No matter what deck you’re playing, what combination of levels you’ve got, or what sort of effects you’re looking for, there’ll be an XYZ monster that’s a perfect fit. With over 450+ XYZ monsters to choose from (as of this writing) there’s a lot of options to consider, with each one providing a unique strategy for your deck. So how do you choose? Well join us as we take a look at the best XYZ monsters across all ranks in Yu-Gi-Oh. So no matter what deck you’re playing, these suggestions could help kick your extra deck into overdrive.
15. Traptrix Rafflesia
The “Hole” cards are an incredibly powerful set of trap cards. You’ve got cards like Bottomless Trap Hole that can destroy and banish any monster summoned with 1500 or more attack, Floodgate Trap Hole that can permanently flip monsters into face-down defense position… and so many more! Now imagine being able to play those cards whenever you want. Traptrix Rafflesia does just that: Once per turn, at quick effect speed, you can detach an XYZ material from this card to send any normal “Hole” trap card from your deck to the graveyard to have this card’s effect become that trap card’s effect – providing that the activation conditions are met. You’ll be able to Bottomless Trap Hole your opponent again and again… and there’ll be nothing they can do to stop you.
14. Number 27: Dreadnought Dreadnoid
Rank 10 monsters are some of the strongest XYZ monsters out there – I mean, any monster that requires 2 or more level 10 monsters is bound to have some kicking power behind it! Number 27: Dreadnought Dreadnoid allows you to summon those monsters, without having to go to the lengths of summoning multiple level 10 monsters. All you need is two level four monsters and you’re good to go. When this card destroys any of your opponent’s monster in battle, at the end of the battle phase you can use this card and its materials to XYZ summon any rank 10 or higher machine monster from your extra deck. I’d personally recommend summoning Superdimensional Robot Galaxy Destroyer with this effect (trust me, it’s nowhere near as dumb as its name would suggest). That’s a rank 10 XYZ monster with a ludicrous 5000 attack stat, alongside the ability to destroy all spells and traps that your opponent controls just by detaching an XYZ material.
13. Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon
If you’re looking to burn your opponent for a crazy amount of damage, this card is perfect to check out. Every time your opponent activates a card or effect, they’ll have to pay for it – with their life. Well, 500 life points, but you get the idea! In modern Yu-Gi-Oh where players will easily activate 10/20 cards in a single turn, this can sink some serious damage into them if they’re not careful. If you’re playing a pure Red-Eyes deck then this card also comes with a seriously handy way to summon those Red-Eyes Black Dragons from your graveyard, just by detaching an XYZ material from this card. But just note that once this card runs out of XYZ material, it’ll stop burning your opponent for damage. So you better make those special summons worth it!
12. Time Thief Redoer
Time Thief Redoer has a really interesting way of depleting your opponent’s resources. Instead of just destroying the cards they’ve already played, or milling cards from their deck, Time Thief Redoer actually steals the top card of your opponent’s deck and attaches it to itself as an XYZ material! This activates during every single standby phase, too. Meaning after a while you’ll have stolen a number of cards from your opponent. And as a quick effect, you can detach up to three XYZ materials to activate different effects, depending on whether you detached a monster, spell, or trap card: Detaching a monster allows you to banish this monster until the end phase. This is great if your opponent has targeted this card with a card effect – by banishing this monster at quick effect speed, it’ll no longer be on the field to be targeted, and your opponent’s card effect will fizzle out. By detaching a spell you can draw a card, and by detaching a trap you can put any face-up card from your opponent’s field onto the top of their deck.
11. Number 11: Big Eye
Speaking of monsters that steal cards, Number 11: Big Eye is hands-down the best way of stealing your opponent’s monsters! By detaching an XYZ material from this card you can take control of any monster your opponent controls, at the expense that Number 11: Big Eye can’t attack the turn you activate this effect. Unlike most other effects that allow you to steal an opponent’s monster, this effect is permanent! Well, until the end of the duel, otherwise that’s literal theft. But this means you can do whatever you like with it – use it to attack your opponent, use it for extra deck summons, the choice is yours.
10. Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal
Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal is almost too easy to summon! While you can use two level 6 monsters, you can also XYZ summon this card using any “Dante” monster you control as the sole XYZ material, while discarding any other Burning Abyss monster from your hand. Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal pretty much acts like a Foolish Burial that you can re-use every single turn at quick effect speed. This can set up some seriously crazy combos, which is why this card has actually been limited to 1 copy per deck. And when this card is destroyed by your opponent, things won’t be looking great for them – as Beatrice lets you special summon any Burning Abyss Monster from your extra deck, completely disregarding their summoning conditions. This means you can fusion summon without actually tributing monsters, or synchro summon without actually, well, synchro summoning!
9. Number S39: Utopia the Lightning
If you thought the original Number 39: Utopia was good, just wait till you get a look at this guy. You can summon this card using two level 5 monsters, or the way easier route of using any Utopia XYZ monster you control as the sole material. When this card attacks, your opponent can’t activate any cards or effects until the end of the damage step. This prevents your opponent from activating any sort of battle traps that would mess with your attack, like monsters whose effects activate when they’re attacked. What’s more, if you have a Utopia monster as an XYZ material on this card, you can detach 2 XYZ materials to have this guy’s attack shoot up to a staggering 5000! Combine this with the fact that your opponent can’t activate cards and effects, and you’ve got a monster who can inflict some serious damage on your opponent.
8. Number 106: Giant Hand
Being able to negate your opponent’s cards is crucial to winning at Yu-Gi-Oh. There are some seriously powerful monsters out there (I mean, just take a look at this list!) And you’ll need to be able to stop those effects in their tracks if you want a chance at winning. During either player’s turn, when a monster effect is activated, you can detach 2 XYZ materials from this card to target any effect monster on the field and completely negate its effect (while Number 106: Giant Hand is on the field). Unlike most negating cards in Yu-Gi-Oh, this guy provides you with permanent negating power, negating that monster’s effect for as long as you can keep him around.
7. Daigusto Emeral
We’ve all been in a Yu-Gi-Oh game that has just been a long and grueling grind against your opponent. You’ll be 20 turns in, with 10 cards left in your deck, and barely anything left to throw at them. Daigusto Emeral is an amazing way of recovering from these situations – and can easily win you the game when played right! By detaching an XYZ material from this card, you can target 3 monsters in your graveyard and shuffle those cards back into your deck, then draw one card. Not only does this cycle some of your best resources back into your deck, but this also gives you an extra card in your hand. That one extra card can truly be the difference between winning and losing in Yu-Gi-Oh – especially if you draw a card that can start all your powerful combos!
6. Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon
The Galaxy Eyes archetype is absolutely filled with powerful XYZ monsters. And this guy is definitely the best out of the bunch. By detaching an XYZ material from this card, you can take control of one of your opponent’s face-up monsters and effectively transform it into another Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon, changing the cards name and boosting its attack to 3000. Not only does this give you two 3000 attack beat sticks to absolutely wreck your opponent with, but the fact that the stolen monster’s name changes means you can use this guy for the summon of any monster that specifically requires a Galaxy Eyes monster – making your opponent’s monster even more useful to the Galaxy Eyes strategy.
5. Number 101: Silent Honor ARK
Don’t you just hate it when you finally manage to destroy an opponent’s monster, only for them to immediately revive it from their graveyard? Number 101: Silent Honor ARK provides an amazing way to get rid of your opponent’s monsters, while also ensuring they don’t bring them back any time soon: Simply attach that monster as an XYZ material to this card! This ensures your opponent won’t have any sort of access to that monster while this guy is on the field, dealing with that monster for as long as you need. And by detaching 2 XYZ materials from this card, you can attach any of your opponent’s special summoned monsters to this card as XYZ materials. Furthermore, if this card would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can detach another XYZ material to prevent this destruction.
4. Toadally Awesome
Frogs have always been an incredibly powerful archetype. But the introduction of Toadally Awesome took them to a whole new extreme. First of all, Toadally Awesome allows you to special summon any frog monster from your deck during each standby phase – it doesn’t even have to be your own! All it costs is detaching one XYZ material from this card, which is well worth the price considering just how strong Frogs can be. And whenever your opponent activates a spell or trap, you can send any Aqua monster from your hand or field to the graveyard to negate and destroy that card. Unlike most negating cards that would simply leave it there, Toadally Awesome takes it a step further and allows you to set that spell or trap on your side of the field – allowing you to use it all for yourself!
3. Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star
Dingirsu is an absolute staple for any deck with level 8 monsters, and it’s easy to see why. When this card is special summoned you can activate one of two effects: You can either attach one of your banished machine type monsters to this card as an XYZ material (great for the Orcust strategy, but not why this card is so broken), or you can send one card from the field to the graveyard. The key term here is “send”, which is absolutely vital. This wording gets around monsters that would otherwise be completely untouchable! So many powerful monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh have effects that prevent them from being destroyed or even targeted by card effects. And this is a great way of ensuring that those monsters are dealt with no matter what.
2. Evilswarm Exciton Knight
Sometimes the game just isn’t going well for you. You’re on the back foot and barely hanging on, and you just need a card that can bring you back from the brink. Evilswarm Exciton Knight does all of that and more, practically putting your opponent at a disadvantage. If your opponent has more total cards in their field and hand than you do, then you can detach an XYZ material from this card to blow up every single card on the field except Evilswarm Exciton Knight! The fact that this guy is incredibly cheap to summon as well makes it a great addition to any deck. All it takes is two level 4 monsters and all of a sudden the game is in your control again, and you can comfortably try to pave the way to your victory.
1. Divine Arsenal AA-Zeus – Sky Thunder
The best XYZ monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh are the ones that are incredibly powerful, while also being ridiculously easy to summon. This guy ticks those boxes, and ticks them hard! To XYZ summon this card, all you need to do is have an XYZ monster battle. If you did, then you can XYZ summon this guy using any XYZ monster and its materials – it doesn’t even have to be the XYZ monster that battled. And here’s what it can do for you: By detaching two XYZ materials from this card, you can send every other card on the field to the graveyard! That’s right: Even monsters which can’t be destroyed by card effects will be blown away by this effect, making this card a board wipe like no other. The ridiculous thing about Divine Arsenal AA-Zeus is that it powers itself up to board wipe again and again and again… Because if another monster you control is destroyed by battle or card effect, you can attach any card from your hand, deck, or extra deck to AA-Zeus as a material. Before you know it this guy could have two XYZ materials again – and that board will wind up empty as can be.
