The Yu-Gi-Oh! manga first debuted in Japan all the way back in 1996 and over 23 years later, the series is still going strong. The manga spawned several different anime series, movies, and an iconic trading card game. Yu-Gi-Oh card tournaments are still held annually and the cards are sold and collected around the world.
Like any trading card series, Yu-Gi-Oh has a few rare cards, worth thousands of dollars a piece. In general, the rarest Yu-Gi-Oh cards were special tournament prizes with very few ever released. While these special prize cards are useless in an actual duel, they are highly collectible and widely sought out even though very few ever go up for sale.
As of October 2019, the values listed for the cards is as accurate as possible and will be updated as needed.
- Bandai Version Swords of Revealing Light
- First Edition Blue Eyes White Dragon
- Skuna, the Leonine Rakan
- Shonen Jump Championship Cyber Stein
- Armament of the Lethal Lords
- Iron Knight of Revolution
- Amatsu-Okami of the Divine Peaks
- Signed Japanese Tournament Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon
- Tyler the Great Warrior
- Tournament Black Luster Soldier
Reason for Rarity: Never released outside of Japan and not many exist
Year Originally Released: April 4, 1998
Original Set: Yu-Gi-Oh! Bandai OCG: Promotional Cards
Trading Card Game Rarity: Super Rare
photo source: eBay via syuju017
Yu-Gi-Oh! has been around as a manga series since 1996, but the cards weren’t released until a few years later. While the official trading card game (TCG) was launched by Konami in 1999, Bandai had released their own promotional cards a year before. The Bandai Yu-Gi-Oh cards were only available in Japan and for the most part the cards were widely available.
Today, the only Bandai card that is considered rare and valuable is the Swords of Revealing Light. The price of a Bandai Swords of Revealing Light card ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
Did You Know?
The three swords on the Swords of Revealing Light card (all versions) represent the number of turns that this card can be active.
Reason for Rarity: Mythic figure in Yu-Gi-Oh! Lore makes cards valuable
Year Originally Released: Varies depending on version, but very first time was March 6, 1999
Original Set: Varies depending on version, but very first set was Starter Box: Theatrical Limited Release Edition
Trading Card Game Rarity: Varies depending on version, but typically Ultra Rare, Ghost Rare, or Secret Rare
photo source: Collectors.com
Ask anyone who knows even a little bit about the Yu-Gi-Oh! series what the most legendary card is and chances are they’ll say Blue Eyes White Dragon. The card was part of the very first official set of Yu-Gi-Oh cards released in Japan in 1999 and has continued to capture players and collectors since then.
There are a few different versions of Blue Eyes White Dragon, but first editions in mint condition are the most valuable and are worth thousands of dollars. Even a heavily used Blue Eyes White Dragon will sell for a few hundred bucks.
Did You Know?
Blue Eyes White Dragon is the signature card of popular Yu-Gi-Oh! character Seto Kaiba and even in the game’s lore, Blue Eyes White Dragon is a very rare card, with only a few existing in the world.
Reason for Rarity: Only a few given out as prizes at the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2009
Year Originally Released: August 9, 2009
Original Set: N/A; specially made for Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2009
Trading Card Game Rarity: Ultra Rare
photo source: Yu-Gi-Oh Wikia
Skuna, the Leonine Rakan is a special prize card from the 2009 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship and only a few of these cards were given out a decade ago. There aren’t any Skuna, the Leonine Rakan cards for sale right now, but one was reportedly sold at auction for $6,000.
Did You Know?
The Skuna, the Leonine Rakan character was inspired by sramanic (wandering monk) traditions of ancient India, which state that a rakan was a spiritual practitioner who has achieved the goal of nirvana.
Reason for Rarity: Only 18 released from December 2004 to July 2005; a few more were released later at different events; approximately 126 cards in total
Year Originally Released: 2004
Original Set: N/A; special Shonen Jump Championship version
Trading Card Game Rarity: Ultra Rare
photo source: Yu-Gi-Oh Wikia
Cyber Stein was the prize card from the very first Shonen Jump Championship series and is rare and valuable. Only 18 of the special Cyber Steins were awarded at the Shonen Jump Championship events from December 2004 to July 2005. These Shoen Jump Championship Cyber Steins go up for sale from time to time and typically sell for a few thousand dollars if they’re in mint condition.
Initially only these 18 prize cards were the only Cyber Steins to exist in the world, but a few more were released at other events. It is estimated that about 126 Cyber Steins were given out.
Did You Know?
Cyber Stein is one of only two Shonen Jump Championship prize cards banned from tournament play – they were legal at one point – with the other card being Crush Card Virus.
Reason for Rarity: Only a few given out as prizes at Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2006
Year Originally Released: July 2, 2006
Original Set: N/A; specially made for Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2006
Trading Card Game Rarity: Ultra Rare
photo source: Instagram via huy_zeons
The Armament of the Lethal Lords is another tournament prize card worth thousands more than the paper it was printed on. A few of Armament of the Lethal Lords cards were given out at the 2006 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship, making them unavailable to everyone else. Reportedly, one Armament of the Lethal Lords was sold for $9,000, but the seller was originally asking for $1 million.
Did You Know?
Although the Armament of the Lethal Lords card has never received an official card game release, the character appeared in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 2 video game.
Reason for Rarity: Only one each given out to the second, third, and fourth place winners of Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2017
Year Originally Released: August 13, 2017
Original Set: N/A; specially made for Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2017
Trading Card Game Rarity: Extra Secret Rare
photo source: Yu-Gi-Oh Wikia
While all Yu-Gi-Oh tournament prize cards are technically rare, not all are notable or necessarily valuable because they are seldom put up for sale – tournament winners would rather hold on to their special hard-won prizes. Only three copies of the Iron Knight of Revolution were given out at the 2017 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship. Like a few of the other special tournament cards, only one Iron Knight of Revolution was ever sold and earned its seller $12,999!
Did You Know?
Along with the Sanctity of Dragon card given out at the 2017 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship, the Iron Knight of Revolution are the first match winner cards that are Link Monsters.
Reason for Rarity: Only a few given to top players of 2018 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championships
Year Originally Released: 2018
Original Set: N/A; special card for 2018 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championships
Trading Card Game Rarity: Extra Secret Rare
photo source: Yu-Gi-Oh Wikia
The Amatsu-Okami of the Divine Peaks card is not quite as rare as some of the other tournament prize cards on this list. A few were given out to the top players (not champions) of all three categories of the 2018 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championships. So far, only one Amatsu-Okami of the Divine Peaks was put up for sale and it reportedly fetched $18,800!
Did You Know?
A different version of the Amatsu-Okami of the Divine Peaks card was given out at the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2019 Japanese qualifiers as prizes. A few of these cards are for sale on eBay, priced between $233 to $534.
Reason for Rarity: One-of-a-kind prize given to Asian Championships 2001 winner
Year Originally Released: 2001
Original Set: N/A; special version of Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon
Trading Card Game Rarity: Ultra Rare
photo source: Twitter via saku06s
This special edition of the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon was another one-of-a-kind tournament prize, given to the winner of the 2001 Asian Championships. The card popped up for sale at the Card Shop Spiral store in Akihabara in 2018 and was listed at 45 million yen (about $417,2809). The tournament Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon comes in a special box that was signed by Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi. There haven’t been any updates on whether or not someone has actually bought the card yet.
Did You Know?
The original owner of the special tournament Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, saku06s on Twitter, “jokingly” tried to sell the card for 99.9 billion yen (US$904 million) in 2016, but received no bids.
Reason for Rarity: One-of-a-kind, specially made for Tyler Gressle’s Make-A-Wish foundation wish
Year Originally Released: 2001
Original Set: N/A
Trading Card Game Rarity: Ultra Rare
photo source: Yu-Gi-Oh Wikia
Tyler chose to create his very own Yu-Gi-Oh card and 4Kids Entertainment Inc. honored Tyler’s wish. Tyler the Great Warrior was finished in 2005 and Tyler and his family were invited to tour the U.S. Yu-Gi-Oh facility in New York City.
Did You Know?
Tyler the Great Warrior’s design was inspired by popular Dragon Ball character Trunks.
Reason for Rarity: One-of-a-kind prize; specially printed on stainless steel
Year Originally Released: 1999 at very first Yu-Gi-Oh tournament
Original Set: N/A; given to tournament winner
Trading Card Game Rarity: Ultra Rare
photo source: Kotaku
The winner of that first Yu-Gi-Oh tournament laid low with their coveted prize for many years before suddenly listing the Black Luster Soldier card for sale in 2013. The seller asked for an eye-popping $10 million, but the card reportedly sold for $2 million. The high value and its truly special nature make the Tournament Black Luster Soldier the rarest Yu-Gi-Oh card ever in the world.
Did You Know?
While normal Black Luster Soldier cards are game legal, this special Black Luster Soldier card cannot be used in tournament play.
