Packed with amazing additions to older archetypes, Yu-Gi-Oh!'s Photon Hypernova 100 card expansion allows you to viably play decks that were all but useless. The expansion also added a new archetype, Gold Pride, which is full of fun cards that transform into Extra Deck variants before reverting to normal deck monsters during the End Phase.
There are many new boss monsters to add to your Extra Deck as well, whether you are playing a specific archetype deck or just want to take advantage of some of the ridiculous Special Effects some of the monsters have. Either way, you're sure to find something in Photon Hypernova that will take your deck to the next level.
9 Ultimate Great Insect
Ultimate Great Insect is about as generic of a card as you can get. It doesn't need to fit into any archetype to work, and its summon requirements are so easy that it can work with any insect deck. The card combos well with Petit Moth and Cocoon Of Evolution, allowing you to quickly get Ultimate Great Insect out without the need for Fusion.
What really makes Ultimate Great Insect one of the best cards in Photon Hypernova, however, is its Quick Effect. The ability to destroy all of your opponent's monsters on the field by just having a Field Spell Card in the Field Zone is amazing for such a simple monster. And with a solid 3,000 attack, Ultimate Great Insect is a great Extra Deck card for any insect deck.
8 Tri-Brigade Arms Bucephalus II
A Link Monster with devastating abilities, Tri-Brigade Arms Bucephalus II is an addition the Tri-Brigade archetype needed. Prior to Photon Hypernova, the Tri-Brigade's boss Link Monster was Tri-Brigade Shuraig The Ominous Omen. Shuraig was decent, having 3,000 attack, but lacked a battle-oriented Special Effect.
That's where Tri-Brigade Arms Bucephalus II comes in. With 3,500 attack and the ability to prevent your opponent from activating cards or Special Effects when you Special Summon monsters, Bucephalus makes setting up for an OTK easier than ever. By activating Bucephalus's effect that lets you banish Bucephalus when a monster declares an attack, you can completely banish all the cards on your opponent's side of the field, leaving them completely open for a finisher.
7 Gold Pride - Nytro Blaster
A Link Monster for the new Gold Pride archetype introduced in Photon Hypernova, Gold Pride - Nytro Blaster is an explosive nightmare. While it has a reasonable 2,300 attack, Nytro Blaster's real power comes from its ability to destroy one of your opponent's monsters if your Life Points are lower than your opponent's.
When you destroy an opponent's monster with Nytro Blaster, you can also destroy any adjacent cards to the Monster Zone of the monster you destroyed, which can turn the tide of a duel. If you activate this effect, you'll have to return Nytro Blaster to your Extra Deck. But it allows you to Special Summon Gold Pride - Nytro Head, which has a similar ability except that it uses tokens you can Special Summon to your opponent's side of the field instead of your opponent's monster.
6 Chaos Archfiend
A dependable Synchro Monster, Chaos Archfiend is the perfect Extra Deck card for a Chaos deck. Easily summoned with Chaos Mirage Dragon, Chaos Archfiend can decimate an ill-prepared opponent. Starting at 2,500 attack, Chaos Archfiend gains an additional 2,000 attack if a card was banished that turn, and allows you to attack all your opponent's monsters, banishing any monsters that are destroyed by battle.
This means that even if you haven't banished a card prior to attacking, destroying a card in battle will give you the damage boost for all of your other attacks. If that wasn't amazing enough, if your opponent removes Chaos Archfiend from the field in any way, it allows you to Special Summon a Chaos Synchro monster from your Extra Deck, giving you quick access to cards like Chaos Angel and Chaos King Archfiend.
5 Mirrorjade The Iceblade Dragon
A high-cost, high-reward fusion monster, Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon is a terrifying card for anyone facing it. Not only are Mirrorjade's attack and defense high at 3,000 and 2,500, respectively, but its ability to banish an opponent's monster by simply sending a Fusion Monster mentioning Fallen of Albaz to the Graveyard is also incredibly useful.
What really makes this card annoying, though, is its effect that lets you destroy all of your opponent's monsters if they use a card to take it off of the field. This severely limits your opponent's options if they have several monsters on their side of the field and can force a surrender since the effect activates during the End Phase, preventing them from re-summoning monsters.
4 Gold Pride - Star Leon
Gold Pride - Star Leon is a powerful Synchro Monster for the Gold Pride archetype. With the ability to add the attack of an opponent's monster to its own and then destroy the monster if your Life Points are lower than your opponent's, Star Leon can tear apart your opponent.
The drawback to this fantastic effect is that if you use the effect, you must return Star Leon to your Extra Deck at your End Phase. Thankfully, you can Special Summon the card's tuner monster, Gold Pride - Leon, which then activates Leon's effect, which lets you Special Summon another Gold Pride monster. You can then use that second monster with Leon's Quick Effect during your opponent's Main Phase to Synchro Summon Gold Pride - Star Leon back to the field, letting you once again use its first Quick Effect.
3 Number C62: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon
The second evolution of the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, Number C62: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon is an upgrade from the Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon. When Special Summoned using Number 62, Number C62 gains all Number 62's materials, and if one of those materials was the base monster, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, Number C62 can quickly dominate an opponent.
Not only is Number C62 able to attack monsters three times if you detach a material, but if you have the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, Number C62 is unaffected by your opponent's monster effects and gains bonus attack for the levels of all its attached materials times 100. This means that Number C62 will have at least 4,800 attack since the effect requires the level 8 Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. As long as you can protect Number C62 from your opponent's Spell/Trap cards, this card can end a duel in one to two turns.
2 Kashtira Arise-Heart
A welcome addition to the Kashtira archetype, Kashtira Arise-Heart is a boss card that not only works well with Kashtira Shangri-Ira but also with the new Chaos Archfiend. With its ability to attach a banished card as material and Chaos Archfiend's ability to banish any card it destroys, the two cards work perfectly with one another.
Coupling the materials Arise-Heart can gain from Chaos Archfiend if you are also able to Special Summon Kashtira Shangri-Ira. You can use Arise-Heart's Quick Effect to banish any cards not banished by Chaos Archfiend face down, and activate Shangri-Ira's effect and close off a Main Monster Zone or Spell/Trap Zone, creating a devastating combo that can end any duel.
1 Laevatein, Generaider Boss Of Shadows
A new Generaider monster, Laevatein, Generaider Boss of Shadows is a terrifying fairy monster. Between its 2,500 attack and its Special Effect that lowers the attack and defense of your opponent's monsters by 1,000, Laevatein is a formidable card. Unfortunately for your opponent, Laevatein's real purpose is to use its Quick Effect to Special Summon Jormungandr, Generaider Boss of Eternity.
When using Laevatein's Quick Effect, you can attach cards from the field or Graveyard to Jormungandr (up to the number of materials Laevatein had attached), which lets you not only clear parts of your opponent's field and/or disrupt their combos, but also ensures that Jormungandr is summoned with high attack. Jormungandr's attack is based on the number of materials it has attached times 1,000 and has a Quick Effect that can give it an additional 1,000 attack every turn. Together the two cards can easily end a duel making Laevatein, Generaider Boss of Shadows indispensable for any Generaider deck.