Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links is nearing its sixth year, and over that time the card pool has become grown dramatically. With tons of content getting added every month, the meta is constantly changing. Duel Links is quite different than most other formats, allowing for strategies that are overlooked in others to shine within it.
Spell cards are some of the best cards in all of Yu-Gi-Oh! because they are fast, easy to use, and generally have few, if any, costs. Sometimes, a deck getting a new spell is enough to make it top tier. A great spell can help to hose to a strategy, act as potent removal, or be a wildly versatile jack of all trades.
Updated September 8th, 2023 by James Lynch: As the years have gone on, many new cards have been introduced to Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links, the meta has changed, and banlists have come and gone, offering new staple cards while removing older ones. This list has thus been updated to reflect a more modern view of the metagame.
20 Cup of Ace
Now admittedly this card doesn't guarantee devastation in the same way as some of the other entries on this list, but Cup of Ace has the power to change the game in an instant if it pays off. Its ability allows either the player or their opponent to draw two cards depending on whether the player succeeds a coin flip. Conspiracy theories abound that the card never comes up the right way in emergency or endgame situations, but assuming the aforementioned isn't universally true, then it can turn a difficult situation immediately in the player's favor.
19 Half Shut
Half Shut is a little more situational and dependent on other cards in the deck that some would feel comfortable with. Having said that, if used in the appropriate way, it's a solid addition to any deck, allowing the player to survive in situations where the opponent has a lot of strong monsters in play.
Specifically, the card allows the player to target one of their own in-play monsters, following which it cannot be destroyed by battle that turn though its ATK is halved until the End Phase. In particular, this magic card synergizes well with decks heavy on Amazoness cards.
18 Twister
Twister might seem inconvenient to use at first thanks to its heavy 500 LP tax upon being played but it's one of very few cards that removes a face-up spell or trap card from the field. Additionally, it's a quick play card and therefore easy to get into the game and activate. Though it does come with other downsides (it doesn't negate the effect of the magic cards it destroys), it's still a solid situational choice that allows the player to destroy high-value, continuous effect cards that may otherwise jeopardize the entire game.
17 Night Beam
Very similar in effect to the Twister card above, the Night Beam is the stronger choice of the two for those who can get access to it. When played, the card can be used to destroy an on-field spell or trap card (in this case it doesn't have to be face up). Beyond that, the opponent is also unable to activate the effect of the destroyed card before discarding it to their graveyard.
On the other side of the coin though, it isn't a quick-play card and so it's more difficult to get Night Beam actively involved in the game. Beyond that, a prepared opponent could use their destroyed card to chain the effects of other cards unless the player negates this with another card.
16 Hey, Trunade!
The younger, less terrifying brother of the Giant Trunade card that has been banned from real-life tournament play for a long time, Hey, Trunade! has a similar though (slightly) less devastating effect. When played it returns all set magic and trap cards to the field. This is a particularly useful effect when the opponent is well set after the early game, allowing a few turns to catch up when behind.
This card doesn't allow for the bonkers recycling of field and continuous spells that Giant Trunade was banned for, but it does prevent effects that would otherwise be triggered if the cards in question were sent to the graveyard. It's a trade-off, but it remains a magic card that should be a staple in many decks.
15 Swallow's Nest
Though this card is only suited to players running decks with Winged Beasts, for those who are Swallow's Nest is a hugely powerful option. Its effect allows players to tribute one face-up Winged Beast in order to special summon another one of the same level from the deck.
This doesn't seem immediately hugely beneficial (other than to get a preferred monster out on to the field) but when used as part of a wider synchro or swarm strategy, it proves suddenly invaluable. The Blackwing cards all work very well alongside Swallow's Nest.
14 Galaxy Cyclone
Galaxy Cyclone is one of the rare spell and trap removal options in Duel Links and also one of the best. It is somewhat hurt by the fact that it can only be used on a face-down spell or trap. However, this downside comes with a distinct plus.
Galaxy Cyclone can also banish itself from the graveyard to destroy a face-up spell or trap card. This adds an extra layer to Galaxy Cyclone that most other options can't offer. Being able to destroy two cards for the price of one is a powerful effect and not one to be understated.
13 Monster Reborn
Occupying the unusual position of being limited in both the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG and in Duel Links, Monster Reborn lives up to its reputation. While it can't start a combo by itself, the ability to revive any creature in either graveyard is versatile, even if it isn't as searchable as Premature Burial.
Monster Reborn can either revive one of the player's monsters, including those intentionally sent to the graveyard, or steal a potent threat from their opponent. Its status as a Spell card also gives it a leg-up over Call Of The Haunted, being playable as soon as it's drawn.
12 Necrovalley
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Necrovalley is the best field spell in all of Duel Links, and one of the best spell cards available overall. Necrovalley prevents cards from being able to leave the graveyard, which can completely shut down entire strategies just by just activating it. It stops reanimation decks dead in their tracks.
While it's useful in the Gravekeeper's archetype, any deck can run Necrovalley as a floodgate to hamper an opponent's plays and use that advantage to win the duel. If a deck doesn't need its graveyard, it's never a bad idea to include copies of Necrovalley to deny opponents a normally vital resource.
11 Invocation
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When the Dark Dimension box came out, it completely changed Duel Links, as it included tons of powerful cards and archetypes. One of these was the Invoked archetype, and it was Invocation that made the engine so powerful. Many strategies can put in an Invocation engine to instantly boost their power.
Invocation can easily special summon Invoked Monsters, as well as recycle Aleister The Invoker to search Invocation from the deck for repeated use. Invocation was incredibly controversial when it was added to Duel Links. It completely warped the meta and hasn't left, despite one of the fusions being banned.
10 Power Of The Guardians
Power Of The Guardians is one of the best equip spells in Duel Links. If an opponent can't get rid of it by a card effect, then Power Of The Guardians is unlikely to ever leave the field. It gives a spell counter that adds 500 attack to the equipped monster whenever it battles.
These spell counters can also be removed if the monster would be destroyed. This means that it can not be destroyed by battle at all, as a spell counter will be placed on the monster when an attack is declared, and thus have a spell counter to remove for protection.
9 Neos Fusion
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Neos Fusion is one of the best Fusion Spells added to Duel Links and continues to be used in all sorts of Decks. The Neos Fusion engine gives any deck a boss monster in Elemental HERO Brave Neos that is protected from destruction once.
Not only that, but Neos Fusion can be used to set up the graveyard since it can send any level four or lower effect monster from the deck to the graveyard. Neos Fusion has been a staple of the meta since its introduction, and despite being limited to three copies, will continue to see play for the foreseeable future.
8 Forbidden Chalice
Part of a small archetype of spell cards—the others being "Lance", "Dress", and "Scripture"—Forbidden Chalice increases a target monster's attack at the "cost" of negating its effects. While this may at first appear to be a weak combat trick meant to help beat over a bigger threat, there's a hidden depth to it.
Nowhere does Forbidden Chalice state it has to target the player's own creature, allowing them to negate the effects of problematic cards their opponent might play, including flip monsters. Likewise, its user can negate any negative effects their own monsters might have, including many costs meant to balance out an otherwise strong ability.
7 Concentrating Current
Concentrating Current spent a lot of time being underappreciated since it was in the same box as many powerful Six Samurai cards. However, players soon discovered its potential and it became a staple in many decks. It's good for going both first and second, as the player can set it to surprise an opponent or go for an OTK.
Concentrating Current can take advantage of Monsters with high Defense Points, and turn them into behemoths capable of winning the duel in just one attack. Concentrating Current was so good that it was put on the Semi-Limited list to avoid it being used with other staples.
6 Lightning Vortex
Given Raigeki's frequently banned or limited status, it should come as no surprise that plenty of powered-down versions have cropped up over the years. One of the strongest, especially in Duel Links, is Lightning Vortex. It acheives the same board-clearing effects as its bigger sibling, albeit at a cost.
While this may seem like pure downside, there are a variety of ways to take advantage of a discard. Various cards care about hand size, the Infernity archetype in particular. Being able to set up the graveyard can be extremely useful for many decks, especially when paired with removal.
5 World Legacy Clash
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World Legacy Clash went under the radar for some time, but once people found out about its potential it was being used in practically every duel. It can be used in the damage step, meaning that it is able to completely negate many attacks when used correctly. Not only that, but World Legacy Clash can drastically lower the attack and defense of an opponent's monster, making them vulnerable to future removal. It can also able to be used to avoid removal or destruction, as it can get a monster off of the field before it can be affected.
4 Mystical Space Typhoon
From the earliest days of Yu-Gi-Oh! to today, Mystical Space Typhoon has always seen use, even landing itself a spot on the limited list for a time. Duel Links is no exception; the ability to simply destroy a spell or trap with no restrictions is always good. While many imitators have risen up over the years, providing roughly the same effect but with various costs, few things beat the versatility Mystical Space Typhoon offers. This is even more true here, as the smaller field of Duel Links makes a one-for-one trade even better, especially as a quick-play spell.
3 Cosmic Cyclone
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Cosmic Cyclone has plenty of uses and is some of the best trap and spell removal in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links. Banishing a spell and trap card is better than destroying them, as some of them have effects when destroyed or in the graveyard.
Few cards in Duel Links can be used once they're banished, making Cosmic Cyclone a premiere backrow hate card. The cost of 1000 Life Points to activate is hardly a cost at all, as this life point loss can be used to trigger skills. This makes Cosmic Cyclone incredibly versatile and one of the best spell cards in the entire game.
2 Enemy Controller
The original staple card, Enemy Controller has been in Duel Links since the earliest days and continues to see play many years later. Both of the card's effects are incredibly useful. The ability to switch an attack position monster to defense is a good stalling tool and can put a monster in a position where it may be vulnerable. Enemy Controller's other effect to tribute a monster to steal an opponent's for a turn is also useful when going for a one-turn kill, taking a monster off their board and adding a resource to one's own at the same time.
1 Book Of Moon
It can be easy for a new Yu-Gi-Oh! player to overlook Book Of Moon, but this old-school card is one of the strongest and most versatile spells available. While its ability to stop an attack is fairly obvious, and similar one-off effects already see play in Duel Links, it has more than just that.
The ability to reset flip monsters is one of Book of Moon's oldest uses, but the card can also be used to temporarily negate effects or even interrupt many combo plays. Likewise, a monster flipped face-down "forgets" any penalties on it, as well as removing anything equipped. It makes a potent combo when used with Relinquished and its kin.