Yu-Gi-Oh! Structure Deck: Realm of Light (Unlimited Reprint)

With the announcement that ‘Blue Eyes White Destiny’ (or ‘Advent with Eyes of Blue’ when translated from YuGiOh! OCG) won’t be reaching the UK until February 2025, it appears that we won’t be seeing a brand new Structure Deck in 2024. However don’t despair just yet as, to fill the gap, Konami have re-released ‘Realm of Light‘ from 2014. The important question though: is the future of ‘Realm of Light‘ a bright one or should it be left in the dark?

WHAT IS IT?

‘Realm of Light’ is a Structure Deck composed of 41 cards (2 Ultra Rares, 2 Super Rares and 37 Commons) and a double-sided Game Mat/Strategy Guide designed to get you duelling right away! Structure decks are generally based around a specific archetype and ‘Realm of Light’ is devoted to the ‘Lightsworn’ archetype, an awesome angelic army reinforced by regal dragons.

HOW DO I PLAY IT?

Archetypes often lend themselves to a particular playstyle and ‘Lightsworn’ cards are geared towards you sending the top cards of your deck to the graveyard, or ‘self-milling’ as it is called. It may sound counter-intuitive to send your own cards to the Graveyard but that is just the price you’re going to have to pay to bring out some of the big bold boss monsters in this deck. Let’s have a look at some of the monster cards that are hopefully going to steer you towards a shining victory:

Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn (Level 7 Synchro, ATK 2600, DEF 2000) – Straight off the box art, this Synchro monster has it all: a strong attack, solid defence, a disruptive first effect to banish one of your opponent’s cards for a price and a second effect that prevents you from ‘decking out’ and regains some Life Points to boot. In particular, using the effect of ‘Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner’ to bring back a Level 4 ‘Lightsworn’ Tuner such as ‘Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn’ from the Graveyard makes summoning Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn as easy as 1-2-3!

Judgment Dragon (Level 8, ATK 3000, DEF 2600) – With a generous summoning condition requiring 4 or more different named ‘Lightsworn’ monsters in your Graveyard, this card can easily be brought out and when you have Judgment Dragon then the real fun can begin. A formidable 3000 ATK and an impressive effect that allows you to destroy all the other cards on the field means this card is capable of wiping out an opponent in a few short rounds.

Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter (Level 2, ATK 200, DEF 100) – You might think I am only including Ryko because of the adorable card art of this heavenly hound but I promise there is more to him than just that. An incredible flip effect that allows you to destroy 1 card on the field no questions asked is a vital tool that can turn the tide of any duel means this card is a fine addition to any deck not just ‘Realm of Light’. Such a good boy!

Of course, no deck is complete without a strong set of Spell and Trap cards to support it and ‘Realm of Light’ is no different. There are a number of useful cards such as ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘Solar Recharge’ to help you get ‘Lightsworns’ into the Graveyard and the cards you need into your hand. ‘Lightsworn Sanctuary’ is a strong Continuous Spell letting you effectively trade a ‘Lightsworn’ monster in your hand for one in your Graveyard whilst also possessing a second effect to protect your ‘Lightsworn’ monsters from pesky card effects.

With staple Spell and Trap cards such as ‘Foolish Burial’ and ‘Breakthrough Skill’ also reprinted in this set, ‘Realm of Light’ has enough Spell and Trap card power to hold it’s own in a casual duel.

WHERE DO I GO NEXT WITH IT?

Structure decks are a great first step into YuGiOh! but there is nothing like the experience of making a deck that is truly your own so eventually you will probably want to start experimenting. Fortunately, ‘Lightsworn’ cards has seen reprints and new support lately in booster pack sets such as ‘Legacy of Destruction’ and ’25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II’ that you can incorporate into your deck.

Since ‘Lightsworn’ monsters all have the Light attribute, this means that there are a variety of generic Light cards that can really boost this deck. Cards like ‘Barrier Statue of the Heavens’, ‘Lumenize’ and ‘Constellar Belt’ provide great reinforcments for your precious ‘Lightsworns’.

In addition, the ‘Twilightsworn’ sub-archetype has great synergy and adds a darker edge to the visual style. These cards have similar effects to their Lightsworn counterparts but aim to summon ‘Punishment Dragon’, the mirror to ‘Judgment Dragon’, for a brutal beatdown.

FINAL THOUGHTS

‘Realm of Light’ is a great product to get you duelling quickly but stops shy of showing a new player all of the rules and mechanics that you will need on your way to becoming a duelling master. For more experience or competitive leaning players, this is probably not what you want to be running at locals but it still holds a few cards to make it worth your while. In short, this is a solid addition to any YuGiOh! card collection but other structure decks like ‘Fire Kings’ and ‘Beware of Traptrix’ have set the bar a bit too high and ‘Realm of Light’ struggles to meet the hype.