Champs or Chumps
What's good YouTube! This man's claim to fame was winning SJC Houston in 2008 with his rogue strategy of the time, Six Samurai.
Jonathan Moore/House of Champs
Although it saw zero play for its first year of being released, players realized this short-print continuous trap, even though it restricted both players, was extremely unbalanced if flipped after establishing your full board.
Vanity's Emptiness
This Fiend monster, used by Marik in the anime, lowers a monster's ATK by 800 when summoned. You won't see it in Cyrus's Machine deck, however, even though it can be searched.
Dark Jeroid
Sangan's travel guide, extra deck "Towers" out.
Tour Guide from the Underworld Goddess of the Closed World
This HAT format side deck card is a staple in Genesys side decks. It not only works well into the top decks, but is universally generic enough to be boarded in to almost any matchup going first.
Debunk
Anyone with a brain would know this three-time YCS champion was going to delete all his social media if he didn't win a YCS in 2024, nabbing his first win that very year in Anaheim playing Ryzeal Fiendsmith.
Steven Trifunoski/Trif Gaming
This former-meta archetype was responsible for the banning and limitation of several floodgates, as it was able to send them away for cost and continue playing while the opponent was locked down during their turn.
Snake-Eye
This boss monster, used by Yuri in the anime, is a decent option as a Super Polymerization target for dark monsters. However, no counters would be placed on it during the end phase by the effect of Venom Swamp.
Starving Venom Fusion Dragon
K9's non-target suck, Kashtira's worst Knightmare.
N.As.H. Knightmare Corruptor Iblee
Since low-pointed handtraps are rare in Genesys, this monster saw play as a way to stop Sacred Beast effects from resolving in the hand.
Gravekeeper's Watcher
This YCS champion is only one of three players to win a back-to-back event: both YCS Toronto and Columbus in 2011 with Tengu Plant. Nowadays, you will most likely see him sitting next to Jerome.
Billy Brake
This Yusei trap card was a way to allow the Runick Stun deck to survive another turn, while barely wasting any resources, as long as a Runick spell was chained before it.
Scrubbed Raid
This Normal monster was printed to be used alongside the Hieratic Dragons, as being a level 6 gives you access to Atum. However, it can also be searched if Wattcobra declares a direct attack.
Wattaildragon
A face-down reborn for both players, a flood for high-level monsters.
The Shallow Grave of the Superancient Organism
This former TCG-exclusive Archetype is currently being splashed in Blitzclique decks, as a way to trigger your monster effects because of their ability to destroy themselves when they hit the field.
Burning Abyss
This champion won YCS Atlanta in 2010 with Gravekeeper's, after the release of Recruiter. He doesn't play much Advanced format anymore, but you may catch him online playing in Time Wizard formats, or judging in a Philly regional.
Frazier Smith
This continuous trap, acting like both Skill Drain and Stumbling, was played in Qliphort decks, even though they already played 3 Skill Drain, too.
Lose 1 Turn
This monster was printed in the OCG in 1999, but didn't receive a TCG print until 2011 in Starstrike Blast. It's original localized name was changed to become part of the archetype also in that set, which cared about monsters being switched from attack to defense position.
Karakuri Spider/Mechanical Spider
Searchable Blitzclique floodgate, counter trap for water banish decks.
Thunder King Rai-Oh F!sh!
This fusion boss monster was played in Fairy Tail decks, as a boardwipe that can be accessed off of Mixousia the Confounder.
Quintet Magician
This player is known for winning both the first ever YCS and UDS events: YCS Washington 2010 and UDS Philadelphia 2015. However, he is also well-known for cheating in many events, earning him the nickname that is made by switching the first letters of his first and last name.
Peter Cheng/"Cheater Peng"
This continuous spell was printed a bit late for its intended purpose, as the deck it hurt was fading out of the meta. It was a hard counter for any monster special summoned off of a Gladiator Beast's effect.
Corridor of Agony
For some reason, this equip spell, used by Raphael in the anime, is part of the "Noble Arms" archetype. I'd be very confused if you equip it to Medraut though, as it has nothing to do with the archetype.
Celestial Sword - Eatos
Polymerization searcher, trap monster that triggers Feather Storm.
King of the Swamp Mirrorer
Before it was given points, this Quick-Play spell saw play outside of its own Archetype in side decks, as a way to protect your board from a Blitzclique monster's destruction.
Purrely Happy Memory