Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links was introduced to the world in 2016, and during its history, many metagames have come and gone. With new cards added every month, Duel Links' metagame is constantly changing, having gone from a slow game to often just as fast as the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG.
Many decks have had their time in the spotlight, being the best of their respective metas. Some of these decks were so good, if they were fully unrestricted they would still be the best deck despite how much time has passed since their peak. These are the best of the best decks when it comes to Duel Links.
Updated January 2nd, 2021 by Johnny Garcia: Zexal World has officially arrived and with it, the introduction of Xyz Monsters to Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links. Xyz Monsters are very quickly rising to the top, with a much bigger launch than Synchro Monsters. Not only is there an entirely new Monster type, but a new Duel Links Forbidden/Limited list has come out to balance the game to a more healthy meta. The meta is up in the air with where it will land, but plenty of decks are able to take advantage of the new Forbidden/Limited list as well as new Xyz Monsters. A new box has also recently released, Infinite Ray that gives plenty of boosts to older decks as well as introduces new Archetypes for players to use.
15 Masked HEROs
Masked HEROs could be seen as a turning point in the kind of game Duel Links would become, introducing more OTK decks to the game. Once a copy of Mask Change was acquired, it led to the summon of Masked HERO Anki, which could then search out another Mask Change.
Since Mask Change is a Quick-Play Spell, this meant that Anki could go into another Anki, and continue to do so until the opponent had no Monsters left. During its prime, Masked HERO cards could beat over nearly all relevant Monsters in the metagame, and could even attack directly if needed to close out games.
14 Dark Magician
Dark Magician decks quickly rose up the ranks of power as more cards were added to the game. Dark Magicians were a Rouge deck for a while when Magician Navigation was released but shot up to top tier status with the release of Dark Magical Circle.
Dark Magical Circle allowed you to Banish a Monster anytime a Dark Magician was Summoned, which was incredibly easy for Dark Magician decks to do. Afterward, it could negate Spell and Trap cards with Magician Navigation's Graveyard effect. It was a very simple yet effective deck that was so good multiple cards in the deck were put on the Forbidden/Limited list.
13 Crystron
Crystrons were always a little under the radar compared to other meta decks. However, that doesn't mean they weren't fantastic. Crystrons were really easy to build, as their core cards were all in one box.
They could easily interrupt the opponent on their turn thanks to their ability to Synchro Summon during it. Crystrons were so good for so long, they have 4 different cards from their core on the Semi-Limited list. These hits would ultimately take Crystrons out of the meta after dominating it for months, but their impact on the game's history was set in stone.
12 Blackwing
Blackwings were in the game for a while, however, it wasn't until the release of Aerial Assault that they met their full potential. This led to one of the strongest OTK decks Duel Links had ever seen.
At their full power, they utilized Hey, Trunade! to get rid of any Spell and Trap cards so their combo couldn't be interrupted. Blackwings could easily wipe the field of Monsters, and go in for the OTK with their powerful Synchro Monsters. They even had a Counter Trap that negated a Monster Effect that could be activated from the hand. Blackwings were so good, three different cards from the deck are currently semi-limited.
11 Shiranui
When a deck has almost all of its core main deck Monsters on the Forbidden/Limited list, that's when you know it was broken. Shiranui was one of the easiest decks to build, as all the cards needed for it were in just one Mini Box.
Shiranui were incredibly powerful, easily destroying Monsters while setting up a formidable board to easily dominate the other decks of the meta. It survived tons of hits and is the deck with the most cards on the Forbidden/Limited list. Shiranui left the meta due to all the hits after cementing itself as one of the best Duel Links decks ever with its domination all throughout 2020.
10 Tea Burn
Tea Burn was one of the most hated decks in the early days of Duel Links. If the Tea Burn player won the coin flip, they would almost guarantee an FTK with Burn Damage with how little interaction there was. The deck was such a problem, it was the first time a Forbidden/Limited list was implemented into Duel Links. This put Restructer Revolution to 1 copy per deck. Tea Burn was incredibly consistent, and incredibly unfun to play against, leaving most players happy it was gone. It abused Duel, Standby! by giving the opponent more cards to do greater Burn Damage with Restructer Revolution.
9 Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon
Red-Eyes decks were very popular when they came into Duel Links, with the Zombie variant at the forefront. Red-Eyes cards could very easily dump a Red-Eyes Monster into the Graveyard to then revive it with Red-Eyes Spirit. In addition, the deck played regular Red-Eyes Black Dragon in order to take advantage of Champion's Vigilance which was one of the best negates in the entire game at the time. Gozuki sent Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon to the Graveyard to be revived with Red-Eyes Wyvern. This was so good at the time, Champion's Vigilance was the first Trap Card limited.
8 Koa'ki Meiru
When Koa'ki Meiru entered the metagame, it changed Duel Links forever. It was the first time easy destruction effects were present with little to no cost, all while being able to easily OTK due to Grit preventing Life Points going to 0.
Koa'ki Meiru proved how useful having a Spell card searcher was. It could easily set up a negate for both Spell and Trap cards, all while putting Koa'ki Meiru Maximus onto the Field. This was a free destruction effect and was still able to attack with 3,000 Attack Points, which was incredibly high for an easily summonable Monster.
7 Invoked
Invoked may very well turn out to be the best deck in all of Duel Links history, and it certainly has had the longest run in the metagame. Despite having multiple cards on the Forbidden/Limited list, Invoked hasn't dipped in power in the slightest. It's incredibly consistent, and could easily abuse the Elementsaber Monsters to go into any of the Invoked Fusion Monsters. Aleister The Invoker can be constantly recycled, making it easy to get Invocation back into the hand. The only thing keeping it from being the best is the lack of complete dominance the other decks have had. Invoked Cocytus was such a good Fusion Monster, it's the only Box card in the entire game that's banned entirely (and there are only two other cards outright banned from play in Duel Links).
6 Six Samurai
When Six Samurai first entered the game, they didn't make any kind of metagame impact. However, when more support arrived in the Warriors Unite Box, it shot them up to Tier 0 status, meaning players were either playing Six Samurai, or a deck built specifically to counter them. Six Samurai could easily swarm the field and gain amazing card advantage, which allowed them to set up a nearly unbreakable board. Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En was incredibly powerful, as a blanket Spell and Trap card negate were too good for the time. Legendary Six Samurai - Enishi would also take care of problem cards by returning them to the hand as a Quick Effect.
5 Amazoness
Amazoness have been present in the metagame for quite some time. Due to Duel Links' low starting Life Points, Burn strategies are rather viable (to the point Burn as a whole was nerfed with Zexal World). With cards like Amazoness Swordswoman and Lava Golem, they could easily dismantle Life Points. The addition of Amazoness Onslaught shot the deck up to Tier 0 status in its prime.
It was an incredibly powerful card that would Banish any Monster that battled an Amazoness. It could also Special Summon an Amazoness from the Hand during each Battle Phase. If it got destroyed, it would Special Summon an Amazoness from the Graveyard, being able to recycle their powerful Monsters.
4 Sylvans
The Sylvans deck was everywhere during their prime. With good luck, Sylvans could easily swing games in their favor with the right excavates. With cards like Rose Lover, they could easily Special Summon their Boss Monsters while making them unaffected by Trap Cards. Sylvan Marshalleaf easily setup Rose Lover for its effect, while the rest of the Sylvan cards handled the board to get ready to drop their Boss Monster. The combo was so good, both Sylvan Marshalleaf and Rose Lover were semi-limited on the same Forbidden/Limited List, although only Rose Lover is still semi-limited.
3 Cyber Angels
Cyber Angels were the first truly meta Free To Play deck, and due to the low amount of commitment required to build the deck, it was everywhere. Cyber Angels were the first meta Ritual Deck in Duel Links, and had powerful searching & floating thanks to Machine Angel Ritual and the effects of Cyber Angel Benten and Cyber Angel Idaten. Cyber Angel Dakini was incredibly powerful removal and was able to put Cyber Angels and Machine Angel Rituals back into the Hand during the End Phase to combo the next turn.
2 Fur Hire
Fur Hire Monsters were incredible during their prime, the definitive best deck of its era. Dyna, Hero Fur Hire would completely lock out the opponent from attacking if there were two of them on the Field.
Donpa, Marksman Fur Hire destroyed face-up cards on the Field, easily taking care of Monsters as protection was not common during the Fur Hire meta. If a player managed to get Wiz, Sage Fur Hire onto the Field as well, a Spell and Trap card negate was enough to keep the opponent from destroying the Field, which made Fur Hire one of the most oppressive decks in the game's history.
1 Woodland Sprite FTK
Woodland Sprite FTK was the most consistent FTK (first-turn kill) in all of Duel Links. If it got going, the player performing the FTK was practically guaranteed to win. With the skill Restart, it was even easier to perform with a free mulligan. Woodland Sprite FTK could draw through its entire deck on the first turn, then use the effect of Woodland Sprite to do enough Burn Damage to win. Woodland Sprite FTK continued to dominate until multiple cards were put on the Forbidden/Limited List that enabled it. If there were no restrictions on its cards, Woodland Sprite FTK would still dominate Duel Links.