Konami has released a new batch of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, and the list reads like a catalog of trading cards rather than a news article. The company posted “Various OCG-AE Cards [OCG-AE],” which is a collection of individual card entries with no context about what each one does or why it matters. It is a strange way to present a product, and it raises questions about how Konami thinks about its own marketing.
The Catalog Entries
The list opens with a group of “Speedroid” Synchros. There is LAVD-AES30 Hi-Speedroid Hagoita, LAVD-AES31 Hi-Speedroid Puzzle, LAVD-AES32 Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake, LAVD-AES33 Hi-Speedroid Cork Shooter, LAVD-AES34 Hi-Speedroid Clear Wing Rider, LAVD-AES35 Hi-Speedroid Glider #2, and LAVD-AES37 Hi-Speedroid Rubber Band Shooter. These are all named after toys and tools.
Next comes a pair of “Mecha Phantom Beast” monsters: LAVD-AES14 Mecha Phantom Beast O-Lion and LAVD-AES38 Mecha Phantom Beast Auroradon.
Then there is a set of TCG World Premiere Cards. LAVD-AEO33 Odd-Eyes Override Dragon, LAVD-AES11 Speedroid Darumaknocker, and LAVD-AEL09 Lunalight Scarlet Tiger are all listed together, though the list does not explain what makes them world premiere.
The “Destiny Hero” monsters follow. CR13-AE029 Destiny HERO – Plasma, CR13-AE030 Destiny HERO – Drilldark, CR13-AE031 Destiny HERO – Dynatag, CR13-AE032 Destiny HERO – Decider, and CR13-AE033 Destiny HERO – Celestial are all listed without any description of their effects or what the “Destiny Hero” theme does. The list simply names them and moves on.
There is also a group of Hand Traps: LAVD-AEL10 Effect Veiler, LAVD-AEL11 Maxx “C,” LAVD-AEL12 Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, and LAVD-AEL13 Nibiru, the Primal Being. None of them carry any text beyond their names.
The Extra Deck Good Stuff Cards include LAVD-AEL37 Gallant Granite, LAVD-AEL38 Salamangreat Almiraj, LAVD-AEL39 Cross-Sheep, LAVD-AEO34 Chaos Angel, LAVD-AEO35 Heavymetalfoes Electrumite, LAVD-AEO36 I:P Masquerena, LAVD-AEO37 S:P Little Knight, and LAVD-AES36 Baronne de Fleur. Again, no descriptions of what these cards do or why they are considered good.
What the List Leaves Out
The biggest omission is context. A player who sees this list will not know what any of these cards actually do. They will not know whether a card is good, bad, or neutral. They will not know what the “Destiny Hero” theme is for, or what the “Speedroid” Synchros are meant to accomplish.
The list also fails to explain the difference between the various sets it draws from. LAVD, CR13, and OCG-AE are all mentioned, but the reader is left to guess which set each card belongs to and what that means for its availability.
Comparing the Sets
| Set | Cards Listed |
|---|---|
| LAVD | Speedroid Synchros, Mecha Phantom Beast monsters, Hand Traps, Extra Deck Good Stuff |
| CR13 | Destiny Hero monsters, Adamancipator cards |
| OCG-AE | World Premiere Cards |
The Verdict
This is not a good way to present a product. A card list should tell players what the cards do and why they matter. This list does neither.
The lack of context is frustrating. The whole package reads like a draft that got published by accident.
If Konami wants players to understand its cards, it needs to do better than this. A simple sentence about each card’s effect would go a long way. A few sentences about the themes and strategies behind them would go further still.
As it stands, this list is a catalog of names and numbers, not a marketing tool. Players who want to know what these cards do will have to look elsewhere.
The paper’s view is that this release is a missed opportunity. Konami has the cards. It has the sets. It has the names. What it lacks is the explanation that makes all of it worthwhile.
Source material: “Various OCG-AE Cards [OCG-AE],” YGOrganization.
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