5 cards to counter HERO decks in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

Elemental HERO decks in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel decks are not only flexible, they’re taking a spot as one of the best decks the game offers right now. While it’s not the top tier deck, it’s still a concept that can take people by surprise.

While Elemental HERO decks have a response to many cards, it doesn’t mean the deck itself is unbeatable. There are several staple cards and other picks a player can use to put the deck to a stop immediately.

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What can put a stop to HERO decks in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel?

As a general rule, handtraps and the Solemn cards can stop the deck very quickly. Stopping Destiny HERO Malicious is key, and cards like D.D. Crow can do just that. Board wipe also helps, since it’s a very aggressive, board-heavy deck.

Having board wiping cards, in general, will help, so Raigeki, Dark Hole, and things like that can slow or stop the deck completely. Below are five cards in particular that can defeat HERO decks, but they aren’t the only ones. It’s a deck that is very much a glass cannon - incredibly powerful but easily stopped.

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5) Super Polymerization stops any opponent’s board

Super Polymerization is amazing in that it steals enemy monsters for tribute material (Image via Konami)

Has your opponent started a series of summons and put HERO cards in play, and the end could be near? Super Polymerization can be played from the hand, by discarding a card. It allows the owner to summon one Extra Deck monster, using monsters from both sides of the field as material.

Neither player can activate cards or effects for this, so it is going to get played. Steal the other player’s HERO cards and summon something instead!

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4) Called by the Grave for Destiny HERO - Malicious

A well-timed Called by the Grave can smite HERO decks before they get going (Image via Konami)

Destiny HERO - Malicious is used in the graveyard to summon another Destiny HERO - Malicious from the deck. This allows the player to use it as material, and then use it again by fetching and Special Summoning one.

Called by the Grave stops that completely in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. It’s a Quick Play spell that targets a monster in a graveyard, banishes it, and negates the effects of cards with the same name for the turn. No extra Destiny HERO - Malicious can appear in this turn.

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3) Macro Cosmos is Called by the Grave, but better

Macro Cosmos is a bigger, better version of Called by the Grave in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (Image via Konami)

A powerful continuous trap, it lets the player summon Helios - The Primordial Sun from the deck or hand, but that’s not really important. While it’s in play, and face-up, any card sent to the Graveyard is banished instead.

This completely nullifies graveyard effects, and stops some of the power of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel deck.

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2) Nibiru, the Primal Being ends HERO's dreams of success

Nibiru, the Primal Being continues to be one of the most-useful cards in the game (Image via Konami)

Nibiru is often seen in these Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel list, and for good reason. It’s the perfect card to stop this deck, since it’s a staple. It also allows the caster to destroy all the monsters the HERO deck worked so hard to put into play.

More often than not, drawing into and using Nibiru will cause a HERO deck to just fold and give up.

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1) Infinite Impermanence may be the best solution to the deck

Infinite Impermanence can be used in virtually any deck, making it a powerful tool (Image via Konami)

HERO decks in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel tend to have quite powerful spell cards to help them seal the game up. However, when the opponent has these in place, Infinite Impermanence can be timed just right. If the owner has no cards in play, this can be played from their hand instead.

It allows the player to negate a monster’s effects for a turn, and if it is set before activating, all of the opponent’s spells and trap cards are also negated. It has two valuable uses, and can completely halt the various HERO effects.

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HERO decks continue to grow in use in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, and while it’s not the strongest deck, it’s important to know what a player can do to stop them before they start overrunning a game.

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