The latest in Yu-Gi-Oh!'s Lost Art promo card series is available from today, with Gemini Elf being available at any participating store in the US, Canada and UK.
From September 16, buying at least $30 USD, £30 or $40 CAD in sealed Yu-Gi-Oh! products could reward you with a limited-edition print of Gemini Elf. This version uses the original Japanese OCG art, which was changed for 2003's Labyrinth of Nightmare TCG set to give the elves less revealing costumes due to its younger target audience. It's also printed in the Ultra Rare style, with golden foil lettering.
The Lost Art Promotions were introduced shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic, and have since become a way for Yu-Gi-Oh! players to support their local game stores while in-person organised play has been unavailable. Each month, a new card with the original, unchanged Japanese art becomes available. With the addition of Gemini Elf, there are currently three cards available: Gemini Elf, Barrel Dragon and Storming Wynn.
There are three more cards to be added, taking the promotion through to the end of 2021. These cards are Enchanting Fitting Room, Elemental HERO Burstinatrix and Foolish Return, which will be added in October, November and December respectively.
This series is a continuation of the one that ran earlier this year, that featured cards like Dark Magician Girl, Celestia Lightsworn Angel, Raging Eria, Blazing Hiita, Vampire Vamp and YWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon.
The Lost Art series is interesting, as it highlights how many cards were changed between the Japanese and international game. Some, such as Gemini Elves and Storming Wynn, were given less revealing outfits that are now being restored, while others had other features entirely removed to be more palatable for a young, American audience – Barrel Dragon's massive guns being a prime example. The decision to make so many of these promo cards feature more revealing art as a selling point is a bit eyebrow-raising, but the changes back in the day were a significant part of the game's history, and that makes these worth collecting.
The Lost Art Promotional Cards are only available in participating Official Tournament Stores in the United States, Canada and the UK, and only while stocks of each card last.