Dark World
Dark World, in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game (or Dark Realm in the Official Card Game), refers is an archtype as well as a popular deck theme. The Dark World cards were released in the Elemental Energy expansion. To date the Trading Card Game has yet to release any other Dark World cards, although there are more Dark World cards scheduled to be released in the Strike of Neos expansion.
The set features monster cards whose effects activate when they are discarded to the Graveyard by a card effect; and sometimes, secondary and more powerful effects activated when the card is discarded by the opponent's card effect. A common misinterperatation of their effects is that they only need be discarded, but card rulings state it it must be as a result of a card effect, and seeing as a card's cost is not considered part of the effect it will not trigger the effects of the Dark World cards. Meaning cards such as Lightning Vortex will not allow you to use the effects of these cards.
Dark World Cards
Monster Cards
- Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World
- Broww, Huntsman of Dark World
- Brron, Mad King of Dark World
- Sillva, Warlord of Dark World
- Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World
- Scarr, Scout of Dark World
- Zure, Knight of Dark World
- Rain, Demon of Dark World
- Kaki, Assassin of Dark World
- Green, Tactician of Dark World
Support Cards
- Dark Deal
- Dark World Lightning
- Gateway to Dark World
- The Forces of Darkness
- Transaction of Dark World
Cards typically used in a Dark World deck not specifically printed as support for this theme include Morphing Jar, Graceful Charity, and Card Destruction. Card of Safe Return and The Cheerful Coffin are also common Dark World fare, but they are not ubiquitous.
Popularity
Dark World decks are often played competively due to their ability to generate massive card advantage when used correctly with cards with discard effects, their speed, their ability to quickly swarm the field and their ability to counter cards such as Spirit Reaper and Don Zaloog. The deck made it's biggest debut after the unbanning of Graceful Charity.
Weaknesses
Due to the number of high level monsters included in Dark World, they can promote poor hands. People have often argued that because of this, Dark World cannot be competitive.
The most powerful Dark World monsters, to date, (Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World, and Sillva, Warlord of Dark World) are weak in comparison to other monsters of a comparable level, potentially making this swarm of limited value unless supporting tactics are employed to outmanuever the opponent's greater firepower.
Also, if any of the Dark World monsters are discarded and removed from play by a card effect (such as Banisher of Radiance), their effects will not activate since they were not sent to the Graveyard and this severly lowers the duellist's chance of winning.