat
- Onibimaru Soul Sweeper
- Toadally Awesome
Rank 3:
- The Phantom Knights of Break Sword
Rank 4
- Abyss Dweller
- Evilswarm Exciton Knight
- Evilswarm Nightmare
- Gagaga Cowboy
- Gallant Granite
- Infernal Flame Banshee
- Number 60: Dugares the Timeless
- Number 41: Bagooska the Terribly Tired Tapir
- Raider’s Knight
- Time Thief Redoer
- Tornado Dragon
Rank 5:
- Arc Rebellion Xyz Dragon (summoned by Raider’s Knight)
Rank 6
- Evolzar Lars
- Wollow, Founder of the Drudge Dragons
Rank 7:
- Number 11: Big Eye
- Number 76: Harmonizer Gradielle
Rank 8:
- Coach King Giantrainer
- Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy
- Number 68: Sanaphond the Sky Prison
- Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord
- Number 97: Draglubion
- The Zombie Vampire
Rank 9:
- Mereologic Aggregator
Fusion Monsters #
- Berfomet the Mythical King of Phantom Beasts
- Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts
- Elder Entity N’tss
- Guardian Chimera
Summon with Super Polymerization:
- Earth Golem @Ignister
- Garura, Wings of Resonant Life
- Starving Venom Fusion Dragon
- Predaplant Dragostapelia
- Mudragon of the Swamp
Summon with Instant Fusion:
- Millennium-Eyes Restrict
Synchro Monsters #
- Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon
- Bystial Dis Pater
- Chaos Angel
- Coral Dragon
- Crimson Dragon
- Enigmaster Packbit
- F.A. Dawn Dragster
- Formula Synchron
- Herald of the Arc Light
- Golden Cloud Beast – Malong
- PSY-Framelord Omega
- Tri-Edge Master
Floodgates #
One Turn Floodgates:
- Artifact Lancea
- Different Dimension Ground
- Dimensional Barrier
- Dimension Shifter
- Droll & Lock Bird
- Mistaken Arrest
Continuous Floodgates:
- Anti-Spell Fragrance
- Deck Lockdown
- Denko Sekka
- Grave of the Super Ancient Organism
- Gozen Match
- Inspector Boarder
- Necrovalley
- Rivalry of Warlords
- Secret Village of the Spellcasters
- Skill Drain
- There Can Be Only One
- Vanity’s Fiend
Negation / Interruption #
Hand Traps:
- Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring
- Bystial Magnamhut
- Bystial Druiswurm
- D.D. Crow
- Effect Veiler
- Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit
- Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion
- Ghost Mourner & Moonlit Chill
- Infinite Impermanence
- Mulcharmy Purulia
- Nibiru, the Primal Being
- PSY-Framegear Delta
- PSY-Framegear Gamma
- Retaliating “C”
- Skull Meister
Spells:
- Book of Eclipse
- Book of Moon
- Crossout Designator
- Called by the Grave
- Dark Ruler No More
- Forbidden Droplet
- Forbidden Chalice
Traps:
- Destructive Daruma Karma Cannon
- Ice Dragon’s Prison
- Lost Wind
- Solemn Judgment
- Solemn Strike
- The Black Goat Laughs
Removal #
Monster Removal
- Kurikara Divincarnate
- The Winged Dragon of Ra – Sphere Mode
- Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju
- Gadarla, the Mystery Dust Kaiju
- Jizukiru, the Star Destroying Kaiju
- Radian, the Multidimensional Kaiju
- Lava Golem
- Santa Claws
- Enemy Controller
- Super Polymerization
- Change of Heart
- Dark Hole
- Mind Control
- Raigeki
- Snatch Steal
- Herald of the Abyss
- Ultimate Slayer
- Crackdown
Spell/Trap Removal
- Harpie’s Feather Duster
- Twin Twisters
- Cosmic Cyclone
- Galaxy Cyclone
- Eradicator Epidemic Virus
Monster/Spell/Trap Removal
- Dinowrestler Pankratops
- Evenly Matched
- Kashtira Fenrir
- Lightning Storm
Draw Power #
- Allure of Darkness
- Card Destruction
- Card of Demise
- Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay
- Pot of Desires
- Pot of Duality
- Pot of Extravagance
- Pot of Prosperity
- Trade-In
- Upstart Goblin
Other Monsters #
- Absolute King Back Jack
- Danger!? Jackalope?
- Danger! Nessie!
- Danger!? Tsuchinoko?
- Danger! Mothman!
- Danger! Bigfoot!
- Gizmek Orochi, the Serpentron Sky Slasher
- Parallel eXceed
- Volcanic Scattershot
Other Spells #
- Foolish Burial
- Foolish Burial Goods
- Foolish Return
- Forbidden Lance
- Instant Fusion
- Lullaby of Obedience
- Monster Reborn
- One for One
- Sales Ban
- Set Rotation
- Small World
- Soul Release
- Terraforming
- Triple Tactics Talent
- Triple Tactics Thrust
- Where Arf Thou?
Other Traps #
- Transaction Rollback
- Trap Trick