What are the best trap cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel?

An important part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel game is the use of trap cards. Trap cards go on the back line, and are played face-down, activated at the right time to impede an opponent’s moves. They can eliminate enemy monsters, stop spells, prevent damage, and so much more.

Occasionally, a trap can come from the player’s hand as well. Not every deck uses a ton of traps, but there are some that are simply more important than others when it comes to crafting in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. In a game of over 10,000 cards between the OCG and TCG, it is not always easy to know which cards to craft first.

These trap cards are going to be usable on a wide variety of decks and are worth having close at hand.

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Do not underestimate the power of trap cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

The majority of Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel decks do not win on the power of creatures alone. Traps can counter nearly anything and help a player secure a key win. A trap played at the right time can completely unravel a combo, for example.

This is important in a game where most decks feature one major combo to win with. Stop that completely, and the win could potentially be secured so much easier. But which traps are the most ideal ones to focus on crafting?

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Infinite Impermanence (Ultra Rare)

Infinite Impermanence has many uses, and all of them can be devastating (Image via Konami)

Infinite Impermanence is an incredible trap and one of the key staples for several Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel decks. It has three potential abilities that can be used in different spots. If a player activates this spell, it negates the effects and abilities of one monster for this turn. This is a fantastic way to interrupt a summon combo.

If this card is Set (played face down) before activating, it negates all Trap and Spell cards for the other player that are set on that backline. If the player has no cards in play, they can also activate this from their hand, also known as a handtrap. It’s one of the most important traps to consider crafting.

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There Can Be Only One (Ultra Rare)

Opponent getting you down with lots of monsters? Put a stop to that immediately (Image via Konami)

Several decks, like Drytron, Tri-Brigade, and others, require a player to summon several monsters in one turn, to create one, even better monster. There Can Be Only One puts an immediate halt to that.

Activating this Continuous Trap (stays in play) makes both players only able to have one monster in play. If that player has several in play or puts several in play, they will have to send some to the graveyard.

This is best used in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel decks that only need one monster, or doesn’t use any. It’s a very powerful stop for any monster-heavy decks.

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Ice Dragon’s Prison (Super Rare)

Sometimes, a player just needs to borrow a card (Image via Konami)

Some players are quick to start dropping cards in their graveyard for combos, or maybe a player simply wants another card for a Ritual/Special Summon. Ice Dragon’s Prison targets a card in an opponent’s graveyard, and Special Summons it into play.

That card’s abilities are negated, but you can also banish 1 monster from both players’ fields of that same type. So it also adds control effects. The best part about this is that a player can steal a card from a graveyard, and use it as a tool to Special Summon something with.

An excellent card for decks that need one specific creature to win (Eldlich as an example).

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Imperial Order (Ultra Rare)

Spell Cards are a crutch, anyway, according to Imperial Order (Image via Konami)

Imperial Order is one of the most powerful cards in Yu-Gi-Oh, and was changed somewhere along the line. A card limited to one per deck, Imperial Order stops all Spell Card effects when in play. As long as this card is activated and in play, no spell effects can trigger.

It comes with the cost of paying 700 LP a turn. This is not an optional cost. If a player does not do it, the card is destroyed. It’s important to know when to trigger this card because a player only has so many Life Points.

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Vanity’s Emptiness (Ultra Rare)

Vanity's Emptiness can put a stop to a great deal of summon-based shenanigans (Image via Konami)

Another powerful Continuous Trap, Vanity’s Emptiness disables one of the most powerful combo tools in the game: Special Summoning. When this is in play, neither player can special summon any cards to the field, end of the story.

However, if the player that controls this puts a card from their deck or in play into their graveyard, this spell is destroyed. It’s an excellent, powerful spell that is also limited to one per deck, and it’s not hard to see why

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Torrential Tribute (Rare)

Destroying all the monsters in play can be incredibly satisfying (Image via Konami)

There are two very important facets to Torrential Tribute. The first is that it is a board wipe, and the second, it’s only Rare! It’s nice to see a powerful trap in a lower rarity. This card can be activated when a monster is put into play. Simply put, it destroys all monsters in play. This trap, when well-timed, can completely end a powerful combo of summoning monsters.

Gems are plentiful in the game, but having to spend less is always nice.

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Mirror Force (Super Rare)

Opponent have too many aggressive creatures? Well, not anymore (Image via Konami)

Many Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel players simply place their monsters into Attack Position, because they are going to be aggressive with them. Mirror Force is the solution to that problem. When a monster attacks, this can be triggered. If it is, all enemy Attack Position monsters are destroyed.

Excellent when they just have one huge, unstoppable monster, or when the other player is about to attack repeatedly.

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Key Handtraps to use in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

Handtraps can be incredibly satisfying, since they come out of nowhere (Image via Konami)

Infinite Impermanence is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel card that can be activated in hand, but there are several other cards that are known as handtraps. These are typically monster cards, but they have trap effects that can be activated from that player’s hand instead.

It’s worth highlighting a few of these briefly, as there is a pair of them that show up in a significant number of decks.

Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring can be discarded to negate one of several specific effects the other player is doing.

• Adding a card from the deck to hand
• Special Summon from the deck
• Send a card from the deck to the graveyard

This can only be done once a turn, but it could be absolutely devastating to a combo.

Maxx “C” can be activated during either player’s turn in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. This is an incredible card draw engine, against Special Summon combos. This card, when activated and discarded, grants the player a card draw, anytime that player Special Summons for that turn.

It can be hard to figure out which trap cards to unlock first in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, but these are among the best in the game for a variety of situations and purposes.