When the original Cardcaptor Sakura series debuted, the titular magical girl didn’t have enough power to create her own Clear Cards just yet. Instead, she had to capture and seal the magic of the existing Clow Cards. Some of those cards, like the elemental ones, were incredibly powerful, but probably not the kind of thing someone would want to use in everyday life.
Several of the other Clow Cards, however, could really come in handy. While the manga only introduced 19 named cards, the anime fleshed out the story a bit more to introduce a whopping 53. Of those 53, these magical abilities are the ones deemed most useful.
10 The Fly
One of the Clow Cards that appears in both the manga and the anime, The Fly does exactly what it says. The Fly grants the master of the card flight. Initially, that manifests as wings on Sakura’s wand, and later, as wings on her own back.
Being able to use The Fly would certainly make travel easier. Instead of waiting in traffic, it could all be avoided with the aid of some wings. That tends to be exactly when Sakura uses the card - to follow a possible card in the fastest way possible, avoiding any ground traffic.
9 The Twin
This particular card only appears in the anime. Don’t get The Twin confused with The Mirror. It doesn’t create a mirror image of something, but instead, duplicates objects.
Sakura didn’t use the card very often in the anime, but it would certainly be useful if a person could easily duplicate things they needed. Think of all the money and time that could be saved.
8 The Time
Though time magic exists in the manga, The Time isn’t a card present on the page. It happens to be the first card Syaoran is able to capture in the anime, and it’s a power he uses pretty often.
It takes a lot of magical ability to use this particular card because manipulating time can drain a mage. Syaoran typically uses it to stop time completely, allowing him or Sakura a few extra seconds to get the job done. How great would it be to have a little extra time in the day? Even if it was only a few extra seconds, a little more time can make a big difference.
7 The Shield
The Shield card gets the same treatment in the manga and the anime. It loves to guard things of importance to those it cares about, but can also be used in battle.
The card creates a magical barrier that prevents anything on the other side of it from being hurt or damaged. While Sakura uses that to make sure she, her friends, and her family don’t get hit by errant blasts of magic, it could also be used for some real world applications. Imagine not having to worry about getting anything on your favorite clothing or being able to protect your car from the events of an accident.
6 The Through
This is one card that Sakura rarely uses. In fact, the anime only tells the audience she captures it, but never actually shows when she does it. It’s a shame because The Through is a handy little card.
The card allows the master of it to become intangible, capable of moving through any surface - within the realm of the user’s magical ability, of course. Think of it like the card that can turn someone into the X-Men’s Kitty Pryde. Being able to walk through walls not only cuts down on travel time, but can help a person get from point A to point B when taking the long route might get them lost.
5 The Sleep
The Sleep is one of the cards that Sakura uses most in the anime. It’s exactly what someone would imagine with a name conjuring images of nap time.
Sakura most often uses the card when she needs to hide magic from those around her. The Sleep uses its own magic wand to send people into a peaceful nap right where they are. Have a friend with trouble sleeping? Give them a sleeping aid that actually works with the help of the magical card. It’s a shame someone couldn’t use it on themselves to get a little extra shuteye.
4 The Power
This anime-only card might as well be called The Strength instead of The Power. That’s because it increases the physical strength of the user.
Again, this isn’t a card Sakura makes much use of, but that’s likely because many of the cards she captures won’t be tamed by physical strength alone. In the real world, The Power would be more than happy to show everyone up by boosting their master’s ability to carry all of the groceries in one trip or move the furniture around alone.
3 The Jump
During the course of the series, Sakura actually uses The Jump more often than she uses The Fly. The card allows her to make a big leap instead of flying through the skies.
It’s more efficient when Sakura is battling in a small space, and it’s also a little less conspicuous, simply adding some wings to her shoes. In the real world, it would be great for getting to those hard to reach places or skipping a crowded staircase.
2 The Create
Anyone with an imagination would love The Create card. It appears in the anime in the guise of a book in which a story needs to be finished. Whatever is written in the book is brought to life.
There are a lot of situations in which a person might want to see their creations brought to life, but The Create alone could bring a lot of good to the world. It could be used to literally create solutions to real world problems like water filtration systems, building infrastructure, and more. The possibilities are endless.
1 The Mirror
One of the most difficult cards for Sakura to capture, The Mirror also happens to have a fleshed out personality. The Mirror communicates with Sakura on behalf of the cards, which would definitely be useful for anyone wanting to communicate with the cards whose skills they wanted to use.
The Mirror assumes the form of the person who masters the cards. For anyone who has ever wished they could be in two places at once, this is the card for them.